<p>When a bone is shattered or a tumor leaves a sizable void, surgeons have two broad choices: pack the space with graft (bone taken from the patient or a donor) or plug it with a synthetic scaffold that encourages new bone to grow.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Custom 3D-printed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-implant-may-allow-people-to-communicate-through-their-thoughts/">implants</a> have been a big advance, but they take time. Scanning, design, fabrication, and sterilization often take a week or more. That’s fine for planned procedures. It’s a problem when seconds count, like in trauma surgery.</p>



<p>A team led by Jung Seung Lee at <a href="https://www.skku.edu/eng/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sungkyunkwan University</a>, South Korea, asked a disarmingly simple question: what if the scaffold could be made on the spot, shaped by the surgeon in minutes, and still meet the biological requirements for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-long-necked-dinosaurs-struggled-with-fatal-bone-disease/">bone</a> regeneration?&nbsp;</p>



<p>The answer looks a lot like something you’d find in a craft drawer: a hot glue gun - reengineered for the operating room - and a bioactive “glue” designed to become new bone.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bone-mineral-meets-glue-gun">Bone mineral meets glue gun </h2>



<p>The cartridge inside their gun isn’t glue. It’s a blend of hydroxyapatite (HA) - the calcium-phosphate mineral that makes up about half of real bone by volume - and polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable thermoplastic widely studied for medical use.&nbsp;</p>



<p>HA brings osteoconductivity, meaning it’s the right mineral for bone cells to grow on. PCL brings melt-and-set workability and a gentle degradation profile over months to years, giving the body time to swap the scaffold for living bone.</p>



<p>Standard hot glue guns run well above 100 °C - too hot for tissue. The team modified the gun so the melt temperature sits near 60 °C, around the melting point of PCL. </p>



<p>That’s still warm, but brief, localized contact at that temperature is routinely managed in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/srt-h-robot-performs-surgery-without-a-human-controlling-its-hands-for-the-first-time-ever/">surgery</a> (think electrocautery), and the material cools and hardens quickly once extruded.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-it-s-used-in-surgery">How it’s used in surgery</h2>



<p>In their proof-of-concept, surgeons would debride and clean the defect, then “draw” with the gun, layering the HA–PCL filament directly into the void.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Because the material extrudes as a thin bead and sets within seconds, the surgeon can sculpt to fit the irregular geometry of real fractures - no waiting for a lab to print, ship, and sterilize a custom implant.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If needed, the filament can be pre-loaded with drugs. The group demonstrated vancomycin and gentamicin embedded in the material, releasing slowly over weeks to bathe the surgical site and help suppress <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/skin-may-play-a-hidden-role-in-ebola-infection/">infection</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happened-in-living-bone">What happened in living bone</h2>



<p>To test whether the on-demand scaffold actually supports regeneration, the team created centimeter-long defects in rabbits’ femurs - a challenging gap size that doesn’t reliably heal on its own.&nbsp;</p>



<p>After 12 weeks, the animals treated with the “glue gun” showed no separation at the bone-implant interface and no obvious adverse reactions. Quantitatively, bone volume within the defect was more than twice that of controls filled with traditional bone cement. </p>



<p>That’s an important point: standard cements (like PMMA) are structural fillers but biologically inert; they don’t invite bone to grow in and replace them. The HA–PCL composite, by contrast, is designed to be colonized by bone cells and resorbed over time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-repairing-bones-with-a-glue-gun">Repairing bones with a glue gun</h2>



<p>Orthopedic infections can turn a routine repair into a months-long ordeal. Because the scaffold is heat-molded at the point of care, the team could simply mix antibiotics into the filament beforehand.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In their tests, vancomycin and gentamicin loaded into the composite leached out gradually and directly into the defect bed. This delivery path avoids high systemic drug levels and targets the microbes where they live - on hardware and within the healing bone.</p>



<p>Speed and fit are the headline advantages. In trauma, tumor surgery, or revision cases with irregular voids, being able to fill and contour in minutes is a big deal. </p>



<p>The material choice is sensible: HA for bioactivity, PCL for processability and a degradation timetable that lines up with bone remodeling.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-remaining-challenges-and-questions">Remaining challenges and questions</h2>



<p>There are open questions before a craft-gun-turned-medical-tool goes mainstream. Heat exposure must be managed carefully near delicate structures. </p>



<p>Mechanical strength is likely adequate for non- or partial-load-bearing zones, but long-bone defects under high stress may still require plates, rods, or staged reconstructions.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Surgeons will want more data on long-term remodeling: does the scaffold resorb at a rate that matches new bone formation, and what happens in larger animals and humans?&nbsp;</p>



<p>And then there’s regulation - turning commodity hardware into a sterile medical device, with validated temperatures, flow rates, cartridges, and cleaning protocols, is its own development path.</p>



<p>It’s a fair challenge: imaging and printing are getting faster, and customized implants will keep improving. The right answer may be to use printing for planned, complex reconstructions, and keep a bone-safe “glue gun” on the back table for the cases that can’t wait.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-simple-tool-for-surgery">A simple tool for surgery</h2>



<p>What makes this approach intriguing is less the gadget itself and more the workflow it enables. </p>



<p>In one trip to the OR, a surgeon could clear debris, rebuild a defect to fit, deliver local <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-rivers-are-highly-saturated-with-human-antibiotics-helping-bacteria-develop-resistance/">antibiotics</a>, and leave behind a scaffold the body recognizes - all without couriering scans or scheduling a second procedure. </p>



<p>The materials are inexpensive and familiar, and the technique builds on skills orthopedic and maxillofacial surgeons already have.</p>



<p>There’s also room to grow. The same platform could accept filaments tuned for different jobs - stiffer or more porous, faster or slower to resorb, with growth factors, even with living cells for future applications.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-surgical-glue-guns">The future of surgical glue guns</h2>



<p>As faster point-of-care imaging and planning tools enter the OR, “draw-to-fit” reconstruction could be guided by intraoperative scans, blending the best of custom design with the immediacy of a handheld device.</p>



<p>For now, the takeaway is straightforward. By lowering the melt temperature and swapping craft glue for a bone-friendly composite, researchers turned a ubiquitous tool into a surgical instrument that can fill irregular defects, support bone growth, and deliver local antibiotics - all in minutes. </p>



<p>In emergencies and hard-to-plan repairs, that kind of speed could be the difference between patching a void and truly regenerating bone.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/device/fulltext/S2666-9986(25)00186-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Device</em></a><em>.</em></p>



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Hot glue gun turned surgical tool can rebuild broken bones

When a bone is shattered or a tumor leaves a sizable void, surgeons have two broad choices: pack the space with graft (bone taken from the patient or a donor) or plug it with a synthetic scaffold that encourages new bone to grow.&nbsp; Custom 3D-printed implants have been a big advance, but they take time. Scanning, design, fabrication, and sterilization often take a week or more. That’s fine for planned procedures. It’s a problem when seconds count, like in trauma surgery. A team led by Jung Seung...

<p>A fresh look at early members of our lineage suggests that males and females were not built alike. The size gap was wide, and it likely shaped daily life in ways we do not see in people today.</p>



<p>That conclusion comes from a new comparison of two classic Pliocene species that many readers know by name, but not by their striking differences.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dimorphism-seen-in-fossils">Dimorphism seen in fossils</h2>



<p>The work centers on <a href="https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/australopithecus-afarensis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Australopithecus</em> <em>afarensis</em></a>, known from eastern Africa between about 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago, and on <a href="https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/australopithecus-africanus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Australopithecus</em> <em>africanus</em></a>, known from South Africa between about 3.3 and 2.1 million years ago. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.albany.edu/anthropology/faculty/adam-d-gordon#main-content" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adam D. Gordon</a> of the Department of Anthropology, <a href="https://www.albany.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University at Albany</a>, State University of New York, led the study.</p>



<p>The South African record for <em>A. africanus</em> anchors the southern end of the comparison and spans a similarly broad window in deep time. </p>



<p>The two species lived far apart, which helps test whether size differences track local environments or something deeper.</p>



<p>Lucy, the small-bodied<em> A. afarensis</em> skeleton cataloged as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047248498902238" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AL 288-1</a>, has long shaped how people picture that species. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-early-homo-species-discovered-lived-with-australopithecus-challenges-human-evolution-theory/">She was a tiny adult</a>, an outlier who needed to be placed within the full spread of body sizes now known.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-team-measured-dimorphism">How the team measured dimorphism</h2>



<p>Scientists use the term dimorphism for consistent differences between males and females in the same species. In primates, that often shows up as size gaps, and those gaps can point to how a species competed or cooperated.</p>



<p>Gordon’s team leaned on a geometric mean <a href="https://www.albany.edu/~ag856732/Gordonetal2008AJPA.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">framework</a> that was originally built to handle fragmentary fossils and missing measurements, a practical need when bones come in pieces. </p>



<p>Instead of trying to label each bone male or female, the approach looks at overall variation and tests how big the spread is compared with living species.</p>



<p>They focused on eight postcranial traits from the arms and legs, then compared those fossil spreads with gorillas, chimpanzees, and modern humans. That keeps the math honest by calibrating old bones against species where sex and size are known.</p>



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



<p>Both <em>Australopithecus</em> species show strong dimorphism, with <em>A. afarensis</em> standing out as even more pronounced. </p>



<p>Adam D. Gordon notes that the Lucy species was not defined by a few unusually large individuals but by a consistent gap between the sexes, visible in body mass, limb breadth, and leverage.</p>



<p>In primates, strong male-biased size gaps usually go hand in hand with intense male competition and <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9156798/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polygyny</a>, a system in which some males mate with multiple females. </p>



<p>That pattern does not prove a mating system by itself, but it raises the odds.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/sexual-dimorphism_cranium-size-mapping_credit-Nature_1.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/sexual-dimorphism_cranium-size-mapping_credit-Nature_1s.webp" alt="Cranial allometry in females and males. Differences in cranial morphology of the two allometric trajectories. Color maps indicate local variations in area between centroid size extremes in female and male allometric trajectories. Cold colors indicate relative contraction, while warm colors indicate relative expansion. Credit: Nature" class="wp-image-1982656"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Cranial allometry in females and males. Differences in cranial morphology of the two allometric trajectories. Color maps indicate local variations in area between centroid size extremes in female and male allometric trajectories. Cold colors indicate relative contraction, while warm colors indicate relative expansion. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Nature</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>Modern humans make a useful yardstick. Men today average about 12 to 25 percent heavier than women, while gorillas show much larger gaps, often 66 to 146 percent, depending on the population and metric used. Those numbers frame how unusual the fossil results are.</p>



<p>The new fossil comparisons sit much closer to the great apes than to us. That placement hints at social worlds where large males had advantages in contests, territory, and access to mates.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-earlier-interpretations">Rethinking earlier interpretations</h2>



<p>“Skeletal size dimorphism in <em>A. afarensis</em> was most similar to that of contemporary Homo sapiens,” according to Philip L. Reno and colleagues from a study back in 2003. </p>



<p>Two decades ago, a widely read <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1133180100" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> argued the opposite for <em>A. afarensis</em>, claiming it showed a human-like pattern. </p>



<p>Gordon’s 2008 work helped explain why these debates dragged on by showing how to compare mixed and incomplete skeletons without stacking the deck. </p>



<p>That study reported that postcranial dimorphism in <em>A. afarensis</em> is more like that of large apes than like humans, once the statistics handle missing data and uneven samples.</p>



<p>The new paper builds on that footing, adds <em><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lucy-could-barely-run-what-does-that-say-about-our-ancestors/">A. africanus</a></em> for a direct fossil-to-fossil comparison, and tightens the test with updated samples and significance checks. </p>



<p>As a result, it narrows room for interpretations that relied on a few standout bones.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-means-for-lucy-and-her-kin">What this means for Lucy and her kin</h2>



<p>Lucy was small, but she was not the whole story for her species. <em>A. afarensis</em> included much larger bodies, and the spread between small and large is better explained by sex than by random chance or geography, given the cross-checks against living primates.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tooth-enamel-analysis-suggests-early-eurasians-were-multiple-species-paranthropus-robustus/">A. africanus</a></em> shows a big gap too, just not as extreme as <em>A. afarensis</em>. That diversity across two close relatives undercuts the idea that dimorphism steadily shrank over time in a simple line.</p>



<p>Those differences matter because they help sort behavioral hypotheses. With stronger size gaps, models that include higher levels of male competition move to the front of the line, while egalitarian scenarios step back.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-power-samples-and-careful-claims">Power, samples, and careful claims</h2>



<p>“Results suggest intense sexual selection maintained high dimorphism in both fossil species,” wrote Gordon. Fossil tests can fail for dull reasons, like small samples. The new paper calls this out plainly.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Gordon’s statement reflects a simple statistical point. When the effect is large, you can detect it even with modest power, and that is what happened here for both species. It also points to next steps. </p>



<p>The same machinery can be applied to other early hominin groups to see whether the pattern repeats or splits in new ways.</p>



<p>The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.70093" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>American Journal of Biological Anthropology</em></a>.</p>



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Fossil discovery changes what we thought we knew about prehistoric men and women

A fresh look at early members of our lineage suggests...

<p>A short, self-guided program built around everyday contact with nature reports meaningful gains in mood and stress after just four weeks. It is simple by design and aimed at adults with low wellbeing who want help they can start today.</p>



<p>The approach is called Roots and Shoots. It pairs at-home reflections with brief outdoor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-nature-conservation-day-2025-a-healthy-future-for-all/">activities</a> near where people live, adding light digital support for those who want it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-helps-improve-mental-health">Nature helps improve mental health</h2>



<p>The study was led by <a href="https://experts.exeter.ac.uk/24356-matt-owens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Matt Owens</a> at the University of Exeter, with Clinical Psychologist <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Hannah-L-I-Bunce-2217974973" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Hannah L. I. Bunce</a>, co-founders of the <a href="https://www.rowantree.uk/about" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ROWAN</a> nature and mental health research group.</p>



<p>Researchers across psychology, public health, and ecology have <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31355340/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">linked</a> time in natural settings with improved attention, mood, and stress biology, forming a coherent picture of benefits to mental health. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1807504116" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Evidence</a> extends across the life course, with large cohort work suggesting childhood access to greenspace predicts a lower risk of several psychiatric disorders in adulthood.</p>



<p>The adult intervention literature has moved from anecdotes to trials. </p>



<p>A comprehensive <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34646931/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> finds nature-based interventions such as green exercise, gardening, and forest therapy improve mental health outcomes in adults, often with practical sessions of 20 to 90 minutes several times per week.</p>



<p>Prescribed contact with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-what-were-really-fighting-for/">nature</a>, from park walks to blue space visits, has also shown benefits for symptoms of depression and blood pressure in randomized and quasi-experimental <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/piis2542-5196%2823%2900025-6/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-program-activities">Nature program activities</h2>



<p><a href="https://rootsandshoots.org/resources/roots-shoots-formula-toolkit/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roots and Shoots is a printed guidebook</a> organized into six short sections that unfold over four weeks. It introduces the science of nature and wellbeing, then leads people through simple tracking of time in nature, mood, and values-based actions.</p>



<p>Core tools include a habit wheel for building small, repeatable moments <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nature-has-its-own-internet-and-were-only-beginning-to-understand-it/">outdoors</a>, a coping tool to swap unhelpful routines for neutral ones, and a honeycomb challenge to notice different kinds of nature contact. </p>



<p>Brief meditations and breathing exercises are available online, supporting practice when getting outside is hard.</p>



<p>The study used a randomised controlled trial design. Adults with low wellbeing were assigned either to start the program or to a waitlist control and completed measures at baseline, two weeks, and four weeks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-program-results">Nature program results</h2>



<p>On the primary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-environment-day-the-critical-role-of-nature-in-human-well-being/">outcome of wellbeing</a>, the intervention group improved more than the waitlist group across four weeks, with a large effect size by the study end. The design was remote and light touch, yet the signal was clear. </p>



<p>Eighty-two percent of program completers made reliable improvements in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mutual-relationships-with-nature-offer-hope-for-a-sustainable-future/">wellbeing</a>, and 59 percent met the threshold for clinically significant change. None showed deterioration.</p>



<p>Average scores on anxiety and depression started in the clinical range and shifted below caseness by week four.</p>



<p>Effects were medium for anxiety and small for depressive symptoms. Engagement and acceptability were high. Ninety four percent of those who finished said they would recommend the guidebook to a friend.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-practicing-the-program-daily">Practicing the program daily</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-nature-heals-outdoor-activities-greatly-improve-mental-health/">Nature time</a> is not treated as a luxury. It is framed as a small, daily behavior that can sit alongside existing routines and responsibilities.</p>



<p>The psychological ingredients are familiar and low cost. People practice mindfulness, track mood, write briefly, and connect actions to values that matter to them.</p>



<p>The program avoids all-or-nothing goals. It welcomes brief, nearby, and accessible encounters with trees, water, or sky, and includes virtual nature options when needed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-this-matters-for-care">Why this matters for care</h2>



<p>Self-help options can play a useful role when services are stretched and stigma or logistics make formal care harder to access. They also give people a way to start while they wait for more intensive support if needed.</p>



<p>Mental health problems <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-06/MHF-Investing-in-Prevention-Report-Summary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cost</a> the UK economy an estimated 118 billion pounds per year, about 5 percent of GDP, which makes low-cost, scalable options worth testing carefully. </p>



<p>A month-long guidebook that people can complete without appointments or travel is inexpensive to deliver at scale.</p>



<p>The team emphasizes that a booklet is not a substitute for clinical care in crisis. It is an early step that can help many people feel and function better while easing pressure on services.</p>



<p>Health systems increasingly look for stepped care and preventive options. If confirmed in larger trials, a short nature guide could sit at step 1 or step 2 and augment therapy as homework after higher-intensity care.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-program-in-science">Nature program in science</h2>



<p>“We have developed a self-help package that uses principles from both clinical psychology and nature research to empower individuals to spend more time in nature, rediscover their relationship with natural environments and improve their wellbeing,” said Dr. Owens.</p>



<p>Several streams of evidence propose why nature contact helps. Attention restoration, stress recovery, and social connection are all plausible, testable mechanisms.</p>



<p>Recent reviews point to dose and variety as practical levers. Short, regular sessions in green or blue spaces appear better than rare marathons, and mixing settings may matter as much as time logged.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/living-near-major-roads-increases-dementia-risk/">Urban living</a> need not be a barrier. Street trees, pocket parks, and canal paths can be enough to practice the habits described in the guide, especially when paired with brief indoor or virtual nature for consistency.</p>



<p>The structure here is the quiet shift. A light-touch plan that invites repeated, low-effort contact with nearby nature can build momentum without demanding free afternoons or long travel.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-for-this-nature-program">Next steps for this nature program</h2>



<p>This was a pilot, so the next step is a larger, fully powered trial that tests durability, mechanisms, and who benefits most. Duration is an open question, since many participants said they would welcome a longer version.</p>



<p>Precision also matters. Some people may respond most to habit building outdoors, while others change more through mindfulness or values work.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/8/1096" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Behavioral Sciences</em></a>.</p>



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Simple and self-guided nature program quickly improves mood and reduces stress

A short, self-guided program built around everyday contact with nature...

<p>Deep beneath the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, scientists have recorded earthquakes at roughly 6 to 12 miles below the seafloor, far deeper than where rock should normally crack. The finding points to a new driver of seismicity far from familiar fault zones and volcanoes.</p>



<p>The culprit is not extra cold rock or a hidden megafault. It looks like carbon dioxide in hot mantle melt changing volume as pressure drops, a physical nudge that can make rock fail at depth.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-deep-seafloor-earthquakes">Deep seafloor earthquakes</h2>



<p>A research team deployed ocean-bottom seismometers, autonomous instruments that sit on the seafloor and record tiny vibrations, during the <a href="https://zenodo.org/records/12696685" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SMARTIES</a> campaign in 2019. </p>



<p>Those sensors captured clusters of microearthquakes in the warm mantle directly under the ridge axis, well below the usual brittle layer. </p>



<p>The work was led by <a href="https://www.ipgp.fr/~marjanovic/ILAB/ILAB/People.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Satish C. Singh</a> of the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (<a href="https://www.ipgp.fr/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPGB</a>), a group with decades of experience imaging the oceanic crust and mantle. </p>



<p>In this study, the team focused on a slow-spreading equatorial ridge segment where seismic activity is usually modest.</p>



<p>Geochemical <a href="https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00931/104312/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analyses</a> of nearby basalts showed unusually high carbon dioxide in the primary melts, about 0.4 to 3.0 percent by weight. That enrichment is consistent with melts derived from a mantle source that carries extra volatiles.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The earthquakes sit at depths where temperatures are expected to be too high for rock to break in a brittle way. That mismatch pushed the team to look beyond temperature or fault geometry and consider the physical effects of gases in magma.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-co2-triggers-seafloor-earthquakes">How CO2 triggers seafloor earthquakes</h2>



<p>Degassing changes the volume of a fluid, and in a confined rock, even small pressure shifts can matter. </p>



<p>The solubility of CO2 in basaltic melt depends strongly on pressure, so as melt rises and pressure falls, bubbles form and the melt expands. </p>



<p>At depth, CO2 can stay dissolved at high concentrations, then separate as a gas as pressure eases, a process that stiffens and relaxes stresses along cracks in quick bursts. </p>



<p>Volatile solubility <a href="https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10104094" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> show this pressure control is a first-order effect in mafic magmas. </p>



<p>Seismologists often use mantle temperatures around 700 to 900 degrees Celsius as a practical ceiling for where brittle failure can occur, which puts these Atlantic events in notably hot conditions. </p>



<p>That is why a stress source tied to expanding gas, not a cold, thick lid, better fits the observations.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-it-matters-for-ocean-crust">Why it matters for ocean crust</h2>



<p>Volatiles do more than spark eruptions at volcanoes on land. They lower melting temperatures, steer where melts collect, and change how the new ocean crust forms beneath spreading ridges. </p>



<p>The Atlantic results suggest volatiles can also shape where and how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-earthquakes-move-mountains-and-what-comes-next/">earthquakes</a> happen in the mantle beneath ridges. </p>



<p>If CO2 rich melts stall in the mantle before feeding the crust, they can evolve chemically and mechanically at depth. </p>



<p>That pause can increase heterogeneity in the lithosphere, the rigid outer shell, and near the asthenosphere, the weaker layer below it.</p>



<p>The study also helps explain seismic reflections and partial melt hints right at the lithosphere, asthenosphere boundary in the equatorial Atlantic. </p>



<p>Independent work indicates that a small percentage of melt, aided by volatiles, can persist there at temperatures below the dry peridotite solidus.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-this-different-from-volcano-swarms">What makes this different from volcano swarms</h2>



<p>Deep earthquakes linked to magma motion show up in active volcanic zones like Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. </p>



<p>There, researchers documented deep long period events at about 6 to 7 miles depth around the 2021 <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00445-022-01603-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fagradalsfjall</a> eruption, a very different tectonic setting. </p>



<p>Off Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, a seismic crisis revealed drainage of a huge reservoir from roughly 15 to 22 miles down, accompanied by deformation and very long period signals. </p>



<p>That sequence pointed to a developing submarine volcano rather than steady ridge accretion.</p>



<p>In Iceland’s Northern Volcanic Zone, several nests of unusually <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-analysis-claims-worlds-deepest-earthquake-did-not-happen-in-japan/">deep quakes</a>, sometimes deeper than 20 miles, are tied to magma movement below the usual brittle layer. </p>



<p>Those cases involve thickened crust and a volcanic plumbing system, unlike the Atlantic ridge segment studied here.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fresh-look-at-volatile-rich-ridges">Fresh look at volatile-rich ridges</h2>



<p>The Atlantic ridge segment examined spreads slowly, a regime where melt pathways are complex and tectonics can expose mantle rocks on the seafloor. </p>



<p>In such settings, volatile rich melts may focus and linger, priming the conditions for gas driven stress changes at depth.</p>



<p>Global ridge studies show that mid ocean ridge basalt glasses are commonly depleted in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-bacillus-megaterium-turns-co2-gas-into-calcium-carbonate-limestone/">CO2</a> by the time they erupt, which complicates efforts to reconstruct their original volatile content. </p>



<p>Trace element ratios such as CO2 to Ba and CO2 to Rb provide workarounds to estimate the pre-eruptive load.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-deep-seafloor-earthquakes-studies">More deep seafloor earthquakes studies</h2>



<p>Better constraints on volatile content and pressure in the mantle will come from longer deployments and denser arrays of seafloor instruments. </p>



<p>Targeted sampling of fresh basalts and melt inclusions will tighten the links between chemistry, pressure, and the mechanics of these deep events.</p>



<p>Models that couple gas solubility, fracture mechanics, and ridge thermal structure can test how much CO2 is needed to tip rock into failure in hot mantle. </p>



<p>Those models can also explain why only some ridge segments host deep quakes while others stay quiet.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55792-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature Communications</em></a>.</p>



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



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This surprising gas could be causing earthquakes deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean seafloor

Deep beneath the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, scientists have recorded earthquakes at...

<p>Outcrop Silver &amp; Gold has <a href="https://outcropsilver.com/site/assets/files/6252/nr_2025_drilling_morena_discovery_ips-ciro_ih_gh-final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> a new high grade shoot at the Morena vein inside its Santa Ana project in Colombia. The highlight intercept includes 0.55 meters at 1,877 grams of silver per ton and 4.26 grams of gold per ton, which the company reports as 2,197 grams silver equivalent per ton.</p>



<p>The program marks the sixth new high grade shoot identified since April 2024 and follows systematic work around the La Ye target. Results arrive ahead of a planned mineral resource update.</p>



<p>The program is led by <a href="https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/CA/XTSX/OCG/company-people/executive-profile/156430753" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guillermo Hernandez</a>, Vice President of Exploration at Outcrop Silver &amp; Gold Corporation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-morena-silver-drill-cores">Morena silver drill cores</h2>



<p>Hole DH471 cut 1.87 meters grading 680 g/t silver and 1.52 g/t gold for 794 g/t <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/remarkable-viking-silver-hoard-discovery-reveals-far-reaching-global-trade-links/">silver equivalent</a>, including the 0.55 meter zone running 1,877 g/t silver and 4.26 g/t gold. </p>



<p>Converting widths to the U.S. system, those intervals measure about 6.1 feet and 1.8 feet, respectively.</p>



<p>Hole DH467 intersected 2.29 meters at 233 g/t silver and 0.37 g/t <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/copper-and-gold-deposit-found-near-canadas-golden-triangle-just-59-feet-below-the-surface/">gold</a> for 261 g/t <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/geologists-discover-the-largest-copper-gold-and-silver-deposit-in-the-last-three-decades/">silver</a> equivalent. That interval is roughly 7.5 feet.</p>



<p>Drilling at Morena totals 2,905 meters, or about 9,530 feet. The team outlines a mineralized footprint near 400 meters along strike, about 1,310 feet, and nearly 300 meters down dip, about 984 feet.</p>



<p>“We are excited to confirm the sixth new high grade shoot at Santa Ana since the mineral resource was published with the discovery at Morena,” stated Hernandez.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-morena-silver-and-gold-sits">Where Morena silver and gold sits</h2>



<p>Work at Morena grew out of soil geochemistry and follow-up trenching around La Ye that flagged a structural corridor. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-how-gold-reaches-earths-surface-from-the-mantle/">Surface sampling</a> preceded the drilling that confirmed vein continuity along several hundred meters.</p>



<p>The Morena vein trends between 220 and 230 degrees, dips from 45 to 75 degrees, and sits in green schists. Orientation and host rocks help explain why drilling can step both along strike and down dip with a clear model.</p>



<p>Morena adds to a pipeline that already includes zones named Aguilar, Jimenez, Guadual, La Ye, and Los Mangos. </p>



<p>Each target is being tested for inclusion in the next resource update without assuming that today’s results translate directly into resources tomorrow.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-grades-are-reported">How grades are reported</h2>



<p>Silver grades are <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-silver.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">typically reported</a> in tons, which simply means grams of metal per metric ton of rock and remains a standard measure used by agencies like the U.S. Geological Survey (<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USGS</a>).</p>



<p>Many explorers also report equivalency grades that roll multiple metals into a single number based on metal prices and recoveries. </p>



<p>Industry guidance stresses that any equivalency should disclose the underlying grades, prices, and recovery assumptions, and that equivalents are not appropriate when recoveries cannot be reasonably estimated, which keeps comparisons honest for readers and investors.</p>



<p>For context, Santa Ana’s current technical <a href="https://outcropsilver.com/site/assets/files/6003/0723022_santa_ana_mineral_resource_estimate_ni_43-101_s.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> lists an indicated resource of 24.2 million ounces silver equivalent at 614 g/t and an inferred resource of 13.5 million ounces at 435 g/t, providing a baseline snapshot before any impact from Morena is considered.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rigorous-sampling-and-analysis">Rigorous sampling and analysis</h2>



<p>Reliable assays depend on procedures such as inserting blanks, duplicates, and certified reference materials at planned intervals. </p>



<p>Regulators and professional bodies outline best <a href="https://www.bcsc.bc.ca/-/media/PWS/Resources/For_Companies/Mining/CIM-Best-Practices-Guidelines-November-29-2019.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">practices</a> for how results should be collected and reported to avoid bias and to ensure transparency for investors and communities alike.</p>



<p>Independent labs commonly use methods like aqua regia digestion followed by ICP <a href="https://actlabs.com/geochemistry-analysis/exploration-geochemistry/aqua-regia-partial-digestion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> to measure multi element chemistry, with clearly defined quality controls stated for each batch and instrument run.</p>



<p>Core handling routines matter too. Sawing core, sending half for assay, and retaining half for verification work allow later reconciliation and potential re testing as the model evolves.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-context-for-santa-ana-and-mariquita">Context for Santa Ana and Mariquita</h2>



<p>Santa Ana sits in the historic Mariquita District, where <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670142" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">records</a> of mining date to at least 1585. Archival materials even depict active workings at the Santa Ana mines during the nineteenth century, underlining the long mining tradition in the area.</p>



<p>Geologically, the district hosts epithermal style silver and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/copper-and-gold-deposit-found-near-canadas-golden-triangle-just-59-feet-below-the-surface/">gold</a> veins, a deposit type known for narrow but very high grades and strong structural controls. </p>



<p>Descriptive models of epithermal systems published by the U.S. Geological Survey lay out the mineralogy, textures, and temperature ranges that guide exploration in districts like this one.</p>



<p>Academic <a href="https://www.geo.arizona.edu/Antevs/Theses/VargasMS08.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> focused specifically on Santa Ana has described a volcanic hosted silver polymetallic system with multiple vein sets, which aligns with the present exploration approach that tracks structure and chemistry together.</p>



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



<p>Morena’s early footprint suggests practical next steps. Step outs along strike and down dip will test continuity and spacing, which are essential for resource modeling.</p>



<p>Metallurgical testing also carries weight because it underpins any <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drilling-hole-reveals-significant-presence-of-high-grade-gold-and-silver-navidad-deposit/">silver</a> equivalent calculations and informs whether certain byproduct metals can be recovered efficiently. </p>



<p>Clear disclosure of prices and recoveries keeps future equivalents aligned with professional guidance rather than assumptions.</p>



<p>Investors and local stakeholders will likely focus on how quickly new holes fill the gaps around the current intercepts. </p>



<p>Consistent widths and grades, supported by strong QA/QC and independent lab checks, set the stage for any future resource addition.</p>



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



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New silver and gold discovery confirmed to be extraordinarily high grade deposits

Outcrop Silver &amp; Gold has reported a new high grade...

Prehistoric,Hand,Paintings,At,The,Cave,Of,The,Hands,(spanish:

<p>Ancient Maya artists carved scenes of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tattoo-ink-travels-through-the-body-and-may-cause-long-term-risks/">marked skin</a> on stone and bone, demonstrating they had the ability to tattoo themselves. Yet the tools they used to create those personal tattoos have remained a mystery. </p>



<p>Now, archaeologists have finally tied the art to the instruments that made it. Their recent study points to the first physical tattoo implements used by Classic-period <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-caused-the-maya-collapse-the-answer-was-hidden-in-a-cave/">Maya</a>, placing them inside a cave in Belize. </p>



<p>The find connects body marking to ceremony and status, not casual personal style.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unearthing-the-tools">Unearthing the tools</h2>



<p>“The recovery of two implements from a cave raises questions about the ritual nature and context of ancient Maya tattooing in the Classic period (AD 250-900),” wrote <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zSNuYIkAAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">W. James Stemp</a> of <a href="https://www.keene.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Keene State College</a>, lead author of the study.</p>



<p>Two retouched flakes of stone chert, from burin (specialized stone tools with a chisel-like tip, used for engraving or carving materials like bone, antler, ivory, and wood), were recovered from travertine pools on an upper ledge of Actun Uayazba Kab in central Belize. </p>



<p>They bear use-wear analysis signatures and dark residues that fit <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tattoos-lead-to-mistaken-assumptions-about-personality-and-values/">tattooing</a>, according to the study authors. </p>



<p>The cave, also called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cueva_de_las_Manos" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Handprint Cave</a>, lies in the Roaring Creek Valley in Belize and has yielded human burials in earlier excavations, underscoring its long ritual history. </p>



<p>That background helps frame the tools as instruments for skin marking rather than everyday craft.</p>



<p>The pieces are not knives configured for slicing. They are small points reshaped for puncturing, a form that suits repeated, precise <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tattoo-ink-travels-through-the-body-and-may-cause-long-term-risks/">entries into skin</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maya-tattoo-needles">Maya tattoo needles</h2>



<p>A burin spall is a thin flake chipped to make a sharp, durable point. Chert takes a fine edge, and a carefully retouched tip can pierce cleanly without tearing.</p>



<p>In <a href="https://www.academia.edu/91605595/Drawing_with_great_needles_Ancient_tattoo_traditions_of_North_America_Aaron_Deter_Wolf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">puncture tattooing</a>, pigment rides on the tool’s tip and enters the skin with controlled taps or presses, a technique documented widely before electric machines. </p>



<p>The method leaves characteristic microscopic wear and often traps ink in the final millimeters of the point.</p>



<p>Under magnification, rounding and polish at the tips, together with embedded dark residue, are exactly the traces repeated skin puncture and carbon-based ink can leave. </p>



<p>That match is what moved the team to interpret the stones as tattoo implements rather than awls for hide or engravers for wood.</p>



<p>Body paint washes away. Tattooing stays, and permanence fits cultural and societal moments when status changed or vows were taken.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ink-identity-and-status">Ink, identity, and status</h2>



<p>Tattooing in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-king-of-caracols-tomb-has-been-discovered-powerful-maya-cities/">Maya</a> lowlands signaled identity, rank, and life milestones, and images capture those codes. People marked jaws, torsos, and sometimes foreheads with signs that carried meaning inside a careful social order.</p>



<p>“They tattoo their bodies and are accounted valiant and brave in proportion to its amount, for the process is very painful,” wrote <a href="https://sacred-texts.com/nam/maya/ybac/ybac26.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diego de Landa</a> in a 16th century account of Yucatan. Chroniclers also noted figures such as snakes and eagles alongside sacred signs.</p>



<p>Colonial texts carry bias, yet they align with carvings that show captives, nobles, and ritual actors bearing permanent marks. The new tools give those records solid footing.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-cave-with-a-message">A cave with a message</h2>



<p>“Maya caves are exclusively ritual spaces,” argued <a href="https://www.academia.edu/35127401/Maya_Cave_Archaeology_A_New_Look_at_Religion_and_Cosmology_by_J_E_Brady_and_K_M_Prufer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James E. Brady and Keith M. Prufer</a>, who synthesized decades of cave archaeology across Mesoamerica. That perspective explains why a tattooing kit would end up far from households.</p>



<p>Caves anchored ideas about life and death, rain, fertility, and the underworld. A tool left there speaks to obligation, initiation, and power, not casual decoration.</p>



<p>The implements came from limestone pools on a ledge, a setting that does not invite everyday craft. Place and context help rule out bone or wood carving and keep the focus on skin.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-the-maya-tattoo-theory">Testing the Maya tattoo theory</h2>



<p>Archaeologists have used experimental replicas to show how puncture tools behave and what marks they leave on artifacts and skin. </p>



<p>A 2,000 year old cactus spine <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X18307508" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">device</a> from Utah helped set the standard for such tests in North America and demonstrated how use-wear and embedded pigment build up on working tips.</p>



<p>The Belize team looked for the same signs, including tip rounding, polish, and trapped pigment, and they found them. Consistency across different tools and materials strengthens the case.</p>



<p>This does not prove that every Classic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tattoo-ink-travels-through-the-body-and-may-cause-long-term-risks/">tattoo</a> began inside a cave, and the authors do not claim that. It shows that tattooing and ritual space intersected at least once, and likely more than once.</p>



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



<p>For years, scholars had images and ethnohistoric texts but no implements to connect the dots. Now there are tools that carry wear, residue, context, and time, all pointing in the same direction.</p>



<p>Next steps include identifying the exact pigment recipe and checking whether the ink came from soot, resins, or plant ash. </p>



<p>Broader <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cave-art-discovery-depicts-animal-dicynodont-that-went-extinct-280-million-year-ago/">cave</a> surveys in Belize and Guatemala could tell us whether the cave setting is unusual or a recurring pattern.</p>



<p>This is not only a technique. It is about people who inscribed affiliation and belief on their bodies, and about the hands that did the work in places considered close to gods and ancestors.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X25001919" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports</em></a>.</p>



<p>Photograph of the Cave of Hands, Argentina, photograph by Gregory Crouch.</p>



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



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Ancient Maya tattooed themselves with very detailed designs, now we know how they did it

Ancient Maya artists carved scenes of marked skin on stone...

<p>History often remembers the Vikings as fierce raiders who swept across Europe in search of silver and gold treasure and artifacts. Yet, new scientific discoveries reveal a more intricate story. </p>



<p>Silver, a symbol of wealth and power, was not just plundered but also traded, refined, and carried across vast distances. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.yorkshiremuseum.org.uk/collections/collections-highlights/the-bedale-hoard/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Bedale hoard</a>, unearthed in North Yorkshire, offers a unique window into this overlooked side of Viking life.</p>



<p>Through cutting-edge scientific analysis, researchers uncovered how Viking treasure connects England not only to its European neighbors but also to distant Islamic lands. </p>



<p>These findings highlight how Viking wealth was tied to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archaeologist-sailed-on-a-viking-boat-for-three-years-and-made-surprising-discoveries/">global trade networks</a> that reached far beyond the battlefield.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vikings-and-the-silver-network">Vikings and the silver network</h2>



<p>Led by Dr. Jane Kershaw of the <a href="https://www.arch.ox.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of Archaeology</a>, University of Oxford, the research traced the origins of silver in the Bedale hoard, discovered in 2012. </p>



<p>The findings show that Vikings drew not only from local raids but also from long-distance trade reaching into the Islamic world.</p>



<p>Geochemical analysis confirmed that while much of the silver came from western Europe - likely Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian coinage - a substantial portion originated from Islamic dirhams. </p>



<p>These coins traveled through Scandinavian trade routes before reaching England.</p>



<p>The hoard, with 29 silver ingots and elaborate neck-rings, dates to the late ninth or early tenth century. Its variety highlights the cultural and economic blending in Viking Age England. </p>



<p>This study challenges the idea that Viking <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-vikings-traveled-great-distances-to-hunt-walruses-for-ivory/">wealth</a> came only from looting.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-raiding-and-looting">Beyond raiding and looting</h2>



<p>"Most of us tend to think of the Vikings primarily as raiders, who looted monasteries and other wealthy places in search of wealth. What the analysis of the Bedale hoard shows is that that is only part of the picture," noted Dr. Jane Kershaw.</p>



<p>She explained that while the Vikings did engage in looting and pillaging - with some of that wealth preserved in the rings and ingots found in the hoard - they also profited significantly from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vikings-landed-in-the-americas-500-years-before-columbus/">long-distance trade routes</a> connecting northern Europe to the Islamic Caliphate.</p>



<p>"We can now see that they brought large quantities of this Islamic silver with them when they established settlements in England," Dr. Kershaw continued.</p>



<p>Reflecting on the significance of the find, she added: "I love to think how Bedale - today a quintessentially English market town in north Yorkshire - was, in <a href="https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Viking Age</a>, at the heart of a much wider, Eurasian Viking economy." </p>



<p>The Vikings weren't only extracting wealth from the local population, they were also bringing wealth with them when they raided and settled.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracing-the-silver-origins">Tracing the silver origins</h2>



<p>The research team used lead isotope and trace element analyses to pinpoint the silver’s origins. They identified three main sources: western European coinage, Islamic dirhams, and blended sources. </p>



<p>Nine ingots - almost a third of the collection - were traced directly to the Islamic Caliphate, particularly regions corresponding to modern-day Iran and Iraq.</p>



<p>This silver traveled through the Austrvegr, the eastern trade routes, before reaching Scandinavia and later England. </p>



<p>The movement of these coins demonstrates the reach of Viking trade networks. It shows how far-flung economic connections fed into local <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/enduring-earth-mystery-partially-solved-artificial-intelligence-nazca-geoglyphs/">settlements</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vikings-mixed-silver-with-skills">Vikings mixed silver with skills</h2>



<p>The findings also suggest that Viking metalworkers refined some of the silver with local lead, particularly from the North Pennines. This indicates advanced metalworking skills and regional production. </p>



<p>One striking artifact, a large neck-ring made from twisted rods, was created using a mix of eastern and western silver. The craftsmanship points to innovation and adaptation in northern England.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/viking-silver-hoard_discovery_UOxford_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/viking-silver-hoard_discovery_UOxford_1s.webp" alt="The Bedale hoard. Credit: York Museums Trust/University of Oxford" class="wp-image-1982530"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>The Bedale hoard. Click image to enlarge. Credit: York Museums Trust/University of Oxford</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>The Archaeometry study adds that mixing silver sources was not random. Instead, it was deliberate, reflecting choices to maintain consistent silver quality and weight standards across regions. </p>



<p>Such practices suggest that Viking metalworkers were highly skilled, operating with knowledge of purity levels and alloying techniques.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-the-viking-history-books">Expanding the Viking history books</h2>



<p>The analysis adds to growing evidence that Viking wealth came from multiple strategies. Military campaigns and tribute collection remained important, but commercial exchange played a central role. </p>



<p>Silver coins were melted down, recast, and shaped into jewelry and ingots, circulating within the Scandinavian bullion economy.</p>



<p>The study also highlights how silver acted as more than wealth. It was a medium of exchange in a bullion-based economy, where ingots and jewelry could be weighed and traded like currency. </p>



<p>This system supported both local markets and international trade, embedding Viking communities into a wider economic network.</p>



<p>The research emphasizes how advanced scientific methods can reveal hidden layers of history. By examining the silver itself, researchers uncovered the complexity of Viking settlement and integration in England. </p>



<p>The findings are published in <em><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/arcm.70031" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Archaeometry</a></em>, offering fresh insights into how Vikings balanced raiding with global trade.</p>



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



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Remarkable Viking silver hoard discovery reveals far-reaching global trade links

History often remembers the Vikings as fierce raiders who swept...

<p>Forests from the Amazon lowlands to the high Andes are failing to adjust quickly enough to rising temperatures. Populations are not moving upslope at the pace of climate change, and entire communities are not reorganizing to match the new normal.</p>



<p>The gap threatens <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-plantations-have-hidden-impacts-on-tropical-biodiversity/">tropical biodiversity</a> and the ecosystem services people rely on - from climate regulation to pollination.</p>



<p>“These forests are simply not keeping up with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-forests-are-struggling-to-keep-pace-with-climate-change/">climate change</a>,” said lead author William Farfan-Rios of <a href="https://www.wfu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wake Forest University</a>. “The result is a growing climatic debt that threatens the integrity and functioning of the most diverse forests on Earth.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-four-decades-of-first-monitoring">Four decades of first monitoring</h2>



<p>The study draws on more than four decades of forest monitoring in Peru and Bolivia. Researchers tracked over 66,000 trees spanning about 2,500 species across 66 permanent plots. </p>



<p>Those plots run from a few hundred feet above sea level in the Amazon to more than 12,000 feet in the Andes.</p>



<p>The team expected to see warm-adapted species becoming more common over time. Ecologists call that shift thermophilization. Instead, they found little to no evidence that communities are warming in step with the climate along the elevation gradient.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-growing-climatic-debt"><a></a>A growing climatic debt</h2>



<p>The analysis shows that the rate at which warm-adapted forests replace cool-adapted ones is far slower than the regional rate of warming.</p>



<p>That mismatch is the “climatic debt” - the amount of change that should have occurred to keep pace with rising temperatures but has not.</p>



<p>If the debt keeps growing, forests will edge closer to thresholds from which they may not recover. The risk is highest where species live near their thermal limits and have limited options for movement.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cloud-forests-show-most-change">Cloud forests show most change</h2>



<p>Mid-elevation forests near the cloud base at roughly 3,900 to 6,600 feet showed the strongest signs of reshuffling. The signal there is driven largely by higher death rates among cool-adapted trees. Mortality is doing more of the work than the arrival of new warm-adapted species.</p>



<p>By contrast, the lowland Amazon plots showed no consistent directional change. That stability may appear resilient in the short term - but it also signals vulnerability. As heat and drought intensify, communities with few hotter-adapted species waiting in the wings may struggle to cope.</p>



<p>Higher in the Andes, many communities remain effectively stuck. Populations are not moving uphill quickly enough to keep within their historical climate envelopes.</p>



<p>Tropical forests in the Andes-Amazon harbor the planet’s highest concentration of life. They store vast amounts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/">carbon</a> and generate rainfall. They support <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollinators-face-extinction-risk-due-to-climate-change/">pollinators</a> and seed dispersers that keep the system running.</p>



<p>If tree communities fail to adjust, the carbon sink will weaken. Habitats shrink or vanish. The odds of ecosystem collapse rise, especially in cloud forests where drought and heat push trees past their limits.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-reveals-forest-shifts">Time reveals forest shifts</h2>



<p>“You have to be there for long periods of time to understand how these forests change,” said co-author Miles Silman, chair of conservation biology at Wake Forest.</p>



<p>“If we lose these climate observatories, these natural labs, we blind ourselves to our future. What we found is that forests are changing, but they’re not changing in the ways that make them resilient to climate change.”</p>



<p>Trees can adapt over millennia. But individuals die quickly, and new trees recruit and grow slowly. Dispersal adds another constraint.</p>



<p>“They also need the full complement of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-at-risk-as-seed-spreading-animals-disappear/">animal dispersers</a> and pollinators to help expand their range - and loss of habitat is shrinking their ranks,” Silman explained.</p>



<p>“If you look at the magnitude of changes happening in the Andes-Amazon, the forest communities likely are not going to keep up. That’s why research like this is important.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-tropical-constraint"><a></a>The tropical constraint</h2>



<p>The results align with a growing pattern: tropical species often have narrow heat tolerances and already live close to their maximum temperatures.</p>



<p>Unlike in temperate systems, there may be few hotter-adapted taxa ready to move in as heat rises. In the lowlands, there is literally nowhere cooler upslope to go.</p>



<p>In the Andes, topography offers ladders for movement. But climbing those ladders requires time, intact habitat, and healthy animal partners to carry seeds. Fragmentation and defaunation remove those rungs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forests-can-t-keep-up">Forests can’t keep up</h2>



<p>Protecting continuous elevational forests gives species a path to track their climates. Safeguarding pollinators and seed dispersers keeps the engine of range expansion running. Reducing local stressors - selective logging, fire, and overhunting - buys time.</p>



<p>Still, cutting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenhouse-gas-emissions-reach-another-all-time-high/">greenhouse gas emissions</a> remains the decisive lever. Slower warming reduces the debt and gives forest communities a chance to catch up.</p>



<p>The study’s core message is simple yet sobering: the world’s richest forests are changing, but not quickly enough in the directions that would make them safer. Thermophilization is lagging far behind warming, and mortality - rather than recruitment - is driving most of the turnover. </p>



<p>Cloud forests are showing strain, and although the Amazon lowlands are quiet for now, that quiet may not last. “These forests are simply not keeping up with climate change,” Farfan-Rios concluded.</p>



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World’s most diverse forests are failing to adapt to climate change

Forests from the Amazon lowlands to the high Andes are...

Creative,Art,Brain,Explodes,With,Paints,With,Splashes,On,A

<p>Have you ever tried tossing a handful of balls in the air and keeping track of each one at once? No matter how hard you focus, at least one will slip from your mind. </p>



<p>Researchers say this challenge reveals the surprising limits of human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-power-of-imagination-in-climate-change-adaptation/">imagination</a>, as a recent study shows we can only follow two moving objects at the same time.</p>



<p>The team drew inspiration from a process that enables tracking multiple moving objects simultaneously, known as the Multiple Object Tracking (<a href="https://jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2801105" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MOT</a>) paradigm. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-far-can-human-imagination-go">How far can human imagination go?</h2>



<p>Researchers took the concept of "mental simulation" to design a new study, despite knowing that we do not always engage in simulation. And if we do, there are limitations to it.</p>



<p>They wanted to test whether people could imagine the future path of more than one moving object at a time, or whether we are limited to just one.</p>



<p>Previous studies on mental imagery have already shown that the more objects we add to our "mental screen," the harder it becomes. It will also impair our precision in making judgments.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-searching-for-answers-with-iot">Searching for answers with IOT</h2>



<p>But still, this study does not answer the question: how many such objects can be imagined at once? To answer this, scientists developed an experiment called the Imagined Objects Tracking (IOT) task.</p>



<p>Participants were asked first to watch animated scenes where objects moved across the screen until paused. Then they were told to imagine the movement of these objects and judge the timing of different outcomes.</p>



<p>Interestingly, the researchers focused on timing rather than the location of the objects. </p>



<p>They then compared the performance of the participants with two <a href="https://www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/computational-modeling" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">computational models</a> that reflect different ideas on how the brain simulates moving objects.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-we-imagine-one-or-many">Do we imagine one or many?</h2>



<p>The first was a parallel model, which assumes people can track multiple moving objects at the same time. The second was a serial model, which assumes that people track just one object at a time. </p>



<p>After simulating one, they will switch to the next object. It predicts that when more objects are added, imagination slows down. </p>



<p>Scientists noted the possibility of different subtypes of the serial model. For example, people might imagine the movement of one object for several steps, then switch to another, alternating back and forth.</p>



<p>At first, this seemed more reasonable, but it still did not fit all the data.</p>



<p>Then they thought of an approach that mixes both serial and parallel models, an interleaved model. But its predictions did not match either of the approaches, and were completely different from what the participants did.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unexpected-results">Unexpected results</h2>



<p>When scientists tested the participants' actual performance with their models, the result was surprising. Neither the serial, parallel, nor interleaved models provided a thorough explanation of what was happening.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instead, they found that people could only follow about two moving objects simultaneously in their imagination. This points to the bottleneck in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278262625000752" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mental simulation</a>.</p>



<p>"We set out to test the capacity limits of the imagination, and we found that it was one," said co-author Tomer D. Ullman, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at <a href="https://www.harvard.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard University</a>.</p>



<p>Unlike our eyes, which can visually track multiple objects at once, our imagination seems to hit a hard limit. When forced to imagine numerous objects in motion, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/your-brain-literally-changes-based-on-daily-activities-and-lifestyle/">brain</a> struggles, affecting the accuracy.</p>



<p>So why does our imagination struggle to keep up? Prior research offers some clues.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-brain-tracks-unseen-objects">How the brain tracks unseen objects</h2>



<p>We often make vague calculations to track multiple objects in motion when they are in front of our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-space-travel-affect-eye-health/">eyes</a>. But what if the objects are no longer visible?</p>



<p>In that case, we imagine them continuing to move in our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/starfish-are-apparently-one-big-head-crawling-on-seafloor-with-no-body-needed/">head</a>. Tracking an object does not simply stop when it crosses out of sight. The real question was, what is the actual limit?</p>



<p>Scientists still debate the mechanism by which the brain tracks unseen objects. Evidence from the MOT paradigm suggests that we do not always imagine the exact <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/trajectory-data" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trajectories</a> or paths of moving objects.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instead, we might rely on heuristics, meaning quick mental shortcuts or assumptions. For example, we might assume that an unseen ball rolling across a table continues in a straight line at a constant speed.</p>



<p>Others propose that some of us use "mental simulation", where we track the path of the moving object step by step in our imagination. This approach has been helpful to explain how people think about the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022460X23004698" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dynamics</a> of moving objects.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-real-world-impact-of-human-imagination">Real-world impact of human imagination</h2>



<p>The researchers concluded that our ability to simulate moving objects is limited. This suggests that human imagination works best when handling one or two dynamic elements at a time.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This has implications for understanding not only visual imagination but also how people plan, predict, and make decisions in dynamic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-environment-day-2025-plastic-pollution-is-choking-our-planet/">environments</a>.</p>



<p>In other words, human imagination eventually lets some slip, reminding us that even our mental stage has boundaries.</p>



<p>The full study was published in<em> </em>the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61021-8#Ack1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature Communications</em></a><em>.</em></p>



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Surprising limits of human imagination revealed by science

Have you ever tried tossing a handful of balls in...

Aerial,View,Of,A,Suburban,Intersection,With,Green,Grass,And

<p>Human land use has removed a quarter of the carbon that would otherwise sit in vegetation and the top 12 inches of soil. That equates to roughly 344 billion metric tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-is-just-three-years-away-from-dangerous-carbon-milestone/">carbon</a>.</p>



<p>With pasture expansion, cropland expansion, and forest management determined to be the leading drivers, the analysis shows popular dynamic global vegetation models miss roughly 37 percent of this deficit on average.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332225002180" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimate</a> comes from a high resolution global map built by combining Earth observations, historical land use records, and machine learning.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-land-carbon-loss-matters">Why land carbon loss matters</h2>



<p>The work was led by <a href="https://www.geo.lmu.de/geographie/en/people/contact-page/raphael-ganzenmueller-61da7c76.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Raphael Ganzenmüller</a> with colleagues at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (<a href="https://www.geo.lmu.de/geographie/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LMU</a>). </p>



<p>Vegetation and soils hold carbon that moves between land, ocean, and air, and together they store more carbon than the atmosphere at any time, which shapes temperature and risk.</p>



<p>Scientists track terrestrial carbon <a href="https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/15/5301/2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stocks</a> in living biomass and in soil organic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-burps-from-earths-past-warn-of-ocean-trouble-ahead/">carbon</a> (SOC). </p>



<p>SOC is commonly assessed in the top 0 to 12 inches because that layer responds most to tillage, drainage, and erosion, and is mapped globally by national efforts coordinated through FAO’s <a href="https://www.fao.org/soils-portal/data-hub/soil-maps-and-databases/global-soil-organic-carbon-map-gsocmap/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GSOCmap</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-carbon-losses">Measuring carbon losses</h2>



<p>The researchers estimated a terrestrial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-carbon-credits-are-failing-so-what-needs-to-change/">carbon</a> deficit by comparing today’s actual carbon stocks with potential stocks under current climate if land had not been directly altered by people. </p>



<p>That contrast shows how much carbon landscapes have lost through clearing, grazing, cropping, and intensive forest use.</p>



<p>They trained models on areas with very low human influence as well as protected lands, then predicted potential vegetation and SOC at roughly 0.6 mile resolution. </p>



<p>That lets them attribute losses to specific land uses and benchmark the results against widely used simulation models.</p>



<p>“Our study reveals the far-reaching human impact on the global carbon cycle. Our study provides important insights for climate policy,” said <a href="https://www.cas.lmu.de/en/people-at-cas/details/julia-pongratz-ba7ba916.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Julia Pongratz</a>, Professor of Physical Geography and Land Use Systems at LMU.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-deficit-of-carbon-matters">Why the deficit of carbon matters</h2>



<p>The new map quantifies depletion, not annual emissions. It shows how much carbon is missing from land relative to what could be stored if ecosystems were intact under today’s conditions.</p>



<p>That stock gap matters because it sets the ceiling for restoration, informs where protection avoids the largest additional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-solutions-are-failing-but-they-can-still-be-fixed/">losses</a>, and clarifies how much headroom exists for land-based carbon removal without harming food or fiber production.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-models-missed-so-much">Why models missed so much</h2>



<p>Most process models treat environmental changes and land use in ways that can produce conceptually inconsistent budgets.</p>



<p>Several recent <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39198386/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> show models often allocate too much to the natural land sink while undercounting land-use emissions, especially where degradation has erased sinks. That mismatch propagates into remaining carbon budget estimates and risk assessments.</p>



<p>By anchoring estimates in observation-based carbon densities and using consistent assumptions about potential stocks, the new work reduces those inconsistencies. </p>



<p>It provides a constraint that modelers can use to re-tune land processes and improve verification of land carbon projects.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-carbon-disappeared-from-land">Where carbon disappeared from land</h2>



<p>Pasture expansion dominates the global deficit because it replaces woody vegetation and suppresses regrowth. </p>



<p>Croplands follow because conversion reduces biomass and, under many systems, lowers SOC through disturbance and removal of residues.</p>



<p>Modern <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22702-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reconstructions</a> that blend satellites with national statistics show how fast land use has shifted, with roughly one third of the planet’s land area affected since 1960.</p>



<p>This is driven largely by agricultural expansion in the global South and management transitions elsewhere. The new deficit map lines up with those patterns.</p>



<p>Independent <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39338-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence</a> also shows that land conversion for crop production typically causes large SOC losses, and many forest management practices reduce soil carbon, especially where repeated disturbance limits recovery. </p>



<p>That tracks with the study’s finding that vegetation losses dominate but soils contribute a substantial share in several temperate and boreal regions.</p>



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



<p>The deficit highlights two levers with different timelines. Vegetation carbon can rebound in years to decades when pressure eases and trees return. Soil carbon often recovers more slowly and can plateau if management does not change.</p>



<p>For policy, this means protection of high carbon landscapes prevents further drawdown while targeted restoration can rebuild stocks where the potential is high and competing demands are limited. </p>



<p>It also means crediting systems need to separate genuine stock recovery from merely avoiding ongoing losses.</p>



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



<p>The map is a screening tool, not a prescription. It points to regions where restoring vegetation or rebuilding SOC is physically plausible under today’s climate, and where the same actions would yield small gains.</p>



<p>It also helps evaluate land carbon projects more honestly by comparing outcomes against the appropriate potential baseline instead of against degraded starting points. That makes additionality, permanence, and leakage tests more concrete.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limits-of-carbon-estimates">Limits of carbon estimates</h2>



<p>Potential stocks were trained on low influence and protected areas, which are imperfect analogs for pre-alteration ecosystems in long-settled regions. Some sparsely documented areas still carry higher uncertainty.</p>



<p>Even so, the estimate sets a useful lower bound on what people have already removed from land. It clarifies why relying on models alone can be risky when budgets are tight and timelines short.</p>



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



<p>Expect model intercomparison projects to incorporate these observation-based constraints and report revised land sinks and land-use emissions. </p>



<p>In addition, national inventories need to cross-check their land carbon accounting against high resolution maps that use the same underlying datasets.</p>



<p>Finally, project developers must use these maps to justify where not to intervene as much as where to act.</p>



<p>When done well, the biggest wins will blend conservation, restoration, and smarter management rather than chase a single metric.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332225002180" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>One Earth</em></a>.</p>



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



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Human land use has removed billions of tons of carbon sequestration

Human land use has removed a quarter of the carbon...

<p>An international team of researchers is looking for answers behind the mystery of <em>Gigantopithecus blacki</em>, a giant prehistoric primate that once lived in what is now southern China.</p>



<p>The species is known from its teeth and mandibles found in cave sites.</p>



<p>The fossils suggest it was the largest primate ever, with estimates of its size ranging from about 1.8 to 3 meters in height (5.9 to 9.8 feet) and weighing around 250 kilograms (551 pounds).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-search-of-gigantopithecus-blacki">In search of <em>Gigantopithecus blacki</em></h2>



<p><em>Gigantopithecus blacki</em> roamed and ruled the wilderness of southern China during the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prehistoric-kangaroos-changed-their-diets-to-survive-climate-change/">Pleistocene epoch</a>, roughly 2 million to 300,000 years ago.</p>



<p>Its demise is enigmatic considering that it was one of the few Asian great apes to go extinct in the last 2.6 million years, whereas others, including orangutan, survived until the present.</p>



<p>The cause of the disappearance of <em>Gigantopithecus blacki</em> remains unresolved, but new findings could shed light on primate resilience and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracing-the-disappearance-of-north-americas-megafauna/">fate of megafauna</a> in this region.</p>



<p><em>G. blacki</em> - a very distant human ancestor - went extinct <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-species-of-human-ancestors-literally-crossed-paths-1-5-million-years-ago/">before humans arrived</a> in the region. The cause of this extinction has been a burning question among scientists.</p>



<p>The experts report that these primates were unable to adapt their behavior and food preferences to survive shifting environmental conditions.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-enigma-in-paleontology">An enigma in paleontology</h2>



<p>The story of <em>Gigantopithcus blacki</em> is an enigma in paleontology. </p>



<p>"How could such a mighty creature go extinct at a time when other primates were adapting and surviving?" questioned the study's co-lead author Professor Yingqi Zhang, from the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology (<a href="http://english.ivpp.cas.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IVPP</a>).</p>



<p>"The unresolved cause of its disappearance has become the Holy Grail in this discipline. The IVPP has been excavating for <em>G. blacki</em> evidence in this region for over 10 years but without solid dating and a consistent environmental analysis, the cause of its extinction had eluded us," Zhang continued.</p>



<p>The researchers analyzed new evidence from a large-scale project conducted in 22 cave sites spread across the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangxi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guangxi Province</a> in southern China.</p>



<p>“It’s a major feat to present a defined cause for the extinction of a species," said study co-lead author Professor Kira Westaway, a geochronologist at <a href="https://www.mq.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Macquarie University</a>. </p>



<p>"But establishing the exact time when a species disappears from the fossil record gives us a target time frame for an environmental reconstruction and behavior assessment. Without robust dating, you are simply looking for clues in the wrong places," Westaway concluded.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-research-was-conducted-nbsp">How the research was conducted&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The team used multiple techniques to date the collected samples. Researchers at <a href="https://www.scu.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southern Cross University</a> analyzed <em>Gigantopithcus blacki</em> teeth to gain a better understanding of the apes’ behavior. </p>



<p>Experts at Australian National University (<a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ANU</a>) and <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flinders University</a> studied the pollen and fossil bearing sediments in the cave where the primates once thrived.</p>



<p>“By direct-dating the fossil remains, we confirmed their age aligns with the luminescence sequence in the sediments where they were found, giving us a comprehensive and reliable chronology for the extinction of <em>G. blacki</em>,” explained study co-author and Southern Cross University Professor Renaud Joannes-Boyau.</p>



<p>Based on their detailed analyses, the researchers were able to establish the environmental conditions leading up to when <em>G. blacki</em> went extinct. </p>



<p>They also modeled the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/baboons-may-offer-clues-to-early-human-social-evolution/">primate's behavior</a> using trace element and dental microwear textural analysis (DMTA) of the teeth.</p>



<p>"Teeth provide a staggering insight into the behavior of the species indicating stress, diversity of food sources, and repeated behaviors,” said Professor Joannes-Boyau.</p>



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



<p>The experts determined that <em>Gigantopithecus blacki</em> went extinct between 295,000 and 215,000 years ago, which is much earlier than previously thought. </p>



<p>Up until this time, these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pierolapithecus-catalaunicus-recreating-face-of-an-ancient-human-ancestor/">ancient primates</a> flourished in a rich and diverse forest.</p>



<p>Fossilized teeth and jawbones reveal that <em>G. blacki</em> had powerful jaws and massive molars. Those features suggest it was a specialized plant-eater, most likely thriving on a diet of bamboo, fruits, and other tough vegetation. </p>



<p>Its size and teeth point to an animal adapted to grinding through fibrous plants rather than hunting or eating meat.</p>



<p>Researchers believe its reliance on forest habitats made it vulnerable as climates shifted and forests receded. </p>



<p>As grasslands spread and bamboo thinned, this giant ape likely struggled to find enough food, especially with competition from other species. </p>



<p>As a result, the giant primates grew reliant on a less nutritious back up food source. </p>



<p>With less energy from their food, the apes would have ultimately became less mobile, had a reduced geographic range for foraging, and faced chronic stress and dwindling numbers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-gigantopithecus-blacki-matters">Why <em>Gigantopithecus blacki</em> matters</h2>



<p><em>G. blacki</em> was the ultimate specialist, compared to the more agile adapters like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-orangutan-day-2025-turning-awareness-into-action/">orangutans</a>, and this ultimately led to its demise.</p>



<p>With the threat of a sixth mass extinction event looming over us, there is an urgent need to understand why species go extinct.</p>



<p>Exploring the reasons for past unresolved extinctions gives us a good starting point to understand primate resilience and the fate of other large animals, in the past and future.</p>



<p>The full study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06900-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature</em></a>. </p>



<p><em>Image Credit: Garcia/Joannes-Boyau (Southern Cross University)</em></p>



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



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Searching for answers behind the extinction of the largest primate that ever lived

An international team of researchers is looking for answers behind...

<p>The body’s cells adapt their shape to seal wounds and other openings. This repair process depends on the curvature of the gap and the arrangement of the cell’s internal structures.</p>



<p>Epithelial cells form protective linings across body surfaces. They shield against physical injury, microbes, and dehydration while also helping absorb nutrients, expel waste, and produce hormones and enzymes.</p>



<p>Recent research highlights how the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) inside these cells reorganizes. When gaps curve outward, the ER takes tubular shapes. When gaps curve inward, the ER flattens into sheet-like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hemifusome-newly-discovered-organelle-inside-human-cells-with-immense-potential/">structures</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cell-movement-shapes-wound-healing">Cell movement shapes wound healing</h2>



<p>The study shows that different forces direct these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-did-the-first-cells-life-form-on-earth-scientists-think-they-finally-figured-it-out/">changes</a>. The forces are linked to the type of movement cells use.</p>



<p>Convex gaps trigger crawling movements where cells spread broad extensions. Concave gaps instead rely on purse-string contractions, where cells tighten and draw edges together. </p>



<p>This dynamic reshaping of the endoplasmic reticulum ensures epithelial cells adapt effectively to their environment.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mechanisms-underlying-wound-closure">Mechanisms underlying wound closure</h2>



<p>The researchers used micro-patterned cell layers and advanced imaging to track ER organization. They found that ER geometry is not static but highly responsive to mechanical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-cells-sense-exercise-a-new-path-to-health-and-energy/">signals</a>. This responsiveness allows cells to coordinate how they close gaps.</p>



<p>“Wound healing is an important response to injury. Our study opens new avenues for exploring the mechanisms underlying epithelial gap closure and their broader implications for health and disease by identifying a new role of the ER in this process,” noted Dr. Simran Rawal from the <a href="https://www.tifr.res.in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tata Institute of Fundamental Research</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-cells-repair-and-fight-disease">How cells repair and fight disease</h2>



<p>Mathematical modeling confirmed that mechanical cues alone can explain these ER transitions. The models showed how ER reshaping influences both crawling and purse-string <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/loxcode-tech-uses-dna-barcodes-to-track-how-cells-build-different-body-parts/">movements</a>, supporting efficient wound closure.</p>



<p>“The ER's role in cell movement is not just a fascinating scientific discovery but also a potential game-changer for various medical treatments and therapies," said Dr. Pradeep Keshavanarayana.</p>



<p>"Using mathematical models to understand how cells repair themselves may lead to better treatments for wounds, new methods for regenerating damaged tissues, or an improved grasp of how cancer cells spread - leading to new strategies to prevent or slow down metastasis." </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-link-between-organelles-and-healing">Link between organelles and healing</h2>



<p>Professor Fabian Spill from the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Birmingham</a> noted that the project is a great example of a fruitful interdisciplinary collaboration. </p>



<p>"We previously studied endothelial monolayers, which are the cells that line blood vessels, and investigated how mechanical and geometrical features regulate gaps in the monolayer that can cause leakiness,” said Spill. </p>



<p>The experiments showed a novel, unexpected link between organelle and cell shape and monolayer behavior, he added. </p>



<p>"The combination of these beautiful experiments by Simran and collaborators with the mathematical model developed by Pradeep led to the identification of a new, organelle-mediated mechanism of sensing mechanics and geometry.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cells-convert-mechanical-signals">Cells convert mechanical signals</h2>



<p>The study also highlights mechanotransduction, where cells convert mechanical signals into biochemical responses. The ER acts as a central sensor during this process.</p>



<p>“This study started with the discovery made by Simran, who observed the ER's central role in mechanotransduction - the process by which cells convert mechanical stimuli from their environment into biochemical signals,” said study co-author Professor Tamal Das.</p>



<p>He pointed out that mechanotransduction is fundamental to several physiological functions, including touch, hearing, and balance, and has been studied in the context of collective cell migration.</p>



<p>"Our collaboration shaped the theoretical framework and deepened our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Together, our experiments and modeling reveal a novel role for the ER in this process," said Professor Das.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-improving-future-therapies">Improving future therapies</h2>



<p>According to the researchers, these findings expand our understanding of how organelles guide collective cell movement. </p>



<p>Since epithelial migration is central to wound healing, cancer invasion, and tissue regeneration, this research could influence future therapies.</p>



<p>The ER’s ability to reorganize in response to forces makes it a vital player in maintaining tissue integrity and ensuring proper cellular function. </p>



<p>The combined use of experimental observations and mathematical models demonstrates how cellular architecture is deeply connected to health, disease, wound repair, and overall body stability - highlighting its critical role in both healing and long-term survival.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41556-025-01729-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Cell Biology</a>.</em></p>



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How cells change shape to heal wounds

The body’s cells adapt their shape to seal wounds and...

<p>When puberty or childbirth happens early, it can affect health for life. Buck Institute researchers found that girls who start menstruating before age 11 or women who give birth before 21 face higher risks. Their chances of developing type 2 diabetes, obesity, or heart failure nearly double. </p>



<p>The risk of serious metabolic problems can even quadruple. On the other hand, women who experience puberty or childbirth later often live longer and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pregnancy-risks-rise-with-heat-and-smoke-exposure/">age</a> more slowly. They also show lower rates of diseases like Alzheimer’s.</p>



<p>Study senior author Dr. Pankaj Kapahi, a professor at the <a href="https://www.buckinstitute.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Buck Institute</a>, believes this matters for everyday healthcare.</p>



<p>“Even though women are routinely asked about their menstrual and childbirth history when they receive medical care, this information has rarely factored into the care they receive outside of OB/GYN,” said Dr. Kapahi. </p>



<p>"These risk factors, whether positive or negative, clearly have significant influence on a variety of age-related diseases and should be considered in the larger context of overall health.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-puberty-and-childbirth-linked-to-aging">Puberty and childbirth linked to aging</h2>



<p>The team studied genetic data from almost 200,000 women in the UK Biobank. They found more than 150 genetic markers linked to reproductive timing. </p>



<p>Many of these markers fall into pathways that control growth and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forever-chemicals-can-alter-an-unborn-babys-immune-system/">aging</a>. These pathways regulate how the body handles energy, nutrients, and stress.</p>



<p>“Many of these markers are involved in well-known longevity pathways, such as IGF-1, growth hormone, AMPK and mTOR signaling, key regulators of metabolism and aging,” noted Yifan Xiang, MD, the postdoctoral fellow who led the work.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-childbirth-speeds-aging">Early childbirth speeds aging</h2>



<p>Evolution cares most about survival and reproduction. That focus comes with tradeoffs. </p>



<p>“Our study provides some of the strongest human evidence for this theory. We show that genetic factors favoring early reproduction come with the significant cost later in life including accelerated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-secrets-of-a-modern-miracle-how-pregnancy-evolved/">aging</a> and disease," noted Dr. Kapahi.  </p>



<p>"It makes sense that the very factors that help enhance survival of the offspring may lead to detrimental consequences for the mother."</p>



<p>This supports the antagonistic pleiotropy theory. Traits that help early in life can become harmful with age. </p>



<p>Another idea, the disposable soma theory, also fits here. It suggests the body uses resources for reproduction at the expense of repair. Over time, that choice speeds up aging.</p>



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



<p>Body Mass Index (BMI) plays a big role in this process. Women with early puberty or childbirth tend to have higher BMI later. That extra weight then drives up the risk for diabetes, heart failure, and even cancer. </p>



<p>"One can envisage that enhancing the ability to absorb nutrients would benefit the offspring but if nutrients are plentiful then it can enhance the risk of obesity and diabetes," said Dr. Kapahi.</p>



<p>This pattern makes sense in the context of history. In times of food scarcity, storing energy meant survival. In today’s world, with food everywhere, the same trait can backfire.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-should-guide-healthcare">Timing should guide healthcare</h2>



<p>The research shows that reproductive timing should matter in medical care. Early puberty or childbirth could serve as a signal for earlier screenings and lifestyle support. </p>



<p>Dr. Kapahi noted that girls in the US are starting menstruation earlier - about three months sooner per decade since the 1970s. No single cause explains this, but obesity may play a part.</p>



<p>Current research methods may also need to adapt. Many experiments use virgin female mice as models, which may not reflect real-world patterns of aging in women who reproduce.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-tradeoffs-shape-future-health">Genetic tradeoffs shape future health</h2>



<p>“If evolution has shaped us to prioritize early reproduction at the cost of aging, how can we leverage this knowledge to extend healthspan in modern society?"</p>



<p>"While we cannot change our genetic inheritance, understanding these genetic tradeoffs empowers us to make informed choices about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/doctors-warn-that-pregnancy-risks-double-for-women-aged-45-and-up/">health</a>, lifestyle and medical care,” said Dr. Kapahi.</p>



<p>The study also points to genetic pathways that might one day be targeted to improve health for mothers and children alike. What helped us survive in the past may harm us now, but awareness gives us tools to act differently.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/102447" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>eLife</em></a>.</p>



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Early puberty linked to higher long-term aging risks

When puberty or childbirth happens early, it can affect health...

<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=WXXGGiynIjs
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the opposite.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-contrasting-climate-response">A contrasting climate response</h2>



<p>Most coastal towns are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sinking-land-will-intensify-the-effects-of-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preparing for higher sea levels</a>, but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-no-longer-has-to-worry-about-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greenland presents</a> a different scenario during climate change. The ground there is rising at a remarkable rate. Over the past decade, some areas have lifted about 20 centimeters, which translates to roughly 2 meters per century. This rate significantly exceeds current projections for sea level rise.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geological-rebound-process-through-climate-change">Geological rebound process through climate change</h2>



<p>The mechanism behind this phenomenon is straightforward. As the ice sheet melts, the immense weight is removed from the bedrock, causing the land to rebound upward. This process resembles the way compressed material springs back when pressure is released.</p>



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



<p>Researchers at the <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Denmark</a> are documenting this uplift using the GNET network, consisting of 61 GPS stations positioned around Greenland's coast. These sensors can detect movement with millimeter precision, providing detailed measurements of the ongoing changes.</p>



<p>The data reveal that current uplift rates exceed the gradual rebound occurring since the last ice age ended approximately 12,000 years ago. This acceleration corresponds directly with increased ice sheet melting rates.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coastal-transformation">Coastal Transformation</h2>



<p>This uplift is actively reshaping Greenland's coastline. New islands and rocky formations, called "skerries," are emerging as previously submerged land surfaces rise above the water level. This represents a notable contrast to global concerns about rising seas.</p>



<p>The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, demonstrates the varied regional impacts of climate change. While many locations face rising water levels, Greenland's bedrock is literally rising above the surrounding seas.</p>



<p>The full study was recently published in <em><a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023GL104851" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geophysical Research Letters</a></em>.</p>



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the...

<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=DSM3EVeGHJU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to implement the latest AI Agent building platform.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-agent-training-transforms-the-workplace-fear-factor-into-a-competitive-advantage">AI agent training transforms the workplace 'fear factor' into a competitive advantage</h2>



<p>Organizations that offer comprehensive artificial intelligence training to their workers find remarkable value that extends well beyond basic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mind-wandering-might-be-more-productive-than-you-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">productivity improvements</a>. Emerging research demonstrates that carefully crafted AI training programs <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-does-not-replace-human-creativity-but-enhances-it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enhance</a> corporate performance, lower operational costs, and dramatically improve employee psychological well-being by turning workplace uncertainty into professional empowerment.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-the-widespread-ai-anxiety-crisis-among-us">Addressing the widespread 'AI anxiety' crisis among us</h2>



<p>A staggering 53% of employees expressed concern that the use of AI tools to automate work tasks could make them appear disposable to their employers, according to <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft</a>'s 2024 workplace survey. Such pervasive worry about being substituted by machines has caused what researchers have termed "AI technostress" – a psychological state that can result in occupational burnout and poorer mental well-being.</p>



<p>Data published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a> showed that belief in AI learning ability was a moderator in the link between technology adoption and work pressure, and higher confidence significantly lowered negative psychological responses. Workers provided ample training to become competent with AI software have significantly lower stress.</p>



<p>Companies like <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a> have platforms for building what are known as "AI Agents".  In essence, AI Agents are simply tools that employees can build for themselves or their teams quickly and inexpensively.   MindStudio will even train entire companies, from the CEO on down, at no cost. By letting MindStudio empower employees, companies avoid hiring more IT staff, buying more software, and implementing solutions to problems that do not exist.</p>



<p>MindStudio even has partners locally for companies, like <a href="http://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dominnus</a> with offices in the Carolinas, California, and Denver, to help build AI Agents and support employees as they become resident AI experts for their organization.  The training provided by MindStudio is applicable across other AI Agent building platforms as well.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-productivity-through-focused-learning">Revolutionary productivity through focused learning</h2>



<p>Organizations that implement large-scale AI training programs achieve dramatic outcomes. Employees performed tasks significantly better when they utilized AI support compared to when they didn't, according to <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nielsen Norman Group</a> research findings. Their study documented productivity increases of 66% for a variety of professional tasks.</p>



<p>Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis research finds workers record 33% higher productivity in time working with generative AI tools. The benefit is equivalent to 5.4% of work time savings for AI users – around 2.2 hours per week for full-time workers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-psychological-well-being-benefits-through-ai-competence">Psychological well-being benefits through AI competence</h2>



<p>The emotional transformation when employees are provided with proper technology training is a fundamental transformation from fear to professional confidence. A survey of 600 employees across industries, carried out by ScienceDirect, proved that AI capabilities strengthen work environment commitment and improve job satisfaction.</p>



<p>A <a href="https://www.lut.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LUT University</a> study discovered that AI adoption has no direct effect on workers' well-being but does so indirectly through working conditions like task optimization and safety protocols. Strategically deployed AI that involves correct training can actually increase workplace mental well-being.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-replacement-anxiety-to-partnership-confidence">From 'replacement anxiety' to 'partnership confidence'</h2>



<p>Although 35% of those interviewed in recent McKinsey studies were concerned about workforce displacement, firms with large-scale training initiatives witness such fears dissipate quickly. The World Economic Forum found that two out of three respondents believe AI competencies will enhance their career prospects and job marketability.</p>



<p>This shift from fear to trust has measurable implications for job satisfaction. Applied Sciences research indicates AI can create tailored wellness programs based on individual employee requirements.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-financial-benefits-of-increased-retention">Financial benefits of increased retention</h2>



<p>The mental health advantages of AI learning have a direct impact on organizational bottom lines in the form of a positive feedback cycle with high retention of employees. Recent ROI research validates that artificial intelligence learning has a beneficial impact on employee turnover and satisfaction levels.</p>



<p>PriceWaterhouseCoopers' research documents 20% to 30% improvements in productivity, market speed, and revenue in organizations that attempt systematic AI adoption through comprehensive training.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-advantages-of-ai-enabled-teams">Environmental advantages of AI-enabled teams</h2>



<p>AI training has unforeseen environmental benefits as it makes the work environment more efficient. According to a study in Scientific Reports, the carbon footprint in writing and illustrating work is significantly lower when AI performs it compared to humans. AI software produces 130 to 1,500 times less CO2 equivalent per page of text created than human authors.</p>



<p>In addition, AI-driven remote work functionality significantly reduces environmental impact. Research by Cornell University and Microsoft indicates that remote workers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 54% by not commuting daily to offices. Hybrid workers working remotely two to four days a week can reduce their carbon footprint by 11% to 29%.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cumulative-organizational-advantages">Cumulative organizational advantages</h2>



<p>The compounding gains of better mental well-being, reduced turnover, increased productivity, and environmental benefits flow to enterprises from the pairing. McKinsey analysis estimates the long-term AI potential at $4.4 trillion in incremental productivity growth opportunity from business use cases.</p>



<p>As of now, 75% of knowledge workers globally utilize generative AI, mirroring widespread adoption patterns. Organizations that provide organized training and assistance see the most favorable results in productivity, worker satisfaction, and ecological sustainability.</p>



<p>The research overwhelmingly indicates that companies that invest in proper AI education, like that offered through <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a>, establish win-win scenarios where employees are both more empowered and less stressed, and companies enjoy the gains of increased productivity, reduced turnover, and improved mental health outcomes throughout their workforce.</p>



<p>For more on MindStudio's free AI training for companies, visit the website's of MindStudio and Dominnus from the links below.</p>



<p>The research was published across a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a>, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence</a>, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci">Applied Sciences</a>.</p>



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<p>MindStudio.AI: <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.mindstudio.ai</a></p>



<p>Dominnus: <a href="https://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.dominnus.com</a></p>

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to...

<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>



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



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

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>



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



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



<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...

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



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



<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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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>



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



<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

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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

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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

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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>



<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>

How does salt makes things taste better?

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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>



<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>

Santiago, Chile in South America

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