A team in central China has done something simple and bold, they directly dated dinosaur eggs instead of the rocks around them. The eggshell calcite from the Qinglongshan site yielded an age of 85.91 ± 1.74 million years.



This matters because it turns eggs from interesting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-did-dinosaurs-come-from-missing-fossils-hold-the-secret/">fossils</a> into reliable timestamps for life on land during the Late Cretaceous, a time of shifting climates and ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-eggshells-dated">Dinosaur eggshells dated</h2>



The fossils come from Qinglongshan in the Yunyang Basin of Hubei Province, where thousands of intact eggs rest in stacked layers with little distortion.&nbsp;



“We show that these dinosaur eggs were deposited roughly 85 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous period,” said <a href="https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/3140051/overview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Bi Zhao</a>, from the Hubei Institute of Geosciences (<a href="https://en.cug.edu.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HIG</a>).



The group used carbonate <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/zircon-u-pb-dating" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U-Pb dating</a> on eggshell material, measuring uranium and lead atoms to calculate time since the shell formed. 



In their tests, the radiogenic signal sits in biogenic calcite, the carbonate built by the egg-laying animal, which behaved as a semi-closed system for uranium uptake after burial.



The <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1638838/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> relied on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/laser-ablation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">laser ablation</a>, a micro laser that vaporizes pinpoint spots of carbonate which are then analyzed by a mass spectrometer for uranium and lead ratios.&nbsp;



The resulting age is not from ash fall or nearby minerals, it is from the eggshell itself, which frees researchers from indirect age constraints that can mislead if volcanic layers formed earlier or later than the nest horizon.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-carbonate-u-pb-works">How carbonate U-Pb works</h2>



Uranium isotopes in carbonates decay into lead at known, constant rates, and the proportion of parent to daughter isotopes reveals elapsed time. 



Cross checks, like repeated spots in different shell areas and agreement between fragments, keep the numbers honest, and the reported uncertainty of ± 1.74 million years reflects instrument precision and sample scatter, not guesswork.



Indirect <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1367912012005019" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">approaches</a> have anchored many Asian egg sites by dating interbedded tuffs, for example zircon based SIMS ages from the Tiantai Basin that bracket egg layers in the Laijia and Chichengshan formations at roughly 96 to 99 million years and 91 to 94 million years. 



That prior dating set a framework that eggshell ages can now refine where ash is missing.



Carbonate geochronology has matured fast, with careful comparisons between uranium thorium and U-Pb techniques on the same samples showing strong consistency over wide timescales. 



That broader look at geochronology <a href="https://gchron.copernicus.org/articles/7/335/2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">methods</a> helps explain why a tiny eggshell can carry a credible age.



The study team also separated signals, finding consistent ages from biogenic carbonates, and noisy or unusable signals from late pore filling calcite, a reminder that not all carbonates are equal for keeping time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-eggshell-site">Dinosaur eggshell site</h2>



The Qinglongshan reserve preserves egg clutches in red siltstones and sandstones, with many eggs still three dimensional and minimally deformed, a rare condition that helps both taphonomy and dating. 



The sampled clutch belonged to an oblate style of egg typical of the family <a href="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dendrobatidae/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dendroolithidae</a>, which is known for highly porous shells.



Those Yunyang eggs have been assigned to Placoolithus tumiaolingensis by <a href="https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app63/app005232018.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> that cleaned up the taxonomy and emphasized the diagnostic shell microstructure. That classification anchors the site in a broader Chinese record of dendroolithid eggs.



Porous eggshell architecture affects gas exchange and incubation, and the microstructure varies in ways that may reflect nesting style in a semi arid fluvial landscape. 



The new age puts those choices in a tight slice of time, late Coniacian to early Santonian, rather than a vague Late Cretaceous window.



Thousands of eggs across stacked horizons also open the door to building a basin scale timeline where shell ages from different levels track local ecological change, sedimentation rates, and any shifts in the nesting fauna.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/dinosaur-eggs_dating-method_china_credit-Bi-Zhao_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/dinosaur-eggs_dating-method_china_credit-Bi-Zhao_1s.webp" alt="Egg clutch sampled for chronological studies. Credit Dr. Bi Zhao" class="wp-image-1985991"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Egg clutch sampled for chronological studies. Click image to enlarge. Credit Dr. Bi Zhao</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-climate-context">Dinosaur climate context</h2>



Marine records indicate the Late Cretaceous did not stay uniformly hot. 



One North Atlantic sea surface temperature <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24937202/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">record</a> shows a drop of about 7 degrees Celsius (12.6 degrees Fahrenheit), from around 35 degrees to below 28 degrees, between the earliest Campanian and the Maastrichtian.



Independent <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18187651/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence</a> from oxygen isotopes suggests brief glaciation episodes punctuated parts of the mid Cretaceous greenhouse, showing that climate could swing even when the world was generally warm. 



Inland Asia would have felt those shifts in precipitation, seasonality, and vegetation.



Pinned ages on terrestrial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-extinction-theories-are-challenged-by-new-research/">fossils</a> let scientists ask tighter questions about whether nesting density changed across cooler intervals or whether certain egg types rose or fell with climate. 



The eggshell ages at Qinglongshan now give one fixed point for such tests, and more layers can add the sequence needed to see patterns.



Cause and effect claims are premature at a single site, but a direct eggshell chronology makes it practical to compare neighboring basins and see whether bird and non avian <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dog-sized-baby-dinosaur-unearthed-after-166-million-years/">dinosaur</a> nesting moved, paused, or persisted during regional climate transitions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-comes-next">What comes next</h2>



The team plans to sample eggs from additional horizons at Qinglongshan, then from basins to the north and south, to build a regional timeline that can be compared with dated marine and volcanic records. 



That will clarify which changes are local quirks and which ones reflect broader environmental forcing across East Asia.



Applying the same protocol to eggs in the Xixia, Jiaolai, and Nanxiong basins would close large age gaps where ash beds are absent. 



Those basins have different egg assemblages, so a uniform clock could test migration ideas and turnover hypotheses without assuming rock ages transfer cleanly between sites.



Direct dinosaur eggshell dating also complements existing zircon frameworks rather than replacing them, since both tools answer different parts of the age question. 



Zircons pin eruptive or depositional moments for ash, while eggshells date the biological event of nesting, and together they can resolve the tempo of life on land.



With better <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-ground-dwellers-survived-the-asteroid-impact-that-killed-the-dinosaurs/">timescales</a>, small details like pore geometry, clutch spacing, and shell thickness will be tied to environmental context, not guesswork. 



That is how a few careful ages can turn a crowded egg hillside into a precise chronicle of Late Cretaceous life in central China.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1638838/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

These dinosaur eggs tell an incredible story from 85 million years ago

A team in central China has done something simple and bold, they directly dated dinosaur eggs instead of the rocks around them. The eggshell calcite from the Qinglongshan site yielded an age of 85.91 ± 1.74 million years. This matters because it turns eggs from interesting fossils into reliable timestamps for life on land during the Late Cretaceous, a time of shifting climates and ecosystems. Dinosaur eggshells dated The fossils come from Qinglongshan in the Yunyang Basin of Hubei Province, where thousands of intact eggs rest in...

Salmon sharkPhoto: Scot Anderson, TOPP

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/overfishing-history-conservation/">Overfishing</a> has become a major cause for concern, especially in the unregulated and historically challenging to monitor tracks of open ocean that host a high volume of shipping and fishing traffic. 

Efforts to map and monitor fishing vessels in recent years have created better pathways to manage and conserve threatened and at-risk fishing populations.

In a new study, researchers from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> created a map that identifies intersections between shark and tuna populations and fishing vessels. 

The ability to target areas where fishing vessels travel in shark and tuna habitats could help ensure that fishing operations keep fish hauls within sustainable limits and protect vulnerable species. 

“The high seas are the global commons of the oceans,” said Timothy White, the lead author of a study detailing the research. Analyses like this open the door to conversations about whether we think that the current mode of operation in the high seas is most equitable, most effective and most desirable.” 

The study was published in the journal Science Advances. 

To create the highly specified map, the researchers analyzed marine habitats of 800 sharks and tunas. 

The researchers drew on a 2018 study that used satellite tracking data to create a machine learning algorithm that mapped 70,000 fishing vessels around the world including details about fishing methods. 

With this study, the researchers focused on 900 vessels from 12 countries that fish in the northeast Pacific Ocean to map the overlap of fishing vessels and tuna and shark populations. 

The team combined the data on fishing vessel locations with ocean habitat data from the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) tracking program which tagged and tracked 876 individual sharks and tunas. 

“The biggest challenge was in combining these very different datasets,” said White. “By adding the latest vessel tracking and machine learning techniques to the toolboxes of marine scientists, we were able to paint a clearer picture of how fish and fisheries interact, and this information can inform how our management strategies should reflect this.”

The results of the map showed that ships from Taiwan, China, Japan, the United States, and Mexico were responsible for 90 percent of fishing of seven shark and tuna species.

“These analyses have given us the chance to look more deeply into the dynamics of this ocean and see where managers and stakeholders should focus their attention," said Francesco Ferretti, a co-author of the study. “We need to push harder to preserve this corner of the planet because these are some of the best ocean environments in the world.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Scot Anderson, TOPP

New map tracks location of tunas, sharks, and ships in the Pacific

Overfishing has become a major cause for concern, especially in...

If you’ve ever wondered why your dog does quirky things like shaking their toys vigorously back and forth, digging in their blankets and bedding before laying down, or following you around the house everywhere you go, chances are it stems from an ancient behavior deeply embedded in their genome. 

Just like humans, dogs have inherited many quirks from their canine ancestors dating back to before and as a result of domestication.

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-dogs-bond/#">domestication of dogs</a> was a long process dating back 20,000 to 40,000 years ago, experts say. Canines didn’t instantly become man’s best friend but rather, as humans started forming permanent settlements, wild dogs and humans slowly formed a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship. 

For the dog, humans offered a guaranteed meal that required little expended energy unlike hunting and scavenging for food. For humans, dogs provided protection. Eventually, as dogs and humans evolved together, canine companionship evolved with it. 

Today, dogs are acutely attuned to their owners and surroundings, but before domestication, dogs were fierce opportunists and pack orientated, traits that have been watered down and dulled through the years. 

The silly behaviors that we find cute or strange once served a crucial purpose to aid in survival, so let’s break down some of the more entertaining and unusual quirks that our dogs do on a daily basis. 
<h3>Play</h3>
While you may think your dog has a strange affinity for squeaker toys and stuffed animals, the truth is, makers of dog toys are catering to some of our canine friend’s most primal hunting instincts. 

That squeak that your pet can’t get enough of? Well, with enough imagination, the squeak sounds like the high-pitch yelp of a dying animal after being stealthily hunted down, and that’s exactly what your dog’s ancestors did thousands of years ago. 

It’s hypothesized that the squeaker reminds <a href="https://vettedpetcare.com/vetted-blog/why-do-dogs-love-squeaky-toys/">dogs of an injured animal</a> and that it is also rewarding to cause a reaction out of a toy after biting down on it. 

Wild dogs and wolves rely on their keen hunting prowess and scavenging abilities to get food, and the quickest way to kill something if you’re a dog is by snapping the neck with a vigorous shake. This method is still used by wolves and other wild canine cousins today. 

This is why many dogs like to <a href="https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/why-do-dogs-shake-their-toys">vigorously shake their stuffed animals during play</a>, their mimicking that instinctual neck snap. 

Your dog is obviously smart enough to know that his favorite stuffed animal isn’t food, but those instincts, once important for survival, run deep. 

It’s always smart to ensure that any new toy can withstand your dog's preferred play roughness and supervise them in case the toy does start coming apart. 

Let’s go back again in time and follow our dogs’ ancestors as they hunt and carry their prey back to their den. This behavior too has been preserved through the ages and could explain why your dog is obsessed with fetch, according to Katelyn Schutz, a certified professional dog trainer of <a href="https://wisconsinpetcare.com/dogs-fetch-katelyn-schutz-cpdt/">Wisconsin Pet Care</a>. 

“When you look at the domesticated dog’s closest relatives, such as the wolf or coyote, there is a natural canine behavior called ‘“prey-carrying,’” Schultz writes. “After a hunt, sometimes the wolf will carry the prey back to the den to be consumed safely with the pack, essentially ‘retrieving’ dinner for the family.” 

Some dogs have been specifically bred to hone in on this fetching instinct which is where breeds like retrievers come in, but even the average mutt won’t say no to a game of fetch with their favorite ball. 
<h3>Rest </h3>
Almost everything your dog does, including the way he or she sleeps, can be traced back to natural instincts. 

One peculiar bedtime behavior that you’ve probably noticed is your dog’s incessant scratching, pawing, digging, and turning in their bed or blankets before settling down for a nap. 

You could obviously and rightly assume that dogs do this to get comfortable, but there’s a little more to it than just creating the perfect place to nestle. 

“There has been some conjecture that digging at bedding, upholstered furniture or soft flooring (such as rugs or carpets) is akin to digging a hole or spreading bedding to make a nest,” Dr. Elizabeth Stelow, chief of animal behavior services at the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis,</a> told <a href="https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/why-do-dogs-scratch-carpet-bed-floor">The Dodo</a>. “This is the most likely purpose when the dog then lies down in the specific spot it was scratching.”

In the wild, scratching, digging, sniffing and circling are all ways to ensure that an area is safe, dry and, yes, comfortable. When a dog circles and paws at the ground, it helps to flatten the grass, shrubs, and leaves into a more suitable sleeping nest. 

Unfortunately for your comforters or your pup’s bed, this holdover from dog days of yore can wear out pillows and dog beds pretty quickly, especially if your dog likes to chew and destroy their fluffy surroundings. 
<h3>Pack Pups</h3>
Even the most healthy, well-adjusted and well cared for dog will still get a little downhearted when their owner isn’t around. And many a dog parent can attest to the needy behaviors their pets exhibit such as following their owner everywhere around the house. 

Our dog’s natural proclivity to function in a pack, combined with the long process of domestication that turned humans into crucial providers of food, safety, and love, help explain why our four-legged friends need to be with us as much as possible. 

At the base level, you, the owner, equal food and fun to your dog, so your dog is not going to let it’s meal ticket get too far away from its line of site. 

“Look at it from the dog’s point of view,” Erin Kramer, a professional certified dog trainer told the <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/why-does-my-dog-follow-me-everywhere/">American Kennel Club</a>. “You might think you’re the cool one, but the person your dog is attached to is the road to everything wonderful and magical. The focus is on that person because of what they give access to.”

While once dogs were scrappy scavengers, rushing to the food bowl for kibble is about as primitive as it gets for most dogs today. 

Those same instincts that led to domestication, telling dogs that humans were trustworthy, are deep seeded into your dog’s brain. 

While sometimes this can lead to unhealthy separation anxiety, if your dog likes to stick by your side, it’s just doing what comes naturally and what dogs evolved to do. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Many of your dog’s quirky behaviors are inherited survival tactics

If you’ve ever wondered why your dog does quirky things...

Despite their abundance in north and central <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-strange-catfish-species/">South America</a>, bald-legged spiders have been found for the first time in Colombia. A total of six previously unknown species have been described by Dr. Carlos Perafan and Dr. Fernando Perez-Miles of the <a href="http://www.udelar.edu.uy/">Universidad de la Republica</a> and Dr. William Galvis of the <a href="http://unal.edu.co/">Universidad Nacional de Colombia</a>.

Four of the new spiders did not belong to any already existing genus, and the scientists created a new genus for them called Stormtropis after the clone trooper army Stormtroopers in Star Wars.

The bald-legged spiders are a family of only 11 small- to medium-sized species that look very similar to each other, and their placement in the Tree of Life has been long debated. The new bald-legged spider genus has been compared to the Stormtroopers due to their nearly identical appearance and their remarkable ability for camouflage.

“The stormtroopers are the soldiers of the main ground force of the Galactic Empire. These soldiers are very similar to each other, with some capacity for camouflage, but with unskillful movements, like this new group of spiders,” wrote the researchers. “We wanted to make a play on words with the name of the known genus, Paratropis, and of course, we also wanted to pay tribute to one of the greatest sagas of all time.”

One of the new species, Stormtropis muisca, has also set a new record for the highest altitude among the family. It was recorded from an elevation of at least 3,400 meters in the central Andes. However, the study authors will soon be publishing evidence of species that exist above 4,000 meters.

[caption id="attachment_1869719" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Stormtropis-muisca.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869719" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Stormtropis-muisca.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="501" /></a> Stormtropis muisca, Image Credit: Carlos Perafan[/caption]

The team found that not only are bald-legged spiders present in Colombia, but they are actually abundant there. The researchers documented several cases of various bald-legged species burrowing into ravine walls or soil, which is behavior that had not been previously reported.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://zookeys.pensoft.net/">ZooKeys</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main image credit: Carlos Perafan

New genus of Colombian spiders named after Star Wars Stormtroopers

Despite their abundance in north and central South America, bald-legged...

An international team of researchers has observed the use of shoreline rocks as “anvils” by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sea-otters-use-their-paws-whiskers/">sea otters</a> to break open shells. The researchers used archaeological evidence to identify patterns to better characterize and understand sea otter habitat use.

Sea otters are the only marine mammal to use stone tools, often using stationary rocks along the shoreline to crack open mollusks. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a> has combined ten years of observations of sea otters with archaeological methods to analyze the use of the stationary rocks, also referred to as anvil stones.

The analysis of stones at the Bennett Slough Culverts site in California showed that mussels were the only prey for which the sea otters used anvil stones. The experts also identified a damage pattern that was distinguishable from what would be caused by human use. 

When they examined the mussel shells left around the stationary anvils, the researchers found an extremely consistent damage pattern. Two sides of the mussel shell were still attached, and there was a diagonal fracture running through the right side of the shell.

“The shell breakage patterns provide a novel way to distinguish mussels broken by sea otter pounding on emergent anvils from those broken by humans or other animals,” said study co-author Natalie Uomini. “For archaeologists who excavate past human behavior, it is crucial to be able to distinguish the evidence of sea otter food consumption from that of humans.”


[caption id="attachment_1869712" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Sea-otters-leave-a-distinct-pattern-across-rocks-they-use-as-tools.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869712" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Sea-otters-leave-a-distinct-pattern-across-rocks-they-use-as-tools.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="558" /></a> Image Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Jessica Fujii. Haslam et al. 2019[/caption]

The team also used video surveillance to investigate the feeding behavior of sea otters at the site. The researchers determined that the otters held the shells evenly in both paws, but they tended to have their right paw slightly on top when striking the shell against the anvil.

“Our study suggests that stationary anvil use can be detected in locations previously inhabited by sea otters. This information could help to document past sea otter presence and diet in locations where they are currently extirpated,” explained study co-author Jessica Fujii of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

“More broadly, the recovery of past animal behavioral traces helps us to understand the evolution of behaviors like stone anvil use, which is rare in the animal kingdom and is extremely rare in marine animals. We hope that this study establishes a new path for the growing field of animal archaeology.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sea otters leave a distinct pattern across rocks they use as tools

An international team of researchers has observed the use of...

Raptors find a home in the city

“Of winged things the swiftest.” So Homer characterizes birds of...

Protected areas help large herbivore populations recover after war. Researchers from <a href="http://www.gorongosa.org/">Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique</a> have found that if protected environmental areas are provided, large herbivores can sustainably bounce back after wartime. The community structure among these <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/herbivores-ecosystems-climate-change/">animals</a> may take time to reestablish, however, it is possible within protected areas.

The study, led by Marc Stalmans and published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, is the first to outline the quantitative account of herbivore population collapse during wartime and resolve postwar.

Before now, scientists and researchers were unclear how being pushed to the brink of extinction due to human warfare has affected these animals as a whole. Protected areas help large herbivore populations recover after war

Stalmans and his colleagues compiled 15 data sets pertaining to the population size of nine herbivore species before and after the Mozambican Civil War, which lasted from 1977 to 1992.

During the war, researchers found that the populations in question declined more than 90%. Since 1994, most species studied have increased in number, however, the numbers grew in a scattered manner. 

For example, the large herbivores like elephant, hippo, buffalo, zebra, and wildebeest were dominant before the war. But now, waterbuck and other small- to mid-sized antelopes reign supreme within the area.

The team believes these shifts in dominance reflect the natural population growth after the protective Gorongosa Restoration Project was initiated in 2004.

This comprehensive study shows that protective areas are vital to rebuilt animal populations after war. Furthermore, the restoring of community structure may need intervention, but is worth doing.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Clive Dreyer

Protected areas help large herbivore populations recover after war

Protected areas help large herbivore populations recover after war. Researchers...

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is famously billed as the ‘last great race on Earth’.  The race is a 1,100 mile long endurance test in one of the most grueling environments in the world.  The last winner took 9 ½ days to complete the Iditarod, but the slowest <a href="https://iditarod.com/about/trivia-facts/">winning time</a> was over 20 days in 1974.  The longest time taken to complete the race is an excruciating, 32 days, 15 hours and nine minutes. A lot of the time it takes to finish a dog race like the Iditarod comes down to conditions outside of a musher’s control, conditions like weather, snow, ice, wildlife attacks.      

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/tooth-alaskas-first-inhabitants/">Alaska</a> places much of its local identity on ruggedness and the Iditarod is part of that; photos of sled dogs cover postcards, press clippings decorate Alaskan restaurants.  I remember a sign in one Alaskan establishment that proclaimed, “Alaska, where the men are men and women win the Iditarod”. That sentiment becomes more and more true each year.  

<a href="https://www.biography.com/news/libby-riddles-facts-biography-iditarod">Libby Riddles</a> was the first woman to win the Iditarod more than thirty years ago in 1985.  Over the course of the race, the temperature dropped to -50°F and Riddles pushed through weather conditions other sat out in safety and relative comfort.  Libby Riddles seems to have paved the road for future female adventure athletes. 

Born in Massachusetts and educated at Colorado State University where she studied to be a veterinarian technician, <a href="https://www.biography.com/people/susan-butcher-222295">Susan Butcher</a> won the Iditarod four times, in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990.  Only one person, Rick Swenson, has <a href="https://iditarod.com/about/champions-records/">won more Iditarods</a> (5) to this day.  Butcher first competed in the Iditarod in 1978 and over her career set several records before retiring and passing away from Leukemia in 2006.  In 2008, the state of Alaska established a Susan Butcher day, celebrated the first Saturday of March. 

Butcher, like Riddles, and every racer in the Iditarod faced hardship. She had to drop out of the race in 1985 when two of her dogs were killed and several were injured by a moose.  The Iditarod is still a male dominated race; a woman hasn’t won the race in 25 years, but that’s bound to change soon. Now almost a third of the racers are women <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/03/01/699390413/blair-braverman-and-her-ugly-dogs-compete-in-their-first-iditarod">NPR</a> reports.  Besides concerns of gender equality, often raised in sports, another controversy has plagued the Iditarod – treatment of dogs.

The Iditarod was originally formulated as a tribute to the Iditarod trail.  The trail was originally a life line for non-native Alaskans to the rest of the world where food and medical supplies could be delivered to remote outposts of the Alaskan ‘frontier’.  As such, the race is a tribute to the harsh realities of the Alaskan environment and a partnership between humans and non-humans to survive there. Things have changed since the times when a dog sled was the only way to deliver important medicine to Alaskan villages.       

The world of 2019 is a very different one from the world of 1973 when the <a href="https://iditarod.com/about/history/">first Iditarod</a> was officially run.  1973 was less than twenty years after the official founding of Sea World in 1959 and decades before the 2013 documentary <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNtUK3rW5K4">Blackfish</a> revealed a lot of problems with that park.  It was only in 1966 that the <a href="https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/animal-welfare-act">Animal Welfare Act</a> was signed into law, less than ten years before the first Iditarod.  Several amendments have been made to the Animal Welfare Act since it was first created, the last being in 2013.  According to <a href="https://foodrevolution.org/blog/vegan-statistics-global/">FoodRevolution.org</a>, veganism has increased by 600% in the US from 2014 to 2017 alone.  It’s not surprising considering how views of animal treatment have changed in the US that a race that in some ways supports an antiquated relationship between humans and dogs has its own controversies.

According to <a href="https://helpsleddogs.org/the-harsh-reality/dog-deaths/">Sled Dog Action Coalition</a>, at least 153 dogs have died in the Iditarod; meanwhile no humans have died during the race.  Statistics of dog deaths from the early years of the race weren’t kept but a resident of Alaska for 40 years, Ted Almasy is quoted:

“That first race, from Anchorage to McGrath, all you could see along the trail was dog blood and dead dogs. That’s when I got into it with them. After each Iditarod, we used to see dead dogs at the dump. You’d see them [Sic] poor dogs, blood coming out of both ends. ”

Words like these raise serious questions of the ethics of a race that simultaneously romanticizes a team of dogs and risks their health and lives without consent.  Indeed, in most of the US, keeping a dog outside in below freezing temperatures for 12 days warrants an animal cruelty conviction, according to <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/iditarod-trail-sled-dog-race-and-animal-cruelty-127645">ThoughtCo</a>.  The race is trying to adapt a bit to changing views on animal treatment ethics. 

Any musher that has been convicted of animal cruelty is disqualified from the race.  There are checkpoints where a veterinarian can check the health of dogs but racers aren’t required to stop at these checkpoints.  Ramy Brooks, a musher, was disqualified for blatant cruelty, such as beating dogs for not continuing across an icefield. Brooks was allowed to race in later years and one of his dogs died in the 2007 race, but it was concluded that the death was unrelated to beating.  Beyond the race itself, culling dogs that aren’t good racers is a common practice among kennels training to compete. A question worth asking is if the Iditarod is capable of changing enough to be seen as morally acceptable in a world where animals are recognized as having more rights and capacities than previously?

Could the answer to change in the treatment of animals be in who the mushers themselves are?  An article in the <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/community-blogs/do-men-care-less-about-animals-than-women">Vancouver Sun</a> asked, “Do men care less about animals than women?”  The answer seems to be as a group, yes.  One study examining 268 prosecutions of animal cruelty found that men are convicted in a ratio of 29 to 1 compared to women in animal abuse.  Other studies have found that women as a group nearly always have more sympathy for animals than men. 

Are the women now racing in the Iditarod a wind of change that could not only lift the status of women in a rugged wilderness race but also push for better treatment of dogs or are the women now racing pushing for victory at all costs?  Blair Braverman in particular, a nature writer and first time competitor in this year’s Iditarod, has already pushed back on the male stereotypical view of man vs. nature, promoting a more feminine perspective on nature in <a href="https://www.hcn.org/issues/49.19/the-west-when-women-are-telling-the-story?utm_source=wcn1&amp;utm_medium=email">High Country News</a>.  

Will more female competitors mean more female spectators that may in turn raise more questions about the treatment of sled dogs?  Only time will tell. We can only hope that the race, one that celebrates wilderness and human animal collaboration, can fulfill its promise or simply cease.  

--                

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Women in the Iditarod and the treatment of racing dogs

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is famously billed as...

Coyotes are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coyotes-exploded-north-america/">expanding into urban areas</a> and getting more and more used to living alongside humans. 

Now, a new study shows that being comfortable near humans may be an inherited trait as coyote parents who are unafraid of being near people raise pups that have the same fearlessness. 

Because coyote and human interactions are becoming more frequent, it raises the risk of coyote attacks, and researchers from the <a href="http://www.tacoma.uw.edu/">University of Washington Tacoma </a>set out to address some of the factors driving how coyotes adapt to being near well-populated areas and people. 

The study was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution. 

“Even if it's only 0.001 percent of the time, when a coyote threatens or attacks a person or a pet, it's national news, and wildlife management gets called in,” said Christopher Schell, the first author of the study. “We want to understand the mechanisms that contribute to habituation and fearlessness, to prevent these situations from occurring.”

For the study, Schell and a team of researchers monitored eight coyote families at the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">US Department of Agriculture's</a> <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/wildlifedamage/programs/nwrc/research-areas/predator-research/ct_predators">Predator Research Facility</a> in Utah.

Coyotes were not always eager urban explorers, but when their main predator, wolves, were hunted to near extinction in the early 1900s, the coyotes became emboldened to expand into new areas. 

Today, it is not uncommon to hear about coyote sightings in New York City, Los Angeles, and cities in the Pacific Northwest.

[caption id="attachment_1869563" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/coyote-pups.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869563" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/coyote-pups.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="357" /></a> Coyote pups, Image Credit: Christopher Schell[/caption]

The researchers studied the coyote families in Utah over two breeding seasons. Coyotes mate for life and evenly share parental duties. At the Utah facility, the coyotes are raised and live in very little contact with humans, but the researchers wanted to test the coyotes’ comfort levels. 

Typically, food for the coyotes is scattered throughout the enclosure, but the researchers placed all food at the entrance and then sat outside the compound near the food starting five weeks after the birth of a new litter until the pups were 15 weeks old. 

“For the first season, there were certain individuals that were bolder than others, but on the whole they were pretty wary, and their puppies followed,” said Schell. “But when we came back and did the same experiment with the second litter, the adults would immediately eat the food -- they wouldn't even wait for us to leave the pen in some instances.”

With the second litter, the researchers saw this pattern of fearlessness continue and these puppies were even bolder than the pups in the first. 

The researchers collected samples from both litters and from the mothers to test hormone levels, and while the mothers had higher levels of cortisol during their second pregnancy, the researchers say this didn't affect the pups or their willingness to get food. 

“The discovery that this habituation happens in only two to three years has been corroborated, anecdotally, by evidence from wild sites across the nation,” said Schell. “We found that parental effect plays a major role.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Main image credit: Steve Guymon/National Wildlife Research Center

Coyote parents who are used to humans raise more fearless pups

Coyotes are expanding into urban areas and getting more and...

Scientists pinpoint areas where wild animals can seek refuge from humans. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.wcs.org/">Wildlife Conservation Society</a> (WCS) has mapped the world’s remaining “cool spots” where species are still thriving, as well as regions where <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/human-activity-shrink-natural-habitats-species/">human activities</a> are making it a challenge for species to survive, or “hot spots.” Land clearing and unregulated hunting are shrinking the areas where wildlife can escape the pressure of humans. 

Study lead author James Allan of the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> said the results revealed a sobering picture. 

“Nearly a quarter of the species assessed are threatened across nearly 90 percent of their distribution,” Allan said. “Most distressingly, 395 species are impacted throughout their entire range and will almost certainly face extinction without action to remove the threats.” Scientists pinpoint areas where wild animals can seek refuge from humans

There was a total of 5,457 species examined for the study, including 2,060 amphibians, 2,120 birds, and 1,277 mammals. Across 84 percent of the Earth's terrestrial surface, human activities were found to affect these species. For many charismatic animal species, such as elephants and lions, humans impacted the majority of their ranges.


The top “hot spots” identified in the study were areas of Southeast Asia where there is an increasing human presence throughout tropical forests. “Cool spots” were found in parts of the Amazon rainforest, Andes Mountains, and in the forests of Russia and North America.

[caption id="attachment_1869570" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/map.png"><img class="wp-image-1869570" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/map.png" alt="" width="650" height="374" /></a> Image Credit: WCS/UQ[/caption]

According to the researchers, the results of the study should serve as a roadmap of where to direct future conservation investment. The findings could also be used to develop strategies to directly address activities that are driving species declines.

James Watson of the WCS explained: “It is obvious that the vast majority of imperiled species that are not extinct yet, will be if we don't take pre-emptive action. We still have time to adjust and improve, but we need to use the results of this study to focus on saving those areas that as strongholds for these species.”


The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLOS Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists pinpoint areas where wild animals can seek refuge from humans

Scientists pinpoint areas where wild animals can seek refuge from...

Planthoppers, so named for their quick “hop” reflex that allows them to leap away from danger, are small <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-wings-host-plant/">plant-eating bugs</a> found in most corners of the world. 

One unusual trait of the planthopper is the way the bug attracts a mate by sending vibrational calls along the plant stems that they perch upon. The strong vibrations travel along the stems, and both males and females use this unique mating call to signal to one another. 

To produce a strong enough vibrational call, the bug needs to expel a large amount of energy and quickly release it. 

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> discovered the secret behind the planthopper’s quick release of stored energy, a complex organ that quickly snaps open and closed to produce the vibrational calls. 

The research was published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000155">PLOS Biology</a>. 

With the snapping organ, the bug can release stored energy like a catapult, and the release occurs cyclically in a repetitive pattern.  

Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou, the lead author of the study, was examining 3D images of planthoppers when he discovered the organ. 

“I was studying 3D images of planthoppers that I had collected using X-ray imaging in a particle accelerator, trying to understand the evolutionary relationships between different groups," said Davranoglou. “But as I dissected the bugs in virtual reality on my computer, I immediately realised that I was looking at something entirely new, so decided to investigate further.”

Davranoglou, along with a team of researchers, collected live planthoppers around Athens to see if the snapping organ was found in other species of planthoppers and to understand how the mechanisms worked. 

The snapping organ was found in all the specimens collected and was present across different families of the bug. 

The researchers made a series of measurements, cross sections, and vibrational scans using microtomography, laser vibrometry, confocal microscopy, and high-speed video recordings. 

Next, the researchers created a theoretical model of the organ to help aid in future studies into the planthopper’s unique anatomy. 

“These insects include several economically important pest species, including the brown planthopper, which is one of the most serious pests on rice in the developing world,” said Dr. Beth Mortimer, a co-author of the study. “Understanding how these insects signal to each other may help in disrupting their communication channels or detecting their calls. Silent to the ear, the planthoppers have come up with their own novel way to communicate with potential mates.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer 

Image Credit: L.-R. Davranoglou

Planthoppers vibrate plants with a “snapping” organ as a mating call

Planthoppers, so named for their quick “hop” reflex that allows...

The Western Ghats mountain range in Southern India is one of the most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-dictates-biodiversity-hotspots/">biodiverse regions </a>on Earth, and yet the area has remained largely unexplored. 

Researchers led by S.P. Vijayakumar, a postdoctoral scientist at <a href="https://www.gwu.edu/">George Washington University,</a> and Kartik Shanker, an associate professor at the <a href="https://www.iisc.ac.in/">Indian Institute of Science</a>, conducted a large scale survey of amphibians and reptiles across the Western Ghats.

The researchers set out on nocturnal expeditions to better understand the biomass and diversity of frogs and reptiles in the region. 

These expeditions led to the discovery of a small frog that has a vivid orange belly and white spots around its face.

Because the species of the frog was unknown, the researchers sequenced the frog’s DNA to help identify where it belonged in relation to other groups of amphibians. 

“We used molecular sequence data to estimate the historical relationships of this ancient lineage, along with 3-dimensional micro-CT scans of the skeleton,” said R. Alexander Pyron, a co-author of the study. “This gives us crucial information about the historical evolutionary relationships of not only Western Ghats frogs, but also of the deeper structure of the Amphibian Tree of Life.”

[caption id="attachment_1869529" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/frog.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869529" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/frog.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" /></a> Astrobatrachus kurichiyana, also known as the Starry Dwarf Frog. Image Credit: S.P.Vijayakumar[/caption]

While the DNA sequencing results showed that the frog was related to two endemic subfamilies of frogs in the area. The frog was also genetically and morphologically different enough that the researchers discovered it was a new species belonging to a new subfamily.

The researchers gave it the name Astrobatrachus kurichiyana or Starry Dwarf Frog.

“The Western Ghats is a critical region that houses many ancient lineages and spectacular radiations,” said Dr. Vijayakumar. “This new frog is a window into the deep history of the landscape. Persistence of such evolutionarily old frogs in the southern parts of this mountain range is a potential signature of a historical climatic refugium in this Gondwanan fragment.”

The researchers detailed their findings in a new study published in the journal PeerJ. 

Future surveys will help determine how abundant the Starry Dwarf Frog is in the area and if conservation measures are needed to help protect the new species.

The study illustrates the rich biodiversity of the Ghats and emphasizes the importance of surveying and studying the region.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Main Image Credit: S.P.Vijayakumar

New frog species discovered in biodiversity hotspot in India

The Western Ghats mountain range in Southern India is one...

The fossilized teeth of a newly described but long-extinct species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-analysis-mysterious-monkey/">Old World monkey</a> found in Kenya are helping researchers fill in blanks of Old World monkey evolution and diet.  

Between the discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil monkey tooth found in Tanzania and a 19-million-year-old fossil tooth discovered in Uganda, researchers have been unable to find a fossil that helps link the two.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> and <a href="https://wustl.edu/">Washington University in St. Louis </a>decided to focus on a fossil-rich area in West Turkana that millions of years ago would have been home to thriving populations of Old Work monkeys in the hopes of filling the six-million-year void. 

“For a group as highly successful as the monkeys of Africa and Asia, it would seem that scientists would have already figured out their evolutionary history,” said John Kappelman, the corresponding author of the study. “Although the isolated tooth from Tanzania is important for documenting the earliest occurrence of monkeys, the next 6 million years of the group's existence are one big blank. This new monkey importantly reveals what happened during the group's later evolution.”

In West Turkana, the researchers found many fossils from reptiles and mammals dating from 21 million years to over 24-million-years-old. Among these fossils were primitive monkey teeth that lacked the molar crests or “lophs” that other Old World monkeys possess. 

The newly described species is called Alophia metios.

[caption id="attachment_1869526" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/fossil-jaw.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869526" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/fossil-jaw.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="530" /></a> A fossil jaw of the newly discovered ancient Old World monkey named Alophia. Image Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA[/caption]

The findings, published in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that monkeys later evolved lophs to fit a more varied diet. Today, Old World monkeys can eat plants and animal foods with ease. 

“You can think of the modern-day monkey molar as the uber food processor, able to slice, dice, mince and crush all sorts of foods,” said Mercedes Gutierrez, an anatomy professor at the <a href="https://twin-cities.umn.edu/">University of Minnesota</a>.

However, it is not well understood when Old World monkeys developed their highly useful and effective teeth. 

The researchers hypothesize that Old World monkeys evolved lophs when they started eating leaves, something the Alophia would have been unable to do. 

“It is usually assumed that the trait responsible for a group's success evolved when the group originated, but Alophia shows us this is not the case for Old World monkeys,” said Samuel Muteti, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.museums.or.ke/">National Museums of Kenya</a>. “Instead, the characteristic dentition of modern monkeys evolved long after the group first appeared.”

The researchers will continue hunting for fossils that will help confirm their hypothesis and shed more insight into the evolution of Old World monkeys. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA

Fossilized monkey teeth help fill six million year gap in evolution

The fossilized teeth of a newly described but long-extinct species...

<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.



—–



Like what you saw and read?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a>&nbsp;for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



—–



Check us out on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/author/eralls/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eric Ralls</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth.com</a>.



—–

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.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

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.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

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>



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

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.

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







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by <a href="https://www.earth.com/author/eralls/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eric Ralls</a> and Earth.com.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



-----

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.

<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://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>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

News coming your way