<p>Today's <strong>Image of the Day</strong> from the European Space Agency features a dazzling view of the globular cluster NGC 1786, which was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Unlike open <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trio-of-star-clusters-may-be-the-same-system-at-different-ages/">clusters</a>, which are younger and more loosely arranged, globular clusters are tightly concentrated and typically located in a galaxy’s halo.</p>



<p>The globular cluster NGC 1786 is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) - a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way about 160,000 light-years from Earth.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“NGC 1786 itself is in the constellation Dorado. It was discovered in the year 1835 by John Herschel,” noted <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images">ESA</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-observing-globular-clusters-nbsp">Observing globular clusters&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Globular clusters are densely packed, spherical groups of stars that orbit the cores of galaxies like satellites.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Each cluster can contain tens of thousands to millions of stars, all bound tightly together by gravity. These stars are generally very old - often over 10 billion years - making globular clusters some of the oldest known structures in the universe.</p>



<p>The image of NGC 1786 is part of a broader observing program aimed at comparing old globular clusters in nearby dwarf galaxies with those found in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/milky-way-galaxy-may-be-inside-a-giant-void-in-the-universe-explains-hubble-tension/">Milky Way</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Our galaxy contains over 150 of these old, spherical collections of tightly-bound stars, which have been studied in depth - especially with Hubble Space Telescope images like this one, which show them in previously-unattainable detail,” said ESA.</p>



<p>“Being very stable and long-lived, they act as galactic time capsules, preserving stars from the earliest stages of a galaxy’s formation.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stars-in-globular-clusters">Stars in globular clusters</h2>



<p>For many years, astronomers believed that the stars in globular clusters all formed at roughly the same time. However, studies of Milky Way clusters have revealed multiple <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zhulong-spiral-galaxy-like-milky-way-discovered-at-edge-of-universe-should-not-exist/">stellar populations</a> of different ages.&nbsp;</p>



<p>To better understand how globular clusters form - and how they can be used to trace galactic evolution - researchers are now investigating whether clusters like NGC 1786 in external galaxies also show signs of multiple stellar generations.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This research sheds light on the origins and development of the Large Magellanic Cloud. It also helps scientists study the formation history of the Milky Way itself.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-large-magellanic-cloud-nbsp">Large Magellanic Cloud&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is one of the most prominent and intriguing galaxies in our cosmic neighborhood. It is the largest satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and is visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dozens-of-ghost-galaxies-may-be-orbiting-the-milky-way/">satellite galaxy</a> is a smaller galaxy that orbits a larger one due to gravitational attraction. Just as the Moon orbits the Earth, satellite galaxies are bound to larger galaxies and can slowly orbit them over billions of years. </p>



<p>These satellites can range in size from relatively massive dwarf galaxies to tiny, faint collections of stars.</p>



<p>Though classified as a dwarf galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud spans roughly 14,000 light-years across and contains billions of stars, nebulae, and star clusters.&nbsp;</p>



<p>One of its most famous features is the Tarantula Nebula - the most active star-forming region in the entire Local Group of galaxies. This stellar nursery is so intense that it's forming some of the most massive stars ever observed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dynamic-interaction-with-the-milky-way-nbsp">Dynamic interaction with the Milky Way&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The Large Magellanic Cloud is also of great interest to astronomers because of its dynamic relationship with the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-solar-systems-journey-through-the-milky-way-may-have-altered-earths-climate/">Milky Way</a>. It’s not just a passive companion - it’s interacting gravitationally with both the Milky Way and the Small Magellanic Cloud, another nearby dwarf galaxy.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These interactions have created long streams of gas, such as the Magellanic Stream, that arc across the sky. In fact, recent studies suggest the Large Magellanic Cloud may be on its first infall into the Milky Way’s halo, rather than orbiting it for billions of years as once thought.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This motion could have significant effects on the structure of our galaxy, possibly even perturbing the Milky Way’s dark matter halo.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-significance-of-the-research">Significance of the research </h2>



<p>The detailed observations of NGC 1786 not only showcase the stunning capabilities of the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/">Hubble Space Telescope</a> but also deepen our understanding of how galaxies like the Milky Way and the LMC evolve over time.&nbsp;</p>



<p>By examining ancient globular clusters in both the Milky Way and its neighboring galaxies, astronomers are uncovering vital clues about star formation and the processes that shaped our universe.</p>



<p>Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;</p>



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Glittering time capsule: Hubble peers into a galaxy's past

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency...

<p>Today’s Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features an incredible phenomenon that was captured on the far outskirts of the Milky Way.</p>



<p>A young, massive star has announced its arrival with a dramatic display. It has fired off twin <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-captures-a-young-stars-jet-colliding-with-space-dust/">jets</a> of gas so powerful they stretch across eight light-years - about twice the distance from our Sun to the Alpha Centauri system.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These streams are confined to narrow beams by the star’s magnetic fields and launched along its spin axis.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-jets-of-a-young-star">The jets of a young star</h2>



<p>The James Webb Space Telescope captured the event in exquisite infrared detail, showing the jets carving their way through interstellar gas and dust.</p>



<p>The stellar outburst belongs to a rare class of cosmic displays known as Herbig-Haro objects. They form when material falling onto a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/baby-star-wsb-52-fires-an-explosive-jet-that-crashed-back-into-its-own-planetary-disk/">newborn star</a> is shot back out into space at incredible speeds.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The star at the heart of this spectacle lies in a cluster about 15,000 light-years away. The star has a mass that is already ten times greater than the Sun’s.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The outflow is hurtling through space at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour, leaving behind a trail that astronomers can now study as a record of the star’s growth.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-unexpected-discovery">An unexpected discovery</h2>



<p>The discovery took astronomers by surprise, including Yu Cheng of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (<a href="https://www.nao.ac.jp/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NAOJ</a>). </p>



<p>“We didn’t really know there was a massive star with this kind of super-jet out there before the observation. Such a spectacular outflow of molecular hydrogen from a massive star is rare in other regions of our galaxy,” said Cheng.&nbsp;</p>



<p>More than 300 Herbig-Haro objects are known, but most of them come from stars much smaller than this one. Webb’s sharp images reveal not just the scale but also the delicate structure of this jet, including knots, shocks, and filaments where the stream slams into surrounding material.</p>



<p>“I was really surprised at the order, symmetry, and size of the jet when we first looked at it,” said Jonathan Tan of the <a href="https://www.virginia.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Virginia</a>.</p>



<p>The perfect alignment of the opposite streams suggests the process fueling this star’s growth has been steady for more than 100,000 years.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mystery-of-massive-star-formation-nbsp">Mystery of massive star formation&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The new <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/09/Immense_stellar_jet_in_Milky_Way_outskirts#msdynmkt_trackingcontext=0ad1e29a-3bb6-4b03-99c0-1f5c2ba20000" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">observation</a> has reopened one of the longest-running debates in astronomy: how do massive stars form? For decades, scientists have been split between two main ideas. </p>



<p>One theory suggests that stars this large form through a steady process called core accretion, where gas builds up in a stable disk and launches outflows in predictable directions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The other theory, known as competitive accretion, involves a chaotic tug-of-war in which streams of gas fall in from all sides, twisting the orientation of the jets.</p>



<p>The Webb data now tilt the balance toward the first explanation. The opposing jets are nearly 180 degrees apart, showing that the central disk has remained steady throughout the star’s lifetime.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“What we’ve seen here, because we’ve got the whole history - a tapestry of the story - is that the opposite sides of the jets are nearly 180 degrees apart from each other. That tells us that this central disc is held steady and validates a prediction of the core accretion theory,” said Tan.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conditions-of-the-early-universe-nbsp">Conditions of the early universe&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The star’s home lies in a cluster called Sharpless 2-284, a relatively pristine region on the galaxy’s periphery. Because it is far from the Milky Way’s busy center, its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-the-universes-first-molecule-helped-ignite-the-stars/">stars formed</a> in an environment low in heavy elements.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Astronomers call this property metallicity, and it mirrors the conditions of the early universe, before multiple generations of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wild-discovery-twin-stars-with-parallel-disks-and-jets/">stars</a> had enriched space with the products of nuclear fusion.</p>



<p>“Webb’s exquisite data have also shown us that relatively more stars seem to form at lower masses in Sh2-284 than in closer, more metal-rich clusters. This cluster is an excellent region to help us understand star formation throughout the Universe,” said Morten Andersen of the <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Southern Observatory</a>.</p>



<p>Image Credit: ESA</p>



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Young star lights up the Milky Way with colossal jets

Today’s Image of the Day from the European Space Agency...

<p>Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features a dramatic view of dust sweeping across the Tarim Basin in western China - one of the dustiest places on Earth. </p>



<p>Spring and summer usually grab the headlines for dust activity, but that doesn’t mean the skies clear in the other months. <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154772/dust-in-the-eye-of-the-tarim-basin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Satellite data</a> and ground observations show that autumn brings its share of haze too. </p>



<p>Known for its unusual eye-like shape, the Tarim Basin is surrounded by mountains that often trap dust inside. This natural barrier keeps the fine particles from traveling far beyond the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-from-africa-sparked-a-massive-phytoplankton-bloom/">desert</a> floor, creating persistent hazy conditions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-landscape-shaped-by-tectonic-power">A landscape shaped by tectonic power</h2>



<p>Look north and the “eyebrow” of the Tarim reveals striking ridges running east to west. These aren’t ordinary hills but part of the Kuqa fold-and-thrust belt.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Millions of years of tectonic forces pushed the Tarim Basin against its mountainous neighbors to the north, squeezing rock layers until they buckled and folded. The result is a series of wave-like formations called anticlines and synclines.</p>



<p>Over time, erosion has carved into these ridges, peeling back layers of red and green sandstones and pale limestones. From above, these colorful stripes stand out sharply against the muted tones of the desert around them.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154126/a-curtain-of-dust-over-the-tarim-basin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Landsat images</a> have captured the intricate detail of this fractured geology, offering a glimpse into the dynamic forces that continue to shape the region.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-counting-the-dusty-days">Counting the dusty days</h2>



<p>Scientists studied more than 30 years of satellite records and found that the Tarim Basin averaged 60 dusty days a year. The month of September typically saw seven.&nbsp;</p>



<p>About 85 percent of those days fell into a category called “floating dust.” On such days, winds were light but visibility dropped below six miles as particles lingered in the air.</p>



<p>The rest of the time, conditions were harsher. On “blowing dust” days, moderate winds reduced visibility to less than three miles. The most extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-storms-are-a-surprising-source-of-deadly-air-pollution/">dust storms</a> cut visibility to under half a mile, carried by powerful gusts that scoured the landscape.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dust-size-tells-a-seasonal-story">Dust size tells a seasonal story</h2>



<p>Not all dust is the same. By comparing seasons, researchers found that larger particles show up most often in spring, fall, and winter.&nbsp;</p>



<p>NASA’s Terra satellite, using its Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer, provided the detail. These coarse grains likely lift when strong horizontal winds sweep across the desert.</p>



<p>Summer is different. Rising heat drives localized convection, creating dust whirls - sometimes called dust devils - that pull smaller, finer grains into the air.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These swirling columns may look less threatening than a full storm, but they can still loft material high into the atmosphere.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The seasonal contrast shows how different forces, from heat to wind, work together to keep the basin’s air loaded with dust.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dust-from-the-tarim-basin-nbsp">Dust from the Tarim Basin&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Dust from the Tarim Basin doesn’t just linger over western China. Depending on weather patterns, it can drift across Asia, impacting air quality in major cities. In extreme cases, it may even cross <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atmospheric-dust-plays-surprisingly-crucial-role-in-stabilizing-ocean-ecosystems/">oceans</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These particles influence more than visibility. They affect climate by reflecting sunlight or trapping heat, and they alter ecosystems when they settle far from their source.</p>



<p>Understanding when and how dust moves is key for both health and climate research. The Tarim Basin offers a natural laboratory where scientists can track these processes in detail, thanks to decades of satellite coverage and on-the-ground measurements.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-reminder-of-nature-s-reach">A reminder of nature’s reach</h2>



<p>The desert may seem remote, but its restless skies have a global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-is-an-understudied-contributor-to-climate-change/">footprint</a>. What satellites recorded in early September was just one episode in a cycle that repeats year after year.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Tectonic history, seasonal winds, and rising heat all converge in this basin to keep the air in motion.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For scientists, the Tarim continues to show how landscapes that appear still and silent are, in fact, alive with change.</p>



<p>The image was captured on September 1, 2025 by the NOAA-20 satellite.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;</p>



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China’s Tarim Basin: A desert that never sleeps

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features...

<p>Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Hurricane Kiko, spinning west across the Pacific Ocean toward the Hawaiian Islands.</p>



<p>Hurricane Kiko began as a tropical depression on August 31 in the eastern Pacific. Within days, it rapidly gained strength and climbed into major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-has-amplified-hurricane-strength/">hurricane</a> status. By early September, it was heading west with Hawaii in its path - raising concerns about what the islands might face.</p>



<p>The storm’s approach forced Hawaii to prepare for high surf, rip currents, and shifting forecasts. While the cyclone weakened as it neared land, the ocean did not quiet down, and warnings were issued for dangerous conditions along east-facing shores.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-calm-beginnings-to-furious-winds">Calm beginnings to furious winds</h2>



<p>Kiko’s early days followed the typical pattern of many Pacific hurricanes. Warm waters and unstable atmospheric conditions fueled its rise from depression to named storm, and then to hurricane.&nbsp;</p>



<p>At its peak, Kiko wavered between Category 3 and Category 4 strength. On September 4, its sustained winds reached 145 miles per hour, enough to rank it among the most powerful storms of the season.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-observing-kiko-from-space">Observing Kiko from space</h2>



<p>On September 7 at about 1:30 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, satellites offered a clear view of the storm.</p>



<p>Today’s featured <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154769/hurricane-kiko-nears-hawaii" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">image</a> reveals a vast spiral with a defined center. At this time, it was a Category 2 system with winds of 110 miles per hour. </p>



<p>The photo was captured by instruments aboard the Suomi NPP satellite when Hurricane Kiko was about 600 miles east of Hilo. </p>



<p>These satellite snapshots are crucial for monitoring storm size, cloud structure, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-causes-the-rapid-intensification-of-hurricanes/">intensity</a>. They help forecasters understand how the cyclone is evolving as it moves across the ocean.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-storm-weakened">Why the storm weakened</h2>



<p>Hurricanes thrive on warm water and favorable atmospheric conditions. But Kiko encountered hurdles that sapped its energy.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The National Hurricane Center noted that cooler water played a role in its decline. In addition, moderate vertical wind shear - the shifting of wind direction and speed with altitude - disrupted the storm’s internal structure. A dry surrounding environment further limited the fuel supply.</p>



<p>All of these factors caused Kiko to lose some of its punch as it pushed closer to Hawaii. Even so, the system remained large enough to stir up trouble in the seas.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hurricane-kiko-forecasts">Hurricane Kiko forecasts</h2>



<p>As of September 8, meteorologists expected Kiko to veer northwest, weaken to a tropical storm, and pass north of the Hawaiian Islands on September 9 and 10.&nbsp;</p>



<p>That track suggested the islands might avoid damaging winds and widespread heavy rainfall. But not every hazard depends on direct landfall.</p>



<p>The National Hurricane Center warned that east-facing coastal areas could see dangerous surf and rip currents. These hazards often linger long after the storm’s eye has passed, and they pose risks to swimmers, boaters, and anyone near the shoreline.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hawaii-s-storm-history">Hawaii’s storm history</h2>



<p>Hawaii sits in the middle of the Pacific, far from continental landmasses but not immune to tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/even-weak-storms-are-deadly-for-infants-in-developing-nations/">cyclones</a>. While direct hits are rare, the islands have experienced damaging storms in the past.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Hurricane Iniki in 1992 was the strongest to strike Hawaii in recorded history, causing widespread destruction on Kauai. More recently, storms like Lane in 2018 and Douglas in 2020 skirted the islands but still produced heavy rains and flooding.</p>



<p>Kiko fits into this long-running narrative: powerful systems often threaten Hawaii, and even near misses bring serious impacts. For residents and visitors alike, the warnings serve as reminders of the Pacific’s power.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preparing-for-the-next-storm">Preparing for the next storm</h2>



<p>Forecasting has improved in recent decades thanks to satellite technology, advanced computer models, and constant monitoring by meteorologists.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These tools give island communities more time to prepare for changing conditions. Emergency managers urge residents to take <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-hurricane-warnings-fail-to-convey-the-real-danger/">warnings</a> seriously, even if the storm’s center never crosses land.</p>



<p>High surf alone can be life-threatening, and rip currents claim lives every year. For island states like Hawaii, where the ocean defines daily life, respecting these warnings is vital.</p>



<p>Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;</p>



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Hurricane Kiko spins toward Hawaii 

<p>Today's <strong>Image of the Day</strong> from the European Space Agency showcases the striking beauty of the planetary nebula NGC 2899, which resembles a moth in flight. The photo was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.</p>



<p>“The planetary nebula NGC 2899 is shaped like a single macaroni noodle, with its edges pointed up, but its edge-on central torus is semi-transparent in the middle,” noted <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>.</p>



<p>“The top and bottom edges are thick and orange. The center is semi-transparent blue and green. The wider central region looks roughly like a moth, also filled with semi-transparent blue and green.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-defining-features-of-the-planetary-nebula">Defining features of the planetary nebula</h2>



<p>According to ESA, the nebula features a bipolar, cylindrical outflow of gas extending diagonally. The gas is driven by intense radiation and stellar winds from a central <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/white-dwarf-planets-are-more-habitable-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">white dwarf</a> with a scorching temperature of nearly 22,000 degrees Celsius. </p>



<p>“In fact, there may be two companion stars that are interacting and sculpting the nebula, which is pinched in the middle by a fragmented ring or torus - looking like a half-eaten donut,” said ESA.</p>



<p>Streams of gaseous “pillars” extend outward, all pointing back toward the central source of energy. The vibrant colors in the image come from glowing hydrogen and oxygen gases.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discovery-and-significance-of-ngc-2899">Discovery and significance of NGC 2899</h2>



<p>NGC 2899 was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on March 2, 1835, during his survey of the southern skies from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. </p>



<p>Herschel cataloged many deep-sky objects in the southern hemisphere, contributing significantly to the New General Catalogue (NGC) compiled later by John Louis Emil Dreyer.</p>



<p>NGC 2899 is located approximately 4,500 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation Vela, which is part of the larger Vela-Puppis-Carina region of the Milky Way known for its rich <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fluffy-molecular-clouds-may-change-our-understanding-of-star-formation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">star-forming activity</a> and remnants of past stellar explosions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Vela, whose name means "sails" in Latin, represents the sails of the ancient Greek mythological ship Argo Navis. This region of the sky is particularly abundant in nebulae, star clusters, and other deep-sky objects, making it a focal point for astronomical observations.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The nebula’s distance places it well within our galaxy, offering astronomers a valuable glimpse into the later stages of stellar evolution and the processes that sculpt and illuminate planetary nebulae.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-a-planetary-nebula">What is a planetary nebula?</h2>



<p>Nebulae are vast clouds of gas and dust in space, often serving as the birthplaces or remnants of stars.&nbsp;</p>



<p>They come in various types, including emission nebulae that glow due to ionized gases energized by nearby stars, reflection nebulae that shine by scattering starlight, and dark nebulae that obscure light from background <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/runaway-star-may-be-dragging-a-planet-along-with-it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stars</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Planetary nebulae form when dying stars shed their outer layers, creating colorful, often symmetrical shapes. Nebulae can span light-years across and are key to understanding the life cycles of stars and the structure of galaxies.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-fate-of-dying-stars">The fate of dying stars</h2>



<p>Not all dying stars become planetary nebulae. In fact, stars much more massive than the Sun follow a very different and far more violent path.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These massive stars end their lives in dramatic supernova explosions, releasing tremendous energy and scattering heavy elements into space, which enriches the interstellar medium.&nbsp;</p>



<p>What remains after the explosion depends on the star’s mass. The collapsed core can form a neutron star - an incredibly dense object composed mostly of neutrons. Or, if the star was even more massive, it may create a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astronomers-confirm-lone-black-hole-wandering-through-our-galaxy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">black hole</a>, where gravity is so intense that not even light can escape.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-examples-of-winged-nebulae-nbsp">Examples of “winged” nebulae&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Several well-known nebulae are noted for their "winged" or symmetrical, wing-like appearances, often earning them evocative nicknames.&nbsp;</p>



<p>One of the most famous is the Butterfly Nebula, located in the constellation Scorpius. This planetary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dragons-egg-nebula-is-a-truly-stunning-sight-to-behold/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nebula</a> displays two expansive lobes that resemble butterfly wings, shaped by fast stellar winds from a dying star.</p>



<p>The Omega Nebula (also known as the Swan Nebula) in the constellation Sagittarius is a bright star-forming region that has been said to resemble a swan in flight. It has broad, glowing "wings" formed by clouds of ionized hydrogen gas.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Similarly, the Eagle Nebula has an overall shape reminiscent of a bird with outstretched wings, which inspired its name. It is located in the constellation Serpens and home to the iconic "Pillars of Creation."</p>



<p>Image Credit: ESA</p>



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Planetary nebula with ethereal wings captured by Hubble

<p>Today's <strong>Image of the Day</strong> from the European Space Agency features NGC 5335 - a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. </p>



<p>The photo was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. According to <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/04/Barred_Spiral_Galaxy_NGC_5335" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>, thousands of distant galaxies are speckled throughout the image in a variety of colors.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Hubble is revealing how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-galaxies-discovery-would-upend-current-understanding-of-universe/">galaxies</a> form, grow, and evolve over cosmic time by capturing detailed images of galaxies at various stages of development, from the nearby universe to billions of light-years away.</p>



<p>Hubble images have shown us that galaxies collide and merge, that star formation varies across different types of galaxies, and that supermassive black holes often lie at their centers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-ngc-5335">Studying NGC 5335</h2>



<p>The galaxy NGC 5335 lies approximately 160 million light-years from Earth. It is classified as an SB(s)bc type galaxy, indicating a well-defined bar structure across its center. </p>



<p>Like many galaxies of its type, NGC 5335 features active <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/star-formation-reignited-in-the-galaxy-leo-p-after-billions-of-years/">star formation</a>, especially in its spiral arms, where interstellar gas and dust provide the raw material for new stars. </p>



<p>Observations in different wavelengths, including infrared and ultraviolet, help astronomers study the galaxy’s stellar population and the dynamics of its central bar.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hubble-s-view-of-the-spiral-galaxy-nbsp">Hubble’s view of the spiral galaxy&nbsp;</h2>



<p>“NGC 5335 is categorized as a flocculent spiral galaxy with patchy streamers of star formation across its disk. There is a striking lack of well-defined spiral arms that are commonly found among galaxies, including our Milky Way,” noted ESA.</p>



<p>“A notable bar structure slices across the center of the galaxy. The bar channels gas inwards toward the galactic center, fueling star formation.”&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Such bars are dynamic in galaxies and may come and go over two-billion-year intervals. They appear in about 30 percent of observed galaxies, including our Milky Way.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-galactic-bar-in-the-milky-way-nbsp">Galactic bar in the Milky Way&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The bar in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astronomers-found-something-strange-at-core-of-milky-way-galaxy-webb-meerkat/">Milky Way</a> is a vast, elongated structure composed mostly of stars, stretching across the galaxy’s central region. It is a key feature of our galaxy’s architecture, spanning about 27,000 light-years and oriented at an angle relative to the galaxy’s spiral arms. </p>



<p>Astronomers believe the bar plays a crucial role in the dynamics and evolution of the Milky Way by funneling gas inward toward the galactic center. This can feed star formation and fuel the supermassive black hole at the core.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The bar is thought to have formed from instabilities in the galactic disk and continues to influence the motion of stars and the overall gravitational balance of the galaxy.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Observations in infrared and radio wavelengths, which can pierce through the dust in the galactic plane, have helped scientists map the bar’s size, shape, and orientation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-constellation-virgo-nbsp">The constellation Virgo&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Virgo is one of the most prominent and well-known constellations in the night sky, both astronomically and mythologically. It is the second-largest constellation by area and lies along the zodiac, making it one of the twelve constellations through which the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/team-creates-video-showing-the-sun-in-gamma-rays-over-a-14-year-period/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sun</a> appears to move during the year.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Virgo is most visible in the evening sky in the Northern Hemisphere during spring, particularly in April and May. Its name means “virgin” in Latin.</p>



<p>Virgo is traditionally associated with various fertility and agriculture goddesses across different cultures, including the Greek goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone, as well as the Roman goddess Ceres.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In some myths, Virgo represents Astraea, the virgin goddess of justice who fled to the heavens during the corruption of mankind.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-astronomical-significance-of-virgo">Astronomical significance of Virgo</h2>



<p>Astronomically, Virgo is situated between Leo to the west and Libra to the east. One of its most notable stars is Spica, the brightest star in Virgo and one of the brightest in the night sky.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Spica is a blue-white giant, located approximately 250 light-years from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/was-early-earth-a-purple-planet-scientists-say-its-possible/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth</a>. It has been important for navigation and agriculture for centuries, marking planting and harvest times in ancient calendars.</p>



<p>Virgo is also of great interest to astronomers because it hosts the Virgo Cluster, a massive cluster of galaxies about 65 million light-years away.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This cluster contains more than 1,000 galaxies, and it's part of the larger Virgo Supercluster, which also includes our own Local Group of galaxies. This makes Virgo a key area for studying large-scale structures in the universe.</p>



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Spiral galaxy glows in the constellation Virgo

<p>Crater Lake&nbsp;(Klamath:&nbsp;Giiwas) is a&nbsp;crater lake&nbsp;in south-central&nbsp;Oregon&nbsp;in the western United States. It is the main feature of&nbsp;Crater Lake National Park&nbsp;and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot-deep (655&nbsp;m) caldera that was formed around 7,700 (± 150) years ago&nbsp;by the collapse of the volcano&nbsp;Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years. With a depth of 1,949 feet (594&nbsp;m),&nbsp;the lake is the&nbsp;deepest&nbsp;in the United States. In the world, it ranks ninth for maximum depth, and third for mean (average) depth. Crater Lake features two small islands.&nbsp;Wizard Island, located near the western shore of the lake, is a&nbsp;cinder cone&nbsp;approximately 316 acres (128 ha) in size.&nbsp;Phantom Ship, a natural rock pillar, is located near the southern shore.</p>



<p>The park has two developed campgrounds,&nbsp;Mazama Campground&nbsp;and&nbsp;Lost Creek Campground. They are open only in the summer. Mazama Campground has 214 sites for tents and RVs. Lost Creek Campground has 16 sites for tents only.&nbsp; Sleeping overnight in the park is allowed only for hotel guests, campground campers, and backpackers who obtain a&nbsp;backcountry permit. Camping in the park’s pullouts, picnic areas, and parking lots is prohibited.</p>

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

<p>Every year, across the vast grasslands of East Africa, over a million wildebeest are believed to thunder across the Serengeti and Masai Mara in what’s long been called the world’s greatest wildlife migration. That number just changed. And it changed a lot.</p>



<p>A new study has revealed that the actual number of wildebeest in this legendary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grazing-succession-animal-herbivore-mass-migration-serengeti/">migration</a> may be less than half of what we thought. Instead of 1.3 million, the new count shows fewer than 600,000 animals. So where are the missing wildebeest?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-way-to-count-wildebeest">A new way to count wildebeest</h2>



<p>Until now, scientists have used airplanes to count the herds from above. They flew along set lines, photographed the animals below, and used math models to estimate how many were in the areas they didn’t see directly. It was the best method available, but not perfect. </p>



<p>Wildebeest are constantly on the move. If a group shifted from one spot to another, they could be counted twice - or missed altogether. That’s where satellites come in.</p>



<p>Researchers turned to high-resolution satellite imagery that can snap photos covering hundreds of thousands of square miles in one shot. These images don’t scare the animals and don’t require dangerous low-flying planes. </p>



<p>But there’s a catch: there are way too many images for humans to sift through and count animals by hand. So, the team turned to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-intelligence-protect-elephants/">artificial intelligence</a>. Two powerful deep-learning models were trained to recognize the tiny shapes of wildebeest from space. </p>



<p>The shapes appear as blobs just 6 - 12 pixels wide, which is barely visible even when zoomed in. The models, called U-Net and YOLOv8, were trained on over 70,000 examples of labeled wildebeest and reached high accuracy scores of up to 0.83, which is considered excellent for this kind of work.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-ai-found">What the AI found</h2>



<p>Once trained, the AI models got to work analyzing satellite photos taken in August 2022 and 2023 over the Masai Mara region of Kenya and Tanzania. The results came as a surprise. </p>



<p>In 2022, the models counted between 324,202 and 337,926 wildebeest. In 2023, they found between 502,917 and 533,137. That’s a huge gap compared to the long-standing estimate of 1.3 million wildebeest - a number that’s been around since the 1970s.</p>



<p>The models were created and run by a team that included researchers from Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. They believe the new counts are more reliable because satellite images don’t require any guesswork about where the animals might be.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-did-the-wildebeest-go">Where did the wildebeest go?</h2>



<p>There’s no clear answer yet about what happened to the “missing” wildebeest. The study was led by Dr. Isla Duporge from the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oxford</a>.</p>



<p>“The sheer difference between traditional estimates and our new results raises questions about where the ‘missing’ wildebeest might be," said Dr. Duporge.</p>



<p>"Based on data from GPS tracking surveys, we are confident that most of the herd were contained within the surveyed area. And whilst some individuals may have been obscured by tree cover, it seems unlikely that such a large number - on the order of half a million - would have been concealed in this way,” </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-possible-changes-in-migration">Possible changes in migration</h2>



<p>It’s possible that wildebeest aren’t vanishing - they may just be moving differently than before. Changes in rainfall due to climate change could be shifting where the best grazing areas are. </p>



<p>Human activities like farming, roads, and fences are also blocking traditional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildebeest-suffer-genetically-from-blocked-migration-routes/">migration</a> paths. If the herds are splitting or rerouting, they may be harder to spot in one place.</p>



<p>Also, current satellite images can’t easily tell a wildebeest apart from other similar animals like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-the-zebra-got-its-stripes-to-dazzle-horseflies/">zebra</a> or eland. So the count might actually be slightly higher than it should be, not lower.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-importance-of-accurate-data">Importance of accurate data</h2>



<p>The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grazing-succession-animal-herbivore-mass-migration-serengeti/">Great Migration</a> doesn’t just involve wildebeest. Lions, crocodiles, hyenas, and other predators rely on this moving buffet for survival. The migration also draws visitors from all over the world and brings in millions of dollars to local communities in Kenya and Tanzania through tourism.</p>



<p>If the herds really are shrinking, it could ripple through the entire ecosystem. That’s why having accurate data is so important.</p>



<p>“The field of wildlife conservation relies on having accurate data on wildlife population numbers," said Dr. Duporge.</p>



<p>"Combining earth observation satellite data with deep learning, this study has revolutionized our understanding of migratory wildebeest numbers, and could open the floodgates for surveying other species using this method.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-else-can-ai-spot-from-space">What else can AI spot from space?</h2>



<p>This isn’t the first time AI and satellites have teamed up for conservation. The same research team had earlier trained a model to spot elephants from space. But this new wildebeest study is the first to count individual animals in a large, spread-out population.</p>



<p>According to the team, the same technology could soon be used to track other herd animals like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-reindeer-populations-are-declining-faster-than-ever-before/">reindeer</a>, camels, and zebra. They’re even working on a new method to detect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-half-of-africas-rhinos-have-private-owners/">African rhinos</a> - one of the most endangered animals on the planet.</p>



<p>Professor David Macdonald, a co-author of the study, noted that the most basic fact to know as a foundation for conserving any species is how many of them there are. </p>



<p>"The technological breakthrough of our study - satellite-based wildlife monitoring, powered by AI - potentially revolutionises the answer for wildebeest, besides opening up incredible possibilities for monitoring other large species," said Professor MacDonald.</p>



<p>This new way of counting animals could change how we protect wildlife. But for now, it leaves us with a big, unsettling question: what happened to hundreds of thousands of wildebeest that we thought were there? We may need to rethink what we know about one of the planet’s most iconic migrations.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/9/pgaf264/8249339" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PNAS Nexus</a></em>.</p>



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Missing wildebeest? AI survey sparks a migration mystery

Every year, across the vast grasslands of East Africa, over...

<p>There is gold in the ocean. The catch is that it is present at levels so tiny that ordinary tools cannot grab it. People have dreamed of scooping treasure from seawater for more than a century. The chemistry and the math tell a cooler story.</p>



<p><a href="https://ceoas.oregonstate.edu/directory/kelly-falkner" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kelly Falkner</a> helped set the baseline for what is actually in the water. Her team’s measurements and the work they inspired gave scientists numbers they could trust.</p>



<p>Gold enters seawater from rivers, aeolian dust, and hydrothermal vents along the seafloor. It also binds to particles and forms dissolved complexes with chloride, which keeps most of it spread thin.</p>



<p>A famous <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0012821X9090060B" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> reported that typical dissolved concentrations in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific of about 50 to 150 femtomoles per liter. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-gold-levels-in-seawater">Measuring gold levels in seawater</h2>



<p>When levels sit at parts per trillion (ppt), clean techniques matter. Researchers collect water with trace metal clean bottles and process samples in filtered air to avoid stray dust.</p>



<p>Before today’s mass spectrometers, an older but useful <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/publications/gold-natural-water-a-method-determination-solvent-extraction-and-electrothermal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">article</a> described a solvent extraction and atomic absorption approach that pushed detection into the nanogram range.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Gold’s behavior also makes fieldwork slow. It sticks to particles and container walls, so scientists condition bottles and run blanks to track contamination.</p>



<p>At typical open ocean levels, each liter of seawater holds only a few trillionths of a gram of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/over-100-tons-of-gold-discovered-in-a-once-hidden-mine-doropo-ivory-coast/">gold</a>. One widely cited <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/gold.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimate</a> for the Atlantic and North Pacific is about 1 gram of gold per 100 million metric tons of seawater.</p>



<p>That might sound like a lot when you think about the size of the ocean. It is not when you try to pull it out of the water one bucket at a time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gold-on-the-seafloor-in-some-areas">Gold on the seafloor in some areas</h2>



<p>There is undissolved <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-how-gold-reaches-earths-surface-from-the-mantle/">gold</a> on the seafloor as part of sulfide minerals and crusts, but most deposits sit a mile or two down. When you get there, the metal is locked in rock that needs drilling, cutting, and hauling.</p>



<p>Explorers sometimes send a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to map and sample those sites. A ROV can work where humans cannot, but its video feed does not show golden nuggets scattered across mud.</p>



<p>Hydrothermal vents can enrich nearby minerals with gold. Even then, the surrounding water column remains lean.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mining-seawater-for-gold-doesn-t-work">Mining seawater for gold doesn't work</h2>



<p>The economics of seawater extraction hinge on concentration, energy, and selectivity. A broad <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2017/ew/c6ew00268d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> of seawater mineral recovery methods concluded that today’s approaches struggle to be viable for trace constituents like gold.</p>



<p>Engineering clever sorbents is an active area, yet scaling them to handle vast flows at penny per ton costs is the sticking point. </p>



<p>That is why proposals to pair desalination plants with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supergiant-gold-deposit-discovery-wangu-field-might-be-largest-ever-found-on-earth/">gold</a> harvesters have not moved beyond lab or pilot studies.</p>



<p>Even at the seafloor, the story is similar. The deposits with higher grades sit deep, patchy, and tied to fragile vent ecosystems that require careful study before any talk of mining.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-questions-need-answers">More questions need answers</h2>



<p>Researchers track how much gold the ocean holds and how quickly it cycles through rivers, vents, and sediments. </p>



<p>A recent <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1147843/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> estimates a global dissolved inventory near 1.4 times 10 to the 7 kilograms and a residence time around 220 years.</p>



<p>That work also suggests that only a tiny fraction of the gold delivered by vents gets trapped near the source. Most of it spreads into the deep ocean interior and eventually settles with fine particles.</p>



<p>The next steps are practical and patient. Better time series, improved particle chemistry, and smarter sensors will tighten budgets and reveal how hot spots wax and wane.</p>



<p>Stories that promise ocean gold riches overlook dilution and logistics. The numbers above, based on field measurements, show why treasure hunters have struck out.</p>



<p>The science side is not a letdown. It is a win for careful sampling, tough instruments, and honest accounting of uncertainty.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0012821X9090060B" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Earth and Planetary Science Letters</em></a>.</p>



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Water in Earth's oceans contains gold that is often visible with the naked eye

There is gold in the ocean. The catch is that...

<p>Think about sipping a sugar-free drink that still tastes sweet. Many of us have puzzled over this illusion. Now scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reveal how our brains transform smell into taste.</p>



<p>The research, published in <em>Nature Communications</em>, shows that the brain encodes certain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/your-dna-may-explain-why-you-love-or-hate-certain-smells/">aromas</a> as if they were flavors themselves.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-flavor-and-smell-form">How flavor and smell form</h2>



<p>Flavor is more than taste. It comes from a combination of gustatory signals and retronasal odors, those aromas drifting from the mouth to the nose. </p>



<p>The insula, known as the taste cortex, was found to integrate these signals earlier than expected. This means the brain does not wait for higher regions to combine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-your-brain-decides-what-smells-good-or-bad/">taste</a> and smell but merges them immediately into one experience.</p>



<p>Study lead author Putu Agus Khorisantono is a researcher in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at <a href="https://ki.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Karolinska Institutet</a>. </p>



<p>“We saw that the taste cortex reacts to taste-associated aromas as if they were real tastes,” explained Khorisantono. "The finding provides a possible explanation for why we sometimes experience taste from smell alone, for example in flavored waters." </p>



<p>"This underscores how strongly odors and tastes work together to make food pleasurable, potentially inducing craving and encouraging overeating of certain foods.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-brain-links-flavor-and-smell">How the brain links flavor and smell</h2>



<p>The researchers tested 25 adults. First, participants learned to identify sweet and savory flavors through combinations of taste and smell. </p>



<p>Later, inside a scanner, they received either tasteless odors or odorless tastes. Algorithms trained on brain responses to actual tastes were then tested on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/radio-waves-can-boost-our-sense-of-smell-without-contact/">odors</a> alone. The surprising outcome was that odours mimicked the brain’s taste responses.</p>



<p>The study revealed that sweet or savory odors activated the same neural patterns as the corresponding tastes.</p>



<p>This overlap was strongest in the ventral anterior insula, a region connected to olfactory areas. Importantly, the researchers ruled out simple pleasure ratings as the cause. Instead, the brain genuinely encoded odors in a way that matched taste perception.</p>



<p>“This shows that the brain does not process taste and smell separately, but rather creates a joint representation of the flavor experience in the taste cortex,” said senior researcher Janina Seubert. </p>



<p>“This mechanism may be relevant for how our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-sense-of-smell-and-different-odors-can-influence-how-we-see-colors/">taste</a> preferences and eating habits are formed and influenced.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-flavor-and-smell-matter">Why flavor and smell matter</h2>



<p>The findings highlight the insula as a hub for flavor integration. They also reveal that taste representations can drift over time. Neural patterns of taste identity were less stable across days, echoing results seen in rodent studies. </p>



<p>This suggests that our flavor experiences are dynamic, adapting with exposure, context, and internal states such as hunger, mood, or attention. </p>



<p>A flavor that feels vivid and distinct one day may blur or even shift the next, depending on what the brain has recently learned or anticipated.</p>



<p>This fluid quality points to a system designed not for rigid coding but for flexibility, helping us adjust to changing diets, environments, and cultural influences on taste.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flavor-identity-and-reward-value">Flavor identity and reward value</h2>



<p>The study also observed cross-modal decoding in other regions, such as the orbitofrontal cortex, which is known to encode the value of food. </p>



<p>The researchers propose that the insula forms a shared flavor identity, while the orbitofrontal cortex evaluates its reward value. This dual process could explain why certain odors make foods irresistible and shape long-term eating habits.</p>



<p>The team now wants to test external smells, or orthonasal odors. These are the scents we encounter before eating, like walking past bread or pastries.</p>



<p>“We want to find out whether the activation pattern in the brain’s taste cortex changes from salty to sweet when we walk from the cheese aisle to the pastries in the supermarket,” said Khorisantono. “If so, this could have a significant impact on the foods we choose to consume.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-flavor-and-smell-affect-health">How flavor and smell affect health</h2>



<p>This research reframes flavor as a deeply integrated brain process. Smell and taste are not separate streams but overlapping codes that can trick the brain into tasting without tasting.</p>



<p>Beyond solving everyday mysteries like sweet-tasting flavored water, the work raises questions about cravings, overeating, and how our diets are shaped by environments filled with powerful aromas. </p>



<p>The research also suggests that everyday exposure to food-related smells in supermarkets, restaurants, offices, and even advertising spaces may influence us more than we realize.</p>



<p>These aromas may prime the brain to expect certain tastes, creating a loop where scent alone can nudge us toward food choices we might not otherwise make. </p>



<p>Over time, this subtle influence could shape eating habits, nutritional patterns, and even health outcomes, revealing how deeply our sensory world directs behavior long before conscious decisions take place.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63803-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.</em></p>



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How smell tricks the brain into tasting flavors

Think about sipping a sugar-free drink that still tastes sweet....

<p>Minerals might look like small players in our meals, yet they can leave lasting marks in our DNA. A large global analysis now shows that shortages and surpluses of these micronutrients shaped human biology in ways that still influence health today.</p>



<p>A new study examined 276 genes tied to 13 minerals across 40 populations and found clear signs that natural selection responded to local diets and soils. The signals span <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/5700-year-old-piece-of-gum-reveals-the-complete-dna-of-a-prehistoric-woman/">minerals</a> such as iron, calcium, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and more.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-minerals-shaped-human-dna">How minerals shaped human DNA</h2>



<p>The research was led by Jasmin Rees during his PhD studies at University College London (<a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCL</a>). The team searched human genomes for footprints of positive selection, a process where helpful genetic changes spread because they improve survival or reproduction.</p>



<p>They looked for two types of evidence and found both local and wider patterns. Some gene changes were shared across many regions, while others were tightly linked to one place and a specific nutrient challenge.</p>



<p>“Different human populations lived in different environments, so they had to adapt to different kinds of environmental pressures, such as disease and diet, that over time can drive trait differences. This is the first study that looks at micronutrient-driven <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preserving-earths-genetic-future-before-its-too-late/">adaptation</a> on a global scale and across this many micronutrients,” said Rees.</p>



<p>Micronutrient availability depends on <a href="https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/e5c7124b-cdc4-4bc1-b910-b14f5e6965e4/content" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">soil</a>, which can vary a lot even over short distances. Plants take up minerals from the ground, animals eat the plants, and we eat both, so geology quietly shapes what ends up on our plates.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/WHO-WFP-UNICEF-statement-micronutrients-deficiencies-emergency" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deficiencies</a> remain common, affecting roughly 2 billion people worldwide. Before modern supplements and fortification, those gaps were even larger and more prolonged.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-adaptations-to-minerals">Genetic adaptations to minerals</h2>



<p>The analysis highlighted iodine related <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-dna-holds-the-hidden-history-of-human-language/">genes</a> in some Central American Maya communities that live on iodine poor soils. Iodine shortage can lead to <a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-HealthProfessional/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">goiter</a>, an enlarged thyroid that signals low thyroid hormone production.</p>



<p>In parts of South Asia, soils carry very high magnesium. The researchers detected signs near genes linked to magnesium handling and proposed that these shifts could have reduced the risk of magnesium overload in those settings.</p>



<p>Zinc stood out for how widespread the signals were across non-African groups. Several zinc transporter genes showed signs of selection, which fits with the importance of zinc in immune function, growth, and metabolism.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-on-health-today">Impact on health today</h2>



<p>These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unlocking-the-hidden-half-of-plants-with-dna/">patterns</a> help explain why the same diet can affect people differently. If a community has many variants that conserve a scarce mineral, moving to a region or diet with plenty could change risk in ways doctors should anticipate.</p>



<p>Climate pressures add another layer. Rising carbon dioxide has been <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13179" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shown</a> to reduce zinc and iron in key crops, which could tighten already narrow nutritional margins for many families.</p>



<p>Public health steps like iodized salt, biofortified staples, and targeted screening remain crucial. Genetic context does not replace nutrition programs, it can help fine tune them.</p>



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



<p>Some nutrient-related genes show concentrated selection at a few points in the genome, a pattern called <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10550320/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">oligogenic adaptation</a>. Others show weaker, dispersed signals across many genes, a pattern often called <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-020-0250-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polygenic adaptation</a>.</p>



<p>The study also estimated when some of these shifts likely happened. Many appear to cluster around migrations into new environments, which tracks with changes in soils and foods rather than any single recent cultural shift.</p>



<p>“Micronutrient deficiencies have likely shaped worldwide human evolution more directly than previously appreciated. This paper is a first step in understanding which populations might be most at risk,” said Rees.</p>



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



<p>Genome scans show where selection likely acted, but they do not prove the exact biological effect of each DNA change. Lab studies are needed to measure how a variant alters transport, storage, or enzyme activity.</p>



<p>Diet data and environmental maps can sharpen the picture. One recent <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(24)00276-6/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> synthesized national intake surveys to estimate inadequate micronutrient intake across countries, pointing to where diet gaps are largest.</p>



<p>Better soil maps would also help, since farmers can fix plant deficiencies that matter for yield, but not always those that matter mainly for human health. That difference matters for elements like iodine and selenium, which are vital for us but not always for the crop.</p>



<p>Population level findings do not define any person. Your health depends on diet, environment, and many genes working together.</p>



<p>These discoveries are tools to make prevention smarter. They can help target fortification, guide supplementation policies, and focus screening where biology and environment intersect.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(25)00315-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>The American Journal of Human Genetics</em></a>.</p>



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Minerals shaped human DNA in surprising ways

Minerals might look like small players in our meals, yet...

<p>Peacock feathers are famous for vivid iridescent colors, yet a new study shows they can also emit laser light after being soaked with a common dye and excited by a green pulse. </p>



<p>Two narrow emission lines appear at 574 and 583 nanometers, a clear sign of true lasing rather than ordinary glow.</p>



<p>The team wetted and dried the feathers several times with rhodamine 6G, then pumped them with 532 nanometer light to trigger the effect. </p>



<p>The green parts of the eyespot produced the strongest signal, while the same two laser lines also showed up in yellow and brown zones.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lasers-from-peacock-feathers">Lasers from peacock feathers?</h2>



<p>“I always like to think that for many technological achievements that benefit humans, some organism somewhere has already developed it through some evolutionary process,” said <a href="https://floridapoly.edu/directory/faculty/nathan-dawson.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nathan J. Dawson</a> of Florida Polytechnic University (<a href="https://floridapoly.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FPU</a>).</p>



<p>These results point to new ways to probe small, regular structures hidden inside complex biological materials. They also hint at future light sources that work safely with living tissue for sensing and imaging.</p>



<p>A biolaser is a laser that uses biological material as part of the device. It still needs a gain material, a feedback structure, and enough pump energy to cross the <a href="https://journals.aps.org/pra/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevA.50.1675" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lasing threshold</a>.</p>



<p>Here the gain came from the dye, and the feedback appears to arise from tiny structures inside the feather. </p>



<p>The authors ruled out the usual mirror based cavities and found that something within the feather acts as a resonator.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-peacock-colors-are-special">Why peacock colors are special</h2>



<p>The eyespot colors do not come from paint like pigments alone. In peacocks, a <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC240659/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">photonic</a> crystal of melanin rods embedded in keratin inside each barbule sets the hue by reflecting specific wavelengths.</p>



<p>Those nanostructures are common across birds, and their evolution is well <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/71179" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">documented</a>. Across species, thinning melanin layers expands the palette of iridescent colors.</p>



<p>That structural heritage explains the feather’s strong color, but the new laser action needed an added dye and repeated wetting and drying. </p>



<p>The cycling likely helps the dye and solvent diffuse into the barbules and slightly loosen protein fibrils.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-build-a-feather-laser">How to build a feather laser</h2>



<p>Researchers trimmed decorative peacock <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chicken-embryos-reveal-secrets-of-early-feather-development/">feathers</a> and mounted the eyespot region on an absorptive base. </p>



<p>They soaked the surface with rhodamine 6G in a water and ethanol mix, dried it, and repeated this step several times.</p>



<p>During the final cycle, they pumped the still wet sample with 532 nanometer pulses and captured the emitted spectrum. The procedure produced sharp lines only after multiple wet and dry cycles, not after a single stain.</p>



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



<p>Two tight peaks emerged in the yellow orange region, centered at 574 and 583 nanometers. The team saw the same wavelengths from different colored areas of the eyespot.</p>



<p>“The dye infused barbules were prepared by repeatedly wetting the eyespot with dye solution and allowing it to dry," Dawson explained. </p>



<p>"While wet, and after wet and dry cycling, across multiple parts of the same feather as well as across different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vulture-fossil-reveals-that-volcanic-rock-can-preserve-feathers/">feather</a> samples, a highly conserved set of laser wavelengths was observed."</p>



<p>The thresholds measured for the 583 nanometer line were about 380 microjoules per square millimeter in the brown region and about 290 microjoules per square millimeter in the yellow region.</p>



<p>The green region delivered the strongest emission relative to the broad fluorescence background. That behavior tracks the dye’s absorption and emission bands and the local structure of the feather.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-this-differs-from-random-lasers">How this differs from random lasers</h2>



<p>In many biological samples, lasing can occur without a well defined cavity. A random laser uses many scattering paths in a disordered medium for feedback, and its spectrum is very sensitive to small changes. </p>



<p>Random lasing in dyed human tissues has been demonstrated with diagnostic implications.</p>



<p>“The system is found to emit laser light that cannot be random laser emission,” wrote Dawson. </p>



<p>The peacock feather behaves differently. The same two wavelengths repeat across different feather regions and across samples, which is not typical of random systems.</p>



<p>Prior <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7843591/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> has shown lasers from bird feathers in other ways. Parrot feathers produced random lasing when feathers and dye were sandwiched between plastic films. </p>



<p>The new peacock result maps consistent laser modes inside the natural structure after dye infusion and cycling.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-peacock-feather-laser-cavity">Peacock feather laser cavity</h2>



<p>The authors did not find evidence that the color setting photonic lattice itself provides the feedback. Whispering gallery modes need round structures of a specific size, which do not appear in the barbules.</p>



<p>They point instead to small, repeated features that form many low quality resonators with similar optical lengths. </p>



<p>Those hidden building blocks could be protein granules, dye nano crystals, or other mesoscale elements created or revealed by the stain cycles.</p>



<p>Using <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/penny-sized-ultrafast-laser-could-help-self-driving-cars-see-better-measure-gravitational-waves/">laser emission</a> as a probe can reveal subtle order in complex tissue. Stable spectral lines that repeat across a sample suggest recurring microstructures that are hard to spot by imaging alone.</p>



<p>That kind of optical fingerprinting could help characterize biocompatible materials, and one day inform sensors or imaging tools that work with minimal power in living systems. </p>



<p>Further work will need to identify the exact structures and understand how processing steps tune them.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-04039-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Scientific Reports</em></a>.</p>



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Scientists get peacock feathers to emit laser beams - but why would they want to?

Peacock feathers are famous for vivid iridescent colors, yet a...

<p>There’s a heat-driven health crisis creeping in - not with coughing or fevers in a doctor’s office, but with buzzing mosquitoes.</p>



<p>Dengue fever, a disease that used to stick mostly to tropical zones, is breaking borders and heading toward cities and countries that never had to worry about it before. The reason? It’s getting warmer.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosquito-borne-diseases-are-a-growing-threat-in-a-warming-world/">Dengue</a> is far more than a nuisance. The illness often starts with high fever, headaches, and body aches. In some cases, it spirals into internal bleeding, organ failure, and death.</p>



<p>Once mostly seen in places like Brazil and the Philippines, it’s now on track to affect millions more across both Asia and the Americas.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-temperature-and-dengue-transmission">Temperature and dengue transmission </h2>



<p>Until now, scientists had a pretty good hunch that heat played a role in dengue’s spread. What this new study makes clear is just how big that role is - and how dangerous the trend could become.</p>



<p>The analysis looked at 1.4 million records of dengue across 21 countries, mainly in Central and South America, plus Southeast and South Asia. The research shows that even small increases in average temperature are already making dengue infections worse and more widespread.</p>



<p>“The effects of temperature were much larger than I expected,” said Marissa Childs, the lead author from the <a href="https://www.summer.uw.edu/">University of Washington</a>. “Even small shifts in temperature can have a big impact for dengue transmission, and we’re already seeing the fingerprint of climate warming.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-mosquito-s-sweet-spot">The mosquito’s sweet spot</h2>



<p>Dengue doesn’t spread well in just any heat. It thrives in a narrow band of temperatures. The peak danger zone? Around 82°F. That’s the sweet spot where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosquitoes-use-thermal-infrared-vision-to-track-and-bite-humans/">mosquitoes</a> are most active and the dengue virus replicates fast.</p>



<p>This means that as previously cooler cities and regions warm up, they’re becoming perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry dengue. This includes major population centers in Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. Many are just now reaching that danger zone, and that’s where the biggest spikes are expected.</p>



<p>The study found that hotter areas already above this optimal temperature might actually see slight dips in dengue spread. But those declines don’t come close to canceling out the massive increases elsewhere. The total global impact is still a steep rise in infections.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-millions-of-infections-linked-to-heat">Millions of infections linked to heat</h2>



<p>Between 1995 and 2014, warmer temperatures were responsible for 18% of dengue infections across the 21 countries studied. That’s not a future estimate - it’s already happened. </p>



<p>Based on current rates, over 4.6 million extra dengue cases have been caused by climate-driven warming every year.</p>



<p>Looking ahead, things could get worse, and fast. Depending on how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenhouse-gas-emissions-reach-another-all-time-high/">greenhouse gas emissions</a> rise, cases could jump another 49% to 76% by 2050. That means more than double the current number of dengue infections in places that are already home to over 260 million people.</p>



<p>“Many studies have linked temperature and dengue transmission,” said Erin Mordecai, senior author of the study. “What’s unique about this work is that we are able to separate warming from all the other factors that influence dengue - mobility, land use change, population dynamics - to estimate its effect on the real-world dengue burden." </p>



<p>"This is not just hypothetical future change but a large amount of human suffering that has already happened because of warming-driven dengue transmission.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-places-new-risks">New places, new risks</h2>



<p>The numbers in the study might actually be lower than the real totals. The research didn’t include places where data is unreliable or hard to get - such as large parts of India and Africa. </p>



<p>The analysis also doesn’t fully cover areas where dengue is still emerging, like parts of the United States and Europe.</p>



<p>But signs are showing up. Dengue cases have already been reported in California, Texas, Florida, Hawaii, and even southern parts of Europe. As people move, cities grow, and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-variables-can-predict-future-mosquito-activity/">virus</a> evolves, the risks are rising.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-slow-the-spread">How to slow the spread</h2>



<p>The study points to two ways forward: prevention and preparation. On the prevention side, aggressive action to cut carbon emissions would slow down global warming and reduce heat-driven spread of dengue. </p>



<p>This strategy would require more investment in clean energy and fewer emissions from fossil fuels.</p>



<p>But even with strong prevention efforts, adaptation is critical. Health systems need to be ready. Mosquito control programs have to expand. And access to new vaccines will matter more than ever.</p>



<p>“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cities-are-largely-unprepared-for-the-effects-of-climate-change/">Climate change</a> is not just affecting the weather - it has cascading consequences for human health, including fueling disease transmission by mosquitoes,” Mordecai said.</p>



<p>"Even as the U.S. federal government moves away from investing in climate mitigation and climate and health research, this work is more crucial than ever for anticipating and mitigating the human suffering caused by fossil fuel emissions.”</p>



<p>What this study shows isn’t just that dengue is spreading. It proves that climate change is already making people sick in ways that were once hard to measure. The suffering isn’t tomorrow’s problem - it’s today’s reality. And unless big changes happen fast, that reality is only going to get worse.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em>.</p>



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Rising heat is supercharging dengue and spreading it into new regions

There’s a heat-driven health crisis creeping in - not with...

<p>A restless night can leave you groggy the next day. But when sleeplessness becomes chronic, the toll extends beyond fatigue. A new study suggests that insomnia may influence how quickly the brain ages, reshaping memory and thinking over time.</p>



<p>The researchers found that chronic insomnia increases the risk of cognitive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-identify-a-turning-point-when-your-body-starts-aging-faster-proteins-key/">decline</a>. People who struggled with sleep at least three nights a week for three months or more had a 40% higher chance of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia. </p>



<p>This translates to the effect of adding 3.5 years of brain aging. The researchers emphasize that the study reveals an association, not direct causation.</p>



<p>“Insomnia doesn’t just affect how you feel the next day - it may also impact your brain health over time,” said Dr. Diego Z. Carvalho of the Mayo Clinic, who is a member of the <a href="https://www.aan.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Academy of Neurology</a>.</p>



<p>“We saw faster decline in thinking skills and changes in the brain that suggest chronic insomnia could be an early warning sign or even a contributor to future cognitive problems.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insomnia-and-brain-aging">Insomnia and brain aging</h2>



<p>The research team followed 2,750 older adults, with an average age of 70, for more than five years. Of these participants, about 16% struggled with chronic insomnia. At the beginning, everyone answered questions about whether their sleep had changed in the past two weeks.</p>



<p>The participants also took yearly tests designed to measure memory, attention, and other thinking skills.</p>



<p>A smaller group had detailed brain scans to look for warning signs, including white matter damage from small vessel disease and amyloid plaques, the sticky protein often linked to Alzheimer’s.</p>



<p>As the years passed, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/defying-time-three-ways-to-slow-biological-aging/">patterns</a> began to emerge. People with chronic insomnia were more likely to see their thinking and memory decline. Fourteen percent of them developed mild cognitive impairment or dementia, compared with just 10% of those who slept normally. </p>



<p>That difference may sound small, but when applied to thousands of people, it becomes significant. Even after researchers adjusted for other health factors like age, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and use of sleep medications, the insomnia group still carried a 40% higher risk.</p>



<p>This finding suggests that the effects of poor sleep cannot be fully explained by other medical conditions. Instead, insomnia itself may be playing a more direct role in how the brain ages.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-losing-sleep-impacts-the-brain">Losing sleep impacts the brain</h2>



<p>The researchers compared two groups: people sleeping less than usual and those sleeping more. The contrast was clear. Those getting less sleep scored lower on memory and thinking tests, as if their brains had aged four extra years.</p>



<p>Brain scans confirmed the findings. People with less sleep had more brain damage and more amyloid plaques, the proteins tied to Alzheimer’s. </p>



<p>The buildup looked like what is seen in people with a dementia risk gene. This suggests that losing sleep often can make the brain age faster and become weaker.</p>



<p>For those sleeping more, the outlook was brighter. Their brain scans showed less damage, hinting that extra rest might help recovery, even if scientists don’t yet know how.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-link-between-insomnia-and-aging">The link between insomnia and aging</h2>



<p>Certain groups proved especially vulnerable. Participants with the APOE ε4 gene experienced sharper declines in memory and thinking. This finding highlights how insomnia may interact with genetic risks to accelerate cognitive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-purpose-the-secret-ingredient-for-healthy-aging/">problems</a>.</p>



<p>“Our results suggest that insomnia may affect the brain in different ways, involving not only amyloid plaques, but also small vessels supplying blood to the brain,” said Dr. Carvalho.</p>



<p>“This reinforces the importance of treating chronic insomnia - not just to improve sleep quality but potentially to protect brain health as we age. Our results also add to a growing body of evidence that sleep isn’t just about rest - it’s also about brain resilience.”</p>



<p>The study used medical records to find people with insomnia. This means some cases might have been missed, or the seriousness of symptoms not fully recorded. </p>



<p>Even so, the results show how harmful poor sleep can be over time. They highlight the need to check sleep problems more carefully, treat them sooner, and teach people why sleep is important for healthy aging.</p>



<p>The research was funded in part by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Institutes of Health</a>.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214155" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Neurology</em></a>.</p>



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Chronic insomnia linked to faster brain aging and dementia risk

A restless night can leave you groggy the next day....

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHHxOej4QfE
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Researchers found a correlation between Alzheimer's disease and traffic pollution.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invisible-threat-in-urban-air"><strong>Invisible threat in urban air</strong></h2>



<p>City dwellers face an unseen danger with every breath. New findings from Emory University researchers suggest that fine particulate matter from <a href="http://earth.com/news/traffic-related-air-pollution-might-increase-alzheimers-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vehicle emissions may significantly elevate the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease</a>. The study examined brain tissue samples from 224 individuals who had confirmed diagnoses and volunteered their brains for scientific research.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-disturbing-connections-emerge"><strong>Disturbing connections emerge</strong></h2>



<p>Scientists analyzed neuritic plaques — protein clusters that characterize Alzheimer's — while mapping each participant's exposure to PM2.5 particles based on residential location and surrounding traffic density. The correlation proved more alarming than anticipated. Individuals experiencing higher pollution exposure showed nearly double the likelihood of elevated plaque accumulation in brain tissue.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-matters"><strong>Timing matters</strong></h2>



<p>The research team discovered that pollution exposure during the final year before death demonstrated the strongest association with brain changes. This timeline suggests relatively rapid impacts from environmental toxins on neural health. The connection remained robust even after accounting for various demographic and health factors.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-vulnerability-patterns"><strong>Genetic vulnerability patterns</strong></h2>



<p>Perhaps most concerning, people lacking the APOE gene—which naturally predisposes individuals to Alzheimer's — exhibited more than twice the susceptibility to pollution-related brain damage. Study author Dr. Anke Huels noted this indicates environmental elements like air contamination could trigger the disease in cases where hereditary factors don't explain.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-health-implications"><strong>Public health implications</strong></h2>



<p>These findings, published in <em><a href="https://www.neurology.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neurology</a></em>, underscore the critical importance of air quality regulations in urban planning. The research suggests that implementing stricter emission controls and promoting alternative transportation could serve as powerful tools in Alzheimer's prevention.</p>



<p>As cities worldwide grapple with growing traffic congestion and aging populations, this study highlights an urgent need for comprehensive approaches to environmental health that protect both our lungs and our minds.</p>



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<p>—–</p>

Traffic fumes may trigger Alzheimer's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHHxOej4QfE Researchers found a correlation between Alzheimer's disease and traffic...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that scientists never expected.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-waters-beneath-ancient-craters">Hidden waters beneath ancient craters</h2>



<p>Scientists have made a startling discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saturn-moon-mimas-has-remarkably-young-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saturn's moon Mimas</a>. Beneath the heavily cratered surface that earned it the nickname "Death Star" lies a global ocean that formed just 5 to 15 million years ago—a remarkably young age by cosmic standards.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cassini-data-reveals-orbital-secrets">Cassini data reveals orbital secrets</h2>



<p>The discovery, led by Dr. Valéry Lainey of the <a href="https://observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Observatoire de Paris</a>, emerged from careful analysis of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a>'s Cassini spacecraft data. By studying subtle irregularities in Mimas's orbit around Saturn, researchers detected the gravitational signature of liquid water hidden 20 to 30 kilometers beneath the moon's icy shell.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-unlikely-ocean-world">An unlikely ocean world</h2>



<p>At only 400 kilometers in diameter, Mimas seemed like the least likely candidate to harbor a subsurface ocean. Unlike other ocean moons such as Europa and Enceladus, which show clear surface signs of internal activity, Mimas displays no obvious hints of the liquid water beneath its ancient, crater-scarred exterior.</p>



<p>"Mimas is a small moon, and its heavily cratered surface gave no hint of the hidden ocean beneath," explained Dr. Nick Cooper from <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queen Mary University of London</a>, a study co-author.</p>



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



<p>The ocean's recent formation makes Mimas a prime target for studying how oceans develop and potentially support life. This discovery adds another member to the exclusive club of ocean worlds in our solar system, each offering unique insights into the conditions necessary for habitability.</p>



<p>The research, published in <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a></em> journal, demonstrates how advanced orbital analysis can reveal hidden features of celestial bodies, opening new possibilities for understanding ocean formation throughout the cosmos.</p>



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<p>—–</p>

Scientists discover unexpected young ocean on Saturn's cratered moon Mimas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ 'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0DuSr87SHY
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">57 million-year ice age mystery solved by Australian scientists.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-earth-became-a-frozen-wasteland">When Earth became a frozen wasteland</h2>



<p>Imagine Earth as a giant snowball, frozen solid from the North Pole to the equator. This wasn't the plot of a science fiction movie – it was our planet's reality 700 million years ago during an extreme ice age that has puzzled scientists for decades.</p>



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



<p>Australian researchers from the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sydney</a> have finally cracked one of geology's greatest mysteries: what caused the Sturtian glaciation and why it persisted for an unprecedented 57 million years. This period occurred long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, when no complex plants or multicellular animals existed.</p>



<p>Dr. Adriana Dutkiewicz, the study's lead author, describes a world completely unlike today's climate. "Imagine the Earth almost completely frozen over," she explained. "The planet was blanketed in ice from poles to equator, and temperatures plunged."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-combination-of-climate-factors">The combination of climate factors</h2>



<p>The research team discovered that this massive freeze resulted from a "double whammy" of geological events. First, plate tectonic activity reduced volcanic carbon dioxide emissions to historically low levels. Volcanic activity typically releases CO2 into the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect that keeps Earth warm.</p>



<p>Simultaneously, weathering of volcanic rocks in what is now Canada actively absorbed atmospheric CO2, further reducing greenhouse gas concentrations. When atmospheric carbon dioxide levels dropped below 200 parts per million – less than half of today's levels – glaciation engulfed the entire planet.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-climate-implications">Modern climate implications</h2>



<p>Published in the journal <em><a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/geology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geology</a></em>, this research provides crucial insights into Earth's climate system. While geological climate changes occur over millions of years, the study emphasizes that human-induced climate change is happening at a pace ten times faster than previously observed natural changes, highlighting the urgent need to understand our planet's delicate climate balance.</p>



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What caused the planet's longest ice age

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0DuSr87SHY 57 million-year ice age mystery solved by Australian scientists....

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the opposite.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-contrasting-climate-response">A contrasting climate response</h2>



<p>Most coastal towns are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sinking-land-will-intensify-the-effects-of-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preparing for higher sea levels</a>, but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-no-longer-has-to-worry-about-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greenland presents</a> a different scenario during climate change. The ground there is rising at a remarkable rate. Over the past decade, some areas have lifted about 20 centimeters, which translates to roughly 2 meters per century. This rate significantly exceeds current projections for sea level rise.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geological-rebound-process-through-climate-change">Geological rebound process through climate change</h2>



<p>The mechanism behind this phenomenon is straightforward. As the ice sheet melts, the immense weight is removed from the bedrock, causing the land to rebound upward. This process resembles the way compressed material springs back when pressure is released.</p>



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



<p>Researchers at the <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Denmark</a> are documenting this uplift using the GNET network, consisting of 61 GPS stations positioned around Greenland's coast. These sensors can detect movement with millimeter precision, providing detailed measurements of the ongoing changes.</p>



<p>The data reveal that current uplift rates exceed the gradual rebound occurring since the last ice age ended approximately 12,000 years ago. This acceleration corresponds directly with increased ice sheet melting rates.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coastal-transformation">Coastal Transformation</h2>



<p>This uplift is actively reshaping Greenland's coastline. New islands and rocky formations, called "skerries," are emerging as previously submerged land surfaces rise above the water level. This represents a notable contrast to global concerns about rising seas.</p>



<p>The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, demonstrates the varied regional impacts of climate change. While many locations face rising water levels, Greenland's bedrock is literally rising above the surrounding seas.</p>



<p>The full study was recently published in <em><a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023GL104851" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geophysical Research Letters</a></em>.</p>



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to implement the latest AI Agent building platform.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-agent-training-transforms-the-workplace-fear-factor-into-a-competitive-advantage">AI agent training transforms the workplace 'fear factor' into a competitive advantage</h2>



<p>Organizations that offer comprehensive artificial intelligence training to their workers find remarkable value that extends well beyond basic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mind-wandering-might-be-more-productive-than-you-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">productivity improvements</a>. Emerging research demonstrates that carefully crafted AI training programs <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-does-not-replace-human-creativity-but-enhances-it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enhance</a> corporate performance, lower operational costs, and dramatically improve employee psychological well-being by turning workplace uncertainty into professional empowerment.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-the-widespread-ai-anxiety-crisis-among-us">Addressing the widespread 'AI anxiety' crisis among us</h2>



<p>A staggering 53% of employees expressed concern that the use of AI tools to automate work tasks could make them appear disposable to their employers, according to <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft</a>'s 2024 workplace survey. Such pervasive worry about being substituted by machines has caused what researchers have termed "AI technostress" – a psychological state that can result in occupational burnout and poorer mental well-being.</p>



<p>Data published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a> showed that belief in AI learning ability was a moderator in the link between technology adoption and work pressure, and higher confidence significantly lowered negative psychological responses. Workers provided ample training to become competent with AI software have significantly lower stress.</p>



<p>Companies like <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a> have platforms for building what are known as "AI Agents".  In essence, AI Agents are simply tools that employees can build for themselves or their teams quickly and inexpensively.   MindStudio will even train entire companies, from the CEO on down, at no cost. By letting MindStudio empower employees, companies avoid hiring more IT staff, buying more software, and implementing solutions to problems that do not exist.</p>



<p>MindStudio even has partners locally for companies, like <a href="http://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dominnus</a> with offices in the Carolinas, California, and Denver, to help build AI Agents and support employees as they become resident AI experts for their organization.  The training provided by MindStudio is applicable across other AI Agent building platforms as well.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-productivity-through-focused-learning">Revolutionary productivity through focused learning</h2>



<p>Organizations that implement large-scale AI training programs achieve dramatic outcomes. Employees performed tasks significantly better when they utilized AI support compared to when they didn't, according to <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nielsen Norman Group</a> research findings. Their study documented productivity increases of 66% for a variety of professional tasks.</p>



<p>Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis research finds workers record 33% higher productivity in time working with generative AI tools. The benefit is equivalent to 5.4% of work time savings for AI users – around 2.2 hours per week for full-time workers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-psychological-well-being-benefits-through-ai-competence">Psychological well-being benefits through AI competence</h2>



<p>The emotional transformation when employees are provided with proper technology training is a fundamental transformation from fear to professional confidence. A survey of 600 employees across industries, carried out by ScienceDirect, proved that AI capabilities strengthen work environment commitment and improve job satisfaction.</p>



<p>A <a href="https://www.lut.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LUT University</a> study discovered that AI adoption has no direct effect on workers' well-being but does so indirectly through working conditions like task optimization and safety protocols. Strategically deployed AI that involves correct training can actually increase workplace mental well-being.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-replacement-anxiety-to-partnership-confidence">From 'replacement anxiety' to 'partnership confidence'</h2>



<p>Although 35% of those interviewed in recent McKinsey studies were concerned about workforce displacement, firms with large-scale training initiatives witness such fears dissipate quickly. The World Economic Forum found that two out of three respondents believe AI competencies will enhance their career prospects and job marketability.</p>



<p>This shift from fear to trust has measurable implications for job satisfaction. Applied Sciences research indicates AI can create tailored wellness programs based on individual employee requirements.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-financial-benefits-of-increased-retention">Financial benefits of increased retention</h2>



<p>The mental health advantages of AI learning have a direct impact on organizational bottom lines in the form of a positive feedback cycle with high retention of employees. Recent ROI research validates that artificial intelligence learning has a beneficial impact on employee turnover and satisfaction levels.</p>



<p>PriceWaterhouseCoopers' research documents 20% to 30% improvements in productivity, market speed, and revenue in organizations that attempt systematic AI adoption through comprehensive training.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-advantages-of-ai-enabled-teams">Environmental advantages of AI-enabled teams</h2>



<p>AI training has unforeseen environmental benefits as it makes the work environment more efficient. According to a study in Scientific Reports, the carbon footprint in writing and illustrating work is significantly lower when AI performs it compared to humans. AI software produces 130 to 1,500 times less CO2 equivalent per page of text created than human authors.</p>



<p>In addition, AI-driven remote work functionality significantly reduces environmental impact. Research by Cornell University and Microsoft indicates that remote workers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 54% by not commuting daily to offices. Hybrid workers working remotely two to four days a week can reduce their carbon footprint by 11% to 29%.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cumulative-organizational-advantages">Cumulative organizational advantages</h2>



<p>The compounding gains of better mental well-being, reduced turnover, increased productivity, and environmental benefits flow to enterprises from the pairing. McKinsey analysis estimates the long-term AI potential at $4.4 trillion in incremental productivity growth opportunity from business use cases.</p>



<p>As of now, 75% of knowledge workers globally utilize generative AI, mirroring widespread adoption patterns. Organizations that provide organized training and assistance see the most favorable results in productivity, worker satisfaction, and ecological sustainability.</p>



<p>The research overwhelmingly indicates that companies that invest in proper AI education, like that offered through <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a>, establish win-win scenarios where employees are both more empowered and less stressed, and companies enjoy the gains of increased productivity, reduced turnover, and improved mental health outcomes throughout their workforce.</p>



<p>For more on MindStudio's free AI training for companies, visit the website's of MindStudio and Dominnus from the links below.</p>



<p>The research was published across a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a>, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence</a>, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci">Applied Sciences</a>.</p>



<p id="block-9bd989d6-2fd3-4580-957f-6cacce134f08">-----</p>



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<p>MindStudio.AI: <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.mindstudio.ai</a></p>



<p>Dominnus: <a href="https://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.dominnus.com</a></p>

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-natural-solution-to-disease-through-crop-modification">A natural solution to disease through crop modification.</h2>



<p>The agricultural industry stands at a crossroads between productivity and environmental responsibility, and crop modification often carries a negative connotation. While chemical pesticides have long been the go-to solution for crop protection, their harmful effects on ecosystems and human health have prompted scientists to seek alternatives. The recent breakthrough by <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Southampton</a> researchers offers a promising path forward through the precise manipulation of plant-associated microbial communities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-science-behind-microbial-partnerships">The science behind microbial partnerships</h2>



<p>Plants naturally harbor diverse ecosystems of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that function as biological allies. These microscopic partners contribute to disease resistance, nutrient absorption, and stress tolerance. However, until now, scientists lacked the tools to deliberately reshape these communities to enhance crop protection.</p>



<p>The Southampton team's approach centered on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/engineered-plant-microbiomes-the-future-of-crop-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modifying lignin biosynthesis genes in rice plants</a>. This strategic intervention altered the plant's metabolic output, creating conditions that favored beneficial bacterial populations while suppressing harmful ones. The result was a living defense system embedded within the plant itself.</p>



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



<p>The successful demonstration against Xanthomonas oryzae, the pathogen responsible for bacterial blight in rice, represents more than a laboratory achievement. Rice feeds nearly half the world's population, and bacterial blight causes devastating crop losses annually. Traditional control methods rely heavily on pesticides that contaminate soil and water systems.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-beyond-disease-resistance">Looking Beyond Disease Resistance</h2>



<p>While disease protection represents the immediate application, the research framework opens doors to broader agricultural improvements. Future developments could engineer microbiomes to enhance nutrient uptake, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. This dual benefit addresses both crop productivity and environmental sustainability.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-path-forward">The path forward</h2>



<p>As this technology advances from laboratory to field applications, it promises to reshape sustainable agriculture. The ability to program plants with their own biological defense systems could herald a new era where crops protect themselves naturally, reducing chemical inputs while maintaining yields necessary for global food security.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44335-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature Communications</em></a>.</p>



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4 Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease A natural...

<p>Big Bend National Park&nbsp;is an American&nbsp;national park&nbsp;located in&nbsp;West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of&nbsp;Chihuahuan Desert&nbsp;topography&nbsp;and&nbsp;ecology&nbsp;in the United States, and was named after a&nbsp;large bend&nbsp;in the&nbsp;Rio Grande/Río Bravo. &nbsp;The park protects more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. Additional park activities include scenic drives, programs led by Big Bend park rangers, and stargazing.</p>



<p>There are&nbsp;four&nbsp;campgrounds in Big Bend National Park. The National Park Service (NPS) operates three developed frontcountry campgrounds that provide drinking water and restroom facilities. In addition, a full hookup RV camping area is operated by the park concessioner, Forever Resorts. Reservations are required for Big Bend National Park Campgrounds. Reservations can be made by visiting&nbsp;recreation.gov. For visitors with rugged vehicles, or the willingness to leave the road behind and backpack into the wild, Big Bend provides options for&nbsp;backcountry camping. A backcountry permit is required for all backcountry camping and river trips.</p>

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

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