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...

ADHD is often seen through the lens of restless behavior in children or difficulty focusing at school. But the condition carries consequences that extend far beyond the classroom. 



Without treatment, people with ADHD face higher <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-plastics-chemical-bpa-linked-to-autism-adhd-in-children/">risks</a> of substance misuse, accidents, and even criminal convictions. These outcomes can ripple through lives, affecting families, communities, and broader society.



A new Swedish study now provides strong evidence that medication does more than ease classroom struggles - it protects against some of the most serious risks linked to ADHD.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protective-benefits-of-adhd-medication">Protective benefits of ADHD medication</h2>



A large Swedish study has shown that people with ADHD who take prescribed medication face fewer serious risks in their lives. 



Among 150,000 individuals, researchers found lower rates of suicidal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/autism-and-adhd-disorders-directly-linked-amount-of-time-kids-spend-on-screens/">behaviors</a>, substance misuse, criminal convictions, accidental injuries, and road accidents. 



While earlier studies hinted at such outcomes, this work provides stronger evidence based on rigorous trial emulation methods.



“This is the best approach, the closest to a randomized trial,” said Zheng Chang at the <a href="https://ki.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Karolinska Institute</a> in Sweden.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-immediate-symptoms">Beyond immediate symptoms</h2>



When doctors and families consider ADHD medication, they often focus only on classroom or work performance. Yet untreated ADHD can carry consequences far beyond school challenges.



“When drugs are considered for managing ADHD, the wider consequences of not taking them can be overlooked,” said Samuele Cortese at the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a>. 



Parents may see day-to-day academic issues but overlook how treatment may prevent more severe problems later in life.



“If you don’t treat ADHD, there are risks,” he says. “Now we have evidence that treatment reduces these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/acetaminophen-use-during-pregnancy-linked-to-adhd-risk/">risks</a>.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evidence-from-real-world-data">Evidence from real-world data</h2>



ADHD is linked not just to inattention and impulsivity, but also to higher risks of injury, substance misuse, and even criminal behaviour. Randomized controlled trials confirm drugs reduce core symptoms but rarely examine these broader impacts.



To address this, researchers used a method called target trial emulation. By analyzing Sweden’s national health, legal, and population registers, they replicated the design principles of a trial within real-world data.



This approach improves reliability by comparing those who began ADHD medication within three months of diagnosis to those who did not. It reflects routine clinical settings, making the results more relevant for everyday patients and families.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adhd-medications-lower-suicide-nbsp">ADHD medications lower suicide&nbsp;</h2>



Medication was linked with a 17 percent reduction in suicidal behaviors and a 15 percent drop in road accidents. Substance misuse fell by about 25 percent, while criminal convictions declined by a similar proportion. 



The reduction in accidental injuries was modest for first events but more noticeable when looking at repeated incidents.



For people with a history of such <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toddler-screen-time-linked-to-atypical-sensory-behaviors/">issues</a>, the benefits were even stronger. Those previously involved in substance misuse or crime saw greater risk reductions when on medication. Stimulant drugs, such as methylphenidate, produced larger effects than non-stimulants.



“It’s always helpful to know if medications can impact daily life beyond reducing symptoms,” said Adam Guastella at the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sydney</a>. 



“This information is also important for governments to help policy-makers understand the potential benefits of treatment for broader society, such as mental health or criminal outcomes.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-medication-makes-a-difference">Why medication makes a difference</h2>



The BMJ study suggests ADHD drugs may reduce impulsivity and improve attention, which in turn lowers risky behaviors. 



For instance, better focus can help drivers avoid accidents, while reduced impulsivity may lower aggressive actions that lead to criminality.



The researchers noted that while randomized trials often exclude half of ADHD patients typically seen in clinics, this emulation study included a wide population across ages 6 to 64. This makes the findings more representative of real-world cases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adhd-medication-and-safer-futures">ADHD medication and safer futures</h2>



These results show that ADHD medication is not just about managing symptoms in the classroom. Treatment may help shape safer and healthier futures, reducing risks that affect both individuals and society. 



The evidence also highlights the importance of stimulants as first-line options, a recommendation supported by current clinical guidelines.



If you or someone you know struggles with suicidal thoughts, support is available. In the UK, call Samaritans at 116123. In the US, dial 988 for the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline. For international resources, visit <a href="http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj-2024-083658" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The BMJ</a>.



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ADHD medication lowers risks of suicide, accidents, and crime

ADHD is often seen through the lens of restless behavior...

Modern technology brings convenience, but it also opens new doors for surveillance. Smartphones, once trusted as private communication devices, now pose risks that go beyond hacking or data breaches - their internal vibrations can actually expose what’s being said during a call.



This possibility prompted researchers to explore how silent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/taking-a-smartphone-break-can-improve-your-life-in-surprising-ways/">signals</a> might still give away conversations. The results highlight both the advances of science and the fragile balance between technological innovation and personal privacy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-surveillance-concern">A new surveillance concern</h2>



A new form of surveillance called “wireless-tapping” is raising questions about phone call security. Researchers at Penn State demonstrated that it is possible to transcribe phone conversations by detecting tiny vibrations from a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-and-smartphones-what-we-now-know-about-the-hidden-impacts/">cellphone</a>’s earpiece. 



Using radar measurements taken up to three meters away, they achieved transcription accuracy of about 60% when dealing with a vocabulary of 10,000 words. While still imperfect, the findings highlight potential risks for personal privacy in the digital age.



This study builds on earlier work in 2022, where the team used radar sensors and recognition software to identify specific words, letters, and numbers with up to 83% accuracy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-capturing-phone-vibrations-with-radar">Capturing phone vibrations with radar</h2>



“When we talk on a cellphone, we tend to ignore the vibrations that come through the earpiece and cause the whole phone to vibrate,” said first author Suryoday Basak, doctoral candidate in computer science from <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pennsylvania State University</a>.



“If we capture these same vibrations using remote radars and bring in machine learning to help us learn what is being said, using context clues, we can determine whole conversations. By understanding what is possible, we can help the public be aware of the potential risks.”



Basak and his adviser, Professor Mahanth Gowda, used a millimeter-wave radar sensor similar to those in self-driving cars and 5G networks. The goal was to anticipate how such tools could be misused, even though their current setup was only experimental. 



To interpret the vibrations, they customized “Whisper,” an open-source AI-powered speech recognition model, to process radar data into readable transcriptions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wireless-tapping-with-ai-adaptation">Wireless tapping with AI adaptation</h2>



“Over the last three years, there’s been a huge explosion in AI capabilities and open-source speech recognition models,” Basak said. 



“We can use these models, but they are catered more toward clean speech or everyday use cases, so we have to adapt them to recognize low quality, ‘noisy’ radar data.”



Instead of retraining Whisper entirely, they used a technique called low-rank adaptation. This method let them fine-tune only about one percent of the model’s parameters for radar-specific data. 



By doing so, the researchers made the system more effective without requiring massive computing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eye-strain-in-young-adults-is-linked-to-the-type-of-content-consumed/">resources</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-phone-vibrations-to-transcriptions">Phone vibrations to transcriptions</h2>



To test their approach, the team placed a millimeter-wave radar sensor a few feet away from a phone while speech played back through the earpiece. 



The radar captured surface vibrations, and the AI system transformed these signals into text with about 60% accuracy. 



The accuracy improved further when context-based manual corrections were applied, such as adjusting predicted phrases with prior knowledge of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/digital-distraction-the-real-culprit-isnt-your-phone/">conversation</a>.



“The result was transcriptions of conversations, with an expectation of some errors, which was a marked improvement from our 2022 version, which outputs only a few words,” Gowda said. “But even picking up partial matches for speech, such as keywords, are useful in a security context.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-comparisons-to-lip-reading">Comparisons to lip reading</h2>



The researchers compared their model to lip reading, where people interpret about 30% to 40% of spoken words. By combining partial recognition with contextual knowledge, meaningful understanding can still emerge.



“Similar to how lip readers can use limited information to interpret conversations, the output of our model combined with contextual information can allow us to infer parts of a phone conversation from a few meters away,” Basak said. 



“The goal of our work was to explore whether these tools could potentially be used by bad actors to eavesdrop on phone conversations from a distance."



"Our findings suggest that this is technically feasible under certain conditions, and we hope this raises public awareness so people can be more mindful during sensitive calls.”



The research received support from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. National Science Foundation</a>.



The team presented the study at the Proceedings of WiSec 2025: 18th ACM Conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks.



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Smartphones may 'leak' conversations through vibrations

Modern technology brings convenience, but it also opens new doors...

A cave stalagmite has captured a season-by-season record of rain shortfalls during the final centuries of the Classic Maya. The stone’s chemical layers show eight wet-season droughts between 871 and 1021 CE, including one that dragged on for 13 consecutive years.



The pattern aligns with the era’s political turmoil and the halt of monument building at key cities.



Led by the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a>, a new study examined a cave in Mexico’s Yucatán, and managed to isolate rainfall in individual wet and dry seasons across the Terminal Classic period. 



This research adds a precise climate timeline to the historical and archaeological evidence for the Maya collapse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rainfall-recorded-in-rock">Rainfall recorded in rock</h2>



Stalagmites grow as mineral-rich water drips from cave ceilings and hardens on the floor. Each layer traps a chemical snapshot of the conditions outside. In this case, oxygen isotope ratios record how much rain fell when a given layer formed.



Earlier work measured lake sediments to gauge <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/droughts-and-extreme-weather-events-are-escalating/">drought</a> severity. Those cores are powerful, but they blur events across longer spans. 



This stalagmite is different. Its annual layers are relatively thick, about one millimeter, allowing the team to pull apart the rainy and dry seasons year by year.



“It hasn’t been possible to directly compare the history of individual Maya sites with what we previously knew about the<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-glaciers-are-destroying-a-valuable-record-of-earths-climate/"> climate record</a>,” said lead author Daniel James, who conducted the research while a Ph.D. student in Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences.



“Lake sediment is great when you want to look at the big picture, but stalagmites allow us to access the fine-grained detail that we’ve been missing.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crops-and-cities-under-strain">Crops and cities under strain</h2>



For farmers, annual averages can be misleading. What matters is the rainy season. If those months fail, harvests fail. 



The new record therefore tracks wet-season drought directly, identifying differences between subsistence and scarcity.



“Knowing the annual average <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-changing-rainfall-patterns-impact-plants-worldwide/">rainfall</a> doesn’t tell you as much as knowing what each individual wet season was like,” James said. 



“Being able to isolate the wet season allows us to accurately track the duration of wet season drought, which is what determines if crops succeed or fail.”



Between 871 and 1021 CE, the stalagmite registered eight wet-season droughts that lasted at least three years. The longest persisted for 13 years. 



Even with reservoirs, canals, and cisterns, a deficit that long would strain food stores, trade, and social order.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-s-mark-on-maya-politics">Climate’s mark on Maya politics</h2>



The Terminal Classic saw southern lowland cities emptied and dynasties ended. Power shifted north, and monument programs faltered. The new drought timeline overlaps those disruptions.



“This period in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mayan-civilization-may-have-been-shaped-by-ingenious-fisheries/">Maya history</a> has been a cause of fascination for centuries," James explained. "There have been multiple theories as to what caused the collapse, such as changing trade routes, war, or severe drought, based on the archaeological evidence the Maya left behind.”



“But in the past few decades, we’ve started to learn quite a lot about what happened to the Maya and why by combining the archaeological data with quantifiable climate evidence.”



At major northern sites, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chichén Itzá</a>, the carving of dated inscriptions stopped during severe, prolonged droughts. While that does not prove abandonment, it certainly marks a pivot in priorities.



“This doesn’t necessarily mean that the Maya abandoned Chichén Itzá during these periods of severe drought, but it’s likely that they had more immediate things to worry about than constructing monuments, such as whether the crops they relied on would succeed or not,” James said. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seasonal-view-of-the-maya-collapse">Seasonal view of the Maya collapse</h2>



Starting in the 1990s, researchers linked a series of droughts to the Maya collapse by comparing regional climate proxies with the dates on monuments.



The new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-americas-13000-years/">stalagmite record</a> builds on that foundation. It delivers the fine-grained detail that bridges climate processes and human decisions at specific places and times.



Researchers noted that earlier studies based on lake sediments offered a broad regional view, but lacked the resolution to pinpoint changes within specific years or seasons. 



Stalagmites, by contrast, allow researchers to match climate shifts to historical events more precisely.



By aligning wet-season failures with changes in building, ritual, and rule, scholars can test how drought pressure unfolded, how cities adapted, and when systems failed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-drought-in-the-record">Beyond drought in the record</h2>



The team, which includes collaborators in the UK, U.S., and Mexico, argues that stalagmites from this and other Yucatán caves can do more. 



They could capture the fingerprints of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-tropical-thunderstorms-are-radioactive/">tropical storms</a> as well as drought, widening the environmental context for Maya history.



“In addition to what stalagmites can tell us about this period in Maya history, they might also be able to tell us about the frequency and severity of tropical storms, for instance,” James said.



“As a case study for fine-grained comparisons between climate and historical data, it’s exciting being able to apply methods usually associated with the deeper past to relatively recent history.”



James, now a postdoctoral researcher at <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University College London</a>, said the next step is to expand the cave network and tighten links to site-by-site archaeology. 



The goal is a shared chronology that can help bring into focus the full sequence of droughts, decisions, and decline.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw7661" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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What caused the collapse of Maya civilization? The answer was hidden in a cave

A cave stalagmite has captured a season-by-season record of rain...

According to textbooks, humans lost the ability to make vitamin C because our diet provided enough of it. However, research in animals suggests this loss might have helped our ancestors fight certain parasites.



Most animals produce vitamin C using an enzyme called GULO. About 60 to 70 million years ago, a mutation in our primate ancestors disabled the GULO gene. 



The same mutation has occurred in other animals, such as many bats and some rodents, including guinea pigs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-harm-no-evolutionary-foul">No harm, no evolutionary foul</h2>



The common explanation in biology is that if animals get enough vitamin C from their regular diet, losing the ability to make it internally causes no harm. 



In such cases, a mutation in the GULO enzyme, which is responsible for producing vitamin C, would not reduce the animal’s chances of survival or reproduction.



Because the mutation does not create a disadvantage, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lifes-rules-natural-selection-change-significantly-often-daphnia/">natural selection</a> would not act to protect or restore the functioning gene. 



Over time, this change is seen as a neutral event in evolutionary terms - neither helping nor hurting the species in a significant way.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vitamin-c-s-stem-cell-link">Vitamin C’s stem cell link</h2>



In 2017, Michalis Agathocleous at the University of Texas <a href="https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southwestern Medical Center</a> started to question whether this explanation told the whole story.



His research team discovered that vitamin C plays a crucial role in the health and function of blood-forming stem cells, which are essential for producing new blood cells.



The finding raised an important question: if the ability to produce vitamin C internally is truly unnecessary for animals that consume plenty of it, why do so many species with naturally vitamin-C-rich <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-finds-vitamin-e-is-the-key-to-saving-sea-cucumbers-from-extinction/">diets</a> still keep a fully working GULO enzyme? 



This puzzle suggested there might be other evolutionary pressures or benefits influencing the retention of the gene.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-hidden-evolutionary-edge">A hidden evolutionary edge</h2>



One difference is that animals with the enzyme keep vitamin C levels constant in their blood. Humans, however, see fluctuations, with levels dropping significantly during food shortages.



If making vitamin C offers benefits, why lose the ability? One evolutionary explanation is disease protection. Some traits disappear because losing them helps <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/taking-vitamin-d-supplements-may-add-years-to-your-life/">survival</a>.



Agathocleous’s colleagues later found that schistosome flatworms, which cause schistosomiasis, lay more eggs when given extra vitamin C.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-the-parasite-protection-theory">Testing the parasite protection theory</h2>



These parasites enter through the skin and mature inside animals. The symptoms often come from immune reactions to their eggs.



To test the idea, researchers deleted the GULO gene in mice. When fed a low-vitamin C diet, these mice resisted infection symptoms and did not pass eggs after exposure to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/schistosomiasis-treatment-new-compound-more-effective/">schistosomes</a>. Mice with the enzyme shed many eggs and mostly died.



“What we have done is provide evidence that there is a benefit,” said Agathocleous. While proof of positive selection in our ancestors is impossible, the results make it plausible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-theory-tied-to-gene-loss">Theory tied to gene loss</h2>



Recent theoretical work suggests that losing certain biosynthetic abilities, like vitamin C production, may result from evolutionary trade-offs. 



If an environmental source of the nutrient is reliable, natural selection might favor losing the costly metabolic pathway. In some cases, the loss could alter immune responses in ways that protect against specific pathogens.



Such changes can also influence the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbes-have-an-unexpected-link-to-anxiety/">gut microbiome</a>. Variations in nutrient availability can reshape microbial communities, affecting both immunity and metabolism. 



This interaction among diet, metabolism, and immunity may have played a role in shaping our evolutionary path.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vitamin-c-loss-aids-survival">Vitamin C loss aids survival</h2>



The theory also proposes that losing a metabolic function can reduce oxidative stress from overproduction of certain compounds. For vitamin C, this could mean avoiding excessive antioxidant levels that might disrupt normal immune signaling.



Over time, these subtle benefits could outweigh the disadvantages of dependency on dietary sources, especially in environments where vitamin-rich foods were abundant. 



In the case of our primate ancestors, the trade-off may have been a small price to pay for greater resilience against harmful parasites.



“While many textbooks do state this might be a ‘use or lose it’ situation for the gene GULO, many scientists, including me, believe that there is sufficient evidence to support an evolutionary advantage to this gene loss,” said Deborah Good at <a href="https://www.vt.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Virginia Tech</a>. “Parasite protection could be one of these.”



The study is published in <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.22.666193v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bioRxiv</a>.



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Scientists finally learned why human bodies stopped making vitamin C

According to textbooks, humans lost the ability to make vitamin...

Seeing the same picture more than once makes us more likely to believe it reflects reality. That holds for both photographs and AI-generated fakes. Repetition alone boosts perceived authenticity, even when nothing else changes.



A new international study led by <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tel Aviv University</a> along with collaborators from Germany, Belgium, and Spain tested this effect in controlled experiments with real and synthetic images. 



The study shows how a basic feature of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-simple-solutions-appeal-to-the-human-brain/">human psychology</a> can shape what we accept as true online. In feeds and stories, the same image may surface across multiple accounts and over several days. Each exposure nudges belief upward, showing that our eyes tend to trust what they recognize.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-familiarity-fools-us">Familiarity fools us</h2>



“The study is based on a well-known psychological phenomenon called the ‘mere exposure effect,’ which suggests that information that we encounter repeatedly is perceived as more credible," said lead author Guy Grinfeld, a psychologist at Tel Aviv University.



"In our research, we examined whether this effect also applies in the visual domain - specifically with images created using artificial intelligence algorithms.” 



This is the first study to demonstrate the mere exposure effect for images; until now, it had only been demonstrated for text. The findings raise concerns about the spread of false visual information on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-likes-have-a-strong-emotional-effect-on-young-people/">social media</a> and its influence on public perception. 



"As we like to summarize it, if until now the proverb went, ‘A lie told often enough becomes the truth,’ our study shows that ‘An image seen often enough becomes reality,” said Grinfeld.



Past research tied repetition to credibility for written claims. This study moves that logic to pictures. It asks a tight question with huge stakes in an AI era: Does mere exposure make visual content feel truer, even when it is fabricated?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-real-and-fake-images">Testing real and fake images</h2>



Participants viewed a series of images - some authentic photographs, others created by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-does-not-replace-human-creativity-but-enhances-it/">artificial intelligence.</a> Later, they saw a mix of repeated and new images and judged whether each depicted a real object, person, place, or event.



The results were clear: images seen before were rated as more credible than those viewed for the first time. This pattern held whether the image was a genuine photograph or a synthetic fake. Familiarity, not accuracy, drove belief.



One twist stood out - the repetition effect was stronger among the most skeptical participants, those who, on average, rated images as less credible overall.



Even they relied on repetition as a cue; when they had seen an image before, their guard dropped more than expected.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-algorithms-amplify-fake-images">Algorithms amplify fake images</h2>



The finding aligns closely with how platforms operate: algorithms prioritize engagement, popular posts recirculate, and communities echo the same visuals across channels.



People may encounter the same image repeatedly, often without context or attribution. With each pass, certainty hardens.



That’s a serious problem in the age of generative tools. It was once easier to “lie” with words than with pictures, but today a convincing image can be created in seconds.



The study shows that once such an image enters circulation, repetition alone can elevate its perceived truth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fakes-gain-power-by-repetition">Fakes gain power by repetition</h2>



The psychology involved in this study shows how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-sizes-are-growing-possibly-lowering-dementia-risk/">brains</a> process risk and noise and how recognition lowers cognitive load. 



The mind treats familiar cues as safer and more likely to be true, so in cluttered environments that shortcut helps us cope.



The authors note that the effect does not depend on technical realism. A well-made fake may deceive with detail, but even a mediocre fake can gain plausibility through repetition. This dynamic blurs the line between evidence and mere exposure.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-repetition-reshapes-reality">Repetition reshapes reality</h2>



Repeated fake image <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/digital-misinformation-rumors-spread-like-nuclear-reactions/">misinformation</a> can shape memory, attitudes, and decisions. It can sway opinions about people and events, seeding false “proof” that resurfaces during crises. Moreover, it can do all that without any single, definitive lie.



Post fewer duplicate images, clearly label synthetic or recycled ones, and strengthen media literacy so repetition is treated as a warning.



“In the era of social networks and digital media, we are constantly and involuntarily exposed to visual information,” Grinfeld said. “Whereas in the past it was easy to lie with words, today AI tools make it just as easy to ‘lie’ with images.”



“Our study reveals a troubling mechanism: people attribute higher credibility to visual information that is repeated, regardless of its veracity. This creates a dangerous combination - repeated exposure to false information can make it seem credible, simply through repetition.”



“The findings raise profound questions about how we process information, especially in an age of visual overload in social and news media.”



The takeaway is simple and unsettling: what we see again and again starts to feel real. That makes repetition a powerful force in public life. And it makes resisting it one of the hardest, most urgent tasks in the information age.



The findings are published in the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxlm0001505" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition</a>.



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Repeated fake images trick your brain into thinking they’re real

Seeing the same picture more than once makes us more...

Bryozoans are tiny marine animals that live in colonies and quietly build underwater structures on which many species depend. These little invertebrates often go unnoticed, even though their work is essential to life in the sea. Now, research shows that climate change may be pushing them past their limit.



A recent study from scientists at the <a href="https://www.icm.csic.es/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Institut de Ciències del Mar</a> (ICM-CSIC) takes a close look at how ocean acidification and warming are affecting bryozoans. 



The team focused on two species that play an important role in building marine habitats, including Myriapora truncata, also known as the “false coral.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bryozoans-build-marine-homes">Bryozoans build marine homes</h2>



Myriapora truncata forms complex, three-dimensional structures that give shelter to a variety of marine life. These aren’t true <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/corals-can-be-trained-to-endure-heat-stress/">corals</a>, but they serve a similar purpose - building habitats that other species rely on.



The researchers examined how this species, along with another type of encrusting bryozoan, responds to future ocean conditions. These include warmer temperatures and more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidity-crosses-dangerous-threshold-threatening-marine-life/">acidic water</a>, both of which are caused by rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.



“Despite being a different phylum, very diverse and abundant globally, these small architects of the sea are often overlooked in studies,” said Blanca Figuerola, ICM-CSIC researcher and lead author of the study. 



Figuerola noted that bryozoans play a very important ecological role and their microbiome had been virtually unexplored.



This study is the first to describe the microbiome - the community of microorganisms that live in and on these animals - of the false coral.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-volcano-bubbles-mimic-future-seas">Volcano bubbles mimic future seas</h2>



To study how these organisms respond to acidified oceans, the research team used a unique spot off the island of Ischia in Italy. Natural volcanic bubbles mimic ocean acidification levels expected by the century’s end.



“This area offers a unique opportunity to study how marine species respond to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidification-is-spreading-into-deeper-waters/">acidification</a> under natural conditions,” said Núria Teixidó, a researcher at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and co-author of the article.



The scientists compared bryozoan colonies in acidified waters with those in normal conditions, examining their shape, skeleton structure, and microbiome.



The researchers found that the species show some flexibility. Animals in acidified water changed their skeleton composition in a way that could help them resist harsher conditions. And overall, their microbiomes stayed fairly stable - but not entirely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trouble-in-the-microbial-neighborhood">Trouble in the microbial neighborhood</h2>



The study found that acidified conditions reduced the variety of microbes performing key functions inside the bryozoans.



“However, we observed a loss in functional microbial diversity, with a decline in genera potentially involved in key processes such as nutrition, defense, or resistance to environmental stress,” said Figuerola.



That shift could have serious consequences over time. Even if the bryozoans look fine on the outside, a weaker microbiome could leave them more vulnerable to disease.



“Even if colonies look externally healthy, changes in the microbiome could serve as early bioindicators of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-could-completely-stop-growing-by-2054/">environmental stress</a>,” said Javier del Campo, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-double-blow-to-reef-makers">Double blow to reef-makers</h2>



Alongside acidification, the study also tracked the impact of rising <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">ocean temperatures</a> over a five-year period. When warming is added to the mix, the effects worsen.



“The models used indicate that the combination of these two stressors intensifies the effects observed, significantly reducing the coverage of the encrusting bryozoan and increasing mortality," said Pol Capdevila, a researcher at the University of Barcelona.



"Although the species show some morphological plasticity, it is not enough to offset the combined impact of acidification and warming.”



To reach these findings, the team used advanced modeling techniques and micro-CT scans to get 3D images of the internal skeletons of these animals. 



The team is currently working with Cooked Illustrations, a visual storytelling studio, to turn their research into a science animation aimed at education and outreach.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bryozoans-deserve-more-attention">Bryozoans deserve more attention</h2>



Bryozoans may not get as much attention as corals, but they play a similar role in creating habitats for other marine life. If they start to disappear, many other species could be affected.



This study highlights how important it is to understand not just the animals themselves but also the microbes they live with. 



By identifying potentially beneficial microorganisms, researchers are opening the door to future methods of helping these organisms adapt. These may include nature-based solutions that support both the host and its microbiome.



The research started under the MedCalRes National Plan project. It is continuing through the HOLOCHANGE consolidation project and the National Plan MedAcidWarm. 



These initiatives aim to better understand how bryozoans and their microbiomes interact, and how we might help them cope with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-stress-causes-undetected-changes-in-marine-ecosystems/">climate stress</a>.



“The complexity of the issue demands integrated analyses,” said Figuerola. “This study shows how interdisciplinary approaches can help us anticipate future scenarios and more effectively protect marine ecosystems.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-08524-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Biology</a>.



Image Credit: ICM-CSIC



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'Ocean architects’ expose hidden threats of climate change

Bryozoans are tiny marine animals that live in colonies and...

New evidence shows that the North Pacific is no longer drifting on its own. Human-driven greenhouse gases and industrial aerosols are steering ocean temperatures in ways that dry out the American West. The same forces may keep the region parched for decades.



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Colorado Boulder</a> and collaborators used hundreds of climate simulations to revisit a famous ocean pattern and link its recent behavior to the West’s record-breaking drought.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-hand-in-pacific-cycle">Human hand in Pacific cycle</h2>



For more than a century, scientists have watched the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which seesaws over decades between a warm, “positive” phase and a cool, “negative” phase. 



In the negative phase, cooler waters line the U.S. West Coast, storm tracks shift north, and rain and snow across the Southwest decline.



The standard view held that this cycle was almost entirely internal to the climate system. The latest IPCC report even judged, with high confidence, that human influence was negligible. However, the new study overturns that view.



Using over 500 model runs, the team found that since the 1950s, human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-carbon-dioxide-emissions-hit-a-record-high-in-2023/">emissions</a> explain more than half of PDO variability, while before 1950, natural swings dominated.



“Our results show that the drought and ocean patterns we’re seeing today are not just natural fluctuations - they’re largely driven by human activity,” said lead author Jeremy Klavans, a postdoctoral researcher in CU Boulder’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pacific-stuck-in-dry-mode">Pacific stuck in dry mode</h2>



The PDO has lingered in its negative state since the 1990s. That persistence is unusual. It matters because it pushes moisture north and leaves the Southwest with less precipitation and drier air.



“If the PDO were purely natural, we would have expected it to shift back to positive after the strong <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-climate-shifts-date-back-250-million-years/">El Niño</a> in 2015,” Klavans said. “Instead, it flipped briefly and then reverted - suggesting something deeper and undiscovered is holding it in place.”



That “something deeper” is the external shove from greenhouse gases and industrial aerosols, the authors conclude. The ocean pattern is still a cycle, but it is being nudged into one gear.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-forcing-clear-in-models">Human forcing clear in models</h2>



The team’s rethink relied on advances in climate modeling. For years, many models suffered from a “signal-to-noise paradox.” 



They inflated the role of random swings while muting the effect of external forcing from human activity. The researchers corrected that imbalance across a large ensemble.



“Once we corrected for that imbalance, it became clear that human emissions are the dominant factor behind the current PDO pattern and the West’s extreme dryness,” Klavans said.



“Our work shows that, on decadal timescales, climate models have been underestimating how sensitive regional climates are to external forcing,” said co-author Pedro DiNezio, a professor at the University of Colorado.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-worst-drought-on-record">Worst drought on record</h2>



Tree ring records show the Southwest’s past two decades are the driest since at least 800 CE. Across the West, most areas are in drought, and a large share is in severe drought. Reservoirs, soils, forests, and rivers reflect the strain.



The study warns that if emissions continue on their current path, the PDO is likely to stay negative for many years, which would lock in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/megadroughts-are-becoming-more-frequent-and-severe/">megadrought</a>. This would constrain water supplies, heighten <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-risk-is-rapidly-rising-across-the-southern-u-s/">wildfire risk</a>, and pressure farms and cities.



“This isn't a temporary dry spell,” Klavans said. “It’s a climate-driven transformation of the region’s water system. Planners and policymakers need to treat it as such.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adapting-to-a-changing-climate">Adapting to a changing climate</h2>



The methods in this paper may sharpen forecasts far from the Pacific. Other ocean patterns, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, shape rainfall in Europe and beyond. 



Better separating human forcing from internal swings could improve projections of wet and dry trends on the time horizons that matter for planning.



“Our methods have the potential to drastically improve predictions of climate impacts - including precipitation trends across the globe,” said co-author Amy Clement, a professor at the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Miami</a>. “That kind of foresight is critical for planning and adapting to a changing climate.”



For the American West, the message is blunt. Managing a water system built for a wetter past will require new rules, new investments, and, above all, time. The PDO may eventually flip. But the study argues that external forcing has tilted the odds against a quick reversal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cut-emissions-calm-the-pacific">Cut emissions, calm the Pacific</h2>



The science also underscores the leverage of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/states-taking-action-on-their-own-can-cut-half-of-u-s-emissions/">emission cuts</a>. Less forcing means less push on the ocean cycle and better odds that the Pacific can slip out of its drought-favoring mode sooner.



This is not a story of the ocean alone. It is the story of how greenhouse gases and aerosols have rewired a familiar Pacific rhythm, with cascading effects on storms, snowpack, and rivers. The pattern is still oscillating - it is just doing so on a drought-shifted baseline that is reshaping the West.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09368-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Emissions are driving the West’s worst drought in 1,200 years

New evidence shows that the North Pacific is no longer...

A broken bone sets off a repair job inside the body. New blood vessels grow in, bringing oxygen and nutrients to rebuild the damage. 



Scientists have now traced that same process in a Tyrannosaurus rex rib from about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/t-rex-was-about-70-percent-bigger-than-we-thought/">67 million years ago</a>, using powerful X-rays to see mineral “shadows” where blood once flowed.



They focused on a deep fracture near the vertebral end of the rib. The bone had started to heal before the animal died, laying down a callus - the bumpy repair tissue that forms during recovery. 



Inside that callus, they spotted tube-like structures that matched the size and pattern of blood vessels linked with healing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finding-t-rex-blood-vessels">Finding T. rex blood vessels</h2>



The work centers on a Tyrannosaurus rex specimen named "Scotty," housed at the <a href="https://royalsaskmuseum.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Saskatchewan Museum</a> in Canada, one of the largest and most complete T. rex skeletons ever found. 



The research team scanned the rib at the <a href="https://www.lightsource.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canadian Light Source</a> synchrotron, a facility that generates extremely bright X-rays for high-resolution imaging and chemical analysis.



Jerit L. Mitchell, a PhD student in the Department of Physics at the <a href="https://www.uregina.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Regina</a>, led the study after joining the project during the first scan of the rib in 2019. 



“I remember showing my supervisors, Dr. Barbi and Dr. McKellar, a strange structure inside a scan of the rib that I originally didn’t give much thought to," Mitchell reminisced. 



"They were quick to point out that what I discovered could possibly be preserved blood vessels, which has since led to a much more expansive research project."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blood-vessels-from-an-injured-t-rex">Blood vessels from an injured T. rex</h2>



The vessel-like structures only showed up around the fracture and its callus, not throughout the rib. They were larger than the tiny <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haversian_canal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haversian canals</a> that normally carry blood in compact bone. 



That pattern lines up with what doctors see today: during healing, the body ramps up angiogenesis - growth of new vessels - to flood the injured area with supplies.



The team kept the features in place, studying them “in situ” rather than grinding the fossil down. That choice protected a rare specimen and let the researchers compare 3D shapes and chemistry directly within the bone.



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



Synchrotron micro-CT produced 3D images at micrometer-scale resolution, small enough to resolve fine tubes weaving through the callus. 



X-ray fluorescence (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/x-ray-fluorescence-spectroscopy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">XRF</a>) mapped elements, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/x-ray-absorption-near-edge-structure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">XANES</a>) identified their chemical states. 



The team also checked thin sections with light and electron microscopes to confirm textures and mineral identities.



Together, those methods allowed them to connect geometry with chemistry. They could tell not just that tubes were present, but also what filled them and how those fillings changed over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iron-fractures-and-soft-tissue">Iron, fractures, and soft tissue</h2>



The tubes were rich in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fools-gold-may-be-a-valuable-source-of-lithium/">pyrite</a>, an iron sulfide often called fool’s gold. Some of that pyrite later oxidized to iron oxides such as goethite and hematite. 



Iron can help stabilize organic structures during fossilization, and the resulting minerals can persist long after soft tissue disappears. 



Here, the original vessels are gone, but their mineral casts remain, recording the paths where blood once moved through healing bone.



“Normally, what gets preserved in the fossil record is only just the hard parts - just the bones or the teeth,” Mitchell told CBC News' Adam Hunter.



“But we can actually have the soft tissues preserved in rare circumstances, and these can tell us a lot more about how dinosaurs lived millions of years ago.”



The chemistry and the location work together. Iron sulfides transitioning to iron oxides fit a plausible path from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archaeopteryx-fossil-soft-tissue-flight-evolution-proves-darwin-right/">soft tissue to mineral replicas</a>, especially in a confined space like a fracture callus where blood flow once surged.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-location-of-the-t-rex-blood-vessels">Location of the T. rex blood vessels</h2>



The features cluster where healing was most active. Temporary vessels can grow larger than everyday bone canals as they branch from the marrow cavity and the bone surface to supply repair tissue. 



Seeing that size and distribution in the rib strengthens the case that these were angiogenesis-related structures, not ordinary anatomy or random mineral growth.



“Preserved blood vessel structures, like we have found in Scotty’s rib bone, appear linked to areas where the bone was healing. This is because during the healing process, those areas had increased blood flow to them,” Barbi explained.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-06981-z/figures/4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/scotty_t-rex_preserved-blood-vessels_light-microscopy-images_Scientific-Reports_1s.webp" alt="In situ analysis of vascular structures in fractured Tyrannosaurus rex rib using cross-polarized light microscopy. Credit: Scientific Reports" class="wp-image-1981926"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In situ analysis of vascular structures in fractured Tyrannosaurus rex rib using cross-polarized light microscopy. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Scientific Reports</figcaption></figure>



This targeted preservation also speaks to how fossils can capture brief, intense biological episodes. A break triggers a rush of activity lasting weeks or months. 



Under the right burial conditions, traces of that activity can harden into rock and wait for us to find them.



“This work also provides a new way to compare how injuries healed in extinct animals, like dinosaurs, with living species, such as birds and reptiles, which helps us better understand the biology of the past, and also how life on Earth has evolved over millions of years," Barbi concluded.



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



These results connect dinosaur biology with processes we see in clinics and labs today. 



Bone is living tissue. It remodels, it repairs, and - under certain conditions - its repair work can leave a chemical and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/183-million-year-old-plesiosaur-fossil-plesiopterys-wildi-preserved-skin-soft-tissue/">structural record that lasts</a>. 



The study also shows how non-destructive tools can reveal fragile features without harming invaluable fossils.



The approach helps clarify past debates over “soft tissues” <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-fossils-reveal-cancer-clues-for-modern-medicine/">in dinosaur bones</a>. Here, the authors do not claim original vessels. 



They present mineral casts that track vessel paths in a healing zone, supported by size, distribution, and iron-based chemistry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-learned-for-future-studies">Lessons learned for future studies</h2>



Healed injuries may be prime places to look for similar traces in other dinosaurs and in distant relatives like early birds and reptiles. 



With broader sampling, finer imaging, and detailed chemical work, researchers could compare healing rates, test links to metabolism, and study how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-some-animals-become-fossils-while-others-just-disappear/">burial environments shape preservation</a>.



A single broken rib from an enormous T. rex skeleton has told a very precise story: blood rushed to a wound, vessels expanded, bone knit, and minerals later filled the spaces left behind. 



The biology ended ages ago. The imprint stayed put.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-06981-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



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Preserved blood vessels found in bones of the world's largest T. rex

A broken bone sets off a repair job inside the...

If humans ever leave Earth to colonize other planets, they will need companions that are incredibly resilient and able to shrug off the lethal conditions found in outer space. Tiny animals called tardigrades, only visible under magnification, are perfect for the job.



At about 0.004 inches long, a tardigrade can nap through a blast of ionizing radiation strong enough to cripple spacecraft systems. 



A new study by NASA ambassador Isadora Arantes and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=W5_qtZgAAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Geancarlo Zanatta</a> of the <a href="https://www.ufrgs.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul</a> examines the toughness of tiny tardigrades and what makes them tick.



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



Tardigrades are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extremophiles-and-the-quest-for-alien-life/">extremophiles</a>, organisms that tolerate ranges most species never encounter, from -456 °F to 302 °F and pressures up to 1,200 atmospheres. 



Such extremes make them a natural laboratory for the question of whether cellular life can survive the hazards of space.



In 2007, dehydrated specimens endured ten days in open orbit and revived when rehydrated back on Earth. This feat showed that biology, not just spores, can tolerate the vacuum, ultraviolet glare, and micrometeoroid hits outside the atmosphere.



The trick rests on a state called cryptobiosis, where the animal curls into a tun, suspends metabolism, and replaces water with glass-like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-type-of-flour-contains-more-protein-than-meat-and-eggs-crickets/">proteins</a>. In this form it waits out drought, freeze, or radiation that would shred ordinary DNA.



Scientists have logged survival at particle doses above 5,000 grays, dozens of times higher than the lethal dose for humans. The numbers hint at molecular armor rather than sheer luck.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dna-bodyguard-protein">DNA bodyguard protein</h2>



A standout piece of that armor is Damage Suppressor, or <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10247392/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dsup</a>, an intrinsically disordered protein that coats chromatin in a loose mesh. 



Simulations by Arantes and Zanatta using <a href="https://www.gromacs.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gromacs</a> show Dsup scattering incoming energetic particles before they can snap DNA strands.



Laboratory <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12808" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> backs the picture, as Dsup trimmed X-ray damage by about 40 percent when engineered into human cells. In those tests, irradiated cells expressing the protein kept dividing while unprotected neighbors stalled or died.



“The protein prevents genetic mutations by dissipating radiation and minimizing DNA disruptions,” the authors report, a conclusion drawn from nanosecond-scale molecular dynamics runs. 



Their calculations align with crystallography that found no rigid core, only flexible loops that mold to the phosphate backbone.



Arantes and Zanatta also note supporting cast members: heat shock proteins that refold bent peptides and antioxidant enzymes that mop up reactive oxygen unleashed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/3d-printed-hydrogels-developed-to-protect-astronauts-from-space-radiation/">radiation</a>. 



Together the network acts like a mobile repair crew deployed the instant damage begins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tardigrades-helping-astronauts">Tardigrades helping astronauts</h2>



Radiation is the hardest technical limit on crewed trips to Mars because aluminum hulls cannot block high-energy cosmic ions without adding dangerous secondary showers. 



A genetic patch borrowed from tardigrades could complement shielding by giving cells an internal line of defense.



In mice, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044743123000209" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">messenger-RNA injections</a> that coax tissues to make Dsup already cut radiation-induced breakage during test exposures. 



Translating that to astronauts might reduce lifetime cancer risk and lighten the mass budget for a Mars transfer vehicle.



Cryogenic tolerance is another bonus, because the same proteins help tardigrades keep membranes flexible when water vitrifies. 



That chemistry could extend the shelf life of blood products, vaccines, or even organ transplants shipped on long missions.



“These applications highlight the broader relevance of extremophiles in addressing challenges on Earth while contributing to the scientific foundation for future space missions,” observe Arantes and Zanatta. 



Their statement underscores how terrestrial medicine and exploration share a need for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/slime-found-in-home-appliances-could-help-fight-climate-change/">molecular resilience</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tardigrades-and-life-beyond-earth">Tardigrades and life beyond earth</h2>



Researchers also <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31730377/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">link</a> the tardigrade rulebook to worlds such as Mars, Europa, and Titan where water and radiation mix in ways that mirror laboratory tests. 



At the conference, Arantes pointed out that the stability of proteins in Titan-like ammonia-water seas reinforces that view.



The icy crust of Europa hides a salty sea bombarded by Jupiter’s magnetic field, while Titan mixes ammonia with water at pressures near 1,000 bars. 



Molecular modeling shows ordinary proteins can stay folded in that chilly brine, hinting life could adapt without reinventing biochemistry.



On dusty Mars, episodic meltwater may give microbes only transient refuges, but a Dsup-style shield would slow the genetic erosion caused by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-source-of-cosmic-rays-found-after-a-century-long-search/">cosmic rays</a>. That makes water bears a template for what to look for in future sample-return missions.



Every survival strategy logged in a terrestrial animal widens the habitability map for the Solar System. The more tricks scientists catalog, the less alien life seems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-back-on-our-planet">Next steps back on our planet</h2>



Agronomists are testing tardigrade genes in rice and wheat to see whether crops can shrug off drought and frost without sacrificing yield. 



Early greenhouse <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37977025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trials</a> suggested Dsup plants recover faster after gamma irradiation, an edge as climate change intensifies storms and ozone depletion events.



Pharmaceutical companies hope the same proteins will keep monoclonal antibodies stable without expensive cold chains. Replacing freezers with molecular antifreeze would cut costs for rural clinics and disaster zones alike.



Regulators will insist on careful checks for unintended side effects because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-dna-reveals-37000-years-of-hidden-human-infections/">DNA</a>-repair pathways tie into cancer risk. Yet the broad interest signals confidence that tardigrade solutions can be ported rather than merely admired.



For Arantes, Zanatta, and a growing cadre of astrobiologists, the next milestone is to watch Dsup at work inside living animals during deep-space analog missions. 



Tiny cameras and omics assays aboard Lunar Gateway could reveal whether the protein performs as advertised beyond low Earth orbit.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2025/pdf/2477.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lunar and Planetary Science Conference Proceedings</a>.



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This tiny animal could help humans colonize Mars

If humans ever leave Earth to colonize other planets, they...

Rising carbon dioxide high above Earth is expected to change how geomagnetic storms disturb the upper atmosphere. Peak densities during storms may be lower than they are today, yet the swing from calm to storm could be greater.



That shift matters for satellite drag, orbital lifetimes, and how operators plan for space weather.



A team led by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> (NSF NCAR) modeled these changes in collaboration with <a href="https://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kyushu University</a>. 



The work links long-term atmospheric cooling and thinning to the way future geomagnetic storms will play out aloft.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-change-reaches-space">Climate change reaches space</h2>



In the lower atmosphere, added carbon dioxide traps heat. Far above, where molecules are sparse, carbon dioxide sheds heat to space. The result is a colder, less dense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-gold-mission-unexpectedly-finds-x-shaped-structures-in-earths-upper-atmosphere/">upper atmosphere</a>.



A lower baseline density has been expected for decades. The question now is how a powerful storm will lift that thinner air during the event itself.



“The way energy from the Sun affects the atmosphere will change in the future because the background density of the atmosphere is different and that creates a different response,” said NSF NCAR scientist Nicolas Pedatella, the study’s lead author.



“For the satellite industry, this is an especially important question because of the need to design satellites for specific atmospheric conditions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geomagnetic-storms-across-decades">Geomagnetic storms across decades</h2>



The researchers used the May 10 to 11, 2024, geomagnetic superstorm as their test case. They asked how an identical storm would have perturbed the upper atmosphere in 2016 and how it might do so near future solar minima in 2040, 2061, and 2084.



They ran the Community Earth System Model-Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with a thermosphere-ionosphere extension.



The system spans from the surface to the upper thermosphere, roughly 310 to 435 miles above Earth. That range allows greenhouse gas-driven changes in the lower atmosphere to extend into the satellite-flying zone.



The simulations were executed on the Derecho supercomputer at the <a href="https://www.cisl.ucar.edu/ncar-wyoming-supercomputing-center" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NSF NCAR–Wyoming Supercomputing Center</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-storms-show-sharper-jumps">Future storms show sharper jumps</h2>



Later this century, at the height of a storm comparable to May 2024, parts of the upper atmosphere are projected to be 20 to 50 percent less dense than at the peak of a similar storm today. That is the absolute picture.



The relative picture looks different. Because the calm-time density will be lower, the same storm will produce a larger proportional jump. 



A storm that now more than doubles density at the peak may nearly triple it in the future. The atmosphere will not get as dense in absolute terms, but the surge from baseline to peak will be sharper.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-space-weather-alters-satellite-plans">Space weather alters satellite plans</h2>



Drag depends on both density and speed. In a thinner average atmosphere, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellites-capture-dramatic-shifts-in-earths-forests/">satellites</a> tend to last longer before reentry. 



But sharp, multiday spikes in drag during big storms can scramble orbits, accelerate decay, and complicate collision avoidance.



Designers and operators will have to plan for a world where the calm is calmer and the jolts are more abrupt. This could affect fuel margins, attitude control, and the cadence of orbit maintenance. It may also influence how constellations prepare for severe space weather events.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dependence-on-the-upper-atmosphere">Dependence on the upper atmosphere</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-magnetic-field-is-shifting-and-putting-navigation-at-risk/">Navigation</a>, communications, Earth observation, and national security all rely on satellites traversing the thermosphere. 



As launch costs fall and constellations multiply, small changes in drag statistics can cascade into large operational impacts.



The findings add to prior estimates of long-term atmospheric thinning by focusing on the storm-time response. The signal is clear: background change reshapes the storm itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-geomagnetic-storm-modeling">Future of geomagnetic storm modeling</h2>



Pedatella stressed the need to explore different storm types and timings across the 11-year solar cycle. Background density varies with solar activity, which may further modulate the effect.



“We now have the capability with our models to explore the very complex interconnections between the lower and upper atmosphere,” he said. “It’s critical to know how these changes will occur because they have profound ramifications for our atmosphere.”



Future studies will test other drivers, cross-check with satellite drag observations, and refine forecasts that tie climate trends to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electron-activity-in-auroras-will-help-us-understand-space-weather/">space weather</a> risk. 



For the satellite industry, the message is practical. Account for long-term cooling aloft, and expect future storms to deliver bigger relative jolts, even as the air grows thinner on average.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GL116445" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 



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Climate change may amplify the impacts of geomagnetic storms

Rising carbon dioxide high above Earth is expected to change...

Nature can still surprise us, even in places we think we know well. Europe’s wildlife has been studied for centuries, yet some species have managed to hide in plain sight. One of them is Carcina ingridmariae, a bright, colorful moth.



For more than 100 years, this moth species has been misidentified. Its true identity has now been revealed, thanks to a mix of sharp observation and modern genetic tools.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carcina-ingridmariae-found-after-100-years">Carcina ingridmariae found after 100 years</h2>



Dr. Peter Huemer from the <a href="https://www.tiroler-landesmuseen.at/en/tyrolean-state-museums/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tyrolean State Museum Ferdinandeum</a> in Innsbruck, Austria, led a team that described the new species.



For over a century, it was thought to be oak carcina, Carcina quercana, a moth that was first described in 1775. The two look almost identical, sharing vivid pink and yellow tones. That resemblance kept the new species hidden in collections and field <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-rising-co2-levels-threaten-insect-reproduction/">sightings</a> for decades.



C. quercana has always been seen as easy to recognize, even making it onto the cover of an identification book. 



Its classification history is more tangled, moving through several families before most scientists agreed to place it in the family Peleopodidae. That agreement didn’t stop surprises from turning up, as this discovery shows.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dna-confirms-the-new-moth-species">DNA confirms the new moth species</h2>



The first clues came from DNA barcoding in Greek moth <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-farming-is-causing-many-insect-species-to-collapse/">surveys</a>. Tests showed over 6.5% genetic difference between C. ingridmariae and C. quercana - far beyond what’s expected within a single species. 



When the team took a closer look, the differences were clear. Male C. ingridmariae often have paler orange-brown wings with fewer markings. Their genital structures are distinct, with a more slender gnathos and a different cucullus shape. 



Females show an obvious difference in having a broad, tubular antrum. These features match the genetic split and confirm the species is new.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coastal-areas-to-mountain-slopes">Coastal areas to mountain slopes</h2>



Researchers think the larvae feed on several oak species, including Quercus trojana, Q. coccifera, and Q. ilex. Records from north Cyprus show the moth occurs in areas without oaks, suggesting its larval host may be more flexible than previously thought.



The caterpillars probably make flat, silvery-white silk webs on the underside of leaves, just like C. quercana. Pupation likely happens between two spun leaves. 



Adults appear in many habitats, from coastal areas to mountain slopes up to 1,500 meters (4,920 feet). They fly in two main periods: early May to late June, and mid-August to early October.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-the-moth-s-range">Tracking the moth's range</h2>



Confirmed populations of Carcina ingridmariae have been recorded in several eastern Mediterranean countries, including Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, and Türkiye. 



In addition to these verified locations, there are strong indications that the species also occurs in Lebanon, Israel, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, based on regional records and specimen analysis.



The geographical range of this moth overlaps with that of <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/205221-Carcina-quercana" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carcina quercana</a>, a species that is widely distributed throughout Europe and also found in parts of North Africa. 



Because the two <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urbanization-causes-massive-decline-in-insect-pollinators/">species</a> are so similar in appearance, distinguishing between them in areas where their ranges meet cannot be done by sight alone.



In such cases, researchers must rely on DNA analysis or a detailed examination of anatomical features, particularly the structure of the genitalia, to confirm the correct identification.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-personal-name-for-a-rare-find">A personal name for a rare find</h2>



Dr. Huemer decided to honor his wife when naming the species. “It is without doubt the prettiest species I have encountered in my long scientific career, even though it is still unnamed.” For him, it was “obvious” the new moth should bear her name. 



He announced the dedication on their 42nd wedding anniversary, giving the discovery a personal and lasting touch.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-familiar-landscapes-with-unknown-species">Familiar landscapes with unknown species</h2>



Finding C. ingridmariae shows that even colorful, distinctive species can go unnoticed without the right tools. 



DNA barcoding has uncovered many new moth species in Europe, but most are small and dull-colored. Discovering a vivid new species hiding among individuals of a different, but well-known species, is unusual.



The case proves that wide genetic surveys, paired with traditional anatomy, can change how we see biodiversity. As Dr. Huemer’s work shows, even familiar landscapes may hold species we’ve been overlooking for generations.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://alpineentomology.pensoft.net/article/158239/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alpine Entomology</a>.



Image credit: P. Huemer/Ferdinandeum



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New moth species revealed after a century of mistaken identity

Nature can still surprise us, even in places we think...

Regularly helping others - whether through formal volunteering or informal assistance - can slow age-related cognitive decline by as much as 15 to 20 percent, according to a new study of more than 30,000 U.S. adults. 



The effect was strongest for those who spent about two to four hours each week helping outside the home.



The research, led by the <a href="https://www.umb.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Texas at Austin</a> (UT), tracked participants for over two decades using data from the national Health and Retirement Study.



The results show that helping produces cumulative and long-lasting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-benefits-of-the-mediterranean-diet-can-be-boosted-with-more-greens/">brain benefits</a>, whether through structured volunteering or casual support for neighbors, friends, or relatives.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cognitive-benefits-of-helping-others">Cognitive benefits of helping others</h2>



“Everyday acts of support - whether organized or personal - can have lasting cognitive impact,” said lead author Sae Hwang Han, an assistant professor of human development and family sciences at UT.



“What stood out was that the cognitive benefits of helping others weren’t just short-term boosts but cumulative over time," he said. "In addition to that, moderate engagement of just two to four hours was consistently linked to robust benefits.”



The study examined two main types of helping. Formal volunteering includes scheduled activities with organizations. Informal helping covers tasks like giving someone a ride to a medical appointment, caring for children, doing yard work, or helping with taxes.



While only about one-third of older Americans take part in formal volunteering, more than half provide informal help on a regular basis.



“Informal helping is sometimes assumed to offer fewer health benefits due to its lack of social recognition,” Han said. “It was a pleasant surprise to find that it provides cognitive benefits comparable to formal volunteering.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-helping-slows-decline-for-years">Helping slows decline for years</h2>



Using records dating back to 1998, the team controlled for variables such as wealth, education, and physical and mental health. The analysis found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/doctors-say-this-lifestyle-factor-smoking-is-biggest-contributor-to-cognitive-decline/">cognitive decline</a> slowed once participants began helping others and continued to slow with sustained engagement year after year.



The data also revealed a clear risk from stopping entirely. “Conversely, our data show that completely withdrawing from helping is associated with worse cognitive function,” Han said.



“This suggests the importance of keeping older adults engaged in some form of helping for as long as possible, with appropriate support and accommodations in place.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-helping-as-brain-medicine">Helping as brain medicine</h2>



The authors argue that the findings strengthen the case for viewing volunteerism and helping through a public health lens. The prevalence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-drug-shows-potential-to-treat-alzheimers/">Alzheimer’s</a> and other forms of dementia in later life makes this especially important.



Encouraging older adults to remain engaged in acts of support could be a low-cost, widely accessible way to help preserve cognitive function.



Another recent study led by Han found that volunteering can also protect brain health by buffering the negative effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chronic-stress-disrupts-gut-bacteria-and-fuels-cancer-progression/">chronic stress</a> on systemic inflammation - a biological process linked to dementia. People with higher inflammation levels showed this protective effect most strongly.



Together, the results from both studies suggest multiple pathways by which helping others may preserve brain function. These include reducing the physiological wear and tear caused by stress and strengthening the psychological, emotional, and cognitive benefits of meaningful social connections.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-for-all-involved">Benefits for all involved</h2>



The findings come at a time when aging populations and rising rates of loneliness are pressing concerns worldwide. They also challenge the assumption that people in poor health have little to contribute to others - or that they cannot benefit from doing so.



“Many older adults in suboptimal health often continue to make valuable contributions to those around them, and they also may be the ones to especially benefit from being provided with opportunities to help,” Han explained.



Even for those already experiencing cognitive decline, the study suggests that maintaining some form of regular helping - with the right accommodations - may still yield benefits. 



That could mean light <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/personality-traits-linked-to-willingness-to-volunteer-or-donate/">volunteer</a> tasks with flexible hours, or simply continuing to offer support to family and friends. Building helping behaviors into weekly routines can sharpen minds, strengthen communities, and foster deeper connections.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953625007968?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Social Science &amp; Medicine</a>.



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Helping others can slow age-related cognitive decline

Regularly helping others - whether through formal volunteering or informal...

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







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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