Young aspen trees in Yellowstone are doing something they have not done in almost 100 years. Rather than sprouting and being eaten back to nubs by elk and bison, they're actually growing into tall, adult forest trees rising up towards the canopy.



This matters more than it might seem, because it shows what happens when a missing piece of an ecosystem returns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-yellowstone-aspens-and-elk">Yellowstone, aspens, and elk</h2>



In the 1920s, people <a href="https://www.yellowstone.org/wolf-project/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eliminated wolves in Yellowstone</a>. At the time, with limited scientific knowledge, managers believed it was the right thing to do.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/from-wolves-to-dogs-did-domestication-begin-without-human-help/">Without wolves</a>, elk herds grew very large. Elk love to eat aspen shoots - the tender young growth is highly palatable to them.



For roughly 70 years, elk browsed aspen sprouts down to stub height, and the trees couldn't grow. 



If you had walked through Yellowstone in the 1980s, you would have seen many tiny aspen shoots covering the ground, but almost no young trees gaining height. 



The forest's regeneration was stalled. Old trees died, and no new ones replaced them.



In 1995 and 1996, park managers reintroduced wolves into the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yellowstone-supervolcano-eruption-study-sparks-new-debate-on-where-and-when-it-will-erupt/">Yellowstone Park ecosystem</a>. Scientists hoped and wondered whether this would change anything for the trees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-aspen-matter-to-yellowstone">Why aspen matter to Yellowstone</h2>



Aspen groves provide habitat for many species. Birds nest in them. Beavers eat the bark and use the wood for dams. Butterflies and moths lay eggs on the leaves. 



Their canopy admits enough light for wildflowers and shrubs to grow beneath. When it rains, aspen groves hold water in the soil better than some other forest types.



In short, when aspen return, dozens of other species benefit. More trees support more insects, which in turn support more birds, enriching the ecosystem.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-checking-the-trees-three-decades-later">Checking the trees three decades later</h2>



<a href="https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/users/luke-painter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luke Painter</a>, an ecologist at <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oregon State University</a>, sought clear answers. His team returned to 87 aspen stands across Yellowstone that scientists had previously surveyed. 



They measured thousands of young trees, looked for bite marks, and counted how many stems were tall enough that elk could no longer reach the tips.



About a third of these stands now have many tall young aspens pushing toward the canopy. 



"About 26 of the 87 aspen stands we examined had large numbers of tall saplings throughout, a remarkable change from the 1990s when surveys found none at all," Painter said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-wolves-matter-to-yellowstone-aspens">Why wolves matter to Yellowstone aspens</h2>



Breaking it all down, the conclusions of this study are pretty simple. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wolves-move-pups-across-mountains-to-adapt-to-climate-pressure/">Wolves hunt elk</a>. When wolves came back, two things happened. First, elk numbers declined from unusually high levels. Second, elk changed their behavior. They spent less time in the same areas feeding.



With fewer elk and shorter feeding bouts, more aspen shoots survived long enough to exceed the browsing zone - about six to seven feet high. 



Once a sapling reaches that height, elk cannot easily reach the growing tip. The tree continues to grow.



"The reintroduction of large carnivores has initiated a recovery process that had been shut down for decades," Painter explained.



Scientists call this a <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/trophic-cascades-across-diverse-plant-ecosystems-80060347/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trophic cascade</a> - when adding or removing one species causes changes that ripple through the whole system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-places-recover-others-don-t">Some places recover, others don't</h2>



Unfortunately, not every aspen stand has recovered yet. Some valleys still have many short, heavily browsed shoots, because it's not only elk eating them anymore. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yellowstones-iconic-bison-have-merged-into-a-single-herd/">Bison herds have grown</a>, and bison browse on aspen as well. They are strong enough to break young trees. 



"Increasing numbers of bison may be emerging as a new constraint to aspen in some areas," Painter confirmed.



Additionally, winter snow depth varies; droughts stress trees; bears and mountain lions also hunt elk; and hunting outside the park influences elk distribution. 



All of these factors interact, which is why some sites show strong recovery, others show moderate recovery, and a few have changed very little.



The key pattern is that places with many tall saplings experience little browsing, and aspen groves that remain popular eating grounds today stay short. 



This fact is the strongest indication that tree recovery is linked directly to wolf presence, not solely to weather or soil conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proof-in-the-measurements">Proof in the measurements</h2>



Painter's team did not rely on casual observation. They used the same methods as earlier researchers, measuring the same plots. 



They counted recruitment - when young trees surpass browsing height and begin progressing toward maturity. This measure is crucial. Sprouts are insufficient if they never grow; without recruitment, the forest cannot replace itself.



The results are robust. After being stalled for most of a century, Yellowstone's aspens are increasing in height. In recovering stands today, you will see saplings - six, eight, or ten feet tall - that were not present in the 1990s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-yellowstone-s-aspens">The future of Yellowstone's aspens</h2>



"This is a remarkable case of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-viruses-found-in-yellowstones-hot-springs-may-be-near-the-root-of-all-life-on-earth/">ecological restoration</a>," Painter concluded. "Wolf reintroduction is yielding long-term ecological changes contributing to increased biodiversity and habitat diversity."



Trees grow slowly, so even with wolves restored, it will take decades for these young aspens to form a full-grown forest. 



Some areas might never fully recover if bison numbers continue to rise or if the climate becomes too hot and dry.



Thanks to the work of Painter and his team, scientists are now certain that restoring the Yellowstone predator has restarted aspen forest regeneration. Not everywhere and not perfectly, but enough to be measured, creating hope for the future.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112725004499?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forest Ecology and Management</a>.



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Yellowstone's aspen trees are growing again thanks to the reintroduction of wolves

Young aspen trees in Yellowstone are doing something they have not done in almost 100 years. Rather than sprouting and being eaten back to nubs by elk and bison, they're actually growing into tall, adult forest trees rising up towards the canopy. This matters more than it might seem, because it shows what happens when a missing piece of an ecosystem returns. Yellowstone, aspens, and elk In the 1920s, people eliminated wolves in Yellowstone. At the time, with limited scientific knowledge, managers believed it was the right...

If you’ve ever noticed how squirrels vastly outnumber foxes in your neighborhood - or seen the same car brands dominate parking lots - you’re observing a pattern that governs not just human-made environments, but the natural world at every scale.



This pattern, where a few species are extremely common while most remain rare, is called the “hollow curve” species-abundance distribution.



For nearly a century, ecologists have sought a unified model to explain it. Now, researchers from the <a href="https://www.virginia.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Virginia</a> (UVA) believe they’ve found that model.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-universal-pattern-in-nature">Universal pattern in nature</h2>



In a recent study, the team analyzed an enormous array of 30,000 datasets covering ecosystems from U.S. forests to the microbial colonies in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-methane-producing-microbe-discovered-in-the-human-gut/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human gut</a>. 



The researchers discovered that a mathematical model known as the “powerbend distribution” consistently describes how species are spread out. This applies to birds, trees, bacteria, and other organisms in communities across the planet.



“This is the first study to comprehensively examine all types of organisms, large and small,” said Martin Wu, professor of biology at UVA and co-author of the study. “We found that the powerbend distribution consistently fits communities of all life forms, habitats, and abundance scales.”



The powerbend model shows most species are rare, while a few are extremely common - a core pattern in ecology.



Wu explains this through an everyday example: “If you walk around UVA, you might see a lot of squirrels and, only once in a while, a raccoon or fox. If you look at cars on city streets, you’ll see a lot of Hondas, Toyotas, or Fords, but there are many other brands you only see every once in a while.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-estimating-life-we-can-t-see">Estimating life we can't see</h2>



The breakthrough isn’t just about better understanding nature - it also has practical implications for conservation and environmental monitoring. The powerbend model allows scientists to estimate the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/polar-light-sustains-biodiversity-over-millions-of-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity</a> of a region without needing to count every individual organism.



“Previously, if I collected one gram of soil, I had no way of knowing how many bacterial species it contained,” Wu said. “Now that we have the model, I don’t need to enumerate every single cell in the soil and I can have a pretty good estimate.”



This is particularly important when dealing with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-laid-the-foundation-for-early-life-on-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbes</a>, which are notoriously difficult to grow and study using traditional lab techniques. Prior to the development of DNA sequencing tools around 2008, scientists struggled to survey microbial communities effectively.



Since then, technological advances have given microbiologists access to vast genetic data, transforming our understanding of microbes.



“You can go to a forest to survey trees or use binoculars to look at birds, but until recent DNA sequencing technologies became available, we couldn’t easily survey microbes,” Wu said. “Since 2008, there’s been an explosion of microbial survey data, and we’re learning a lot.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ecology-meets-math">Ecology meets math</h2>



Though Wu is a microbiologist by training, the turning point in the research came when two math-savvy graduate students - Yingnan Gao and Ahmed Abdullah - joined his lab. Their expertise allowed the team to rigorously test the powerbend distribution against real-world datasets across ecosystems, organisms, and regions.



The model even made its way into the classroom. “Using a thumb drive-sized DNA sequencer and a laptop, we did a real-time demonstration in the class when we surveyed the gut microbiome of a beloved professor known to students,” Wu said. “It was a great way to show the students what kind of microbes live in the gut.”



The exercise gave students the chance to become “microbe detectives” in a hands-on lab course focused on sequencing-based ecological surveys.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pattern-stretches-across-life">Pattern stretches across life</h2>



One dataset in the study looked at the pattern of tree species across the United States. In Virginia, for instance, five species - red maple, loblolly pine, yellow poplar, sweetgum, and American holly - make up about 45% of the state’s 10.6 billion trees. The remaining 55% is spread across over 120 other species.



“Generally, you’ll find that 20% of tree species account for 80% of the total abundance,” Wu said. “This follows the Pareto Principle, a term coined by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who found that 20% of the population controlled 80% of the wealth.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-formula-for-nature">A formula for nature</h2>



The discovery of the powerbend distribution as a consistent and predictive model offers scientists a new tool for tackling ecological questions. 



More than that, it reaffirms that despite the dizzying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microfossils-reveal-a-leap-in-lifes-complexity-2-4-billion-years-ago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complexity of life</a> on Earth, there are underlying patterns that unify everything from backyard birds to invisible bacteria.



As ecologists confront biodiversity loss and work to restore ecosystems, understanding natural species distribution patterns could be a crucial step forward. Thanks to the UVA team’s work, that understanding just got a lot clearer.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59253-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Life's hidden pattern: Why most species are rare but a few rule the world

If you’ve ever noticed how squirrels vastly outnumber foxes in...

Anger flares up in traffic jams, board meetings, and kitchen quarrels alike. The rush of heat, the pounding heart, and the urges to shout or slam a door feel almost automatic. Most of us just want lash out and vent, hoping the anger will be gone as fast as it came.



For decades, people have sworn by “getting it out,” whether by screaming into a pillow or pummeling a punching bag. Others swear by the opposite approach: pause, breathe, let it pass. 



A new scientific sweep of the evidence puts these rival tactics head-to-head - and crowns a clear winner.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-venting-anger-myth-loses-steam">The 'venting anger' myth loses steam</h2>



After the second paragraph, it’s time to meet the researchers. Communication scholar <a href="https://comm.osu.edu/people/bushman.20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brad Bushman</a> at <a href="https://osu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ohio State University</a> has spent years testing the notion of catharsis. 



“Venting anger might sound like a good idea, but it’s actually counterproductive,” he says. 



His team, working with postdoctoral fellow <a href="https://sophiekja.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sophie Kjærvik</a>, combed through 154 different studies with more than 10,000 people to sort myth from reality.



Their review shows that activities lowering bodily arousal - deep breathing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mindfulness-protects-against-work-stress-burnout/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mindfulness</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meditation-slows-biological-aging-at-the-molecular-level/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meditation</a>, even slow, controlled yoga - consistently push anger levels down. 



The setting hardly matters; results hold for solo exercises at home, therapist-guided sessions, and app-based programs. 



“Reducing arousal - and actually the physiological aspect of it - is really important,” Kjærvik explains.



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



Kjærvik’s meta-analysis, published in Clinical Psychology Review, found that every group studied - college students, retirees, people with intellectual disabilities, and individuals with criminal records - benefited from arousal-decreasing strategies. 



In stark contrast, jogging, hitting a bag, or smashing plates in a rage room showed little effect or even nudged anger upward. “To reduce anger, it is better to engage in activities that decrease arousal levels,” Bushman notes.



Meta-analyses of this size are rare in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-shows-better-emotional-intelligence-than-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emotion research</a>. By pooling so many participants, the team could spot small but steady patterns that single experiments miss. 



The consistency across gender, age, and cultural background signals that calming the body is a universal recipe, not a fad tied to one social-media trend.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-calm-beats-cardio">Calm beats cardio</h2>



Why would a brisk run fail where a quiet breath succeeds? Anger already revs the sympathetic nervous system - the body’s gas pedal. Adding more acceleration simply keeps the engine roaring. 



“Certain physical activities that increase arousal may be good for your heart, but they’re definitely not the best way to reduce anger,” Bushman adds.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yoga-can-reduce-stress-and-improve-brain-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yoga</a> offers an intriguing twist. Though poses raise heart rate, the practice embeds steady breathing and focused attention, turning movement into meditation. 



“It was really interesting to see that progressive muscle relaxation and relaxation in general might be as effective as approaches such as mindfulness and meditation,” Kjærvik noted. 



“And yoga, which can be more arousing than meditation and mindfulness, is still a way of calming and focusing on your breath that has a similar effect in reducing anger.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inside-the-body-s-alarm-system">Inside the body's alarm system</h2>



Anger sparks a full-body alert: faster heartbeat, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-from-plastic-bottles-linked-to-high-blood-pressure-and-heart-problems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">higher blood pressure</a>, surging adrenaline. The sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system primes muscles for fight or flight, while its calmer twin - the parasympathetic branch - waits to dial everything back. 



Techniques that lengthen exhales or tense and release muscles flip that switch sooner, cooling the system before words or fists fly.



Scientists think this quick reset evolved because it lets social groups resolve conflicts without lasting harm. Lowering arousal gives the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-brain-pathways-identified-as-being-unique-to-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prefrontal cortex</a> - our planning center - time to weigh consequences, recall past regrets, and choose words more carefully. 



The payoff is fewer broken dishes, lower stress hormones, and relationships that bounce back instead of break.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reducing-anger-without-venting">Reducing anger without venting</h2>



Apps offering guided breathing now sit within arm’s reach, many of them free of charge. A simple routine - inhale for four counts, exhale for six - can drop heart rate within a minute. 



Two cycles of progressive muscle relaxation ease shoulder knots that broadcast irritability.



A five-minute mindfulness session on YouTube can do the same job as a longer appointment when time is tight. 



“It’s really a battle because angry people want to vent, but our research shows that any good feeling we get from venting actually reinforces aggression,” Bushman says.



For situations demanding movement, try a slow walk around the block. Keep the pace easy enough to hold a steady conversation. Pair it with attention to your surroundings - the hum of cicadas, the scent of fresh-cut grass. 



Gentle motion helps metabolize <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-hormones-rise-during-sleep-to-prepare-your-body-for-the-day/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stress hormones</a> without driving arousal higher, and nature’s small details pull focus away from rumination.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



Unchecked anger strains marriages, work teams, and the cardiovascular system. Over months, it can hardwire aggressive habits. 



The new review shows there’s nothing inevitable about that spiral; swapping venting for calming returns control to the driver’s seat. 



Because most interventions cost little or nothing, workplaces, prisons, and schools can roll them out without red tape. Even a coach’s whistle can cue athletes to pause for three slow breaths before play resumes.



Parents can apply the same thinking at home. Instead of sending a child to “go punch a pillow,” suggest three balloon-slow breaths, a sip of water, and a quiet corner until color fades from their cheeks. 



Modeling the strategy yourself teaches by example and keeps the living room peaceful.



Cooling down trumps blowing up. Evidence from more than 10,000 volunteers says so, and the message holds whether you are nine or ninety. 



So next time fury rises, skip the punching bag and breathe. Your heart - and everyone within earshot - will thank you.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735824000357?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clinical Psychology Review</a>.



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'Venting' doesn't reduce anger, so psychologists advise patients to do this instead

Anger flares up in traffic jams, board meetings, and kitchen...

Black,Widow,Spider,-,Latrodectus,Mactans

Many folks wonder why some spiders deliver mild bites, while others inflict serious harm. This puzzling contrast has caught the attention of scientists who are keen to decode the hidden complexities behind spider venom.



Recent findings reveal how certain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spider-man-web-slinging-technology-has-become-a-reality/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> pack a stronger punch than previously suspected. These insights spark curiosity about whether a spider’s prey preferences shape its venom’s strength.



A new study led by Dr. Keith Lyons at the <a href="https://www.universityofgalway.ie" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Galway</a>’s School of Natural Sciences examined over 70 spiders to identify patterns in toxicity. 



The team concluded that a spider’s usual prey can heavily influence its venom’s intensity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prey-type-alters-spider-venom">Prey type alters spider venom</h2>



Scientists have long suspected that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/neurotoxin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neurotoxins</a> might be tailored to subdue specific prey. Some data show that spiders feeding on insects alone tend to develop toxins that target bug physiology.



<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11627431/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black widows</a> are known for packing venom reported to be about fifteen times stronger than a rattlesnake’s. 



Such potency makes them a subject of constant study and often overshadows less dangerous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-monitoring-will-help-protect-endangered-spider-monkeys/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>.



Predators adapt to the meals they encounter most. Spiders are no different, and their biological arsenal can shift over time based on typical feeding patterns.



Arachnologist is the term for a scientist who studies <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spider-venom-has-hidden-biochemical-value/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spiders</a>, and many have observed that mammal-hunting species sometimes pose greater risk to humans. According to the team, a venom aimed at rodents might inadvertently affect people.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-spiders-evolved-unique-venom">Some spiders evolved unique venom</h2>



“Our results show that spider venoms have evolved to be especially potent when tested on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/slingshot-spiders-listen-for-the-right-moment-to-launch-their-webs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a> found in their diet in the wild,” said Dr. Lyons.



“This may explain why species that are known to occasionally prey upon small mammals, such as the <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9972223/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brazilian wandering spider</a> or Black widow, have venoms that can cause medically significant effects in us humans."



Conversely, species that only prey on invertebrates, such as the <a href="https://pestsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/Search/MainMenuWithFactSheet.aspx?CategoryId=2&amp;ProblemId=842" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Giant house spider</a>, have evolved venoms that target invertebrate physiologies rather than our own, posing little threat to humans.



“We thought spiders that use webs might not need strong venom since they depend more on their webs to trap prey," explained <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kevin-healy-2238554" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Kevin Healy</a>, Senior author and Head of the Macroecology lab.



"But to our surprise, there was no link between web use and venom strength, which means webs probably help hold prey in place no matter how powerful the venom is.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-uses-for-spider-venom">Human uses for spider venom</h2>



Dr. Healy explained that the findings offer insight into how spider venom evolves, which could clarify why certain species like the <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/spiders/false-widow-spider" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Noble False widow</a> become invasive and how some venoms might be useful for creating targeted insecticides or new medicines.



Neurotoxins within these spiders could be harnessed for <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233799365_Arthropod_venoms_A_vast_arsenal_of_insecticidal_neuropeptides" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">medicines</a> that target specific sites in the human body. Researchers see promise in compounds that kill pests but spare beneficial insects.



Some experts believe that a better grasp of how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/enduring-earth-mystery-partially-solved-artificial-intelligence-nazca-geoglyphs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spiders</a> evolve their venoms can advance agriculture and health. Each unique toxin might become a building block for safer pest control.



“By understanding the fundamental drivers of venom evolution we can better predict the types of biomolecules in spider venoms that have yet to be explored for drug discovery and why some species of spiders are more likely to become invasive species,” said <a href="https://www.ted.com/speakers/michel_dugon" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Michel Dugon</a>, Head of the Venom Systems Lab.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-linking-venom-strength-to-spider-diet">Linking venom strength to spider diet</h2>



Encounters with venomous spiders do happen in some places. Bites from a few species can bring serious trouble, though <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/outdoor-workers/about/venomous-spiders.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fatalities</a> are quite rare.



Individuals working in damp cellars or sheds often share space with species like the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537045/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brown recluse</a>. That spider can cause necrotic wounds, though these cases remain uncommon.



Clarifying how feeding habits shape venom potency may explain the differences between notorious spiders and their calmer cousins. 



The research also raises new possibilities for designing pest-control agents that leave pollinators unharmed.



These findings highlight the flexible nature of spider toxins as they respond to different dietary needs. A shift in prey could gradually tune venom toward fresh targets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-both-people-and-bugs">Protecting both people and bugs</h2>



Spider venom research stands at a turning point where ecological insights blend with biochemical exploration. 



Many labs see this field as an opportunity to gather new knowledge that may save lives and protect ecosystems.



Scientists are excited about exploring toxins that target only pest organisms, leaving beneficial creatures unaffected. This approach aligns with increasing demand for safer methods to manage insects.



Better understanding of spider diets might guide the discovery of specialized proteins with therapeutic value. Focusing on diet-venom connections could guide us toward treatments for painful conditions.



Further research is poised to reveal whether new spider species hold potent toxins we have not yet tapped. Observers remain watchful for any next steps that might spark medical innovations.



The study is published in <a href="http://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0133" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Biology Letters</a>.



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Biologists learn why some spiders have deadlier venom than others

Many folks wonder why some spiders deliver mild bites, while...

When NASA’s Perseverance rover paused on May 10 to take a celebratory self-portrait, the robot got more than it bargained for. In the distance, a twisting plume of red dust - what scientists call a dust devil - spiraled across the landscape near the rover. 



The dust devil photobombed the shot, turning an engineering record into a textbook example of Martian weather at work.



The image commemorates sol 1,500 of the mission. A sol is a Martian day, lasting 24 hours and 39 minutes. On Earth’s calendar, 1,500 sols is roughly four years and two months since Perseverance landed in February 2021.



During that time the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-curiosity-rover-finds-sulfur-crystals-martian-rock-hints-at-possible-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rover</a> has trundled more than twenty-two miles, drilled thirty-seven rock targets, collected twenty-six core samples, and sent home some of the most detailed planetary science ever captured on another world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dust-devils-and-mars-rovers">Dust devils and Mars rovers</h2>



The latest portraits were taken while the rover sat on a high part of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lake-sediments-found-in-jezero-crater-hint-at-past-life-on-mars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jezero Crater</a>’s western rim, called Witch Hazel Hill. This vantage point has been under study by the science team for several months.



Justin Maki, the imaging lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (<a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JPL</a>) in Southern California, is quick to point out why the resulting panorama excites engineers and scientists alike.



“The rover self-portrait at the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-perseverance-rover-finds-a-treasure-trove-of-rocks-at-jezero-craters-rim/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Witch Hazel Hill</a> area gives us a great view of the terrain and the rover hardware,” Maki explained. 



“The well-illuminated scene and relatively clear atmosphere allowed us to capture a dust devil located three miles to the north in Neretva Vallis.”



That narrow channel once fed water into Jezero, delivering sediments that now help researchers read <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/was-mars-past-climate-supportive-of-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mars’s ancient climate</a>. 



On this particular sol, it also delivered a swirling column of airborne grit - evidence that the planet’s thin carbon-dioxide atmosphere still carries surprising energy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rover-selfies-and-health-checks">Rover selfies and health checks</h2>



From an operational standpoint, each selfie doubles as a health check. Photographs help mission teams track dust on solar panels, check for damage, and confirm cables and joints remain intact.



“After 1,500 sols, we may be a bit dusty, but our beauty is more than skin deep,” said Art Thompson, the rover’s project manager at JPL.



“Our multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator is giving us all the power we need. All our systems and subsystems are in the green and clicking along, and our amazing instruments continue to provide data that will feed scientific discoveries for years to come.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-art-of-martian-selfies">The art of Martian selfies</h2>



Capturing a high-resolution portrait on Mars is far from a point-and-shoot endeavor. The main camera responsible for these mosaics is WATSON, short for Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering, mounted on the end of Perseverance’s seven-foot robotic arm.



Because WATSON cannot see the mast - the rover’s “head” - unless the arm swings out and the mast swivels to face the camera, the imaging sequence demands extreme choreography.



Megan Wu, an imaging scientist with <a href="https://www.msss.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Malin Space Science Systems</a>, oversaw the latest routine. “To get that selfie look, each WATSON image has to have its own unique field of view,” she explained.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Mars-Perseverance-rover_selfie_dust-devil_NASA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Mars-Perseverance-rover_selfie_dust-devil_NASA_1s.webp" alt="Fifty-nine individual images went into the creation of this Perseverance rover selfie. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS" class="wp-image-1971469" style="width:298px;height:auto"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Fifty-nine individual images went into the creation of this Perseverance rover selfie. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS</figcaption></figure>



That translates to sixty-two painstaking arm movements and sixty-two overlapping frames, which were later stitched together on Earth. 



The team had the rover turn its mast toward Bell Island and captured three more frames. They merged those too, so the final product shows Perseverance gazing both into the lens and down at its newest borehole.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-perseverance-s-big-moments">Perseverance’s big moments</h2>



The bright lighting in the photo is no accident. Mission planners time these sessions when the Sun’s angle will illuminate both the rover’s deck and the terrain behind it.



The resulting shadows fall cleanly beneath the chassis, offering depth cues that help viewers appreciate just how rugged Witch Hazel Hill is. 



Jezero’s rim rises in the far background, a reminder of the crater’s violent birth by impact billions of years ago.



Though undeniably photogenic, the dust devil is more than a backdrop. Such vortices arise when solar heating warms the surface, causing pockets of air to rise and spin.



On Earth, they are common in deserts; on Mars, where the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secrets-of-mars-atmosphere-may-improve-weather-predictions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">atmosphere</a> is only about one percent as dense, they can stretch hundreds of meters tall yet remain almost transparent until they pick up reddish dust.



Scientists value these whirlwinds for cleaning panels, revealing wind patterns, and explaining how dust rises high into the atmosphere. The plume in Perseverance’s selfie drifted through Neretva Vallis, three miles away, hinting at breezy conditions in Jezero.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-perseverance-rover-s-legacy">Perseverance rover's legacy</h2>



Perseverance’s immediate science goal remains the search for signs of ancient life. The twenty-six cores sealed so far are destined, NASA hopes, for eventual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-seeks-a-faster-way-to-bring-mars-samples-to-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">return to Earth</a> by a future mission.



On Earth, scientists will analyze the samples for molecular <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-extraterrestrial-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fossils</a>, isotopic clues, and mineral histories Mars tools can’t detect. 



Each sample represents a chapter in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/clues-beneath-mars-surface-reveal-possible-habitats-for-ancient-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jezero’s watery past</a>. Together, they might reveal whether microbes ever thrived on the Red Planet.



In the meantime, the rover continues its trek. Its next destination, a spot nicknamed “Krokodillen,” promises layered rocks that may record shifting environmental conditions.



As Perseverance rolls onward, the planet’s relentless dust will keep settling on its chassis, but every grain adds context to the story the rover is helping to tell: a story of wind, water, and time on a distant world.



Thus, the 1,500-sol selfie is more than a milestone memento. It is a technical achievement, a weather report, a clean bill of health, and a literary illustration of perseverance itself. 



“Having the dust devil in the background makes it a classic,” Wu concluded.



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Perseverance rover captures a surprise dust devil while taking high-resolution selfie on Mars

When NASA’s Perseverance rover paused on May 10 to take...

Human aging is a complicated story that involves many moving parts including genes, metabolism, immune responses, and lifestyle patterns.



Experts from Higher Education Press have explored how these factors help people live well into their 90s and beyond. The team examined groups of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/healthy-aging-drinking-coffee-can-add-years-to-your-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">long-lived</a> individuals to see why they stay active and avoid chronic diseases.



“Human healthy aging and longevity are complex phenomena influenced by a dynamic interplay of genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, immune, and environmental factors," noted study lead author Fan-Qian Yin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-people-age-without-serious-illness">Some people age without serious illness</h2>



Some <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/centenarians" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">centenarians</a> seem to dodge or delay common health problems. This intriguing ability may be related to their <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/genome" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">genome</a> and the way certain protective variants are passed down.



Lifestyle choices and everyday surroundings also appear to guide this aging <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sitting-too-much-can-cause-premature-aging-even-if-you-exercise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">path</a>. People in regions known for high life expectancy often eat fresh produce and engage in steady physical activity.



Women make up the majority of centenarians, but the men who do reach that age often show fewer chronic diseases. Some <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4346010/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> suggest that men who <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-aging-what-animals-can-teach-us-about-getting-older/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">live</a> past 100 tend to be exceptionally resilient or have fewer genetic risk factors to begin with.



Hormones may help explain this gap. Higher levels of <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/18156-estradiol-tablets" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estradiol</a> in older women and <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/testosterone--what-it-does-and-doesnt-do" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testosterone</a> in older men appear to protect against some effects of aging, though the benefits depend on balance and overall health.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-influential-factors-in-healthy-aging">Influential factors in healthy aging </h2>



Scientists point to <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ng0194-29" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">APOE e2</a> as an important marker for protection in older adults. Some families carry this variant and experience lower risks of heart disease.



But genetic influence is not the whole story. The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-022-00974-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbiota</a> in the gut has also drawn attention, because it affects inflammation and digestion in ways that may keep people healthier for longer.



Some researchers have found that <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/npp2012112" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DNA methylation</a> (a process that controls gene activity without changing the DNA itself) slows down in older adults who stay healthy. This may help protect their cells from damage over time and prevent some diseases linked to aging.



Other molecules, like <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-023-00662-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">noncoding RNAs</a>, also seem to play a role by regulating how genes behave. Certain RNAs appear to block signals that cause cells to wear out, which may explain why some older people maintain more youthful biological functions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gut-microbes-sleep-and-stress-management">Gut microbes, sleep, and stress management </h2>



The <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4290017/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gut microbiome</a> in long-lived people tends to look very different from those who age with chronic illness. It often includes higher levels of helpful bacteria like <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41575-022-00631-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Akkermansia muciniphila</a>, which supports gut lining health and reduces inflammation.



Some species in these guts even make compounds that act like natural anti-aging <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/leg-balance-is-a-key-indicator-of-healthy-aging/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">agents</a>. These microbes thrive on diets rich in fiber, nuts, and fermented foods, suggesting that what we eat really does shape how we age.



People who live longer often manage stress well and sleep deeply. Chronic <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579396/">stress</a> raises cortisol levels, which can damage the brain, weaken the immune system, and speed up aging.



Good sleep habits, especially consistent 7–8 hour nights, help regulate hormones, repair tissues, and support memory. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4067693/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Studies</a> show that long-lived individuals tend to sleep better and wake more refreshed, even in old age.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-food-and-exercise-shape-aging">How food and exercise shape aging</h2>



Many long-lived folks stick to modest workouts, including walking or light strength training. This choice seems linked with better organ function and more stable weight over time.



Eating patterns rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains often support better cholesterol balance. 



Some older adults take in fewer calories, which might help blood sugar management and reduce harmful inflammation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-steps-toward-healthy-aging">Steps toward healthy aging</h2>



Some centenarians have surprisingly active immune systems, which helps them fight off infections that typically hit harder with age. One clue is their lower levels of <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3226076/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IL-6</a>, a molecule tied to chronic inflammation and age-related illness.



At the same time, they show higher levels of IL-10 and <a href="https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5876-10-183" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TGF-beta</a>, which help calm the immune response and reduce tissue damage. This balance may explain why they avoid or bounce back more easily from disease compared to their peers.



Researchers are exploring ways to encourage healthy aging for everyone. Work continues on approaches to improve metabolic function and slow unwanted immune reactions that lead to disease.



Exports are also testing treatments like metformin to mirror the health benefits often seen in calorie-conscious groups. Ongoing studies promise to improve our ability to delay many age-related challenges.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11684-024-1120-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers of Medicine</a>.



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Healthy aging: How some people live past 100 years

Human aging is a complicated story that involves many moving...

The arrival of flowering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollen-records-reveal-winters-role-in-plant-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a> reshaped the living world. They filled it with color, scent, and new ways to thrive. But when did it all begin?



For centuries, scientists have chased that answer. They studied fossils, analyzed leaves, and dug deep into Earth's layers. And now, with the help of something as small as dust, a research team from Germany may have brought us closer to the truth.



They didn’t find a forest. They didn’t find flowers. What they found was four tiny grains of pollen - and those grains may change what we know about evolution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-pollen-changes-flower-timeline">Ancient pollen changes flower timeline</h2>



At just 20 micrometers wide, pollen <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-honey-bee-day-protecting-our-vital-pollinators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">grains</a> are smaller than a human hair. You can’t see them floating past you on a breeze. But preserved in ancient rock, they act like time capsules. 



Pollen grains hold stories about the plants that made them, the landscapes that held them, and the creatures that may have brushed past them.



Scientists from <a href="https://www.uni-hannover.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leibniz University Hannover</a> and the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bonn</a> took a closer look at sedimentary layers in Portugal’s Lusitanian Basin. That region was once covered by a shallow sea. Over 100 million years ago, rivers flowed into it, carrying pollen and plant material from nearby land.



Buried beneath layers of sediment, the pollen fossilized. And when scientists scanned those layers using high-resolution laser microscopy, something rare flickered back at them - a type of pollen called tricolpate.



Tricolpate grains have three furrows on their surface. It’s not just a decorative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollen-can-actually-change-the-weather/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">feature</a>. It’s a marker, a signal that these grains came from a particular group of plants: the eudicots.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-emergence-of-flowering-plants">The emergence of flowering plants </h2>



Eudicots make up the largest group of flowering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-is-transforming-pollen-science-and-health-planning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a> today. They include roses, tomatoes, sunflowers, and more. Nearly three-quarters of all angiosperms fall into this category. 



Finding tricolpate pollen in ancient marine sediment was exciting on its own. But what made the discovery groundbreaking was the age of the sediment.



Until now, most scientists believed that eudicots first appeared around 121 million years ago. These new grains? They were 123 million years old.



That might not seem like a big difference, but in evolutionary terms, two million years is enough time for significant changes to take root. Enough time for new traits to evolve, for ecosystems to shift, and for plant life to expand into new territories.



Professor Heimhofer noted that the emergence of flowering plants altered the biological diversity considerably. "But exactly where and when this development began has been an enigma that Darwin already called an 'abominable mystery,'" said Dr. Gravendyck.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flowering-plants-appeared-much-later">Flowering plants appeared much later</h2>



The planet has been green for a long time, but it didn’t always look the way it does now. The earliest land plants, like mosses, started appearing around 485 million years ago during the Ordovician period. 



Later came ferns, ginkgos, and towering conifers. They dominated forests for hundreds of millions of years.



Flowering plants - angiosperms - arrived much later. Their sudden diversity puzzled Charles Darwin, who referred to their rapid appearance in the fossil record as a mystery that needed solving.



The team’s discovery of eudicot pollen helps chip away at that mystery. It not only pushes back the earliest known appearance of this plant group but also offers stronger, more reliable evidence of when and where it happened.



But finding pollen in the dirt isn’t enough. To make sure they had the date right, the researchers needed another kind of fossil - one that could speak for the ocean.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-record-in-seashell-fossils">A record in seashell fossils</h2>



Alongside the pollen, the researchers found fossilized seashells made of calcium carbonate. These shells, shaped in ancient seawater, captured the chemical signature of the environment around them. One element in particular, strontium, proved useful.



Strontium isotopes shift over time in known patterns. By analyzing the isotope ratio in the shells, scientists matched them to reference curves that span millions of years. Think of it like geological carbon dating, but with shells instead of bones.



This method confirmed that the sediment layer dated to about 123 million years ago - exactly when the tricolpate pollen would have settled and fossilized.



This combination of pollen structure and strontium isotope dating gave the researchers something rare: a double-checked moment in time. The flowers had arrived earlier than expected. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-flowers-grew-in-cooler-regions">Early flowers grew in cooler regions</h2>



There’s something else this discovery hints at - where these early flowers might have grown. For a long time, scientists assumed angiosperms started in warm, tropical environments. But the Lusitanian Basin, 123 million years ago, sat in the mid-latitudes. Not hot, not tropical.



That means early flowering plants may have been tougher and more widespread than expected. They weren’t just jungle plants. They may have thrived in places with seasons, cooler temperatures, or unpredictable climates.



This shift in location challenges old ideas. If flowers could bloom outside the tropics that early, they might have spread more quickly across the globe, adapting to a wide range of ecosystems as they moved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-way-to-study-ancient-life">A new way to study ancient life</h2>



The techniques used in this study are as important as the findings themselves. By combining high-resolution imaging with chemical dating, the team created a new way to approach plant evolution. 



They didn’t rely on guesswork or single fossils. They used two independent systems to cross-check the age and origin of their samples.



The research could help scientists better understand other mysterious fossils - especially in places where traditional fossil records are patchy or unclear. Pollen, it turns out, may be one of our best tools for mapping the rise of plants.



The study, published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2421470122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, may lead to more discoveries like this - tiny clues in forgotten sediments that rewrite big chapters in Earth’s story.



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Flowering plants appeared two million years earlier than we thought

The arrival of flowering plants reshaped the living world. They...

A surprising fossil discovery has drawn global attention to a small creature that lived 113 million years ago. Paleontologists working on rare specimens have identified this tiny insect as the oldest ant ever documented, and its bizarre features make it a clear standout.



<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anderson-Lepeco" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anderson Lepeco</a>, from the Zoology Museum at the <a href="https://www5.usp.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of São Paulo</a>, led a group of researchers who uncovered this ancient marvel. 



They examined the fossil within layers of rock in northeastern Brazil, helping experts understand more about how early ants appeared on the scene.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clues-preserved-in-amber">Clues preserved in amber</h2>



Experts are calling this fossil a member of the extinct subfamily <a href="https://www.sci.news/paleontology/amber-hell-ant-attack-08721.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haidomyrmecinae</a>, once found only in amber - an ideal situation for paleontologists. 



Amber is fossilized tree resin that forms when sticky resin from ancient trees hardens over millions of years, often preserving small organisms like insects, spiders, and even plant material trapped inside it. 



Haidomyrmecinae has scythe-like jaws and measures about 1.5 centimeters. 



Researchers believe that this peculiar structure helped it capture prey differently from modern ants, which usually have sideways-moving mouthparts.



A single specimen was enough to confirm that it predates all other known examples of the <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47336-Formicidae" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Formicidae family</a>. Specialists say this discovery adds new layers to the broader history of ants, which are regarded as among the most successful insect groups on Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spotlight-on-the-oldest-ant-species">Spotlight on the oldest ant species</h2>



The team used <a href="https://www.microphotonics.com/what-is-micro-ct-an-introduction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microcomputed tomography</a> to look inside the rock without damaging the fragile remains. They observed intricate structures that reveal aspects of the ancient ant’s head and body shape. 



Such information rarely emerges from ants fossilized in stone, since most past finds have been trapped in amber.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ant-fossil_Haidomyrmecinae_hell-ant_credit-Anderson-Lepeco_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ant-fossil_Haidomyrmecinae_hell-ant_credit-Anderson-Lepeco_1s.webp" alt="Haidomyrmecinae fossil. Credit: Anderson Lepeco" class="wp-image-1971446"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Haidomyrmecinae fossil. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Anderson Lepeco</figcaption></figure>



This fossil came from the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/crato-fossil-beds-of-brazil/introduction-to-the-crato-formation/9A5D6F8B8B646B3DF1D2EC58EBF8824A" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Crato Formation</a>, where fine-grained limestone preserves organisms in impressive detail. 



Until now, no one had found a “hell ant” in rock form, making this a one-of-a-kind record for researchers who study these extinct insects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-naming-the-oldest-ant-species">Naming the oldest ant species</h2>



Scientists have dubbed the new species Vulcanidris cratenis, giving it a name that recognizes the Vulcano family for their longstanding contributions to paleontological collections. 



They donated critical specimens that enriched the Zoology Museum’s archives, which allowed the team to compare and classify this ant’s features.



“When I came across this extraordinary specimen, we immediately recognized its importance,” explained Anderson Lepeco. 



His work focuses on tracing ant evolution and understanding how such old lineages connect to those we see now.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-ants-captivate-researchers">Why ants captivate researchers</h2>



Ants appear in almost <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/just-a-few-ants-can-change-an-entire-colonys-social-structure/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">every terrestrial ecosystem</a> and have intrigued scientists for decades. More than 12,000 species are recognized, but some <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674040755" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experts</a> suspect there may be nearly double that number in total. 



These insects showcase complex social structures that include specialized roles such as workers, soldiers, and queens.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ant-fossil_Haidomyrmecinae_hell-ant_illustration_credit-Diego-M-Matielo_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ant-fossil_Haidomyrmecinae_hell-ant_illustration_credit-Diego-M-Matielo_1s.webp" alt="A paleoartistic reconstruction of the new species, based on the fossil and on a close relative species found in amber from Myanmar. Credit: Diego M. Matielo" class="wp-image-1971450"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A paleoartistic reconstruction of the new species, based on the fossil and on a close relative species found in amber from Myanmar. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Diego M. Matielo</figcaption></figure>



There is a consensus that ants arose in the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-cretaceous-period.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cretaceous period</a>, although exact timelines have shifted with each new find. 



This fossil once again pushes that clock backward, offering a fresh data point for people who piece together the puzzle of insect evolution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-a-rock-impression-changes-the-story">How a rock impression changes the story</h2>



Most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-many-ants-live-on-earth-at-any-point-in-time-total-number-is-astounding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prehistoric ants</a> have shown up trapped in tree resin. That environment tends to preserve external features well. Stone fossils, on the other hand, can capture deeper layers and allow the investigation of inner details. 



This difference is crucial for interpreting how structures like jaws and antennae attach internally, shaping how these insects fed and communicated.



Given that amber-based ants rarely expose these hidden traits, a stone-based example is a rare treat for those who map out the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/195/4/1355/6523228" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">earliest stages</a> of ant diversity. 



Traces of muscles and soft tissues sometimes remain in the rock, broadening our understanding of how these creatures functioned millions of years ago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-oldest-ant-species-and-evolution">Oldest ant species and evolution</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ants-perform-life-saving-amputation-surgeries-on-injured-nest-mates/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Modern ants</a> display remarkable adaptability, spanning habitats that range from steamy jungles to harsh deserts. They occupy many ecological niches and can form massive colonies. 



This wide success stems from key traits, including division of labor and efficient communication via pheromones. 



Observing an early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-destabilizing-ant-plant-relationships/">ant</a> that lacked certain modern features helps clarify the gradual steps that led to today’s species.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ant-fossil_Haidomyrmecinae_hell-ant_CT-Scan_credit-Odair-M-Meira_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ant-fossil_Haidomyrmecinae_hell-ant_CT-Scan_credit-Odair-M-Meira_1s.webp" alt="CT-Scan reconstruction of the hell ant fossil. Credit: Odair M. Meira" class="wp-image-1971448"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">CT-Scan reconstruction of the hell ant fossil. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Odair M. Meira</figcaption></figure>



The new fossil also highlights the speed at which adaptive traits emerged. It suggests that ants were already exploring different predatory tactics during their initial branches on the evolutionary tree. 



This aligns with theories that early ants evolved innovative feeding strategies, setting the stage for their future rise in terrestrial ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-backing-and-scientific-rigor">Public backing and scientific rigor</h2>



Fossil excavations are often slow, careful operations that involve advanced imaging tools and patient analysis. 



Detailed scans of the newly found ant provided an unprecedented look at internal features that set it apart from every known species.



The resulting data will feed into larger discussions about how insects responded to shifting climates in ancient times. 



Documenting the range of forms found in older layers is necessary for those who look at long-term ecological patterns. 



Each fossil that broadens our perspective can spark new questions about the pace of biodiversity change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-insect-research-goes-next">Where insect research goes next</h2>



Now that the oldest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/when-you-give-caffeine-to-ants-many-interesting-things-happen/">ant</a> species known to date has reshaped some ideas of when and how early forms appeared, researchers can revisit other puzzling specimens. 



A single discovery can challenge longstanding assumptions, offering a nudge toward more in-depth analyses of under-studied rock formations. 



The proven success of scanning technology may also push more institutions to re-examine older collections.



Each additional data set refines how scientists track branching lines of insect ancestry. 



Since <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-extinction-led-to-the-emergence-of-ant-agriculture/">ants</a> are a central focus for behavioral studies, new insights into their origins could inspire fresh approaches to investigating how modern colonies coordinate and adapt.



Interest in ancient insects has never been higher. With every development in imaging techniques and field geology, the door widens for other revelations about the hidden past.&nbsp;



Many specialists anticipate that continuing analysis of rock-based specimens might reveal features overshadowed by the more common amber deposits. 



This broadened perspective supports an inclusive narrative of ant diversity that spanned various prehistoric landscapes.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)00308-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a> (Image credit: Anderson Lepeco).



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Paleontologists found the oldest ant species on Earth, 113-million-years-old with scythe-like jaws

A surprising fossil discovery has drawn global attention to a...

Most of us have laughed uncontrollably when tickled. Yet almost none of us know why. Tickling sits at a strange crossroads - it’s universal, ancient, and deeply familiar, yet still barely understood by science. Socrates and Aristotle debated its meaning.



Charles Darwin believed it could reveal something about laughter and emotion. Even today, neuroscientists are still asking: what is tickling, and why does it matter?



Neuroscientist Konstantina Kilteni from <a href="https://www.ru.nl/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Radboud University</a> believes this question deserves more attention. “Tickling is relatively under-researched,” she noted. To her, this isn't just a gap - it’s an opportunity.



“It is a complex interplay of motor, social, neurological, developmental and evolutionary aspects,” said Kilteni. 



By studying tickling, we may unlock new answers about how the brain develops, how we relate to others, and how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/laughter-may-help-dry-eyes-as-much-as-eye-drops/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emotions</a> are wired into our skin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-types-of-tickling">Two types of tickling</h2>



Kilteni’s research distinguishes between two kinds of tickling. Knismesis is the light, feather-like sensation. Gargalesis is the intense, laughter-inducing kind from strong, repetitive touches - like fingers on the armpits or soles.



Most studies focus on knismesis. It’s easier to replicate and measure. But gargalesis, the one that causes squirming and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-diamond-dust-reverse-global-warming-and-cool-the-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">laughter</a>, remains neglected. That’s the version Kilteni wants to study closely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-should-we-study-tickling">Why should we study tickling?</h2>



Tickling has implications far beyond <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mystery-of-static-electricity-has-finally-been-solved/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">laughs</a>. It may explain how we learn to distinguish self from others. This is key to understanding conditions like autism or schizophrenia. It also appears early in life - infants react to tickles by the end of their first year.



Besides humans, gorillas, bonobos, and even rats respond to tickling. That makes it a good subject for evolutionary studies. According to Kilteni, tickling can strengthen the bond between parents and children. But it also offers insight into early brain development.



To study gargalesis, Kilteni created a tickling lab. A subject places their feet through holes in a plate. A mechanical stick delivers a controlled tickle. This lets her track consistent reactions - heart rate, breathing, sweat, and brain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-who-use-humor-have-better-relationships-with-their-children/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">activity</a>.



“By incorporating this method of tickling into a proper experiment, we can take tickling research seriously. Not only will we be able to truly understand tickling, but also our brains.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tickling-and-sensory-processing">Tickling and sensory processing</h2>



Research confirms that individuals with autism often react more strongly to tickling. This might reflect differences in sensory processing or brain wiring. These insights may help develop better sensory therapies and deepen our understanding of the autistic experience.



When you try to tickle yourself, your brain already knows what’s coming. It uses a process called “predictive attenuation” to cancel out the expected sensation. 



As your hand moves, your brain sends motor signals to control it - but it also predicts the resulting touch. Because it can accurately guess the timing, location, and pressure, the brain reduces your sensitivity in advance. This means the tickling sensation doesn’t fully register.



Kilteni highlights this effect to explain why externally generated touches feel more intense and unpredictable. Your brain filters out sensations it can predict, so it can stay alert to unfamiliar or potentially harmful stimuli. 



This internal filtering system is essential for reacting quickly to surprises - like a sudden poke or a crawling insect. It also plays a role in understanding the difference between self and other, which is crucial for social interaction and personal awareness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-evolutionary-mystery">An evolutionary mystery </h2>



Some people can’t stop laughing when tickled. Others barely flinch. This may depend on genetics, skin sensitivity, brain wiring, or even personality traits like extroversion. 



Children are usually more ticklish, possibly because it helps them learn body awareness and humor.



Tickling may have served many roles. One theory says it taught children to protect sensitive body parts. Another sees it as a way to build social bonds. Some scientists say it's just a reflex - like sneezing. But no theory has been proven.



Tickling might even have sexual or emotional dimensions. “Tickle sensations can only be induced by people with whom we have close social relationships,” noted Kilteni. The same touch from a stranger would likely feel unpleasant.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-tools-and-ideas-for-future-research">New tools and ideas for future research</h2>



The review proposes three key challenges: defining what tickling really is, recreating it reliably in labs, and mapping its brain mechanisms. 



Kilteni’s solution is to use automated tools like robots or haptic devices. This helps remove human error and makes the tickling consistent.



She also encourages combining physical, emotional, and brain data to better understand the experience. Future work may use imaging techniques to track exactly what happens from skin to brain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-still-laughing-still-wondering">Still laughing, still wondering</h2>



From Plato to PET scans, tickling has fascinated thinkers for millennia. Yet it remains one of the least understood sensations.



Thanks to researchers like Kilteni, that may soon change. “We are only at the very beginning of this journey," she said. 



With better tools and clearer definitions, tickling might soon reveal more about emotion, evolution, and how the brain tells self from other.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt0350" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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After centuries of debate, we still don't know how tickling works

Most of us have laughed uncontrollably when tickled. Yet almost...

Songbirds crossing the U.S. Midwest face challenges beyond distance. A new study reveals that the Corn Belt functions as a significant obstacle during migration. The research draws comparisons between this agricultural zone and the Gulf of Mexico.



The researchers analyzed five years of radar data from 47 stations across the eastern United States. 



The results show that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-with-longer-migrations-have-greater-genetic-diversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">birds</a> change their flight behavior to cross the Corn Belt, which has lost over 76% of its original forests and grasslands since the 1850s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birds-fly-faster-to-cross-the-corn-belt">Birds fly faster to cross the Corn Belt</h2>



"Birds are showing clear behavioral changes when crossing this agricultural landscape compared to more forested landscapes," said lead author Fengyi Guo, postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cornell Lab of Ornithology</a>.



Birds flying over the Corn Belt reached speeds averaging 6.9 m/s in spring and 6.4 m/s in autumn. That’s faster than their flight speeds over the eastern forest, which were 4.7 m/s and 5.5 m/s respectively. 



The birds also showed a strong preference for tailwinds, selecting conditions with up to 65% better support compared to more forested <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-migration-is-influenced-by-social-relationships/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">regions</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tailwinds-help-birds-save-energy">Tailwinds help birds save energy</h2>



Selection for tailwind is a smart energy-saving strategy. Birds adjust their timing and altitude to catch favorable winds. 



This tactic, previously seen in desert and ocean crossings, now appears during flight over the Corn Belt. Such adaptation reduces energy costs and shortens flight time.



"Still, we found that birds tend to concentrate in areas with more forest cover within the Corn Belt, highlighting how important these remaining woodlands are for migrating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-navigate-using-clues-from-earths-magnetic-field/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">birds</a>," Guo added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forest-patches-offer-resting-points">Forest patches offer resting points</h2>



Though the Corn Belt poses difficulties, it's not an uninterrupted barrier. Birds use remaining patches of deciduous forest as stopover points. These small patches - sometimes less than 5% of the surrounding landscape - become crucial.



“For those birds that do not cross the Corn Belt in a single flight, the radar pattern also shows that they are more likely to make stops in areas with more forest cover within the Corn Belt,” said Guo.



This pattern was consistent during both spring and autumn <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-benefit-from-social-networks-during-migration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">migrations</a>. Stopover rates increased as birds approached the end of the Corn Belt, suggesting they rest after crossing longer stretches of inhospitable terrain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-behavior-in-the-corn-belt">Bird behavior in the Corn Belt </h2>



The Gulf of Mexico requires a nonstop flight of 15 to 35 hours. Birds landing on the Gulf Coast often do so immediately after this effort. In contrast, the Corn Belt allows for mid-journey stops, which makes it less extreme.



However, the study showed that birds still changed behavior in similar ways. The birds flew faster and made calculated use of wind when crossing both regions. 



Unlike the Gulf, SPR (stopover-to-passage ratio) patterns were weaker in the Corn Belt, likely due to its patchy forest remnants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lost-forests-and-bird-migration">Lost forests and bird migration</h2>



From 1630 to 2020, forest cover in the Corn Belt dropped from 63.4 percent to just 19 percent.



Grasslands also declined, replaced by cropland now dominating 51.1 percent of the region. These changes forced birds to adapt to a more fragmented and challenging environment.



Additional cropland expansion since the 2000s has likely made things worse. The conversion continues, pushing birds to rely even more on the few forest remnants that remain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conservation-a-clear-path-forward">Conservation: A clear path forward</h2>



"With continuing agricultural expansion and coastal development, both the Corn Belt and Gulf Coast are becoming increasingly challenging for migrating birds," said co-author Adriaan Dokter, research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.



The authors urge stronger protection of forest patches in both regions. Deciduous forests provide essential rest and refueling opportunities. 



While many hotspots along the Gulf and Midwest are unprotected, they support billions of birds each year.



Guo and team also suggest targeting underperforming farmland for habitat restoration. Some croplands yield low returns and could support reforestation without major impact on food production.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-corn-belt-affects-how-birds-migrate">Corn Belt affects how birds migrate</h2>



Not all birds use the same approach. Radar data suggest two main strategies across the Corn Belt: nonstop crossings and flights with intermittent stopovers in forest-rich zones. Both depend on access to suitable patches for rest and recovery.



The researchers recommend more field studies to explore species-specific strategies and the physiological costs of crossing this altered landscape.



This study confirms what radar, birds, and landscapes have hinted at for years. The Corn Belt, transformed by human hands, now acts as a migration barrier. 



Birds adapt with faster flights and smarter wind use. But without preserving the forest islands they depend on, those adaptations may fall short in the years ahead.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.70070" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Conservation Biology</a>.



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Vanishing forests make bird migration harder across the Corn Belt

Songbirds crossing the U.S. Midwest face challenges beyond distance. A...

Every year, on the last Wednesday of May, we observe World Otter Day - a time to honor these remarkable animals and recognize the growing challenges they face.



Otters have charmed humans for centuries. Their playful antics make them captivating to watch. But these charismatic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-otter-populations-thrive-when-sea-stars-vanish-from-an-area-but-why/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a> are also indicators of ecosystem health. Where otters live and flourish, biodiversity tends to follow.



In many parts of the world, otters are vanishing silently due to pollution, habitat destruction, and poaching. World Otter Day reminds us that their protection is not optional. It is essential.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shared-risks-across-species">Shared risks across species</h2>



Otters are widespread. They live on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. There are 13 known species. These range from the&nbsp;giant otter, which lives in the Amazon and is known for its size and loud vocalizations, to the&nbsp;sea otter, which floats in cold Pacific waters and is famous for using rocks to crack shellfish. 



Otters are carnivorous and hunt live prey. They catch fish, frogs, crabs, and other small aquatic animals. 



But food isn’t their only need. Otters also require a clean, undisturbed habitat. That means water free of pollution, shores not torn up by development, and ecosystems where prey species still exist. 



When otters start disappearing, it often goes unnoticed, but their disappearance signals serious environmental trouble. 



If otters leave, it's likely because the water is polluted, the fish are gone, or the area has been disturbed. Their absence is a silent alarm for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/otters-have-the-ability-to-restore-delicate-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystem</a> imbalance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-when-otters-leave">What happens when otters leave</h2>



Otters do more than just swim and hunt. They shape the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-otters-use-tools-to-access-larger-prey-and-protect-their-teeth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a> around them. Sea otters, for example, keep sea urchin populations in check. Without them, urchins destroy kelp forests. With them, the kelp returns, and so do fish, birds, and even whales.



River otters, though smaller, are no less powerful. They stop invasive species from spreading. They dig dens into banks, which offer homes to birds, insects, and small mammals.



In short, otters keep everything flowing the way it should. But when they’re gone, the water tells the story. Riverbanks crumble. Fish populations crash. Pests take over. Entire systems begin to break down.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-otters-face-threats-from-human-activity">Otters face threats from human activity</h2>



Otters have many threats. Most come from us. Once, people hunted them for fur, which drove many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-otters-have-protected-california-kelp-forests-for-a-century/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> close to extinction. 



Now, a different danger has taken over. In parts of Asia, smugglers steal baby otters from the wild. They sell them online as exotic pets. Many die before anyone buys them. Their mothers often die trying to fight off the poachers.



Pollution doesn’t spare them either. Farms leak chemicals into rivers, fish die and otters go hungry. Plastics float everywhere. Oil spills cover their fur, destroying the warmth they need to survive cold water.



Then there’s construction. Dams flood their dens. Roads and buildings break apart their hunting grounds. Rivers no longer flow the way they should. Otters end up trapped in shrinking, isolated patches.



And hanging over it all is climate change. Food becomes scarce, temperatures shift and seasons no longer follow the rules. For otters, the pressure never lets up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-conservation-efforts">Global conservation efforts </h2>



There’s good news too. Around the world, people are fighting to protect otters. In the UK, otters once nearly vanished. Water pollution and hunting pushed them to the edge. But cleaner rivers, legal protection, and habitat recovery brought them back.



Today, they swim in places where they hadn’t been seen for decades. Groups like the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wildlife Trusts</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/otter-project/about-us/funder-links/environment-agency" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Otter Project at the Environment Agency</a>&nbsp;have played a role in their return.



In the U.S., reintroduction programs helped river otters return to regions like Missouri and Indiana. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fws.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">US Fish and Wildlife Service</a>&nbsp;worked with local communities to restore habitat, reduce traps, and track success.



In South America, ecotourism plays a surprising role. In Peru’s&nbsp;Tambopata National Reserve, tourists come to see giant otters. Their money helps pay for patrols, education programs, and jobs that don’t require cutting down the forest.



Conservation doesn’t need to be huge to matter. Sometimes, one small act protects a whole population.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-take-action-on-world-otter-day">Take action on World Otter Day </h2>



When it comes to taking action on World Otter Day, your choices echo farther than you think. Choose seafood from sustainable sources. Overfishing hurts otters because it shrinks their food supply.



Buy less plastic. It keeps waterways cleaner and reduces the risk of entanglement or poisoning. Support wetland restoration projects. Even donations as small as a few dollars can rebuild homes for these animals.



Avoid spreading pet otter videos on social media. Many of those clips come from the illegal wildlife trade. 



You can adopt an otter symbolically through the <a href="https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/North-American-River-Otter?sc=AWY1800OQ18352A01768RX&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23401866&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw6NrBBhB6EiwAvnT_rsqMG3d951CdMry9nlQRs7QBPNhcBuDECd98jWljFpXobHIYGXScBRoCac4QAvD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Wildlife Fund</a>. The money goes straight to education, research, and protection efforts.



And finally, spread awareness. The goal is to inspire action and promote a deeper appreciation for otters. To amplify your message, you can share information on social media using #WorldOtterDay.



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World Otter Day 2025: On the front lines of a habitat crisis

Every year, on the last Wednesday of May, we observe...

The air around us isn’t empty. It carries molecules, gases, and invisible particles that interact with everything they touch - including us. 



Scientists have long known that humans emit chemicals and react with the air around them. But a new discovery adds depth to that understanding. It turns out that when we apply perfume or lotion, we may be changing our personal airspace more than we realize.



This discovery comes from a detailed international study led by researchers from the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/institutes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Max Planck Institute</a>, Penn State, and other institutions. 



The study reveals how common personal care products disturb the “human oxidation field” - a kind of protective chemical zone that forms around people indoors. And its disruption could have consequences for both health and indoor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/home-fragrances-impact-indoor-air-quality-and-the-health-risks-are-alarming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">air</a> quality.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-our-bodies-create-a-chemical-barrier">Our bodies create a chemical barrier</h2>



When people are indoors, their bodies interact with ozone - a common air <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-fryers-crowned-the-least-polluting-kitchen-appliance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollutant</a> that comes in from the outside. This interaction produces highly reactive molecules called hydroxyl radicals, or OH.



These radicals react with pollutants, helping neutralize them in the air close to the skin and in the breathing zone.



“Think of people as candlelight, our body temperature is typically the warmest thing in the indoor environment,” said Donghyun Rim, associate professor at <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State</a>. This warmth draws air inward, allowing chemical reactions to happen close to the body. 



The reactions form an invisible but vital air-cleaning layer called the human oxidation field, which reduces the chances of breathing in harmful ozone and other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nanoplastics-can-alter-the-course-of-antibiotics-within-our-body/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollutants</a>. But personal care products like lotions and perfumes interfere with this protective process.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lotion-reduces-the-air-cleaning-field">Lotion reduces the air-cleaning field</h2>



Volunteers in the study sat in a special chamber with and without applying lotion. The lotion they used was unscented and contained linoleic acid and phenoxyethanol, a common preservative.



The findings were striking. With ozone in the room, applying lotion caused a 170% spike in OH reactivity. That led to a 140% drop in OH concentration near the skin.



Phenoxyethanol, a volatile component in the lotion, absorbed many of the radicals. It became the main reason for the increased OH loss. 



The lotion also diluted skin oils, reducing the availability of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-buildings-used-passive-cooling-methods-to-reduce-heat-with-out-air-conditioning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">compounds</a> like squalene that normally produce OH radicals when reacting with ozone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-perfume-hits-the-air-shield-quickly">Perfume hits the air shield quickly</h2>



The fragrance used in the test was a popular unisex scent dominated by ethanol and monoterpenes. Ethanol, which made up more than 99% of the gas-phase emissions, suppressed the OH field quickly.



Shortly after volunteers sprayed the fragrance on their hands, ethanol and monoterpenes spiked near their heads - up to 10 times the surrounding air levels.



This led to a sharp drop in OH levels - an 86% loss - though the effect didn’t last long. As ethanol evaporated quickly, the indoor air started to recover.



When both products were used together, their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-activities-are-weakening-earths-air-circulation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">effects</a> added up. Fragrances caused an immediate disruption. Lotions extended the impact over time.



Ethanol and phenoxyethanol released into the air followed the body’s thermal plume. Concentrations stayed highest near the face and chest. That means the breathing zone - the air you actually inhale - was most affected.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lotion-compounds-alter-the-air">Lotion compounds alter the air</h2>



Hydroxyl radicals clean indoor air. But if personal care products remove them, pollutants stay longer. They can transform into new chemicals that stick around and get into your lungs.



The study also modeled real-world impacts. It showed that lotion and fragrance users emit more reactive compounds. These alter the surrounding air in ways that may affect other people in the same room.



Children and people with asthma may be especially vulnerable. Some chemical reactions produce tiny airborne particles that penetrate deep into the lungs. 



These secondary products can also form sticky films on surfaces, adding to indoor exposure through skin contact or dust.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-personal-care-indoors">Rethinking personal care indoors</h2>



Even fragrance-free products can change indoor chemistry. The lotion used in this study had no added scent, yet it still disrupted the air's oxidation field. That’s because compounds like phenoxyethanol and fatty acids still react with ozone.



Commercial perfumes are even more potent because of their ethanol content. While essential oils like linalool also react, their effects are smaller if no ethanol is present.



This research raises important questions. Indoor air quality isn’t just about what we spray in the air. It’s also about what we wear on our skin.



Understanding how our products change the chemistry around us may lead to better indoor air standards. It may also influence future product formulations. Until then, a lotion or spritz of perfume might be doing more than you think.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads7908" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Perfume and lotion disrupt body's natural air cleaning system 

The air around us isn’t empty. It carries molecules, gases,...

Long before Earth formed its first continents, Jupiter was already the colossus that would shape the solar system. 



The newborn gas giant’s immense gravity sculpted the swirling disk of gas and dust around the infant Sun, carving gaps, nudging smaller worlds into stable orbits, and locking in the broad structure we see today. Yet the planet’s early history has been hard to pin down. 



A new study provides the clearest picture so far of Jupiter’s primordial size, spin, and magnetic power - and in doing so sheds light on the wider story of how our planetary neighborhood emerged.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jupiter-the-solar-system-s-engineer">Jupiter: The solar system’s engineer</h2>



Konstantin Batygin of <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caltech</a> and Fred C. Adams of the <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a> describe Jupiter’s gravity as the solar system’s “architect.” 



Once the planet reached critical mass, its pull shaped everything from Mercury’s tight path around the Sun to the icy debris fields beyond Neptune.



Knowing exactly when and how Jupiter bulked up therefore helps researchers explain why the solar system is arranged the way it is.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jupiter-s-earliest-moments">Jupiter's earliest moments</h2>



Most attempts to reconstruct that history rely on complex simulations that track how a rocky embryo accretes gas, an exercise sensitive to assumptions about nebular chemistry, heat, and turbulence.



Batygin and Adams took a different tack. They focused on a moment about 3.8 million years after the first solid grains, called calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions, condensed in the proto-solar nebula.



By then, the Sun’s surrounding gas was dissipating, and Jupiter had finished most of its growth. The key evidence, they realized, lay not in Jupiter itself but in the tiny moons <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amalthea-jupiter-tiny-moon-captured-juno-spacecraft/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amalthea</a> and Thebe.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clues-from-two-small-moons">Clues from two small moons</h2>



Amalthea and Thebe orbit even closer to Jupiter than the volcanic moon Io. Both follow slightly tilted paths - tiny wobbles that carry a record of the planet’s once-larger girth.



Batygin and Adams analyzed those inclinations using the laws of celestial mechanics. They calculated that early Jupiter’s radius was about twice its current size, giving it a swollen volume equivalent to more than 2,000 Earths.



This bloated state resembles the “puffy” juvenile <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-gas-planets-are-cosmic-wrecking-balls-that-wreak-havoc-in-habitable-zones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gas giants</a> now being spotted around young stars, providing a neat bridge between extrasolar findings and our own system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-supercharged-young-jupiter">A supercharged young Jupiter</h2>



The same calculations reveal an astonishing magnetic field. In its youth, Jupiter’s dynamo would have generated magnetism roughly 50 times stronger than the field measured by NASA’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/juno-reveals-dancing-cyclones-on-jupiter-and-magma-on-its-fiery-moon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Juno</a> spacecraft today.



Such power implies a fiercely boiling metallic-hydrogen interior and an even faster spin rate than Jupiter’s already rapid 10-hour day.



“It’s astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years, enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter’s physical state at the dawn of its existence,” Adams said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-puzzle-of-early-planet-formation">The puzzle of early planet formation</h2>



Timing matters because the end of the nebular phase is locked in the solar system’s architecture. After solar radiation cleared hydrogen and helium, giant planets stopped growing and their migration through the solar system slowed. 



The small bodies that would become asteroids and comets then settled into their niches. Capturing Jupiter’s properties at that exact juncture gives modelers a firm boundary condition for future simulations.



“Our ultimate goal is to understand where we come from, and pinning down the early phases of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-formation-new-insights-mechanics-physics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">planet formation</a> is essential to solving the puzzle,” Batygin said. “This brings us closer to understanding how not only Jupiter but the entire solar system took shape.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beating-the-usual-uncertainties">Beating the usual uncertainties</h2>



Crucially, the team’s method sidesteps the biggest unknowns in standard formation models: gas opacity, accretion rates, and the elusive mass of Jupiter’s rocky-icy core.



Instead, they used directly measurable quantities - the orbital tilts of the inner moons and the conservation of angular momentum. 



That approach gives an “independent constraint” that any successful theory of Jupiter’s origin now has to match.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jupiter-may-have-altered-other-planets">Jupiter may have altered other planets</h2>



Current consensus holds that gas giants form via core accretion: once a protoplanet amasses about ten Earth masses of rock and ice, it gravitationally sucks in a vast envelope of hydrogen and helium.



Caltech’s Dave Stevenson helped pioneer that idea. The new findings support the model but refine its timeline and physical parameters, showing that Jupiter remained inflated for several million years before cooling and contracting to its present size.



That window may have been long enough for the planet to alter the paths of Saturn, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/claim-uranus-and-neptune-have-oceans-5000-miles-deep/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Uranus, and Neptune</a>, and to fling countless icy bodies into the outer reaches where the Oort Cloud now dwells.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolution-of-the-solar-system">Evolution of the solar system</h2>



Batygin is the first to admit that the very first moments - how and where the giant’s initial core formed - are still murky. Nonetheless, the study nails down what the planet looked like at the most critical transition in solar history.



“What we’ve established here is a valuable benchmark,” he said. “A point from which we can more confidently reconstruct the evolution of our solar system.”



By decoding the faint gravitational fingerprints left on two tiny moons, astronomers have opened a window onto the early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astronomers-announce-evidence-suggesting-that-our-solar-system-has-nine-planets-again/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">solar system</a>. 



That window reveals a young Jupiter twice its current size, wrapped in a magnetic cocoon fifty times stronger than today’s. It was steering the chaos of the proto-planetary disk toward the ordered family of worlds we now call home.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02512-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Astronomy</a>.



Image Credit: K. Batygin



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Jupiter’s past: How the young gas giant shaped our solar system

Long before Earth formed its first continents, Jupiter was already...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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;



---



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://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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