<p>Look out over the desert east of Aswan in southern Egypt, and it might seem like there’s nothing but rocks and sand - no sign of the kings who once ruled here. But look closer, and the walls start talking.</p>



<p>Thousands of years ago, long before the famous pharaohs ruled from pyramids, kings carved their power into stone.</p>



<p>These carvings weren’t just decorations. They were public declarations of who was in charge. And they’ve finally gotten the attention they deserve.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lost-rulers-carved-into-stone">Lost rulers carved into stone</h2>



<p>More than 5,000 years ago, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-eclipse-may-have-changed-the-architecture-of-ancient-egypt-forever/">Egypt</a> was on the edge of something big. Small local rulers had started forming a more connected and controlled territory. </p>



<p>The place we now call Egypt was becoming the world’s first territorial state. It stretched about 500 miles from north to south. That’s not small for a place that had no highways or phones - just boats, legs, and grit.</p>



<p>In the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/850-paleolithic-artifacts-discovered-with-the-naked-eye-in-a-desert/">desert</a> valleys like Wadi el Malik and Wadi Abu Subeira, rulers made their presence known with carvings. One of the most fascinating figures from this time was a ruler called Scorpion. </p>



<p>His name appears in rock inscriptions along with a few other symbols, including one that marks it as a place name.</p>



<p>That particular place-name sign is believed to be the oldest one ever found. That discovery made international headlines a few years back. Now, there’s more.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-egypt-s-lineup-of-early-kings">Egypt's lineup of early kings</h2>



<p>Scorpion wasn’t alone. The rocks tell the story of other rulers too. There’s King Bull, who came before him, and Horus-Falcon, who may have been the first in this royal line. </p>



<p>Some of their names reference dangerous animals - <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/centipede/">centipedes</a>, falcons, bulls - creatures that symbolized strength and fear.</p>



<p>This lineup of names and animal symbols is what researchers call a "royal rock art tableau." It's not just a list - it’s a way to show power, legacy, and control over a tough, rugged landscape. These kings wanted people in Egypt to know: This land is ours. We rule here.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ancient-egypt_rock-art_ruler-godlike-powers_credit-Johann-Thiele_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ancient-egypt_rock-art_ruler-godlike-powers_credit-Johann-Thiele_1s.webp" alt="The ruler tramples a man (lying). The two round circular areas behind this are not balls, but rather decapitated heads. Credit: Johann Thiele" class="wp-image-1983776"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>The ruler tramples a man (lying). The two round circular areas behind this are not balls, but rather decapitated heads. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Johann Thiele</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-violence-and-power-on-display">Violence and power on display</h2>



<p>These carvings didn’t shy away from violence. One scene shows a ruler standing over a fallen enemy. In the background, two decapitated heads leave no doubt about the message. These weren’t peaceful monuments - they were warnings.</p>



<p>“The most extreme scene is the one showing the ruler trampling an enemy, with two decapitated heads visible in the background,” said Egyptologist Professor Dr. Ludwig Morenz from the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bonn</a>, who has been studying these carvings with his colleague Mohamed Abdelhay Abu Bakr.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kings-carved-ties-to-egypt-s-gods">Kings carved ties to Egypt's gods</h2>



<p>The kings from this period didn’t call themselves gods. But they made it clear they were close. </p>



<p>They aligned themselves with two powerful deities from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-human-highways-revealed-beneath-the-sea/">Nile Valley</a> - Bat, a celestial cow often shown with a star-covered face, and Min, a hunting god tied to the deserts and outer regions.</p>



<p>“They formed a divine couple, with Bat associated with the fertile land along the Nile and Min with the peripheral regions as a kind of hunting god,” Morenz said.</p>



<p>The connection to these gods helped build something called “pharaoh-fashioning.” This was how early rulers shaped their image - as chosen leaders backed by divine power. They didn’t inherit power quietly. They carved it in stone.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ancient-egypt_rock-art_ruler-defeating-enemies_credit-Johann-Thiele_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ancient-egypt_rock-art_ruler-defeating-enemies_credit-Johann-Thiele_1s.webp" alt="Combined with the motif of defeating enemies. Credit: Johann Thiele/ Matthias Lang edited with GigaMesh" class="wp-image-1983774"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Combined with the motif of defeating enemies. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Johann Thiele/ Matthias Lang edited with GigaMesh</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trade-and-faith-carved-together">Trade and faith carved together</h2>



<p>At the time, this region was more than desert. It had resources, water, and wildlife. People passed through on hunting trips or mineral expeditions. That made it valuable - and contested. It also made it the perfect spot to mark territory.</p>



<p>“It is actually all about a grandiose presentation of the claim to sovereignty,” Morenz said.</p>



<p>And part of that grand display included religion. One large carving shows a "boat of the gods" being hauled by 25 men. This likely represents a sacred procession that tied the desert valley to the better-known Nile Valley.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ancient-egypt_rock-art_ruler-godlike-powers_credit-Ludwig-Morenz_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ancient-egypt_rock-art_ruler-godlike-powers_credit-Ludwig-Morenz_1s.webp" alt="The inscription of King &quot;Bull&quot; is on the top, the one with the placename in front. Credit: Photo: Ludwig Morenz" class="wp-image-1983778"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>The inscription of King "Bull" is on the top, the one with the placename in front. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Photo: Ludwig Morenz</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-desert-valleys-served-as-crossroads">Desert valleys served as crossroads</h2>



<p>These carvings aren’t easy to see with the naked eye. Thousands of years of wind and sand have taken their toll. But new digital tools have made a difference. </p>



<p>Researchers used high-powered photo analysis to reveal carvings that would otherwise go unnoticed.</p>



<p>“This is an important region when it comes to our understanding of the emergence of the state at the sociocultural periphery in the late fourth millennium,” Morenz said.</p>



<p>It’s clear there's more to learn here. Compared to central Egypt, this area has barely been studied. But it played a major role in shaping one of the most influential <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-oldest-calendar-discovery-could-rewrite-history-of-civilization/">civilizations</a> in history.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-scans-revived-ancient-history">Modern scans revived ancient history</h2>



<p>Morenz hopes this area will get the attention it deserves. That means more research, bigger projects, and maybe even making the site accessible to visitors.</p>



<p>“I consider this so important that this hot spot should also be made accessible to interested parties with tours and a visitor center,” he said.</p>



<p>What was once forgotten desert might soon become one of Egypt’s most important historical windows. Not just because of what’s carved in stone - but because of what it shows about the earliest rulers who helped create a state that would shape human history.</p>



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Early Egyptian king named "Scorpion" told his blood-thirsty tales in ancient rock art

Look out over the desert east of Aswan in southern Egypt, and it might seem like there’s nothing but rocks and sand - no sign of the kings who once ruled here. But look closer, and the walls start talking. Thousands of years ago, long before the famous pharaohs ruled from pyramids, kings carved their power into stone. These carvings weren’t just decorations. They were public declarations of who was in charge. And they’ve finally gotten the attention they deserve. Lost rulers carved into stone More than...

<p>Water is on the move every day in the global food trade, as massive shipments cross international borders. Wheat from Kansas ends up in Cairo. Rice from Vietnam fills supermarket shelves in London. Most people only see the final product.</p>



<p>Behind every ton of traded grain is something invisible and critical - <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-is-the-water-impact-of-the-u-s-beef-industry/">water</a>. Where that water goes, or doesn’t go, is changing who has enough and who’s left behind.</p>



<p>There’s a name for this invisible movement: the virtual water trade. It refers to the water used to grow crops that are then shipped elsewhere. It may not be in a bottle, but that water is as real as any lake or reservoir - and its journey has serious consequences.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-virtual-water-trade-works">How the virtual water trade works</h2>



<p>Let’s break this down. When a country imports <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sustainable-food-systems-are-gaining-momentum/">food</a>, it’s saving water. That’s because the crops were grown somewhere else using someone else’s water. Wealthier countries can afford to do this a lot. By buying food, they ease pressure on their own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/snow-droughts-could-quadruple-by-2100-harming-water-supplies/">water supplies</a>.</p>



<p>On the flip side, countries that export food lose water. It’s baked into every ton of corn, soy, or sugar they send abroad. For many of these countries, water is already scarce. And when it’s gone, it’s not coming back.</p>



<p>It’s easy to think this system is win-win, but it’s not that simple. A new report from the UN Institute for Water, Environment and Health shows that while food trade can reduce water stress in many places, it can also make things worse for others - especially people living in poorer areas.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inequalities-in-the-virtual-water-trade">Inequalities in the virtual water trade</h2>



<p>According to the report, virtual water transfers through food trades generally reduce water <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-drought-has-caused-crisis-levels-of-food-and-water-scarcity/">scarcity</a> for much of the global population, while at the same time deepening shortages for millions of others, particularly those in low-income communities.</p>



<p>That’s a sharp contrast. On one hand, 75% of people in high-income countries and 62% in low-income countries benefit from lower water scarcity due to food imports. But the same system increases water stress for 22% of the population in wealthy countries and a much larger 37% in poorer nations.</p>



<p>The biggest concern? Those who lose out often have the fewest resources to deal with it. Even within rich countries, low-income groups feel the pressure the most.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-s-gaining-who-s-losing">Who’s gaining, who’s losing</h2>



<p>Some regions come out ahead. Northern China, parts of Europe, and Northern Africa see real gains in savings thanks to global trade. But places like India, Pakistan, eastern Australia, and the central U.S. aren’t so lucky. They’re either treading water or sinking deeper into scarcity.</p>



<p>“This form of 'virtual water trade' reflects a broader pattern of environmental injustice around the world, where the environmental costs and risks are increasingly shifted from those who can afford to absorb them to those who cannot,” said Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of <a href="https://unu.edu/inweh">UNU-INWEH</a> and co-author of the report.</p>



<p>The problem isn’t just about geography. It’s also about income. Wealthier countries can adjust, adapt, or buy their way out of trouble. Poorer ones often can’t.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-clear-winners-in-a-complex-system">No clear winners in a complex system</h2>



<p>International food trade doesn’t create clear good or bad outcomes. Instead, it creates trade-offs. Some countries benefit, others suffer. Even within a single country, some communities get help while others face harm.</p>



<p>“International agricultural trade almost never produces outcomes that are purely positive or negative,” said Dr. Yue Qin, lead author of the report. </p>



<p>“This reality calls for more targeted and equity-oriented water and trade policies that support vulnerable populations with limited adaptive capacity and promote fair and sustainable global water governance.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shaping-fairer-water-policies">Shaping fairer water policies</h2>



<p>The report pushes for smarter, fairer policies. It urges countries to stop focusing only on national water totals and start looking at how different groups within those countries are affected.</p>



<p>National governments can step up by helping lower-income communities directly. That could mean subsidies, price caps, or better infrastructure for things like wells, pumps, and pipes. On farms, switching to drip <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sustainable-irrigation-could-feed-feed-1-4-billion-more-people/">irrigation</a> or growing less water-hungry crops can go a long way.</p>



<p>Trade policy matters too. Instead of relying on a few big export partners or crop types, countries can mix it up. China, for example, has shifted how it imports rice and wheat to balance demand better.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unequal-burdens-of-trade">Unequal burdens of trade</h2>



<p>Agricultural trade has made the world more connected than ever, but that interdependence comes with responsibility.</p>



<p>“The existing global food trade system continues to make the world’s most vulnerable people and nations more vulnerable,” said Professor Madani.</p>



<p>It’s a tough reality. But ignoring it won’t make it go away. Only by facing the facts - and rethinking how we move both food and water - can we start to create a system that works for everyone.</p>



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How the global food trade drains water from poor communities

Water is on the move every day in the global...

<p>We throw the word “cool” around every day when describing people, places and things - but what are we really pointing to? Not fashion trends. Not a perfect playlist. The idea is bigger than that. </p>



<p>The word "cool" is a label people use when someone stands out in a way that feels confident, lively, and a little daring.</p>



<p>A new set of studies tackled that slippery word head-on. Instead of asking for definitions, participants around the world rated people whom they knew. That choice matters because when you think of a real person, your answers become clearer. </p>



<p>The big takeaway: “cool” <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-people-believe-they-deserve-good-karma-more-than-others/">overlaps with “good,”</a> but they’re not twins.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-some-people-cool">What makes some people cool?</h2>



<p>"Everyone wants to be cool, or at least avoid the stigma of being uncool, and society needs cool people because they challenge norms, inspire change, and advance culture," said co-lead researcher Todd Pezzuti, Ph.D., an associate professor of marketing at the <a href="https://www.uai.cl/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez</a> in Chile.</p>



<p>Researchers ran multiple experiments across countries and languages. </p>



<p>In each one, people named someone they considered cool or uncool - or good or not good - and then rated that person on many traits and values. </p>



<p>Comparing those patterns across places helped separate universal cues from local quirks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-study-was-done">How the study was done</h2>



<p>Participants didn’t define cool in the abstract. They rated acquaintances on specific traits. That approach reduces confusion and produces results that hold up better outside the lab. </p>



<p>Because the work spanned different languages and cultural settings, the team could check whether the same signals appeared consistently.</p>



<p>If you’ve studied personality before, you’ll recognize some of the traits on those lists. </p>



<p>Think of common frameworks like the Big Five (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability) and widely used value maps that include self-direction, security, tradition, hedonism, and power. </p>



<p>The research relied on this kind of vocabulary so responses could be compared cleanly.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-traits-shared-by-cool-people">Traits shared by "cool" people</h2>



<p>When people tag someone as cool, they’re not just saying that person is nice. Ratings show a cluster tied to boldness and self-direction. </p>



<p>Cool people seem energized by others, open to new experiences, willing to take risks, and motivated by enjoyment. They also look more autonomous - like they’re steering their own ship.</p>



<p>"To be seen as cool, someone usually needs to be somewhat likable or admirable, which makes them similar to good people," Warren said. </p>



<p>"However, cool people often have other traits that aren't necessarily considered 'good' in a moral sense, like being hedonistic and powerful."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-being-good-differs">How being "good" differs</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-who-are-good-with-words-have-better-health-and-live-longer/">Good people</a>, on the other hand, score higher on warmth and agreeableness. They come off as calm, conscientious, steady, and more traditional. They care about security and fitting in. </p>



<p>You can picture the difference right away. A trusted neighbor who always shows up might be “good” in every sense of the word, while the trendsetting club owner or startup leader might read as “cool.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cross-cultural-patterns-emerge">Cross-cultural patterns emerge</h2>



<p>Here’s the twist: the pattern barely budged across the map. You might expect cool in the United States to look different from cool in South Korea or Nigeria. </p>



<p>Yet the same adventurous, open, self-directed, socially energetic profile kept showing up. Slang changes. The core idea travels well.</p>



<p>Why would that be? Some signals are simply easy to read in any language. Openness to experience looks like trying new things. </p>



<p>Autonomy looks like making your own choices. Social energy looks like bringing life to a room. People track those cues quickly, and they matter in group life everywhere.</p>



<p>One trait did not distinguish cool from good: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/good-listening-is-not-persuasive-in-arguments-does-not-change-minds/">basic capability</a>. Across the board, competence mattered. If someone seems ineffective, admiration is hard to earn, no matter the lane. </p>



<p>Beyond that shared base, the paths split - stability and care for “good,” novelty and autonomy for “cool.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limitations-of-this-study">Limitations of this study</h2>



<p>No study is perfect. The surveys kept the English word “cool” even when the rest of the materials were in other languages. English slang spreads widely, but that choice brings a bit of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/attractive-people-have-more-career-opportunities-and-success/">cultural flavor</a>. </p>



<p>Many participants came from online panels or university pools, which are great for comparisons but don’t capture every voice.</p>



<p>Finally, the work looks at perceptions, not a moral scorecard. It maps how people use the label “cool,” not who deserves praise in some objective sense.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-be-cool-in-real-life">How to be cool in real life</h2>



<p>Want to project cool in a healthy way? </p>



<p>Skip the stone-faced act - curiosity works better. Try something people haven’t seen yet, then share the energy from that accomplishment.</p>



<p>Own your choices, even small ones, and show you’re comfortable steering your day. People notice autonomy and enthusiasm.</p>



<p>Want to project goodness? Lean into reliability and warmth. Keep your word. Offer calm help. Focus on care and steadiness. Both roles matter in a community. They just carry different cues.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-roots-and-relevance-of-cool-people">Roots and relevance of cool people</h2>



<p>"Coolness has definitely evolved over time, but I don't think it has lost its edge. It's just become more functional," Pezzuti said. </p>



<p>"The concept of coolness started in small, rebellious subcultures, including Black jazz musicians in the 1940s and the beatniks in the 1950s. As society moves faster and puts more value on creativity and change, cool people are more essential than ever."</p>



<p>Those roots explain why cool is tied to early movers. People who tinker, mix influences, and put ideas into action often set the pace. They may not be the most obedient in the room. They make new things feel possible.</p>



<p>We admire both cool people and good people, but for different reasons. If the “cool kid” and the “good kid” seem to orbit different planets, you’re not imagining it. Each plays a role in how groups change and how cultures move forward.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-xge0001799.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Psychological Association</a></em>.</p>



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People who are considered 'cool' have these six things in common across all cultures

We throw the word “cool” around every day when describing...

Environmental,Technology,Concept.,Sustainable,Development,Goals.,Sdgs.

<p>Every year, humanity reaches&nbsp;Earth Overshoot Day, the point when the year’s planetary budget is spent. This marks how quickly we use resources compared to Earth’s ability to renew them. </p>



<p>In 2025, Denmark’s <a href="https://www.overshootday.org/">Earth Overshoot Day</a> arrived on March 19, one of the earliest in the world. If everyone lived like the average Dane, more than four <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-what-were-really-fighting-for/">Earths</a> would be required to sustain humanity.</p>



<p>This reality raises an urgent question: Which daily choices matter most? </p>



<p>Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (<a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DTU</a>) tackled this question by linking everyday activities with the Planetary Boundaries framework. </p>



<p>Their findings help separate symbolic actions from those that truly bring us closer to a sustainable future.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-true-environmental-impact">Measuring true environmental impact</h2>



<p>“One problem is that it’s hard for people to distinguish between what is better for the environment and what is good enough,” said Teddy Serrano, Ph.D. at DTU. </p>



<p>“If you get a three out of 10, it's better than a two out of 10, but it's still a bad grade. So the question is: When can we say that the grade is good enough?”</p>



<p>To address this, the researchers created annual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-urgent-plea-sustainable-climate-solutions-save-earth-humanity/">environmental budgets</a> for individuals by downscaling global limits on an equal per capita basis. </p>



<p>Six categories were used: climate change, functional biodiversity, land occupation, marine eutrophication, resource use, and water consumption.</p>



<p>Each lifestyle choice was compared to these budgets, showing how much of the yearly allowance it consumed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-food-choices-shape-planet">Food choices shape planet</h2>



<p>Food emerged as the single largest driver of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mutual-relationships-with-nature-offer-hope-for-a-sustainable-future/">environmental pressure</a>. An omnivorous diet overshoots climate, biodiversity, and land budgets all by itself. By contrast, vegetarian and vegan diets dramatically cut these impacts.</p>



<p>A vegan diet uses only 22 percent of the climate allowance, while a vegetarian one consumes around 33 percent. </p>



<p>Replacing cow’s milk with oat milk also shrinks biodiversity and land pressures from substantial portions of the allowance to near negligible values.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commuting-and-climate-costs">Commuting and climate costs</h2>



<p>Mobility choices carry similar weight. Driving a gasoline or diesel car for daily distances can use up the entire climate budget in a single year. </p>



<p>Small electric cars reduce this to about half, but increase demand for mineral resources due to batteries.</p>



<p>Commuting by e-bike, however, lowers climate impacts to just 5 percent of the allowance. </p>



<p>Air travel remains especially damaging, with a single round trip across the Atlantic consuming as much as three-quarters of a person’s yearly climate budget.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-homes-and-climate-strain">Homes and climate strain</h2>



<p>Housing adds further strain. Building and living in a detached home overshoots the resource budget entirely. </p>



<p>Heating with oil takes up more than 80 percent of the climate allowance, while switching to heat pumps reduces that figure dramatically.</p>



<p>Adding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-panels-are-1000-times-more-powerful-with-new-tech-breakthrough/">solar panels</a> improves results across categories, cutting climate impacts from double-digit percentages to much lower shares of the budget.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/environmental-budget-choices_infographic_TUDenmark_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/environmental-budget-choices_infographic_TUDenmark_1s.webp" alt="Share of the individual environmental budgets consumed by activities assessed in the publication. The colors indicate how much of the yearly budget each activity consumes, from 0 % (green) to above 100% (purple). The impact categories are listed with icons (from left to right): Functional biodiversity, climate change, marine eutrophication, land occupation, resource use, water consumption. Credit: Technical University of Denmark" class="wp-image-1983764"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Share of the individual environmental budgets consumed by activities assessed in the publication. The colors indicate how much of the yearly budget each activity consumes, from 0 % (green) to above 100% (purple). The impact categories are listed with icons (from left to right): Functional biodiversity, climate change, marine eutrophication, land occupation, resource use, water consumption. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Technical University of Denmark</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-misconceptions-about-small-actions">Misconceptions about small actions</h2>



<p>Not all popular changes have meaningful effects. Using reusable grocery bags or washing clothes at lower temperatures only shifts results by a small fraction. </p>



<p>While such actions may save money or offer convenience, they cannot bridge the vast gap between current lifestyles and sustainable living. </p>



<p>The study highlights that attention must be placed on high-impact areas such as food, transport, housing, and aviation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-action-beyond-overshoot-day">Action beyond Overshoot Day</h2>



<p>The researchers also stress that personal effort alone cannot fully align lifestyles with planetary limits. </p>



<p>Systemic change is equally important, including cleaner energy systems, improved <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/51-percent-of-the-world-relies-on-car-commutes-every-day/">public transportation</a>, and policies that support smaller, less resource-intensive homes.</p>



<p>“Our study draws attention to the fact that we need to make major shifts in our current lifestyles if we want to bring our impact on the environment down to sustainable levels,” Serrano notes.</p>



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



<p>To make these priorities clear, the study points to four key lifestyle areas. Planes highlight the outsized impact of air travel, where even a single long-haul trip can consume most of a climate budget. </p>



<p>Places highlight the importance of housing size, with smaller homes requiring fewer materials and less energy. </p>



<p>Plates capture the significance of diet, with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-based-foods-promote-weight-loss-regardless-of-processing/">plant-based foods</a> offering huge reductions. Pedals remind us that choosing cycling first keeps transportation within a manageable footprint.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sustainable-path-on-overshoot-day">Sustainable path on Overshoot Day</h2>



<p>The evidence shows that not all actions are equal. Minor lifestyle gestures cannot outweigh the large impacts of cars, planes, meat-heavy diets, and oversized housing. </p>



<p>To live within planetary boundaries, individuals and societies alike must prioritize high-impact changes. </p>



<p>By combining informed personal decisions with systemic support, humanity can move closer to a balance that one Earth can sustain.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550925000715" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sustainable Production and Consumption</a>.</em></p>



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Earth Overshoot Day shows urgent need for sustainable living

Every year, humanity reaches&nbsp;Earth Overshoot Day, the point when the...

<p>Dinosaurs have long fascinated us for their size, diversity, and survival stories. Yet, their bones still reveal mysteries about their struggles. Recently, fossils discovered in Brazil added a surprising chapter. </p>



<p>A set of sauropod remains from the Cretaceous period showed evidence of a fatal disease. These findings suggest that even giants of the past were not safe from infection.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discovery-in-brazil">Discovery in Brazil</h2>



<p>The bones were found in Ibirá, São Paulo. Researchers supported by&nbsp;<a href="https://fapesp.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FAPESP</a>&nbsp;identified signs of osteomyelitis, an inflammatory bone disease caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or protozoa. </p>



<p>Six individuals dating back about 80 million years displayed clear evidence of the illness. None of the bones showed healing, meaning the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-and-ornate-sail-on-istiorachis-dinosaurs-head-may-have-been-used-for-mating/">animals</a> likely died while still infected. The findings appear in&nbsp;<em>The Anatomical Record</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-many-dinosaurs-carried-disease">Many dinosaurs carried disease</h2>



<p>“There have been few findings of infectious diseases in sauropods, the first having been published recently," said Tito Aureliano, first author of the study and a researcher at the&nbsp;Regional University of Cariri (<a href="https://www.urca.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">URCA</a>).</p>



<p>"The bones we analyzed are very close to each other in time and from the same paleontological site, which suggests that the region provided conditions for pathogens to infect many individuals during that period."</p>



<p>One fossil had infection limited to the marrow, while others showed damage spreading outward. These lesions had a porous, spongy texture, marking them distinct from cancers such as osteosarcoma. </p>



<p>The pattern suggested vascularization, meaning blood vessels fed the infected regions. Unlike bite marks from predators, which sometimes show signs of bone regeneration, these did not heal.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bone-remodeling-patterns">Bone remodeling patterns</h2>



<p>The study emphasized how osteomyelitis can alter bone tissue through reactive bone growth. This process, called periosteal reaction, occurs when inflammation stimulates new bone to form on the outer surface. </p>



<p>In the Ibirá fossils, three different patterns appeared: small circular protrusions, fingerprint-like ellipsoid marks, and enlarged protrusions with greater height and area. These variations revealed a mosaic of infection-driven remodeling, showing how the disease progressed differently within each <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-extinction-theories-are-challenged-by-new-research/">individual</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaurs-died-with-active-disease">Dinosaurs died with active disease</h2>



<p>Despite varied manifestations, none of the fossils displayed healing tissues. The absence of repair, combined with a lack of structures usually seen in chronic cases such as sequestra or cloacae, suggests that the disease advanced quickly. </p>



<p>Infections were still active when the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-on-earth-before-during-and-after-the-dinosaur-killing-asteroid-strike-mosasaurs/">animals</a> died, hinting that their health had been severely compromised.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/dinosaur-bone-disease_osteomyelitis_credit-Anatomical-Record_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/dinosaur-bone-disease_osteomyelitis_credit-Anatomical-Record_1s.webp" alt="In the approximately 80-million-year-old fossilized bone, the arrows indicated by BL point to the lesion caused by osteomyelitis. HB is the unlesioned part, and MB is the bone marrow. Credit: Tito Aureliano et al./The Anatomical Record" class="wp-image-1983771"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>In the approximately 80-million-year-old fossilized bone, the arrows indicated by BL point to the lesion caused by osteomyelitis. HB is the unlesioned part, and MB is the bone marrow. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Tito Aureliano et al./The Anatomical Record</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microscopes-confirm-patterns">Microscopes confirm patterns</h2>



<p>Researchers at the&nbsp;Federal University of São Carlos (<a href="https://www2.ufscar.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UFSCar</a>)&nbsp;examined the fossils with electron and stereomicroscopes, uncovering three unique patterns of osteomyelitis.</p>



<p>Some bones carried small circular bumps, others bore fingerprint-like protrusions, while a third type displayed wide circular marks. </p>



<p>“These lesions could connect with muscles and skin and become exposed, oozing blood or pus,” explained Aureliano.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cause-of-illness-unknown">Cause of illness unknown</h2>



<p>The exact bones studied were hard to identify, though at least one rib and several limb bones were recognized. Both large and small sauropods were affected. </p>



<p>The cause of the infections remains unknown. A 2021 study at the same site documented another case of osteomyelitis, linked to blood parasites in Ibirania parva.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environment-spread-disease-in-dinosaurs">Environment spread disease in dinosaurs</h2>



<p>The site, called the São José do Rio Preto Formation, had an arid climate with shallow rivers and stagnant pools. Dinosaurs and other animals often became trapped and perished, leaving fossils behind. </p>



<p>“This environment probably favored pathogens, which may have been transmitted by mosquitoes or by the water itself that was ingested by the fauna, which included dinosaurs, turtles, and animals similar to today’s crocodiles,” said Aureliano.</p>



<p>These results expand our view of prehistoric disease. They also show how infection interacted with bone remodeling, helping paleontologists distinguish osteomyelitis from other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-dinosaur-skulls-reveal-unique-hunting-strategies/">conditions</a>. </p>



<p>Studying such ancient illnesses offers a window into dinosaur biology and survival. It highlights that even dominant creatures of their time lived under the constant threat of diseases that left their mark in bone, shaping their history and ultimate fate forever.</p>



<p>The&nbsp;research was supported by the National Institute of Science and Technology of Parasitic Hymenoptera (<a href="http://www.hympar.ufscar.br/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">INCT Hympar</a>)&nbsp;in the Brazilian Southeast Region.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ar.70003" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Anatomical Record</a>.</em></p>



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Giant, long-necked dinosaurs struggled with fatal bone disease

Dinosaurs have long fascinated us for their size, diversity, and...

<p>Parasitic wasps aren’t winning beauty contests anytime soon. They’re not colorful like butterflies or flashy like fireflies. They’re about the size of a grain of rice - or smaller - and they spend much of their lives inside plant lumps called galls. But these tiny insects just gave scientists a big surprise.</p>



<p>Two previously unknown species of parasitic wasps were discovered living in North America. They didn’t evolve here. They hitched a ride - and no one really noticed until now.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-secret-lives-of-gall-wasps">The secret lives of gall wasps</h2>



<p>Across North America, oak trees host a strange cast of insect tenants. One of the oddest is the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-wasps-are-expanding-northward-on-the-west-coast/">oak gall wasp</a>. These wasps lay their eggs in oak trees, which causes the trees to form protective structures called galls. </p>



<p>These galls come in wild shapes and sizes - some look like fuzzy balls, others like spiky marbles or tiny apples. Inside the galls, young oak gall wasps grow. But they're not alone. </p>



<p>Parasitic wasps come along and lay their own eggs inside the galls. Their larvae then feed on the oak gall wasp larvae, killing them in the process. It’s not pretty, but it’s part of how nature works. And it turns out, this hidden world is far more complicated than anyone thought.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetics-uncover-hidden-invaders">Genetics uncover hidden invaders</h2>



<p>Recently, scientists found something strange. On both the East and West Coasts of North America, they were collecting parasitic wasps from oak galls. </p>



<p>But some of the wasps didn’t look quite right. To get answers, researchers turned to genetics. They looked at a gene often used to identify <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-farming-is-causing-many-insect-species-to-collapse/">insect species</a> - kind of like scanning a barcode at the grocery store.</p>



<p>The results were unexpected. The wasps matched a European species called <em>Bootanomyia dorsalis</em>. But not just one version. The West Coast wasps were genetically similar to those from Spain, Hungary, and Iran. The East Coast wasps were closer to those from Portugal, Italy, and Iran.</p>



<p>The two groups were different enough that scientists now believe they’re actually two separate species. And both of them somehow made it to North America.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wasps-hitch-rides-across-seas">Wasps hitch rides across seas</h2>



<p>On the West Coast, these wasps were found from Oregon to British Columbia. All the samples were genetically identical, which means the introduction was small - probably just a few insects. But they managed to spread.</p>



<p>On the East Coast, the wasps had a little more genetic variety. That could mean they arrived more than once or came from a larger group.</p>



<p>How did they get here in the first place? One theory is that they came along with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/should-we-cut-down-all-oak-trees-isoprene-emissions-air-pollution-climate-change/">oak trees</a> brought over from Europe. </p>



<p>English oak has been planted in North America since the 1600s, and Turkey oak is a popular ornamental tree. Both are found in areas where the wasps were discovered. Or maybe they simply flew in. </p>



<p>“Adult parasitic wasps can live for 27 days, so they could have hitchhiked on a plane,” said Kirsten Prior, an associate professor of biological sciences at <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Binghamton University</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-wasps-big-ecological-risks">Tiny wasps, big ecological risks</h2>



<p>These tiny newcomers might not seem like a big deal, but they could have real effects on native insects. </p>



<p>“We did find that they can parasitize multiple oak gall wasp species and that they can spread,” Prior said. “They could be affecting populations of native oak gall wasp species or other native parasites of oak gall wasps.”</p>



<p>Parasitic wasps are important for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natures-ecosystems-constantly-share-energy-to-achieve-balance/">ecosystems</a>. They help control insect populations - including pests that damage crops and forests. </p>



<p>But when new species show up, they can disrupt delicate ecological balances. The discovery of these two wasps shows just how much there is still to learn. </p>



<p>“Parasitic wasps are likely the most diverse group of animals on the planet and are extremely important in ecological systems, acting as biological control agents to keep insects in check,” Prior said.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Bootanomyia-dorsalis-wasps_credit-Hymenoptera-Research_1big.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Bootanomyia-dorsalis-wasps_credit-Hymenoptera-Research_1s.webp" alt="Two species of Bootanomyia dorsalis wasps introduced to North America from Europe A, B variation in the extent of wing infumation from a single collection of B. dorsalis sp. 2 from Neuroterus washingtonensis in Metchosin, BC C a male B. dorsalis sp. 1 collected from New York D a female B. dorsalis sp. 2 from the Pacific coast of North America. Body coloration of both C and D wasps are representative of their respective species regardless of sex. Credit: Journal of Hymenoptera Research" class="wp-image-1983766"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Two species of Bootanomyia dorsalis wasps introduced to North America from Europe A, B variation in the extent of wing infumation from a single collection of B. dorsalis sp. 2 from Neuroterus washingtonensis in Metchosin, BC C a male B. dorsalis sp. 1 collected from New York D a female B. dorsalis sp. 2 from the Pacific coast of North America. Body coloration of both C and D wasps are representative of their respective species regardless of sex. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Journal of Hymenoptera Research</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ambitious-project-uncovers-invaders">Ambitious project uncovers invaders</h2>



<p>Graduate students have been traveling across North America, collecting oak galls and sequencing the DNA of the insects inside. It’s the most ambitious study of its kind.</p>



<p>“We are interested in how oak gall characteristics act as defenses against parasites and affect the evolutionary trajectories of both oak gall wasps and the parasites they host," said Prior. "The scale of this study will make it the most extensive cophylogenetic study of its kind."</p>



<p>And the discoveries keep coming. Over the past few years, her lab has collected about 25 oak gall wasp species and reared tens of thousands of parasitic wasps. That work uncovered over 100 species - and two of them had never been recorded in North America before.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-backyard-science-fuels-discovery">Backyard science fuels discovery</h2>



<p>You don’t need a PhD to help. Many discoveries come from everyday people exploring their own backyards. </p>



<p>Projects like Gall Week on iNaturalist encourage people to collect galls and share their findings. Even students at Binghamton University have gotten involved through events like Ecoblitz.</p>



<p>“Only when we have a large, concerted effort to search for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-biodiversity-crisis-is-actually-worse-than-we-thought/">biodiversity</a> can we uncover surprises - like new or introduced species,” Prior said.</p>



<p>In a time when biodiversity is under pressure from global change, every small discovery helps paint a bigger picture. And sometimes the most important stories come from the smallest creatures.</p>



<p>This finding came out of a larger project funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Researchers from Binghamton University, the University of Iowa, Wayne State University, and Gallformers.org are working together to better understand oak gall wasps and the parasites that live with them.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://jhr.pensoft.net/article/152867/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Hymenoptera Research</a></em>.</p>



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Invasive parasitic wasps quietly crossed oceans, now thriving in U.S. oak trees

Parasitic wasps aren’t winning beauty contests anytime soon. They’re not...

<p>Astronomers have, for the first time, caught a growing planet “parked” inside the dark lane of a multi-ringed disk of dust and gas - the exact kind of gap long suspected to be sculpted by newborn worlds.</p>



<p>The object orbits a young Sun-like star called WISPIT-2, and its light betrays a world still gulping hydrogen as it builds itself up.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wispit-2-and-dust-disk-gaps">WISPIT-2 and dust disk gaps</h2>



<p>For years, high-contrast images of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-forming-disks-surrounding-stars-often-last-much-longer-than-expected/">planet-forming disks</a> have shown bright rings split by shadowy gaps. </p>



<p>The prevailing idea was simple: protoplanets plow lanes, like snowplows in fresh powder. But almost no planets had ever been found sitting inside those gaps, leaving room for doubters.</p>



<p>“Dozens of theory papers have been written about these observed disk gaps being caused by protoplanets, but no one's ever found a definitive one until today,” said lead author Laird Close, a professor of astronomy at the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Arizona</a>.</p>



<p>Professor Close calls the WISPIT-2 discovery a “big deal” because planets have often been absent in places where they should be. </p>



<p>This gap has prompted many in the scientific community to invoke alternative explanations for the ring-and-gap pattern found in many protoplanetary disks.</p>



<p>“It's been a point of tension in astronomy that we have these really dark gaps, but we cannot detect the faint <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-exoplanets-are-much-larger-than-we-thought/">exoplanets</a> in them,” he said. “Many have doubted that protoplanets can make these gaps, but now we know that in fact, they can.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-instruments-that-found-wispit-2">Instruments that found WISPIT-2</h2>



<p>Together with Richelle van Capelleveen from <a href="https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science/astronomy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leiden Observatory</a>, Professor Close and his team carried out their observations using several world-class telescopes. </p>



<p>They relied on the MagAO-X extreme adaptive optics system mounted on the 6.5-meter Magellan Telescope in Chile.</p>



<p>The experts also used the twin 8.4-meter Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona, along with ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile.</p>



<p>MagAO-X - short for Magellan Adaptive Optics System eXtreme - cancels the blur of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-shrinking-earths-atmosphere-and-thats-bad-for-satellites/">Earth’s atmosphere</a> in real time. That yields razor-sharp images at visible wavelengths, where the best clues to newborn planets lie.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spotting-a-newborn-world">Spotting a newborn world</h2>



<p>The hunt focused on a specific beacon: hydrogen-alpha, or H-alpha, a deep-red wavelength emitted by super-hot hydrogen plasma. When gas free-falls onto a growing world, the impact can heat it enough to shine at H-alpha.</p>



<p>“As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-hidden-planet-found-orbiting-young-star/">planets form and grow</a>, they suck in hydrogen gas from their surroundings, and as that gas crashes down on them like a giant waterfall coming from outer space and hits the surface," Close explained. "It creates extremely hot plasma, which in turn, emits this particular H-alpha light signature.”</p>



<p>MagAO-X is specially designed to look for hydrogen gas falling onto young protoplanets, and that's how we can detect them.</p>



<p>A second, even closer-in candidate emerged inside the central cavity between the star and the inner edge of the disk.</p>



<p>“Once we turned on the adaptive optics system, the planet jumped right out at us,” said Close, who called this one of the more important discoveries in his career. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inside-wispit-2-s-new-planet">Inside WISPIT-2's new planet</h2>



<p>The outer object is designated WISPIT-2b. It sits about 56 astronomical units from the star - well beyond the orbit of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mysterious-object-is-moving-in-sync-with-neptune/">Neptune</a> if transplanted into our solar system. Modeling suggests a mass of roughly five Jupiters.</p>



<p>The team flagged candidate CC1 inside the cavity, about 14-15 AU out, with roughly nine Jupiter masses. Those masses were inferred in part from thermal infrared data gathered at the <a href="https://www.lbto.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Large Binocular Telescope</a> by UArizona graduate student Gabriel Weible.</p>



<p>“It's a bit like what our own Jupiter and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/citizen-astronomers-captured-a-possible-impact-on-saturn-for-the-first-time-ever/">Saturn</a> would have looked like when they were 5,000 times younger than they are now,” Weible said. “The planets in the WISPIT-2 system appear to be about 10 times more massive than our own gas giants and more spread out." </p>



<p>"The overall appearance is likely not so different from what a nearby 'alien astronomer' could have seen in a 'baby picture' of our solar system taken 4.5 billion years ago.”</p>



<p>The disk itself is elaborate: four bright rings, four dark gaps, and likely two planets shaping them. The geometry matches decades of theory on how embedded worlds tug on dust and gas to carve lanes.</p>



<p>“Our MagAO-X adaptive optics system is optimized like no other to work well at the H-alpha wavelength, so you can separate the bright starlight from the faint protoplanet,” Close said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discovery-confirmed-in-infrared">Discovery confirmed in infrared</h2>



<p>In a companion paper, van Capelleveen and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.universityofgalway.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Galway</a> report detecting the planet in thermal infrared light and detailing the rings with the VLT’s SPHERE instrument. This independent window on the same system bolsters the H-alpha find.</p>



<p>“To see planets in the fleeting time of their youth, astronomers have to find young disk systems, which are rare because that's the one time that they really are brighter and so detectable,” van Capelleveen said.</p>



<p>“If the WISPIT-2 system was the age of our solar system and we used the same technology to look at it, we'd see nothing. Everything would be too cold and too dark.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wispit-2-as-a-turning-point">WISPIT-2 as a turning point</h2>



<p>Until now, every directly imaged “accreting” protoplanet had turned up in the inner cavity of a disk, not inside a true gap. Skeptics argued that rings could arise without planets, via magnetic fields or dust chemistry. </p>



<p>Seeing a bona fide, gas-gobbling world embedded in a gap closes that loop: the long-suspected planet–gap connection holds in at least one textbook case.</p>



<p>The broader stakes are high. Our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-y-signs-of-a-world-hiding-in-our-solar-system/">solar system</a> began as a similar disk 4.5 billion years ago. </p>



<p>Pinning down where and how protoplanets sit in those disks - and catching them while they are still feeding - lets astronomers test models of how giants like Jupiter and Saturn assembled.</p>



<p>These findings also reveal how the planets sculpted debris and set the stage for the smaller rocky worlds inside. </p>



<p>With MagAO-X and other extreme adaptive optics systems now tuned to H-alpha and the infrared, more targets will follow. The gaps may not stay empty for long.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adf7a5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>The Astrophysical Journal Letters</em></a>.</p>



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Astronomers photograph a growing baby planet for the first time ever

Astronomers have, for the first time, caught a growing planet...

<p>Most people hear “heart attack” and think of clogged arteries packed with fat and cholesterol. That picture is mostly right, but it may be missing a a key component. </p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096050" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new research</a>, common mouth bacteria that usually stay in their lane may drift into the bloodstream and trigger heart attacks.</p>



<p>The study suggests that mouth microbes don't just float through the bloodstream and disappear, as has always been understood to be the case. </p>



<p>They may take up residence inside <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arteriosclerosis-atherosclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350569" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arterial plaque</a> and help spark the kind of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lifestyle-choices-in-young-adulthood-impact-cognitive-ability-in-midlife/">inflammation</a> that makes a weak spot crack. That is the sort of crack that can set off a clot and cut off blood flow to the heart.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bacteria-and-heart-artery-plaques">Bacteria and heart artery plaques</h2>



<p>Plaques form inside blood vessels over time. They are made of fats, cholesterol, immune cells, and scar-like tissue. Many sit there without causing trouble. </p>



<p>The risk rises when the thin outer layer - the fibrous cap - breaks. Once that cover fails, the plaque’s contents meet the bloodstream; <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/red-blood-cells-found-to-squeeze-clots-tight-using-physical-force/">a clot can form</a>, and a heart attack can follow.</p>



<p>This study focused on whether bacteria from the mouth, especially a group called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/viridans-streptococci" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">viridans streptococci</a>, could be tucked into those plaques. </p>



<p>The central question was: were bacteria hiding out and then helping to drive inflammation right where it hurts most?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-study-was-done">How the study was done</h2>



<p>Researchers analyzed artery plaques from two sources: people who died suddenly and patients having surgery to clear clogged neck arteries. </p>



<p>They did not rely on one test. They used DNA methods to detect bacterial genetic traces, special stains to locate bacteria in tissue, and gene activity analyses to see which immune pathways were active. </p>



<p>They also tested how different bacterial components trigger early warning signals in immune cells. </p>



<p>Pattern recognition receptors - the body’s “burglar alarms” - were a key focus, including a pathway called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/tlr2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TLR2</a> that is well known for spotting bacterial signatures.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biofilm-bacteria-and-the-heart">Biofilm bacteria and the heart</h2>



<p>Inside the deeper parts of many plaques, the team found signs that viridans streptococci were living together as a biofilm. </p>



<p>A biofilm is a community of bacteria embedded in a protective matrix that helps them stick to a surface and shield themselves from stress.</p>



<p>In those plaque cores, immune cells called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-failure-creates-a-lasting-stress-memory-in-the-body/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">macrophages</a> did not appear to react to the biofilm. In other words, the bacteria appeared tucked away where the body’s defenses were not mounting a response.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-bacteria-break-bad">When bacteria break bad</h2>



<p>The picture changed at the edges of plaques that were cracked or appeared unstable. There, the researchers saw scattered bacteria that appeared to have broken free from the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/biofilms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hidden biofilm</a>.</p>



<p>That shift coincided with activation of immune alarms. Pattern recognition receptors lit up - especially through TLR2 - a classic “we found bacteria” signal. </p>



<p>The alarm did not just activate the rapid innate immune response; it also drew in the slower, more targeted adaptive immune system.</p>



<p>“Bacterial involvement in coronary artery disease has long been suspected, but direct and convincing evidence has been lacking," explained <a href="https://researchportal.tuni.fi/en/persons/pekka-karhunen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Pekka Karhunen</a>, lead author of this research.</p>



<p>"Our study demonstrated the presence of genetic material - DNA - from several oral bacteria inside atherosclerotic plaques."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heart-disease-and-bacteria-signals">Heart disease and bacteria signals</h2>



<p>Samples that tested positive for viridans streptococci tended to come from plaques that were more advanced and complicated. </p>



<p>In the autopsy series, bacterial signals lined up with deaths due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-disease-kills-differently-now-than-five-decades-ago/">coronary heart disease</a> and heart attacks. </p>



<p>That association does not prove the bacteria caused the deaths, but it strengthens the idea that they may play a role in a dangerous chain of events.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-daily-life-implications">Daily life implications</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brushing-your-teeth-regularly-can-prevent-deadly-liver-disease/">Oral health</a> has long been linked with heart health in population studies. Everyday activities like brushing or chewing can push mouth bacteria into the bloodstream, especially when gums are inflamed. </p>



<p>The new findings point to a path where certain mouth bacteria might colonize plaques, lie low in biofilms, and then shed pieces that trigger inflammation right where the plaque is fragile.</p>



<p>This is not a call for antibiotics to prevent heart attacks. It does not turn brushing into a magic shield against heart disease. </p>



<p>Cholesterol levels, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-from-plastic-bottles-linked-to-high-blood-pressure-and-heart-problems/">high blood pressure</a>, smoking, diabetes, and family history still carry a lot of weight. </p>



<p>The study suggests bacteria - especially in biofilm form - may be another player that nudges risky plaques toward rupture.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-questions-need-answers">More questions need answers</h2>



<p>To sum it all up, this surprising, peer-reviewed study links oral bacteria within arterial plaques to inflammation associated with plaque rupture, highlighting a plausible mouth-heart connection.</p>



<p>The next steps include testing whether targeting biofilms, improving oral health, or dialing down specific immune alarms could make plaques more stable. </p>



<p>Researchers will also need to sort out cause versus correlation and identify which bacterial features matter most inside human arteries.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-you-should-do">What you should do</h2>



<p>In the meantime, continue to follow the basic guidelines urged by the American Heart Association. </p>



<p>Keep <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eggs-and-cholesterol-a-new-twist-in-an-old-debate/">LDL cholesterol</a> in check. Do not smoke or vape. Move your body most days. Sleep well. Eat in a way that supports cardiovascular health. </p>



<p>Keep up with dental basics also - regular brushing, flossing, and routine checkups reduce the chances that mouth bacteria slip into your blood. </p>



<p>None of these habits are cure-alls on their own, but together they lower risk.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the <em><a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.041521" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of the American Heart Association</a></em>.</p>



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Germs in your mouth play a key role in heart attacks, upending conventional wisdom

Most people hear “heart attack” and think of clogged arteries...

Measurement,Of,Blood,Pressure.,Manual,Medical,Blood,Pressure,Monitor,And

<p>High blood pressure is the number one reason that most people visit their doctor. Known as the "silent assassin," it often creeps in quietly. You feel fine, yet the force in your arteries runs high day after day. </p>



<p>The top number, called systolic pressure, is the one doctors watch most closely because it signals how hard your heart is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-you-position-your-arm-can-alter-blood-pressure-readings-according-to-scientists/">working with each beat</a>. Even a small nudge downward can lower the odds of heart attack and stroke.</p>



<p>Doctors have a wide range of medicines that help, but picking the right plan isn’t easy. </p>



<p>One pill or two? Standard dose or higher? Different drug classes or more of the same? People want clear answers before they commit to a new routine.</p>



<p>Now, an innovative <a href="https://www.bpmodel.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blood Pressure Treatment Efficacy Calculator</a> enables doctors to predict how much different medications are likely to lower blood pressure.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-comprehensive-blood-pressure-study">Comprehensive blood pressure study</h2>



<p>Researchers pulled together the highest-quality evidence available: 484 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with 104,176 participants. </p>



<p>At the start, average blood pressure hovered around 154/100 mm Hg. Follow-up lasted roughly nine weeks - long enough to see the full effect in a setting where participants took the medicine as prescribed.</p>



<p>They asked direct questions. </p>



<p>What drop can you usually count on from a single standard-dose drug? What happens if you double that dose? What if you combine two different drug classes? </p>



<p>They then used those answers to build a simple way to predict average results for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trying-to-lower-your-blood-pressure-this-common-nutrient-can-help/">common choices</a>.</p>



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



<p>A single blood pressure medicine at a standard dose lowered <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">systolic pressure</a> by 8.7 mm Hg on average. Doubling the dose added about 1.5 mm Hg - modest rather than a big change. </p>



<p>Some drug classes showed more gain with higher doses, especially calcium channel blockers; <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/beta-blockers/art-20044522" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">beta-blockers</a> changed little when the dose increased.</p>



<p>Pairing two different drug classes - each at a standard dose - produced a larger effect: a 14.9 mm Hg average drop. </p>



<p>Doubling both components added another 2.5 mm Hg. Adding a second drug class was around four times more effective than doubling the dose of a single medicine.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clear-target-many-choices">Clear target, many choices</h2>



<p>“This is really important because every 1mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure lowers your risk of heart attack or stroke by two percent,” said Nelson Wang, cardiologist and Research Fellow at <a href="https://www.georgeinstitute.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The George Institute for Global Health</a>. </p>



<p>“But with dozens of drugs, multiple doses per drug, and most patients needing two or more drugs, there are literally thousands of possible options, and no easy way to work out how effective they are,” Wang explained.</p>



<p>Blood pressure changes from moment to moment, day to day and by season - these random fluctuations can easily be as big or larger than the changes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/standing-still-exercises-beat-running-for-blood-pressure-control/">brought about by treatment</a>.</p>



<p>“Also, measurement practices are often not perfect, bringing in an additional source of uncertainty - this means it’s very hard to reliably assess how well a medicine is working just by taking repeated measurements," Wang continued.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blood-pressure-baseline-impact">Blood pressure baseline impact</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-from-plastic-bottles-linked-to-high-blood-pressure-and-heart-problems/">Starting pressure</a> matters. Across single-drug regimens, for every 10 mm Hg lower at baseline, the expected drop decreases by about 1.3 mm Hg. Treatment still works at lower baseline pressures; there’s simply less excess pressure to remove.</p>



<p>To make decisions easier, the team grouped treatment “intensity” by predicted systolic reduction: low (&lt;10 mm Hg), moderate (10–19 mm Hg), and high (≥20 mm Hg). </p>



<p>Most single drugs at standard doses fall into the low category. Many two-drug combinations land in the moderate range, and certain higher-dose pairs or three-drug mixes reach high intensity.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predicting-combinations">Predicting combinations</h2>



<p>The analysis didn’t stop at describing past trials. Using averages from single-drug studies, the researchers predicted the effects of two-drug combinations and compared those predictions with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/just-5-minutes-of-daily-exercise-can-lower-blood-pressure/">real trial results</a>. </p>



<p>The match was strong, with a correlation of about 0.76, suggesting that the calculator offers a realistic expectation for most common pairings.</p>



<p>Anthony Rodgers, Senior Professorial Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, noted that hypertension is a top reason for clinic visits.</p>



<p>Unfortunately, clinicians haven’t had one up-to-date source that shows how effective different medicines are - especially in combinations or at varying doses. </p>



<p>“Using the [<a href="https://www.bpmodel.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blood Pressure Treatment Efficacy Calculator</a>] challenges the traditional ‘start low, go slow, measure and judge’ approach to treatment, which comes with the high probability of being misled by BP readings, inertia setting in or the burden on patients being too much,” Rodgers noted.</p>



<p>“With this new method you specify how much you need to lower blood pressure, choose an ideal treatment plan to achieve that based on the evidence, and get the patient started on that ideally sooner rather than later.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-all-means">What it all means</h2>



<p>If someone needs only a small nudge downward, a single medicine at a standard dose is often sufficient. </p>



<p>If the goal is a bigger change - about 15 to 20 points - adding a second drug class usually gets there more reliably than pushing a single drug to higher doses. </p>



<p>That matches <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lasers-and-light-replace-the-cuff-in-blood-pressure-breakthrough-scos/">real-world experience</a> in clinics where most patients need more than one medicine.</p>



<p>Because expected effects depend on baseline, the same regimen appears more potent when baseline pressure is high and slightly less potent when it is closer to the goal. </p>



<p>The intensity tiers give clinicians a quick yardstick to match treatment to the needed reduction, and then fine-tune based on side effects, other conditions, and ongoing home or clinic readings.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-blood-pressure-treatment">Future of blood pressure treatment</h2>



<p>“Given the enormous scale of this challenge, even modest improvements will have a large public health impact - increasing the percentage of people whose hypertension is under control globally to just 50% could save many millions of lives,” Professor Rodgers added.</p>



<p>Small changes matter. A standard-dose medicine typically lowers systolic pressure by a meaningful amount. </p>



<p>Because lower systolic pressure reduces cardiovascular risk, selecting an evidence-based regimen using the intensity framework and calculator can help bring pressure into a safer zone over time.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00991-2/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lancet</a></em>.</p>



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New online tool is set to revolutionize blood pressure measurement and treatment

High blood pressure is the number one reason that most...

<p>A new analysis of tag detections maps the clearest picture yet of white shark presence along the Maine coast. The team compiled a decade of signals from tagged animals to show when and where these predators cruise local waters.</p>



<p>The results point to a reliable seasonal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-white-sharks-separated-into-three-distinct-groups-that-dont-intermingle/">presence</a> in nearshore areas, not just a few chance appearances. The dataset is large enough to change how managers, beach staff, and boaters think about Maine’s summer seas.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-than-100-white-sharks-are-regulars">More than 100 white sharks are regulars</h2>



<p>The study tallied 6,287 confirmed detections grouped into 728 events from 107 unique white sharks. The receiver coverage was expanded after 2019, and this added sharper detail to the map. </p>



<p>Most detections came from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/juvenile-great-white-sharks-prefer-shallow-coastal-waters/">shallow water</a>, with many events being recorded within about 0.6 miles (0.97 kilometers) of shore.</p>



<p>The team pooled data from multiple <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracking-endangered-rays-a-new-chapter-in-marine-conservation/">acoustic telemetry arrays</a> deployed between 2012 and 2023.</p>



<p>Sharks showed up between May and December, with activity peaking from July through September. Many events occurred in water less than 65 feet (19.8 meters) deep, and the average nearshore event lasted about 14 minutes.</p>



<p>Several locations stood out. Head Beach on Hermit Island logged the highest count of unique sharks, while nearby Ragged Island recorded the most events per unit of receiver effort, suggesting concentrated use of parts of eastern Casco Bay.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-this-changes-the-map">How this changes the map</h2>



<p>The tracks tighten the connection between Maine and known summer hotspots to the south. They show how sharks move along the shelf and use local pockets of habitat. </p>



<p>In the Western North Atlantic, these animals typically <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warming-oceans-are-changing-shark-migration-patterns/">migrate seasonally</a> from New England and Atlantic Canada to the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico as waters cool. A similar pattern has been documented by other researchers using satellite and acoustic tags.</p>



<p>Young-of-the-year white sharks center their first summer and fall in the New York Bight nursery before shifting range with age. This helps explain Maine’s mix of white sharks. </p>



<p>The Maine detections included mostly juveniles and subadults, along with some adults. This is consistent with a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-29180-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> that tracked the early movements of young-of-the-year white sharks in the Western North Atlantic.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-data-suggest-a-white-shark-corridor">Data suggest a white shark corridor</h2>



<p>Warming matters as well. The sea surface temperature in the Gulf of Maine is <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aac9819" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a> rising faster than 99 percent of the global ocean, a backdrop that can alter seasonal timing and habitat use.</p>



<p>The new map suggests a corridor effect along western Maine, with some sharks pinging at four or more sites within a single day. </p>



<p>A subset returned to the same spots across years, suggesting that individuals are familiar with these sites.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-summer-brings-white-sharks">Why summer brings white sharks </h2>



<p>Food is a strong driver of white sharks to Maine. Gray seal colonies on the Northeast Shelf provide dense, energy-rich prey that attract foraging subadults and adults in late summer and early fall. </p>



<p>The pattern mirrors what researchers have tracked at Cape Cod and in Atlantic Canada. White sharks off Cape Cod spent almost half of their monitored time at depths shallower than 15 feet (4.6 meters). </p>



<p>This emphasizes just how coastal these animals can be during the summer foraging season.</p>



<p>“White sharks are regularly spotted off our coastline during the summer and fall, the peak of Cape Cod’s tourist season, but until now we didn’t know just how much time they spent in shallow water close to shore,” said Megan Winton, research scientist at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-white-shark-movements">White shark movements </h2>



<p>Maine’s detections followed similar water temperatures, with many events occurring when nearshore conditions hovered in the mid 50 to upper 60 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 20 degrees Celsius). </p>



<p>That lines up with the thermal window reported for Northeast white sharks, as seen in a study on white shark movements in the Western North Atlantic.</p>



<p>Sharks did not linger long at most Maine receivers. The short event durations point to patrolling and brief passes rather than sustained residency at any beaches.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-means-for-people">What this means for people</h2>



<p>Risk remains low, even with a regular shark presence. The dataset indicates that nearshore detections cluster in summer and early fall, and that most events near beaches were brief.</p>



<p>Public interest in safety rose after Maine’s first recorded fatality attributed to a white shark, which occurred off Bailey Island on July 27, 2020. The <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/blog/maines-first-recorded-fatality/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> from the Florida Museum of Natural History documented the incident, the first confirmed fatality for the state.</p>



<p>White sharks are a prohibited species in all U.S. fisheries, which means they cannot be retained and must be released if caught. NOAA’s overview emphasizes their ecological role as an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shark-awareness-day-protecting-the-balance-of-the-ocean/">apex<strong> </strong>predator</a> and notes increasing abundance trends in the Northwest Atlantic since the 1990s protections.</p>



<p>Local decisions, such as signage, drone patrols, or temporary swimming advisories during seal surges, can be informed by these timelines and hotspots. The point is not alarm, but awareness that patterns now exist and can be watched.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-scientists-will-watch-next">What scientists will watch next</h2>



<p>Coverage gaps remain along Downeast Maine and offshore ledges. More receivers, plus tag types that log depth and temperature at fine scales, would tighten estimates of residency and movement.</p>



<p>Climate will keep nudging the puzzle. NOAA <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/sharks-rays-and-climate-change-impacts-habitat-prey-distribution-and-health" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a> that warming seas and stronger storms shift prey distribution and alter habitat quality for sharks and rays, which can reshape where and when species show up on our coasts.</p>



<p>Understanding these shifts matters for fisheries, wildlife viewing, and emergency response planning. It can also inform habitat mapping and future revisions to management boundaries if consistent use emerges in places north of historic limits.</p>



<p>The Maine dataset gives managers a baseline. It also offers a practical way to brief lifeguards, harbor officials, and charter operators on what to expect in late summer along popular beaches and island outcrops.</p>



<p>The work was led by Matthew M. Davis of the <a href="https://www.maine.gov/dmr/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Maine Department of Marine Resources</a>, with collaborators from the <a href="https://www.atlanticwhiteshark.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Atlantic White Shark Conservancy</a>, the <a href="https://www.une.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of New England</a> (UNE), and <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NOAA Fisheries</a>.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1535123/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Frontiers in Marine Science</em></a>.</p>



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Most detailed map ever created of white sharks covers 6,287 sightings

A new analysis of tag detections maps the clearest picture...

Known,For,Their,Remarkable,Memory,And,Emotional,Depth,,Elephants,Display

<p>Elephants don’t swing their trunks around for no reason. They use them to send signals with a goal in mind. When the stakes are simple - say, a tray of apples - elephant gestures become easy to spot and interpret. </p>



<p>They point their trunks toward the target, angle their bodies, and look at the person who can help. If that person looks away, the show stops. If the person pays attention, the message flows.</p>



<p>Though silent, these gestures speak volumes about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-take-more-risks-when-they-live-around-people/">how elephants plan</a>, how they use feedback, and how they manage social life. Purposeful gestures tell you there’s intent behind the movement - there’s a why, not just a what.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-decoding-elephant-gestures">Decoding elephant gestures</h2>



<p>Researchers set out to test a straightforward idea: when elephants gesture, do they do it with a specific goal, direct those gestures at someone who can respond, and adjust if the first try falls short? </p>



<p>A human stood by a tray that sometimes had apples and sometimes didn’t. The elephants wanted apples. The team created three outcomes: full success, partial success, and no success.</p>



<p>Semi-captive African savanna elephants took part. They’re used to people, so working around a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-remember-the-scent-of-their-keepers-for-decades/">human experimenter</a> didn’t throw them off. </p>



<p>The setup let the researchers watch how the animals signaled before and after each outcome, and whether those signals depended on the human paying attention.</p>



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



<p>Most elephants gestured only when the person was actually watching. If trunk movements were random, they would appear regardless of who was in the room or where that person was looking. </p>



<p>Instead, the animals tracked attention, a key sign that they were trying to influence someone who could act.</p>



<p>Their follow-through told another story. When they got only some of what they wanted, they kept going. When they got everything, they eased off. </p>



<p>That pattern - pushing when the job isn’t done and relaxing when it is - fits the way intentional communication works.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-persistence-then-move-to-plan-b">Persistence, then move to plan b</h2>



<p>When repeating the same move didn’t help, elephants tried new gestures. That shift from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352154622000547" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">persistence to elaboration</a> shows they aren’t locked into one signal. </p>



<p>If pointing didn’t pan out, they switched tactics, demonstrating purposeful signaling, not reflex.</p>



<p>One result may feel counterintuitive. They didn’t ramp up persistence more in the “no apples” outcome than in the “all apples” outcome. </p>



<p>An empty tray can mean the session is over, so the payoff for pushing drops. No point in hammering away if the game has ended.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-multilayered-elephant-communication">Multilayered elephant communication</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-elephant-day-2025-fighting-for-survival/">Elephants communicate</a> through touch, smell, and sound - especially low-frequency rumbles that can travel over a mile through air and ground. Family groups are led by experienced females. </p>



<p>Calves learn by watching and practicing. Within those tight circles, signals need to be clear, whether they’re coordinating movement, keeping track of calves, or handling tense moments at a waterhole.</p>



<p>The trunk is a communication powerhouse with fine control to pick up a blade of grass or tug down a branch. With that range, elephants can point, nudge, block, or beckon with precision. </p>



<p>The new results fold into that picture: gestures aren’t random flourishes; they’re tools for getting things done.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-intentionality-behind-elephant-gestures">Intentionality behind elephant gestures</h2>



<p>Scientists use the phrase “first-order intentionality” to describe signals meant to change someone’s behavior - hand me that, come here, keep going. </p>



<p>By tracking attention, persisting after partial success, and shifting strategies when needed, elephants hit those marks across many gestures, not just a single trick.</p>



<p>That broad pattern matters. In social animals with long lives and strong family ties, the ability to tailor signals to the situation pays off. You see similar logic in species that rely on cooperation and memory.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-study-was-done">How the study was done</h2>



<p>The study team watched 17 elephants and documented 38 distinct gesture types aimed either at the person or at the apples. They also noted what didn’t happen: elephants didn’t waste time signaling toward an empty tray. </p>



<p>That detail backs the idea that the goal steers the gesture. The researchers are careful about limits and call for follow-up work in wild settings and in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asian-elephants-perform-a-special-burial-ritual-for-their-calves/">elephant-to-elephant</a> interactions.</p>



<p>They make clear that this is about first-order intent, not changing what someone knows or believes. </p>



<p>They also point out that routines around food and timing could shape how often an animal chooses to keep trying when the tray is empty. Those caveats sharpen the main pattern.</p>



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



<p>Understanding intentional communication changes how people handle <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abe7389" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">real-world situations</a> with elephants. In protected areas and reserves, clear signals can reduce stress during veterinary checks or transport. </p>



<p>In community settings where elephants and people cross paths, knowing that attention and feedback shape behavior can guide calmer responses. Treat gestures not as noise but as messages that can be interpreted and answered.</p>



<p>It also supports better enrichment and training. If an elephant is actively monitoring your attention and adjusting tactics, then consistent cues and meaningful rewards aren’t optional. They’re part of a two-way conversation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-humans-and-elephants-talking">Humans and elephants "talking"</h2>



<p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3986168/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tests with wild elephants</a> will show how these patterns play out away from feeding stations and daily routines. </p>



<p>Fieldwork can track how gestures function during travel, greeting, or conflict, and tease apart which signals are universal and which are learned within a family.</p>



<p>As the catalog grows, so will our ability to read <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-era-in-wildlife-conservation-how-ai-will-help-protect-elephants/">what elephants are saying</a> with more accuracy and respect.</p>



<p>Elephants aim their gestures at someone who can act, keep at it when they get only part of what they want, and switch to new signals when repeating the old ones doesn’t work. </p>



<p>It’s purposeful communication - and once you notice it, you don’t see elephants the same way again.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.242203" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Society Open Science</a>.</em></p>



<p>-----</p>



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Elephants communicate in a way that scientists thought was unique to humans

Elephants don’t swing their trunks around for no reason. They...

<p>Scientists have engineered wheat to nudge soil bacteria into producing plant-ready nitrogen, a shift that could cut fertilizer use, curb pollution, and lower farm costs without sacrificing yields. </p>



<p>The plants overproduce a natural compound, leak the excess into the soil, and in doing so jumpstart nearby microbes that “fix” nitrogen from the air into forms crops can use.</p>



<p>In this work, a team at the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Davis</a>, led by Eduardo Blumwald, used <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crispr-used-to-remove-extra-chromosomes-in-down-syndrome-and-restore-cell-function/">CRISPR</a> to dial up a wheat metabolite and tested the effect under low-nitrogen conditions.</p>



<p>The study extends earlier proof-of-concept in rice, with efforts underway to translate the approach to other staple cereals.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-synthetic-nitrogen-fuels-global-harvests">Synthetic nitrogen fuels global harvests</h2>



<p>Worldwide, synthetic nitrogen fuels modern harvests but at a steep environmental and economic price. Wheat alone accounts for about 18 percent of global nitrogen fertilizer use. Of the hundreds of millions of tons produced each year, plants capture only 30 to 50 percent.</p>



<p>The remainder washes into rivers and coasts, feeding oxygen-starved <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/excess-nutrients-are-creating-ocean-dead-zones/">dead zones</a>, or escapes as nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. For smallholder farmers, especially in low-income regions, cost and access make fertilizer a gamble.</p>



<p>“In Africa, people don't use fertilizers because they don’t have money, and farms are small, not larger than six to eight acres,” Blumwald said. “Imagine, you are planting crops that stimulate bacteria in the soil to create the fertilizer that the crops need, naturally. Wow! That’s a big difference!”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wheat-learns-microbes-nitrogen-trick">Wheat learns microbes’ nitrogen trick</h2>



<p>Nitrogen fixation is carried out by specialized bacteria using an enzyme called nitrogenase, which only functions in low-oxygen conditions. Legumes such as beans and peas solve this by hosting the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-have-root-microbiomes-like-humans-do-vital-for-survival-defense/">microbes</a> in root nodules, which are tiny oxygen-poor chambers. </p>



<p>Cereals like wheat lack nodules, which is why they rely on bagged nitrogen. Rather than trying to give cereals nodules or force microbes to colonize roots - a strategy that has long struggled to stick - the team flipped the problem.</p>



<p>The researchers screened roughly 2,800 plant-made chemicals and found a small set, including flavones, that prompt soil <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/when-bacteria-get-hungry-they-turn-on-each-other/">bacteria</a> to form protective biofilms. Those sticky microbial coats reduce oxygen exposure enough for nitrogenase to work.</p>



<p>“For decades, scientists have been trying to develop cereal crops that produce active root nodules, or trying to colonize cereals with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, without much success. We used a different approach,” Blumwald said.</p>



<p>“We said the location of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria is not important, so long as the fixed nitrogen can reach the plant, and the plant can use it.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gene-edit-flips-fertilizer-switch">Gene edit flips fertilizer switch</h2>



<p>Using CRISPR, the researchers boosted wheat’s production of apigenin, a common flavone. Plants kept what they needed and exuded the surplus through their roots.</p>



<p>In soil tests, the extra apigenin encouraged local bacteria to spin up biofilms, protecting nitrogenase, fixing nitrogen, and making ammonium available for the crop. In low-fertility conditions, edited wheat assimilated the microbially supplied nitrogen and outyielded control plants.</p>



<p>The amazing thing lies in what the plant does automatically. It manufactures the signal, leaks it when nitrogen is scarce, and benefits from the neighborhood effect. No external inoculants are required, and the microbes remain free-living in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-type-of-microbes-found-earths-deep-soil-critical-zone/">soil</a> rather than locked inside a root.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pollution-down-resilience-up"><a></a>Pollution down, resilience up</h2>



<p>If scaled, the approach could trim the fertilizer footprint that drives water pollution and climate forcing in wheat and other crops. Less soluble nitrogen applied to fields means less runoff during storms, smaller algal blooms, and fewer oxygen crashes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-shock-lakes-are-losing-oxygen-faster-than-expected/">lakes</a> and coastal zones. </p>



<p>Cutting back on industrial nitrogen also reduces upstream emissions from natural-gas-intensive fertilizer production.</p>



<p>Because the mechanism amplifies microbial activity already present in many soils, it may also help stabilize yields under input constraints. In places where fertilizer is scarce or prohibitively expensive, the crop’s own chemistry becomes a lever to unlock atmospheric nitrogen.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-billions-saved-with-less-fertilizer">Billions saved with less fertilizer</h2>



<p>The United States alone saw nearly $36 billion in fertilizer spending in 2023. Cereals cover close to 500 million acres nationally. Even modest reductions in inputs translate into real money while lowering risk in volatile markets.</p>



<p>“Imagine, if you could save 10 percent of the amount of fertilizer being used on that land,” Blumwald said. “I’m calculating conservatively: That should be a savings of more than a billion dollars every year.”</p>



<p>Those savings would not come solely from buying less nitrogen. Fewer passes to apply fertilizer mean lower fuel use and less soil compaction. Reduced losses to waterways could also ease regulatory pressure and improve community relations in vulnerable watersheds.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proving-stability-across-soil-types">Proving stability across soil types</h2>



<p>The road from greenhouse pots to farm fields is long, but the milestones are clear. Researchers will need to confirm that the nitrogen boost holds under diverse soils, climates, and microbiomes, and that it plays nicely with existing rotations and management. </p>



<p>They will need to show stable performance across seasons and varieties, measure effects on soil ecology, and ensure that yields and grain quality are maintained.</p>



<p>Because the edit increases a native metabolite rather than introducing a foreign gene, regulatory pathways may be more straightforward in some jurisdictions. Still, farmers and policymakers will want transparent data on environmental outcomes, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-solar-power-can-transform-urine-into-fertilizer/">fertilizer</a> savings, and return on investment.</p>



<p>If the results scale, gene-edited cereals like wheat that recruit their own microbial fertilizer factories could become a practical tool in the nitrogen toolbox - cutting costs where budgets are tight, trimming pollution where waters run foul, and building resilience in the breadbaskets of a warming world.</p>



<p>The study is published in the <em><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pbi.70289" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Plant Biotechnology Journal</a></em>.</p>



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<p></p>

Gene-edited wheat turns soil microbes into fertilizer

Scientists have engineered wheat to nudge soil bacteria into producing...

<p>Farming spread across prehistoric Europe mostly because farming communities moved, not because local hunter-gatherers copied their ways. Cultural adoption played only a minimal role in the Neolithic transition, the period when agriculture took hold. </p>



<p>A team of researchers at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State</a> combined ancient DNA, archaeology, and computer simulations to separate the effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-dna-reveals-human-migration-patterns-in-first-millennium-ad/">migration</a> from the uptake of new practices. </p>



<p>The team modeled population movements, growth, and learning, then tested those models against genetic ancestry from hundreds of Neolithic individuals and against the known pace of farming’s advance from the Middle East into Europe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-sciences-unlock-farming-s-spread">Two sciences unlock farming’s spread</h2>



<p>Christian Huber, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State and senior author on the paper, noted that archaeology and genetics offer complementary windows into this transition.</p>



<p>“Artifacts and isotopes in ancient bones can reveal whether a person relied on domesticated plants or animals, reflecting the adoption of new farming practices," said Huber. </p>



<p>“At the same time, DNA preserved in those bones can show where people’s ancestors came from, providing evidence of migration, or the movement of farming populations into new regions.”</p>



<p>Archaeological traces show when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/domesticating-wild-plants-may-result-in-more-resilient-crops/">domesticated crops</a> and animals appeared. Genomes preserve who arrived with them. </p>



<p>By fusing those records within a single statistical framework, the team could estimate how much of farming’s spread came from people on the move and how much from ideas crossing cultural lines.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-migration-versus-culture-finally-measured">Migration versus culture finally measured</h2>



<p>“This has been a long-standing question - and disentangling the roles of migration and cultural adoption has been a goal of archaeologists and anthropologists for decades,” said study lead author Troy LaPolice, a doctoral student at Penn State.</p>



<p>“What we found was surprising: when cultures spread through migration, it is not guaranteed local ancestry patterns will change, but the spread of farming managed to leave a strong and lasting impact on European ancestry.”</p>



<p>The researchers simulated the front of farming as it rolled out from the Fertile Crescent roughly 10,000 years ago, reaching into the Balkans, then north and west across the continent. They fit those simulations to radiocarbon timelines and to ancestry profiles from 618 ancient individuals.</p>



<p>The results allowed them to assign weight to two forces - movement of farming groups and adoption by foragers - and to test which combination best reproduced the record.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farmers-moved-ideas-spread-slowly">Farmers moved, ideas spread slowly</h2>



<p>The answer was clear. Migration dominated. Cultural transmission, the flow of practices without the movement of people, barely nudged the pace. </p>



<p>The team’s estimates put the “cultural effect” at about half a percent. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stone-age-hunter-gatherers-had-a-very-organized-domestic-life/">Hunter-gatherers</a> in most places continued to forage even as farmsteads appeared nearby and, over generations, replaced their way of life.</p>



<p>“The assimilation rate, the rate at which hunter-gatherers were grafted into farming communities, was actually very low&nbsp; -&nbsp; only about one in 1,000 farmers converted a hunter-gatherer to farming each year,” Huber said.</p>



<p>“As a result, cultural transmission had almost no effect on how quickly farming spread. Still, even at this low rate, it left a lasting mark on the DNA of Europeans today and introduced useful genetic traits into the growing farming communities.”</p>



<p>That small but steady flow mattered biologically, even if it mattered little to the speed of the transition. </p>



<p>Genes from local foragers entered the expanding farming populations. Some of those variants likely helped the newcomers adapt to new environments as they moved north into different climates and daylight regimes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farming-and-foragers-rarely-mixed">Farming and foragers rarely mixed</h2>



<p>The models also point to strong social boundaries. According to the team’s analysis, farmers overwhelmingly mated with farmers, and foragers with foragers. “Between-group” pairings were rare, on the order of less than three percent.</p>



<p>That pattern aligns with other ancient DNA studies showing persistent genetic differences between neighboring groups that shared landscapes for centuries.</p>



<p>Those findings help explain why the genetic imprint of the first farmers is so pervasive in Europe today. Once agricultural communities established themselves, their numbers grew more quickly than those of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birth-of-farming-driven-by-humans/">foragers</a>. </p>



<p>Even with little intermarriage or conversion, demographic momentum carried their ancestry far.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dna-helps-rewrite-early-history">DNA helps rewrite early history</h2>



<p>“It's really interesting to be able to understand a time period before any written or oral history,” LaPolice said. “This intense interdisciplinary project allowed us to undertake a new kind of historical reconstruction.”</p>



<p>The approach tested not just a story but a set of mechanisms. It allowed the team to ask what combinations of movement, growth, and learning could produce the archaeological and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-dna-reveals-human-migration-patterns-in-first-millennium-ad/">genetic patterns</a> we see. </p>



<p>It also let them probe how sensitive their conclusions were to assumptions about mating, mobility, and population size.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-method-offers-tools-for-archaeology">Method offers tools for archaeology</h2>



<p>The study adds to a growing body of work showing how ancient genomes can clarify human prehistory when paired with robust models.</p>



<p>It also echoes the team’s recent methodological papers assessing common ancestry tools - useful when applied carefully, but misleading when pushed beyond their limits.</p>



<p>“This research highlights the power of combining genetic data with archaeological models to uncover the complex behavioral mechanisms of our past,” Williams said. “Looking forward, I see this paving the way for a reevaluation of other major prehistoric cultural shifts.”</p>



<p>From metalworking to herding, from language dispersals to the rise of cities, many transformations reshaped ancient lives. The Penn State team’s framework offers a way to test whether those farming changes spread through people, ideas, or - most often - some blend of both.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63172-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature Communications</em></a>.</p>



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Ancient DNA shows what really spread the farming revolution

Farming spread across prehistoric Europe mostly because farming communities moved,...

<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=0HDXqTGEmi4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-natural-solution-to-disease-through-crop-modification">A natural solution to disease through crop modification.</h2>



<p>The agricultural industry stands at a crossroads between productivity and environmental responsibility, and crop modification often carries a negative connotation. While chemical pesticides have long been the go-to solution for crop protection, their harmful effects on ecosystems and human health have prompted scientists to seek alternatives. The recent breakthrough by <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Southampton</a> researchers offers a promising path forward through the precise manipulation of plant-associated microbial communities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-science-behind-microbial-partnerships">The science behind microbial partnerships</h2>



<p>Plants naturally harbor diverse ecosystems of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that function as biological allies. These microscopic partners contribute to disease resistance, nutrient absorption, and stress tolerance. However, until now, scientists lacked the tools to deliberately reshape these communities to enhance crop protection.</p>



<p>The Southampton team's approach centered on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/engineered-plant-microbiomes-the-future-of-crop-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modifying lignin biosynthesis genes in rice plants</a>. This strategic intervention altered the plant's metabolic output, creating conditions that favored beneficial bacterial populations while suppressing harmful ones. The result was a living defense system embedded within the plant itself.</p>



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



<p>The successful demonstration against Xanthomonas oryzae, the pathogen responsible for bacterial blight in rice, represents more than a laboratory achievement. Rice feeds nearly half the world's population, and bacterial blight causes devastating crop losses annually. Traditional control methods rely heavily on pesticides that contaminate soil and water systems.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-beyond-disease-resistance">Looking Beyond Disease Resistance</h2>



<p>While disease protection represents the immediate application, the research framework opens doors to broader agricultural improvements. Future developments could engineer microbiomes to enhance nutrient uptake, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. This dual benefit addresses both crop productivity and environmental sustainability.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-path-forward">The path forward</h2>



<p>As this technology advances from laboratory to field applications, it promises to reshape sustainable agriculture. The ability to program plants with their own biological defense systems could herald a new era where crops protect themselves naturally, reducing chemical inputs while maintaining yields necessary for global food security.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44335-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature Communications</em></a>.</p>



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4 Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease A natural...

<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=kVywlgRJXsc
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Some children read facial expressions when making food choices.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-people-s-reactions-influence-children-s-eating-habits">Other people's reactions influence children's eating habits</h2>



<p>Many children are finicky eaters, but research explains how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-learned-why-so-many-kids-dislike-vegetables/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watching others eat and social modeling</a> influence the eating habits of children.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Study Methodology Demonstrates Social Learning Impact</h2>



<p>Researchers at <a href="https://www.aston.ac.uk/hls/school-of-psychology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aston University School of Psychology</a> have published findings in Frontiers in Psychology that illuminate the neurobiological foundations of food preference development through observational learning. The investigation employed controlled video stimuli featuring adults consuming raw broccoli while displaying systematically varied facial expressions to measure participant responses.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Asymmetrical Response Patterns Identified</h2>



<p>The research, conducted with 204 female participants, revealed a pronounced asymmetry in social modeling effects. Negative facial expressions during vegetable consumption significantly diminished observer food preference ratings, while positive expressions failed to produce corresponding increases in vegetable appeal. This finding challenges conventional assumptions about the bidirectional nature of social influence in dietary behavior formation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Evolutionary Psychology Framework Applied</h2>



<p>Dr. Katie Edwards and her research team propose that these results reflect adaptive mechanisms developed through evolutionary processes. The heightened sensitivity to disgust expressions likely functions as a protective system, enabling individuals to identify potentially harmful foods through social cues without direct risk exposure.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Clinical and Educational Implications</h2>



<p>These findings carry substantial implications for pediatric nutrition interventions and family meal dynamics. The research suggests that parental expressions of distaste during vegetable consumption may inadvertently reinforce children's existing food aversions through unconscious social transmission pathways.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Future Research Directions</h2>



<p>The study establishes a foundation for expanded investigation into real-time social modeling effects and cross-demographic applicability. Researchers emphasize the necessity for longitudinal studies examining actual consumption behaviors rather than preference ratings alone, particularly within family contexts where social learning occurs most frequently.</p>



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<p></p>

Social modeling affects our food choices

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVywlgRJXsc Some children read facial expressions when making food choices....

<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=JynHpMaNO8A
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chaotic cancer protein finally controlled after decades of mystery</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cancer-causing-protein-bound-and-blocked">Cancer-causing protein bound and blocked</h2>



<p>In a discovery that can one day revolutionize cancer treatment, researchers at the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Riverside</a> have successfully developed a means of controlling MYC, a notoriously slippery protein that causes approximately <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chaotic-protein-that-fuels-75-of-cancers-can-be-controlled/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">75% of all cancers in humans</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-myc-different">What makes MYC different</h2>



<p>MYC presents a unique challenge when studying cancer. Normally, this protein plays a vital role in healthy cells. It carefully controls transcription - the process that converts genetic information from DNA and RNA into proteins.</p>



<p>However, cancer changes everything. In cancer cells, MYC becomes a destructive force. It operates in overdrive mode with no regulation whatsoever.</p>



<p>Professor Min Xue, who led the research team, explains it simply: "MYC is less like food for cancer cells and more like a steroid. It drives cancer's aggressive growth." This superactive behavior makes MYC involved in three out of every four cancer cases.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-myc-is-hard-to-target">Why MYC is hard to target</h2>



<p>Despite its clear role in cancer, targeting MYC has been one of medicine's biggest challenges. The main problem lies in MYC's unusual structure - or rather, its complete lack of structure.</p>



<p>Professor Xue describes the protein as "basically a glob of randomness." This means conventional drug discovery methods don't work. These traditional approaches rely on sharply defined protein structures. MYC simply doesn't have one.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A New Approach to Fighting MYC</h2>



<p>The UCR research team developed a clever solution. They designed a special peptide molecule that could selectively bind to MYC. More importantly, this peptide could block MYC's destructive activity.</p>



<p>The key was fine-tuning two specific features: the peptide's stiffness and its shape. Through careful adjustments, researchers achieved something remarkable. They reached "sub-micro-molar affinity" - meaning their peptide binds as strongly as antibodies do.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breakthrough-results">Breakthrough results</h2>



<p>This accomplishment represents a major leap beyond previous attempts. The researchers enhanced their peptide's binding strength by two orders of magnitude. This dramatic improvement brings the work significantly closer to practical drug development goals.</p>



<p>The research opens new possibilities for treating the vast majority of cancers where MYC plays a destructive role.</p>



<p>The researchers are presently optimizing peptide-delivery systems based on lipid nanoparticles that deliver the peptide effectively into cancer cells. The<a href="https://www.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> National Institutes of Health</a> and the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Department of Defense</a> funded the study, which appeared in the Journal of the <a href="https://www.acs.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Chemical Society</a>.<br>This research offers renewed hope against cancer, and it can potentially open a door to more effective cancer therapies for most cancer patients worldwide.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

The protein that fuels 3 out of 4 cancers has been controlled

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JynHpMaNO8A Chaotic cancer protein finally controlled after decades of mystery...

<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>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

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>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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."</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>The forest was remarkably diverse. Scientists identified <em>Eospermatopteris</em>, 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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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."</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em>Current Biology</em>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

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=Veg4HmmRVZY
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Our bodies hits two 'aging cliffs' at these ages.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientists-map-exact-ages-when-your-body-rapidly-ages">Scientists Map Exact Ages When Your Body Rapidly Ages</h2>



<p>Scientists have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-bodies-begin-breaking-down-two-very-precise-ages/#google_vignette">discovered that aging</a> isn't the gradual, steady process many assume it to be. Instead, researchers from Stanford Medicine have found that our bodies undergo dramatic molecular changes at two specific ages: 44 and 60. This research, published in Nature Aging, reveals that aging happens in sudden bursts rather than smooth transitions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-waves-of-rapid-aging">Two waves of rapid aging</h2>



<p>The Stanford study tracked over 135,000 different molecules and microbes in 108 participants aged 25 to 75 over several years. Results showed that 81% of all molecules studied exhibited non-linear changes, meaning they shifted dramatically at certain ages rather than changing gradually over time.</p>



<p>Michael Snyder, chair of genetics at Stanford School of Medicine and the study's senior author, noted significant findings. "We're not just changing gradually over time; there are some really dramatic changes. It turns out the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s. And that's true no matter what class of molecules you look at."</p>



<p>The first wave of changes occurs around age 44, affecting molecules related to alcohol metabolism, caffeine processing, lipid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/age-related-changes-in-metabolism-dont-match-our-expectations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">metabolism</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-disease-remains-the-leading-cause-of-death-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cardiovascular disease</a>, and skin and muscle function. The second wave hits around age 60, involving changes in carbohydrate metabolism, immune regulation, kidney function, and again cardiovascular and muscle health.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-during-these-aging-bursts">What happens during these aging bursts</h2>



<p>During the mid-40s transformation, researchers observed significant changes in how the body processes alcohol and fats. This period often coincides with increased stress levels in many people's lives, potentially contributing to lifestyle factors that accelerate these molecular shifts.</p>



<p>"It's possible some of these changes could be tied to lifestyle or behavioral factors that cluster at these age groups, rather than being driven by biological factors," Snyder explained. For instance, alcohol metabolism dysfunction might result from increased consumption during the typically stressful mid-40s period.</p>



<p>The changes at age 60 are perhaps less surprising, as this is when many age-related diseases begin to manifest more prominently. The molecular shifts affect immune function and kidney health, both critical for maintaining overall wellness as we enter our senior years.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-latest-research-confirms-aging-patterns">Latest research confirms aging patterns</h2>



<p>Recent 2025 studies have validated these findings. Research examining tissue samples from 76 people found similar aging patterns, noting an "inflection point" between ages 45 and 55.</p>



<p>Scientists discovered that blood vessels, particularly the aorta, age fastest among all body tissues. This vascular aging may drive aging in other body parts, highlighting cardiovascular health's central role in the aging process.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cellular-changes-and-microbiome-shifts">Cellular changes and microbiome shifts</h2>



<p>The Stanford research revealed that these aging bursts affect our microbiome – the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi living in and on our bodies. These microbial communities undergo substantial shifts during both aging periods, potentially affecting everything from digestion to immune function.</p>



<p>Additionally, researchers found that protein production and gene expression begin to fall out of sync as we age. This breakdown in cellular communication becomes especially pronounced during the two aging waves, contributing to the accumulation of damaged proteins associated with diseases such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alzheimers-may-not-be-brain-disorder-important-data-was-fabricated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alzheimer's</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-implications-and-longevity-considerations">Health implications and longevity considerations</h2>



<p>Understanding these aging patterns has important implications for healthcare strategies. Research suggests that people should pay particular attention to their health during their 40s and 60s, when these dramatic molecular changes occur.</p>



<p>Snyder emphasized the importance of proactive health measures. "I'm a big believer that we should try to adjust our lifestyles while we're still healthy," he noted. This might include increasing exercise to protect heart health and maintain muscle mass, or reducing alcohol consumption in the 40s as the body's ability to metabolize it declines.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-approaches-to-anti-aging-treatment">New approaches to anti-aging treatment</h2>



<p>Aging research has seen notable advances in 2025. Harvard Medical School scientists developed chemical cocktails that reverse cellular aging without genetic modification. These six combinations restored aged cells to youthfulness in under a week, offering safer alternatives to gene therapy.</p>



<p>Researchers identified new biomarkers like "InflammAge," a saliva-based test measuring chronic inflammation associated with aging. This non-invasive approach could change how we monitor aging and intervention.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-directions-in-aging-research">Future directions in aging research</h2>



<p>Emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, cellular reprogramming, and senolytic therapies, are opening new possibilities for extending healthspan. Companies develop treatments targeting aging's fundamental mechanisms rather than just managing age-related diseases.</p>



<p>The Stanford findings provide a roadmap for implementing preventive measures. Rather than waiting for symptoms, people can prepare for and potentially mitigate these predictable aging waves.</p>



<p>As aging understanding evolves, one thing becomes clear: aging isn't inevitable decline, but specific biological events we may learn to prevent or reverse. The key is recognizing when these transitions occur and taking proactive health steps during vulnerable periods.</p>



<p>The study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/nataging" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Aging</a></em>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Scientists discover we age in bursts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veg4HmmRVZY Our bodies hits two 'aging cliffs' at these ages....

<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=PqlF0XKzHY4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The hidden science behind tickling.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientists-discover-the-brain-s-tickling-command-center">Scientists discover the brain's 'tickling command center'</h2>



<p>Researchers have finally solved one of humanity's most enduring mysteries: why we can't <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/after-centuries-of-debate-we-still-dont-know-how-tickling-works/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tickle</a> ourselves and what makes some people incredibly ticklish while others barely react? Recent scientific discoveries are revolutionizing our understanding of this peculiar human behavior.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breakthrough-discovery-in-the-brain">Breakthrough discovery in the brain</h2>



<p>In 2023, Dr. Michael Brecht's team at <a href="https://www.hu-berlin.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humboldt University</a>-<a href="https://www.hu-berlin.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Berlin</a> made a major discovery published in the <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)01991-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">journal <em>Neuron</em></a>. They identified the brain's actual "tickling command center" – specific neurons in a region called the periaqueductal gray that control both tickling responses and play behavior.</p>



<p>When researchers used cutting-edge optogenetic technology to shut down these neurons in laboratory rats, something remarkable happened. The animals completely lost their ability to be tickled or engage in playful behavior.</p>



<p>"We found that global blockade of the rat periaqueductal gray with either muscimol or lidocaine interfered with ticklishness and play," the research team reported in their study.</p>



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



<p>What we call "tickling" is two completely different phenomena, according to the latest research. Light tickling – that feathery sensation that makes you want to scratch – is essentially your body's sophisticated bug detection system. This alerts you to potential insects or parasites on your skin.</p>



<p>Deep tickling – the kind that makes you laugh uncontrollably – involves complex brain circuits and is fundamentally social. You literally cannot tickle yourself with this type of stimulation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-self-tickling-is-impossible">Why self-tickling is impossible</h2>



<p>Your cerebellum acts like a prediction machine, recent findings show. When you move your own hand to touch yourself, your brain generates precise predictions about what you will feel and then cancels out the tickling sensation through neural inhibition.</p>



<p>When someone else tickles you, your brain can't predict their movements, so the full tickling response activates. It's like your brain's way of distinguishing between self and others.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-individual-differences-explained">Individual differences explained</h2>



<p>Individual differences in ticklishness depend on genetics, psychology, and even trust. Dr. Xinzhong Dong at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johns Hopkins University</a> notes that people with denser nerve endings tend to be more sensitive.</p>



<p>Psychological factors matter just as much. You respond more strongly when tickled by people you trust, and anxiety completely shuts down tickling responses. This explains why the same physical stimulus can produce completely different reactions depending on who's doing the tickling.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-controlling-your-ticklishness">Controlling your ticklishness</h2>



<p>Science offers answers for controlling your ticklishness. You can reduce tickling sensitivity through systematic desensitization – gradual exposure in controlled settings.</p>



<p>Dr. Konstantina Kilteni's 2025 research, published in <em><a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt0350" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a></em>, reveals another technique: place your hand on the tickler's hand. This allows your brain to partially predict the sensations, reducing the tickling response by up to 90 percent.</p>



<p>"Your brain is essentially learning to override its own reflexes," Kilteni explained in her review of tickling research.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolutionary-purpose-discovered">Evolutionary purpose discovered</h2>



<p>From an evolutionary perspective, tickling serves vital functions according to <a href="https://www.umd.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Maryland</a> researcher Dr. Robert Provine's extensive studies. It trains our defense reflexes for vulnerable body areas and facilitates social bonding between family members.</p>



<p>Tickling-induced laughter is actually one of the first forms of communication between infants and caregivers. "Tickle involves a neurological self/nonself discrimination, providing the most primitive social scenario," Provine noted in his research.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clinical-applications-emerge">Clinical applications emerge</h2>



<p>Research shows people with autism spectrum disorder perceive touches as more ticklish than people without the condition. Investigating this difference could provide insight into brain differences and help advance autism research.</p>



<p>People with schizophrenia tend to experience self-touches similarly to external tickles, allowing them to essentially tickle themselves. This suggests altered sensory prediction mechanisms in the condition.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animal-research-reveals-universal-nature">Animal research reveals universal nature</h2>



<p>Scientists have discovered that many species beyond humans are ticklish. Rats emit ultrasonic "laughs" when tickled, while chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans all respond to tickling stimulation.</p>



<p>This widespread occurrence across species suggests that tickling serves fundamental biological and social functions that evolved long before humans developed complex language and culture.</p>



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



<p>Dr. Kilteni argues that tickling research deserves more scientific attention. "It is a complex interplay of motor, social, neurological, developmental, and evolutionary aspects," she stated in her recent review.</p>



<p>New haptic technologies and advanced research methodologies now permit scientists to investigate tickle sensation with unprecedented precision. Standardized experimental methods using mechanical tickling devices ensure consistent results across studies.</p>



<p>Recent findings published in <em>Science Advances</em> show that tickling research is opening new doors in neuroscience, potentially leading to a better understanding of social behavior, sensory processing, and neurological conditions.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Scientists solve the mystery of tickling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqlF0XKzHY4 The hidden science behind tickling. Scientists discover the brain's...

<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=elr4948_uOU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dr. Ronald Mallett from the University of Connecticut reveals secret mission to create working time travel device.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-could-an-equation-truly-bend-time-a-physicist-s-decades-long-quest-to-rewrite-reality">Could an equation truly bend time? A physicist's decades-long quest to rewrite reality</h2>



<p>Imagine the impossible: stepping back through time in a time machine, not in fantasy, but through a scientific endeavor driven by profound personal loss. For <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astrophysicist-says-hes-cracked-the-equation-for-time-travel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Ronald Mallett</a>, a distinguished astrophysicist and professor emeritus at the <a href="https://uconn.edu/">University of Connecticut</a>, this deeply human longing has fueled a lifelong mission. He claims to have discovered the equation that could unlock temporal displacement, pushing boundaries once deemed purely science fiction.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-profound-grief-that-forged-a-vision">A profound grief that forged a vision</h2>



<p>Mallett's extraordinary pursuit began with devastating tragedy in 1955. At merely 10 years old, he endured his father Boyd's sudden death—a television repairman whose passion for science had ignited a similar spark in his young son. Boyd Mallett, only 33, succumbed to a heart attack, leaving behind a grief-stricken child searching for solace.</p>



<p>That solace came through H.G. Wells' <em>The Time Machine</em>. Within its pages, Mallett found a captivating concept: "Time is only a kind of Space." These words transformed from a literary phrase into a guiding principle, becoming the driving force behind his unwavering commitment to unraveling time's fundamental mysteries.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-humble-beginnings-to-academic-heights">From humble beginnings to academic heights</h2>



<p>Mallett's journey was far from straightforward. After serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War era, he utilized the GI Bill for higher education, earning his Ph.D. in physics from Pennsylvania State University in 1973 at the age of 28.</p>



<p>In 1975, he made history as the first African American professor in the University of Connecticut's physics department, achieving full professorship in 1987 before retiring in 2024 as professor emeritus.</p>



<p>Throughout these successful academic years, Mallett harbored his radical ambition as a closely guarded secret. "I kept my time travel goal a secret," he confessed. "I worried people would think I was nuts." His public research centered on black holes, serving as a "cover story" while he quietly developed his revolutionary time travel theory.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-breakthrough-moment">The breakthrough moment</h2>



<p>His pivotal insight arrived while hospitalized for a heart condition—a profound irony given his father's heart attack started this journey. The breakthrough was elegantly simple yet revolutionary: "If gravity can bend time, and light can create gravity, then light can bend time."</p>



<p>"It turns out that black holes can create a gravitational field that could lead to the creation of time loops that could allow us to go back in time," he explained.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-blueprint-for-a-temporal-vortex">The blueprint for a temporal vortex</h2>



<p>Mallett's vision for a functioning time machine replicates spacetime-warping phenomena around black holes. He offers a compelling analogy: "Picture a cup of coffee. Stir it with a spoon, and the coffee swirls. A spinning black hole does the same to spacetime."</p>



<p>In Einstein's general relativity, the universe is a dynamic fabric woven from space and time. Massive objects like black holes warp this fabric—an effect we perceive as gravity. Mallett theorizes that an intense, continuous, circulating beam of light from a ring of powerful lasers could replicate this gravitational torsion, effectively twisting time into a loop.</p>



<p>This "time loop" would theoretically allow information—or perhaps matter—to travel backward in time. He detailed this mathematical concept in his 2006 autobiography, <em>Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-published-research-and-recognition">Published research and recognition</h2>



<p>His work, published in respected journals including <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/physics-letters-a" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Physics Letters A</a></em> and <em><a href="https://link.springer.com/journal/10701" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Foundations of Physics</a></em>, suggests circulating laser light could generate gravitational fields potent enough to create closed timelike curves, enabling time travel for data.</p>



<p>Mallett's research has gained worldwide media attention, featured on <a href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Public Radio's <em>This American Life</em></a>, the <a href="https://www.history.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">History Channel</a>, and <a href="https://www.today.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBC's <em>Today Show</em></a>. The widespread interest reflects both his compelling personal story and rigorous scientific approach.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-galactic-hurdles-and-persistent-skepticism">The galactic hurdles and persistent skepticism</h2>



<p>While Mallett's equations captivate imagination, the path to reality faces immense obstacles. The energy requirement is staggering—Mallett acknowledges needing "galactic amounts of energy," far beyond current technological capabilities.</p>



<p>There's also a poignant limitation: even if realized, his machine could only send information back to when it was first activated, meaning it couldn't transport him to 1955 to prevent his father's death.</p>



<p>The scientific community remains skeptical. Physicists Ken Olum and Allen Everett argue that Mallett's proposed laser ring would need to be larger than the observable universe to achieve the necessary spacetime distortion. They invoke Stephen Hawking's chronology protection conjecture, suggesting physics may prevent macroscopic time travel.</p>



<p>Astrophysicist Paul Sutter has voiced doubts about Mallett's underlying mathematics, while science writer Brian Clegg finds the concept intriguing enough to warrant experimental investigation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-legacy-that-transcends-time">A legacy that transcends time</h2>



<p>Now approaching 80, Dr. Mallett remains steadfast. "I believe my work will show time travel is possible," he asserts. "Future generations will build on it in ways we can't yet imagine."</p>



<p>His equations, though yet to physically bend time, have bent our collective imagination. Ongoing public interest, evidenced by his continued media appearances and Spike Lee's film adaptation of his memoir, underscores his ideas' profound impact.</p>



<p>More than a scientific pursuit, Mallett's story testifies to human resilience, intellectual courage, and hope's enduring power. Whether his theoretical time machine ever materializes, his legacy is immeasurable—inspiring countless individuals to challenge conventional limits and perceive time not as an unyielding barrier, but as a boundless frontier awaiting exploration.</p>



<p></p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Retired professor claims he solved time travel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elr4948_uOU Dr. Ronald Mallett from the University of Connecticut reveals...

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</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>



<p>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?</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



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



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



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



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



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



<p><strong>Sources:</strong> <em>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.</em></p>



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



<p><strong>1. Is acid rain completely gone?</strong> 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.</p>



<p><strong>2. How long did solving take?</strong> 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.</p>



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



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



<p><strong>5. Could acid rain return?</strong> 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.</p>



<p><strong>6. Can you recommend any teaching tools on the subject of "acid rain"?</strong> 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></p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

The environmental problem we actually solved

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

<p>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. </p>



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



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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
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<p>Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. </p>



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



<p>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. </p>



<p>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).</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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>.</p>

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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.</p>



<p>"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.</p>



<p>"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."</p>



<p><em>Video/ Image Credit: ESA</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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<p>Today's <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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.</p>



<p>"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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p><em>Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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;</p>



<p>"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.</p>



<p>"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."</p>



<p>"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."</p>



<p><em>Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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<p>Today's <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p><em>Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

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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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.</p>



<p>In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;</p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. </p>



<p>Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.</p>



<p>Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. </p>



<p><em>Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.</p>



<p>“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. </p>



<p>The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.</p>



<p>“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”</p>



<p>The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.</p>



<p><em>Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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?</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p><em>Video Credit: ACS Reactions</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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;</p>



<p>'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)."</p>



<p>"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.</p>



<p><em>Video/ Image Credit: ESA</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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<p>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.</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>"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."</p>



<p>"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."</p>



<p>"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."</p>



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



<p><em>Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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<p>Today's <strong>Video of the Day</strong> from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. </p>



<p>"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."</p>



<p>"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.</p>



<p>"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”</p>



<p><em>Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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