The sight of a whale shark, the largest fish alive today, leaves most people humbled. Its slow, graceful movements and gentle nature often make them symbols of the ocean’s mystery. Yet behind this serene image lies a struggle for survival.



Populations have fallen sharply, and their biology makes recovery slow. The findings of a new study from Indonesian waters not only reveal the scale of human impacts but also highlight why protecting whale sharks is vital for ocean health.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-whale-shark-decline-accelerates">Whale shark decline accelerates</h2>



Over the last 75 years, global whale shark numbers have dropped by more than half. In the Indo-Pacific, declines are even steeper. 



Hunting, habitat disruption, and entanglements push whale sharks closer to extinction. Because they take up to 30 years to mature, populations rebound very slowly. 



Large-bodied species like whale sharks face unique risks in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/silent-invasion-how-microplastics-are-disrupting-land-ecosystems/">ecosystems</a> since they grow slowly, reproduce late, and invest heavily in fewer offspring. 



The researchers noted that the disappearance of such giants can ripple through marine systems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-injuries-trace-back-to-people">Injuries trace back to people</h2>



In the Bird’s Head Seascape of West Papua, the research team found 62 percent of whale sharks bore scars or wounds, mostly from human actions.



“We found that scars and injuries were mainly from anthropogenic causes, such as collisions with ‘bagans’ - traditional fishing platforms with lift nets - and whale shark-watching tour boats,” said Dr. Edy Setyawan of the <a href="https://www.elasmobranchinstitute.id" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elasmobranch Institute Indonesia</a>.



“Relatively harmless minor abrasions were the most common. Serious injuries from natural causes such as predator attacks, or from boat propellers were much less common."



Patterns in ecology show that when human activities concentrate near feeding or breeding grounds, injury rates increase significantly. 



According to the study, direct human pressures such as vessel strikes and fishing gear interactions remain among the greatest global threats to megafauna. Whale sharks are no exception.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-following-the-gentle-giants">Following the gentle giants</h2>



Between 2010 and 2023, the scientists tracked whale sharks across Cenderawasih Bay, Kaimana, Raja Ampat, and Fakfak. This biodiversity hotspot hosts 26 marine protected areas. Using the distinctive spot patterns of each shark, the researchers identified 268 individuals.



Nearly all sightings occurred near bagans, where whale sharks fed on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-warming-threatens-the-global-fish-supply/">baitfish</a> like anchovies and sprats. Most were juvenile males, four to five meters long. More than half were resighted, including one young male recorded 34 times over three years.



From an ecological lens, these observations support a classic theory: young individuals often use coastal waters rich in food, while adults migrate offshore into deeper, less accessible habitats.



Such ontogenetic shifts are common across marine megafauna and are essential for population survival.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-injuries-reshape-populations">Injuries reshape populations</h2>



Of 206 sharks with scars, over 80 percent carried human-caused injuries. Serious wounds, including lacerations and blunt trauma, were rare but concerning. More often, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/whale-sharks-move-into-dangerous-territory-as-the-climate-warms/">sharks</a> bore superficial abrasions from rubbing against fishing gear and boats.



Studies across marine ecology emphasize that while minor wounds may not kill, cumulative injuries reduce overall fitness.



Injured animals often change behavior, avoid key feeding zones, or expend more energy healing. Over time, this shapes population dynamics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-female-whale-sharks-live-in-deep-seas">Female whale sharks live in deep seas</h2>



A lingering question is the absence of females and older individuals, since previous studies show that adult whale sharks - especially females - prefer the deep ocean where they feed on prey like krill and schooling fish.



By contrast, younger males remain near shore in shallow, plankton-rich waters that help them grow quickly.



“Our own satellite tracking data also show that females and adults frequently use deep sea features such as canyons and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seamounts-are-gathering-hubs-for-ocean-predators/">seamounts</a>,” said study co-author Mochamad Iqbal Herwata Putra.



Ecological theory explains this pattern: sexual segregation often arises in large marine vertebrates, with males and females exploiting different ecological niches to reduce competition and improve survival chances. This strategy is a driver of population resilience across species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tourism-brings-dangers-to-whale-sharks">Tourism brings dangers to whale sharks</h2>



Staying near coasts, whale sharks offer strong potential for ecotourism. 



“Whale sharks in Cenderawasih Bay and Triton Bay (Kaimana) had high rates of residency and resighting, indicating that they should be viewed as valuable tourism assets for local communities and governments,” said Dr. Mark Erdmann of Rewild.



However, unmanaged <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-change-their-daily-schedules-when-tourists-are-watching/">wildlife tourism</a> can create a risky cycle: attraction leads to proximity, which heightens disturbance and injury risk.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-small-changes-big-impact">Small changes, big impact</h2>



The researchers recommend small but effective changes, such as modifying fishing platforms to remove sharp edges.



“We aim to work with the management authorities of the marine protected areas to develop regulations to require slight modifications to the bagans, including the removal of any sharp edges from boat outriggers and net frames," said Erdmann. "We believe those changes will greatly reduce scarring of whale sharks in the region."



Ecological models highlight that even minor adjustments in human practices can dramatically reduce stress on threatened populations. 



Protecting whale sharks is more than conserving one species. It safeguards a keystone component of marine food webs, maintains ecosystem balance, and secures benefits for communities who depend on healthy seas.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1607027/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.



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Whale sharks are literally scarred by human activity

The sight of a whale shark, the largest fish alive today, leaves most people humbled. Its slow, graceful movements and gentle nature often make them symbols of the ocean’s mystery. Yet behind this serene image lies a struggle for survival. Populations have fallen sharply, and their biology makes recovery slow. The findings of a new study from Indonesian waters not only reveal the scale of human impacts but also highlight why protecting whale sharks is vital for ocean health. Whale shark decline accelerates Over the last 75...

casa-prefabricada-alternativa-vivienda-tradicional-espana-menos-

One of the most smuggled mammals on Earth, the shy pangolin, just yielded a surprise: scientists say a hidden lineage living in the Indo Burma mountains split from the Chinese pangolin millions of years ago, meaning the genus may hold a ninth species.



Genetic clues trace that split to roughly 3.4 million years ago, according to a new analysis of 41 pangolin genomes led by researchers at the <a href="https://zsi.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zoological Survey of India</a>.



In <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/pangolin-scale-seizures-all-time-high-2019" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2019</a> authorities intercepted 128 tons of pangolin scales worldwide, a haul equal to thousands of animals and a record that underlined relentless demand. 



Officials warn that any unnamed lineage could slip through legal gaps if trade rules are not tightened.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-clues-under-pangolin-scales">Genetic clues under pangolin scales</h2>



“Genomic analyses reveal that it diverged from the Chinese pangolin around 3.4 million years ago, indicating a long independent evolutionary history,” explained <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mukesh-Thakur-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mukesh Thakur</a> of the Zoological Survey of India. 



His team relied on mitochondrial DNA from seizures and museum skins, a method ideal for pinpointing hidden branches in heavily <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-are-using-forensic-science-to-fight-wildlife-trafficking/">trafficked</a> groups.



Comparing the gene maps produced a 3.8 percent barcode gap, large enough under the phylogenetic species concept to justify the name Manis indoburmanica. 



Subtle cranial measurements and an olive brown scale tint added further weight, yet the authors concede that more skulls and full nuclear genomes are still needed to close the case.



A 2023 <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37748052" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> spotted another cryptic Asian pangolin line in Hong Kong seizures, showing how genetic sleuthing keeps rewriting the family tree. 



Together these papers suggest that Southeast Asia’s rugged frontiers fostered pangolin diversification that official lists have yet to catch.



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



Names steer money, laws, and fieldwork, so mislabeling can cost a species its final chance. Wildlife officers on the front line need a label they recognize before they can decide whether to release, prosecute, or rehabilitate an animal.



“The discovery is exciting, but the pressures of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pangolins-in-west-africa-are-hunted-for-meat-not-medicine/">illegal trade</a> mean the pangolin is effectively already endangered,” warned James Toone, pangolin campaign leader at the Environmental Investigation Agency (<a href="https://eia-international.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EIA</a>). 



He points out that if M. indoburmanica remains outside formal listings, traffickers could claim their cargo is a non listed taxon.



Taxonomists also debate whether an 1836 name, Manis aurita, should take precedence over the new one, illustrating how museum drawers and Latin grammar can influence enforcement on the ground. 



Until that debate ends, border inspectors may face yet another gray area in an already murky marketplace.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pangolins-and-global-trafficking">Pangolins and global trafficking</h2>



Last November Indonesian police seized 1.2 tons of pangolin scales, enough to strip nearly 5,900 animals and valued at about $1.3 million on the black market. 



The haul, like many before it, was headed for ports that funnel wildlife products into East Asia’s traditional medicine trade.



Conservation groups say Asian populations are now so depleted that smugglers have turned to African species, pushing all eight named pangolins toward either endangered or critically endangered status. 



With each seizure measured in tons rather than ounces, forensic labs increasingly rely on rapid genetic barcoding to tell Chinese, Sunda, Indian, and now Indo Burmese scales apart.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-missing-pieces-to-the-puzzle">Missing pieces to the puzzle</h2>



Skeletal measurements of ear to snout length, scale ridge counts, and body mass are still scarce for the Indo-Burmese pangolin. 



Researchers have launched field surveys in Arunachal Pradesh and northern Myanmar to find <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-pangolin-day-project-launched-to-save-the-elusive-mammal/">living animals</a> before logging and farms erase their habitat.



Nuclear DNA, which tracks both parents, is being sequenced to confirm whether there is any gene flow with neighboring Chinese or Indian pangolins. 



Those data will settle whether the lineage is ancient and isolated or simply a divergent regional population.



Finally, a historical literature review is under way to locate every early pangolin mention that might match the Indo Burmese form. Taxonomy moves slowly, but without this detective work lawmakers cannot draft airtight protections.



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



Advocates urge governments to fast track the new name into national wildlife acts and to submit a proposal for full <a href="https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2016-09/cites-unites-change-fate-pangolins" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CITES Appendix I</a> coverage at the next conference of parties. 



Expanding rural patrols along known trafficking routes through India’s Siliguri Corridor and Myanmar’s border towns could also plug immediate leaks.



Longer term, researchers hope to satellite tag any rescued individuals to map home ranges, breeding sites, and seasonal movements. 



Those maps would help local communities balance forest use with the needs of an elusive ant eater that prefers to live alone and under cover.



The Indo Burmese pangolin’s debut reminds us that even in 2025, large mammals can still hide in plain sight when politics, night habits, and the illegal wildlife trade collide. 



Whether the ninth pangolin gains its own place in the law, or vanishes before we finish the paperwork, now depends on how quickly science, policy, and policing meet on the same page.



The study is published in <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42991-024-00475-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mammalian Biology</a>.



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One of the most trafficked animals in the world might be two different species

One of the most smuggled mammals on Earth, the shy...

A set of fossil beds in central Türkiye is helping scientists reset the clocks on mammal evolution. Layers of volcanic ash mixed with bones have finally yielded precise ages, pinning the remains to between 7 million and 10 million years ago.



The ages come from argon-argon dating, a method that turns microscopic volcanic glass grains into miniature clocks and can measure time to a few hundred thousand years. 



Academy Research Fellow <a href="https://www.oulu.fi/en/researchers/ferhat-kaya" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ferhat Kaya</a> and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.oulu.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oulu</a> led the international team behind the effort.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-argon-argon-dating">Argon-argon dating</h2>



For decades the best anyone could say about Central Anatolia’s fossils was that they were “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/buronius-manfredschmidi-tiny-great-ape-species-lived-11-million-years-ago/">late miocene</a>.” Timelines depended on comparing the animals to relatives in distant European sites whose own ages were fuzzy.



Those comparisons created error bars of two to three million years, a headache when you are tracing gradual changes in teeth or limb bones. 



Kaya’s group solved the problem by drilling through sandstone to sample pumice and lapilli deposited by ancient eruptions.



Each shard of volcanic glass trapped argon when it cooled. Using argon-argon dating, measuring the ratio of isotopes reveals how much time has passed since then. 



The result is a set of five reference points that tighten the dating of dozens of fossil layers, according to the new study.



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



This rocky corridor sits between Africa, Asia, and Europe, so every change in climate or sea level created new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-reveals-multiple-waves-of-migration-into-ancient-americas/">migration routes</a>. 



Mammals that washed in from all three continents mingled here, leaving a unique record of faunal traffic.



Some of the most debated fossils belong to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-discovery-anadoluvius-turkae-suggests-humans-originated-in-europe-not-africa/">Ouranopithecus</a>, a large ape that some researchers place near the common ancestor of African apes and humans. 



Nailing down the age of these apes helps test whether they existed before, after, or alongside early hominines in Africa.



The updated timeline now brackets the Turkish <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10447513" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ouranopithecus</a> site between 7.5 million and 8.2 million years. 



That window overlaps with the 8.7 million year old Anadoluvius skull from nearby Çankırı, underscoring the region’s mix of hominine candidates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-volcanic-glass-and-argon-argon-dating">Volcanic glass and argon-argon dating</h2>



Standard fossil beds rarely contain datable minerals because sedimentary rocks lack volcanic crystals. Central Anatolia is different, thanks to the cappadocia volcanic province that rained ash over river plains for millions of years.



Those ashes yield potassium rich feldspar that can be irradiated and measured with argon‑argon dating, shaving uncertainty down to about 0.3 million years, the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/centers/gggsc/science/argon-geochronology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USGS</a> notes. 



By pairing the dated ashes above and below each bone layer, the team could bracket each fossil horizon like a sandwich.



“While radioisotopic methods are not new in determining the age of fossils, this represents a significant paradigm shift in dating volcanic sedimentary layers that contain mammal fossils,” said Kaya. 



In several cases, bones lay within two inches of datable tuff, providing nearly bulletproof ages. 



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



The argon-argon dated layers hold more than 2,600 cataloged specimens, from three toed horses to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saber-toothed-predators-evolved-the-perfect-fangs-for-hunting/">saber toothed cats</a>. 



Shifts in species composition hint at a slow swing from wetter woodlands around 9.5 million years ago to open grasslands by 7.4 million years.



That ecological turnover matches global cooling events <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03950-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recorded</a> in deep sea cores, tying local changes to planet wide climate swings. 



Local fossils follow that global script; the mix of browsers and grazers shifts just when ocean records mark the late Miocene cooling.



Each dated horizon therefore becomes both a biological census and a climate gauge. Together they trace how rising plateau elevations and dropping temperatures nudged mammals toward new diets, behaviors, and territories.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-primate-family-trees">Rethinking primate family trees</h2>



Pinning down an 8.7 million year age for Anadoluvius and similar dates for Ouranopithecus reopens the question of where hominines arose. 



A 2023 <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10447513" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> argued that the eastern Mediterranean apes could belong to the first radiation of the group that later gave rise to humans.



If Central Anatolia hosted early hominines while Africa was still home to their ancestors’ cousins, then migrations might have flowed southward, not northward. The new dating provides the temporal foothold to test that controversial scenario.



Kaya’s team expects to add hundreds of sites across the Central Anatolian Volcanic Province now that remote sensing guides them to ash filled gullies. Each new ash lens offers another clock to lock in the story of species moving and vanishing.



The same high precision approach can be applied wherever eruptions blanketed life, from the Andes to Java, rewriting evolutionary timelines one glass shard at a time.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2424428122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Fossils dating back 10 million years could redefine mammalian evolution

A set of fossil beds in central Türkiye is helping...

They appear in sudden waves, carpeting roads and crawling up walls, leaving silky tents in their wake. Then, just as abruptly, they vanish. Western tent caterpillars, with their striking orange-and-black bodies and hairy frames, are infamous during their peak outbreaks - and almost forgotten during their quiet years.



For Judith Myers, a professor in the Faculties of Science and Land and Food Systems at the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of British Columbia</a>, these insects have been a lifelong research focus.



Her recently published study draws on five decades of work, offering surprising insights into their behavior, population cycles - and their resilience to climate change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-unwelcome-natural-spectacle">An unwelcome natural spectacle</h2>



Western tent caterpillars live across British Columbia, with dense populations on Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. Their range stretches as far as Manitoba to the east and California to the south. They favor the leaves of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/red-alder-trees-can-nutrients/">red alder</a> and fruit trees.



Eggs hatch in April, and the young larvae gather inside silken shelters, or “tents,” which provide warmth and protection. 



By early June, they leave these tents in search of vertical surfaces where they can pupate. They cluster in large numbers on fences, walls, and buildings. While this display fascinates some, many find it revolting.



In high densities, the caterpillars can strip fruit trees bare. On Salt Spring Island in 2012, a severe outbreak was so disruptive it forced the cancellation of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/apple-orchards-face-compounding-threats-from-climate-change/">apple</a> festival. Some tourists to the Gulf Islands have even cut their trips short upon encountering the swarms. 



They are also inedible to most animals, and there has been one reported case of a horse becoming severely ill after consuming larvae.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-five-decades-with-caterpillars">Five decades with caterpillars</h2>



Myers has always been interested in what causes animal populations to rise and fall. She began her work in British Columbia in 1972 and soon encountered the caterpillars on Mandarte Island, where her husband was studying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/revealed-why-song-sparrows-are-larger-in-colder-climates/">song sparrows</a>. 



Weekends spent in the field deepened her curiosity, leading her to focus on how these insects’ numbers boom and crash over time.



Her early fascination turned into a long-running investigation into the natural forces that govern their cycles. One of the key factors, she and other researchers discovered, is a virus specific to the species which drives population declines in much the same way seen in other moths.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-from-tent-caterpillars">Lessons from tent caterpillars</h2>



Working with Dr. Jenny Cory from <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simon Fraser University</a>, Myers found that outbreaks occur simultaneously on islands and the mainland. The team was intrigued to learn that some female moths travel tens of miles to lay eggs in areas where the species had previously disappeared.



Perhaps most unexpected is the species’ lack of response to a changing climate. Over 50 years, scientists have not seen any effect of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-accelerating-beyond-control-as-co2-levels-rise/">global warming</a> on such insect populations. 



The caterpillars’ behavior offers a clue: they bask in sunlight during cooler weather and retreat under their tents during hot spells - a strategy that appears to shield them from temperature extremes.



This adaptability led Myers to reflect on whether humans might take a lesson from them. She wonders if our own global population growth is stripping the planet’s resources in much the same way caterpillars defoliate their host trees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cycles-of-caterpillar-swarms">Cycles of caterpillar swarms</h2>



The last significant outbreak came in 2023, particularly on Galiano Island and other Gulf Islands, as well as Westham Island in the Lower Mainland. 



By this year, the population had collapsed, with only one tent recorded in Myers’s Galiano study area. Such crashes are part of the natural cycle, with numbers expected to build slowly over six to eight years before peaking again.



The predictability of these cycles means outbreaks can be anticipated. Researchers often forecast them up to three years in advance, identifying early signs each April when small <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dragonfly-larvae-expose-climates-hidden-influence-on-biology/">larvae</a> and new tents appear in fruit trees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-outbreaks-in-check">Keeping outbreaks in check</h2>



While the sight of caterpillars covering fences and trees can be unsettling, Myers stresses that nature provides its own check. The same virus that drives their declines typically spreads as populations grow dense, eventually bringing outbreaks to an end.



In the meantime, fruit tree owners can take action early in the season. Removing egg masses in winter or tents in spring can reduce damage. Commercial growers often turn to BTK, a microbial insecticide that is most effective before caterpillars have done significant harm.



Western tent caterpillars may come and go in waves, but their story - shaped by mobility, adaptability, and natural controls - remains one of nature’s most intricate and enduring cycles.



The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.70104" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Animal Ecology</a>.



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Tent caterpillars swarm once a decade, then vanish overnight

They appear in sudden waves, carpeting roads and crawling up...

In the shallow waters along rocky shores, a small marine creature quietly grows teeth stronger than steel. These teeth don’t come from a machine shop or a high-temperature furnace. They form inside the mouth of a chiton - a mollusk that grazes on algae - and they’re replaced every few days.



A new international study has revealed the process behind this extraordinary feat. The work was led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, along with Japan’s Okayama and Toho universities.



The research not only explains how chiton teeth form but also opens the door to new ways of making advanced materials for everyday use.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-s-low-key-armor-tank">Nature’s low-key armor tank</h2>



Chiton are marine mollusks that are related to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-clams-grow-huge-without-eating-much-protein/">clams</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-snails-have-a-swimming-style-that-corresponds-with-their-shell/">snails</a>. They spend most of their lives clinging to rocks in the intertidal zone - the strip of shoreline that’s alternately covered and exposed as the tide shifts.



At first glance, a chiton might not look like much. Its body is protected by eight overlapping plates, like a tiny suit of armor, with a leathery girdle around the edges. This flexible shell lets the animal curl into a ball when pried from a surface, shielding its softer underside.



Chitons move slowly, grazing on thin layers of algae that grow on rocks. To do this, they use a radula - a ribbon-like tongue lined with rows of hard teeth. 



These teeth scrape against stone in a repetitive grinding motion that would quickly wear down most other materials. For a chiton, it’s just part of breakfast.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chiton-teeth-on-a-molecular-scale">Chiton teeth on a molecular scale</h2>



The team found that a chiton’s secret lies in specialized iron-binding proteins called RTMP1. These proteins travel into developing teeth through tiny channels known as microvilli. 



The timing and placement of these proteins are precisely controlled, ensuring each new tooth grows with an architecture that can withstand the creature’s constant scraping of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-algae-play-an-unexpected-role-in-cooling-the-earth/">algae</a> from rocks.



"Chiton teeth, which consist of both magnetite nanorods and organic material, are not only harder and stiffer than human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tooth-enamel-holds-a-record-of-human-health/">tooth enamel</a>, but also harder than high-carbon steels, stainless steel, and even zirconium oxide and aluminum oxide - advanced engineered ceramics made at high temperatures," said co-author David Kisailus, UC Irvine professor of materials science and engineering.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teeth-that-outperform-industrial-tools">Teeth that outperform industrial tools</h2>



"Chiton grow new teeth every few days that are superior to materials used in industrial cutting tools, grinding media, dental implants, surgical implants and protective coatings, yet they are made at room temperature and with nanoscale precision. We can learn a lot from these biological designs and processes," Kisailus explained.



There are more than 900 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-called-punk-and-emo-rewrite-the-story-of-mollusk-evolution/">chiton</a> species around the world. They live mostly in intertidal coastal regions, from places like Crystal Cove and Laguna Beach to the Northwest U.S. coastline and off Hokkaido, Japan. 



The researchers discovered that RTMP1 proteins are found in chitons from many different locations, hinting at a shared evolutionary solution for controlling iron oxide formation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-step-by-step-molecular-assembly">A step-by-step molecular assembly</h2>



When the project began, the scientists didn’t know exactly how or when these proteins reached the forming teeth. By combining advanced imaging and biological tools, they found the proteins start in surrounding tissues and move into the tooth through nanostructured tubules.



Inside, the proteins attach to a chitin scaffold - a fibrous material that shapes the magnetite nanorods. At the same time, iron stored in another protein, ferritin, is released into the tooth. 



This iron binds to the RTMP1 and crystallizes into highly aligned magnetite rods. The result is an ultrahard tooth built with remarkable precision.



Kisailus said the research not only deepens our understanding of how living things handle iron but also gives engineers fresh ideas for creating new materials.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-technology-and-sustainability">Lessons for technology and sustainability</h2>



"The fact that these organisms form new sets of teeth every few days not only enables us to study the mechanisms of precise, nanoscale mineral formation within the teeth, but also presents us with new opportunities toward the spatially and temporally controlled synthesis of other materials for a broad range of applications, such as batteries, fuel cell catalysts and semiconductors," said Kisailus. 



These applications include new approaches toward additive manufacturing - such as 3D printing - and synthesis methods that are far more environmentally friendly and sustainable, he noted



The project combined cutting-edge electron microscopy, X-ray analysis, and spectroscopy with genetic and molecular biology methods to map out the complete process of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-genes-influence-the-development-of-modern-teeth/">tooth formation</a>.



"By combining biological and materials science approaches through wonderful, global efforts, we've uncovered how one of the hardest and strongest biological materials on Earth is built from the ground up," concluded Professor Kisailus.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu0043">Science</a>.



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Nature's toughest teeth inspire next-generation materials

In the shallow waters along rocky shores, a small marine...

Florida homeowners have learned to keep watch for wood dust, yet the latest alert sounds different. Two separate termite invaders have started a family, and the offspring could march far beyond state lines.



Associate Professor <a href="https://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty/dr-thomas-chouvenc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thomas Chouvenc</a> of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (<a href="https://ifas.ufl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UFIFAS</a>) spent years noting odd courtship dances between Formosan and Asian subterranean termites. 



His new genetic survey confirms that those dances produced hybrids and that the young colonies are already sending winged scouts into the air.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hybrid-termites-enter-the-scene">Hybrid termites enter the scene</h2>



Both parents, Coptotermes formosanus and C. gestroi, rank among the world’s top structural pests, each with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-have-evolved-to-eat-ants-and-termites-12-different-times-since-the-dinosaurs/">colonies</a> topping two million workers and an annual United States repair bill near one billion dollars. Their hybrid offspring inherit twice the genetic playbook for gnawing through cellulose.



“We have confirmed the presence of hybrid swarms every year since 2021, including in April 2025,” says Chouvenc. 



The discovery rests on field collections from Fort Lauderdale, where every spring since 2021 researchers have captured swarms that do not match either parent species, then confirmed mixed DNA in the lab.



That persistence signals a stable population rather than a one off incident. The study labels the event introgressive <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/introgression" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hybridization</a>, a process that can speed evolution when separated lineages suddenly meet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-invaders-are-worse-than-one">Two invaders are worse than one</h2>



Each parent species forms sprawling underground galleries that let workers chew through a foot of two by four pine in roughly six months. Combining that appetite with larger hybrid brood sizes could overwhelm local control efforts.



Laboratory tests show that first generation hybrid queens can backcross with males from either original species, opening the door to second generation mixes that might pick up even more survival tricks. 



The team also notes that hybrid <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/alate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">alates</a> emerge at dusk when humid winds rise, a timing that maximizes dispersal and pairs easily with the yacht traffic common along Florida’s coast.



Chouvenc warns, “This may be a Florida story now, but it likely won’t stay just in Florida, give it time.” 



The warning carries weight because adult alates can ride prevailing winds twenty miles or stow away on wooden pallets, boats, and nursery stock bound for distant ports.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cost-of-hybrid-termites">The cost of hybrid termites</h2>



Formosan colonies alone have emptied homeowner wallets in New Orleans, where the pest costs an estimated three hundred million dollars a year in damage and treatment. The hybrids threaten to export that expense to every Gulf state and eventually the Mid Atlantic.



Unlike drywood <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-system-attracts-and-eliminates-termites-with-a-natural-scent-and-no-toxins/">termites</a>, these subterranean colonies keep contact with the soil, sip water through mud tubes, and can attack wooden frames, live trees, and even foam insulation. Insurance rarely covers termite damage, leaving families to foot the repair bills.



City managers also fret over infrastructure because the insects tunnel under sidewalks and hollow utility poles. An untreated infestation can topple a mature oak, creating both public safety hazards and hefty removal fees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hybrid-termites-and-climate-change">Hybrid termites and climate change</h2>



Termites do more than eat houses; their gut microbes pump out methane, a greenhouse gas thirty times more potent than carbon dioxide over a century. 



Global estimates place termite methane at one to three percent of natural sources, roughly twenty million tons each year. 



Field <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1809790115" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> in northern Australia shows that termite mounds can trap about half of that gas before it escapes, but subterranean colonies lack such filters and vent straight into the air. 



More colonies, especially in warming regions where the insects thrive, could nudge emissions higher.



Researchers in Louisiana and Brazil <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/news/warming-temperatures-termites-may-play-larger-role-future-ecosystems" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> that colonies increase feeding rates at temperatures above 77 degrees Fahrenheit, suggesting warmer states could see faster wood turnover and even higher methane release. Higher energy demands inside each colony translate into more gas expelled per worker.



Scientists already predict <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hybrid-termites-could-spread-worldwide-from-florida-boats/">termites</a> will expand poleward as winters soften. Hybrid vigor may accelerate that march, giving the insects tolerance for cooler nights and broader diet choices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-scientists-can-and-cannot-do">What scientists can and cannot do</h2>



Chouvenc’s group can monitor flight seasons, map nest distribution, and test baits, yet they cannot stop wild mating flights. 



Once a male and female land in damp soil, they seal themselves inside a starter chamber, shed their wings, and vanish from view.



Chemical barriers around foundations help, but rainfall and shifting soils create gaps big enough for a worker as thin as a credit card to slip through. 



Baits laced with chitin synthesis inhibitors work better because returning workers share the toxin with nestmates, collapsing the colony quietly.



Regulators consider introducing natural enemies risky, as past biological control attempts sometimes harmed native insects. For now, the strategy focuses on early detection and public education.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-homes-and-forests">Protecting homes and forests</h2>



Home inspectors recommend removing firewood piles, trimming shrubs away from siding, and fixing leaks that keep soil moist. 



Simple steps reduce the chemical footprint and buy time for researchers to refine next generation baits that exploit hybrid genetics.



Marine surveyors now inspect hulls and wooden crates before granting port clearance, trying to cut off oceangoing “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/termites-play-an-unexpected-role-in-rainforest-revival/">termites</a> as stowaways,” as one expert called them. Similar protocols could appear at rail hubs if inland incursions begin.



Good record keeping matters too. When contractors document infestation dates, treatment types, and reinfestation intervals, entomologists can model spread patterns and plug weak spots in the defense grid.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-ahead">Looking ahead</h2>



Hybrid termites remind us that invasive species do not stay within political borders. Global trade, climate shifts, and urban sprawl give them tickets to ride.



The question is not whether the hybrids will reach new zip codes but how prepared those zip codes will be when the first alates flutter down. As Chouvenc quips, “Give it time.”



The study is published in <a href="https://datadryad.org/dataset/doi%3A10.5061/dryad.mcvdnckb4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B.</a> Photo credit Thomas Chouvenc.



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Invasive termites are interbreeding and creating a more destructive and resilient species

Florida homeowners have learned to keep watch for wood dust,...

Dinosaur teeth are best known for their bite, yet new research says they also stored a chemical snapshot of prehistoric air. By probing that record, scientists have rebuilt carbon dioxide levels and plant productivity for the age of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jurassic-dinosaurs-had-specialized-diets-to-coexist-peacefully/">dinosaurs</a> with a detail once thought impossible.



The study comes from <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TzDE38MAAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Dingsu Feng</a> and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/1.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Göttingen</a>, the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (<a href="https://www.uni-mainz.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JGUM</a>), and Ruhr University Bochum (<a href="https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RUB</a>). 



Feng’s team focused on the Mesozoic Era, a span from 252 million to 66 million years ago when ecosystems ran hot and lush.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-teeth-lock-in-ancient-air">Dinosaur teeth lock in ancient air</h2>



The outer coat of a dinosaur’s tooth, made of durable tooth enamel, is harder than bone and shrugs off most chemical change. 



Inside that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/with-teeth-like-knives-this-giant-kept-the-young-tyrannosaurs-at-bay/">enamel</a> sits a mix of oxygen atoms captured when the animal breathed and drank, effectively sealing in the atmosphere of its time.



"Our method provides us with completely new insights into the Earth's past," stated Dr. Feng. He and his co-authors adapted a laboratory technique that separates the three natural oxygen isotopes in enamel to parts per million accuracy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isotopes-reveal-past-climate">Isotopes reveal past climate</h2>



What they measured is called the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2105074118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">triple oxygen isotope</a> signal. A slight excess of the rare isotope in atmospheric oxygen rises when carbon dioxide climbs and falls when global plant growth, or gross primary productivity (<a href="https://www.un-redd.org/glossary/gross-primary-productivity-gpp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GPP</a>), surges.



Because animals incorporate that signal through their body water, enamel preserves it like handwriting in stone. Earlier <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304580458_Temperature_and_atmospheric_CO2_concentration_estimates_through_the_PETM_using_triple_oxygen_isotope_analysis_of_mammalian_bioapatite" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> proved the idea in Cenozoic mammal teeth, but this is the first time it has been applied to dinosaurs.



"The analysis of the three oxygen isotopes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-plant-eating-dinosaurs-chewed-through-thousands-of-teeth/">dental</a> enamel allows us to also measure the proportions of oxygen assimilated with respiratory air and drinking water," explained <a href="https://www.paleontology.uni-mainz.de/pub_tt.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Thomas Tütken</a> of Mainz. His remark highlights why enamel, not bone, became the sample of choice.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-teeth-show-co₂-changes">Dinosaur teeth show CO₂ changes</h2>



Results show Late Jurassic skies carried about 1,200 ppm of CO₂, roughly four times the pre industrial benchmark of 280 ppm. By the Late Cretaceous, CO₂ dipped to near 750 ppm, still three times today’s level.



Certain Tyrannosaurus rex and Kaatedocus siberi teeth held isotope <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-predator-dissacus-praenuntius-ate-bones-adapting-to-climate-shock/">patterns</a> that differ sharply from their peers. Those outliers hint at short lived CO₂ spikes, possibly tied to volcanic gas releases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-co₂-sped-plant-growth">High CO₂ sped plant growth</h2>



Using published climate <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2504324122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">models</a>, the team calculated that GPP in the Late Cretaceous ran almost double modern output. More CO₂ means photosynthesis can run faster, so forests and plankton likely pumped out extra oxygen while drawing down carbon.



"The information obtained through our study on the global primary production provides important evidence of both marine and terrestrial food webs that would be otherwise difficult to obtain," emphasized <a href="https://evo.oeko.uni-mainz.de/prof-dr-eva-m-griebeler-publikationen/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Eva M. Griebeler</a> of Mainz. 



Greater plant productivity could explain how giant herbivores found enough calories to thrive.



High output also suggests rapid carbon cycling. Fast plant growth pulls CO₂ from air, but equally fast decay and volcanism can add it back, creating a dynamic greenhouse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-teeth-reveal-volcano-co₂-spikes">Dinosaur teeth reveal volcano CO₂ spikes</h2>



The isotope peaks coincide with the timing of eruptions in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X25001777" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deccan Traps</a>, a vast lava field in what is now India. Geochemical studies estimate the province vented more than 200,000 gigatons of CO₂ over a short geological window.



Such gas surges could drive abrupt warming, reinforce monsoons, and disturb ocean chemistry. Some researchers see them as a prelude to the mass extinction that followed.



Modeling <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2007797118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> of Deccan outgassing show that even moderate estimates of emitted carbon can lift global temperatures by several degrees Fahrenheit. The new tooth data provide a direct terrestrial check on those calculations.



"Our teeth samples offer a previously missing land based puzzle piece," Feng added. By pairing enamel records with marine proxies, scientists can now test how quickly air, sea, and life responded to volcanic jolts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-teeth-help-study-climate-future">Dinosaur teeth help study climate future</h2>



Today’s CO₂ is racing past 420 ppm, still only a third of Late Jurassic values, yet the planet is already warming fast. 



That difference reminds us that continental layouts, ocean circulation, and solar input frame how sensitive the climate is to greenhouse gases.



The method promises fresh looks at other deep time events, from Permian super greenhouses to ice house swings. It could also refine biogeochemical models that feed into future climate projections.



Feng’s group is now collecting enamel from early mammals to chart CO₂ through the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum, an analog for rapid warming driven by carbon release. 



If the technique holds up, museum drawers filled with fossil teeth may become a new archive for climate science.



"Our work turns dinosaurs into climate experts," Feng said with a grin. Their bites, it seems, still have plenty to teach.



Image credit: Tooth of a Tyrannosaurus rex that was excavated in Alberta, Canada. Credit: photo/©: Thomas Tütken



The study is published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2504324122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Dinosaur teeth reveal CO2 levels and climate conditions in the Jurassic Period

Dinosaur teeth are best known for their bite, yet new...

On August 12, the world pauses for one of nature’s most awe-inspiring creatures - the elephant. From the open savannahs of Africa to the lush forests of Asia, these gentle giants are symbols of strength, memory, and family. Yet, behind their calm eyes lies a struggle for survival. 



This year, World Elephant Day is about more than saving a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-take-more-risks-when-they-live-around-people/">species</a>. It is about protecting their knowledge, relationships, and their place in our shared world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-land-alone-won-t-save-elephants">Land alone won’t save elephants</h2>



Preserving elephant habitat is vital, but space alone will not keep them alive. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephant-brains-reveal-big-differences-among-species/">Elephants</a> depend on the wisdom of their elders, especially the matriarchs, to make it through the hardest conditions.



These experienced leaders are living maps, carrying decades of memory about where to find water when rivers run dry and which paths will keep the herd away from predators or human danger. Older elephants are the decision-makers in moments when survival depends on choosing the right direction.



When a matriarch is killed by poachers or removed during relocation, the herd loses more than just a member. The group loses its guide and the knowledge that only comes from years of experience. 



Without that leadership, younger elephants are left to guess, often making mistakes that put them at risk.



Calves grow up without learning the skills that once kept the group safe. This kind of loss happens instantly, but the damage lasts for decades. In some cases, it may never be fully repaired, leaving herds more vulnerable with each missing elder.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-elephants-in-a-changing-climate">Elephants in a changing climate</h2>



Hotter temperatures and shifting rainfall are changing how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-choose-their-paths-carefully-to-conserve-energy/">elephants</a> move. Many end up near farms, especially in East Africa and India. 



Crops like corn and millet are an easy food source, but raiding fields comes at a cost. Farmers can lose an entire season’s harvest in one night.



Sometimes they respond with force. Without smarter planning - safe corridors, better water access, and farming layouts that reduce risk - these clashes will only increase.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-elephants-take-more-risks">Some elephants take more risks</h2>



In <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-take-more-risks-when-they-live-around-people/">Thailand</a>, researchers from the <a href="https://www.gc.cuny.edu/">CUNY Graduate Center</a>&nbsp;looked at elephants living near farms and compared them with those deep in the forest. 



The farm-edge elephants were bolder and more curious. They approached new objects more often and took more risks. This personality difference matters.



Bold elephants are more likely to enter villages or raid crops. If communities know which individuals are most likely to take these risks, they can target early warnings and stronger barriers where they’re needed most.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-technology-is-stepping-in">Technology is stepping in</h2>



In <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-era-in-wildlife-conservation-how-ai-will-help-protect-elephants/">Malaysia</a>, scientists built an AI system called PoachNet. It predicts where elephants are likely to be and where they’re most at risk from poachers. The system uses GPS data, movement patterns, and environmental details to guide patrols. 



“PoachNet offers a big improvement in tracking and protecting elephants,” said lead researcher Naeima Hamed from <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/">Cardiff University</a>. 



For Bornean elephants, with fewer than 1,500 individuals left, this could mean the difference between survival and extinction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-culture-matters-in-conservation">Culture matters in conservation</h2>



A <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Portsmouth</a> study warns that losing older <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephant-culture-could-be-lost-forever-if-elders-disappear/">elephants</a> is more than a numbers problem. 



“Elders are the keepers of knowledge in elephant societies,” said lead author Dr. Lucy Bates. Without them, herds lose their history - migration routes, safe water points, and how to respond to threats.



Young elephants without guidance can become unpredictable and even dangerous. Protecting matriarchs isn’t optional; it’s part of keeping elephant society stable.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-action-on-world-elephant-day">Action on World Elephant Day</h2>



This year, World Elephant Day is not about catchy slogans or a few trending hashtags. It is about real action that combines modern science, new technology, and a deep respect for the way elephants live and pass down their knowledge. 



Protecting them now means looking beyond short-term fixes and focusing on solutions that work for decades to come.



We already know what needs to be done. Keep the matriarchs alive so herds do not lose their leaders. Reduce conflict between elephants and people by creating safe corridors and better farming plans. 



Use smarter tools, like AI systems that can predict poaching risks before they happen. Plan ahead for a changing climate so water and food sources remain accessible even in the harshest seasons.



The choice is straightforward but urgent. Either we make space for elephants - in our landscapes, in our policies, and in our priorities - or we stand by as one of the planet’s most intelligent and socially complex animals disappears before our eyes. The responsibility is ours, and the time to act is now.



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World Elephant Day 2025: Fighting for survival

On August 12, the world pauses for one of nature’s...

A quick flight over the Gulf of Carpentaria now reveals what once lurked unseen: almost one abandoned fishing net for every stretch of shoreline the length of eleven football fields.



PhD candidate <a href="https://researchers.cdu.edu.au/en/persons/aliesha-jane-hvala" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aliesha Hvala</a> at Charles Darwin University’s North Australia Center for Autonomous Systems (<a href="https://www.cdu.edu.au/nacas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NACAS</a>) says the drone based survey of the <a href="https://anindilyakwa.com.au/land-and-sea/indigenous-protected-area/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anindilyakwa Indigenous Protected Area</a> has covered roughly 52 mi of coastline and located seventy two ghost nets, some as small as 20 inches and others topping 16 feet.



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



Every year an estimated 640,000 tons of lost or discarded fishing gear drifts through the world’s oceans, snagging everything from coral heads to endangered turtles.



Ghost gear now makes up as much as 46 percent to 70 percent of all large plastic debris at sea, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (<a href="https://www.fao.org/responsible-fishing/news-events/news/news-details/en/c/1333761" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FAO</a>).



Entanglement by these silent traps kills whales, dolphins, and dugongs, and the nylon and polyethylene fibers break down into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-are-escaping-from-water-treatment-plants/">microplastics</a> that move up the food chain.



The Gulf’s remote headlands, mangrove creeks, and sea grass meadows shelter dugong nurseries and nesting flatback turtles, so a single stranded trawl net can undo years of conservation work.



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



“With CDU, we’ve successfully used drones to map the most affected beaches within the IPA, enabling more efficient planning and targeted net removal,” said Kirsten Eden, Land &amp; Sea Manager for the <a href="https://anindilyakwa.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anindilyakwa Land Council</a>. 



Helicopter patrols once scanned this coast, but flight time, fuel, and weather windows turned monitoring into an expensive gamble.



A six rotor UAV that fits in a pickup bed now does the same job for the price of a tank of gas and a few charged batteries, and it can fly during breaks in the wet season storms when aircraft stay grounded.&nbsp;



Once nets are tagged from the air, the Ranger crew steers the 36 foot purpose built vessel Jarrangwa to the nearest landing, sets up a portable winch, and hauls the gear aboard for safe disposal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-tech-local-hands">High tech, local hands</h2>



Survey work is paired with training, and ten Anindilyakwa rangers have earned the nationally recognized <a href="https://training.gov.au/training/details/AVI30419" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Certificate III in Aviation (Remote Pilot)</a> that meets <a href="https://www.casa.gov.au/rules" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Civil Aviation Safety Authority rules</a>.



“I wasn’t very comfortable doing it, but I had the right people around me to overcome that and I’m very grateful,” said ranger Louise Mountford after finishing the course.



Building these skills on Country means <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-pod-of-1500-dolphins-captured-in-stunning-drone-footage/">drone</a> batteries get swapped next to mangroves instead of at distant city airports, keeping knowledge and jobs in the community.



It also shortens response time; a net reported on Monday can be removed by Wednesday before tides rebury it or refloat it onto a reef.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-ai-finds-buried-ghost-nets">How AI finds buried ghost nets</h2>



High resolution imagery is run through an onboard algorithm trained to flag the spectral signature of green or orange twine against sand and spinifex.



“High resolution images combined with precise GPS coordinates of ghost nets has greatly improved the efficiency of trip planning,” said Aquatic Biosecurity Officer Benjamin McArdle.



<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/10/1770" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Remote sensing</a> researchers note that pairing drones with machine learning classifiers can pick up plastic items smaller than three inches and distinguish gear fragments from driftwood or rock shadows.



Some nets resemble icebergs, with only a palm sized knot visible above the sand while yards of mesh hide below, so the team carries shovels and a battery powered capstan to winch out the buried mass.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cleaning-up-the-ghost-nets">Cleaning up the ghost nets</h2>



The initial survey has already pulled more than thirty tons of netting, floats, and rope off the beaches, freeing sandstone ledges where turtles haul out to nest.



Another broad scale <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/leonardo-da-vinci-design-solves-modern-drone-noise-problems/">drone</a> campaign begins later this month, timed for the southeast trade winds that wash gear ashore from fisheries in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia.



Eden warns that sustained success depends on long term gear, data storage, and refresher training funds, because batteries die faster in tropical heat, and software needs regular updates to stay accurate.



<a href="https://australianmarineparks.gov.au/management/partnerships/ghost-nets-initiative/ghost-nets-innovative-solutions-grants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Federal Ghost Net Innovative Solutions</a> grants currently foot the bill, but rangers are exploring carbon credit partnerships that reward habitat protection and create an independent revenue stream.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-template-for-global-coastlines">Template for global coastlines</h2>



From Hawaii to the Galápagos, coastal managers are watching the <a href="https://environment.nt.gov.au/careers-programs-publications/groote-archipelago-threatened-species-management-plan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Groote Archipelago project </a>as a field test of low cost aerial surveillance married to Indigenous stewardship.



Lightweight drones can be packed onto small boats, driven inland on all terrain vehicles, and even recharged with portable solar panels, letting crews cover beaches that satellites miss because of cloud cover.



Global fisheries bodies are rolling out electronic tags and mandatory gear marking rules so nets can be traced back to owners, while local <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drone-swarms-help-combat-forest-fires-natural-disasters/">drone</a> teams provide the fast detection that turns regulations into retrieved plastic instead of paperwork.



Plastic production is projected to triple by 2060, yet the lessons from this remote stretch of Northern Territory show that swift technology adoption, community ownership, and clear funding paths can keep that future from becoming a tangled one.



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AI drones discover dozens of 'ghost nets' hidden on remote beaches

A quick flight over the Gulf of Carpentaria now reveals...

Sixty-six million years ago, what is now pine forest and bayou lay beneath a warm inland sea. In that Cretaceous Gulf, the apex hunters were mosasaurs - serpentine marine reptiles that could stretch nearly 50 feet nose to tail.



Research led by <a href="https://www.smu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SMU</a> paleontologist Michael J. Polcyn has compiled the first comprehensive portrait of these creatures in Louisiana, combining scattered fossil finds with seismic images and well cores.



“Louisiana is not known for having a great <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-some-animals-become-fossils-while-others-just-disappear/">fossil</a> record, but when you put it all together, it has a pretty interesting and valuable,” said team member Louis Jacobs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mosasaur-in-ancient-seas">Mosasaur in ancient seas</h2>



The rare Cretaceous exposures occur in Bienville Parish, where rising salt domes have tilted ancient strata to the surface.



Among the few bones found is a strong tooth likely from Prognathodon, one of the largest and most powerful mosasaurs - a genus also uncovered by the SMU team along Angola’s coast. 



This connection links Louisiana’s ancient sea directly to the newly forming South Atlantic Ocean basin of the same time period, indicating that these “sea lizards” once had a worldwide presence.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-disaster-etched-in-the-seabed">Disaster etched in the seabed</h2>



The marine idyll ended in seconds. When a six-mile-wide asteroid slammed into the Yucatán Peninsula, it vaporized rock, ignited worldwide firestorms, and launched <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/20-years-later-remembering-the-worlds-deadliest-tsunami/">tsunamis</a> that echoed around the proto-Gulf.



The SMU-led survey records that violence in an unexpected place: underground. Seismic data gathered by co-author Gary L. Kinsland of the <a href="https://louisiana.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Louisiana at Lafayette</a> reveals buried “ghost-maker megaripples.” 



These tsunami-sculpted dunes stand about 52 feet high and stretch more than a third of a mile crest to crest - likely the largest on record.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/mososaurs_dinosaurs_fossils_louisiana_credit-Judith-Schiebout_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/mososaurs_dinosaurs_fossils_louisiana_credit-Judith-Schiebout_1s.webp" alt="Louisiana mosasaurs and dinosaur fossils. A-C. Partial tooth of a mosasaur Prognathodon. D-J. Mosasaur anterior intermediate caudal vertebra. K-M. Dromaesorid dinosaur tooth. Credit: Judith Schiebout" class="wp-image-1981228"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Louisiana mosasaurs and dinosaur fossils. A-C. Partial tooth of a mosasaur Prognathodon. D-J. Mosasaur anterior intermediate caudal vertebra. K-M. Dromaesorid dinosaur tooth. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Judith Schiebout</figcaption></figure>



“The seismic image showing the megaripples on the ancient seafloor is a wonderful illustration of the tremendous amount of energy introduced into the area by the impact tsunami in a very short period of time,” Polcyn said.



These ripples, frozen beneath younger sediments, serve as Louisiana’s signature of the Chicxulub impact that triggered Earth’s fifth mass extinction. They mark the exact horizon where mosasaurs, ammonites, and countless other Cretaceous species vanished.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chance-discovery-reshapes-the-timeline">Chance discovery reshapes the timeline</h2>



Fast-forward roughly three million years into the Paleocene, and the fossil record picks up a very different protagonist. An oil-well core drilled to 2,460 feet in central Louisiana pierced a layer dating to 63–62 million years ago.



Locked inside was the partial jaw of Anisonchus fortunatus - a hoofed mammal scarcely larger than a cat. The specimen, recovered by chance, underscores how quickly mammals occupied ecological space left vacant by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-did-dinosaurs-come-from-missing-fossils-hold-the-secret/">dinosaurs</a>. It also provides the young state with its oldest known terrestrial mammal.



Polcyn calls the little jaw a “striking bookend” to the extinction narrative. On one end is a tooth from an apex reptilian predator. On the other are the modest remains of a mammal poised to radiate across the planet.



“The contribution of this work reports the first Cretaceous marine reptile fossils known from Louisiana, putting them in a broader geographic and temporal context in the Gulf region,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stitching-the-past-together">Stitching the past together</h2>



The new synthesis is published in the journal <a href="https://repository.lsu.edu/spmns/5/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vertebrate Fossils of Louisiana</a>, an LSU Museum of Natural Science tribute volume honoring the late paleontologist Judith A. Schiebout, who championed her adopted state’s fossil heritage.



Schiebout's vision is realized in the way Polcyn, Jacobs, and their collaborators integrate multiple lines of evidence. These include museum collections, fresh fieldwork, well-core microscopy, and petroleum-industry seismic scans.



The result is a timeline stretching from the last flourishing of Cretaceous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-impacting-marine-life-more-than-we-realized/">marine life</a>, through the instantaneous destruction wrought by the asteroid, to the first stirrings of the “Age of Mammals.”



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/dinosaurs_mososaurs_asteorid-extinction_before-during-after_mosaic-timeline_SMU_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/dinosaurs_mososaurs_asteorid-extinction_before-during-after_mosaic-timeline_SMU_1s.webp" alt="(A-C) Prognathodon kianda, based on specimens from Bentiaba, Angola on display in Sea Monsters Unearthed: Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. B. Tooth of shark Squalicorax from Bentiaba with scavenged Prognathodon bone. D. Life reconstruction of the shark Squalicorax scavenging a carcass of Prognathodon kianda. Remains of Prognathodon and Squalicorax are widespread, which suggests that scavenging behavior documented elsewhere also occurred in Louisiana. E. Life reconstruction of Prognathodon kianda. Credit: Smithsonian Institute; artwork by Karen Carr" class="wp-image-1981226"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(A-C) Prognathodon kianda, based on specimens from Bentiaba, Angola on display in Sea Monsters Unearthed: Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. B. Tooth of shark Squalicorax from Bentiaba with scavenged Prognathodon bone. D. Life reconstruction of the shark Squalicorax scavenging a carcass of Prognathodon kianda. Remains of Prognathodon and Squalicorax are widespread, which suggests that scavenging behavior documented elsewhere also occurred in Louisiana. E. Life reconstruction of Prognathodon kianda. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Smithsonian Institute; artwork by Karen Carr</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mosasaur-record-connects-continents">Mosasaur record connects continents </h2>



Although Louisiana contributes only snippets of bone, each piece lengthens a record that links North America to South America and Africa.



The same Prognathodon lineage patrolled both the Gulf and the South Atlantic, an insight made famous in the Smithsonian traveling exhibition “Sea Monsters Unearthed,” co-curated by SMU. Such parallels help paleontologists map ancient ocean currents, climate zones, and continental drift.



The impact story is likewise global. The Louisiana megaripples complement tsunami deposits in Texas and Mexico, collectively illustrating the reach of a single cosmic collision. For geologists today, ancient dunes reveal how quickly and powerfully energy moves through shallow seas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-fossil-hunting-in-louisiana">Future fossil hunting in Louisiana </h2>



Polcyn hopes the compilation will spur more fossil hunting in a state better known for oil rigs than dinosaurs. Salt-dome uplifts, riverbanks, and drill cores still hide clues to life’s greatest turnover event.



“When you put it all together, it has a pretty interesting and valuable fossil record," said Jacobs.



Each new discovery can refine models of extinction, recovery, and resilience - lessons increasingly relevant as modern ecosystems face rapid change.



From 50-foot mosasaurs to coin-sized mammal jaws, Louisiana’s deep past captures the drama of both endings and beginnings.



By piecing together shards of tooth, ripples of sand, and slivers of bone, scientists have illuminated how a once-<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-reveal-how-humans-completely-changed-caribbean-reef-ecosystems/">tropical sea</a> gave way to a landscape ready for jazz, shrimp boats, and human history. 



But that transformation came only after a cosmic catastrophe rewrote the rules of life on Earth.



The findings were <a href="https://repository.lsu.edu/spmns/5/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in LSU Museum of Natural Science’s “Vertebrate Fossils of Louisiana” in a tribute to the late paleontologist <a href="https://www.lsu.edu/science/geology/people/faculty/schiebout.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Judith A. Schiebout</a>. 



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Life on Earth before, during and after the dinosaur-killing asteroid strike

Sixty-six million years ago, what is now pine forest and...

For more than a decade, sea star wasting disease (SSWD) has ravaged starfish along North America’s Pacific coast. It shreds arms, melts bodies, and pushes iconic species like the sunflower sea star to the brink of extinction.



Now there’s a turning point: researchers have identified a single bacterial species - Vibrio pectenicida - that can trigger the full suite of wasting symptoms. 



This breakthrough offers a path toward earlier detection and, eventually, smarter response strategies, even as the ocean’s “three-dimensional dynamic environment” makes intervention challenging.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pacific-starfish-face-collapse">Pacific starfish face collapse</h2>



The scale and speed of SSWD are unprecedented. Since 2013, outbreaks have swept from Alaska to Mexico, striking more than 20 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/terrifying-sea-stars-could-be-the-key-to-kelp-forest-recovery/">sea star</a> species.



Early signs include loss of appetite and small white lesions. Then the animals go limp as the disease hits the water vascular system. Arms detach and sometimes wriggle independently, and the entire body disintegrates into mush within days.



“Sea star wasting disease is pretty horrid,” said Hugh Carter, a marine invertebrate curator at the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natural History Museum</a> in London and a starfish expert. “It causes the starfish to stop feeding and forms white lesions across the body as the soft tissue starts breaking down.”



The ecological shock is profound. Sunflower sea stars - important predators of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-cant-survive-rising-sea-urchin-numbers/">sea urchins</a> - have lost more than 90 percent of their population, and the cascade is visible on the seafloor.



“When we lose billions of sea stars, that really shifts the ecological dynamics,” said lead author Melanie Prentice from the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of British Columbia</a> (UBC). “In the absence of sunflower stars, sea urchin populations increase.”



“This means the loss of kelp forests, which has broad implications for all the other marine species and humans that rely on them. So, losing a sea star goes far beyond the loss of that single species.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solving-a-marine-mystery">Solving a marine mystery</h2>



For years, scientists pursued competing hypotheses, with a virus suspected early on but later ruled out. One reason the search took so long is that sea stars deteriorate rapidly - often within a week of exposure.



By the time researchers collect samples, secondary infections and generalized stress responses may obscure the primary trigger.



The new study overcomes those obstacles. In controlled laboratory experiments, the team raised <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunflower-sea-stars-are-nearly-extinct-but-scientists-are-growing-them/">sunflower sea stars</a> and exposed them to diseased tissue in different ways.



Simply touching infected parts or being injected with tissue homogenates proved deadly: 92 percent of exposed sea stars died.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientists-name-the-starfish-killer">Scientists name the starfish killer</h2>



Critically, when the homogenates were filtered or heat-treated first, the starfish did not develop the disease. This was strong evidence that a living microbe was the cause.



The researchers then compared coelomic fluid - the sea stars’ blood-like internal fluid - from healthy and exposed animals. One signal dominated.



“When we compared the coelomic fluid of exposed and healthy sea stars, there was basically one thing different: Vibrio,” said senior author Alyssa Gehman from UBC. “We all had chills, we thought that’s it. We have it, that’s what causes wasting.’”



To satisfy the gold standard of causation, they isolated Vibrio pectenicida from diseased sea stars, cultured it to a pure strain, and injected it into healthy animals. The recipients rapidly developed classic wasting symptoms.



Field data reinforced the lab results: in British Columbia, V. pectenicida appeared in sea star samples only after an outbreak had begun.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-progress-with-no-easy-fix">Progress with no easy fix</h2>



The identification of V. pectenicida marks the first time researchers have reproduced the full disease by introducing a single pathogen.



“There have been lots of competing theories over what causes sea star wasting disease, so it’s great that we know what is actually causing it,” Carter said. “It’s a massive step forward, but we’re still a long way from a solution.”



Pinpointing the bacterium could improve surveillance, allowing diagnostics to target V. pectenicida during early flare-ups. But practical control is far tougher offshore.



“While knowing the bacteria that cause it might allow us to detect new outbreaks earlier, it’s still hard to quarantine or treat the disease in the 3D dynamic environment of the sea. It’ll take a great deal more research until sea star wasting disease can be managed effectively.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-warming-seas-fuel-starfish-disease">Warming seas fuel starfish disease</h2>



Like many vibrios, V. pectenicida appears to thrive in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-foraging-behavior-changing-climate-warming-waters/">warmer conditions</a>, which aligns with observations that wasting spreads faster during marine heatwaves.



The bacterium is already infamous in aquaculture as a scallop pathogen that secretes toxins. Those same virulence factors may damage sea star tissues and water vascular systems, accelerating the grisly progression.



Unpacking that mechanism - what toxins are produced, how they interact with sea star immunity - will be crucial for forecasting risk and testing interventions.



With oceans warming due to climate change, the stakes are rising. Hotter waters can both boost bacterial growth and stress sea stars, potentially lowering their defenses.



Understanding that one-two punch could help managers anticipate where and when disease pressure will spike, enabling them to prioritize monitoring or protective measures for the most vulnerable populations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fighting-future-outbreaks">Fighting future outbreaks</h2>



The immediate priorities are clear. Researchers need to map the distribution of V. pectenicida across species and coastlines and refine rapid tests for early detection. They also need to investigate how environmental variables - temperature, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/salinity-is-rising-in-coastal-areas-and-hurting-farmlands/">salinity</a>, organic matter - modulate bacterial bloom-and-bust cycles.



Hatchery and aquarium settings may serve as testbeds for mitigation strategies, from biosecurity protocols to microbiome-based approaches that bolster sea stars’ defenses.



But translating lab breakthroughs into ocean-scale solutions will take time. In the near term, the best defense for kelp forests and the myriad species that depend on them may be vigilant disease surveillance. 



Ecosystem management that reduces compounding stressors, such as overgrazing by urchins, is also crucial.



Even so, science has turned a corner. Identifying the culprit shifts the field from guesswork to targeted investigation and from helpless witness to informed action.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02797-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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Bacteria that’s melting starfish alive has finally been identified

For more than a decade, sea star wasting disease (SSWD)...

Myloplus sauron, a newly described Amazonian fish, looks like trouble at first glance. Its round silver body wears a stark black stripe that tapers toward the belly, a pattern that recalls the fiery “Eye of Sauron” from The Lord of the Rings.



Yet appearances mislead. The fish is a peace loving herbivore equipped with human style molars instead of razor blades. <a href="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9135-1169" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr Rupert Collins</a> of the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2024/june/new-species-vegetarian-piranha-named-after-lord-of-the-rings-villain-sauron.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natural History Museum</a> in London, senior curator of fishes, helped lead the international team responsible for the finding.



“As soon as my colleagues suggested the name for this fish, we knew it was perfect for it. Its pattern looks a lot like the Eye of Sauron, especially with the orange patches on its body,” Collins said.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-decoding-myloplus-sauron">Decoding Myloplus sauron</h2>



Myloplus sauron belongs to the <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/513675-Serrasalmidae" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Serrasalmidae</a> family, the same clan that includes the infamous piranhas. 



Its relatives called pacu are mostly plant eaters, and the new species follows that script, using flat, stubby teeth to munch fruits and seeds rather than flesh. 



A close look at those teeth shows square crowns and enamel ridges that grip and crush fibrous food.



DNA barcoding and detailed scale counts confirmed that the fish is distinct from two look alike pacus long lumped together with M. schomburgkii. 



Those genetic tools revealed three separate lineages: the newly named M. sauron in the Xingu River, M. aylan in western Amazon tributaries, and a rediagnosed M. schomburgkii spread across shield rivers farther north and east.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-eye-of-sauron-fits">Why the Eye of Sauron fits</h2>



The Xingu’s rocky clear water lets sunlight reach the riverbed, turning fish into living billboards. M. sauron amplifies that spotlight with a vivid orange blush on its flanks and blood red fins that accentuate the central stripe.



Collins notes that naming a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-species-joro-spiders-has-invaded-the-united-states-heres-what-to-look-for/">species</a> after a cultural icon helps people remember the discovery and, more importantly, the river it inhabits. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/piranha-fish_new-species_Myloplus-sauron_credit-Sabaj_1big.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/piranha-fish_new-species_Myloplus-sauron_credit-Sabaj_1s.webp" alt="Myloplus sauron, coloration immediately after capture. A. Male. Notice the faint vertical mark, common during breeding period. B. Mature female. Xingu River basin. Photo by M. H. Sabaj" class="wp-image-1981128"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Myloplus sauron, coloration immediately after capture. A. Male. Notice the faint vertical mark, common during breeding period. B. Mature female. Xingu River basin. Click image to enlarge. Photo by M. H. Sabaj</figcaption></figure>



Public attention can translate into support for protecting the Xingu’s unique rapids, which already face altered flows from one of Brazil’s largest hydroelectric dams.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myloplus-sauron-teeth-built-for-plants">Myloplus sauron teeth built for plants</h2>



Unlike the triangular blades of piranhas, pacu teeth are nearly square. They meet edge to edge like a set of pruning shears, ideal for cracking palm nuts or slicing thick leaves.



Studies of feeding mechanics show that these teeth distribute pressure evenly across the bite, preventing cracks while maximizing crushing force. 



That adaptation matters because the Amazon’s flood pulse delivers seasonal windfalls of fruit; fish able to process tough skins enjoy a buffet when trees overhang flooded banks.



<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.13016" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taxonomists</a> have cataloged about 2,500 fish species in the Amazon, yet an estimated 34 to 42 percent of the basin’s freshwater fishes remain undescribed. 



In practical terms, nearly one in three fish that swims past a researcher’s net could still lack a formal name.



That uncertainty complicates conservation. Without reliable species lists, it is hard to assess which populations are thriving and which are shrinking under pressures such as mining runoff, overfishing, or dam construction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-a-species-narrow-home">Mapping a species' narrow home</h2>



Myloplus sauron lives only in the Xingu River Basin, a sun drenched tributary that cuts through both Brazil’s Pará and Mato Grosso states. The basin already boasts more than 600 recorded fish <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/colorful-aquarium-creature-cherax-pulverulentus-is-new-crayfish-species-never-catalogued/">species</a>, seventy of which occur nowhere else.



Researchers collected most M. sauron specimens below the Tamaracá waterfall, where swift water tumbles over polished granite. 



The fish’s deep body and strong pectoral fins suggest it hugs eddies behind boulders, grazing on algae and fallen leaves swept into crevices.



To confirm Myloplus sauron was a separate species, researchers combined both physical and genetic data. They used DNA barcoding, a method that compares short sequences in mitochondrial DNA, to distinguish M. sauron from its close relatives M. aylan and M. schomburgkii.



The team also analyzed dozens of traits like fin rays, body shape, scale counts, and the distinct black stripe. Together, the physical measurements and genetic divergence gave researchers enough evidence to confidently describe M. sauron as its own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-species-of-tiger-swallowtail-butterfly-discovered-in-the-u-s-had-gone-unnoticed-by-scientists/">species</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-find-means-for-conservation">What the find means for conservation</h2>



A flashy new name does not guarantee safety. Large dams upstream can flatten seasonal floods that once triggered pacu breeding runs, while unregulated gold mining clouds clear channels with silt and mercury.



For now, the team lists M. sauron as “Least Concern” because its range extends along several hundred river miles. Even so, Collins argues that early recognition is vital.&nbsp;



The discovery also highlights the value of DNA barcoding, a technique that flags hidden lineages before they vanish. 



Every barcode added to global databases sharpens our picture of Amazon diversity and guides future field expeditions toward rivers likely to house more surprises.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.scielo.br/j/ni/a/fFG9HTqKTjCs4Z4W3MxwSLJ/?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neotropical Ichthyology</a>.



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Scientists discover a new species of vegetarian piranha with human-like teeth

Myloplus sauron, a newly described Amazonian fish, looks like trouble...

A new camera system called EyeRIS has captured crisp three-dimensional footage of deep-sea <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/octopuses-could-dominate-earth-if-humans-vanish/">octopuses</a> crawling almost two miles below the surface. 



The images reveal subtle bends and strains in each arm, data that engineers hope will guide the next wave of flexible machines.



Researchers filmed the animals at <a href="https://www.mbari.org/project/the-octopus-garden/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Octopus Garden</a>, a nursery site that hosts about 6,000 brooding pearl octopuses on a warm patch of seafloor near Central California. 



Principal Engineer <a href="https://www.mbari.org/person/kakani-katija/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kakani Katija</a> and Senior Research Specialist <a href="https://www.mbari.org/person/christine-huffard/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Crissy Huffard</a>, both with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (<a href="https://www.mbari.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MBARI</a>), led the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09379-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-filming-deep-sea-octopuses">Filming deep-sea octopuses</h2>



EyeRIS rode on a remotely operated vehicle during dives to roughly 9,850 ft, a zone too dark for sunlight yet rich with life. 



Because the system works in low light, it left the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/octopus-caught-riding-on-the-back-of-the-worlds-fastest-shark-in-the-open-ocean/">octopuses</a> undisturbed, no bright lamps or tether lines altered their behavior.



The camera delivered real-time models of each animal’s posture, letting scientists tag and follow individuals over boulder fields. 



Those models stream to the surface ship through fiber-optic cable, so the team can adjust focus and angle on the fly.



Such immediate feedback matters when observations cost thousands of dollars per hour and harsh currents limit dive time. 



By knowing exactly what the camera “sees,” pilots can linger on rare actions like mating dances or defensive color flashes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-eyeris-sees-in-3d">How EyeRIS sees in 3D</h2>



At the heart of EyeRIS sits a dense microlens array that captures dozens of perspectives in a single shot, a principle known as light-field imaging. 



Software then stitches those perspectives into one frame where every pixel is sharp, even when subjects dart across uneven terrain.



That sharpness lets algorithms plot the octopus’s arm <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-dumbo-octopus-species-carnarvon-flapjack-discovered-in-very-deep-ocean-waters/">skeleton</a>, frame by frame, without attaching markers or probes. 



The approach contrasts with laboratory studies that often require tanks or anesthetized animals, settings that miss natural movements.



Engineers built the housing from titanium and acrylic to survive crushing pressures and icy temperatures. The package weighs under 110 lbs, light enough for quick swaps between MBARI’s submersibles during routine maintenance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-from-octopus-arms">Lessons from octopus arms </h2>



“These flexible joints concentrate and bend above and below a single point, giving the octopus simple yet elegant control,” explained Huffard. 



EyeRIS data revealed that each arm forms temporary muscular “joints” which shift position as the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/turquets-octopus-dna-tells-scientists-that-west-antarctic-ice-sheet-collapse-is-close/">animal</a> crawls. 



The finding supports earlier <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/brv.12888" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> showing that octopus arms act as muscular hydrostats, organs that stiffen without bones by selectively contracting fibers. 



By localizing strain, the animal reduces the number of commands the brain must send, a form of biological efficiency.



“There was no need to bring animals to the lab, which keeps the behavior authentic,” said Katija. She noted that fine-scale maps of curvature came straight off the seafloor.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-robots-deep-sea-octopus-biomimicry">Robots, deep-sea octopus, biomimicry</h2>



Soft-robot designers crave blueprints for limbs that bend anywhere yet still push against the world. Light-field <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33157856/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">footage</a> supplies those blueprints in millisecond increments, turning a mysterious crawl into numbers that code can mimic.



Early prototypes already pair silicone sleeves with pressurized chambers to copy the octopus gait. Future versions could inspect ship hulls, grip delicate coral, or thread wiring through collapsed buildings.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/deep-sea-pearl-octopus_Muusoctopus-robustus_ocean-floor_MBARI_1big.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/deep-sea-pearl-octopus_Muusoctopus-robustus_ocean-floor_MBARI_1s.webp" alt="MBARI's innovative EyeRIS camera system collects near real-time three-dimensional visual data about the structure and biomechanics of marine life. Filming deep-sea pearl octopus (Muusoctopus robustus) with this system has provided new insight into octopus locomotion that can contribute to the design of bioinspired robots in the future. Credit: MBARI" class="wp-image-1981119"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">MBARI's innovative EyeRIS camera system collects near real-time three-dimensional visual data about the structure and biomechanics of marine life. Filming deep-sea pearl octopus (Muusoctopus robustus) with this system has provided new insight into octopus locomotion that can contribute to the design of bioinspired robots in the future. Click image to enlarge. Credit: MBARI</figcaption></figure>



Because the control scheme looks simplified, software may run on low-power chips rather than bulky processors. That shift could lower costs and widen adoption in medicine, manufacturing, and search-and-rescue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-hidden-ecosystems">Protecting hidden ecosystems</h2>



The Octopus Garden sits inside the <a href="https://montereybay.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary</a>, an area under consideration for stricter protections as deep-sea mining expands. 



Non-invasive tools like EyeRIS strengthen conservation arguments by proving that fragile nurseries thrive in seemingly barren depths.



Long time-series footage will also track how warming currents affect brooding success, egg development, and predator visits. 



Such baseline data barely exist for most abyssal species, leaving policymakers with little guidance on cumulative impacts.



MBARI plans to release segments of the footage to educators and documentary crews. Seeing a pearl octopus hustle across 35°F mud may kindle public interest in preserving regions far beyond human sight.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eyeris-and-future-missions">EyeRIS and future missions</h2>



The <a href="https://www.packard.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David and Lucile Packard Foundation</a> and the <a href="https://www.moore.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation</a> financed the camera’s development. 



Their grants covered custom optics, pressure testing, and the software pipeline that converts raw pixels into usable models.



“I’m excited to watch other labs adapt this technology for jellyfish, squid, and even plankton swarms,” said Katija. She went on to explain that the team is adding a spectral sensor to measure how skin pigments shift during motion.&nbsp;



The next deployment will explore hydrothermal seeps 60 miles offshore, places where methane bubbles lure both octopuses and crabs. 



If EyeRIS can cope with shimmering hot fluids, its design could inspire cameras for Europa or Enceladus <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2010/01/Europa_and_Enceladus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">missions</a>.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09379-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Deep sea octopus footage could revolutionize flexible robot design

A new camera system called EyeRIS has captured crisp three-dimensional...

<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.

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex
</div></figure>







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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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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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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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

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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



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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

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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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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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

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

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"

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

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&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.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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