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...

Every year, humanity tallies its carbon emissions, but it rarely considers how the planet itself bears that burden. A new study flips the script by treating Earth as a stressed material rather than a passive scoreboard.



A team led by Matthias Jonas of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (<a href="https://iiasa.ac.at/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IIASA</a>) converted gigatons of emissions into units engineers use to test bridges. 



The researchers borrowed tools from rheology, the science of how substances deform. Their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725015633?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">numbers</a> suggest the carbon‑climate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-societies-used-mixed-strategies-to-survive-climate-change/">system</a> is already flexing beyond its natural range.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-feels-stress-from-carbon-pollution">Earth feels stress from carbon pollution</h2>



Instead of tonnes, the team measured atmospheric pressure in <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmosphere/air-pressure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pascals</a>, the metric engineers apply to describe a push on a square meter of surface. They model Earth as a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0019103567900061" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Maxwell body</a>, a simple combination of elastic and viscous parts that stretch and flow when forced.



In that picture, accumulated emissions create stress while expansion of the air column and slower absorption of carbon by land and sea show up as strain. The ratio of the two reveals how quickly the global fabric is wearing thin.



“We wanted to see how the entire <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-species-face-unprecedented-climate-shifts-across-their-ranges/">Earth</a> system stretches and strains under that burden,” explained Jonas. 



By calculating the change from 1850 to 2021, the team uncovered hidden thresholds invisible in the usual mass‑balance charts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-even-low-stress-reshapes-earth">Even low stress reshapes Earth</h2>



The calculations show that by 2021 humanity was injecting between 12.8 and 15.5 pascals per year of extra energy per unit volume, a value Jonas calls <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725015633" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stress power</a>. 



Spread over every cubic yard of air, water, and soil, that push compares to the force of a light breeze yet persists nonstop.



Such steady pressure, tiny at any single point, becomes enormous once multiplied across the oceans and atmosphere. Earth’s natural buffers can accommodate only so much before their response time slows.



Jonas compares the phenomenon to leaving a garden hose on low all night; the gentle trickle still floods the yard by morning. In the same way, low but unrelenting stress alters <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-could-be-key-to-fighting-climate-change/">atmospheric</a> volume and ocean chemistry alike.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-weakening-of-earth-s-natural-systems">Weakening of Earth’s natural systems </h2>



The study charts delay time, the lag between a pulse of emissions and the planet’s structural response. That metric peaked in the early 1900s, revealing that land and ocean sinks began to lose agility far sooner than expected.



For their mid‑range <a href="https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/3903/2024/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimate</a>, the tipping year is 1932 - almost two decades after the Model T rolled off assembly lines. 



After that point, the land‑ocean system no longer recovered in step with stress, it merely absorbed the hit and carried scars forward.



“Even if we hit our emissions targets, the weakening of Earth’s natural systems could still leave us facing major disruptions sooner than expected,” noted Jonas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-strain-makes-climate-action-urgent">Growing strain makes climate action urgent</h2>



Carbon dioxide output topped 40.9 billion tons in <a href="https://www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget/22/files/GCP_CarbonBudget_2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2022</a>, a record that nudged stress power up another notch. As emissions grow roughly 0.5 percent per year, the energy injected into the planet’s framework rises even if temperature targets appear on paper.



Delay also magnifies costs, because infrastructure built for a cooler baseline may degrade faster under compounded thermal and mechanical strain. Counting only temperature ignores those hidden maintenance bills.



The <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> warns that to keep global warming close to 2.7 °F, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 and decline by 43 percent by 2030.



Jonas’ numbers imply that every year of delay increases baseline stress, meaning future cuts must be steeper just to arrest further strain on the planet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-natural-sinks-are-losing-their-strength">Natural sinks are losing their strength</h2>



Natural <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/feed/landmark-study-indicates-weakening-ocean-carbon-sink" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sinks</a> still sponge up about half of human CO₂, but their efficiency is waning, especially in the Southern Ocean and tropical forests. In 2023, extreme heat left land vegetation absorbing almost no net carbon according to global monitoring.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-3500-animal-species-are-directly-threatened-by-climate-change/">Ocean</a> uptake has slowed by as much as four percent in the past decade, while land sink efficiency has swung in and out of negative territory during major droughts. 



The strain analysis corroborates those field observations by showing the ocean side of the equation weakening faster than the terrestrial side.



In the model, the damping constant linked to ocean uptake falls 30 percent between 1850 and today, a sign that heat and acidity may already be reshaping marine chemistry. The land constant declines, too, but at a gentler pace.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-past-stress-and-future-climate-risks">Past stress and future climate risks</h2>



Because stress power grows with cumulative emissions, simply hitting net‑zero late in the century will not reset the clock. The strain frozen into the system can persist for decades, lengthening the time before sinks regain strength.



Carbon‑removal schemes therefore act less like an optional extra and more like a structural repair kit, needed to relieve pressure already baked in. Yet large‑scale removal is not ready at the speed or cost required.



If nations wait for the alarm of higher temperatures alone, they may overlook mechanical fatigue building under the surface. Jonas likens the risk to pushing a steel beam until microscopic cracks race ahead of visible bending.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-stress-and-hidden-damage">Earth stress and hidden damage</h2>



The authors hope to weave their rheology framework into coupled climate models so that fatigue dynamics appear alongside temperature and precipitation outputs. 



The goal is to identify regions where local shocks, from dieback to ice‑shelf loss, propagate globally.



The researchers also plan to refine sink parameters with satellite and autonomous buoy data, reducing uncertainty in the damping constants. 



Better bounds will reveal whether the 1930s shift was a global threshold or the first of several steps.



Ultimately, the approach offers another yardstick for progress: a direct readout of how quickly Earth relaxes once stress is reduced. Watching that number fall may prove as motivating as any temperature curve.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725015633?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science of the Total Environment</a>.



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Earth faces hidden mechanical stress from carbon emissions

Every year, humanity tallies its carbon emissions, but it rarely...

Climate change is rapidly melting glaciers. While rising seas and disappearing ice dominate the headlines, something more ominous may be stirring beneath the surface. 



Dormant volcanoes - sealed under ice for millennia - could soon awaken. And when they do, the eruptions may be anything but ordinary: they could strike suddenly and with explosive force.



This isn’t just a theory. Scientists studied volcanoes in Chile’s Andes mountains. The research showed that melting glaciers can spark volcanic activity. 



Antarctica hides hundreds of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-orbit-may-trigger-massive-volcanic-eruptions/">volcanoes</a> under its ice. If this pattern holds, those volcanoes may start to stir too. The warning is clear. As glaciers vanish, the ground may soon roar.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-volcanoes-responding-to-melting-glaciers">Volcanoes responding to melting glaciers </h2>



Scientists in Iceland began investigating the connection between melting glaciers and increased volcanic activity as early as the 1970s.



This latest study shows that volcanoes in large continental regions may respond in the same way. The findings could reshape how we predict volcanic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-mantle-plume-created-a-60-million-year-volcanic-trail-from-iceland-to-ireland/">eruptions</a>.



Beyond Chile, volcanoes in North America, New Zealand, and Russia may also face this hidden threat.



Many volcanoes once thought harmless may no longer stay quiet. As glaciers melt, the risk rises. Scientists are beginning to ask what else could be lying in wait.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-ice-suppressed-volcanoes">How ice suppressed volcanoes</h2>



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> led this work. They joined forces with scientists from other U.S. universities. The team focused on six volcanoes in southern Chile.



Among these volcanoes was the now quiet Mocho-Choshuenco. Long ago, it sat beneath the thick Patagonian Ice Sheet.



The scientists collected rocks and studied them closely. They used argon dating to find the exact age of past <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fresh-lava-from-deep-earth-mantle-pulses-burst-onto-land-where-new-ocean-is-forming/">eruptions</a>. 



The researchers also examined crystals in the rocks to see what had happened beneath the surface.



The story was clear: when glaciers were thick, they pressed down hard on the volcanoes. That pressure locked magma underground.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-melting-glaciers-unlock-eruptions">Melting glaciers unlock eruptions</h2>



During the last ice age, from about 26,000 to 18,000 years ago, glaciers covered the land. They acted like a giant lid, holding back eruptions.



But no glacier lasts forever. As the ice melted quickly near the end of the ice age, everything changed.



The crust beneath the volcanoes began to relax. Magma, once trapped, found space to expand. Gases inside the magma bubbled and grew. Soon, pressure built up too much. The volcanoes erupted in dramatic fashion.



These eruptions shaped the land and left scars that remain today. The cause was simple. The melting glaciers had removed the pressure that kept the magma in check.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-glacier-melt-raises-volcano-risks">Glacier melt raises volcano risks</h2>



Pablo Moreno-Yaeger from the University of Wisconsin-Madison presented this study. His warning was sharp and direct.



“Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them. But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-why-stealthy-volcanoes-erupt-without-warning/">volcanoes</a> go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively," said Moreno-Yaeger.



"The key requirement for increased explosivity is initially having a very thick glacial coverage over a magma chamber, and the trigger point is when these glaciers start to retreat, releasing pressure - which is currently happening in places like Antarctica.”



Moreno-Yaeger pointed out that this risk is not limited to Iceland. Volcanoes under thick ice in Antarctica and other parts of the world could behave the same way.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-magma-shifts-slowly-but-danger-grows">Magma shifts slowly but danger grows</h2>



Volcanoes do not react overnight. Even as ice melts fast, magma builds pressure slowly. These changes often take centuries.



However, in geological terms, this is still fast. Scientists have enough time to watch carefully. They can look for signs like moving magma or shifting gases. With close monitoring, future eruptions might be predicted before disaster strikes.



But the clock has already started ticking. Glaciers are melting now, and some volcanoes are likely already changing deep below the surface.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eruptions-also-change-earth-s-climate">Eruptions also change Earth’s climate</h2>



Volcanic eruptions do more than shake the ground. They can also change the planet’s temperature.



When volcanoes erupt, they send aerosols into the atmosphere. These tiny particles block sunlight and cool Earth for a short time. After Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the planet cooled by about 0.5 degrees Celsius.



Cooling the planet might sound like a good thing, but it does not last. If several volcanoes erupt within a short time, the story flips again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-glaciers-and-volcanoes-may-fuel-a-loop">Glaciers and volcanoes may fuel a loop</h2>



“Over time the cumulative effect of multiple eruptions can contribute to long-term global warming because of a buildup of greenhouse gases,” said Moreno-Yaeger. 



“This creates a positive feedback loop, where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, and the eruptions in turn could contribute to further warming and melting.”



This loop works like a trap. Melting glaciers cause eruptions, which release greenhouse gases. Those gases warm the planet more, causing more glaciers to melt.



This cycle could spiral out of control if left unchecked. This is no longer just about melting ice. It is about a whole chain of disasters feeding each other.



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



The team presented their research at the <a href="https://conf.goldschmidt.info/goldschmidt/2025/meetingapp.cgi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Goldschmidt Conference</a> in Prague on July 8, 2025.



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Melting glaciers may awaken sleeping volcanoes

Climate change is rapidly melting glaciers. While rising seas and...

Pollinators are vital for the natural world. They help plants reproduce, support food webs, and sustain ecosystems. Among them, honey bees hold a special place. 



Honey bees are widely celebrated for their role in agriculture and are often seen as environmental heroes. However, their growing presence in places where they are not native raises new concerns.



Southern California is a well-known biodiversity hotspot. It is home to hundreds of native pollinator species. But this unique region now faces a quiet threat. 



Feral honey <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-bee-day-2025-protecting-the-pollinators-that-feed-the-world/">bees</a>, thriving outside human control, have begun to dominate pollination networks here. Their influence extends far beyond what most people realize.



A new study from <a href="https://ucsd.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California San Diego</a> sheds light on this issue. The research uncovers how honey bees, despite their benefits, may unintentionally harm native pollinators. The findings challenge common perceptions and bring attention to a growing ecological conflict.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-honey-bees-outcompete-native-pollinators">Honey bees outcompete native pollinators </h2>



Honey bees are highly effective <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-bumble-bees-are-sabotaging-their-own-health/">pollinators</a>. They have been introduced worldwide to support crop production. In the U.S., they are responsible for pollinating crops that contribute billions of dollars to the economy each year.



Their ability to communicate allows them to locate and exploit floral resources efficiently. They share information about flower locations with their colony mates, which makes them powerful foragers. Unlike most native bees, honey bees live in large colonies that work together to gather resources.



Because of their efficiency, honey bees outcompete many native bees. They can strip flowers of pollen and nectar quickly. 



Studies show that in Southern California, honey bees now represent nearly 90% of all bees visiting flowers. This leaves little for the region’s diverse native bee <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-dangers-threaten-the-survival-of-bees-and-pollinators/">species</a>, which rely on the same resources.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scale-of-the-honey-bee-invasion">Scale of the honey bee invasion</h2>



The study found that honey bees now make up 98% of total bee biomass in Southern California’s scrublands. This is not just about numbers. Honey bees are much larger than most native bees in this region. Their dominance extends both in terms of individuals and body size.



One reason for this imbalance is the honey bees' remarkable ability to remove pollen. The research showed that honey bees can remove up to 80% of pollen from flowers within just one day. 



In experiments, just two visits by honey bees stripped over 60% of pollen from flowers of native plants like black sage, white sage, and distant phacelia.



Such high pollen removal rates mean that other bees have far fewer resources left. Native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/native-bee-species-face-extinction-due-to-honey-bee-competition/">bees</a>, many of which are solitary and less efficient foragers, simply cannot compete at this scale.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-honey-bees-and-pollen-resources">Honey bees and pollen resources </h2>



Pollen is critical for bee reproduction. Bees collect pollen to feed their larvae. When honey bees take most of the pollen, native bees struggle to raise their young.



The study estimated the daily impact of honey bees on pollen resources. In one hectare of habitat, honey bees removed enough pollen each day to potentially raise hundreds to thousands of native bees. 



Over an entire bloom season, this could result in the loss of tens of thousands of potential native bee offspring.



This finding is alarming. It highlights how honey bees, though often viewed positively, may reduce native bee populations by monopolizing food sources.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-larger-bees-face-greater-risks">Larger bees face greater risks</h2>



Interestingly, larger native bees appear to be most affected. The study found that only a tiny fraction of native bees were larger than honey bees. Bumble bees, for instance, made up just 0.1% of all bees observed.



Larger bees generally require more pollen to raise their offspring. When honey bees deplete resources, these species may be pushed out first.



“Although honey bees are rightly considered an indispensable asset to humans, they can also pose a serious ecological threat to natural ecosystems where they are not native,” said Hung.



The loss of large bees could also reduce the effectiveness of pollination. These bees tend to carry more pollen per visit, which benefits many plants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-honey-bees-vs-native-pollinators">Honey bees vs. native pollinators</h2>



The damage does not stop with bees. The study also highlights that honey bee pollination leads to poorer plant offspring quality compared to native bee pollination.



This happens because honey bees often visit many flowers on the same plant before moving to another. This behavior increases the chances of self-pollination, which can lead to inbreeding depression in plants.



Such effects could ripple through ecosystems. Plants that rely on native bees for effective pollination may see lower reproduction rates. This could further degrade habitats that native bees and other wildlife depend on.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-spread-of-feral-honey-bees">The spread of feral honey bees </h2>



Feral honey bee colonies are not just an issue in Southern California. These bees have spread worldwide and often outnumber managed colonies.



They thrive in many ecosystems and are difficult to remove once established. Unlike managed bees, feral colonies are self-sustaining and active year-round.



The study points out that feral honey bees have even replaced native bees in other regions. In the southwestern United States, they are increasingly common on both abundant and rare plants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-conservation-priorities">Rethinking conservation priorities</h2>



Many people remain unaware of the negative effects of honey bees on native wildlife. Public concern tends to focus on protecting honey bees from disease and habitat loss.



Yet, the study’s authors warn that in North America, honey bees often act as competitors, not conservation targets.



“The plight of the honey bee is an issue of animal husbandry and livestock management, whereas when it comes to conservation issues here in North America, honey bees are likelier to be part of the problem, not a solution or a target for conservation,” said Hung.



This statement challenges common assumptions. It suggests a need for more balanced conservation strategies that consider native pollinators too.



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



Managing honey bee populations in sensitive areas may help. The researchers suggest limiting commercial beekeeping on public lands after crop blooms end.



“In areas with threatened bee species, natural preserve managers may also want to consider systematic removals or relocations of non-native honey bee colonies to provide wild bees a fighting chance,” said Hung.



Though such measures may seem extreme, they are not unprecedented. Many conservation programs already target invasive species to protect native wildlife.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-honey-bees-harming-native-life">Honey bees harming native life</h2>



The study reveals a hidden layer of the pollination crisis. Honey bees, often seen as ecological heroes, can create serious problems in certain ecosystems.



As more people become aware of this issue, discussions around pollinator conservation may shift. Future efforts must balance the needs of agriculture with the importance of protecting native species.



The story of honey bees in Southern California serves as a reminder. Even well-known species can become a threat when removed from their native contexts.



Protecting biodiversity requires seeing the full picture, even when it challenges popular beliefs.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/icad.12858" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Insect Conservation and Diversity</a>.



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Honey bee invasion: A growing threat to native pollinators

Pollinators are vital for the natural world. They help plants...

Ships have long connected the world’s economies. They bring goods and people across seas and rivers. But their impact on the environment goes beyond the fuel they burn. 



A new study from <a href="https://www.chalmers.se/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chalmers University of Technology</a> has uncovered a surprising threat linked to ship movement itself. 



This research reveals how ships stir up methane emissions, a potent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cutting-super-pollutants-could-quickly-cool-the-planet/">greenhouse gas</a>, simply by traveling through shallow waters.



The findings are both alarming and unexpected. They show that methane emissions in busy shipping lanes are twenty times higher than in undisturbed waters nearby. This means that global methane estimates may have been far too low for many years.



Methane has always been a cause for concern among climate scientists. It traps heat far more effectively than carbon dioxide. Despite its powerful effects, methane emissions from ship movements have been mostly ignored.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-methane-escapes-as-ships-pass">Methane escapes as ships pass</h2>



Amanda Nylund, a researcher at <a href="https://www.chalmers.se/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chalmers University of Technology</a> and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (<a href="https://www.smhi.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SMHI</a>), explains how these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dairy-farms-can-join-the-climate-fight-by-trapping-methane/">emissions</a> occur.



"Our measurements show that ship passages trigger clear pulses of high methane fluxes from the water to the atmosphere," she said. 



"This is caused by pressure changes and mixing of the water mass. Even if the pulses are short, the total amount during a day is significant."



This new finding changes how we think about emissions from ships. Previously, the main concern involved ships that run on liquefied natural gas, or LNG.



In this case, however, the methane has no connection to the fuel used by ships. Instead, it comes from the seafloor itself, disturbed by ship traffic. This means that all ships, regardless of their fuel, can cause these emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shallow-seas-emit-more-gas">Shallow seas emit more gas</h2>



The study focused on shallow marine environments rich in organic matter. These areas have oxygen-free sediments, ideal for producing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cutting-methane-emissions-could-quickly-slow-global-warming/">methane</a>.



Methane in such regions builds up naturally within the seafloor. In many cases, it slowly escapes in small bubbles or leaks through cracks into the water above.



But when a ship passes through, the story changes. The passing vessel causes sudden pressure changes at the seafloor. This triggers methane to burst out from the sediments in large amounts.



The effect grows stronger when combined with the mixing action from the ship’s wake. This mixing allows methane to travel more quickly from the water to the surface, where it escapes into the air.



As ships pass repeatedly throughout the day, the methane pulses accumulate into significant emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-methane-link-found-by-chance">Methane link found by chance</h2>



The research team stumbled upon this phenomenon by accident. They were conducting unrelated measurements in Neva Bay, part of the Baltic Sea, when they noticed strange methane spikes.



This accidental finding became the starting point for a new line of inquiry. Their work has now been published in Nature Communications Earth &amp; Environment.



Johan Mellqvist is a professor of Optical Remote Sensing at Chalmers. His group made the unexpected discovery that forms the basis for the new results.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ships_methane-leaks-discovery_illustration_credit-Chalmers-University_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ships_methane-leaks-discovery_illustration_credit-Chalmers-University_1s.webp" alt="A Chalmers-led study shows that ship passages can trigger clear pulses of high methane fluxes from the water to the atmosphere. Credit: Chalmers University of Technology and Amanda Nylund" class="wp-image-1976785"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A Chalmers-led study shows that ship passages can trigger clear pulses of high methane fluxes from the water to the atmosphere. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Chalmers University of Technology and Amanda Nylund</figcaption></figure>



"The discovery of the hitherto unknown impact of ships is important for improving global estimates of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/top-10-global-methane-emissions-hotspots-spotted-by-satellites/">methane</a> emissions, not least considering that nine of the world's ten largest ports are located in waters with similar conditions as Neva Bay," he said. 



This finding holds global significance because many of the world's busiest ports are in shallow waters similar to Neva Bay.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smaller-ships-bigger-leaks">Smaller ships, bigger leaks</h2>



The study analyzed emissions from different ship types. Large cruise ships and container ships produced the highest and most frequent methane releases.



Surprisingly, smaller ropax vessels, which transport both passengers and cargo, also caused major emissions. These vessels, though smaller than cruise or container ships, had high methane release rates.



Interestingly, larger bulk carriers showed lower methane emissions than expected. This challenges the assumption that bigger ships always cause greater emissions.



Researchers believe that ship design may influence these results.



"A possible explanation for the high emissions of ropax vessels is that they have double propellers," says Rickard Bensow, Professor of Hydrodynamics, Chalmers, and responsible for the study's modeling of ship traffic.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-ports-hide-methane-risks">Big ports hide methane risks</h2>



The findings suggest a need for urgent changes in how methane emissions of ships are monitored and reported. The authors stress that more attention must be given to coastal areas where natural and human activities interact.



The researchers now plan to expand their investigation to include large ports in river deltas - these locations likely face similar methane risks.



"The next step is to estimate how large these effects can be globally," said Ida-Maja Hassellöv, a professor of Maritime Environmental Science. She will lead the follow-up project that will start this autumn.



"Major ports in China, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as European ports such as Rotterdam, Antwerp, and river systems in Germany, have similar conditions to the Neva Bay," she said. "It is very likely that we underestimate methane emissions there as well." 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shipping-rules-could-tighten">Shipping rules could tighten</h2>



This research could reshape how the world calculates methane emissions. Current models may leave out critical methane sources hidden beneath the waves.



If similar emissions are found in other shallow ports worldwide, it may prompt major changes in global climate strategies. It could also affect shipping regulations, urging stronger controls on ship routes and port operations in sensitive areas.



This surprising discovery proves that hidden climate risks can emerge from unexpected places. Ships do not just carry cargo and passengers - they may also be pushing greenhouse gases into the air, one wave at a time.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02344-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



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Ships moving in shallow waters cause huge hidden methane leaks

Ships have long connected the world’s economies. They bring goods...

It started with a single ice shelf photo. On November 28, 1966, an American military plane flew over the Antarctic Peninsula, just south of Chile. A photographer onboard - likely from the U.S. Navy - snapped an image of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/wordie-ice-shelf_old-photos_collapse_sea-level-rise_Credit-Mads-Domgaard_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wordie Ice Shelf</a>.



At the time, no one knew that the ice shelf he photographed would almost completely collapse just 30 years later.



That image became the first in a long series of data points that are now helping researchers understand how and why ice shelves collapse - and what it could mean for our future.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-archives-to-data-that-matters">From archives to data that matters</h2>



Scientists at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/en">University of Copenhagen</a> used that photo, along with hundreds more taken between 1966 and 1969, to reconstruct a detailed, time-lapsed view of the early stages of the Wordie Ice Shelf’s collapse. 



The study merges the historical aerial photos with modern satellite data to track the long-term changes in the ice shelf's size, shape, and behavior.



For the first time, this research documents the collapse of an ice shelf not as a sudden event, but as a long, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-icebergs-are-not-the-main-threat-to-antarcticas-stability/">evolving process</a>. That shift in understanding matters.



“We have identified several signs of incipient ice shelf collapse that we expect will be observed in other ice shelves," explained postdoc <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jhKkns4AAAAJ&amp;hl=da" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mads Dømgaard</a> from the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, who is lead author of the study.



"Perhaps more importantly, the dataset has given us a multitude of pinning points that can reveal how far advanced a collapse is. It's a completely new tool that we can use to do reality checks on ice shelves that are at risk of collapsing or already in the process of collapsing.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ripple-effects-of-the-ice-shelf-collapse">Ripple effects of the ice shelf collapse</h2>



The collapse of Wordie was relatively small in scale. It led to only millimeters of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coastal-cities-will-spend-over-3-trillion-dollars-damages-from-sea-level-rise/">sea level rise</a>. But it acted like a cork being popped. Without the support of the ice shelf, glaciers behind it were free to slide into the sea more easily.



That’s a major problem with larger ice shelves. Ronne and Ross - the two largest in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarcticas-melting-ice-shelves-threaten-global-sea-levels/">Antarctica</a> - hold back glaciers with enough ice to raise global sea levels by up to five meters.



While Antarctica may feel far away, its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-ice-in-antarctica-could-wake-sleeping-volcanoes/">melting ice</a> doesn’t just affect the Southern Hemisphere. Because of how gravity influences ocean distribution, ice loss in Antarctica leads to sea level rise in the Northern Hemisphere - including in places like Denmark.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-really-caused-the-collapse">What really caused the collapse?</h2>



To analyze the old images, researchers used a method called structure-from-motion photogrammetry. It stitches together overlapping photos to create detailed 3D models of the ice shelf’s surface, thickness, and movement over time.



They discovered something unexpected. Previous assumptions pointed to warmer air and the formation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meltwater-lakes-ice-shelves-bend/">meltwater lakes</a> as the main culprits behind Wordie's collapse. But the evidence from the current study tells a different story.



“Our findings show that the primary driver of Wordie's collapse is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pacific-ocean-temperatures-highest-in-650-years-greatly-harming-coral-reefs/">rising sea temperatures</a>, which have generated the melting beneath the floating ice shelf,” said Dømgaard.



In other words, it’s not what’s happening on top of the ice that matters most - it’s what’s happening below.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-pace-of-ice-shelf-collapse">Surprising pace of ice shelf collapse</h2>



The study also challenges the common assumption that ice shelf collapses <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ice-sheet-fracture-sets-a-speed-record-in-antarctica/">happen quickly</a>.



"The tentative conclusion from our findings is that ice shelf collapse may be slower than we thought," said <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bCPIXH8AAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anders Anker Bjørk</a>, assistant professor at the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management.



"This means that the risk of a very rapid development of violent sea level rise from melting in Antarctica is slightly lower, based on knowledge from studies like this one."



That sounds like good news, but it comes with a catch. According to Bjørk, the data shows a collapse process that is even more protracted than previously assumed.



"And this longer process will make it harder to reverse the trend once it has started. This is an unambiguous signal to prioritise halting greenhouse gas emissions now, rather than sometime in the future," noted Bjørk.



The findings are a reminder that even slow-moving changes can carry enormous consequences. Understanding how ice shelves collapse gives us a chance to act - not later, but now - while we still have the choice to shape what happens next.



-----



Featured image credit: The Wordie Ice Shelf has undergone a total collapse since <a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/wordie-ice-shelf_old-photos_collapse_sea-level-rise_Credit-Mads-Domgaard_1m.jpg">first photographed November 1966</a>. Credit: Mads Dømgaard



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59293-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Old photos help scientists predict ice shelf collapse and sea level rise

It started with a single ice shelf photo. On November...

Over the past two years, scientists using the 10-meter South Pole Telescope (SPT) have mapped about 1/25 of the sky using 16,000 ultra-sensitive millimeter-wave detectors. The data offer new details about the early universe and help scientists probe the nature of dark energy, the mysterious force driving cosmic acceleration.



Now, the international team behind the effort has released their data, revealing the most detailed maps yet of the cosmic microwave background’s (CMB) temperature and polarization in that region.



The snapshot captures conditions just 400,000 years after the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/origins-of-matter-discovered-by-recreating-the-big-bang/">Big Bang</a>. At that point, the hot primordial plasma had cooled enough for hydrogen and helium atoms to form.



Complementing the SPT images are three-dimensional galaxy maps from the <a href="https://www.desi.lbl.gov/">Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument</a> (DESI). By cross-matching the two data sets, the researchers have refined key cosmic yardsticks such as the sound-horizon scale - the imprint of primordial sound waves frozen into the CMB.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-universe-is-made-of">What the universe is made of?</h2>



Cosmologists describe the Universe’s history with the ΛCDM (lambda-cold-dark-matter) framework. It begins with a burst of cosmic inflation 13.8 billion years ago, followed by expansion and gradual cooling of a fireball of photons, electrons, and ionized nuclei. 



Tiny density ripples - one part in 100,000 - visible in the CMB grew into today’s web of dark-matter haloes, galaxies, and clusters.



According to ΛCDM, about 5% of the Universe is ordinary matter, 25% is cold <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-did-dark-matter-come-from-the-answer-may-be-surprisingly-simple/">dark matter</a>, and 70% is dark energy represented by Einstein’s cosmological constant Λ.



Dark energy was proposed in 1998 after observations of distant supernovae revealed that the universe's expansion has been accelerating for roughly the last five billion years. 



This acceleration defied expectations based on gravity alone, which should have slowed the expansion over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dark-energy-may-evolve">Dark energy may evolve</h2>



The new SPT data, when combined with DESI and earlier CMB surveys such as <a href="https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/Planck">Planck</a>, lean away from the simplest cosmological constant.



The experts argue that the combined data set reduces the likelihood of a cosmological constant. It also increases support for dark energy models that evolve over time. Adding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supernovae-explosions-seem-to-have-altered-earths-climate-in-the-past-and-could-do-so-again-at-any-time/">supernova</a> measurements further strengthens this new understanding.



The implication is that dark energy, the force driving cosmic acceleration, might be weakening with time. If so, expansion could eventually slow, stop, or even reverse - an outcome not predicted by a constant Λ.



The result does not yet reach the stringent “5-sigma” threshold (which means less than one chance in 3.5 million for the standard model be false) beloved by particle physicists, but the statistical weight is building.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-if-dark-energy-fades"><a></a>What if dark energy fades?</h2>



Should the hints solidify, ΛCDM would need modification. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/desi-gravity-study-new-discovery-proves-einstein-right-again/">Einstein </a>originally introduced his cosmological constant in 1917 to balance gravity and keep the Universe static, but he abandoned the idea after Edwin Hubble revealed the Universe was expanding in 1929. 



The constant was revived in the late 1990s and has since explained virtually all precision cosmological data.



A weakening acceleration could point to a dynamic field - sometimes dubbed “quintessence” - rather than a simple constant. 



Alternatively, general relativity itself might need adjustment on cosmological scales. Either route would transform fundamental physics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clarity-from-the-south-pole">Clarity from the South Pole</h2>



The South Pole Telescope sits at the Amundsen-Scott station, where bone-dry, ultra-cold air offers ideal transparency for CMB wavelengths.



The new release covers only a fraction of the final survey. Future observations with an upgraded receiver in 2028, along with forthcoming results from the <a href="https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/center-for-computational-astrophysics/cosmology-x-data-science/simons-observatory/">Simons Observatory</a> and the 2030s <a href="https://cmb-s4.org/">CMB-S4 project</a>, promise an order-of-magnitude increase in sensitivity.



On the galaxy side, the DESI collaboration plans a <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.03585">DESI-2</a> instrument and, further ahead, the ambitious <a href="https://www.spec-s5.org/">Spec-S5</a>. These surveys will map tens of millions of galaxies. They will track how large-scale cosmic structure has grown under the tug-of-war between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unraveling-gravity-quantum-nature-entanglement-mechanics/">gravity</a> and dark energy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cosmic-verdict-still-pending">Cosmic verdict still pending</h2>



It is not yet clear how soon decisive evidence might arrive. Current indications fall short of the gold-standard probability of less than one in 3.5 million of being a fluke.



Yet each new dataset shortens the odds. By the early 2030s, combined CMB and galaxy surveys are expected to either confirm a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-energy-is-ripping-the-universe-apart-but-we-arent-sure-how/">dynamic dark-energy</a> component or vindicate the cosmological constant once more.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-physics-of-dark-energy">The physics of dark energy</h2>



One of the SPT’s key achievements is a sharper measurement of the sound horizon - the maximum distance sonic waves could travel in the primordial plasma before recombination.



That scale left a pattern in the CMB and galaxy distribution, acting as a “ruler” for measuring cosmic expansion. Pinning it down more precisely tightens every subsequent inference about dark-energy physics.



Whether the expansion is truly “losing steam” remains an open question. But the latest SPT–DESI results highlight the power of combining high-resolution microwave maps with vast galaxy surveys.



Each new observation slices deeper into the cosmic enigma of dark energy and helps scientists build a fuller picture of how the Universe began, how it grew, and where it is heading next.



The study can be found <a href="https://pole.uchicago.edu/public/data/camphuis25/C25.pdf">here</a>.



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Dark energy might be fading - so what does that mean?

Over the past two years, scientists using the 10-meter South...

For more than a century, the notion that left-handed people possess a special creative spark has held popular imagination. Icons such as Leonardo da Vinci, M. C. Escher, and Jimi Hendrix often headline lists of left-handed geniuses, reinforcing the idea that such people enjoy an artistic or inventive edge.



Scientists themselves have occasionally entertained the possibility. They argue that motor control for the left hand is more strongly connected with the brain’s right hemisphere. 



Because the left side typically supports divergent thinking, some have suggested that left-handers naturally make more unexpected connections and generate novel ideas.



However, new research from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> now shows that the story is far more complicated and that, on balance, the data do not support a link between left-handedness and heightened <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-outperforms-humans-in-creativity-tests/">creativity</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-the-lefty-myth">Testing the lefty myth</h2>



Daniel Casasanto, an associate professor of psychology in the College of Human Ecology, and his colleagues conducted a sweeping review of the scientific literature to test the claim.



“The data do not support any advantage in creative thinking for lefties,” Casasanto said. “In fact, there is some evidence that righties are more creative in some laboratory tests, and strong evidence that righties are overrepresented in professions that require the greatest creativity.”



Professor Casasanto and study first author Owen Morgan sifted through nearly 1,000 studies published since 1900. 



Most of the studies were excluded because they either omitted data on handedness. Others enrolled only right-handers in search of homogeneous samples, a common practice in experimental design.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-creative-edge-goes-to-righties">Creative edge goes to righties</h2>



Only 17 studies provided enough standardized information to be included in a meta-analysis. Together, they yielded close to fifty separate measures of creativity in relation to handedness.



Across the most frequently used tests of divergent thinking - exercises in which participants list alternative uses for common objects, for example - hand preference made almost no difference.



When a difference did appear, it typically favored right-handers, though the advantage was small. The findings undermine earlier suggestions that habitual use of the left hand, paired with right-hemisphere activation, offers any systematic boost to creative thought.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-creative-jobs-show-same-trend">Creative jobs show same trend</h2>



Recognizing that lab tasks do not capture every facet of real-world creativity, the researchers expanded their inquiry to professional life.



A second meta-analysis confirmed a familiar observation: left-handers turn up disproportionately among visual artists and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/live-music-connects-people-emotionally-and-physically/">musicians</a>. Yet the pattern stopped there. The researchers found no excess of left-handed individuals among architects, despite common assumptions.



Seeking a broader picture, the team reexamined U.S. government data covering nearly twelve thousand adults in more than seven hundred occupations. Each job was scored for creativity using ratings of originality and inductive reasoning.



On that measure, theoretical physicists and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mathematicians-may-have-solved-a-125-year-old-problem-linking-the-laws-of-physics/">mathematicians</a> ranked alongside fine artists at the top of the scale. The data showed that, contrary to the enduring myth, left-handers were under-represented in these highly creative fields.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lefty-myth-explained">The lefty myth explained</h2>



Why, then, does the legend persist? Casasanto and co-authors point to several reinforcing misconceptions.



One is what they call “left-handed exceptionalism:” since left-handedness is uncommon and creative genius is rare, people tend to connect the two. Popular culture also romanticizes the “tortured artist”- someone both brilliant and beset by mental illness.



Because left-handers in artistic circles show higher rates of depression and schizophrenia, observers may conflate these separate traits, seeing them as parts of a single package.



A third factor is plain statistical cherry-picking. Researchers have repeatedly cited small studies that found more left-handers in art or music over the decades. Meanwhile, larger and more representative surveys have faded into obscurity.



Professor Casasanto noted that the focus on these two creative professions where lefties are overrepresented, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/simply-looking-at-art-can-improve-your-well-being/">art</a> and music, is a really common and tempting statistical error that humans make all the time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-left-or-right">Beyond left or right</h2>



The new analysis does not deny that many great artists have been left-handed, nor does it dismiss the intricate roles of brain lateralization in cognition. It simply shows that handedness alone does not predict who will excel at creative tasks or professions.



Creativity, the authors argue, springs from a richer interplay of cognitive capacities, personality traits, training, and cultural opportunity. 



By dispelling the allure of a simple biological explanation, the findings invite a fuller exploration of how innovative ideas arise - one that looks beyond which hand holds the pen or strums the guitar. 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13423-025-02717-2">Psychonomic Bulletin &amp; Review</a>.



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Are left-handed people really more creative? The answer is finally revealed

For more than a century, the notion that left-handed people...

Genetic,Brain,Disorders,,Conceptual,3d,Illustration.,Mutations,In,The,Dna

When folks picture Neanderthals, the image often involves heavy brows, furry pelts, and stone tools. Yet pieces of their DNA are still part of the modern human genome. Recent research suggests that some of these genetic variants inherited from Neanderthals could be linked to autism spectrum disorder.



About 50,000-60,000 years ago, small groups of modern humans trekked out of Africa into Eurasia. They met Neanderthals, exchanged tools, and also exchanged genes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-analysis-reveals-most-recent-modern-human-to-interbreed-with-neanderthals/">through interbreeding</a>. 



It has been estimated that Eurasian-derived populations have approximately <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq3010" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2% Neanderthal DNA</a>, which was acquired during introgression events occurring shortly after anatomically modern humans migrated out of Africa.



Later, some descendants journeyed back to Africa, sprinkling a much thinner dusting of Neanderthal genes across the continent. 



That genetic shuffling means nearly everyone on Earth carries at least a trace of <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-neanderthal-in-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neanderthal ancestry</a>, though the amount varies.



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



Genetic leftovers can be helpful. Certain <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-06587-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neanderthal alleles</a> boost immune responses or aid survival at high altitudes. 



Many others never meshed well with our biology and were slowly weeded out by natural selection. Brain-related genes are especially unforgiving; even minor glitches can prove disruptive. 



With the recent sequencing of multiple <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867424001168" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">archaic human genomes</a>, there has been growing interest concerning the influence of archaic human-derived alleles on modern health.



Yet some Neanderthal variants slipped past that filter. They linger in regions tied to perception, memory, and social understanding, sparking curiosity about their subtle effects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-autism-clues-in-neanderthal-dna">Autism clues in Neanderthal DNA</h2>



The study linking autism to Neanderthal DNA was led by researchers from <a href="https://www.clemson.edu/">Clemson University</a> and <a href="https://www.luc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Loyola University</a>.



The authors compared whole-genome data from autistic people, their unaffected siblings, and unrelated controls across diverse ethnic backgrounds. 



They saw that both rare and common Neanderthal-derived variants appeared more often in autistic participants. 



The pattern wasn’t about carrying more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-inject-40000-year-old-neanderthal-dna-gli3-gene-into-mice-with-incredible-results/">Neanderthal DNA</a> overall; it hinged on possessing particular snippets.



One striking theme involved genes that guide how distant brain regions talk to each other. 



Visual-processing circuits appeared to run hotter, while the so-called default mode network, linked to daydreaming and social reflection, ran cooler. 



Those connectivity signatures match traits many autistic individuals report - keen pattern recognition alongside social fatigue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seeing-the-world-in-sharp-focus">Seeing the world in sharp focus</h2>



Functional MRI scans from the same project confirmed this pattern. People who carried a higher load of the identified <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/inner-ears-of-neanderthals-reveals-catastrophic-population-event-during-their-evolution/">Neanderthal variants</a> - whether autistic or not - showed stronger signaling in visual areas. 



Meanwhile, pathways that normally hum during casual conversation or idle thought stayed quieter. 



The result hints that these ancient genes might sculpt a cognitive profile tuned for intense observation and precise motor planning.



Archaeologists note a similar nuance in Neanderthal craftsmanship and stone tool making skills. 



Their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levallois_technique" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Levallois technique</a> required stepwise planning, spatial reasoning, and sustained focus - skills that resonate with strengths many autistic thinkers display today.



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



Why would such variants stick around? One idea points to the small, tight-knit bands <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-and-neanderthals-species-face-structure-evolved-differently/">Neanderthals</a> likely formed. In that setting, visual scouting for game, shelter, or stone resources could outweigh complex social juggling. 



When Homo sapiens groups interbred with them, those advantageous perceptual talents may have proved useful enough to persist.



The study does not argue that Neanderthal DNA “causes” autism. Instead, it suggests that a handful of inherited tweaks can raise the odds of certain traits emerging along a spectrum. 



Those traits might have offered benefits in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-theory-explains-why-neanderthals-vanished-and-homo-sapiens-are-alive-today/">ancestral environments</a> - and still do in fields that prize logic, detail, and pattern spotting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neanderthal-contributions-to-autism">Neanderthal contributions to autism</h2>



Researchers stress that genetics is only part of the autism puzzle. Environment, early development, and countless other genes interact in ways science is still charting. 



Even so, identifying concrete Neanderthal contributions helps explain why autism exists worldwide, independent of culture or upbringing. 



It also reframes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/placenta-hormones-may-have-driven-human-brain-evolution/">neurodiversity</a> as a legacy of humanity’s mixed heritage rather than a modern anomaly.



Many families notice clusters of analytical talent - mathematicians, engineers, visual artists - scattered among autistic and non-autistic relatives alike. The new findings offer a biological thread connecting those shared gifts.



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



“We hope this research will lead to further investigation into the ongoing influences of ancient hybridization between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthals-and-humans-had-multiple-waves-of-contact/">Homo sapiens and Neanderthals</a> in brain development, human intelligence, and overall human health, as well as spur work into additional clinical resources for this complex population,” the research team wrote.



Future projects will likely probe other neurodevelopmental conditions, explore how Neanderthal variants interact with modern lifestyles, and refine personalized supports. 



As we continue to discover, the story of human evolution didn't stop with one lineage replacing another. It wove their strengths together, leaving fingerprints that guide our thoughts, perceptions, and innovations in modern humans to this day.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02593-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Molecular Psychiatry</a>.



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Scientists link autism to Neanderthal DNA found in modern humans

When folks picture Neanderthals, the image often involves heavy brows,...

A new review pulls together decades of research on tire wear particles (TWPs) - the tiny bits that break off tires and get washed away. It turns out wind and rain can sweep huge amounts of these fragments off highways and straight into nearby streams and ponds.



In heavy-traffic zones, TWPs can make up 50 to 90 percent of all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/car-tires-are-a-big-source-of-microplastics-pollution-but-what-about-mountain-bikes/">microplastics</a> that run off roads during rainfall. When soils are included, nearly 45 percent of microplastics found on land or in freshwater environments can be traced to tire abrasion.



Concentrations recorded in field samples vary wildly - from just 0.00001 mg per liter to an astonishing 10,000 mg per liter. These extremes highlight the presence of localized hotspots.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tires-release-a-toxic-mix">Tires release a toxic mix</h2>



When it comes to tires, speed and grip matter more than ecological impact. The review lists 2,456 different chemicals in tire rubber - and lab tests show that at least 144 of them can leach out.



Prominent among them are hexamethoxymethyl-melamine, dibutyl phthalate, and the antioxidant 6-PPD, which transforms into its highly toxic quinone derivative. 



Manufacturers embed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavy-metal-pollution-threatens-marine-life-and-human-health/">heavy metals</a> - like zinc, manganese, cadmium, and lead - into the polymer matrix as vulcanizing agents and fillers.



Hans-Peter Grossart of the <a href="https://www.igb-berlin.de/en">Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries</a> is a co-author of the study.



“During the leaching process, tire abrasion releases more chemicals than thermoplastics such as PE. We also assume that more substances are leached out than we already know,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tire-dust-disrupts-ecosystems">Tire dust disrupts ecosystems</h2>



Laboratory exposure studies reveal that tire particles and their leachates prompt oxidative stress, DNA damage, immune suppression, and developmental defects in a wide array of aquatic organisms. Affected species show reduced feeding, stunted growth, and lower reproductive success.



Scaling up, the review links these individual ailments to shifts in community composition, which in turn disrupt nutrient cycles and diminish biodiversity. 



Changes in microbial and algal communities could also disrupt how carbon and nitrogen cycle through the environment - processes that are key to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/it-took-200-million-years-for-earth-to-get-its-oxygen/">oxygen</a> production and clean water.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-warming-worsens-toxic-effects">Warming worsens toxic effects</h2>



Rising temperatures and freshwater acidification are likely to make the ecological impact of tire particles even worse.



Higher temperatures accelerate chemical reactions, increasing the rate at which additives leach from particles, while lower pH can heighten metal solubility and bioavailability.



Grossart cautioned that these environmental shifts will likely exacerbate the effects of tire wear and its leaching by altering its toxicity and its interactive effects on microbial activity, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-draining-nutrients-from-the-oceans-surface/">nutrient</a> cycling, and the resilience of ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tire-dust-sinks-near-roads">Tire dust sinks near roads</h2>



Studies indicate that wind can spread tire wear particles over a wide area. However, most fragments fall near their release points and accumulate along road verges, drainage ditches, and sediment beds.



The researchers estimate that only about two percent of tire particles carried by rivers reach the sea. That means capturing them earlier - at the watershed level - could have a big impact.



The review calls for physical barriers and improved drainage systems to trap particles before they reach natural waterways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-drivers-play-a-role-too">Drivers play a role too</h2>



The researchers suggest that tire manufacturers should explore alternative formulations with fewer hazardous additives.



They also urge urban planners to improve the separation between road surfaces and water bodies. Yet drivers also hold part of the solution.



“Effective reduction strategies involve the development of alternative tire manufacturers, and a better demarcation of roads and wastewater from natural areas," Grossart said. "Ultimately, everyone can make their own contribution with a prudent driving style.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-calls-for-tire-pollution-limits">Calls for tire pollution limits</h2>



Despite the mounting evidence, major knowledge gaps persist. Standardized field protocols are rare, hindering cross-study comparisons, and most of the thousands of tire-derived chemicals remain untested for toxicity.



The review urges cross-disciplinary collaborations to develop real-world monitoring networks and predictive models. These tools would help regulators set science-based limits for TWP emissions.



The review highlights TWPs as a major but overlooked source of freshwater pollution, based on volume and chemical complexity.



Without concerted action - from product redesign to traffic management - the dust generated by every mile driven will continue to seep into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/major-plastic-pollution-lurks-beneath-the-surface-of-rivers/">rivers</a> and lakes, carrying with it a suite of toxins that ecosystems must somehow absorb.



The review is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479725020353?via%3Dihub">Journal of Environmental Management</a>. 



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Tire particles flood freshwater with toxic microplastics

A new review pulls together decades of research on tire...

Coral reefs are in trouble. As oceans warm and environments shift, the vibrant ecosystems built by corals are turning pale and dying off. 



While scientists have known for years that coral bleaching is linked to the loss of symbiotic algae, they’ve never been able to watch the process unfold at the cellular level in realtime - until now.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-underwater-microscope-for-studying-coral">Underwater microscope for studying coral</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/">Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego</a> have created a handheld underwater microscope. The device makes it possible to study coral photosynthesis right where it happens - in the ocean, inside living coral tissue - without causing any damage.



The team named the device the Benthic Underwater Microscope imaging PAM - BUMP, for short.



The Jaffe Lab for Underwater Imaging at Scripps Oceanography built the microscope with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation.



The tool combines imaging with a light-based technique known as pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry to measure how efficiently tiny algae inside corals are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-fate-of-coral-reefs-lies-in-the-hands-of-their-tiny-inhabitants/">photosynthesizing</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-depends-on-glowing-algae">Coral depends on glowing algae</h2>



The algae, called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/symbiosis-will-help-some-corals-survive-in-a-warming-world/">symbionts</a>, are essential for coral survival. They live within coral tissue and convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into sugars and oxygen.



The coral, in turn, uses that energy to grow and build reefs. But when stressed by warming seas or pollution, corals eject these algae. Without them, corals appear white and slowly starve - known as the bleaching effect.



The BUMP microscope makes it possible to monitor this relationship in real-time and in natural environments - something that couldn’t be done before.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-huge-technological-leap">A huge technological leap</h2>



“This microscope is a huge technological leap in the field of coral health assessment,” said study lead author Or Ben-Zvi, a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Oceanography. 



“Coral reefs are rapidly declining, losing their photosynthetic symbiotic algae in the process known as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-worlds-largest-coral-bleaching-event-is-now-underway/">coral bleaching</a>."



"We now have a tool that allows us to examine these microalgae within the coral tissue, noninvasively and in their natural environment.”



The microscope is small enough to fit in a carry-on suitcase. It’s light enough for a diver to bring to the seafloor without a ship’s help. 



Controlled with a touchscreen and powered by a battery pack, the microscope uses focused LED lights and high-magnification lenses to capture vivid images and videos. It also creates detailed 3D scans and maps photosynthesis in high resolution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microscope-reveals-corals-inner-glow">Microscope reveals corals’ inner glow</h2>



At just 10 micrometers wide - one-tenth the width of a human hair - coral symbionts are invisible to the naked eye. But when corals are viewed under the microscope, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-algae-genes-chlorophyll-boost-crop-yields-land-plants/">algae</a> glow red due to chlorophyll, the pigment that powers <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/key-to-life-on-earth-photosynthesis-begins-on-the-quantum-level-with-a-single-photon/">photosynthesis</a>. 



PAM technology measures this glow to calculate how efficiently the algae are converting light into energy. Other glowing areas, like cyan and green patches, come from fluorescent proteins that the coral produces, often around its mouth and tentacles. 



The images help researchers “see” coral health without touching or harming them. "We get a lot of information about their health without the need to interrupt nature,” said Ben-Zvi. 



“It's similar to a nurse who takes your pulse and tells you how well you're doing. We're checking the coral's pulse without giving them a shot or doing an intrusive procedure on them.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-observing-corals-at-unseen-scales">Observing corals at unseen scales</h2>



Ben-Zvi and her colleagues tested the microscope at coral hotspots around the world - including Hawaii, the Red Sea, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-in-some-parts-of-the-world-actually-benefit-from-warming-el-nino-events/">Palmyra Atoll</a> - in collaboration with the Smith Lab at Scripps Oceanography. 



What they saw surprised them. Corals weren’t passive. They moved constantly, changing shape, reacting to particles, and even behaving in ways that looked like fighting or kissing.



Ben-Zvi observed coral polyps contracting their tentacles, possibly trying to remove or capture something floating by.



“The more time we spend with this microscope, the more we hope to learn about corals and why they do what they do under certain conditions,” she said. 



“We are visualizing photosynthesis, something that was previously unseen at the scales we are examining, and that feels like magic.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-detection-of-coral-stress">Early detection of coral stress</h2>



Corals face serious threats from climate change, and once bleaching begins, it can be hard to stop. But this microscope might help researchers catch problems earlier.



“The microscope facilitates previously unavailable, underwater observations of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-grazing-halos-and-parrotfish-reveal-about-coral-reef-health/">coral health</a>, a breakthrough made possible thanks to the National Science Foundation and its critical investment in technology development,” said Jules Jaffe, a research oceanographer at Scripps and co-author of the study. 



Without continued federal funding, scientific research is at risk. In this case, however, support from <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">NSF</a> enabled the team to build a device that helps solve the physiological mystery of coral bleaching and, ultimately, inform efforts to reverse it.



By detecting signs of stress before the coral reaches the tipping point, the researchers hope to create better strategies for protecting reefs from events like marine heatwaves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-kelp-and-ocean-algae">Studying kelp and ocean algae</h2>



The potential doesn’t stop with corals. Scientists at Scripps Oceanography are already using the BUMP microscope to study other tiny marine life that rely on photosynthesis, including baby kelp off the coast of California.



“Since photosynthesis in the ocean is important for life on earth, a host of other applications are imaginable with this tool, including right here off the coast of San Diego,” said Jaffe.



In short, the BUMP microscope gives scientists something they’ve never had before: a new way to look at life underwater - close up, in motion, and alive. And with this new perspective, scientists are hoping to find better ways to protect some of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.70078">Methods in Ecology and Evolution</a>.



About the image: The photo features the coral&nbsp;Stylophora pistillata&nbsp;taken with the new micrsope, BUMP. Each polyp has a mouth and a set of tentacles, and the red dots are individual microalgae residing inside the coral tissue. Credit: Or Ben-Zvi



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Microscope reveals coral health in unprecedented detail

Coral reefs are in trouble. As oceans warm and environments...

We hear about minerals all the time. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and rare earth elements appear in the news almost every week.



These minerals power phones, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dirty-power-the-hidden-climate-cost-of-electric-vehicles/">electric cars</a>, and military equipment. Countries want them, companies want them, and the competition for the minerals keeps growing.



While leaders plan and companies race, some scientists study a different part of the story. They ask questions about where these minerals come from and how they move underground.



Geologist Zachary Burton works on these questions. He studies natural processes instead of using drills or machines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rare-earth-elements-are-hard-to-find">Rare earth elements are hard to find</h2>



"Rare earth elements aren't technically rare - they are somewhat ubiquitous at very low concentrations - but highly concentrated, economically attractive deposits are indeed rare and hard to find," Burton explained.



In the Department of Earth Sciences at <a href="https://www.montana.edu/">Montana State University</a>, Burton has been studying these elements for almost 15 years.



The problem is simple. Scientists do not fully understand how these minerals move or gather in one place.



"That's in large part because we don't even know many fundamental scientific processes of why they concentrate in certain areas and how they're moving around," Burton said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-desert-deep-in-antarctica">A desert deep in Antarctica</h2>



Burton recently studied these minerals in a very cold place: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctica-is-experiencing-rapid-plant-growth-concerning-scientists/">Antarctica</a>'s McMurdo Dry Valleys. This part of Antarctica is dry, windy, and extremely cold. It has unusual landscapes that look similar to other planets.



Burton’s team investigated how rare earth minerals move in this polar desert. They focused on salt ponds in the area, including Don Juan Pond, VXE-6 Pond, and Brine Pond Number 1.



The team found something intriguing. In Don Juan Pond, mineral levels were low in the center - likely because chemicals had washed them away.



However, minerals had gathered underground in two specific spots: one about 10 to 12 centimeters deep (roughly 4 to 5 inches) west of Don Juan Pond, and another about 4 to 7 centimeters deep (around 1.5 to 2.75 inches) beneath VXE-6 Pond.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-freezing-and-melting-moves-minerals">Freezing and melting moves minerals</h2>



The places with more minerals had another feature. The soil there contained clay-like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-meteorites-provide-a-window-into-the-early-solar-system/">materials</a>. These formed through chemical changes.



The reason for this process was clear. Water froze and melted many times. The ponds also changed in size. These actions moved the minerals.



Water carried the minerals. When the water froze, the minerals stayed behind in the soil. This cycle repeated many times. Over the years, minerals gathered just below the surface.



Burton explained that similar things can happen in other cold areas. He pointed to Greenland and Ukraine, two places that are often in the news for their mineral resources.



"Rare earths are an area that's been relatively neglected these past decades in terms of scientific research, but now - with these critical minerals constantly making headlines - there's a whole lot to be learned in terms of where deposits are," he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-antarctica-to-other-planets">From Antarctica to other planets</h2>



Burton’s research is not only about Earth. It also connects to space. The Dry Valleys in Antarctica are similar to places on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-plan-terraform-mars-nanoparticles-would-make-it-habitable-for-humans/">Mars</a>. That makes them a good place to study processes that might also happen on other planets. 



Space agencies, such as NASA, need to find resources beyond Earth. Burton’s work may help them plan future missions.



The study also included diagrams that showed how minerals move underground. Water flows below the surface, freezes, and leaves minerals behind. These findings may guide future work in space.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rare-mineral-movement-in-hot-deserts">Rare mineral movement in hot deserts</h2>



Burton’s projects also focus on dry areas in the United States. He studies how minerals move in places like Nevada, Utah, and California’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/desert-lichen-may-offer-clues-to-life-beyond-earth/">Mojave Desert</a>. 



These regions are hot, dry, and full of desert basins. The goal is to understand how rare earth elements and lithium move and collect in such places.



Burton described the work as difficult but exciting. "It's a challenge and a scramble, but also very exciting, because there's a lot more for the world to learn in these areas."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-frontier-for-geology">A new frontier for geology</h2>



Montana State University is now focusing more on this type of research. Alison Harmon, vice president for research and economic development at the university, said these studies matter.



"This will be an area where MSU can make an important contribution to national security and economic development in Montana and beyond," said Harmon.



Burton’s research shows that minerals do not stay in one spot forever. Water, ice, and time keep moving them around. By studying how this happens, researchers can learn more about Earth’s resources and even about resources on other worlds.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165232X25001661?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cold Regions Science and Technology</a>.



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Water and ice may reveal where rare earth elements are hiding

We hear about minerals all the time. Lithium, cobalt, nickel,...

Indian,Senior,Woman,Have,Sensitive,Teeth,With,Ice,Lolly,Or

For most of us, teeth mean crunching pretzels or tearing steak. But a new fossil analysis suggests their first job was feeling the world, not shredding it.



“What good is having all these teeth on the outside?” asked Yara Haridy of the <a href="https://www.uchicago.edu/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Chicago</a>, lead author of the study. Using high‑energy scans, researchers found that the earliest tooth‑like bumps sat on fish skin and were wired for sensation.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teeth-began-as-skin-sensors">Teeth began as skin sensors</h2>



These skin teeth, known as <a href="https://www.morphosource.org/projects/000626244" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">odontode units</a>, appear in Eriptychius fossils from the middle <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/ordovician/ordovician.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ordovician Period</a>, roughly 460 million years ago. 



Slicing the fossils reveals thick bands of <a href="https://www.drbicuspid.com/clinical/imaging-cad-cam/article/15747523/fossil-scans-of-ancient-fish-may-explain-modernday-tooth-sensitivity" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dentine</a>, the same pain‑transmitting material that still lies beneath human enamel.



Each odontode contains a pulp <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tooth-enamel-analysis-suggests-early-eurasians-were-multiple-species-paranthropus-robustus/">cavity</a> and wide tubules that open at the surface, a layout ideal for detecting pressure or temperature shifts. By contrast, later fish with heavy enamel caps muted that sensitivity but gained better protection.



One celebrated Cambrian candidate for the “first fish,” Anatolepis, has been demoted after fresh scans showed its bumps match arthropod <a href="https://abc7chicago.com/post/university-chicago-study-finds-tooth-sensitivity-may-linked-ancient-fish-led-dr-yara-haridy/16499129/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sensilla</a>, not vertebrate dentine.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-armor-came-with-nerves">Early armor came with nerves</h2>



Sensilla in crabs and scorpions let them taste, feel vibration, and track currents. Early vertebrates adopted a similar strategy, embedding nerves inside mineral caps that hardened into armor.



“Tooth‑like structures likely first evolved in the skin of early vertebrates, prior to the oral invasion of these structures that became teeth,” said <a href="https://biology.ufl.edu/gareth-fraser/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gareth Fraser</a> of the University of Florida, an evolutionary biologist not involved in the scans.



Because armor muffles most tactile cues, adding built‑in sensors restored environmental awareness without sacrificing defense. The same compromise appears again and again whenever <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-confirm-species-identity-of-the-dragon-man-fossil-skull-denisovan/">animals</a> grow shells, scales, or plates.



The Ordovician seas teemed with cephalopods and sea scorpions, so feeling a predator brush past could mark the difference between survival and lunch. Even a thin sensory layer offered that edge.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teeth-moved-from-skin-to-mouth">Teeth moved from skin to mouth</h2>



Once fish started lunging at prey, bringing those hard nodules inside the oral cavity made practical sense. The genetic toolkit for building odontodes simply redeployed along the jaw line.



CT reconstructions show a stepwise shift, first lining lips, then clustering on internal ridges that became true teeth. No new tissue was required, only a new address.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/human-teeth-sensitivity_evolution_skate-fish_CT-scan_tooth-like-denticles_Yara-Haridy_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/human-teeth-sensitivity_evolution_skate-fish_CT-scan_tooth-like-denticles_Yara-Haridy_1s.webp" alt="CT scan of the front of a skate, showing the hard, tooth-like denticles (orange) on its skin. Yara Haridy" class="wp-image-1976721"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">CT scan of the front of a skate, showing the hard, tooth-like denticles (orange) on its skin. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Yara Haridy</figcaption></figure>



This migration explains why modern teeth still flinch when chilled soda hits exposed dentine. The tissue did not lose its ancient job, even after millions of years chewing. 



Human <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21168271/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">odontoblast cells</a> inside dentine express <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK5244/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">temperature‑sensing TRP channels</a> that trigger pain signals, reinforcing the link between sensation and tooth structure.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ice-cream-pain-is-ancient">Ice cream pain is ancient</h2>



Skates, sharks, and certain catfish still wear odontodes across their skin, and fluorescent imaging reveals nerves curling around each unit. The same wiring lights up in their oral teeth.



Dentists encounter the legacy daily: about 30 percent of adults report <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34302871/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dentin hypersensitivity</a> - a direct outcome of open tubules harking back to those armored swimmers.



Laboratory studies show that activating <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4541108/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TRPA1 and TRPV4</a> channels in human odontoblasts releases ATP, a chemical that excites nearby nerves and sparks the familiar zing of ice‑cream pain.



Understanding the fossil record clarifies why blocking tubules with varnishes or bioactive glasses calms sensitivity more reliably than numbing gels alone. Closing the ancient sensory windows cuts the signal at its source.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossil-mistake-changed-tooth-history">Fossil mistake changed tooth history</h2>



The misidentification of Anatolepis as a vertebrate with dentine pushed the timeline of true teeth further back than the evidence supports. 



With updated scans showing Anatolepis as an arthropod, the emergence of real vertebrate dental tissue now firmly begins in the middle Ordovician.



This correction removes about 40 million years of assumed vertebrate history. It also reorients where scientists search for the evolutionary leap from external skin sensors to internal biting tools.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-teeth-link-to-modern-health">Ancient teeth link to modern health</h2>



Reclassifying Anatolepis as an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cambrian-fossils-reveal-new-clues-about-arthropod-evolution/">arthropod</a> pushes the oldest confirmed vertebrate dentine forward by almost 40 million years, tightening the evolutionary timeline. Paleontologists can now focus on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/470-million-year-old-animal-fossils-discovered-in-frances-cabrieres-biota/">Ordovician</a> strata when hunting the first mouths with teeth.



The fossil findings also challenge textbook diagrams that present teeth as novel structures formed deep inside the jaw. 



Instead, they appear as immigrants from the skin, carrying sensory baggage that still shapes dental health.



Medical researchers already mine shark and skate genes to inspire regenerative dentistry. Knowing those genes once built skin sensors may guide efforts to coax human cells into growing replacement enamel.



Finally, the study highlights a broader pattern: nature often solves different problems with the same parts. 



Sensory armor, lateral‑line canals, and even mammal whiskers show how sensation sneaks into protective structures whenever the need arises.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08944-w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Fossil discovery explains why our teeth are still so sensitive to cold

For most of us, teeth mean crunching pretzels or tearing...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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