Acipenser transmontanus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=d55013d210f7439f8ca981b3b73576f2&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59l2j69i60j69i57j69i60l2j69i59.492j0j4&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> North America</a> and the world.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is a species of sturgeon in the family Acipenseridae of the order Acipenseriformes. They are an anadromous fish species ranging in the Eastern Pacific; from the Gulf of Alaska to Monterey, California. However, some are landlocked in the Columbia River Drainage, Montana, and Lake Shasta in California, with reported sightings in northern Baja California, Mexico.Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) &gt; Acipenseriformes (Sturgeons and paddlefishes) &gt; Acipenseridae (Sturgeons) &gt; Acipenserinae Etymology: : Latin, = sturgeon, 1853 (Ref. 45335); transmontanus: The specific name is derived from the Latin acipenser (sturgeon), trans (beyond), and montanus (mountain) (Ref. 27436).More on author: Richardson.

Acipenser transmontanus

Acipenser transmontanus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation...

Oncorhynchus aguabonita whitei NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. The Little Kern golden trout, Oncorhynchus aguabonita whitei, a subspecies of the golden trout, reaches an adult size of 8-12 in (20-31 cm) and weighs up to 1 lb (0.45 kg). It is olive above a broad reddish lateral line, golden yellow below, and has red cheeks and belly. The Little Kern golden trout is a member of the Salmonidae (trout and salmon) family. It is a brightly colored fish with profuse spots on the back and tail. The belly and cheeks are red to red-orange. The lower sides are bright gold. The lateral band is red-orange. The back is olive green. Pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins are orange, with white tips. Little Kerns typically retain up to 10 parr marks (vertical dark oval spots) on each side as adults.

The Golden Trout, also known as the Californian golden trout (Oncorhynchus aguabonita or Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita), is a species of trout native to <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=california&amp;cvid=f34ccd854fdf43ddb805ad53799d9fe3&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l5.846j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">California</a>. The golden trout is normally found in the Golden Trout Creek (tributary to the Kern River), Volcano Creek (tributary to Golden Trout Creek), and the South Fork Kern River. It is the state freshwater fish of California.

Oncorhynchus aguabonita whitei

Oncorhynchus aguabonita whitei NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer...

Oncorhynchus apache NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world. The Apache trout, Oncorhynchus apache, is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the Pacific trouts. The Apache trout measures in length from 6 to 24 in (15–61 cm), and weighs between 0.4 to 6 lb (0.2–2.7 kg).[<a title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed</a>] It rarely exceeds 10 in (25 cm), but can reach up to 16 in (40 cm) in its native, headwater streams. Apache trout are a yellowish-gold color with a golden belly and have medium-sized dark spots that are evenly spaced and that may extend below the lateral line and onto the <a title="Dorsal fin" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorsal_fin">dorsal</a> and <a title="Fish anatomy" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_anatomy#Types_of_fin">tail fins</a>. The top of its head and back are dark olive in color, and it has the appearance of having a black stripe/mask through each of its eyes, due to two small black dots on either side of the pupil. There can be a throat mark below the lower jaw, ranging in color from yellow to gold.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Oncorhynchus apache

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Oncorhynchus clarki stomias NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Oncorhynchus clarki stomias ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=ddc53fecf83f49b59caa9d7d98de632e&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.578j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> North America</a> and the world. The greenback cutthroat trout is the easternmost subspecies of cutthroat trout. The greenback cutthroat, once widespread in the Arkansas and South Platte River drainages of Eastern Colorado and Southeast Wyoming, today occupies less than 1% of its historical range. It is currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It was adopted as the state fish of Colorado on March 15, 1994 replacing the unofficial rainbow trout.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. The greenback cutthroat trout is the easternmost subspecies of cutthroat trout. The greenback cutthroat, once widespread in the Arkansas and South Platte River drainages of Eastern Colorado and Southeast Wyoming, today occupies less than 1% of its historical range. It is currently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. It was adopted as the state fish of Colorado on March 15, 1994 replacing the unofficial rainbow trout.

Oncorhynchus clarki stomias

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Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=ddc53fecf83f49b59caa9d7d98de632e&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.578j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. Lahontan cutthroat trout is the largest subspecies of cutthroat trout, and the state fish of Nevada. It is one of three subspecies of cutthroat trout that are listed as federally threatened.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. The Lahontan cutthroat is native to the drainages of the Truckee River, Humboldt River, Carson River, Walker River, Quinn River and several smaller rivers in the Great Basin of North America. These were tributaries of ancient Lake Lahontan during the ice ages until the lake shrank to remnants such as Pyramid Lake and Walker Lake about 7,000 years ago, although Lake Tahoe—from which the Truckee flows to Pyramid Lake—is still a large mountain lake. Lahontan cutthroats

Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi

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Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=61fb79e0dc6f408ca16d749a4137650c&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.686j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. Paiute cutthroat trout is one of fourteen subspecies of cutthroat trout. Paiute Cutthroat are native only to Silver King Creek, a headwater tributary of the Carson River in the Sierra Nevada, in California. This subspecies is named after the indigenous Northern Paiute peoples. Paiute cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris) is one of fourteen subspecies of cutthroat trout. Paiute Cutthroat are native only to Silver King Creek, a headwater tributary of the Carson River in the Sierra Nevada, in California. This subspecies is named after the indigenous Northern Paiute peoples.
Paiute cutthroat trout are endemic to and protected within the Carson Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The Carson River lies within the Great Basininterior drainage system,

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris

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Oncorhynchus gilae NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-are-not-the-only-animals-that-create-their-own-culture/">animals</a> and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Oncorhynchus gilae ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. The Gila trout is a species of salmonid, related to the rainbow, native to the Southwest United States. Prior to 2006 the Gila trout was federally listed as endangered. In July 2006, after much work by the Game and Fish departments in New Mexico and Arizona, the US Forest Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Gila trout was down-listed to threatened, with a special provision called a "4d rule" that will allow limited sport fishing – for the first time in nearly half a century. This possibility is distinct: there may be no one alive today that has legally angled a pure Gila trout from its native waters. By the time the Gila trout was closed to fishing in the 1950s, its numbers and range were so depleted and so reduced this copper-colored trout simply wasn't very accessible to anglers. As of 2011 there is fishing in both states for this fish.

Oncorhynchus gilae

Oncorhynchus gilae NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Oncorhynchus keta NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/lake-st-clair-of-the-u-s-and-canada/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network. The chum salmon is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is a Pacific salmon, and may also be known as dog salmon or keta salmon, and is often marketed under the name silverbrite salmon. The name chum salmon comes from the Chinook Jargon term tzum, meaning "spotted" or "marked", while keta in the scientific name comes from the Evenki language of Eastern Siberia via Russian.

ITIS Reports -- Oncorhynchus keta ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=61fb79e0dc6f408ca16d749a4137650c&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.686j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. The body of the chum salmon is deeper than most salmonid species. In common with other species found in the Pacific, the anal fin has 12 to 20 rays, compared with a maximum of 12 in European species. Chum have an ocean coloration of silvery blue green with some indistinct spotting in a darker shade, and a rather paler belly. When they move into fresh water the color changes to dark olive green and the belly color deepens. When adults are near <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Spawning%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">spawning</a>, they have purple blotchy streaks near the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Caudal%20peduncle%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">caudal peduncle</a>, darker towards the tail. Spawning males typically grow an elongated snout or <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Kype%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">kype</a>, their lower fins become tipped with white and they have enlarged teeth. Some researchers speculate these characteristics are used to compete for mates.

Oncorhynchus keta

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Oncorhynchus mykiss NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Oncorhynchus mykiss ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=ddc53fecf83f49b59caa9d7d98de632e&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.578j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. Class: Actinopterygii. Summary of Invasiveness. Oncorhynchus mykiss is a competitive trout species which can displace native trout species when introduced into new environments; the fisheries management literature is replete with papers that document.  For many years the O. mykiss native to North America ( Salmo gairdneri) was thought to be a different species from the trout native to Kamchatka ( Salmo mykiss ), but they are now considered to be the same species.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. Prior to 1989, O. mykiss were classified as part of the trout genus, having the scientific name Salmo gairdneri, but they were reclassified as Oncorhynchus mykiss in 1989, and are thus more closely related to Pacific salmon than to other trout species ( Smith and Stearley, 1989 ). Oncorhynchus mykiss has a streamlined body with adipose fin. They are deep-bodied and sideways compressed. Average length of Oncorhynchus mykiss is 30-45 cm and the anadromous form steelhead 50-75 cm. Extremely large sea-run individuals can be more than 120 cm in length and above 25 kg in mass. The general body shape is typical for a trout, with a moderately large head.

Oncorhynchus mykiss

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Onychogalea fraenata NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada.</a> NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Onychogalea fraenata ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=61fb79e0dc6f408ca16d749a4137650c&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.686j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.A specimen was presented to the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Linnean%20Society%20of%20London%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Linnean Society of London</a> by <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=John%20Gould%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">John Gould</a> in 1840, and published in the society's journal the following year. The date of first publication has been the source of conjecture, and it has been proposed that this was in a 1840 issue of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=The%20Athenaeum%20(British%20magazine)%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">The Athenaeum</a>.

Gould obtained his specimens while in Australia, returning these to England for scientific examination; he gave the animal the common name bridled kangaroo.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. The bridled nail-tail wallaby, also known as the bridled nail-tailed wallaby, bridled nailtail wallaby, bridled wallaby, merrin, and flashjack, is a vulnerable species of macropod. It is a small wallaby found in three isolated areas in Queensland, Australia, and whose population is declining. The total population of the species is currently estimated to be less than 500 mature individuals in the wild, and 2285 in captivity.

Onychogalea fraenata

Onychogalea fraenata NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Onychogalea lunata NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/mistastin-lake-in-labrador-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Onychogalea lunata ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=13b1d1ef5fa544a5b4a5ebc5ef530df5&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.698j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Onychogalea lunata

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Orbicella annularis NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=canada&amp;cvid=16ff3bd94c604ff2a03396410d63c9ee&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j0l6.700j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. Orbicella annularis, commonly known as the boulder star coral, is a species of coral that lives in the western <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atlantic-ocean-may-hold-200-million-tons-of-microplastics/">Atlantic Ocean</a> and is the most thoroughly studied and most abundant species of reef-building coral in the Caribbean to date. It also has a comprehensive fossil record within the Caribbean. This species complex has long been considered a generalist that exists at depths between 0 and 80 meters that grew into varying colony shapes in response to differing light conditions. Only recently with the help of molecular techniques has O. annularis been shown to be a complex of at least three separate species. Those species are divided into O. annularis, O. faveolata, and O. franksi. This coral was originally described as Montastraea annularis.

Orbicella annularis

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Orbicella faveolata NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/lake-st-clair-of-the-u-s-and-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. Orbicella faveolata, commonly known as mountainous star coral, is a colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and is listed as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This species was formerly known as Montastraea faveolata. Colonies of this coral are solid and very large, forming a mound with a skirt. The surface is smooth and undulating, with small lumps, bulges or lobes. The <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Corallite%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">corallites</a>, the stony cups in which the polyps sit, are about 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter and cover the entire surface of the coral. The colour is usually pale brown but may be deep brown with fluorescent green highlights. This coral is part of a species complex including the closely related <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Orbicella%20annularis%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Orbicella annularis</a> and <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Orbicella%20franksi%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Orbicella franksi</a>, but the former has more distinct nodules or small columns and the latter has a more irregular, lumpy surface.

Orbicella faveolata

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Orbicella franksi NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

FWS Digital Media Library -- Until recently this coral, along with <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Orbicella%20faveolata%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Orbicella faveolata</a>, was thought to be a variety of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Orbicella%20annularis%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Orbicella annularis</a>. There is very little morphological differences between them but studies have shown differences in corallite structure, life history, <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Allozyme%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">allozymes</a> and distribution. All three members of this <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Species%20complex%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">species complex</a> used to be placed in the genus Montastraea. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. Orbicella franksi, commonly known as boulder star coral, is a colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is native to shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=mexico&amp;cvid=63afbc7cd2f2436ebed1a5a7db39b38c&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j0l6.991j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Mexico</a>, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Florida, and is listed as a "vulnerable species" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Until recently this coral, along with <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Orbicella%20faveolata%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Orbicella faveolata</a>, was thought to be a variety of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Orbicella%20annularis%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Orbicella annularis</a>. There is very little morphological differences between them but studies have shown differences in corallite structure, life history, <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Allozyme%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">allozymes</a> and distribution. All three members of this <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Species%20complex%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">species complex</a> used to be placed in the genus Montastraea.

Orbicella franksi

Orbicella franksi NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Orcinus orca NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-are-not-the-only-animals-that-create-their-own-culture/">animals</a> too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world. The killer whale or orca (Orcinus orca) is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is recognizable by its black body with a white underside and patches near each eye. Killer whales have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and other species of dolphin. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Killer whales are apex predators, as no animal preys on them. A cosmopolitan species, killer whales can be found in all of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=arctic&amp;cvid=12c9b3b2173347c8888c0b5320c2d7fa&amp;aqs=edge..69i57j69i59j0l5.1604j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Arctic</a> and Antarctic regions to tropical seas, absent only from the Baltic and Black seas, and some areas of the Arctic Ocean. They are highly social; some populations are composed of very stable matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species.

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Orcinus orca

Orcinus orca NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Orconectes shoupi NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network. Faxonius shoupi, the Nashville crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is endemic to Tennessee. Faxonius shoupi is a federal and state endangered crayfish that resides on Mill Creek in Davidson and Williamson counties in Tennessee. Horton Hobbs Jr., discovered this rare crayfish in the 1940s along with C. S. Shoup, a Vanderbilt University professor and colleague. The Nashville crayfish is considered an endangered species by the IUCN Red List, due to the threat of urban development, specifically at the mouth of the creek all the way to the headwaters.

ITIS Reports -- ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=61fb79e0dc6f408ca16d749a4137650c&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.686j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. The Nashville crayfish, Orconectes shoupi, is a decapod crustacean that grows as large as 6 in (15 cm). Crayfish have four pairs of walking legs and two large claws in front, which are used to capture prey. The pinchers are elongated and the tips have a distinctive orange and black coloration. The type locality of this species is a hard water stream, which flows over sand, rubble and limestone ledges in its upper reaches, which is mostly through pasture and cultivated lands (Hobbs 1948). It has silty, muddy banks, with shade provided by reeds and trees.

Orconectes shoupi

Orconectes shoupi NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Oreomystis bairdi NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/mistastin-lake-in-labrador-canada/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Oreomystis bairdi ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=13b1d1ef5fa544a5b4a5ebc5ef530df5&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.698j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as the northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. Because it is on the North American Tectonic Plate, Greenland is included as part of North America geographically. North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 square miles), about 16.5% of the Earth's land area and about 4.8% of its total surface. North America is the third-largest continent by area, following Asia and Africa, and the fourth by population after Asia, Africa, and Europe.

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Oreomystis bairdi

Oreomystis bairdi NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Oreomystis mana NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and Canada. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Oreomystis mana ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on <a href="https://www.earth.com/plant-encyclopedia/gymnosperms/">plants</a>, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=eeca9eae67e94618932e14b4c2a9a919&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l3j69i60l2.800j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world.The Hawaiʻi Creeper or Hawaii Creeper ( Oreomystis mana) is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, that is endemic to the Big Island of Hawai ʻ i. Its natural habitats are dry forests and montane moist forests at elevations of 1,000–2,300 metres (3,300–7,500 ft). There are a total of 12,000 birds separated into three populations.

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video. The Hawaiʻi creeper, Hawaii creeper or ʻalawī is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Its natural habitats are dry forests and montane moist forests at elevations of 1,000–2,300 metres. There are a total of 12,000 birds separated into three populations. A fourth population on the western part of the island probably represents migratory birds from one of the existing population

Oreomystis mana

Oreomystis mana NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Oreophasis derbianus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is a source for authoritative conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals and ecological communtities of the U.S and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-fall-rhapsody-in-ottawa/">Canada</a>. NatureServe Explorer provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, but includes common plants and animals too. NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network.

ITIS Reports -- Oreophasis derbianus ITIS (the Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a source for authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=north+america&amp;cvid=29a591bc72854bf6bf6a70f1093a422d&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j69i57j0l2j69i60l3.1685j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">North America</a> and the world. The horned guan (Oreophasis derbianus) is a large, approximately 85 cm (33 in) long, turkey-like bird with glossy black dorsal plumage, red legs, a white iris, a yellow bill, and a red horn on top of its head. The breast and upper belly are white, and its long tail feathers are black with a white band near the base. Both sexes are similar. The young are duller with a smaller horn, and have a brown tail and wings. The only member species in the monotypic genus Oreophasis, the horned guan is distributed in humid mountain forests of southeastern Mexico (Chiapas) and Guatemala in Central America. It is found at altitudes up to 3,350 m (10,990 ft). Its diet consists mainly of fruits, green leaves, and invertebrates. The female usually lays one or two eggs. The horned guan is not a true guan, but merely resembles these birds most in overall shape and color, whereas the horn is more reminiscent of the helmeted curassows. In fact, this species is the only survivor

FWS Digital Media Library -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, audio clips, publications, and video.

Oreophasis derbianus

Oreophasis derbianus NatureServe Explorer Species Reports -- NatureServe Explorer is...

Robots usually take orders from silicon chips and lines of code. In this project, the commands start in living tissue. The control signals come from mycelia - the branching underground networks that support mushrooms. 



These networks sense light, touch, chemicals, and temperature. They also produce tiny electrical pulses that carry information.



Researchers from <a href="https://www.engineering.cornell.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cornell University Engineering</a> learned to read those pulses without harming the organism or muddying the signal. They translated the rhythms into digital commands that set a robot’s movement. 



When the environment changed, the mycelia changed their electrical patterns, and the robot adjusted how it moved. That is sensorimotor control driven by a living system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-mushrooms-to-motion">From mushrooms to motion</h2>



The work comes from Cornell Engineering. After <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mushroom-leather-mycelium-latest-eco-friendly-fashion-trend/">growing mycelium</a> in small chambers fitted with electrodes, the team linked those chambers to two robots and let the fungus set the tempo for movement.



“By growing mycelium into the electronics of a robot, we were able to allow the biohybrid machine to sense and respond to the environment. In this case we used light as the input, but in the future it will be chemical," explained Rob Shepherd, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in Cornell Engineering, and the paper’s senior author. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-melding-mycelium-with-a-robot">Melding mycelium with a robot</h2>



Many biohybrid systems use animal cells such as muscle fibers. Those cells can work in controlled lab setups but demand constant care and strict conditions. 



Mycelia handle rougher settings. They tolerate swings in humidity and temperature, grow on basic nutrients, and respond to many cues. 



That toughness makes them appealing for robots meant to operate outdoors or in messy places where dust, vibration, and weather get in the way.



Mycelia also form <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/a-beginners-guide-to-mycology/">dense, responsive networks</a>. The electrical activity runs in spikes and patterns rather than steady tones, which is handy for timing movement. That natural rhythm lets engineers detect meaningful signals without decoding every subtle variation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-whisper-quiet-signals">Making whisper-quiet signals</h2>



The main hurdle was signal quality. Electrical noise from motors, wires, and the air itself can drown out small biological spikes. The team built a shielded interface that blocks vibrations and electromagnetic interference. 



That design allowed clean recordings while the robots moved, which is rarely possible with living sensors because motion tends to scramble delicate measurements.



Software then monitored the incoming signal in real time. It detected spike times and translated them into control commands. 



The approach focused on rhythm, not on decoding a complex language of signals, which kept the system robust.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-robot-gait-from-mycelium-rhythm">Robot gait from mycelium rhythm</h2>



Biology has a term - <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/central-pattern-generator" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">central pattern generator</a> (CPG) - for circuits that produce rhythmic outputs to coordinate movement. The controller here borrowed that idea. The mycelial spikes set a beat. 



The controller mapped that beat to motor timing so the robot could coordinate steps or wheel turns without micromanaging each joint.



Focusing on timing helps avoid overfitting to noisy features. If the rhythm quickened or changed shape under new conditions, the controller shifted the gait accordingly. That kept the loop simple and reliable.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2024/08/biohybrid-robots-controlled-electrical-impulses-mushrooms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/biohybrid-robot_mushroom-robot_cornell-university_1s.webp" alt="This biohybrid robot uses electrical signals processed from King Oyster mushroom mycelia to jump and move around. Credit: Cornell University" class="wp-image-1984600"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This biohybrid robot uses electrical signals processed from King Oyster mushroom mycelia to jump and move around. Click image for video. Credit: Cornell University</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-robots-one-living-beat">Two robots, one living beat</h2>



To show that it works across designs, the team built a soft, spider-like walker and a small wheeled rover. 



Each held a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-plans-use-mushrooms-fungi-mycelium-to-grow-homes-on-mars-the-moon/">living mycelium</a> sample wired to electrodes. When the fungus produced its natural spiking pattern, the robots moved.



The mycelia sensed ultraviolet light. When UV hit the chamber, the spiking pattern changed. The robots then changed how they moved by altering gait timing. 



The researchers also added an override mode through the same interface. They could pause or redirect the robot with an injected signal without damaging the tissue, combining biological autonomy with human supervision.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-real-world-applications">Real-world applications</h2>



Soil chemistry changes over hours, days, and seasons, and the cost of sampling across large fields adds up. 



Systems that respond locally to nutrient cues could help apply fertilizer where it’s needed and cut back where it’s not.



"The potential for future robots could be to sense soil chemistry in row crops and decide when to add more fertilizer, for example, perhaps mitigating downstream effects of agriculture like harmful algal blooms," Shepherd expounded.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fungi-can-think-and-make-smart-decisions-without-a-brain/">Environmental monitoring</a> faces similar trade-offs. Sensors fail in wet, dirty, or variable conditions. Mycelia evolved to survive in those conditions and react to them. 



Tapping that sensitivity may give cheap, soft robots a way to notice toxins or pathogens and adjust their paths without hard-coded rules for every scenario.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-robotic-mycelium-beyond-light">Robotic mycelium beyond light</h2>



Light is just one input. Mycelia excel as chemical sensors, reacting to nutrients, toxins, and microbial signals. 



Moving from light to chemical cues would open direct links to soil health, pollutant detection, and other real-world triggers. 



A controller can listen for shifts in rhythm as the fungus responds to a molecule and translate that into a change in movement or task.



That shift also aligns with how fields and waterways behave. Chemistry changes in patches and pulses. A living sensor that tracks those changes in place can help robots act locally without heavy computation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-mycelium-robots-matter">Why mycelium robots matter</h2>



Typical robots bolt on their different sensors as if they were simple accessories. This approach blends the sensor into the control loop itself. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mycocrete-new-material-made-of-fungi-hopes-to-replace-concrete-in-construction-projects/">The living network</a> doesn’t just report data; it shapes timing and action. That’s a different philosophy for machine control.



“This kind of project is not just about controlling a robot. It is also about creating a true connection with the living system. Because once you hear the signal, you also understand what’s going on,” noted lead author Anand Mishra, a research associate in the <a href="https://orl.mae.cornell.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Organic Robotics Lab</a>. 



"Maybe that signal is coming from some kind of stresses. So you’re seeing the physical response, because those signals we can’t visualize, but the robot is making a visualization," Mishra concluded.



There’s still work between lab demos and long-term field deployments. Keeping the biology stable, scaling production, and validating responses across varied environments are real jobs ahead. 



But the key step is now clear: a living network can steer a machine outside a benchtop, and the machine can respond in kind without the setup falling apart.



Click here to see <a href="https://cornell.app.box.com/v/biohybridrobots/file/1633854067059" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a video of the study from Cornell University...</a>



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.adk8019" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Robotics</a>.



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Scientists attached a mushroom to a "biohybrid robot body" and the results were amazing

Robots usually take orders from silicon chips and lines of...

Extinction has always been part of life. Some events were enormous, like the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs. Others unfolded more quietly, reshaping ecosystems. 



Today, people are driving species toward extinction at alarming rates through habitat destruction, invasive species, and climate change. 



But does this mean Earth is in the midst of a new mass extinction? Not quite, according to a recent study led by John Wiens of the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Arizona</a> and Kristen Saban of <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard University</a>. 



Their findings show that while many species have disappeared, entire genera are not vanishing at the same pace. The loss of higher taxonomic groups is rare, often localized, and has slowed in recent decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-genus-extinctions-matter">Why genus extinctions matter</h2>



Species matter, but a genus carries more weight. Each genus represents unique evolutionary history, sometimes stretching back millions of years. Losing one can erase distinct genetic, ecological, and functional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prediction-how-and-when-humans-and-mammals-will-face-next-mass-extinction/">traits</a>. 



The tuatara offers a stark example. It is the only living member of a reptile lineage that dates back more than 250 million years. If it vanished, an entire evolutionary branch would be gone forever.



Wiens and Saban reviewed more than 22,000 genera from the IUCN database. They wanted to know if higher-level losses were stacking up. 



The researchers identified 102 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thousands-of-animal-species-face-extinction-from-climate-change/">extinct</a> genera in the past 500 years, less than half a percent of those assessed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genus-level-extinction-is-uncommon">Genus-level extinction is uncommon</h2>



The extinctions weren’t evenly spread. Birds have lost 37 genera and mammals 21 - together making up about 1.6% of their total. 



Other groups fared far better: amphibians lost just one genus, reptiles three, and ray-finned fishes four. Arthropods lost 11 genera, plants 12, and mollusks 14 - though most mollusk losses were limited to isolated islands.



These findings highlight a bias. Mammals and birds, both studied closely, show higher genus-level losses. Insects, though far more numerous, are under-assessed. 



Even so, the data suggest that genus-level extinction is still uncommon compared to species-level decline.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-island-effect">The island effect</h2>



Most genus-level extinctions happened on islands. About three out of four <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-chaos-the-mass-extinction-that-reshaped-life-on-earth/">extinct</a> genera were island endemics. 



Isolated ecosystems magnify vulnerability. Invasive predators, hunting, and habitat change hit harder where species have nowhere else to go.



Examples are scattered across the globe. The Mascarene Islands lost multiple bird genera. The West Indies saw mammals disappear. Saint Helena’s mollusks were especially affected. 



Even freshwater systems showed vulnerability. All four extinct genera of ray-finned fishes lived in rivers or lakes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slowdown-in-extinction-rates">Slowdown in extinction rates </h2>



Extinction rates climbed between the 1500s and 1800s, hitting their peak in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The decades with the most losses were the 1890s, 1900s, and 1930s. 



Since then, rates have slowed. That finding directly challenges earlier claims that extinctions are speeding up.



Why the slowdown? One reason may be conservation. Efforts to protect birds and mammals in the past century appear to have worked. 



Another possible explanation for the slowdown is timing. Many of the most fragile lineages, especially on islands, disappeared over a century ago. What remains may be more resilient, at least against the threats of that time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-counting-extinctions-is-challenging">Counting extinctions is challenging</h2>



Counting extinctions isn’t simple. Insects, for example, are underrepresented in the IUCN database. They make up nearly half of all species, but few genera are assessed. 



Even with that gap, genus-level extinction remains below half a percent for insects and other groups.



Another factor is classification. Birds and mammals often have fewer species per genus. This makes them more likely to lose entire genera when species vanish. 



Reptiles and amphibians, which pack more species into each genus, appear less vulnerable in this way.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-possible-but-uncertain-patterns">Possible but uncertain patterns</h2>



The study also tracked 37 genera listed as “possibly extinct.” Most of them were monotypic, consisting of only one species. Many were island or freshwater specialists, echoing the confirmed extinction patterns. 



If all of the possible extinctions were confirmed, the total number would rise slightly. But even then, the trend of rarity and slowdown would hold.



The big picture is clear: the crisis is real, but it looks different when measured at higher levels of classification.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-extinctions-must-be-stopped">Why extinctions must be stopped</h2>



“A recent study suggested that extinctions of animal genera are rapidly accelerating and that these extinctions endanger human survival," said Wiens.



"We found instead that extinctions of genera are very rare across plants and animals, that they were mostly of genera found only on islands, and that these extinctions actually slowed down over the last 100 years instead of rapidly accelerating."



According to Wiens, there was never any evidence that these extinctions, which peaked ~100 years ago and occurred mostly on isolated islands, endanger human survival. 



"We argue that the reason why future extinctions must be stopped is not because they threaten humans, but because it is morally wrong for humans to drive other species to extinction.”



Saban highlighted another important issue - how science is communicated. “Now more than ever, given the widespread mistrust in science, it is important that we conduct <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-was-thriving-before-earths-greatest-mass-extinction/">conservation</a> research carefully and present it accurately,” she said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-irreplaceable-value-of-species">Irreplaceable value of species</h2>



So, what does this mean? We are not in a mass extinction at the genus level. But that does not soften the blow of losing hundreds of species. 



Threats are changing. In the past, invasive species and overhunting drove island losses. Now, climate change and habitat destruction loom large.



The study urges caution. Scientists should avoid exaggerating extinction trends but must still stress urgency. Every extinction matters, not just for ecosystems but as a moral responsibility. 



Humanity has the choice to act, not because its survival depends on every genus, but because each species adds irreplaceable value to Earth’s living fabric.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003356" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS Biology</a>.



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Species are vanishing at an unprecedented rate, but we're not yet at "mass extinction" levels

Extinction has always been part of life. Some events were...

Most of what we learn about ancient animals comes from hard parts - shells, bones, and sometimes soft tissues that have been transformed into fossils over eons. How does this happen? The key lies in the chemistry around a carcass. 



As microbes move in, they use up oxygen and flip the local conditions from oxidizing to reducing within minutes to days. Those shifts decide whether tissues vanish or get copied by minerals and locked into rock.



A recent experiment asked a clear question with big consequences: if different animals decay in the same water, will they create the same chemistry above their bodies, or does each one build its own microenvironment? 



The answers derived from a study led by the University of Lausanne (<a href="https://www.unil.ch/unil/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNIL</a>) points straight to why some animals transform into fossils when they die, but most simply return to dust.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-animals-become-fossils">How animals become fossils</h2>



Researchers placed four aquatic animals - a shrimp, a snail, a starfish, and a planarian flatworm - into sealed jars of gently oxygenated water. For seven days, they measured <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/oxidation-reduction-potential" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">oxidation-reduction potential</a> (ORP) just above each carcass. 



ORP, recorded in millivolts, indicates whether conditions favor oxidation (positive values) or reduction (negative values). 



As microbes burn oxygen and switch to other electron acceptors, ORP drops. Each animal drove a different chemical path. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shrimp-crisis-alarming-virus-threatens-global-seafood-supplies/">Shrimp</a> pulled ORP down the fastest and deepest, sometimes reaching values linked to methanogenesis. Snails also pushed conditions into strongly reducing ranges, but not as rapidly or as far. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-thats-melting-starfish-alive-has-finally-been-identified/">Starfish</a> moved more slowly and ended near the snails after a week. Planarians barely shifted from the starting conditions, much like control jars without an animal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-minerals-in-the-ground">Minerals in the ground</h2>



Different redox windows favor different preservation routes. In oxygen-rich water, soft tissues usually break down quickly. 



Under reducing conditions, minerals can grow on or within tissues and capture detail before it’s lost. When sulfate reduces to sulfide and iron is present, iron sulfide (<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fools-gold-may-be-a-valuable-source-of-lithium/">pyrite</a>) can form, producing pyritization. 



In other reducing ranges, phosphorus released during decay can bind into calcium phosphate, producing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphatization" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phosphatization</a>.



Because shrimp and snails spent time in reducing “sweet spots,” their remains would be more likely to acquire pyrite or calcium phosphate coatings. Planarians, which stayed closer to oxygenated conditions, were less likely to mineralize that way. 



A single sediment bed can therefore hold different preservation styles side by side, driven by the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-found-alive-sealed-inside-rock-after-2-billion-years/">microenvironments</a> that different carcasses create.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossils-and-animal-size">Fossils and animal size</h2>



Size helps. Larger bodies feed microbes more and draw down oxygen faster, so they reach reducing conditions sooner. But size wasn’t the whole story. 



The team normalized results by body mass and subtracted the weight of mineralized parts, such as shells, that don’t decay. Even after those corrections, the taxa did not line up the same way.



Composition mattered. Bodies richer in protein relative to lipid produced stronger ORP drops on a per-mass basis. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/apple-snails-regrow-their-eyes-and-may-help-humans-do-the-same/">Planarians</a> are small and protein-heavy with little fat, giving them a larger per-mass chemical impact than size alone would predict. 



Shrimp carry more lipid, which degrades more slowly and blunts the per-mass effect, even though a whole shrimp still drove ORP very negative due to overall size, surface area, and varied tissues.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-the-lab-into-the-real-world">From the lab into the real world</h2>



Several jars showed an ORP rebound after about five days. Conditions became less reducing. That pattern likely reflects microbial succession. 



Early colonizers use easy fuels and drain oxygen quickly. Later arrivals run different reactions that tilt the chemistry back toward less extreme values. The decay path bends as the microbial roster changes.



These trials used freshwater at room temperature in sealed, gently oxygenated jars. Natural settings vary. Salty seawater alters protein behavior while cold mud slows reactions. 



Flowing pore water can deliver new oxidants. Starfish are marine animals, and in seawater their decay chemistry can shift. 



Sediments also matter. Many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-video-footage-of-an-elusive-deep-sea-predator-pacific-sleeper-shark/">carcasses land in mud</a> that limits oxygen flow and sets up reducing pockets faster than open water.



The specific numbers will change with the setting, but the pattern holds: taxon identity and tissue chemistry steer decay chemistry under the same starting conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-all-means">What it all means</h2>



“This means that, in nature, two animals buried side by side could have vastly different fates as fossils, simply because of differences in size or body chemistry,” affirms Nora Corthésy, Ph.D. student at the University of Lausanne and lead author of the study. 



“One might vanish entirely, while the other could be immortalized in stone,” adds Farid Saleh, Swiss National Science Foundation (<a href="https://www.snf.ch/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SNSF)</a> Ambizione Fellow at UNIL, and senior author of the paper.



According to this study, animals such as large arthropods are more likely to be preserved than small planarians or other aquatic worms. 



“This could explain why fossil communities dating from the <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/cambrian.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambrian</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/ordovician-period" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ordovician</a> periods (around 500 million years ago) are dominated by arthropods,” states Corthésy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preservation-of-animal-fossils">Preservation of animal fossils</h2>



Geologists often picture redox conditions stacked vertically in sediment - from oxygenated at the top to more reducing with depth. That vertical model explains shifts in preservation with burial depth. This study adds a lateral view. 



Two carcasses lying inches apart can generate different chemical zones and end up preserved by different mineral pathways, even when the surrounding mud looks uniform. 



That helps explain mixed beds where pyritized and phosphatized fossils sit together and why some groups appear repeatedly while others fade.



The chemistry above a carcass is not one-size-fits-all. It changes with body size and, crucially, with what the body is made of. Those differences decide which minerals, if any, have time to copy soft parts before they disappear. 



That is why a shrimp and a snail, decaying close together, can leave very different signatures in stone - and why the fossil record, with all its gaps and surprises, makes more sense when you follow the chemistry.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59372-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communication</a>.



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Some animals survive millions of years in stone, but most simply vanish, now we know why

Most of what we learn about ancient animals comes from...

Feeding a growing global population while preserving space for wildlife is one of agriculture’s toughest challenges. The debate has often been framed as a stark choice - either intensify farming to save land for nature or spread out production in more wildlife-friendly ways. 



But that either-or framing has oversimplified the problem and left policymakers with little clarity.



A new study takes a closer look at the evidence and asks a sharper question: which farming approach actually works best in practice to support biodiversity while keeping food production steady? The answer is far more complex than slogans suggest.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenging-either-or-farming">Challenging either-or farming</h2>



Study lead author Eva Augustiny at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Switzerland (<a href="https://www.fibl.org/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FiBL</a>) and her team reviewed evidence from many landscapes and production systems.



The researchers assessed 57 studies and concluded that only 17 had the right ingredients to compare strategies head to head, yielding 27 apples-to-apples cases.



In those cases, 52 percent favored a mix of approaches, 41 percent favored land sparing, and seven percent favored land sharing, with the authors noting gaps in how biodiversity and yield were measured across the literature. That tally comes from the team’s peer-reviewed paper&nbsp;



"The empirical basis is thus sparse and does not support statements claiming that, in general, either land sharing or land sparing strategies are unequivocally better," said Augustiny.



Many studies focused on a narrow slice of life. Birds dominated the sample, often <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ozone-pollution-is-stunting-tropical-forest-growth/">tropical forest</a> birds, while soil organisms and microbes were barely covered. 



Agricultural performance focused on yield, while profitability, stability, and key services like pollination and pest control were rarely tracked.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farms-use-land-differently">Farms use land differently</h2>



In this debate, land sharing means lower-intensity farming across wider areas with habitat elements built into fields and pastures. Farmers may keep hedgerows, ponds, tree belts, or flower strips and use more wildlife-friendly practices.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farming-for-wildlife-how-traditional-practices-can-protect-nature/">Land sparing</a> means concentrating production on smaller, higher yielding areas and setting aside larger, undisturbed spaces elsewhere for nature. The core idea is to meet food demand on less land and leave more intact habitat.



The modern framing grew from a 2005 theoretical model that linked species responses to farm yields and area needs. That model helped structure later field tests, but it simplified messy realities on the ground.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biodiversity-complicates-the-picture">Biodiversity complicates the picture</h2>



Species differ. Forest-dependent birds often need large, continuous habitat and do poorly in patchy mosaics. 



A European population-level study found that simple sparing outperformed sharing for many species, while a three-compartment model that paired spared habitat with some low-yield farmland improved outcomes further.



Climate, farm size, and the mobility of organisms also tilt the balance. Mobile pollinators and predators can thrive in mixed farm landscapes, while less mobile amphibians, reptiles, or cavity-nesting mammals may require the security of protected areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-economics-and-soil-matter">Economics and soil matter</h2>



Economics and policy strongly influence results. A cross-country analysis of yield gains and land use showed that intensifying production does not automatically free land for nature - especially where subsidies or market demand drive expansion.



Soil quality sets boundaries that short-term yield gains often obscure. A global review documented how erosion, compaction, and other forms of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/land-degradation-severely-threatens-planetary-boundaries/">degradation</a> undermine productivity over time and raise the risk that new land will be cleared. 



As Rhys Green of the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a> noted in 2005, increasing yield could reduce farmland needs, but demand growth and rebound effects can erase those gains. Even the theory behind sparing warned against oversimplification.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farms-thrive-when-diversified">Farms thrive when diversified</h2>



Flower strips, hedgerows, and diversified rotations can lift biodiversity and stabilize services on farms. 



A large second-order meta-analysis showed that agricultural diversification supports <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/robotic-insects-may-be-the-future-of-farming-and-plant-pollination/">pollination</a>, natural pest control, nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and water regulation without sacrificing overall yields.



Protected areas still matter. Some species simply cannot persist in farmland, no matter how friendly the practices, so set-asides remain a nonnegotiable part of the picture.



Connectivity helps both sides. Corridors and stepping stones reduce isolation of protected patches, while on farm habitat elements keep beneficial organisms moving through fields.



Local food system choices can relieve pressure too. Less waste and smarter use of crops for food rather than feed reduce the acreage needed to meet diets, which strengthens the case for keeping more land wild.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-land-policies-must-stay-local">Land policies must stay local</h2>



It's time to stop asking which side wins in general. The better question is which mix of spared land and shared land fits a specific place, given its species, soils, climate, and markets.



Measure more than yield. Track profitability, stability over years, and the biodiversity based services that keep farms productive in the long run. 



Tie intensification to real conservation. Sparing only works if the land that is supposedly saved is actually protected, restored, and connected.



Invest in data where it is thin. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gene-edited-wheat-turns-soil-microbes-into-fertilizer/">Soil microbes</a>, fungi, and belowground communities underpin fertility and resilience yet are missing from most studies.



Remember where this started. The early model framed a useful thought experiment, but today’s decisions need local evidence, clear goals, and policies that lock in the benefits.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/9/pgaf251/8245250?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PNAS Nexus</a>.



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Farms can feed people and protect biodiversity at the same time

Feeding a growing global population while preserving space for wildlife...

When we think of pollinators, bees, butterflies, and hoverflies usually spring to mind. Rarely do we imagine true bugs dusted in pollen. Yet a stunning 99-million-year-old fossil of a bug, Shaykayatcoris michalskii, suggests our mental picture of who carried pollen through ancient flowers needs an update.



Hungarian researchers studying a pristine inclusion in Burmese amber identified a flat <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/do-bugs-bug-humans-more-than-humans-bug-bugs/">bug</a>, preserved with plant fragments and a halo of pollen grains. The specimen comes from Late Cretaceous amber formed on the West Burma terrane. 



This fragment of crust split from Gondwana more than 100 million years earlier and drifted in the tropical Tethys. 



Isolated for eons, life on the terrane evolved along a distinctive path, and its amber famously preserved delicate organisms in extraordinary detail.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unexpected-bug-pollinator">Unexpected bug pollinator</h2>



Shaykayatcoris michalskii belongs to the flat bug family Aradidae, best known today as cryptic, bark-hugging <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/underground-fungi-networks-that-sustain-all-life-on-earth-are-in-danger/">fungi</a> feeders. 



Yet this individual, assigned to the subfamily Prosympiestinae, breaks the mold in multiple ways.



The species is the first representative of that ancient lineage ever reported from Burmese amber. Previously, all aradids from this deposit came from more derived branches of the family.



Even more striking is its appearance: the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cambrian-fossils-reveal-new-clues-about-arthropod-evolution/">exoskeleton</a> is iridescent, flashing a metallic sheen never before documented in flat bugs.



Prosympiestinae differ in lifestyle and form from their pancake-flat, bark-dwelling relatives. 



Rather than being pressed thin to slip beneath tree bark, they tend to have more cylindrical bodies and inhabit leaf litter or the undersides of fallen logs and branches.



That departure from a strictly subcortical existence may have opened opportunities - like venturing onto flowers - that typical flat bugs rarely seize today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shaykayatcoris-michalskii-was-shiny">Shaykayatcoris michalskii was shiny</h2>



Iridescence in insects can serve several functions. Brilliant warning colors can advertise toxicity. 



Shaykayatcoris, however, shows a brownish base tone with a subtle shimmer, not the bold reds and oranges linked to aposematism.



Camouflage is the more likely explanation here. On petals, an iridescent gloss can fracture outlines and mimic the shifting play of light on floral surfaces.



It helps an insect like Shaykayatcoris michalskii blend in among gleaming pollen and reflective nectar guides. In that context, shimmering armor would be less a billboard than a cloak.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dust-points-to-flowers">Dust points to flowers</h2>



The most persuasive clue to this bug’s floral life comes from its microscopic companions. Alongside plant fragments, abundant pollen surrounds the insect inside the amber, with grains even adhering to the body.



Because resin entombs scenes in mid-action, the association is unlikely to be accidental. 



Coupled with the iridescent finish, the pollen dusting points to regular flower visits and, by extension, a role - perhaps incidental, perhaps important - in pollination.



That inference matters because modern true bugs rarely rank among primary pollinators. 



Today’s flowering plants largely rely on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-identify-the-parasite-thats-driving-bees-into-a-death-spiral/">bees</a>, butterflies, moths, and flies, whose mouthparts and foraging habits are specialized for nectar and pollen.



This fossil suggests that, earlier in Earth’s history, some bugs occupied that niche more frequently than they do now. Competition and coevolution later favored the classic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollinators-face-extinction-risk-due-to-climate-change/">pollinator</a> guilds we recognize today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bug-fossil-fills-missing-gap">Bug fossil fills missing gap</h2>



Flat bugs are typically masters of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-larvae-had-sophisticated-defense-strategies-100-million-years-ago/">concealment</a>. They live under bark, graze fungal hyphae with elongated stylets coiled inside their heads, and wear muted colors that melt into wood grain.



Finding an aradid with a reflective finish is startling on its own; finding it in a lineage that retains ancestral traits and in one of the world’s most storied amber deposits magnifies the surprise.



The discovery fills a conspicuous gap in the Burmese amber fauna by documenting an older aradid lineage where only more derived ones had been seen.



Burmese amber is a magnet for paleobiologists precisely because it preserves what rock often erases: hairs on fly legs, pollen clumps, and the fine sculpturing of exoskeletons.



Arthropods, with their delicate cuticles and appendages, are especially prone to being flattened or fragmented in sedimentary fossils. 



Resin captures them mid-gesture, with spores, dust, and pollen revealing behaviors that bones and impressions cannot.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-bug-pollinators">Rethinking bug pollinators </h2>



If true bugs frequented flowers in the Cretaceous, the implications ripple through our view of angiosperm evolution. 



Early flowering plants diversified at the same time as many insect groups, and their mutual influences shaped floral structures and insect mouthparts.



A broader cast of pollinators - one that included iridescent aradids - could help explain certain floral traits that don’t neatly match bee or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/butterflies-can-adapt-quickly-but-evolution-has-its-limits/">butterfly</a> syndromes. 



It suggests that as bees rose, many bug lineages abandoned flowers to better-equipped pollinators.



The study, led by <a href="https://www.elte.hu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eötvös Loránd University</a>, demonstrates how competition and environmental change filter ecosystems over deep time. 



What looks “typical” today - bees buzzing between blossoms while true bugs skulk under bark - might be a late chapter rather than the opening scene.



By showing that bugs once mingled more often with flowers, the fossil nudges us to see present-day patterns as the outcome of shifting pressures rather than fixed rules.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-from-shaykayatcoris-michalskii">Lessons from Shaykayatcoris michalskii</h2>



Beyond rewriting a small piece of floral history, the find has contemporary resonance. 



Global pollinator declines threaten crop yields and wild plant reproduction, prompting urgent searches for overlooked or understudied pollinators across landscapes.



Fossils like Shaykayatcoris michalskii remind us that pollination networks can be more diverse and flexible than we assume, and that marginal or rare visitors might become important under different conditions.



Understanding how ancient communities shared pollination helps refine our expectations and conservation priorities as today’s ecosystems are reshaped.



In a single shard of amber, a shimmering bug and its cloud of pollen grains expand our imagination of who carried Cretaceous pollen. 



They also invite us to look more closely at the quiet, easily missed participants in the modern pollination story.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-15559-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



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99-million-year-old bug hints that flowers once had very different pollinators

When we think of pollinators, bees, butterflies, and hoverflies usually...

Wood looks simple, but it’s a tricky material. Inside every tree are long cellulose fibers, helper sugars called hemicellulose, and a stiff, brown binder known as lignin. 



That mix lets trees grow tall and stay standing through wind and weather. It also makes wood tough to reshape into high-performance beams and panels.



Factories usually force wood into shape with chemicals and heat. They strip out some lignin first, then compress what remains into a dense, strong material. 



That step consumes energy, costs money, and generates waste. A team of researchers set out to avoid it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-engineered-wood-and-lignin">Engineered wood and lignin</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/poplar-trees-changed-their-chemistry-to-survive/">Lignin</a> is great for trees and a challenge for manufacturers. It’s the glue that stiffens cell walls and blocks pests. It resists many industrial treatments. 



Take out some lignin and you can pack <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cellulose-fiber" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cellulose fibers</a> closer, which boosts strength. The usual methods require harsh chemicals and high temperatures.



Engineered wood has become a cleaner alternative to steel and concrete in many projects. It’s lighter and can carry serious loads when densified. 



To keep that promise, the industry needs cleaner steps from the forest to the factory floor.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetics-and-wood-engineering">Genetics and wood engineering</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://umd.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Maryland</a> genetically modified poplar trees to produce high-performance structural wood with fewer chemicals and less energy-intensive processing.



“We are very excited to demonstrate an innovative approach that combines genetic engineering and wood engineering, to sustainably sequester and store carbon in a resilient super wood form,” explained <a href="https://agnr.umd.edu/about/directory/yiping-qi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yiping Qi</a>, a professor in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (<a href="https://psla.umd.edu/node/1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PSLA</a>) at the University of Maryland.



Instead of modifying wood after the tree grows, the team asked a simple question: could the tree grow wood that’s easier to densify from the start? 



They chose poplar, a fast-growing research workhorse that also shows up in real products. Using precise gene editing, they adjusted the tree’s lignin pathway without undermining growth.



They targeted one gene - <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26491147/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">4CL1</a> - within the pathway cells use to make lignin. By switching off 4CL1, the trees produced slightly less lignin, but maintained normal development under controlled conditions. 



That small change opened a new option in the factory: skipping the chemical delignification step.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-gene-edit-works">How the gene edit works</h2>



The tool was base editing, a form of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-first-gene-edited-spiders-spin-red-silk/">CRISPR</a> that swaps one DNA letter for another at a chosen spot. It doesn’t slice the genome; it rewrites a letter with precision. 



In this case, the edit focused on 4CL1 while minimizing changes elsewhere in the genome.



With the wood in hand, the team soaked it in water and then applied heat and pressure to densify it. 



When cellulose fibers line up and move closer together, mechanical strength climbs. The process relies less on solvents and more on physical compaction.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/engineered-trees_wood_lignin_construction-revolution_UMaryland_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/engineered-trees_wood_lignin_construction-revolution_UMaryland_1s.webp" alt="This method for producing genetically modified wood eliminates chemical delignification, offering a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative for producing densified wood. This success highlights genome editing’s potential to create other engineered wood materials with enhanced properties, contributing to a CO2-negative bioeconomy by providing renewable alternatives to traditional materials. Credit: Matter Journal" class="wp-image-1984732"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This method for producing genetically modified wood eliminates chemical delignification, offering a cost-effective, eco-friendly alternative for producing densified wood. This success highlights genome editing’s potential to create other engineered wood materials with enhanced properties, contributing to a CO2-negative bioeconomy by providing renewable alternatives to traditional materials. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Matter Journal</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-putting-it-to-the-test">Putting it to the test</h2>



The densified wood from the edited poplars reached <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/booster-plant-gene-discovery-amplifies-plant-growth-up-to-200-percent/">strength levels</a> comparable to those of panels made with conventional chemical treatments. 



The researchers measured lignin levels approximately one-eighth lower than in unedited controls. Growth remained healthy in greenhouse tests, which matters because factory gains aren’t worth much if the tree can’t thrive.



Skipping the chemical bath meant fewer inputs and less waste while still yielding structural-grade material. 



The balance was key: reduce lignin just enough to ease processing, not so much that the tree loses toughness in the wild.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-co2-and-engineered-wood">CO2 and engineered wood</h2>



Buildings are a major source of global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-just-created-concrete-that-could-reverse-climate-damage/">carbon emissions</a>, driven by materials like steel and concrete. 



Engineered wood can help by replacing part of that footprint with lighter structural components that store carbon for decades. Cleaner processing tightens the loop further, cutting energy use and reducing waste streams.



“Carbon sequestration is critical in our fight against climate change, and such engineered wood may find many uses in the future bioeconomy,” Qi added.



If mills can avoid harsh solvents and still press wood into high-strength beams and panels, the path to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/construction-materials-could-store-carbon-in-homes-and-buildings-helping-the-climate/">lower-carbon construction</a> gets wider. 



The approach starts upstream in the forest, not just on the factory line. It tunes the raw material so it cooperates when densified.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-underway">Next steps underway</h2>



Greenhouse results look good, but forests are tougher proving grounds. Wind, pests, and seasons test wood in ways a lab cannot. 



Longer field trials will show whether reduced-lignin trees keep their strength and resilience outdoors. Another step is to try similar edits in pine, spruce, or eucalyptus, which dominate many timber markets.



Policy will shape the path. Base-edited trees do not carry added foreign genes; they contain single-letter changes to DNA already present. 



Many regulators treat that differently from classic GMOs, but rules vary by country. Because forestry spans long life cycles and open landscapes, regulators will likely require careful, staged reviews before any commercial rollout.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-super-wood-and-earth-s-future">"Super wood" and Earth's future</h2>



This study shows that small genetic changes can simplify manufacturing while maintaining performance. The edit doesn’t erase lignin; it tunes it. 



The result is densified “super wood” that matches the strength of chemically treated material while avoiding the delignification step.



This is a careful blend of biology and materials science aimed at a practical target: strong, reliable wood that stores carbon and reduces the mess of production. 



If future field tests and policy steps go well, smarter forests could feed cleaner factories - and sturdier buildings - for years to come.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/matter/abstract/S2590-2385(24)00396-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Matter</a>.



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Scientists create 'super wood' from gene-edited trees and claim it will change everything

Wood looks simple, but it’s a tricky material. Inside every...

Plants cannot move to chase comfort, yet they still need to choose the right season to reproduce. A new study explains how a small plant uses blue light and cool air together to decide when to flower.



A research team led by Adam Seluzicki from the <a href="https://www.salk.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Salk Institute for Biological Studies</a> mapped a genetic switch that listens for both signals at once. 



The study shows how one pathway senses blue light and another senses low temperature, and how they meet to control the transition to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flowering-plants-appeared-two-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought/">flowering</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-do-plants-start-flowering">When do plants start flowering?</h2>



Arabidopsis thaliana uses a blue light sensor called PHOT2 and a helper protein named NPH3 to read light signals. When the air is cool, a temperature responsive gene switch called CAMTA2 turns on another gene called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0176161716302024" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EHB1</a>.



The EHB1 gene then connects with NPH3, which brings the light and temperature signals together. The plant starts flowering only when both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-tracks-changes-in-seasonal-flower-cycles-and-migration-patterns-from-the-air/">conditions</a> are met - blue light is present and the air is cool.



“Here we show that signals from the PHOTOTROPIN2 (PHOT2) blue photoreceptor combine with low temperature information to control flowering,” wrote Seluzicki.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-timing-of-plant-flowering">The timing of plant flowering </h2>



Seasonal timing depends on multiple cues, not a single trigger. A recent <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pce.15678?af=R" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> outlines how plants sense temperature through changes in cell membranes, protein activity, and chromatin.



Day length, light color, and light intensity also shape <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-new-window-into-the-early-evolution-of-flowering-plants/">flowering</a>. These signals run through several networks at once, which is why combining them gives a more reliable readout than using either one alone.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blue-light-pathway">Blue light pathway</h3>



Plant <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8630751/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">photoreceptors</a> are proteins that detect wavelengths and pass along messages. The blue light sensor PHOT2, located at the cell membrane, helps direct growth and movement.



NPH3 works after the PHOT proteins and helps control how their signals are used. In the system described in the new research, NPH3 acts like the main hub. It changes its response depending on what the temperature pathway is doing.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-temperature-pathway">Temperature pathway</h3>



When it is cool, the gene switch CAMTA2 becomes active. It turns on the gene EHB1, which then slows down NPH3 at the right moment.



Other studies on NPH3 show that its behavior depends on where it is in the cell and how it is modified. These details explain why EHB1’s link with NPH3 can change the balance of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seasonal-timing-can-change-quickly-over-short-distances/">signals</a> that decide when the plant flowers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revelations-about-plant-flowering">Revelations about plant flowering</h2>



When the days were long and the air was cool, plants without PHOT2 grew more leaves before making flowers compared to normal plants. At warmer temperatures, this delay disappeared, showing that PHOT2 matters most in cooler conditions.



Previous studies found that PHOT2 and other phototropins help plants adjust to daily cold at sunrise. This supports the idea that blue light sensors play an important role in how plants respond to low temperatures. 



These results together make the connection between PHOT2, CAMTA2, NPH3, and EHB1 more convincing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-plant-system-functions">How the plant system functions</h2>



PHOT2 picks up blue light and passes the signal to NPH3. When it is cold, CAMTA2 turns on EHB1, and EHB1 connects with NPH3 to help control flowering.



In warm conditions, CAMTA2 does not activate EHB1 the same way, so the system works differently. In that state, flowering is not delayed, which explains why the effect only shows up in cooler weather.



Arabidopsis uses a signal called FT, also known as <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5654465/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">florigen</a>, to send the message from the leaves to the shoot, where flowers develop. FT levels go up when day length and light quality favor flowering, and this signal also takes temperature into account.



Other blue light sensors besides PHOT proteins also affect flowering time. One called <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6670086/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FKF1</a> works with the plant’s internal clock and a protein named CONSTANS to boost FT under the right day length. This shows that several blue light pathways feed into the same flowering signal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-sets-this-research-apart">What sets this research apart</h2>



Most past studies linked flowering to sensors called cryptochromes, phytochromes, or to the FT pathway. 



This new research shows that PHOT2, a sensor usually known for guiding growth, moving chloroplasts, and opening stomata, also plays a role in flowering when it is cool.



In addition, the study shows how temperature signals through CAMTA2 and EHB1 connect directly to NPH3, the hub of the light pathway. This direct link explains why flowering is affected only when both light and temperature signals are present.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-crops">Implications for crops</h2>



Climate change is altering seasonal light patterns and nighttime temperatures in many places. A system that only triggers when both signals line up can help prevent plants from flowering too early in unpredictable springs.



The Salk team’s results highlight genes that plant breeders could adjust to control flowering in cooler conditions. 



Small changes in PHOT2, CAMTA2, NPH3, or EHB1 could help time flowering to match better conditions for pollination and seed production.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions </h2>



Future work can map where, within a leaf, this module is most active. Tissue specific data would show how the signal flows into FT production and transport.



It will also be important to test crop species. If a similar module exists in brassicas or cereals, targeted edits could help stabilize yields when cold snaps interrupt the start of the growing season.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62194-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Plant flowering is triggered by blue light and cool air

Plants cannot move to chase comfort, yet they still need...

Earth’s seasons are not a single global script. They vary from place to place, sometimes over short distances. 



In a new global study, experts used 20 years of satellite observations to map when plants grow and rest through the year. They found many spots where neighboring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-our-power-our-planet/">landscapes</a> run on different clocks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-satellites-measured">What the satellites measured</h2>



The research was led by Drew E. Terasaki Hart of the University of California, <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Berkeley</a>. The goal was to stitch together a worldwide picture of seasonal timing. The team focused on how plant communities rise and fall in activity across each year.



Scientists call this timing phenology, and when it is mapped from space across landscapes it is called land surface phenology. The approach sidesteps guesswork and lets researchers see real signals of growth and pause across ecosystems.



Near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRV) is closely linked with solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), which measures light re-emitted by plants during photosynthesis. Both NIRV and SIF provide reliable ways to track how much energy plants are capturing and using.



Because SIF changes in step with photosynthesis, it gives scientists a clear <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-oceans-are-rapidly-changing-colors-matching-climate-predictions/">signal</a> of when plants are actively growing and when they are at rest.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seasons-out-of-sync">Seasons out of sync</h2>



The map shows many places where seasonal timing changes quickly over short distances. Hotspots stand out in Mediterranean climate zones and in tropical mountain regions, where terrain and winds shape local rain and cloud patterns.



In the U.S. Southwest, cities just about 100 miles apart can show very different annual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lightning-is-changing-the-atmosphere-in-surprising-ways/">rhythms</a> because one area leans on summer monsoon rains while another splits rain between winter and summer. 



Similar seasonal contrasts also appear along mountain slopes in South America and East Africa.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-timing-differences-matter">Why timing differences matter</h2>



According to a 2017 <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28370658/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a>, when populations breed at different times, they meet less often and that can reduce gene flow and let differences stack up.&nbsp;



The new map links sharp timing breaks to measured differences in flowering dates and to genetic divergence in some species. That pattern hints that out-of-sync seasons can help build biodiversity over long timescales.



Agriculture feels these patterns in practical ways. In Colombia, growers plan around two distinct coffee harvest windows, one from October to December and another from March to June. Mountain ranges can flip the calendar across short drives, changing when cherries ripen and labor is needed.



“Our map predicts stark geographic differences in flowering timing and genetic relatedness across a wide variety of plant and animal species,” said Hart.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-map-built-from-satellite-data">Map built from satellite data</h2>



The team analyzed two decades of satellite records and fit each pixel with a simple model of its average year. That model can capture single peaks or two peaks in plant activity, which is important in places with two rainy seasons.



The researchers measured how quickly seasonal timing changes across <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earthcares-first-year-surprising-climate-clues-unveiled-from-space/">space</a>. Where that rate is high, nearby places are out of sync. 



Patterns point to shifting rainfall and minimum temperatures as the main drivers, especially where mountains steer air and moisture.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-ecology-and-people">Implications for ecology and people</h2>



Wildlife that moves to follow food can get out of step if resources peak at different times across a landscape. Pollinators, seed dispersers, and migratory species may all feel the squeeze when timing shifts across short distances.



Managers can use these maps to spot regions where species are most likely to split into locally timed groups. That helps set priorities for conservation, seed sourcing, and habitat corridors that keep life stages connected.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-shifts-the-timing-of-seasons">Climate shifts the timing of seasons</h2>



Warming and shifting rainfall can move seasonal cues. In places where timing already varies a lot, small climatic nudges could tip species out of sync with food or mates. 



The new baseline makes it easier to flag unusual years and track how often they happen.



Land use matters too. Irrigation can create human-made timing that does not match nearby natural cycles. Understanding where that mismatch is strongest can guide smarter water use and crop planning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clearer-plant-activity-signals">Clearer plant activity signals</h2>



NIRV and SIF help avoid a common pitfall of older vegetation metrics that can blur the signal in evergreen systems. 



NIRV filters out bright backgrounds, and SIF connects directly to chlorophyll activity, which tightens the link to photosynthesis.



The analysis does not depend on one sensor or one region. It draws strength from multiple data streams, long records, and simple math that holds up across biomes. That mix is what makes the global picture hang together.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seasonal-timing-shapes-biodiversity">Seasonal timing shapes biodiversity</h2>



Timing is a quiet kind of change. It rarely makes headlines, but it shapes whether young animals find food, whether flowers meet pollinators, and whether farms hit their harvest windows. 



Knowing where timing disagrees across short distances turns guesswork into preparation and planning.



The take-home is simple. Seasons still matter, but they do not line up the same way everywhere, and those differences can ripple through evolution, ecology, and economies.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09410-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Seasonal timing can change quickly over short distances

Earth’s seasons are not a single global script. They vary...

Walk into a grocery store today and you may find familiar foods looking less predictable. From corn chips to tofu, climate change is quietly reshaping what fills our plates. Scientists are warning that it is not just about fewer crops, but about harvests becoming wildly unstable.



A global study led by the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of British Columbia</a> shows that hotter and drier conditions are making food production swing more dramatically. 



These shifts ripple through the economy, driving higher prices, creating financial stress for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-trade-growth-for-survival-after-drought/">farmers</a>, and leaving vulnerable communities facing hunger.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-makes-crops-unstable">Heat makes crops unstable</h2>



The study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>, tracked three major crops: corn, soybean and sorghum. 



The researchers found that for every degree of warming, year-to-year yield variability jumps by 7 percent for corn, 19 percent for soybeans and 10 percent for sorghum.



Earlier studies mostly measured declining average yields. This research spotlights something equally dangerous: instability. For many farmers, that instability determines whether they survive another season or face ruin.



“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-devastate-global-food-production/">Farmers</a> and the societies they feed don’t live off of averages - they generally live off of what they harvest each year,” said Dr. Jonathan Proctor, assistant professor at UBC and lead author of the study. 



“A big shock in one bad year can mean real hardship, especially in places without sufficient access to crop insurance or food storage.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rising-disaster-risk">Rising disaster risk</h2>



The numbers highlight how warming multiplies risks. At two degrees hotter than today’s climate, soybean failures that used to occur once a century could strike every 25 years. 



Corn failures would shift from once every hundred years to every 49, while sorghum failures would occur every 54 years.



Unchecked emissions push the timeline further. By 2100, soybean failures could arrive as often as once every eight years. The danger is greatest for farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and South Asia, where rain-fed farming and weak financial support leave little room to absorb shocks.



Yet even wealthy regions are not immune. In 2012, a heatwave and drought in the U.S. Midwest cut corn and soybean yields by a fifth, costing billions and triggering a 10 percent spike in global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lanthanides-common-metal-in-plant-fertilizer-key-to-boosting-global-crop-food-supplies/">food</a> prices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-and-dryness-worsen-crops">Heat and dryness worsen crops</h2>



The researchers found that it is not just heat alone but its overlap with dry soil that explains these swings. Using global harvest records along with climate data from satellites, models and weather stations, they pinpointed the twin stressors.



“A key driver of these wild swings? A double whammy of heat and dryness, increasingly arriving together,” said Dr. Proctor.



Hot weather dries the soil, which in turn amplifies heat. This vicious cycle hits plants hard, especially during sensitive phases like pollination.



“If you’re hydrated and go for a run your body will sweat to cool down, but if you’re dehydrated you can get heatstroke,” said Dr. Proctor. “The same processes make dry <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-carbon-dioxide-makes-crops-grow-bigger-but-less-nutritious/">farms</a> hotter than wet ones.”



Even short dry spells during high heat can devastate crops, especially soybeans and sorghum, where the overlap of heat and dryness drives much of the volatility.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-irrigation-and-its-limits">Irrigation and its limits</h2>



The study shows that irrigation can reduce these risks, but only if water is available. Many of the regions most vulnerable already face water stress or lack infrastructure for large-scale irrigation. 



That means the solution cannot rely on water alone, especially as water demand grows with rising populations, expanding cities, and shifting climate patterns.



In many parts of the world, aquifers are already being depleted faster than they can naturally recharge, adding another layer of uncertainty to future farming. 



Even in wealthier nations, competing demands between agriculture, households, and industry often limit how much water farmers can access during droughts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-the-root-cause">Addressing the root cause</h2>



The researchers recommend stronger safety nets to help farmers survive difficult years, alongside investment in heat- and drought-resistant crop varieties that can better withstand extreme conditions. 



The experts also highlight the importance of better soil care, such as practices that improve water retention and reduce erosion, and the role of advanced forecasting systems that give farmers more time to prepare for upcoming heatwaves or dry spells.



These steps can soften the blow, but they are not enough on their own. Ultimately, the researchers emphasize that the most reliable and far-reaching solution is cutting the emissions driving global warming. 



Without addressing the root cause, they warn, adaptation measures will always remain partial and temporary.



“Not everyone grows food, but everyone needs to eat,” said Dr. Proctor. “When harvests become more unstable, everyone will feel it.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ady3575" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Heat is making crop harvests wildly unpredictable

Walk into a grocery store today and you may find...

People,Group,Toasting,Latte,At,Coffee,Bar,Rooftop,-,Friends

Coffee is part of the morning routines for millions of people. But does drinking more coffee align with having more muscle? That’s the question behind a new analysis of Americans’ habits and body composition. 



This research doesn’t try to prove cause and effect. It asks whether higher coffee or caffeine intake corresponds to more limb muscle for a given body size.



The answer points in a positive direction for most adults, with an important exception. The details matter, because the way researchers measured muscle and tallied <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-may-help-you-live-longer-if-you-drink-it-this-way/">coffee intake</a> shapes how to read the results.



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



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/studies-learn-the-exact-amount-of-time-you-should-spend-training-to-build-muscle/">Muscle mass</a> isn’t just about strength. Lower muscle mass in arms and legs raises the risk of falls, fractures, and everyday struggles that chip away at independence. 



Scientists often track limb muscle adjusted for body size because it flags early losses that can sneak up with age.



A standard yardstick for that job is the appendicular skeletal muscle mass-to-BMI ratio, abbreviated as <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10401528/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ASMBMI</a>. In plain terms: “How much limb muscle do you have for your body size?” 



This measurement focuses on muscle quantity, not how quickly you rise from a chair or how steady you feel on stairs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-coffee-s-link-to-muscles">Studying coffee's link to muscles</h2>



Researchers pulled data from a large, ongoing U.S. health survey (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NHANES</a>) spanning 2011-2018. 



They started with adults, applied clear rules such as “only include people with full diet interviews and body scans,” and finished with 8,333 participants. Muscle was measured by DXA scans of the arms and legs and then expressed as ASMBMI.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-helps-bacteria-resist-antibiotics-in-your-gut/">Coffee intake</a> came from two 24-hour dietary recalls - structured interviews covering everything people ate and drank on two different days. The team looked at regular coffee, decaf coffee, and total caffeine from all sources. 



Their statistical models adjusted for age, sex, race, education, income, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, BMI, medical conditions, total calories, and protein, so they could compare people who were similar on many fronts except for coffee intake.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-results-say">What the results say</h2>



People who drank more coffee tended to have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-grapes-every-day-can-transform-your-muscles/">more limb muscle</a> relative to their body size. After full adjustments, the highest coffee group had about a 13% higher ASMBMI than the non-coffee group. 



The highest caffeinated coffee group showed roughly a 12% increase. The top caffeine group showed about an 11% increase. Decaf didn’t show a clear, statistically significant link. 



When researchers drew smoothed trend lines, the pattern appeared approximately linear: more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-coffee-may-help-women-stay-sharp-and-strong-as-they-age/">regular coffee</a> or caffeine corresponded to more muscle relative to body size.



There was one major exception. When participants were split by BMI, the positive link disappeared in the group with obesity (BMI ≥ 30). 



In that subset, drinking more coffee was not associated with higher ASMBMI. That doesn’t mean coffee lowers muscle there; it means the helpful pattern seen elsewhere wasn’t present.



A likely reason is biological factors tied to obesity, including chronic, low-grade inflammation that speeds muscle breakdown and may overshadow small benefits from caffeine or other coffee compounds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limitations-in-this-research">Limitations in this research</h2>



This was a cross-sectional snapshot. It can spot links, but it can’t prove that coffee changes muscle. People with more muscle may simply be more active or keep schedules where coffee fits better. 



The models adjusted for activity and many other variables, which strengthens confidence, but unmeasured factors can still nudge results.



Diet recalls lean on memory and honesty, and add-ins like sugar or cream can be easy to forget. 



ASMBMI captures muscle quantity, not strength or performance, so it can’t tell you how much weight you can move or how good your balance is during daily activities. 



Results also come from U.S. adults in specific survey years, so patterns could differ in other populations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-coffee-is-linked-with-muscles">Why coffee is linked with muscles</h2>



Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and modulates how the body uses fuel during activity. Coffee also contains <a href="https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/krnc/monthly-blog/what-are-polyphenols-another-great-reason-to-eat-fruits-and-veggies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polyphenols</a> with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. 



Lab and animal research suggests these compounds may support healthier muscle by encouraging autophagy - the cell’s cleanup crew for worn-out parts - and by dialing down chronic inflammation over time. 



This analysis didn’t test mechanisms, but these ideas fit with the pattern. Decaf’s “no clear link” signal hints that caffeine may be doing more of the heavy lifting in this dataset.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-did-we-learn-from-this">What did we learn from this?</h2>



In U.S. adults, higher <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mood-boost-how-coffee-makes-us-happier-in-the-morning/">regular coffee</a> and total caffeine intake tracked with more limb muscle relative to body size after accounting for many other factors. However, that association did not appear in participants with obesity. 



If coffee already fits your day, these results sit comfortably with a muscle-friendly routine. Keep portions sensible, mind the extras, and avoid late cups that cut into sleep because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/irregular-sleep-may-cause-premature-muscle-aging/">poor sleep impairs recovery</a>.



If you’re in the obesity range, the study’s “no clear link” finding suggests coffee isn’t a muscle fix. 



The bigger levers are steady resistance training, enough protein spaced through the day, and better sleep, ideally alongside medical care that addresses weight, strength, and metabolic health together. 



Coffee can still be part of that plan if it agrees with you, but it’s not the star of the show.



It’s a pattern, not proof. Pair your coffee with protein, training, and sleep if your goal is to build or protect muscle.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1390309/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Nutrition</a>.



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Drinking this every day helps keep muscles tone and strong as you age, preventing frailty

Coffee is part of the morning routines for millions of...

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is doing far more than clearing trees: it’s directly shrinking the region’s rain supply and nudging temperatures upward during the dry season.&nbsp;



A new study led by scientists at the <a href="https://www5.usp.br/english/institutional/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of São Paulo</a> (USP) is the first to put hard numbers on how much of the recent shift is due to local forest loss versus global climate change.



The researchers found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-exposed-to-deadly-heat-from-deforestation/">deforestation</a> accounts for roughly 74.5% of the observed decline in dry-season rainfall and 16.5% of the warming in the biome.



This work arrives just ahead of COP30 in Belém, the Amazonian capital hosting November’s U.N. climate summit - timing that highlights its policy relevance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-amazon-dry-season-and-deforestation">Amazon dry season and deforestation </h2>



The team used parametric statistical models to disentangle overlapping influences - forest loss, temperature trends, precipitation shifts, and greenhouse gas concentrations - on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-disrupting-how-amazon-trees-process-sunlight/">Amazon’s climate</a>.&nbsp;



On average across the biome, dry-season rainfall has fallen by about 21 millimeters per year, with 15.8 mm of that drop traced to deforestation alone. Meanwhile, maximum temperatures have climbed about 2.0°C, and the researchers attribute 16.5% of that rise to forest clearing, with the remainder tied to global warming.



“Several scientific articles on the Amazon have already shown that the temperature is higher, that rainfall has decreased, and that the dry season has increased,” said study senior author Luiz Augusto Toledo Machado of USP.



"There was still no separation between the effect of climate change, caused mainly by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cutting-super-pollutants-could-quickly-cool-the-planet/">pollution</a> from countries in the Northern Hemisphere, and deforestation caused by Brazil itself. Through this study, we were able to separate and weigh each of these components, practically showing a kind of ‘account payable.’”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-intense-changes-from-forest-loss">Intense changes from forest loss</h2>



One practical insight leaps off the page: the biggest local climate swings happen at the earliest stages of forest loss. The models show the most intense changes in rainfall and temperature occur when 10% to 40% of the forest is removed.&nbsp;



“The effects of the changes, especially in temperature and precipitation, are much more significant in the first few percent of deforestation,” said co-author Marco Aurélio Franco from USP’s Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics, and Atmospheric Sciences.&nbsp;



“In other words, we have to preserve the forest; that’s very clear. We can’t transform it into something else, such as pastureland. If there’s any type of exploitation, it needs to be sustainable.”



That finding reframes “small” incursions: early clearing is not a harmless nibble - it’s when the local water and heat balance is most sensitive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-forest-that-makes-its-own-rain">A forest that makes its own rain</h2>



The Amazon is more than a carbon storehouse; it manufactures its own moisture. Through deep roots and vast leaf area, trees pump water skyward, feeding the “flying rivers” - atmospheric flows that deliver rainfall to the Amazon itself and to far-flung biomes such as the Cerrado.



Recent research by some of the same USP scientists illuminated the biome’s rain-making chemistry: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/household-sprays-release-dangerous-nanoparticles-that-linger-in-the-home/">aerosol nanoparticles</a>, electrical discharges, and day-night reactions act like a cloud-building “machine.” 



Strip away trees, and you weaken that system - less evapotranspiration, fewer cloud seeds, and a longer, harsher dry season primed for fire.



Those dynamics are not abstract. MapBiomas data show the Brazilian Amazon lost 14% of its native vegetation between 1985 and 2023. An area of 553,000 square kilometers, roughly the size of France, was primarily lost to pasture. 



Deforestation dropped to its second-lowest level between August 2024 and July 2025 (4,495 km²). However, degradation - especially from fire - remains stubborn and widespread.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-effects-of-amazon-deforestation">Effects of Amazon deforestation </h2>



To parse the drivers, the team combined long-term reanalysis, remote sensing, and land-use classifications (including MapBiomas) with parametric surface equations that track annual cycles and forest loss. Alongside rain and temperature, they examined greenhouse gases.&nbsp;



Across the past 35 years, CO₂ rose by about 87 ppm and methane by about 167 ppb in the region - increases driven more than 99% by global emissions. That result doesn’t contradict studies showing deforestation weakens the forest’s CO₂ uptake.&nbsp;



As Machado noted, flux measurements are local, while concentrations reflect the global burden. In other words, global emissions dominate the background rise, even as local clearing erodes the forest’s ability to absorb <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dry-spells-weaken-the-amazons-ability-to-store-carbon/">carbon</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keep-the-forest-keep-the-rain">Keep the forest, keep the rain</h2>



Project the trends forward and the message is unambiguous. If clearing continues, the experts warn, dry-season rainfall will decline further and temperatures will climb higher, amplifying drought risk and fire weather.&nbsp;



Other recent work already points to deforestation-driven disruptions of the South American <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-atmosphere-has-a-memory-that-affects-the-timing-of-monsoons/">monsoon</a>, which waters central and southeastern Brazil. Weakening that summer lifeline doesn’t just stress farms and cities downstream; it also undercuts the Amazon’s own resilience - making it harder for the forest to recover from shocks like the 2023–2024 droughts.



The new attribution numbers give decision-makers a sharper tool. They quantify how much of today’s dry-season pain is homegrown versus imported via global warming. 



That “account payable” puts a premium on preserving standing forest, restoring degraded areas, and reining in fire - actions that can deliver near-term benefits for rainfall and heat, even as the world tackles emissions.



With COP30 convening in Belém, the study’s take-home is as practical as it is urgent: keep the forest intact, and you keep the rain. Every hectare left standing pays climate dividends - locally, season by season, not just in abstract global carbon ledgers.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63156-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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