Sharks have survived for hundreds of millions of years. They outlived the dinosaurs, Ice Ages, and major climate shifts. Yet today, they are disappearing rapidly - not because of nature, but because of us.



Since the 1970s, their global numbers have fallen by more than 70 percent. The causes are not mysterious: overfishing, finning, bycatch, and growing demand for shark meat. 



The International Union for Conservation of Nature (<a href="https://iucn.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IUCN</a>) now lists nearly 40 percent of shark species as threatened. Laws and trade bans set rules, but sellers still put sharks on the market.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shark-meat-trade-uncovered">Shark meat trade uncovered</h2>



A team at the <a href="https://www.unc.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of North Carolina</a> decided to check what is actually on sale in the United States. 



They bought shark products from grocery stores, seafood markets, and online shops. Using DNA barcoding, they tested the species. The results were shocking.



“We found critically endangered sharks, including great hammerhead and scalloped hammerhead, being sold in grocery stores, seafood markets, and online," said study co-author Dr. Savannah Ryburn.



"Of the 29 samples, 93 percent were ambiguously labeled as ‘shark,’ and one of the two products labeled at the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-white-sharks-survived-the-ice-age-but-it-changed-them-forever/">species</a> level was mislabeled,” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-misleading-labels-everywhere">Misleading labels everywhere</h2>



Most of the products carried only the word “shark.” Sellers even mislabeled some as safer species. Out of 30 samples, just one had a correct and clear label.



The rest included a mix of 11 species, three of which were critically endangered. Nearly a third came from species already at serious risk of extinction.



This problem isn’t limited to the United States. Around the world, shark meat appears under names like “cazón” in Brazil, “flake” in Australia, and “rock salmon” in the UK. In Peru, most people eating “tollo” did not even know it was shark.



These vague labels hide what consumers are really buying and make it almost impossible to track trade in threatened species. 



Sellers put <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-sharks-study-reveals-hidden-crisis-of-overfishing/">endangered sharks</a> in plain sight, deny scientists the ability to track catches, and prevent buyers from making safe, informed choices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meat-sold-at-low-prices">Meat sold at low prices</h2>



Researchers also pointed to the price. Endangered sharks were selling for less than $5 a pound in U.S. grocery stores.



By comparison, red snapper sold for $27 a pound. The numbers show how little the market values these predators, even though they play a critical role in ocean ecosystems.



“The legality of selling shark meat in the United States depends largely on where the shark was harvested and which species are involved, under regulations from CITES and the Endangered Species Act,” Ryburn explained.



“However, by the time large shark species reach grocery stores and markets, they are often sold as fillets with all distinguishing features removed, making it unlikely that sellers know what species they are offering.”



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/endangered-shark-meat_false-labels_Frontiers_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/endangered-shark-meat_false-labels_Frontiers_1s.webp" alt="Photos exemplifying how some of the samples were labeled and displayed when purchased. (A) Dusky smooth-hound sold whole, missing the head, labeled as “shark” in English and Chinese at an Asian grocery store in Orlando, FL. (B) Shortfin mako shark sold as jerky and purchased online from the Newport Jerky Company in Rhode Island labeled as “mako shark jerky”. (C) Common thresher shark sold as “fresh shark [steak]” at an Asian grocery store in Duluth, GA. The label also included “wild caught/USA”. (D) Blacktip shark labeled as “wild blacktip shark, fresh never frozen” from a Publix grocery store in Cary, NC. The label also included that it was a “product of Florida” and that it was “responsibly sourced”. Credit: Frontiers in Marine Science" class="wp-image-1985976"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photos exemplifying how some of the samples were labeled and displayed when purchased. (A) Dusky smooth-hound sold whole, missing the head, labeled as “shark” in English and Chinese at an Asian grocery store in Orlando, FL. (B) Shortfin mako shark sold as jerky and purchased online from the Newport Jerky Company in Rhode Island labeled as “mako shark jerky”. (C) Common thresher shark sold as “fresh shark [steak]” at an Asian grocery store in Duluth, GA. The label also included “wild caught/USA”. (D) Blacktip shark labeled as “wild blacktip shark, fresh never frozen” from a Publix grocery store in Cary, NC. The label also included that it was a “product of Florida” and that it was “responsibly sourced”. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Frontiers in Marine Science</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eating-shark-meat-is-dangerous">Eating shark meat is dangerous</h2>



This issue isn’t only about conservation. Sharks such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-some-great-hammerhead-sharks-rarely-leave-home/">hammerheads</a> and makos carry high levels of mercury and arsenic in their tissues. These metals damage the nervous system, harm unborn children, and increase cancer risks.



Mislabeled products strip consumers of their ability to make safe choices and put families at risk without their knowledge.



The danger grows because heavy metals accumulate over time, meaning even small, repeated servings of shark meat can cause long-term health effects that no label warns about.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clear-labels-protect-sharks">Clear labels protect sharks</h2>



The United States still allows “shark” as a generic market name. In contrast, the European Union requires far more detail, including the scientific name and catch area. 



Without clear <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dont-say-vegan-food-labeling-should-focus-on-health-and-sustainability/">labeling</a>, the public cannot know whether their dinner is harmless dogfish or a critically endangered hammerhead.



“Sellers in the United States should be required to provide species-specific names," Ryburn said. "And when shark meat is not a food security necessity, consumers should avoid purchasing products that lack species-level labeling or traceable sourcing."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shark-extinction-risks-ocean-collapse">Shark extinction risks ocean collapse</h2>



Sharks have been around for half a billion years. If we continue to treat them as cheap, nameless meat, we may be the generation that sees them vanish. Their loss would not be just another statistic on the list of endangered species.



It would mean oceans without their top predators, seas where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oceans-are-quickly-losing-ability-to-support-fish-due-to-plankton-loss/">fish populations</a> explode or collapse without balance, and ecosystems that unravel in ways we cannot easily repair. Communities that depend on healthy oceans for food and livelihoods would also suffer.



Sharks have shaped marine life for millions of years, and their future now depends on the choices we make today.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1604454/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.



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How endangered shark meat ends up on grocery shelves despite global bans

Sharks have survived for hundreds of millions of years. They outlived the dinosaurs, Ice Ages, and major climate shifts. Yet today, they are disappearing rapidly - not because of nature, but because of us. Since the 1970s, their global numbers have fallen by more than 70 percent. The causes are not mysterious: overfishing, finning, bycatch, and growing demand for shark meat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now lists nearly 40 percent of shark species as threatened. Laws and trade bans set rules, but sellers...

For thousands of years, reindeer have persisted across Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, despite the harsh <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/arctic-warming-increase-droughts/">Arctic</a> conditions. But now, climate change is impacting the health of these reindeer as they struggle to access the grass and plants that they need for survival. 

In recent decades, global warming has increased the frequency of rain-on-snow (ROS) events, which cause ice to form on the ground. This ice covers the preferred food of the reindeer and they begin to starve.

A team of researchers led by Brage Bremset Hansen from the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a> used computer models to investigate the fate of reindeer populations if icing becomes a normal event.

“In the past, some rare icing events have been shown to cause population crashes,” wrote the study authors. “An intuitive expectation would be to predict more population crashes and hence a greater extinction risk with continued warming.”

Based on reindeer data collected each year since 1994 and a biological model called an Integrated Population Model, the researchers created a detailed picture of the Svalbard reindeer population. They also analyzed historical ROS events, which allowed them to make projections of how the reindeer population would change under various scenarios.

The study revealed that under harsher conditions in the future, as ROS frequency increased, the reindeer population would respond in an unexpected way. 

“If ROS conditions remain the same as observed in the past, the probability that the population goes extinct is actually much higher than under the likely future scenario of very high ROS frequencies,” said study co-author Marlène Gamelon.

The researchers found that extremely harsh winters with ROS events could only cause a population crash if animal density was high, when there was the greatest competition for food.

The study also showed that winter icing in consecutive years caused no significant effect on the population. Under this scenario, the small population had not aged that much and was not at risk of starvation.

“The interactions between climate effects, density and age structure explain why our study population did not crash in recent icy winters,” said the researchers. “In other words, internal population restructuring modifies and buffers the effects from climate change.”


“One important message from our study, supported by past observations of this population, is that the impact of a harsh winter on the population is far less dramatic if it happens soon after a previous harsh winter.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Erik Ropstad

Extreme weather in the Arctic may affect animals in unexpected ways

For thousands of years, reindeer have persisted across Norway’s Svalbard...

Species richness and biodiversity are important indicators of a thriving ecosystem, and habitat loss both hurts population numbers and decreases the number of different species that live in a particular area. 

Both fragmentation and habitat loss are some of the main drivers of decreases in biodiversity, but a new study has shown that the damage is actually double what was previously realized.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.idiv.de/">German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research </a>and <a href="https://www.uni-halle.de/?lang=en">Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg</a> found that if a species goes extinct due to the loss of a patch of fragmented habitat, species in neighboring patches also decline. 

The reason for these drops is because populations in fragmented habitats cannot travel the vast distances between habitat fragments to recover their populations. 

Picture a road winding through a forest or a highway cutting through grasslands as an example of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildlife-corridors-habitat-fragmentation/">habitat fragmentation</a>. Human activities and climate are both degrading and shrinking habitats, and species are having a hard time adapting to their shrinking world. 

In a new study published in the journal Ecology Letters, the researchers reviewed data on the Seewinkel region of Eastern Austria which is home to multiple shallow saline ponds. 

Referred to as soda pans, the ponds are small shallow ponds that are fed by groundwater and precipitation and which easily dry out.  Populations of invertebrate zooplankton inhabit these ponds, and in the 1950s there were more than 110 soda pans with around 64 species.

[caption id="attachment_1870918" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/soda-pan.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870918" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/soda-pan.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" /></a> Soda pans in the Seewinkel region, Image Credit: Zsófia Horváth[/caption]

In 2010, the number of ponds decreased to around 30 and only 47 species remained, meaning that 17 species had gone extinct in the region. 

The researchers say that only four species should have been lost given the circumstances, but for some reason, the number of species that disappeared was quite high. 

“Even if we had not taken into account the number of soda pans, but rather their area, we would have expected a decline of only nine species,” said Jonathan Chase, the senior author of the study. 

After ruling out habitat degradation, the researchers knew that there must be another explanation behind the declines. 

“So there must be another factor on landscape-scale which is responsible for the extinction of these species in this region,” said Zsófia Horváth, the first author of the study. 

According to the researchers, the answer is fragmentation. The disappearing soda pans meant there were growing distances between soda pans and the zooplankton species were no longer able to readily colonize a new pond or patch. 

“That species disappear locally happens again and again,” said Chase. “But if they have no possibility to repopulate habitat patches, it becomes a problem.” 

It’s been long thought that habitat fragmentation disrupts metacommunities of organisms that are distributed through multiple habitat patches, but this study is the first to conclusively show how and why this occurs. 

“This is important because this effect can now be taken more into consideration in future modeling - for example, when calculating expected losses of biodiversity when habitat is lost,” said Chase. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Imre Potyó

Decreases in biodiversity are exacerbated by habitat loss, fragmentation

Species richness and biodiversity are important indicators of a thriving...

Until recently, it was thought that only humans were capable of mourning dead loved ones. Only humans, the theory went, were capable of grasping the concept of death and loss. 

That view has been shattered as biologists spend more time observing other animals.

Elephants have been <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/elephants-mourning-video-animal-grief/">captured on video</a> mourning dead family members and showing fascination in the deaths of strangers. Whales have been spotted holding the bodies of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-research-reveals-that-whales-mourn-their-dead/">dead pod members</a> for long periods before finally releasing them into the depths, which biologists say is a display of grief.

It’s not limited to mammals. Crows and their close relatives also appear to have rituals for mourning <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ravens-crows-corvid-intelligence/">dead flockmates</a> with “funerals.”

Koko the gorilla was able to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/koko-gorilla-animal-intelligence/">share her emotions</a> through sign language, including expressing grief when her kitten died.

Now, a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1363531/Moment-canines-recall-complex-actions-just-like-humans.html">new video</a> released by the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/">Daily Mail</a> shows another gorilla grieving and adds to the body of evidence that humans are not alone in honoring the dead.

A team of researchers studying gorillas in Rwanda’s <a href="https://www.volcanoesnationalparkrwanda.com/">Volcanoes National Park</a> were able to observe how different groups of gorillas reacted to three separate deaths. In all three cases, the gorillas gathered around their dead, groomed them and touched them. 

In the heart-wrenching video, a young mountain gorilla was captured on film grooming its dead mother. The young gorilla, who had already been weaned, even tried to “comfort nurse.” Not shown in the video, an older son was spotted beating his chest in obvious distress over the corpse.

In another case, a group of Grauer’s gorillas found a dead male unrelated to them.

“Our observations were surprising because not only did almost all individuals in the Grauer's gorilla group engage with the corpse of the silverback, their behavioral responses were strikingly similar to those of the mountain gorillas around the corpses of established group members,” said Dr. Amy Porter of the <a href="https://gorillafund.org/">Dian Fossey Fund</a>. “Most notably, individuals in all three cases typically sat close to the corpse and stared at it.”

In the two mountain gorilla cases, where the dead gorillas were members of the group, the gorillas who spent the most time with the deceased also spent the most time with the corpse.

“Among primates, especially great apes, there is compelling evidence from behavioural and physiological responses to death that they do grieve,” Porter said. “Observations may suggest that humans are not unique in their capacity to grieve.”

While mourning dead group members seems to be the most obvious explanation, Porter does note that the gorillas may also be fascinated with death. They didn’t just sit vigil, she told the Mail.

“They also touched, licked, sniffed, and groomed the corpse,” Porter said. “The behaviors may partially be explained by a general curiosity with death.”

This has raised researchers’ concerns. Gorillas can contract and spread the ebola virus.

“Given the severe health risks that can accompany close inspection of corpses, it is curious why the behaviour occurs so widely among animals, especially primates,” Porter said.

— 

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Heartbreaking video shows gorilla mourning dead mother

Until recently, it was thought that only humans were capable...

Giant water bugs are fierce and fearless predators. Sharks, killer whales, leopard seals, and crocodiles are just a few of the fiercest aquatic predators known to exist, but a new study shows that giant water bugs also deserve a spot at the top of the list.

You would be hard pressed to find an aquatic insect more aggressive than giant water bugs, which have been known to go after ducks, fish, snakes, and even turtles. 

A new study published in the journal Entomological Science compiles decades of research on water bugs. 

The research was conducted by Shin-ya Ohba from <a href="http://www.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/en/">Nagasaki University</a>, and the study provides a comprehensive view of the insects and insight into their ecology and hunting strategies.

There are 150 known species of giant water bug, and one thing all giant water bugs have in common is their fearlessness. Giant water bugs are fierce and fearless predators

Some giant water bugs can take down prey ten times its size, and the bugs are able to perch on aquatic plants, blending into the background and waiting for a fish or snake to come across its path. 

“They just take up a position holding onto a plant in the water, and anything that moves in front of them, they’ll grab it and try to eat it,” Charles Swart, a senior lecturer at<a href="https://www.trincoll.edu/"> Trinity College</a> who has studied giant water bugs but was not involved in the study, told <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/04/giant-water-bugs-ducklings-snakes-predators/">National Geographic.</a>

Once an unlucky prey is caught, the giant water bug’s strong front legs keep the prey immobilized as the bug starts to feed on their victim in a particularly brutal manner. 

The giant water bug bites down on their prey, injecting enzymes and chemicals into the animal through a sharp straw-like proboscis that the bug then uses to suck up the broken down insides. 

For larger prey, it can take hours for the water bug to finish feeding and unfortunately for the prey, it’s alive for a portion of that time. 

Giant water bugs will attack pretty much anything crosses its path, even humans, but although their bite is painful, it is not known if the bite is venomous. 

Male giant water bugs are tasked with caring for young, and in some giant water bug species, a female will kill the eggs of her competitor to ensure that a male will only carry her offspring. 

Like any top predator, giant water bugs play a key role in their respective aquatic ecosystems and it is essential to study the species and also ensure that their aquatic habitats are protected. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Giant water bugs are fierce and fearless predators

Giant water bugs are fierce and fearless predators. Sharks, killer...

Pet parents talk to their four-legged friends like just another member of the family. Although dogs can recognize key phrases and are easy to train with commands, do cats have the same ability to pick out words and phrases?

A new study shows that cats can recognize their names and are able to discriminate their names from other words, which could confirm that cats can understand their owners more than they are given credit for. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.sophia.ac.jp/eng/">Sophia University</a>, the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/index.html">University of Tokyo</a> and the <a href="http://www.riken.jp/en/research/labs/cbs/">RIKEN Center for Brain Science</a> wanted to test a cat’s ability to understand different words, particularly its name. 

Investigating the communication skills and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-friendly-cues-humans/">abilities of domestic cats</a> is something studies have only begun to explore. 

Previous research has shown that cats can learn to understand human gestures like pointing to find hidden food, but as far as learning words, few studies have delved into this aspect of cat-human interactions. 

The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports. 

78 domestic cats from homes and cat cafes took part in the study and the researchers set up several experiments where cats were played recordings of someone saying the cat’s name in a string of common nouns. 

The researchers monitored the cats as they heard the words and made a note of any indicators that the cat was reacting or understanding a specific word. 

Over half of the cats reacted to the recordings, but as they listened to the same recording over and over, the cats lost interest in the common nouns and only perked up at the sound of their name. 

This loss of interest is called habituation, but the cats responded to their names, discriminating their name from even other similar sounding words. 

For the cats from the cat cafe, the cats responded to their own names as well as the names of other cats in the cafe with the same level of interest. 

The researchers say that to a cat, the sound of their name could be associated with food, rewards, or play time which is why a cat is more responsive to it. 

“You know, there are so many studies about dogs’ ability to communicate with humans,” said Atsuko Saito, a lead author of the study. “We think it is important to show cats’ ability as well as dogs. [Such research] will help to make both cat and human welfare better.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cats can recognize their own name from other sounds

Pet parents talk to their four-legged friends like just another...

Striking images captured on the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/galapagos-islands-invasive-species/">Galapagos Islands</a> by photographer and naturalist Tui De Roy illustrate the impacts of global warming, as marine iguanas struggle to survive. Despite the resilient nature of the iguanas, the species is starving to death as their primary food source vanishes. 

“Marine iguanas live hard lives: all they need is tropical sun to keep warm, black lava to bask on, cold seas full of seaweed to feed on; that’s it, no frills,” said De Roy.

“This makes them the perfect subject to illustrate the otherworldly qualities of the volcanic Galapagos Islands. But they are also quite vulnerable: when the cold ocean currents are replaced by warm waters, the seaweed dies, and so do the iguanas.”

The renowned photographer grew up on the islands and has observed the iguanas for many years. She has witnessed thousands of iguanas die every time there is a sustained period of warm weather, or an El Nino event.

[caption id="attachment_1870831" align="aligncenter" width="627"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/iguanas.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870831 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/iguanas.jpg" alt="" width="627" height="402" /></a> Image Credit: Tui De Roy[/caption]

Many scientists predict that climate change will further intensify the El Niño effect, a period of unusually warm ocean surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Marine life are directly affected due to a lack of upwelling, which brings cold water to the surface.

[caption id="attachment_1870832" align="aligncenter" width="634"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/galapagos.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870832 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/galapagos.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="930" /></a> Image Credit: Tui De Roy[/caption]

The vulnerable iguanas in the Galapagos have been responding to a lack of food by literally shrinking their skeleton. 

“They have the ability to shrink their bodies - even their skeleton - by as much as 20 percent in overall length in order to resist starvation until the cold waters return,” explained De Roy. “But if the warm spell lasts more than 3-4 months, thousands of iguanas die.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Shocking photos of Galapagos iguanas struggling to survive climate change

Striking images captured on the Galapagos Islands by photographer and...

Footage of sea snakes swimming at around 800 feet deep in the ocean, an area called the “twilight zone,” has baffled marine biologists. 

Sea snakes live in the tropical waters of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-snakes-atlantic-ocean/">Indian and Pacific Oceans</a> and typically swim in shallow water habitats like coral reefs. 

Researchers have known that sea snakes are able to deal with decompression sickness, more commonly referred to as “the bends,” which is what happens when divers and swimmers surface to fast. 

However, snakes still require oxygen to breathe, and so it was thought that deep dives were not feasible for sea snakes. 

Footage from two deep water dives was captured by a remotely operated vehicle in 2014 and 2017. The dives were part of the <a href="https://www.inpex.com.au/our-projects/ichthys-lng-project/">Ichthys LNG (liquid natural gas) Project</a> operated by <a href="https://www.inpex.com.au/">INPEX</a>, an Australian exploration, and production company. 

During these dives, sea snakes were discovered swimming hundreds of feet below the surface in the mesopelagic zone, which is called the twilight zone because of how little light makes its way down to those depths.

The mesopelagic zone spans between 200 and 1000 meters, or around 650 and 3,200 feet.

[caption id="attachment_1870810" align="aligncenter" width="422"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sea-snake.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-1870810" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sea-snake.png" alt="" width="422" height="289" /></a> Sea snake swimming at 240 meters in the deep ocean. Image credit: INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project[/caption]

One snake was recorded swimming at 800 feet, and another at 780 feet, and the footage was sent to researchers at the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a> to study these remarkable, record-setting dives.

“In some of the footage the snake is looking for food by poking its head into burrows in the sandy sea floor, but we don't know what type of fish they're eating or how they sense them in the dark,” said Dr. Jenna Crowe-Riddell, the lead author of a study detailing the dives published in the journal Austral Ecology. 

Prior to this study, the deepest sea snakes were known to dive was 436 feet. 

“Observations of sea snakes have typically been limited to shallow water habitats that are easily surveyed,” said Dr. Kate Sanders, a co-author of the study. “But this shows what can be achieved through industry-university collaboration.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sea snakes found diving deep into the ocean’s twilight zone

Footage of sea snakes swimming at around 800 feet deep...

Researchers have unearthed a 42.6 million-year-old four-legged whale from ancient marine sediments on the coast of Peru. This prehistoric cetacean ancestor has shed new light on how <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/overpopulation-humpback-whales/">whales</a> evolved and dispersed themselves throughout the world. Their discovery was published April 4th in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

Scientists have known that whales and dolphins originated in south Asia about 50 million years ago. Back then, their predecessor was small and walked on four hoofed legs. This newly-discovered creature displays hoofs at the tips of the whale’s “fingers” and “toes” as well as its hip and limb morphology. Because of this, researchers believe this animal could walk on land, however, the webbed appendages and otter-like tail suggest that the creature was most likely an excellent swimmer.

"This is the first indisputable record of a quadrupedal whale skeleton for the whole Pacific Ocean, probably the oldest for the Americas, and the most complete outside India and Pakistan," said Olivier Lambert of the <a href="https://www.naturalsciences.be/">Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences</a>. "When digging around the outcropping bones, we quickly realized that this was the skeleton of a quadrupedal whale, with both forelimbs and hind limbs.”

[caption id="attachment_1870814" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/whale.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870814" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/whale.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="642" /></a> Image Credit: A. Gennari[/caption]

Lambert and his fellow excavators began their dig at Peru’s Playa Media Luna in 2011. They’ve since named their discovery Peregocetus pacificus, which means "the traveling whale that reached the Pacific."

Because the Peregocetus pacificus was found in Peru, researchers believe that cetaceans traveled to the New World via the South Atlantic, beginning in the western coast of Africa and landing in South America. The whale ancestors would have had massive help from the westward surface currents and by the fact that the land masses were not as far away back then than they are today.From South America, the whales most likely migrated north to North America.

"We will keep searching in localities with layers as ancient, and even more ancient, than the ones of Playa Media Luna, so older amphibious cetaceans may be discovered in the future," Lambert concluded.

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By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Prehistoric, four-legged whale found on Peruvian coast

Researchers have unearthed a 42.6 million-year-old four-legged whale from ancient...

When it comes to the fish we eat like tuna and salmon, mercury levels are an important concern. Heavy metals like lead and mercury from industrial operations and human activities can enter waterways and make their way up the food chain. 

Now, a new study has found that sharks have high concentrations of mercury as well as other dangerous heavy metals like arsenic and lead in their blood and yet somehow, the sharks seem to be relatively <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sharks-adapted-changing-world/">healthy and unimpacted</a>. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> and <a href="https://www.ocearch.org/">Ocearch</a>, an organization that tags and tracks marine wildlife, conducted the study. 

While great whites seem resistant to the toxicity of some heavy metals, concerns remain about the mercury concentrations in the shark’s prey, fish we ourselves eat. 

The study was published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin and is the first of its kind to measure blood concentrations of heavy metals in wild great white sharks. 

“As top predators, sharks bio-accumulate toxins in their tissues via the food web from the prey they eat,” said Neil Hammerschlag, a study co-author. “So by measuring concentrations of toxins, such as mercury and arsenic, in the blood of white sharks, they can act as ‘ecosystem indicators’ for the health of the ecosystem, with implications for humans.” 

The researchers analyzed blood samples that were collected during a 2012 Ocearch expedition to South Africa. During the expedition, sharks were captured, had blood taken and tracking tags put on before being released. 

Blood screening results showed concentrations of 12 trace elements and 14 heavy metals, but the researchers didn’t find any indicators that these concentrations were negatively impacting the shark. 

“The results suggest that sharks may have an inherent physiological protective mechanism that mitigates the harmful effects of heavy metal exposure,” said Liza Merly, the lead author of the study.

Potential immunity to heavy metals in sharks is something that researchers say should be studied further. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Great white sharks carry high levels of mercury, arsenic in their blood

When it comes to the fish we eat like tuna...

Ticks do not necessarily flock to an unmowed lawn. When researchers discussed the solution of less frequent lawn mowing to improve the habitat for native bees, concerns were immediately raised about how this may allow ticks to thrive. The team set out to test the common assumption that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ticks-trapped-amber/">ticks</a> prefer long grass.

“The first thing people said was that letting the grass get longer would invite ticks,” said Susannah Lerman, a research ecologist with the <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/">USDA Forest Service</a> Northern Research Station. “It was clear that before we could make the case for promoting lawns as bee habitat, we had to understand the tick risk.”

The study was designed to evaluate whether less frequent lawn mowing in residential lawns across Springfield, Massachusetts, could promote floral resources to provide viable habitats for native bees. The experts surveyed for bees and blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, every three weeks. Ticks do not necessarily flock to an unmowed lawn

In 16 suburban lawns over the course of two summers, the team documented 111 bee species, which represents about one-quarter of all known bees in Massachusetts. However, a total of 144 tick drags in lawns of various lawn mowing frequencies and grass heights produced not a single tick.

“There are obvious limitations to this study in terms of establishing the risk of ticks,” said Lerman. “We sampled for a single species of tick, and our study was limited to 16 residential lawns in a single city. Still, our study has two significant takeaways: you do not necessarily invite ticks if you mow the lawn every other week instead of every week, and common assumptions about nature are always worth investigating; scientists may be surprised by what we find.”

Blacklegged ticks are known to carry Lyme disease, a tick-borne infection that is prevalent in the Northeast. Study co-author and research entomologist Vince D'Amico said that while blacklegged ticks are undoubtedly present in residential lawns, the grassy part of a property is probably too dry for the tick. 

“This species needs near 100 percent humidity for at least part of the day,” said D'Amico. “Where we have leaf litter, the ticks do very well.”

In the United States, an estimated 40 million acres of residential lawns managed in both public and private have the potential to become viable habitats for native bee species.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ticks do not necessarily flock to an unmowed lawn

Ticks do not necessarily flock to an unmowed lawn. When...

Which natural material is five times stronger than steel and can be stretched two to four times its original length, all while being finer than a human hair? If you answered spider silk – or at least “spider webs” – then you’d be correct. And while the potential applications for this material are tremendous, harvesting it is another matter altogether. <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/peacock-spiders-mating-displays/">Spiders</a> only produce very small amounts of this silk, and when they’re grouped together, they have the bad habit of eating each other. 

Luckily, a new method of bio-manufacturing may have come up with an answer for the silk-harvesting problem. 

“My lab is interested in engineering microbes so that we can not only produce these materials, but make them even better,” says Fuzhong Zhang, Ph.D., the principal investigator of this project. “NASA is one of our funders, and they are interested in bioproduction. They’re currently developing technologies in which they can convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates that could be used as food for the microbes that we’re engineering. That way, astronauts could produce these plant-based materials in space without bringing a large amount of feedstocks.”

Other projects have tried to pair silk proteins in plants, yeast, and even goats – but the end product has not measured up to the real thing. The researchers say one of the issues is that proteins in spider silk are encoded by long, repetitive sequences of DNA, which often breakdown in other hosts. 

Zhang’s research involves implanting the proteins in bacteria, book-ended by protein sequences called split inteins, which are able to join with each other and cut out an exact protein replica. The results of this experiment were full-length proteins that – upon being removed from the bacteria – were purified, spun, and made into an exact match of spider’s silk.

Along with being used in space by <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, this non-spider silk could be used in manufacturing bulletproof Kevlar vests and surgical sutures. The researchers are currently refining the process while also beginning to work on other materials, one of which is a protein found in mussels that could be used as an underwater adhesive.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists use bacteria to produce ulta-strong spider silk

Which natural material is five times stronger than steel and...

It’s well known that birds put on shows to attract and bond with mates.  Dances, wild vocalizations, and perhaps even elaborate nest building are all a part of the scene.  Among large animals like elk, males are likewise known to fight for access to females. Mating behavior among insects and arachnids have attracted much less attention, that is with the exception of some gruesome examples.

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/black-widow-spiders-strong-silk/">Black Widow spiders</a> earned their sinister nickname for a propensity of females to eat mates.  In a similar fashion, species of female praying mantises are known for killing males that mate with them.  Sometimes, a female will turn her head around and bite off the male’s head while they’re actually still copulating; the headless body continues.  These are only a couple of particularly lurid examples of invertebrate mating behaviors. It turns out that there is a diversity of behaviors exhibited by mating arthropods and some of these behaviors are beautiful.  

The aptly named peacock spider (Maratus volans) is a superstar when it comes to arthropod mating displays.  Peacock spiders are part of the jumping spider family (salticidae), a family of tiny, quick, far roaming spiders.  Jumping spiders often surprise humans with their swift, athletic movements but they’re harmless to us. Confined to just a small part of Australia, the peacock spider is only about 5 mm long.  In a fashion similar to the pea fowl they’re named after, the male peacock spider is vibrantly colored while the female is more drab. 

Male peacock spiders have green and yellow abdomens striped with an almost fluorescent blue.  When trying to attract a mate, the male peacock spider first waves his third pair of legs to advertise his presence to a prospective female.  If simply waving doesn’t work, the male will clap his legs together to get attention. If the female is interested and starts to approach the male, he will shake his abdomen vigorously.  As things get more interesting, the male spider will raise his abdomen so it’s vertical. The abdomen of a peacock spider is normally thin but flaps fold out of the sides of the male spider’s abdomen when he raises it, giving the abdomen a more rounded fan-like look.  With the abdomen raised and fanned out, it’s truly reminiscent of the tail of a peacock or displaying male turkey. 

The visual display is only part of the story of the peacock spider’s mating success.  Researchers have long known that the male peacock spider also ‘sings’ to his prospective mate through vibrations.  The mating display of the peacock spider was first filmed almost ten years ago by Australian biologist, Dr. Jürgen Otto, but only recently have researchers looked more closely at whether the mating display or the ‘singing’ plays the biggest role in the success of the male spider.

In an experiment, scientists observed spider mating success under different circumstances.  Male spiders displayed for an unmated female either under full spectrum light or light with reduced spectrum.  Spiders were also on a substrate that easily transmitted vibrations or that muffled them. In this way, scientists were able to tease out whether the impressive visual display or the song of vibrations was more important to interested female spiders.  Previous research published by <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2015.2222">The Royal Society</a> shows that both the vibrations and visual display have an effect and the more time a male spends displaying, the more likely his success.  This new study was the first to examine whether visual displays or vibrations were the most important. 

Unsurprisingly, given the flashy nature of the peacock spider, the visual display was found to be more important than the vibrations.  Strangely, when the researchers used reduced wavelength light but turned up its brightness, mating success increased. This detail shows that it’s contrast/patterning that the females are responding to, not necessarily color.  Interestingly, the color and pattern on male peacock spiders are produced by tiny colored hairs; like feathers on a bird’s tail. 

With the females responding to the flashy display rather than the subtle vibration, many may wonder why vibrate at all.  At some points the female spider may turn away from the displaying male, this is when he vibrates more. The vibrations seem to draw her back into watching the visual display of the male, so there may be something of an indirect aid from vibrations for the male peacock spider.  

The research was published in the November/December 2018 issue of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ary128">Behavioral Ecology</a>.  The study focused on just one species of peacock spider but it’s worth noting that according to <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(14)00591-0.pdf">Cell</a>, there are at least 40 species of spiders in the genus Maratus, many of them displaying similarly vibrant but different displays than M. Volans.  According to expert Dr. Jürgen Otto, there are now 74 named species of peacock spiders.  Many of these spiders and their impressive displays can be seen on his <a href="https://m.youtube.com/user/Peacockspiderman/featured">YouTube channel</a> or on his <a href="http://peacockspider.org">official site</a>.  Some of the spiders are nearly as bright and colorful as mantis shrimp, others are black with white skeleton-like markings.  All of the peacock spiders so far are endemic to Australia. The amazing thing is that put into context 50 spider species found in one part of Australia is next to nothing compared the global spider population and diversity.

We know so very little about the invertebrates that are so common everywhere we go on earth.  This is especially true of spiders that are omnipresent in almost every human habitation as well as lawns, farm fields, and businesses.  Spiders are like a quiet and rarely noticed force that keeps the world running smoothly. 

A paper in <a href="https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00114-017-1440-1">The Science of Nature</a> estimated that spiders the world over eat 400 to 800 million tons of prey a year.  <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/spiders-could-eat-every-human-on-earth-and-still-be-hungry-a7654486.html">The Independent</a> points out that this is more than the weight of every human on Earth.  To put it as the paper itself does, this is 1% of the earth’s terrestrial production; 1% by mass of all animals produced in a year.  Most, roughly 90%, of these are insects. Clearly, spiders are important. Next time you see a male spider trying desperately to attract the attention of a female without being eaten by her, think kindly of all those insects the spider ate before they bit you.        

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer         

Image Credit: Dr. Jürgen Otto

Vibrant peacock spiders earn their name with bold mating displays

It’s well known that birds put on shows to attract...

<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>



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.



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



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.



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



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.



"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.



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



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.



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



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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=3Y4eLFNYrKE
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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</div></figure>







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter 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://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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