Dogs live with us, watch us, and often reflect our lives back at us. When routines shift, they shift. When stress builds, they sense it. 



Scientists wanted to know just how much these changes affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-puppy-day-2025-where-happiness-meets-responsibility/">dogs</a>, particularly during the upheaval of the pandemic. That curiosity led to one of the largest studies ever on canine behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-dog-behavior-and-health">Tracking dog behavior and health</h2>



Researchers at Virginia Tech and the <a href="https://www.washington.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a> studied over 47,000 dogs between 2020 and 2023. 



The work was conducted as part of the Dog Aging Project, a massive effort that tracks the lives and health of dogs across the United States.



"Most importantly, with these data, we're excited to now have a starting point from which we can continue to follow changes in the behaviors of tens of thousands of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-may-respond-to-each-other-through-blinking/">dogs</a> as they age, which will ultimately help us understand how behavior and health are linked," said Courtney Sexton, lead researcher from Virginia Tech.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-detecting-changes-in-dogs">Detecting changes in dogs</h2>



Behavior in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-suffer-from-the-january-blues-just-like-humans/">dogs</a> is more than personality. A sudden change can point to illness, pain, or stress. Small shifts in aggression, fear, or trainability can signal bigger problems. 



By establishing a baseline, researchers now have a way to spot meaningful changes across time. 



The team relied on a widely used survey known as C-BARQ, in which owners reported on 14 aspects of their dogs’ behavior - from aggression to trainability. 



Researchers then organized these traits into four broad categories: Fear, Attention and Excitability, Aggression, and Trainability. This framework allowed them to track and compare behavior patterns over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strength-of-the-data">Strength of the data</h2>



The dataset was huge. It included dogs from every region of the United States. Nearly half of the dogs were mixed breeds, while the rest were single breeds. Ages ranged from puppies to seniors.



"When you have a data set this big, you really do have power in numbers," Sexton explained. "While we can't understand all the factors, when we find statistical significance, there is likely something there worth thinking about in its real-world context."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dog-behavior-during-the-pandemic">Dog behavior during the pandemic </h2>



The original goal was clear. Researchers wanted to see how the pandemic shaped dog behavior. People spent more time at home. Many adopted new pets, and social interactions declined.



Routines changed overnight. Did <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-are-evolving-to-fit-the-modern-lives-of-humans/">dogs</a> change too? Scientists hoped to uncover whether these new conditions led to lasting behavioral shifts, from training challenges to changes in aggression or fear. They wanted to know if dogs adapted or struggled alongside humans.



The data showed that dogs remained surprisingly consistent from 2020 through 2023. "We saw that certain factors, such as a dog's life stage, sex, and size had some influence on their behavior," Sexton said.



"Interestingly, we found that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic time period, there were not substantial changes in dogs' overall behavioral profiles from year to year despite what we might have expected given the changes in environment and routines that many were experiencing at that time."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pandemic-puppy-struggles">Pandemic puppy struggles</h2>



One behavior did shift: trainability. Dogs enrolled in 2020 scored higher than those added in later years. Scores dropped in 2021, 2022, and 2023. 



Researchers think the dip reflects “pandemic puppy” struggles. New owners often lacked time or access to training. Dogs had fewer chances to socialize. Stress in households added to the mix.



By 2023, trainability scores started to climb back toward earlier levels. That rebound suggests that as people regained stable routines, dogs did too.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-gender-breed-and-size">The role of gender, breed, and size</h2>



The study also revealed differences tied to breed and body size. Mixed-breed dogs scored higher on fear, attention-seeking, and aggression than purebred dogs. Shelter backgrounds and early trauma may play a role.



Small dogs were more fearful, more aggressive, and less trainable than larger dogs. 



Puppies needed more attention, were less fearful and less aggressive, but also harder to train. Males were more aggressive and less trainable than females.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dogs-and-owners-bounced-back">Dogs and owners bounced back</h2>



Owners in 2020 reported more aggression than those in 2023. That drop may reflect less household stress and more opportunities for dogs to interact as restrictions lifted.



“What was interesting was that the difference in reported trainability between the first year and the last year was the smallest of any in the averages,” Sexton noted. 



“It’s a small statistical significance but could show that dogs, or their owners, are bouncing back.”



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



This is only the beginning. <a href="https://dogagingproject.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Dog Aging Project</a> will keep tracking these dogs as they grow older. Researchers want to see how location, health, and age shape behavior over time. 



The ultimate goal is to connect behavior with health so owners can better care for their pets.



Dogs adapted through the pandemic. They struggled in some ways, especially with training, but showed remarkable resilience. Their story mirrors ours. 



As life changed, dogs adjusted, and as routines returned, they found steadier ground. This study now offers the first large-scale baseline of canine behavior - a reference point that will guide both researchers and dog owners for years to come.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0330257" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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How the pandemic changed dog behavior over 3 years

Dogs live with us, watch us, and often reflect our lives back at us. When routines shift, they shift. When stress builds, they sense it. Scientists wanted to know just how much these changes affect dogs, particularly during the upheaval of the pandemic. That curiosity led to one of the largest studies ever on canine behavior. Tracking dog behavior and health Researchers at Virginia Tech and the University of Washington studied over 47,000 dogs between 2020 and 2023. The work was conducted as part of the Dog...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diverse-tropical-species-amazon/">Amazon</a> is a natural haven for countless species, all of which intermingle and exist within a complex ecosystem that supports them. With so many species living in close proximity, it’s not surprising that some flocks of birds actually mix together, with dozens of species within the same flock. 

Researchers have wondered for decades why these mixed-species flocks exist, and why they are so stable. Now, new research from biologists at <a href="http://www.sfsu.edu/">San Francisco State University</a> may have just found a reason why these birds make up such diverse flocks.

Previously, scientists have thought that these mixed flocks exist because some of the members have calls that alert those around them to the presence of predatory threats.

“People have thought for a while that maybe these ‘sentinels’ promote the ability of other species to use risky parts of the forest,” says lead author Ari Martinez, a postdoctoral researcher at SF State. 

These other species that normally might not have ventured in to these parts of the forest – any would likely form flocks of their own – all of a sudden become a part of a diverse flock with the “sentinel” birds.

The researchers tested this theory by capturing alarm-calling dusky-throated antshrikes (Thamnomanes ardesiacus) from eight different mixed-species flocks in the forests of southeastern Peru. They kept each bird in an aviary for several days. When these birds were removed from the flocks, the other birds responded to the change within hours. Birds in three of the flocks retreated into denser cover in the same vertical level of the forest. In another flock, the members joined new flocks high up in the canopy. Within the researchers’ control flocks – where they captured antshrikes but released them immediately – the other birds tended to stay out in the open.

“These flocks occupy a middle layer of the rainforest that's not quite the ground and not quite the canopy," says coauthor Eliseo Parra, a lecturer and researcher at SF State. “A lot of literature suggests that this area is more dangerous. There are more opportunities for a predator to be hidden and still have a quick flight path.” So when the antshrikes were removed, the other members of the flock were more exposed to danger, and reacted accordingly. 

The researchers also noticed that when the antshrikes were removed, the other members of the mixed-species flocks spent less time within the bulk of the flock. “Some species would retreat to one habitat, and some individuals to another,” says Parra. “From an anecdotal perspective, you no longer saw a flock.”

While alarm-calling birds are not technically keystone species, this research shows that they do have a significant effect on their environment. While this impact isn’t one that occurs physically to the environment, they are able to influence the behavior of a number of other species by creating a safe zone from predators. The authors believe this makes them a valuable target for conservation efforts, and have published their findings in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19399170">Ecology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Eliseo Parra

Amazonian neighborhood watch: birds lookout for mixed flocks

The Amazon is a natural haven for countless species, all...

Coyotes have expanded across North America, but when they migrated and where they came from has been heavily debated. Using museum specimens and fossil records, a team of experts has now produced an unprecedented range history of coyotes.

At a time when most other mammal species have been declining, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eastern-coyotes-wolves/">coyote</a> populations have exploded across much of North America since 1900. This expansion has been well-documented at a local and state level, but a thorough investigation was needed to get a continent-wide view of coyote distribution.

Study co-author Dr. Roland Kays is the head of the Biodiversity Lab at the <a href="http://naturalsciences.org/">North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences</a>.

“We began by mapping the original range of coyotes using archeological and fossil records," said Dr. Kays. “We then plotted their range expansion across North America from 1900 to 2016 using museum specimens, peer-reviewed reports, and game department records.” 

The team reviewed more than 12,500 records covering the past 10,000 years.

The investigation revealed that coyotes historically occupied a larger area of North America than what was previously realized. Fossils from the western region of the continent provided evidence that their geographic range was much broader for hundreds to thousands of years.

Around 1920, coyotes began their expansion across North America, which was likely due to the spread of farming, forest fragmentation, and hybridization with other species. 


Dr. Kays noted that coyotes are also expanding their range in Central America after crossing the Panama Canal in 2010. Coyotes have recently been spotted approaching the Darien Gap, a heavily forested region separating North and South America, suggesting that they will soon be more than just a North American species.

“The expansion of coyotes across the American continent offers an incredible experiment for assessing ecological questions about their roles as predators, and evolutionary questions related to their hybridization with dogs and wolves,” said study lead author James Hody.

“By collecting and mapping these museum data we were able to correct old misconceptions of their original range, and more precisely map and date their recent expansions.”

“We hope these maps will provide useful context for future research into the ecology and evolution of this incredibly adaptive carnivore."

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

Why coyote populations have exploded across North America

Coyotes have expanded across North America, but when they migrated...

Researchers at the <a href="http://english.kiz.cas.cn/">Kunming Institute of Zoology</a> have identified five species of the Chinese giant salamander, and there is evidence to suggest that there could be more species not yet discovered. A second study has revealed that all Chinese giant salamanders are expected to disappear, and some of the five newly identified species may already be extinct in the wild.

“We were not surprised to discover more than one species, as an earlier study suggested, but the extent of diversity -perhaps up to eight species - uncovered by the analyses sat us back in our chairs,” said study co-author Jing Che. “This was not expected.”

The Chinese giant salamander is the largest amphibian in the world, weighing more than 140 pounds. The endangered creatures are protected by law in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/economic-benefits-climate-china/">China</a>, where they are considered a luxury food, and only the consumption of those bred in captivity is legal. However, farming cannot keep up with the demand, and poaching has become a major threat.

The researchers explained that farming giant salamanders and releasing them back into the wild without any regard for their genetic differences is putting the salamanders at an even greater risk. 

“The overexploitation of these incredible animals for human consumption has had a catastrophic effect on their numbers in the wild over an amazingly short time span,” said co-author Samuel Turvey. “Unless coordinated conservation measures are put in place as a matter of urgency, the future of the world's largest amphibian is in serious jeopardy.”

Che explained that salamander farms have sought to “maximize variation” by exchanging salamanders across long distances. As a result, distinct species have been mixed and wild populations may be at risk of becoming locally maladapted.

The experts found genetic evidence that giant salamanders living in different river systems gradually evolved into five distinct species. 

The second study revealed that populations of the giant salamanders, which were once widespread, have critically declined across all observed areas of their range. The researchers were unable to predict the survival of wild salamanders at any survey site.

“Conservation strategies for the Chinese giant salamander require urgent updating,” said Che. She said it is especially critical to reconsider the design of reserves to protect the salamanders.

“Together with addressing wider pressures such as poaching for commercial farms and habitat loss, it's essential that suitable safeguards are put in place to protect the unique genetic lineage of these amazing animals,” said study co-author Fang Yan.

The research is published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/about">Cell Press</a> in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Image Credit: Robert Murphy

Chinese giant salamanders are 5 different endangered species

Researchers at the Kunming Institute of Zoology have identified five...

Wasps sure know how to ruin a picnic. You’re sitting on top a grassy hill with the family, just laid out your red checkered blanket and opened up your wicker picnic basket, and all of a sudden you hear that dreaded sound – a buzzing that zooms past your ear and is headed right for your basket. Soon enough, that one buzz will be joined by many others, as an entire group of wasps crowds around the food you brought for your family. 

How do these fear-inducing insects know the minute you’ve laid out your picnic? It seems that scientists may have just found the answer.

Dr. Taylor, an assistant professor at <a href="https://www.laguardia.edu/home/Default.aspx">LaGuardia Community College</a> in New York, has found that wasps bang their stomachs to alert other wasps when there is food nearby. They can even use different types of drumming to inform their friends of the quality of food they’ve found.

“The behavior I studied is called gastral drumming,” explains Taylor. “When they produce this behavior they drum their gaster – which is essentially their abdomen. For nearly five decades, researchers thought it was a signal of hunger. What my team found was that they are somehow informing each other that there's good food nearby.”

Taylor studied a species of wasp known as the German yellowjacket. It’s a species well known to ruin picnics. In his research, he discovered that the worker wasps produce a variety of rhythmic sounds by tapping their gasters against different parts of the nest. He thinks this has the potential to be a sign of advanced social communication in the insect world.

“This is incredibly exciting,” Taylor says. “In the social insect world, we call this behavior ‘recruitment.’ For many years, many people believed wasps do not produce such a behavior. Our research showed they do.”

Although most of us would agree that we would have no problem if we never saw another <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parasite-wasp-hosts-head/">wasp</a> again, Taylor stresses that these insects are vital to fully functioning ecosystems. They usually sting us because they are attempting to defend themselves or their colony, and unless you’re allergic, it’s hardly life-threatening. Just know that next time you see a nearby wasp banging its stomach on its nest… hide your food.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wasps communicate to each other when there’s food nearby

Wasps sure know how to ruin a picnic. You’re sitting...

It may sound suspicious, but a new study has revealed that dogs actually benefit from being born during the springtime.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> and the <a href="https://www.ofa.org/">Orthopedic Foundation for Animals </a>conducted a study to examine whether the birth month of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/puppy-cuteness-peaks/">canines</a> has anything to do with its health or well-being.

According to the researchers, canine hearts can serve as excellent models for the human heart, and understanding risk factors impacting cardiovascular health for both humans and dogs can help scientists pinpoint the underlying mechanisms at work. 

The results were published in the journal Scientific Reports and show that pups born during the spring have a decreased risk of heart disease, much like wolves who only give birth during the spring. 

For the study, the researchers collected information on 130,000 dogs split into 253 different breeds from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. 

The researchers recorded information like the date of birth, fur color, and sex and compiled a detailed dataset of dogs and corresponding cardiovascular issues. 

An algorithm was applied to the data and the researchers found that dogs born in April and May had the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Puppies born in July and August had the highest risk of heart problems and were 44 percent more likely to suffer from heart disease than those born in spring. 

One of the reasons for this disparity may be early exposure to air pollution depending on the time of year. 

Birth month associations have also been documented in humans as studies have found that people born in the Northern Hemisphere during January or April have the highest risk of coronary heart disease due to exposure to sunlight, pollution, or the flu virus. 

Early exposure to air pollution appears to be a leading factor in cardiovascular disease risk, and the results of this latest canine study could aid in future research on how birth month can impact health.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The time of year a dog is born can impact their future health

It may sound suspicious, but a new study has revealed...

A new study from researchers at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> has found that many European mammals who are facing habitat degradation as a result of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seasonal-allergies-climate-change/">climate change</a> will not be able to relocate. Of the 62 mammal species analyzed in the investigation, 30 species do not have the potential to adapt in a new region of the country.

The species which are at risk include some that are classified as “vulnerable,” such as the wolverine. Other groups identified in the study are not yet classified as threatened, including the Eurasian elk, the Iberian wild goat, and the Pyrenean chamois.

The researchers explained that many species are at a greater risk than their conservation status indicates due to the fact that most current evaluations do not account for a species’ ability to respond to climate change.

“Some species that will need to move long distances due to climate change are simply not going to be able to,” said study senior author Dr. Regan Early. “Unfortunately, many of the species most at risk from climate change are also those that will have the most difficulty in colonizing new areas.”

The experts looked at two particular sets of characteristics to analyze how well each species could relocate to areas where climate conditions will be suitable in the future. 

First, they evaluated whether the animals are “generalists,” which means they can live in a range of habitats and eat a wide variety foods. The researchers also examined the animal’s reproductive strategy, taking into consideration that animals who breed at a younger age have more offspring and a better chance of establishing themselves in a new location.

Unfortunately, even those species that could relocate may struggle because their potential new habitats are too far away. 

For example, the Western Mediterranean mouse found in Portugal and Spain would have a much more suitable habitat in eastern Italy under predicted climate change. According to Dr. Early, however, it is difficult to see how the species could make this move.

“If you look at the challenges of shifting ranges, you find that many species are a lot more threatened by climate change than we previously understood,” said study lead author Lisbeth Morrison. “Even under lower estimates of climate change, we found really serious effects for many species.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/loi/14724642">Diversity and Distributions</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Species threatened by climate change may not be able to relocate

A new study from researchers at the University of Exeter...

Media contorts our view of the world. Sometimes the distortion caused by a certain story can emphasize a point and bring into focus a truth rarely seen.  Other times, the media can seriously twist the truth, creating irrational fear, distrust, or hate. How the media shapes our worldview can be evident in portrayal of male vs. female gender roles, race and ethnicity.  It’s hard to watch a movie like the 2013 cannibal horror film, Green Inferno without seeing how unfair some representations are.  The film villainizes a South American tribe’s people to the point of dehumanization. But in addition to affecting how we see other people, media also plays an important role in how we view the natural world. 

The problem of media’s role in seeing wildlife and the environment is as old as storytelling.  It’s easy to ignore the underlying messages in stories like Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Little Red Riding Hood only because we don’t often encounter bears or wolves in our day to day lives.  Upon consideration, many fairy tales take dim views of undisturbed landscapes and wild creatures.  Hansel and Gretel is another example, the forest being a fearful, dangerous place where cannibal witches live.  I think as a whole we’ve become more thoughtful of newer stories told to children, but the portrayal of animals and ‘wild’ places as evil lingers in film.  

The classic of animal horror films is the 1975 Steven Spielberg movie, Jaws.  The tragedy of Jaws is multifaceted; it’s a minimalist psychological horror film that seems to have just enough realism to make it believable.  Many consider Jaws one of the greatest movies ever made; based on a novel, it’s often erroneously thought to be based on factual events.  According to the Florida Field Museum’s International Shark Attack File, there were only 88 cases of unprovoked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sharks-smarter-music-food/">shark</a> attacks on humans in 2017 worldwide.  There were also 38 provoked shark attacks on humans. Of the attacks, 53 were in the United States but there were no fatalities in the US, there were only five unprovoked fatal attacks globally.  It’s not that Jaws was wrong in showing shark attacks, it’s that given billions of people in the ocean each year, 88 attacks is an incredibly small number.  Jaws insinuates that sharks are scarier, more dangerous than they are, making them into monstrous caricatures of themselves. <a href="https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/">National Geographic</a> points out that annually, that 100 million sharks are killed by humans, and such statistics beg the question of who is monstrous.  

Newer films like 2011, The Grey, starring Liam Neeson portray controversial and endangered wolves as uncharacteristically diabolical killing machines.  The hero works in Alaska for an oil company protecting workers from wild animals. When he and others are in a plane wreck, they must fight to survive against a malicious pack of giant wolves.  One by one the characters are killed off, leaving only Neeson standing for a last fight with the wolves.

In a 2012 piece for <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us">Psychology Today</a>, Marc Bekoff reports that only two wolf attacks on humans have been recorded in North America in recent years. In his classic book Of Wolves and Men, Barry Lopez notes that the story is more complex through history.  There are strong oral traditions of wolf attacks that shouldn’t be altogether discredited but nothing comes close to the gross exaggeration of The Grey.  Today wolf attacks on humans are rare enough to be almost non-existent and wolves have never engendered the evil shown in film.        

Showing the literalism of the film is the fact that the crew on set actually ate wolf stew during production.  The timing of The Grey was also especially poor for wolves and their advocates.  In 2011, wolves were delisted as endangered species, pushed mainly by legislators seeking re-election in western states.  Science didn’t support delisting wolves, and it’s easy to see how films like The Grey can fuel more wolf hating and then newly legalized wolf slaughter.  

There are plenty of more examples of animal demonization in popular films like the 1997 movie, Anaconda, classics like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds and the absurd like Sharknado and Three Headed Shark Attack.  Some movies are better than others, The Ghost and the Darkness does villainize lions but it’s also somewhat based on first-hand accounts of extremely rare incidents.  The important thing is how do fictional portrayal of animals affect human thought and more importantly, action towards non-humans.  

In an article in the scientific journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">Plos One</a>, Stephen R. Ross et. al, wrote that humans viewing photos of Chimpanzees standing near a human are 35.5% less likely to think of the Great Ape as endangered compared to people viewing photos of Chimpanzees standing alone.  This is important because it highlights how even wild animals used as heroes in film can have real world negative implications (perhaps 1951’s Bedtime for Bonzo or the use of a Gorilla in George of the Jungle).  

A personal discovery of mine highlights how one film can capture the imagination in bizarre ways more than the reality.  When I was preparing to visit Madagascar, I was stunned to see most people’s reactions. The shadow of Madagascar the 2005 DreamWorks Animation cartoon loomed large over views of one of the world’s most fascinating islands.  I remember one person singing, “I like to move it move it” when I told him I was going to Madagascar as I was getting photos for my visa application.  In the original cartoon, Madagascar itself being nothing more than a prop, is portrayed as stunningly wild and filled with anthropogenic (and yes, dancing) lemurs.  <a href="https://www.livescience.com/">Live Science</a> reported in July 2012 that 91% of 103 known lemur species are threatened, making them the world’s most endangered mammal.  All of the world’s lemurs are endemic to Madagascar. About 80% of Madagascar’s original forest has been destroyed. 

Besides the inaccuracies in fictional film, documentaries have equally shared blame in misconceptions.  Disney’s Academy Award winning 1958 documentary White Wilderness supposedly showed lemmings naturally swimming out to sea where they die en masse.  The only problem is this isn’t natural lemming behavior. The film was actually shot in Alberta, Canada where lemmings don’t naturally live, so they were imported.  Lemmings were put on turntables and herded off a cliff into a river that was shown as a sea in the film. A handful of lemmings was skillfully made to appear as hundreds of suicidal rodents on screen and thus a mythic creature was born in the American imagination.

Since White Wilderness, Disney films have become a staple of American childhood and newer documentaries have their own flaws.  In an April 2014 piece for the <a href="https://nypost.com/">New York Post</a>, Kyle Smith points out that Disney’s Bears is more anthropomorphism than fact.

A more omnipresent facet of American culture than Disney documentaries are Disney cartoons, in this category, Bambi is a classic familiar to most.  Few think of Bambi as controversial, but it stirred up plenty of resentment among sportsmen at its release.  After watching a preview of Bambi, Raymond J. Brown, then editor of Outdoor Life, a sporting magazine, sent Walt Disney a telegram.  Among other points, Brown said that it was illegal to hunt deer in the spring as shown in the film, underscoring Bambi’s supposed dependence on his mother when she was killed.  In 1943, the year after Bambi was released, Aldo Leopold pushed for a season on antlerless deer to reduce an overpopulated herd in Wisconsin.  Opposition to Leopold’s proposal killed it and some have suggested that Bambi played an influential role.

It’s nearly impossible to view nature without the influence of media, as we are language based animals and it influences our thoughts and actions at the deepest levels.  It is possible to filter the media you consume and temper it with firsthand experience. I know of Madagascar as I myself saw it despite watching the cartoon previously. I understand that Bambi is a caricature of reality and I watch documentary films cautiously, understanding that they are also a product of the entertainment business.  If you want to understand the world, put down the remote and step outside. 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Media Monsters: When movies cast animals as villains

Media contorts our view of the world. Sometimes the distortion...

Every year, an estimated 750,000 people die from mosquito-transmitted diseases, these include malaria, dengue fever, and West Nile. 

A <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/swatting-mosquitoes-avoid-scent/">mosquito bite</a> can actually exacerbate some of these diseases, as research has shown infections from bites are more severe than those injected into mice with a needle. 

While these diseases themselves are heavily studied, the effects of mosquito bites and saliva, particularly in the absence of pathogens, on the human immune system is not well understood. 

This is because studies involving mosquito proteins found in saliva during the time of feeding were conducted with mice and therefore not an accurate model for explaining the effects on humans. 

Now, a new study also using mice engrafted with human stem cells sheds insight into the human immune response to proteins in mosquito saliva. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/">Baylor College of Medicine</a> in Houston Texas and published in the journal<a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006439"> PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. </a> 

Mosquito saliva contains a complex mixture of proteins which allows the mosquito to feed on a host. The saliva can inhibit coagulation of the blood to make it easier for the mosquito to get an adequate blood meal. 

This mixture of proteins in the saliva is also what causes the annoying itch sensation after a mosquito bite because the body is responding to the saliva, or foreign substance, that was recently left by the insect. 

In order to better understand how the proteins in mosquito saliva affect the immune system, the researchers engrafted human hematopoietic stem cells into mice which gave the mice components of a human immune system. 

The researchers then recorded any changes in the new immune cells after each mouse in the study was bitten by four mosquitoes that were not infected with any pathogen. 

There was a much larger amount of immune response to the bites than previous studies showed. The researchers found altered TH1 And TH2 T helper cells and an increase in levels of cytokines. 

The results also showed increases in several different cells through various points during the immune responses and most notably these immune responses were detectable for up to seven days after the bite. 

The study shows just how much our immune system is affected by the protein in mosquito saliva, even without pathogens and could help with reducing the number of people who suffer from  mosquito-transmitted diseases 

“Understanding how mosquito saliva interacts with the human immune system not only helps us understand mechanisms of disease pathogenesis but also could provide possibilities for treatments,” said the researchers. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mosquito saliva causes immune responses that last for days

Every year, an estimated 750,000 people die from mosquito-transmitted diseases,...

The effects of global warming are projected to influence climate across the entirety of our planet, changing ecosystems and weather patterns along the way. These changes put many plant and animal species in jeopardy, as they need to adapt more quickly to a less hospitable environment. Now, a new study published in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> has found that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would save the vast majority of the planet’s animal and plant species from climate change.

While past research has focused on quantifying the benefits of limiting warming to 2°C above pre-industrial times, they have not explored how this affects insects. This new research from the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> (UEA) is the first to explore how limiting warming to 1.5°C would benefit species globally.

Researchers from UEA and <a href="https://www.jcu.edu.au/">James Cook University</a> in Australia assessed roughly 115,000 species – including 31,000 insects, 8,000 birds, 1,700 mammals, 1,800 reptiles, 1,000 amphibians, and 71,000 plants. Not surprisingly, this is the largest scale study of its kind. 

The research team was looking at how different projected climate futures affected areas, making them climatically unsuitable for the plants and animals that live there. “We measured the risks to biodiversity by counting the number of species projected to lose more than half their geographic range due to climate change,” explains Rachel Warren, a professor at UEA and lead researcher on the study. “We found that achieving the ultimate goal of the Paris Agreement, to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, would reap enormous benefits for biodiversity – much more so than limiting warming to 2°C.”

Their results showed that insects were especially sensitive to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-fish-north-fishing-business/">climate change</a>. Of the 31,000 insects studied, 18 percent were projected to lose over half their range at a 2°C increase. But at a 1.5°C increase, the number was reduced to 6 percent. 

“The current global warming trajectory, if countries meet their international pledges to reduce CO2, is around 3°C,” says Warren. “In this case, almost 50 percent of insects would lose half their range. This is really important because insects are vital to ecosystems and for humans. They pollinate crops and flowers, they provide food for higher-level organisms, they break down detritus, they maintain a balance in ecosystems by eating the leaves of plants, and they help recycle nutrients in the soil.”

Even more concerning, the researchers found that the three biggest groups of pollinating insects were the most sensitive to warming. 

In their study, the researchers also assessed the ability of species to relocate to more habitable locations as the climate changes. “If warming is limited to 1.5°C by 2100 then more species can keep up or even gain in range, whereas if warming reached 2°C by 2100 many species cannot keep up and far more species lose large parts of their range,” Warren says.

Although just half-a-degree Celsius may not seem like much, this study shows that there are major consequences that lie between 1.5 and 2°C. If we aren’t able to cut back on the contributing factors to man-made climate change, we might be finding out what those consequences are for ourselves.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Stopping global warming at 1.5°C can save a vast number of species

The effects of global warming are projected to influence climate...

Average global temperatures are increasing as climate change continues to be a major crisis for our planet. A recent report published in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, from Rachel Warren at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> in the United Kingdom, found that if global temperature increase cannot be limited to 1.5°C, and rises to 2°C, it just about doubles the risks associated with warming for plants, animals, and insects. 

Now, in a reaction to that report, Guy Midgley – a world-leading expert on global change and impact on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hydropower-benefits-biodiversity-costs/">biodiversity</a> – has published an insight article in Science detailing the effect this temperature change would have on biodiversity.

“Warming by more than two degrees will take the world into a temperature state that it hasn’t seen for several millions of years,” says Midgley, a professor in the Department of Botany and Zoology at <a href="about:blank">Stellenbosch University</a>, South Africa. 

Based on current pledges by countries for limiting climate change, scientists predict a corresponding warming of roughly 3.2°C. If this were to occur, it’s estimated that the geographic ranges will be lost for 47% of insect species, 26% of vertebrates, and 16% of plant species.

Midgley believes that higher levels of warming may lead to systemic ecological simplification, where many “climate losers” are replaced by far fewer “climate winners.” A simplified ecological landscape could impact ecosystem services such as water quality, soil conservation and flood prevention. If insect populations were to decrease, it would likely mean fewer pollinators – which would be a major loss for plant species and human food production.

“We need to stay as close to 1.5°C as possible. That is really the conclusion from the Warren et al paper,” Midgley says. “So here is the irony. In order to achieve the 1.5°C target, we may well damage many of the habitats that support biodiversity in order to achieve a target that will save biodiversity.” What this means is that, even if governments and industry can limit warming to 1.5°C, recent research shows that large tracts of land would need to be made available for capturing and storing carbon. Expanding land use for carbon storage would likely threaten the habitats that occupy this land.

“There is way too much debate about the issue of climate change and whether or not it is real,” laments Midgley. “What we really need to be doing is debating how we solve this problem…  if we fail to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we could literally move the world back 20 to 30 million years in the space of a century.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Warming climate threatens vast swathes of biodiversity

Average global temperatures are increasing as climate change continues to...

A new population of genetically distinct blue whales was discovered in the South Taranaki Bight (STB) between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. 

Researchers have been monitoring the area as its a region with a great deal of human activity from gas and oil extraction operations. Recently, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/january-hottest-new-zealand/">New Zealand</a> government issued a permit for seafloor mining in the area. 

Blue whales are the largest mammals on Earth and are currently endangered. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://mmi.oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute </a>shows that the area is home to a considerable population of blue whales and that these are genetically different from other populations. 

The results were published in the journal Endangered Species Research. 

Previously researchers discovered an unusual site of nine blue whales on a seismic survey expedition in the STB in 2011. 

Leigh Torres, a principal investigator from the Marine Mammal Institute, followed up on this discovery and reviewed whaling records that stated the area was a “minor hotspot” for blue whale activity. 

The STB area is attractive to the whales because of the populations of certain krill species that the whales like to eat, according to Torres. 

Torres continued her work and led a ten-day research expedition in 2014 despite pushback from resource managers, scientists, and industry leaders. During the expedition, the researchers found 50 blue whales in the area and wondered whether they were part of a migratory population or a genetically distinct population. 

The researchers returned to the area in 2016 and 2017 in order to establish how many whales were present in the region, the whales' distribution patterns, and if they were genetically distinct. 

Biopsy darts were used to determine the whales’ genetics and the researchers positioned underwater microphones, or hydrophones, throughout the area to pick up and record whale calls. 

The whales were recorded in the STB region nearly 100 percent of the 2016 year. 

“We had five hydrophones deployed for two years in the STB and we never heard any Australian blue whale calls - just the local New Zealand population,” said Torres, a co-author of the recent study. “When we conducted biopsies of individual whales, we also discovered that they are genetically distinct from other blue whale populations.”

All in all the researchers identified 151 New Zealand blue whales between 2004 and 2017 and after analyzing the genetic data, it was confirmed that the whales were not part of another migratory population. 

Because of the high amount of human activity in the STB, the study and the researchers’ work is of vital importance in ensuring the protection and conservation of the New Zealand blue whales. 

The team is working with resource managers in New Zealand and will soon discuss their findings with government leaders and industry representatives to find ways to mitigate the threat of population loss from human activity. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Todd Chandler

New population of blue whales discovered near New Zealand

A new population of genetically distinct blue whales was discovered...

Lizards known as green-blooded skinks manage to remain healthy despite having levels of bile that are 40 times higher than the lethal concentration in humans.

Prasinohaema virens is a species of lizards in New Guinea that has high levels of a toxic green bile pigment called biliverdin, which makes the muscles, bones, and even the blood of these creatures appear bright, lime green. 

Study lead author Zachary Rodriguez is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences at <a href="http://www.lsu.edu/">Louisiana State University</a>.

“In addition to having the highest concentration of biliverdin recorded for any animal, these lizards have somehow evolved a resistance to bile pigment toxicity,” said Rodriguez. 

“Understanding the underlying physiological changes that have allowed these lizards to remain jaundice-free may translate to non-traditional approaches to specific health problems.”

The researchers investigated the evolutionary history of green blood, which can be found in several groups of New Guinea lizards. 

Working in the lab of Professor Chris Austin, the team examined 51 species of skinks. The experts found six species that had green blood, and discovered two species which were previously unknown. 

“The green-blooded skinks of New Guinea are fascinating to me as a parasitologist because a similar liver product, bilirubin, is known to be toxic to human malaria parasites,” said study co-author Susan Perkins. 

“Ongoing work with the Austin lab examines the potential effect of the green blood pigment on malaria and other parasites that infect these lizards.”

DNA analysis revealed four separate lineages of green-blooded lizards, and each of these lines evolved independently from a red-blooded ancestor.

“We were excited by the complex history of these animals and surprised by the breadth of green-blooded lineages across lizards,” said Rodriguez. The fact that green blood emerged repeatedly suggests that it has been naturally selected for some type of benefit.

Previous research has demonstrated that bile pigment can act as an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grape-waste-wine-antioxidants/">antioxidant</a>, terminating free radicals. Bile pigment is also linked to disease prevention during in vitro fertilization. As of now, however, the function of bile pigment in green-blooded lizards remains a mystery.

“Our next goal is to identify the genes responsible for green blood,” said Rodriguez.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Chris Austin, LSU

Why some lizards have toxic lime-green blood

Lizards known as green-blooded skinks manage to remain healthy despite...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4eLFNYrKE
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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