A new study from <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> reveals what is going on inside of your <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-brain-interactions-have-an-influence-on-diseases/">brain</a> when you get lost in a fictional fantasy. The experts discovered that the more immersed we become in the lives of our favorite characters of fiction, the more our brain activity reflects how much we identify with them.
&#8220;When they think about a favorite fictional character, it appears similar in one part of the brain as when they are thinking about themselves,&#8221; said study lead author Timothy Broom.
The research was focused on self-described fans of the HBO series &#8220;Game of Thrones.&#8221; The individuals were instructed to think about themselves, nine of their friends, and nine characters from the drama series. The participants also reported on which character they felt closest to and liked the most.
According to Broom, Game of Thrones was ideal for this study because it attracted a devoted fan base and the large cast presented a variety of characters that people could become attached to.
One of the key findings involved participants who scored highest on &#8220;trait identification.&#8221; These individuals agreed most strongly with statements like &#8220;I really get involved in the feelings of the characters in a novel.&#8221;
&#8220;People who are high in trait identification not only get absorbed into a story, they also are really absorbed into a particular character,&#8221; said Broom. &#8220;They report matching the thoughts of the character, they are thinking what the character is thinking, they are feeling what the character is feeling. They are inhabiting the role of that character.&#8221;
The researchers used an fMRI machine to measure activity in various parts of the brain through small changes in blood flow. As the participants&#8217; brains were scanned, they were evaluating themselves, their friends, and Game of Thrones characters. 
A part of the brain called the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) is known to show increased activity when people think about themselves and, to a lesser extent, when they think about close friends.
While in the fMRI, the individuals were shown a series of names &#8211; including themselves, friends, or characters &#8211; along with a trait, such as lonely, sad, trustworthy, or smart. The participants simply said &#8220;yes&#8221; or &#8220;no&#8221; to imply whether the trait fit the person.
As expected, the vMPFC was most active when people were evaluating themselves, less active when they evaluated friends, and least active when they evaluated characters from Game of Thrones.
However, among those who were high in trait identification, the vMPFC was more active when they thought about the fictional characters than it was for participants who identified less with the characters. This region of the brain was particularly active when the individuals evaluated the character they identified with the most.
Study co-author Dylan Wanger said the findings help explain how fiction can have such a big impact on some people.
&#8220;For some people, fiction is a chance to take on new identities, to see worlds though others&#8217; eyes and return from those experiences changed,&#8221; said Wagner.
&#8220;What previous studies have found is that when people experience stories as if they were one of the characters, a connection is made with that character, and the character becomes intwined with the self. In our study, we see evidence of that in their brains.&#8221;
The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan">Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience</a>.
&#8211;&#8212;
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What happens in your brain while you're lost in fiction

Coral reefs in the Florida Keys, Hawaii, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are showing alarming signs of stress. Where bright, living structures once stretched across the seafloor, many now appear ghostly and drained of color. 



The vivid greens, yellows, and blues of the corals have faded. What remains looks more like underwater ruins than living ecosystems. This phenomenon, known as coral bleaching, happens when climate-driven <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">ocean warming</a> disrupts the delicate relationship between coral and the algae that live inside them.



Though the organisms remain alive, bleaching makes them vulnerable - to disease, starvation, and eventually, death.



But recent research out of <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a>, in collaboration with Duke University and the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, has uncovered something hopeful: certain corals can pass their heat tolerance to their offspring. This finding could help protect reefs around the world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-corals-under-climate-stress">Corals under climate stress</h2>



Coral reefs support nearly a quarter of all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/body-size-of-85000-marine-species-mapped-in-new-database/">marine species</a>. They also protect coastlines and help sustain millions of people globally. 



Recently, researchers discovered that resistance to heat isn’t just a fluke of one generation - It can be inherited.



“The Coral Resilience Lab in Hawaii has developed amazing methods to breed and rear corals during natural summer spawning,” said study co-author Rob Quinn.



“This is a true scientific collaboration that can support coral breeding and reproduction to cultivate more resilient corals for the warming oceans of the future.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-color-behind-the-corals">The color behind the corals</h2>



In exchange for shelter and nutrients, the algae use <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-finally-decoded-the-process-of-photosynthesis/">photosynthesis</a> to produce sugars that feed their host - providing up to 95 percent of the energy it needs. It’s a tight-knit relationship. But when water gets too warm, that partnership breaks down.



Bleached coral has kicked out its algae. It becomes pale. It loses its source of energy. And it starts to struggle.



“Corals are like the trees in an old-growth forest; they build the ecosystems we know as reefs on the energetic foundation between the animal and algae,” said study co-author Crawford Drury.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-lab-to-ocean-collaboration">A lab-to-ocean collaboration</h2>



Michigan State University, far from any tropical reef, brings a unique set of tools to the table. Samples collected from spawning events in Hawaii are sent to MSU, where researchers use a method called metabolomics to study them.



This technique lets scientists see what’s happening inside a coral’s cells at a specific moment. The goal is to find the biochemical fingerprints linked to thermal tolerance.



The experts analyzed sperm, eggs, embryos, larvae, and algae. The results showed that heat resistance comes from both the coral and its algae - and that this resistance successfully passes from parent to offspring.



“HIMB and MSU have developed a really amazing partnership. I’m just happy they’ve let me be a part of it. I can’t wait to see what comes out of it next,” said Ty Roach, a visiting faculty at Duke University and lead author of the new study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-eggs-carry-algae">Coral eggs carry algae</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-sunscreen-helps-blue-rice-corals-adapt-to-warming-climate/">Rice coral</a> comes in many forms - some branch out like tiny fingers, others spread flat like layered shelves. But they all share a remarkable feature: little grain-like bumps that inspired the name, and a surprising ability to pass thermal tolerance to the next generation.



Unlike many coral species that acquire algae from surrounding seawater, rice coral packages its eggs with algae from the start. 



This means that both the coral and its symbiotic algae begin their journey together from the very first moments of life. That early partnership offers a head start in facing warming oceans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-heat-in-coral-babies">Studying heat in coral babies</h2>



Quinn and his team used MSU’s advanced instruments to examine the chemistry of each sample. They set out to investigate whether the molecules linked to heat resistance - such as specific lipids - appeared consistently across generations.



The researchers discovered that even embryos and larvae, the earliest life stages, showed chemical signatures tied to their parents’ heat resilience.



“Corals usually spawn based on the lunar cycle; for our experiment, this means late nights around the summer new moons and months of work rearing coral larvae and juveniles,” Drury said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-traits-passed-during-spawning">Heat traits passed during spawning</h2>



One of those long nights left a big impression on MSU graduate student Sarah VanDiepenbos.



“It was such a serene, beautiful experience. The timing is impeccable, as the process only lasts 20 to 30 minutes total,” she said. 



The coral bundles slowly float upward, trying to find another gamete to combine with once they get to the surface. This release is gradual, so they can have a maximum chance of finding spawn from a different coral.



“To have this algae’s thermal tolerance remain through an entire generation and all the stages of coral development - that’s surprising, and promising for the future of coral reefs,” Quinn said. 



“Coral lipid biochemistry is maintained through all stages of development during reproduction. These lipids come from both the host coral and its algal symbiont, indicating there is crosstalk between them to prepare the next generation to resist bleaching.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-resilience-in-a-changing-climate">Coral resilience in a changing climate</h2>



The results don’t just offer insight. They offer an opportunity for action. Understanding how thermal resistance is passed down gives scientists better tools for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/restored-coral-reefs-can-bounce-back-in-just-four-years/">restoring reefs</a>. It also gives them a clearer sense of which corals are worth breeding in a changing climate.



“Our metabolomics research at MSU could support reef restoration efforts at places like the Kāneʻohe Bay by identifying corals that are resistant to bleaching,” Quinn said.



The oceans are changing. But thanks to research like this, we might be ready for what comes next.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61102-8">Nature Communications</a>.



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Baby corals inherit a powerful climate change defense from their parents

Coral reefs in the Florida Keys, Hawaii, and Australia’s Great...

Medical,Marijuana,Flower,Buds.,Recreational,Marijuana,Strain.,Cannabis,Strain.,Weed

Cannabis remains the most used illicit drug on the planet, with an estimated 219 million adults consuming it in <a href="https://www.unodc.org/res/WDR-2023/WDR23_Exsum_fin_DP.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2023</a>.



A fresh report from Switzerland now suggests that giving existing users a safe, legal supply may trim the edge off risky habits rather than encourage them. The findings come from the six‑month Weed Care randomized trial run in Basel.



<a href="https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/1898354/overview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Lavinia Baltes‑Flückiger</a>, deputy head of the study at <a href="https://www.pdag.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Psychiatric Services Aargau</a>, helped steer the project alongside colleagues from the University of Basel and local health agencies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taking-cannabis-into-pharmacies">Taking cannabis into pharmacies</h2>



Switzerland still bans recreational sales of cannabis nationwide. 



Basel, however, received a federal waiver on January 30, 2023, allowing 189 adult volunteers to buy measured, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-extract-cbd-proven-highly-effective-at-killing-mosquitoes/">contaminant‑free flower</a> or hash in nine pharmacies, while a matched control group kept using street sources.



The design mirrors real‑world retail but strips out slick marketing, price wars, and high‑potency gimmicks that dominate some commercial markets. 



Investigators registered every legal purchase and offered brief counseling at the counter. Keeping over‑the‑counter talk focused on lower‑risk use also echoes <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/resources/lower-risk-cannabis-use-guidelines.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canada’s public‑health model</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-use-problematic">What makes use “problematic”</h2>



Researchers tracked changes with the Cannabis Use Disorders Identification <a href="https://wellness.caltech.edu/documents/18162/CUDIT.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test–Revised</a>, a short checklist of behaviors that signal harm, even when full <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32485547/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis use disorder</a> is absent. 



Heavy users face up to a one‑in‑three lifetime risk of that disorder, according to a meta‑analysis of 21 cohort studies.



Scores above 13 suggest dependency, but smaller shifts still matter. Cutting just two points on the scale is considered clinically meaningful and can translate into fewer missed obligations, less time chasing the drug, and lower tolerance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-numbers-favor-legal-cannabis">Early numbers favor legal cannabis</h2>



“There has never been a controlled, randomized study like this before,” said Baltes‑Flückiger, the study’s lead author.



After half a year, the legal group’s average misuse score slipped by 0.8 points, while the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-legalization-does-not-increase-youth-substance-abuse/">illegal</a> group barely budged. 



Among participants who also used other illicit drugs, the legal pathway slashed scores nearly two points, marking the threshold for a “reliable change.”



“Legal access eases the burden on consumers,” added Professor Marc Walter of the <a href="https://www.unibas.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Basel</a>, underscoring that the regulated approach did not boost depression, anxiety, or psychotic symptoms at interim check‑ins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-health-concerns-remain-steady">Mental health concerns remain steady</h2>



Worries that legal access might worsen mood or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/1000-adults-reveal-how-marijuana-alters-dna-methylation/">trigger psychosis</a> often dominate public hearings. 



A 2024 scoping <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38650490/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> covering 28 North American studies found mixed and mostly null links between recreational laws and psychiatric outcomes.



The Swiss data echo that broader picture: neither group showed significant shifts in depression or anxiety scales, and psychotic‑like experiences stayed flat. 



Critics may note the short follow‑up, yet the absence of early harm offers some reassurance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-polydrug-users-benefit-from-legal-cannabis">Polydrug users benefit from legal cannabis</h2>



Why did people juggling multiple substances respond best? 



Easy pharmacy access saved them the effort of hunting down street dealers, trimming time spent “getting, using, or recovering,” one of the test’s key items.



Reduced hustle can free attention for work, study, or family, all protective factors against escalating misuse. Counseling handed out at each sale likely helped too. 



Staff trained on Canada’s Lower‑Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines reminded buyers to favor products under 20 percent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563174/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tetrahydrocannabinol</a> and balance them with cannabidiol‑rich strains, choices linked to milder cognitive effects.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quiet-rebuttal-to-gateway-fears">Quiet rebuttal to gateway fears</h2>



The trial saw <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK609473/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">no uptick</a> in alcohol days or other drug use inside the legal arm, challenging the long‑held idea that a sanctioned market pulls people toward wider intoxication. 



Twenty‑four U.S. states now allow adult possession, yet nationwide surveys show flat or only modest rises in heavy use since the first state referendum in 2012.



Policy researchers often point out that the devil lies in the details. Switzerland capped monthly sales at about 0.35 ounces of pure THC, required organic cultivation, and banned all advertising. 



Those guardrails differ sharply from the profit‑driven dispensary scene common in parts of the United States and may explain the modest but positive shift.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-legal-cannabis-access">The future of legal cannabis access</h2>



All volunteers now have legal access through July 2025, giving the team a two‑year window to track long‑term patterns. 



Parallel <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2833180" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> in Canada report slight bumps in overall consumption but, interestingly, equal or lower misuse scores after five years of legalization.



Future analyses will need to weigh market structure, potency limits, pricing models, and education campaigns. 



If results stay consistent, lawmakers elsewhere could consider legal cannabis sales through pharmacies or non‑profit social clubs as middle‑ground options between prohibition and full commercialization.



For regular consumers worried about slipping into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smoking-cannabis-significantly-increases-the-risk-of-heart-attack/">harmful patterns</a>, the Swiss experience offers a practical lesson. 



Access to tested products, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-potency-why-you-shouldnt-trust-the-label/">honest labeling</a>, and low‑key advice can chip away at risky behavior without demanding total abstinence.



Public‑health‑oriented legalization is not a silver bullet, but it may give heavy users a safer runway to moderation.



The study is published in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.70080" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Addiction</a>.



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Legal access to cannabis is proving to be good for both the users and society as a whole

Cannabis remains the most used illicit drug on the planet,...

Five meters of uplift turned fishing piers into cliff tops on January 1, 2024, when a <a href="https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000m0xl/executive" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">magnitude 7.5 earthquake</a> rattled Japan’s Noto Peninsula.



That stark change in ground level puzzled locals and scientists alike, because the rise was anything but uniform, some villages shot up more than 16 feet, while others barely budged.



The new study comes from Associate Professor <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/en/people/people100067.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ryosuke Ando</a> and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Tokyo</a>, who built the first full 3‑D dynamic model of the hidden faults responsible for the disaster.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reading-the-land-s-sudden-rise">Reading the land's sudden rise</h2>



Field crews found freshly exposed tide pools perched well above the new waterline, confirming satellite estimates of extreme vertical motion in pockets along the peninsula. 



Those measurements relied on <a href="https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/earth-observation-data-basics/sar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">synthetic aperture radar</a> images that compared pre‑ and post‑quake terrain and pegged the maximum <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79044-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">uplift</a> at about 5 meters, or roughly 16.4 feet.



Fault maps showed three main strands: two southeast‑dipping slices of crust and a northwest‑dipping partner, together forming a set of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-020-00086-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conjugate faults</a> that move in opposite directions. 



The team fed those geometries, along with years of micro‑quake data, into a supercomputer, carving an irregular lattice that traced bends, branches, and dips miles below the Japan Sea.



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



Model runs revealed that uplift clustered where the fault geometry suddenly warped; kinks forced the slipping blocks upward, popping the surface like a stiff hinge. 



That finding echoes earlier global <a href="https://earthjay.com/earthquakes/20190705_ridgecrest/references/stirling_etal_1996_mag_frequency_distribution_strike_slipo_faults.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> showing that crooked traces concentrate stress and shape the size of earthquakes.



The model also accounted for past <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-detect-a-rare-slow-motion-earthquake-along-japans-tsunami-fault/">earthquakes</a> in the region, including a magnitude‑6.6 event in 2007 that had already released some stress on one of the major faults. 



This prior rupture likely reduced the chance of a full reactivation in 2024, acting as a stress shadow and explaining why certain segments did not slip again despite being part of the same system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-noto-earthquake-had-warning-signs">Noto earthquake had warning signs</h2>



In the years leading up to the mainshock, the region experienced clusters of <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/what-earthquake-swarm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seismic swarms</a>, which hinted at deeper pressure building up. 



These smaller quakes weren’t strong enough to cause damage, but they pointed to fluids or fault weakening processes that eventually helped trigger the major rupture.



“During the Noto Peninsula <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-we-detect-major-earthquakes-months-in-advance/">earthquake</a>, we saw devastating uplift in some areas compared to others. Our simulation with a supercomputer enabled the analysis of the three‑dimensional fault geometry,” said Ando, explaining how billions of calculations traced the rupture’s split‑second sprint.



The team ran multiple simulations with different input conditions, including changes to the fault’s dip angle, to see what scenarios matched the actual seismographic and satellite data. 



One version, with a dip of 50 degrees on the offshore segment, most closely reproduced the ground deformation seen in radar images and matched the official moment rate curve from <a href="https://www.data.jma.go.jp/svd/eqev/data/sourceprocess/event/2024010116102257far.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Japan’s Meteorological Agency</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tuning-future-forecasts">Tuning future forecasts</h2>



By tweaking initial rupture locations and fault stress assumptions, researchers explored how slight changes might affect which areas see more slip or stronger shaking. 



These sensitivity tests help explain why similar earthquakes can leave wildly different marks on the surface, even if they occur on the same fault system.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/noto-earthquake_3D-mapping_credit-UTokyo_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/noto-earthquake_3D-mapping_credit-UTokyo_1s.webp" alt="Spatial distribution of onshore vertical displacement. a Displacement obtained by SAR pixel offset analysis (Fukushima et al. 2024). The triangles and the circle indicate the seismic stations and the mainshock epicenter, respectively. Photos from the Kaiso fishing port with uplift of ~ 4 m (b) and Wajima port with ~ 1.5 m (c). Credit: University of Tokyo" class="wp-image-1978357"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Spatial distribution of onshore vertical displacement. a Displacement obtained by SAR pixel offset analysis (Fukushima et al. 2024). The triangles and the circle indicate the seismic stations and the mainshock epicenter, respectively. Photos from the Kaiso fishing port with uplift of ~ 4 m (b) and Wajima port with ~ 1.5 m (c). Click image to enlarge. Credit: University of Tokyo</figcaption></figure>



Because the model was built only from information available before the quake, its success hints that planners could run similar scenarios elsewhere and flag communities sitting above future pop‑up zones.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenging-the-old-playbooks">Challenging the old playbooks</h2>



Physics‑based forecasting was once the stuff of conference posters, but dynamic models have already untangled complex multi‑fault events such as New Zealand’s 2016 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09125-w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kaikōura earthquake</a>.



Traditional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-dangerous-part-of-this-west-coast-earthquake-fault-cascadia-subduction-zone/">earthquake</a> forecasting often relies on past shaking patterns, but those methods can miss the surprises hidden in underground curves and corners. 



The Noto simulation showed that stress builds unevenly along fault bends, meaning the worst damage might land far from where the last big quake hit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-noto-earthquake-model-matters">Why the Noto earthquake model matters</h2>



Japan is one of the most instrumented countries on Earth, but even there, predicting which faults will rupture next remains a gamble. 



This study shows how supercomputer simulations might shift that from guesswork to something closer to science, especially when informed by real geometry and stress data.



The peninsula still groans under aftershocks, and geologists are checking for silent creep that might ease or reload the stressed sections left behind. 



In the meantime, the fresh 3‑D view of Noto’s broken basement offers a template for emergency drills, coastal engineering, and even oyster farmers wondering where the shoreline will sit in a decade.



The study is published in <a href="https://earth-planets-space.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40623-025-02187-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth, Planets and Space</a>.



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The Noto earthquake raised the ground by up to 16 feet, as shown by a new 3D model

Five meters of uplift turned fishing piers into cliff tops...

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) found a fully formed spiral galaxy, <a href="https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2516a/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zhúlóng</a>, at redshift 5.2, meaning its light left only one billion years after the Big Bang.&nbsp;



At that epoch the Universe was about seven percent of its current age, yet the galaxy already shows a dense stellar bulge, sweeping spiral arms more than 62,000 light‑years across, and a mass on par with the Milky Way. 



<a href="https://mips.as.arizona.edu/~cwilliams/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christina Williams</a> of <a href="https://noirlab.edu/public/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NSF NOIRLab</a>, who co‑leads the PANORAMIC survey that reports the object, explained that wide-area surveys are essential for identifying rare, massive galaxies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-snapshot-of-the-zhulong-galaxy">Snapshot of the Zhúlóng galaxy</h2>



Zhúlóng’s starlight travelled roughly 12.5 billion years before reaching JWST, offering an unprecedented look at spiral structure.



The image reveals a compact, reddish core wrapped by bluish arms where younger <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-map-twin-stars-to-discover-hidden-planets-with-unprecedented-accuracy/">stars</a> reside, a pattern typical of mature disks but unprecedented so soon after cosmic dawn.



At redshift 5.2 the cosmic baryon density was sixty‑three times today’s average, according to <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.06209" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Planck</a> cosmological parameters.



In such a crowded environment frequent mergers tend to shred orderly disks, which is why theorists long assumed grand‑design spirals would emerge only after several billion years. Zhúlóng breaks that timetable.



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



Spiral arms trace density waves that trigger new stars and help funnel gas toward the central bulge, sculpting a galaxy’s long‑term growth.



Finding well‑defined arms so early implies the physical processes that calm turbulent gas and establish stable disks must act faster than models predicted.



With a stellar mass of about <a href="https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noirlab2516a/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one hundred billion suns</a>, Zhúlóng converted roughly thirty percent of its available baryons into stars, one and a half times the peak efficiency inferred for later galaxies. 



Such efficiency stretches standard limits on how quickly gas can cool and collapse inside dark‑matter halos, echoing concerns raised by analyses that compare early Webb finds with <a href="https://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/education/graphic_history/univ_evol.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ΛCDM</a> expectations.



Despite its size, the galaxy forms stars at about sixty‑solar‑masses per year, placing it half a dex below the star‑forming main sequence extrapolated. 



That subdued star formation rate suggests the system is already ramping down while still young.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-galaxy-evolution-models">Rethinking galaxy evolution models</h2>



Across cosmic time, the typical relation between stellar mass and star formation bends for hefty systems. 



The Zhúlóng galaxy offers a high‑redshift anchor for that curvature, hinting that internal processes such as bulge growth and gas stabilization start acting earlier than surveys of smaller fields have shown.



Future spectroscopy with JWST and <a href="https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ALMA</a> will probe the galaxy’s rotation curve, gas content, and possible clumpy companions to determine whether smooth accretion, rapid mergers, or both built this unlikely spiral so quickly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-spiral-arms-can-teach-us">What spiral arms can teach us</h2>



The presence of spiral arms in Zhúlóng isn’t just a visual surprise, it hints at how matter behaves under gravity in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/hundreds-of-galaxies-illuminate-the-early-universe/">early Universe</a>. 



These arms likely trace density waves that compress gas and trigger new star formation, a process well understood in nearby <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dozens-of-ghost-galaxies-may-be-orbiting-the-milky-way/">galaxies</a> but still being tested in extreme conditions.



Detecting such symmetry this early pushes theorists to refine their models of galactic disk stability, especially in chaotic environments where frequent mergers were expected to dominate. 



Spiral structure may emerge faster or survive longer than once thought, and Webb will keep testing those boundaries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jwst-and-the-zhulong-galaxy">JWST and the Zhúlóng galaxy</h2>



Zhúlóng was discovered through an observing technique called <a href="https://jwst-docs.stsci.edu/jppom/parallel-observations/pure-parallel-observations#gsc.tab=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pure parallel mode</a>, where one camera aboard the <a href="https://webbtelescope.org/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Webb Telescope</a> captures additional images while the main instrument is focused elsewhere. 



This approach squeezes extra science out of every telescope pointing, even during unrelated observations.



The PANORAMIC survey used this method to gather deep images across wide patches of sky, increasing the odds of finding rare galaxies like Zhúlóng. 



That strategy worked, this Milky Way‑like spiral was spotted not in a planned deep field, but in a serendipitous patch captured during unrelated observations.



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



Before Webb, most galaxies seen at such high redshift looked chaotic, clumps of star-forming gas or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-radio-signal-just-changed-what-we-know-about-the-early-universe/">merging blobs</a> rather than orderly spirals. That fit well with models predicting messy, turbulent early growth.



Now, with Zhúlóng and a handful of others showing mature shapes at extreme distances, astronomers must reconsider when and how cosmic order emerged. 



If spiral disks can stabilize and grow within a billion years, then the earliest galaxies were organizing far faster than expected.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.aanda.org/component/article?access=doi&amp;doi=10.1051/0004-6361/202453487" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics.</a>



Image credit: NASA/CSA/ESA, M. Xiao (University of Geneva), G. Brammer (Niels Bohr Institute), Dawn JWST Archive.



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Astronomers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way that is much older than it should be

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) found a...

Plants can’t pull carbon from the air without nitrogen in the ground. A new global study finds that forests, prairies, and other natural areas are receiving far less new nitrogen than scientists previously believed. This shortfall could weaken nature’s ability to slow climate change.



Meanwhile, farms worldwide are increasing biological nitrogen inputs to boost crop growth. But when those nutrients spill over, they threaten water, air, and biodiversity.



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



The analysis was led by Carla Reis Ely while she was a postdoctoral scholar in the <a href="https://www.forestry.oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University College of Forestry</a>. The project involved 24 scientists from around the world.



The team re-examined field measurements of biological nitrogen fixation, the microbial process that turns <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nitrous-oxide-emissions-erupt-from-farms-in-unpredictable-bursts/">nitrogen gas</a> in the air into plant‑usable forms. In doing so, they uncovered a major blind spot.



Past studies focused on places where nitrogen‑fixing organisms were especially common. These hotspots were represented in the data about 17 times more often than they occur across natural ecosystems globally. Correcting for that bias drove estimated natural nitrogen inputs sharply downward.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nitrogen-fuels-plant-growth">Nitrogen fuels plant growth</h2>



Nitrogen makes up more than three‑quarters of Earth’s atmosphere (most of the rest is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oxygen-detected-in-the-most-distant-and-primitive-galaxy-ever-analyzed/">oxygen</a>), yet most organisms can’t use it in that gaseous form (N₂).



Nitrogen‑fixing bacteria step in. They convert N₂ into ammonia and related compounds that plants can take up through their roots. 



Plants need nitrogen to build proteins and chlorophyll - the green pigment that powers photosynthesis. This allows them to grow, stay healthy, reproduce, and convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into biomass.



“In natural ecosystems, nitrogen fixation improves soil fertility and supports plant growth, thereby increasing carbon storage,” said Reis Ely.



“However, our new estimate of natural nitrogen fixation, based on improved scientific understanding, suggests less new nitrogen enters natural ecosystems.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-nitrogen-less-carbon">Less nitrogen, less carbon</h2>



If soils in wild landscapes are getting less fresh nitrogen, plants in those systems may be more nutrient‑limited than expected. That could mean slower growth and, over time, less CO₂ capture than many global carbon budgets assume.



According to Reis Ely, one implication of the revised numbers is that natural ecosystems may take up less carbon dioxide than scientists had projected, which in turn lowers the expected capacity of unmanaged lands to buffer climate change.



While nature’s nitrogen input shrinks on paper, agriculture’s slice is growing. Farmers are planting more legumes - soybeans, alfalfa, peanuts, and clovers - that host nitrogen‑fixing bacteria in root nodules. 



That living fertilizer reduces the need for synthetic nitrogen, supports yields, and can help rebuild tired soils.



“Using nitrogen-fixing crops in rotation can support long-term soil health and reduce environmental damage from chemical fertilizers,” Reis Ely said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farms-flood-soil-with-nitrogen">Farms flood soil with nitrogen</h2>



There is a tipping point, though. Reis Ely explained that too much nitrogen can throw off the overall balance of nutrients in the soil, and excess nitrogen can leach into groundwater or run off into lakes and streams, causing algae blooms and harming aquatic life.



Surplus nitrogen can also transform into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nitrous-oxide-is-a-growing-threat-to-human-and-planetary-health/">nitrous oxide</a>, a potent greenhouse gas, and can tilt plant communities toward fast‑growing invasive species that crowd out natives and reduce biodiversity.



“High agricultural nitrogen fixation is a complex issue. We do benefit from it, but along with applications of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, it contributes to nitrogen pollution and climate change,” noted Reis Ely.



“Measuring and monitoring biological nitrogen fixation need to be ongoing to help us ensure we have all the nitrogen in the ground that we need without it becoming too much of a good thing.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbon-math-needs-updating">Carbon math needs updating</h2>



The study’s recalibration matters beyond academic interest. Governments and companies are banking on land-based carbon removal - through reforestation, restoration, and soil carbon programs - to help meet climate targets.



Those plans rest on assumptions about how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-plants-produce-their-own-nitrogen-fertilizer/">plants</a> can grow under rising CO₂. If nitrogen limits are tighter, projected carbon gains may need adjusting. 



Likewise, nutrient management rules, water quality programs, and climate policies that address nitrous oxide all depend on accurate knowledge of nitrogen levels. It's essential to know where nitrogen is scarce and where it exists in excess.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keep-nitrogen-on-the-farm">Keep nitrogen on the farm</h2>



The path forward is not to abandon nitrogen‑fixing crops but to use them wisely. Better crop rotations, timing, and residue management can keep nitrogen cycling on the farm and out of rivers.



Cutting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-waste-has-a-surprising-impact-on-climate-change/">food waste</a> - one of the biggest hidden sources of nitrogen loss across the production‑to‑plate chain - would reduce pollution pressure without sacrificing food supply. 



In addition, continued monitoring of biological nitrogen fixation in both natural and managed systems will help keep the global nitrogen ledger in balance.



Nature’s soils seem to be running leaner than we hoped; our farms, richer than we can afford to waste. Bridging that divide - feeding people while protecting water, air, and climate - will require paying closer attention to the invisible flow of nitrogen that underpins life on Earth.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09201-w">Nature</a>.



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Soil is losing nitrogen, along with its climate-fighting power

Plants can’t pull carbon from the air without nitrogen in...

Americans throw away staggering amounts of food waste. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 30 to 40 percent of the nation’s food supply never gets eaten. Much of it winds up in landfills, where it rots and releases methane and carbon dioxide.



At the same time, the world is drowning in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-is-changing-the-entire-earth-system/">plastic</a>. Bottles, bags, and film break apart into microplastics that seep into water, soil, and eventually - us.



Now, imagine diverting even a slice of that wasted food and using it to make biodegradable plastic that won’t linger for centuries. In a new study, a research team at Binghamton University (<a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/">SUNY</a>) demonstrates that this future is within reach.



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



The project was led by graduate researcher Tianzheng Liu, working with Professor Sha Jin and a team in the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.



Jin’s interest in food waste sharpened in 2022 after she received a New York State grant to explore new uses for discarded food.



“We can utilize food waste as a resource to convert into so many industrial products, and biodegradable polymer is just one of them,” she said.



“We’re aiming not only to valorize food waste but also to reduce manufacturing cost of this eco-friendly polymer. There are also different options, like generating biofuels and biochemicals.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-from-food-and-bugs">Plastic from food and bugs</h2>



Making biodegradable plastics today is often expensive. Producers typically start with refined sugar feedstocks and grow microbes in pure cultures - steps that add cost and limit scale. 



The Binghamton team took a different approach. The researchers fermented food waste to produce lactic acid (a carbon source) and added ammonium sulfate for nitrogen. 



The resulting broth was fed to Cupriavidus necator, a bacterium known for stockpiling carbon as polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).



The cells build PHA as internal storage granules. Researchers can recover roughly 90 percent of what the microbes produce and form it into films, packaging, or molded items that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-future-of-plastic-biodegradable-durable-and-even-edible/">biodegrade</a> under the right conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-stem-cells-to-sludge">From stem cells to sludge</h2>



Liu came to the project with a stem cell background, so pivoting to industrial microbiology meant a steep learning curve. "The bioconversion of food waste into organic acids was a relatively easy one," he said. 



"Cultivation of the plastic-producing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/when-bacteria-get-hungry-they-turn-on-each-other/">bacteria</a> was hard, because at the beginning I didn’t have experience with bacteria fermentation for producing biopolymer. At every move, I felt like something was not what I expected.”



Those frustrations led to tweaks in nutrient balance, fermentation timing, and downstream recovery that now form the backbone of the team’s published method.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dining-halls-join-the-mission">Dining halls join the mission</h2>



Binghamton University Dining Services and food contractor <a href="https://www.sodexo.com/">Sodexo</a> supplied the waste stream that fed the experiments. 



“I talked to the sustainable officer at the university and learned that SUNY doesn’t allow landfill food waste - that’s the policy,” she said. “Each campus is expected to solve the problem. At Binghamton, the dining halls give wasted food to farmers to feed their livestock."



"I thought maybe we could try to directly convert that food waste into biodegradable plastic. There was little information from research publications about the feasibility of this idea, so we felt like maybe that was the gap we could work on.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-food-waste-proves-dependable">Food waste proves dependable</h2>



Industrial recycling projects live or die on logistics. The team tested whether they needed to process the collected food scraps right away. 



The results showed that the material can sit for at least a week without harming the bioconversion, giving haulers and processors some breathing room.



“We discovered that the process is very robust, as long as we have different types of food mixed in at the same ratio,” Jin said. “We control the temperature and the pH during fermentation, and those conditions encourage organic acid-producing bacteria to grow.”



Fermenting food produces solids as well as acids. Rather than discard the leftover paste, Jin’s group is developing it into an organic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fertilizer-reduces-plant-damage-caused-by-droughts/">fertilizer</a> that could replace some synthetic blends. 



Closing that loop would squeeze yet more value from campus scraps while cutting chemical inputs on fields.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lunch-today-package-tomorrow">Lunch today, package tomorrow</h2>



The lab results are promising, but the real impact depends on scale. Jin’s next goal is to ramp up the process and confirm that yields, costs, and product quality hold steady in larger reactors and more variable waste streams.



For that, the group will seek additional grants or an industry partner ready to turn cafeteria leftovers into packaging that composts instead of persisting.



Food waste and plastic waste are two massive problems. This work hints that, with the right microbes and engineering, yesterday’s lunch could become tomorrow’s earth‑friendly packaging.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960852425006856?via%3Dihub">Bioresource Technology</a>.



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Food waste can be used to make biodegradable plastic

Americans throw away staggering amounts of food waste. The U.S....

Geologists have stumbled on what they call gigantic fortresses lying almost 1,800 miles below our feet in Earth's mantle. 



New seismic evidence shows how these subterranean bulwarks are older and tougher than the cooler debris of dead ocean plates that surround them, turning a long‑running mystery into a concrete data story.



Each fortress spans an area comparable to a continent beneath Africa and the Pacific, and registers hotter than its frigid surroundings. 



<a href="https://www.uu.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Utrecht University</a>'s seismologist <a href="https://www.uu.nl/staff/AFDeuss" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arwen Deuss</a>, working with colleagues across Europe, Australia, and the United States, led the crew that pieced together the picture.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fortresses-in-earth-s-mantle">Fortresses in Earth's mantle</h2>



The scientific shorthand for the fortresses is large low seismic velocity provinces or <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22185-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LLSVPs</a>, continent‑scale masses perched at the <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1148028" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">core‑mantle boundary</a> about 1,800 to 1,900 miles down. 



They dampen shear waves and slow them, marking them out as zones of hot, sluggish rock that differs sharply from the stiff material around them.



Seismic tomography first lit them up in global maps during the 1990s. Two hulking blobs emerged, one under Africa and one under the central Pacific, each more than 3,000 miles across.



Later surveys confirmed that the African LLSVP towers roughly 600 miles high while its Pacific twin rises even farther. 



Yet whether they were temporary stains or ancient fixtures remained unsettled, in part because most models assumed vigorous, homogenizing flow in the lower mantle.



Taken together, the two provinces occupy about eight percent of the mantle’s volume, a reminder that Earth’s interior is far from uniform.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-listening-to-the-planet-s-bell">Listening to the planet's bell</h2>



Seismologists treat the Earth like a giant bell that rings when a great quake strikes. The catastrophic <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/95GL01598" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1994 Bolivia event</a> provided tones that hummed for hours, carrying clues from the deepest layers and offering clean, low‑noise data.



“Large earthquakes make the whole Earth ring like a bell with different tones,” said Deuss after reviewing decades of records. 



Her team tuned in not only to the pitch shifts but also to how loudly each mode persisted, a seldom‑used metric called quality factor.



That loudness, known as damping, revealed something odd. Vibrations grew quiet in the cold slab graveyard but stayed loud inside the hot fortresses, implying low internal friction and unexpectedly efficient energy transmission.



Against expectation, the LLSVPs sapped little energy from the waves. The finding overturned the simple view that heat alone controls attenuation, forcing scientists to search for another variable.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-texture-tells-a-deeper-story">Texture tells a deeper story</h2>



The key lies in <a href="https://web.mit.edu/hufaul/www/UPubs/JacksonJGR02.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">grain boundaries</a>, the microscopic seams between crystals in mantle minerals. Fewer seams mean fewer places for energy to bleed away, a principle familiar to anyone who has tried to push water through a coarse versus fine filter.



Subducted plates recrystallize into tiny grains as they plunge, multiplying boundaries and soaking up seismic energy. They show up as the quietest patches in the global map, matching the high‑damping ring around the Pacific.



Inside the fortresses, grains have had eons to grow fat. Large crystals line up like chunky bricks, stiffening the rock and letting waves glide through with little loss, a behavior confirmed in high‑pressure laboratory rigs.



Laboratory tests on olivine confirm the trend, showing that doubling grain size can nearly halve seismic attenuation at mantle temperatures. 



That experimental curve fits the numbers seen in the new global model, strengthening the grain‑size explanation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-restless-mantle-and-giant-fortresses">Restless mantle and giant fortresses</h2>



Modeling suggests the grain growth needed to reach that size takes at least 500 million years, perhaps far longer. 



The fortresses, therefore, predate many supercontinents that have since broken apart, including Pangea and its earlier cousins.



Such rigidity helps them ignore the slow churn of mantle convection. They stand their ground while cooler slabs crawl and sink around them, like boulders lodged in a riverbed of flowing rock.



“There is less flow in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunken-worlds-discovered-under-the-pacific-ocean-in-earths-mantle/">Earth's mantle</a> than is commonly thought,” Deuss explained, noting that the presence of these immovable masses forces scientists to rethink convection cycles. The textbook picture of a well‑stirred mantle no longer fits.



A layered mantle, part conveyor and part castle, now seems more likely. That hybrid view changes every surface process driven from below, from the drift of continents to the cycling of carbon.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-finding-matters-at-the-surface">Why the finding matters at the surface</h2>



The hot edges of the fortresses appear to be launchpads for mantle plumes that punch up to volcano chains such as Hawaii. Their buoyant rise fuels not only island arcs but also the massive basalt floods seen in Earth’s deep past.



Large igneous provinces linked to mass extinctions tend to cluster above these plume zones. Knowing that the plumes come from fortress margins ties surface cataclysms to deep‑<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fresh-lava-from-deep-earth-mantle-pulses-burst-onto-land-where-new-ocean-is-forming/">mantle</a> architecture.



Mountain belts form where plates collide, but the deep heat flow that drives those collisions may trace back to these hot roots. In that sense, the fortresses could set the tempo of orogeny and rifting alike.



Over geologic time, their stability may even shape the drift path of continents, steering plates around the mantle’s slow‑moving keystones. That possibility will feed new computer models that link deep convection to plate motions.



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



Researchers plan denser global arrays and machine‑learning tools to catch fainter normal modes. Each new quake becomes another flashlight aimed into the depths, refining the 3‑D map with every event.



Geochemists will compare <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/volcanic-gold-precious-metals-discovered-hawaii-may-have-come-from-earths-core/">volcanic rocks</a> to lab‑made analogs, hunting chemical fingerprints of the fortresses. 



A match would close the loop between seismic images and real material, settling the debate over whether the fortresses differ in composition as well as temperature.



Mineral physicists also want to recreate fortress conditions in diamond‑anvil presses, squeezing and heating samples to map how grain growth unfolds through deep time. The work could reveal why some minerals coarsen while others stay fine and brittle.



Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.geol.umd.edu/~mcdonoug/documents/geoneutrino/Dye_etal_(AIP-CP-1182_09).pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">geoneutrino observatories</a> may soon detect radioactive decay signatures that differ inside and outside the fortresses. 



Any contrast would add a new dimension to the planet‑sized puzzle, linking deep geology to particle physics.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08322-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Geologists found 'gigantic fortresses' beneath the Earth's crust in the mantle

Geologists have stumbled on what they call gigantic fortresses lying...

Aspen trees, long admired for their beauty, may also be powerful allies in wildfire defense. A new study reveals that aspen forests can slow wildfires or even stop them entirely. The researchers looked at 314 wildfires across the Four Corners region between 2001 and 2020.



The team discovered that even small increases in aspen cover reduced fire spread. Daily fire growth dropped from over 1,100 hectares to just 368 hectares where aspen cover exceeded 25 percent. The research shows how aspen stands can work like natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-seasons-are-now-overlapping-worldwide/">firebreaks</a>.



Study co-author Camille Stevens-Rumann is an associate professor of forest and rangeland stewardship at <a href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&amp;ai=DChsSEwiA8d2KmsSOAxV7Ha0GHTydJiAYACICCAEQABoCcHY&amp;ae=2&amp;co=1&amp;ase=3&amp;agsac=WSzQGi9fupA&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwvuLDBhAOEiwAPtF0VvDkxM68atE0hzajpCpwrMe24lEHXOSwVutUvw84cPX2BysJJ2eskhoCUroQAvD_BwE&amp;ei=FxZ5aMjFFsGo0PEPs9jsuA0&amp;ohost=www.google.com&amp;cid=CAESwwHg9kzbdMEryDyc7pk-9MOgOrKHc7cMTIF0G6ZsM0D2PJUpift_Q4S3ecWuFTmhlQXjWRxCVGbRflQ_7EvzOmQUxpksK3XjbJ8LjeVG5ZQkfxcHkPJydOp6-ZJOtCCajsLxWE4SQuqxaiO_DdhAnxFMwdP0qeMH20OxzApcNao_qxEKsuKuSlNylmWnUi5AdKmueQLRNsW4u1sw_PfNXq35SEzNXBphGOCrLGOkToEzUy3z7zSchJ7Ue-Vih746BImLwVc&amp;sig=AOD64_3MAeRUmbBQqepNuOcbnIXyZ96t8Q&amp;q&amp;sqi=2&amp;adurl&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiIrdiKmsSOAxVBFDQIHTMsG9cQ0Qx6BAgTEAE&amp;ms=CoACUlSkG05Cs3Fm4sA9v7CZdXwaUYWgIPZKVjPN0oyvBswcyW9a95LuMEiM7bkdxxgRIFJMZQ66WdZKTZtycckRazNVWDdflJDr-tClbsz3m45gUR3DXKzI9uIGU6fESdVlm41lPifH5SLLv6awmDB-YdMVdJ1jc6kb4TRCdcKgOx9EzZgWgjmgVq3fpag5jQXRDyYmOUwDStf53i2OJdj0e1Ux9gME9tKaqygrPiS5co6oHzOQI-fTCbnqncM4YbzWcbYWSG74tMsS0VPMsMtn04A6jUkiH8LFLJkLNzV0Y91UBGC4zWLpcDmSadS9Ff_mB4Af7ts9re2GEKxUO-1GLwqAAiZJeyMuX0MPh0nKj6nrwQxx5XwQndxpncGphRUQw71wnhflX5pDL6w3n0aWgdIWG_xC_9DdHftnEd65ywZBxO1OWD9bXvIGgkKcslaq14M4ivLUHGaVeDEhwETD771_WromHppfg9vPrr61o5R7YFLnN49428HIHTyY9VzKGhcXKpysNy25tEtb1yKiPakXfsxg0DeXyUaHY9q7e_Oza1s9zeXirHV3GzTBY7vqZ_Z1UhoE5OCbQBPUJHnhEQ4pzdd4w-xDxxn1fjnvMlApJPQ3I5TYkrgc6UuScJvcO2CS-IgXXmN7e-Sd37nYpgQYaf_926zSNVdeNABxi08LTJ0SEG91ZYMjMf5m7jBLDg9Q41o&amp;nis=12&amp;uk=1752765978850&amp;dct=1&amp;suid=48698778863">Colorado State University</a>.



“Where managers can encourage aspen over conifers, they may represent a more desirable fuel treatment in some forest types than traditional thinning or shaded firebreaks because of the aesthetic value and wildlife habitat aspen provide,” said Stevens-Rumann.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-barriers-that-stop-wildfires">Barriers that stop wildfires</h2>



The researchers found that aspen was more abundant at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-are-changing-the-quality-of-our-air/">fire</a> edges than in the interior. The pattern suggests aspen helped form fire boundaries. This makes them a natural shield, especially useful for land managers.



“My hope is that this research can help inform fire and fuels management focused on propagation of aspen through prescribed fire. In some settings, aspen might even be planted around communities to form green fuel breaks for fire protection,” noted study lead author Matt Harris, a recent <a href="https://western.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Western Colorado</a> graduate.



The researchers used satellite data to measure daily fire growth. Fire spread slowed as aspen coverage increased, even under extreme conditions like high winds and low humidity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-aspen-resists-wildfires">Why aspen resists wildfires</h2>



Aspen trees carry unique traits that help them resist burning. Their leaves and understory hold more moisture. Their branches stay high, making crown fires less likely. And their chemical makeup makes them less flammable than conifers.



Daily fire spread dropped from over 2000 meters to under 1350 meters when aspen cover passed 25%. That’s a sharp decline with important implications.



The researchers also found that aspen’s effectiveness did not vary much with weather. While climate factors did affect total fire spread, they didn’t change aspen’s relative performance against conifers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aspen-in-the-late-fire-season">Aspen in the late fire season</h2>



One pattern did emerge with timing. Aspen tended to be more effective wildfire stoppers later in the season. In early spring, fires could still move through before the leaves fully emerged.



During summer, when aspen foliage reaches peak moisture, the trees became more effective buffers. Still, this trend was mild and not uniform across all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-making-wildfire-smoke-more-deadly/">fires</a>.



The study supports using aspen in green fuel breaks. These natural buffers could slow fire in forest landscapes while offering habitat and scenic value.



“This research is a direct result of long-term federal investment in understanding wildfire and forest dynamics," noted study co-author Jonathan Coop. 



"The wildfire challenges we face in the western U.S. continue to grow every year, and we require good science to inform solutions to protect communities and sustain the ecosystem functions we depend on, from water to timber."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aspen-forests-boost-wildfire-resistance">Aspen forests boost wildfire resistance</h2>



Aspen spreads quickly after disturbance. It regenerates through root suckers, seeds, and sprouts on bare ground. As fire activity increases due to climate change, aspen may expand naturally in some places.



However, that is not guaranteed. Land use, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-now-emit-more-carbon-than-they-store-due-to-wildfires/">fire</a> suppression, and conifer growth have reduced aspen in many areas. Interventions like prescribed fire or planting may help restore it.



Aspen forests also bring more than fire resistance. They boost soil moisture and provide habitats for birds and mammals. They offer high aesthetic and ecological value, making them ideal for landscape-scale planning.



Fire managers might now see aspen as more than just a background species. In fire-prone areas, these trees can help slow or stop wildfires. While more research is needed to investigate the costs and effectiveness, this study makes a clear case.



Aspen forests may not replace traditional fire treatments, but they offer a natural option that blends beauty, biodiversity, and fire resistance. In a drier, hotter future, that combination could become invaluable.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.70061" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecological Applications</a>.



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How aspen forests can help stop wildfires in their tracks

Aspen trees, long admired for their beauty, may also be...

Recognition,Of,Odor,Traces,By,Police,Dog,On,Location

A pair of specially trained dogs has shown that Parkinson’s disease leaves a telltale scent on human skin. This scent is strong enough for a canine nose to detect with remarkable accuracy.



This discovery could open the door to faster, cheaper, and entirely non‑invasive screening for a condition that currently lacks an early diagnostic test.



The study brought together <a href="https://www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/">Medical Detection Dogs</a> in Milton Keynes with scientists from the Universities of <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/%C3%B9">Bristol</a> and <a href="https://www.manchester.ac.uk/">Manchester</a>.



Over several months, the charity’s trainers conditioned two retriever-type dogs to recognize the odor that clings to sebum. This oily substance, which our skin naturally produces, changes when <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/parkinsons-disease" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Parkinson’s disease</a> (PD) is present.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-training-dogs-to-detect-disease">Training dogs to detect disease</h2>



During training, the canines encountered more than 200 gauze swabs. Some were taken from recently <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-that-dogs-can-alert-humans-to-valley-fever-disease/">diagnosed patients</a>, others from volunteers with no neurological illness, and a few from people living with different conditions.



Each pad was clipped to a stand. When a dog paused and pointed at a positive sample, the handler quietly clicked and offered a reward.



In the final double-blind trial - where neither the dog handler nor the overseeing scientist knew which positions held a patient’s swab - the dogs showed sensitivity of up to 80 percent and specificity of up to 98 percent.



Moreover, they were also able to detect Parkinson’s in swabs from people with multiple health conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-scent-of-parkinson-s">The scent of Parkinson’s</h2>



Dog noses are legendary, but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cancer-immunotherapy-drug-also-works-to-slow-progression-of-parkinsons-disease/">Parkinson’s</a> researchers turned to them for a very specific reason. Excess sebum and a change in body odor often precede the familiar motor symptoms - shaking, slowed movement, and rigid muscles - by years.



A Scottish nurse named Joy Milne famously noticed a musky shift in her husband’s scent long before his diagnosis. Her observation inspired scientists to hunt for molecular fingerprints in skin oil.



A laboratory method based on mass‑spectrometry is inching forward, yet requires expensive instruments and trained personnel. Canines offer a shortcut.



“We are extremely proud to say that once again, dogs can very accurately detect disease," said Claire Guest, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer at Medical Detection Dogs.



“There is currently no early test for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cancer-immunotherapy-drug-also-works-to-slow-progression-of-parkinsons-disease/">Parkinson’s disease</a> and symptoms may start up to 20 years before they become visible and persistent leading to a confirmed diagnosis."



"Timely diagnosis is key as subsequent treatment could slow down the progression of the disease, and reduce the intensity of symptoms.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-detection-rates-that-rival-medical-tests">Detection rates that rival medical tests</h2>



Even seasoned neurologists can misclassify early Parkinson’s, and imaging scans or spinal fluid assays are costly. By contrast, the gold-coated sensitivity and specificity reported here exceed those of many existing point-of-care tests in medical use.



“Identifying diagnostic biomarkers of PD - particularly those that may predict development or help diagnose disease earlier - is the subject of much ongoing research,” said lead author Nicola Rooney, an animal behavior specialist at the University of Bristol.



Rooney noted that the dogs in the study achieved high sensitivity and specificity and showed there is an olfactory signature distinct to patients with the disease.



“Sensitivity levels of 70 percent and 80 percent are well above chance, and I believe that dogs could help us develop a quick, noninvasive, and cost-effective method to identify patients with Parkinson’s disease.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blinded-trials-confirm-the-results">Blinded trials confirm the results</h2>



To guard against subconscious cues or handler bias, the researchers also presented every testing line in reverse order.



A computer kept track of which sample sat where, and only after the dog’s choice did researchers learn whether to dispense a treat. 



This rigorous protocol mirrors clinical trial standards and boosts confidence that the animals relied on smell alone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dogs-help-build-smell-sensors">Dogs help build smell sensors</h2>



Dogs will never replace neurologists, but the findings give chemists a shortlist of volatile molecules to capture with sensors.



"This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that simple, noninvasive skin swabs can be used to diagnose Parkinson’s disease," said Perdita Barran, a professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Manchester.



Professor Barran's lab is already dissecting the swab chemistry; the canine results confirm those molecules belong on the diagnostic radar.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dogs-and-other-neurological-diseases">Dogs and other neurological diseases</h2>



Researchers and dog trainers are beginning to explore how these animals can detect other neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and even conditions like migraines or autism-related sensory episodes. 



In the case of Alzheimer’s, for example, people in early stages of the disease may emit subtle changes in body odor - things a human nose would never catch, but a dog’s nose picks up with ease. 



These scent cues could one day help in screening or early detection, well before symptoms become obvious.



There are also stories of dogs acting differently before their owners have a migraine or during MS flare-ups - becoming restless or unusually attentive - as if they sense something’s coming. 



Some families of children with autism even report that service dogs notice sensory overload before it escalates, helping calm things down before a meltdown.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-the-science-of-scent">Expanding the science of scent</h2>



Future trials aim to include people with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-disruptions-could-signal-the-onset-of-alzheimers/">REM sleep behavior disorder</a> - a risk state for Parkinson’s - to see whether dogs can spot the disease before a neurologist could.



Parallel chemical analyses will hunt for the exact compounds responsible for the odor. If those molecules prove consistent worldwide, engineers could embed them in low‑cost sensor chips.



For now the message is hopeful: a straightforward skin swab carries hidden information about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-grounds-could-help-prevent-neurodegenerative-diseases/">neurodegeneration</a>, and a dog’s nose can read it.



That knowledge could accelerate the quest for a rapid, painless test. It would offer one more tool to bring Parkinson’s onto clinicians’ radar while there is still time to slow its march.



The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1877718X251342485" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Parkinson’s Disease</a>.



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Dogs can detect some neurological diseases, like Parkinson's, years before symptoms appear

A pair of specially trained dogs has shown that Parkinson’s...

A rocky planet zips around the faint orange star WASP-132 once every 24 hours and 17 minutes. Far beyond it, a frigid gas giant drifts along a path that takes five Earth years to complete.



Lead author <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rMvrPasAAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nolan Grieves</a> of the <a href="https://www.studyinswitzerland.plus/university/unige/">University of Geneva</a> and colleagues uncovered the pair while re‑examining nine years of telescope data. 



Their find shows that <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/resource/hot-jupiter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hot Jupiter</a> systems can shelter nearby small planets rather than always clearing them out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sprinting-around-wasp-132">Sprinting around WASP-132</h2>



The inner world, named super‑Earth <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/wasp-132-c/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WASP‑132 c</a>, skims only about 1.7 million miles from its star, closer than many low‑Earth satellites circle ours.



Despite the proximity, its measured bulk density of 5.5 g/cm³ hints at a largely rocky composition, slightly heavier than <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-earth-toi-1846-b-possible-oceans-discovered-orbiting-red-dwarf-star/">Earth</a> itself.



<a href="https://archive.stsci.edu/missions-and-data/tess" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TESS space‑telescope</a> photometry reveals that each transit lasts just over one hour. Follow‑up spectra show a planetary mass roughly six times that of Earth, confirming its compact size.



“This is the first time we have observed such a configuration,” said <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/armstrong/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. David Armstrong</a>, <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Warwick</a>, referring to a super‑Earth tucked inside a hot‑Jupiter system. 



Armstrong’s team supplied high‑cadence data with the <a href="https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/lasilla/instruments/harps.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HARPS spectrograph</a>, boosting the <a href="https://lco.global/spacebook/exoplanets/radial-velocity-method/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">radial velocity</a> precision enough to isolate the tiny wobble of the 24‑hour world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-icy-giant-in-the-dark">An icy giant in the dark</h2>



<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/wasp-132-d/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WASP‑132 d</a>, the newly announced outer planet, orbits nearly 252 million miles out, about the distance from the Sun to the asteroid belt. 



It tips the scale at 5.2 times Jupiter’s mass and likely sports deep layers of methane‑rich clouds that never see direct starlight.



At such a distance the planet receives less than 1 percent of the light falling on Earth. Temperatures could hover hundreds of degrees below freezing, giving researchers a rare look at a young ice giant still cooling.



Because the orbit spans half a decade, astronomers relied on more than nine years of <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/swiss/coralie/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CORALIE spectrograph</a> data to trace its slow pull. 



The long baseline also revealed a steady velocity trend that hints at yet another, unseen companion further out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finding-wasp-132">Finding WASP-132</h2>



Space‑based photometry from TESS and <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Cheops" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CHEOPS</a> provided crisp light curves, flagging potential planets. 



Ground‑based spectra from HARPS and CORALIE then measured stellar wobble to pin down masses, a one‑two punch that has become routine for multiplanet hunts.



A multidimensional <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40300-023-00238-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gaussian‑process model</a> filtered out <a href="https://buil.astrosurf.com/chromospheric_activity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chromospheric activity</a> signals from starspots rotating every 31 days. Without that step the planet signatures would have drowned in stellar noise.



For the inner planet, the team measured a radial‑velocity amplitude of just 4.6 ft/s, about walking speed, showcasing the reach of modern spectrographs. 



The outer giant’s tug, in contrast, registers at over 200 ft/s, easy to spot once enough years of data accumulate.



Together the datasets produce a complete family portrait: a small <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rocky-planets-a-new-target-in-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life/">rocky planet</a> at 0.018 AU, a seven‑day hot Jupiter originally found in 2017, and the distant icy behemoth at 2.71 AU. Such architectural detail lets theorists test how planets migrate after formation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-planetary-architects">Lessons for planetary architects</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strange-exoplanet-hip-67522-causes-plasma-explosions-on-its-parent-star/">Hot Jupiters</a> usually travel inward through high‑eccentricity interactions that scatter smaller worlds. Finding a close‑in rocky planet surviving next to one challenges that picture.



The team argues that WASP‑132 b may have drifted quietly through the disk, leaving the inner <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-earth-toi-1846-b-possible-oceans-discovered-orbiting-red-dwarf-star/">super‑Earth</a> untouched and preserving a dynamically “cool” history. Its near‑circular orbit and moderate equatorial gravity support that calm evolution.



<a href="https://www.unige.ch/sciences/astro/exoplanets/team/faculty-members/francois-bouchy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">François Bouchy</a> of <a href="https://www.unige.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNIGE</a> called the system “a remarkable laboratory for studying the formation and evolution of multi‑planetary systems.” 



He noted that mixing planet sizes and separations in one place lets models test where solid cores assemble and where gas envelopes inflate.



Interior modeling suggests the ice giant holds at least 17 Earth masses of heavy elements, while the inner planet is nearly bare of volatiles. 



These contrasting chemistries likely reflect where each body accreted before migration reshuffled the deck.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-organic-chemistry-orbiting-wasp-132">Organic chemistry orbiting WASP-132</h2>



The discovery connects with current research in astrochemistry, which investigates how complex organic molecules develop on interstellar ice grains.



These molecules are considered important because they match those found in comets and asteroids.



When objects like these collide with planets, they can deliver both water and organic compounds. A distant ice giant such as WASP‑132 d helps maintain the low temperatures needed for these molecules to survive in space.



By sampling the planet’s atmosphere once it transits, as <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Webb</a> could do if orbital alignments cooperate, scientists hope to detect the chemical fingerprints of that frozen chemistry. 



Spectral clues to methane, ethane, or even more complex organics would connect planetary science with prebiotic chemistry.



Meanwhile, the rocky inner planet lies far too close for life as we know it; its dayside bakes at an estimated 1 750°F. Yet its bulk density offers a laboratory for studying how silicate mantles and iron cores behave under extreme stellar radiation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-astronomers-look-next">Where astronomers look next</h2>



Future Gaia data releases may detect the astrometric wobble of the ice giant, pinning its true mass and orbital tilt. Additional spectra could also reveal whether the outer trend is a brown dwarf or another planet.



The team has already secured <a href="https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/paranal/instruments/espresso.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPRESSO</a> time to measure spin‑orbit alignment during transits. If both planets share the star’s equatorial plane, the quiet‑migration scenario gains weight.



Surveys are now re‑checking hot‑Jupiter hosts for hidden, fast‑orbiting companions like WASP‑132 c. As technology drives radial‑velocity precision below three feet per second, many more “day‑long year” <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-map-twin-stars-to-discover-hidden-planets-with-unprecedented-accuracy/">planets</a> may come to light.



Finding them will refine models of planetary system diversity and, by extension, the odds of habitable worlds. Each well‑characterized system moves the field from speculation toward statistical certainty.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/01/aa48177-23/aa48177-23.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a>.



Image credit: Thibaut Roger, Université de Genève.



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Fire and ice: Astronomers discover two very different exoplanets orbiting one star

A rocky planet zips around the faint orange star WASP-132...

What if the survival of half a species depended on a gene so small, it barely counts as one? Deep in the early embryonic stages of birds, a powerful microRNA does exactly that. It doesn’t build feathers or shape beaks. Instead, it quietly ensures that male embryos survive in a genetically uneven world. 



Until now, no one knew just how vital this molecule was, or that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-birds-migrate-without-riding-the-wind/">birds</a> had taken such a different evolutionary path from mammals.



A recent study, led by researchers from Heidelberg University and the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Edinburgh</a>, uncovers a hidden mechanism in birds that balances the uneven load of sex chromosome genes.



The study shows that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-bird-species-could-vanish-in-the-next-century/">birds</a> didn’t adopt the strategies used by mammals to fix the same problem. Instead, they crafted a unique genetic answer using a microRNA called MIR2954 to rescue their males from potential developmental collapse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gene-balance-of-birds-and-mammals">Gene balance of birds and mammals </h2>



In both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-may-be-using-quantum-physics-for-migration/">birds</a> and mammals, sex is determined by a pair of chromosomes. In mammals, females have two X chromosomes, and males have one X and one Y. In birds, it is the opposite in structure: males are ZZ and females are ZW. 



Over evolutionary time, the Y chromosome in mammals and the W chromosome in birds lost many of their genes. This created a genetic imbalance where one sex had two full chromosome copies, while the other sex had only one.



Mammals solved this by boosting the X chromosome’s activity and then silencing one of the two X chromosomes in females. This careful adjustment equalized gene expression. 



However, birds took a very different approach. Instead of inactivating an entire chromosome, they increased gene activity on the single Z chromosome in females. That solved one side of the problem - but it created another.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-overactive-genes-in-male-birds">Overactive genes in male birds</h2>



In birds, males carry two Z chromosomes. When the genes on these chromosomes are too active, it can cause developmental issues. 



Without a way to reduce this double dose, male embryos are vulnerable. For a long time, scientists weren’t sure how birds avoided this problem.



This mystery led Professor Henrik Kaessmann and Dr. Mike McGrew to study chickens. Prior research hinted that a specific microRNA might be involved. It showed up repeatedly in male tissues and seemed absent in females. 



Known as MIR2954, this tiny RNA didn’t code for proteins but influenced how other genes behaved. It had the markings of a regulatory tool.



“This microRNA is predominantly active in male birds, which led us to assume that it helps balance the activity of the Z chromosome,” explained Professor Kaessmann, who conducts research at the Center for Molecular Biology of <a href="https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heidelberg University</a> (ZMBH).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-crucial-gene-for-male-birds">A crucial gene for male birds</h2>



To test their theory, the team used CRISPR/Cas9 to delete MIR2954 from chicken embryos. What followed confirmed their suspicion. 



Male embryos without this microRNA failed to survive. Females developed normally. On a molecular level, males experienced runaway activity from their Z-linked genes. The balance had been lost.



The paper shows the stark contrast in survival between male embryos with and without the microRNA. In its absence, the males exhibited developmental arrest by embryonic day 5. Females, with only one Z chromosome and no need for suppression, continued unaffected.



According to the researchers, this microRNA is present in all birds studied to date, but absent in other animals. 



“It is the only known microRNA that is essential for the survival of one sex, but not the other,” said Dr. Amir Fallahshahroudi, a researcher at <a href="https://www.uu.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Uppsala University</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dialing-down-gene-activity">Dialing down gene activity</h2>



Dr. Mike McGrew describes the microRNA’s function in simple terms. “The mechanism of the male-specific microRNA works like a dimmer switch, dialing down the overactive genes on the two male Z chromosomes.”



Instead of silencing a chromosome, MIR2954 modulates individual gene activity. This precision tool prevents developmental chaos in male embryos. 



It doesn’t act alone. MIR2954 binds to mRNAs from many Z-linked genes, especially those that would otherwise be expressed at dangerously high levels. These include transcription factors, growth regulators, and metabolic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-are-declining-fastest-where-they-were-once-common/">genes</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolution-of-sex-chromosomes">Evolution of sex chromosomes</h2>



Birds seem to have evolved this system independently. Mammals use different tools. But this raises an interesting question. Is MIR2954 an evolutionary one-off, or are there similar microRNAs at work in other animals?



“We now have to ask whether other animal species also use microRNAs to regulate their sex chromosomes, or whether they rely on different systems entirely,” noted Professor Kaessmann.



This discovery changes how scientists think about sex chromosome evolution. It proves that even the smallest genetic elements can shape the fate of an entire sex. 



While mammals use a global shutdown system, birds opted for selective moderation using a single molecule with laser focus.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-gene-keeps-male-birds-alive">Tiny gene keeps male birds alive</h2>



The study highlights how different evolutionary paths can lead to the same endpoint: survival. 



The research also reminds us that solutions in biology are not one-size-fits-all. Birds didn't copy the mammalian strategy. They created something new, a micro-sized solution with macro-level impact.



What started as a minor RNA fragment turned out to be the key to male bird life. In doing so, it opened new doors for research into sex chromosome regulation across the animal kingdom. And once again, it showed that in biology, size rarely predicts power.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09256-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Male birds depend on a special gene to survive

What if the survival of half a species depended on...

We like to think our shopping decisions come down to personal preference. But then a friend gives a quick nod of approval to a pair of sneakers, and suddenly the choice just feels right - almost without a second thought.



A new project led by Jia Jin at <a href="http://en.sbm.shisu.edu.cn/main.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shanghai International Studies University</a> suggests that this social nudge reaches past surface influence and into coordinated brain activity. 



The researchers tracked more than 100 undergraduates for an entire semester and logged every change in their friendship network. 



In a separate experiment, the team scanned dozens of the student's brains while they watched a series of advertisements together.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-friends-shape-our-shopping-opinions">Friends shape our shopping opinions</h2>



The behavioral part of the study began with 175 students who rated everyday products on price, quality, and appeal. Agreement was strongest for practical gadgets but still showed up for status items such as branded shoes.



Over 16 weeks of campus life, the friendships ebbed and flowed, and the rating data shifted with them. Pairs who grew closer showed steadily shrinking opinion gaps, while pairs who drifted apart edged toward stranger‑level disagreement.



“Friends, compared to nonfriends, exhibit higher similarity in product evaluation,” explained Jin. By week 16, average distance within friend pairs had dropped by an extra eight percent - a subtle but reliable change that mirrored the strengthening ties.



In 2018, <a href="https://bri.ucla.edu/people/carolyn-parkinson/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carolyn Parkinson</a> observed that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5790806" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neural responses</a> when viewing audiovisual movies are exceptionally similar among friends. The new project extends that insight from entertainment to the daily act of spending money.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shopping-ads-and-syncing-brains">Shopping ads and syncing brains</h2>



The imaging portion of the study placed 47 volunteers into a 3‑tesla scanner and recorded oxygen‑related signals with fMRI while each watched sixty short commercials beside a friend. 



The pair's brain activity revealed cortical areas lighting up in near unison, almost like two stereos tuned to the same station.



The alignment, or <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/integrative-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/neuro.07.017.2009/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neural synchrony</a>, emerged most strongly in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus. These brain regions are known for weighing value, recalling personal associations, and judging social meaning. 



When a shiny logo flashed, friends’ reward circuits rose and fell together, suggesting that the brand carried comparable weight for both people.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-friendship-and-shopping-preferences">Friendship and shopping preferences </h2>



A follow‑up <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00445/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meta‑analysis</a> linked the shared activity to object perception, visual attention, memory consolidation, and reward processing, weaving a tidy bridge from perception to choice. 



Strangers placed in the same room and shown the identical ads displayed weaker, noisier patterns with no consistent overlap across those networks.



Notably, shopping-related brain synchrony shifted with self-reported closeness. Friends who rated their bond a perfect ten showed almost twice the inter-brain correlation seen in weaker pairs, hinting that emotional intimacy tunes friends’ shopping responses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predicting-what-your-buddy-will-buy">Predicting what your buddy will buy</h2>



Jin’s group next trained a ridge regression model on each volunteer’s functional connectivity map, feeding the algorithm patterns from hundreds of brain regions rather than surface‑level behavior. 



The model learned to flag a yes‑or‑no intention to buy every product shown onscreen.



Accuracy reached 63 percent for predicting the participant’s own choice and 59 percent for forecasting a friend’s choice, both comfortably above the 50 percent chance line. 



Because the algorithm needed only the viewer’s brain data, the result serves as a proof of concept for inferring another person’s future action from a third‑party scan.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taking-advantage-of-social-bonds">Taking advantage of social bonds</h2>



Marketers see a goldmine in this possibility - envisioning perfectly timed, personalized ads delivered in key social moments. 



Privacy advocates, on the other hand, see a Trojan horse, cautioning that neuromarketing could shift from tracking group behavior to probing individual minds.



For now, the researchers emphasize that the predictive edge applies only to close ties. The machine guessed the intentions of a randomly paired stranger no better than a coin toss, showing that the social bond is the secret sauce.



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



Social scientists label this pull <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/homophily" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">homophily</a>, the tendency to gravitate toward people who see the world as we do. The current paper suggests the arrow points both ways, because new data show we also come to see the world more similarly after the friendship forms.



A hyperscanning <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51990-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> last year found the opposite trend during open‑ended conversation, in which friends diverged and strangers converged as the chat unfolded. 



The result hints that context decides whether shared history promotes alignment or encourages partners to seek novelty.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shopping-and-friends-the-feedback-loop">Shopping and friends: The feedback loop</h2>



Dartmouth <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36519530/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">researchers</a> have shown that synchronized activity in the posterior cingulate during live storytelling predicts how accurately friends recall the plot the next day. Overlapping signals may mark moments the group deems important.



Taken together, the data portray shopping and friendship as a feedback loop: similar minds become friends, and friendship shapes those minds to stay in sync, especially in shopping choices. This shaping explains how social norms form quickly within tight circles.



Shared brain patterns help explain viral fashion crazes, speculative bubbles, and information cascades on social media. 



A flashy post that resonates with one member of a tight‑knit group can ripple outward through synchronized attention and reward circuits, turning a niche trend into a crowd movement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-of-the-study-0">Broader implications of the study</h2>



Educators designing group projects might harness the same principle. Placing students with strong positive ties together could amplify engagement and recall, while carefully mixing near‑strangers might spark creative friction and prevent echo chambers.



Clinicians are exploring whether disrupted synchrony signals social difficulties in autism and schizophrenia. If so, friendship‑driven alignment could serve as a healthy benchmark, guiding therapies that aim to restore interpersonal attunement.



The present work leaves one puzzle unsolved: Does deeper neural similarity in shopping spark the friendship, or do friends shape that similarity? Only longitudinal scans that begin before two people meet can settle the debate.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/06/12/JNEUROSCI.0073-25.2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.



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Friends affect how our brain responds to shopping

We like to think our shopping decisions come down to...

Across Earth's long timeline, extinction often seems like a silent erasure. Yet behind many disappearances lies a chain of ecological tension. Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil explored predator-prey dynamics.



The results of two new studies suggest predator-prey relationships shaped extinction patterns in ancient species. Supported by FAPESP, the work focuses on predators like saber-toothed cats and their herbivore prey in North America.



The scientists used fossil records, body size data, and climate history from the last 20 million years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predators-left-without-their-prey">Predators left without their prey </h2>



Saber-toothed tigers, known for long canines, likely hunted large animals. A popular theory links their extinction to the loss of megafauna during the late Pleistocene, caused by climate change and human actions.



“One of the hypotheses that’s received the most attention in the literature was that the end of saber-toothed tigers," said study author and <a href="https://unicamp.br">UNICAMP</a> researcher João Nascimento.



"It could be linked to the extinction of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/superfamily-of-bacterial-predator-proteins-is-changing-scientific-theory/">megafauna</a> at the end of the Pleistocene, which occurred between 50,000 and 11,000 years ago."



"These large animals became extinct due to climate change and human actions, and as a result, the predators were left without their main prey."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extinction-started-before-humans">Extinction started before humans</h2>



Nascimento noted that the research offers a new timeline. “We found that the process began millions of years earlier,” he said.



Saber-toothed cats went through repeated extinctions over time, often during periods of reduced prey diversity. This long-term view changes how we understand their fate.



The second study, published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/evolut/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/evolut/qpaf091/8124702?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Evolution</a>, takes a reverse approach. It looks at how predator expansion drove herbivore decline. Antilocaprids, once a diverse group in North America, now have just one species left: the American antelope.



This group includes two extinct subfamilies. Merycodontinae vanished about six million years ago, likely outcompeted by proboscideans, ancestors of modern elephants. These massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/largest-predator-prey-feast-ever-seen-in-the-ocean-enormous-quickly-altered-food-chain/">animals</a> dominated forest habitats, squeezing out smaller herbivores.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predators-vanished-after-prey">Predators vanished after prey</h2>



The Antilocaprinae subfamily started fading when felids grew more diverse. The American cheetah (Miracinonyx), built for speed, emerged during this time. It likely drove antelopes to become faster.



Predator-driven speed might be why the American antelope is so fast today. The study gives new weight to that idea. More predators meant more evolutionary pressure on prey <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-otter-day-2025-on-the-front-lines-of-a-habitat-crisis/">species</a>. Fewer herbivores meant fewer niches to support diverse predators.



In a previous study, the researchers had suggested that large herbivores in the Iberian Peninsula caused predator decline 15 million years ago. These new papers expand that perspective to much broader regions.



“The great contribution of this set of studies is precisely to present the idea that the interaction between predators and prey can have an effect on large evolutionary patterns," said Professor Mathias Pires, who supervised the work.



"This had been debated for decades, but there was no really robust set of results to support this hypothesis."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossils-reveal-extinction-clues">Fossils reveal extinction clues</h2>



These discoveries rest on detailed fossil records. The team analyzed size, diet, and coexistence patterns of animals across millions of years. 



For example, saber-toothed cats appeared around 14 million years ago in Eurasia and 12 million years ago in North America. Eight species once coexisted, but numbers shrank over time.



Six million years ago, the saber-toothed cat population began a steady decline. This drop happened during a shift toward a more arid climate. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grasslands-crucial-role-global-agriculture-environment-ecosystems/">Grasslands</a> expanded while forests shrank, affecting food chains.



Leaf-eating prey lost their food sources, reducing available prey for predators. 



“Our study did not find a direct relationship between this event and the reduction in saber-toothed cats, but these changes in the environment had an indirect impact on the extinctions of different saber-toothed species by reducing the availability of prey,” Pires said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predators-and-prey-need-balance">Predators and prey need balance</h2>



Forest-dependent Merycodontinae went extinct as their habitats disappeared. Grass-eating Antilocaprinae lasted longer but declined with increasing predator pressure. This chain reaction mirrors how nature balances itself.



“We’re showing how an increase in predators can reduce the availability of prey, which in turn reduces the abundance of predators, and how this can manifest on an evolutionary scale," Pires said. 



"It’s a warning about how we may be altering the future with the extinctions we’re causing now.”



The studies not only map the past but also warn how predator loss and extinction trends today may echo through millennia, reshaping life far beyond our own time.



The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jeb/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jeb/voaf043/8115575?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Evolutionary Biology</a>. 



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Lessons from the past: Predators are doomed when their prey vanishes

Across Earth's long timeline, extinction often seems like a silent...

Most people don’t like snakes. Some fear them and others avoid even talking about them. Every year on July 16, the world takes a moment to pause, reconsider, and appreciate snakes.



For World Snake Day 2025, the message is clear: “Respect, Don’t Fear: Protecting Nature’s Silent Guardians.” It’s more than a catchy slogan - it’s a call to rethink everything we’ve been taught. Are snakes truly the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-species-of-tree-snake-with-completely-black-eyes-is-discovered/">villains</a> we’ve made them out to be?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-ecological-role-of-snakes">The ecological role of snakes</h2>



Snakes are natural rodent controllers, consuming large numbers of pests that threaten crops and spread disease. 



On farms and in forests, they work silently and efficiently, reducing the need for chemical pesticides. Just one snake can eat dozens of mice in a year - a small act with a big impact on food security and human health.



Snakes are also a vital food source for predators like hawks, owls, coyotes, and foxes. If snakes vanish, these animals lose a key part of their diet - and the balance begins to unravel. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/34-million-year-old-snake-fossil-hibernophis-breithaupti-changes-our-understanding-of-evolution/">Nature</a> doesn’t function well when pieces go missing.



However, it's easy to forget the important ecological role of snakes, especially when you come face to face with one. 



The reality is that most snakes aren’t dangerous. In the United States, garter snakes and corn snakes are harmless. King snakes are also harmless, and they even eat venomous snakes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-world-snake-day-2025-fear-and-myths">World Snake Day 2025: Fear and myths</h2>



Movies have affected our perception of snakes. They are often depicted as monsters or bad omens, and that image sticks with us. But in reality, snakes don’t chase people, don’t plot attacks, and they’re certainly not evil.



Venomous snakes do exist - from rattlesnakes and copperheads in North America to vipers, cobras, and kraits in Asia and Africa. 



While these snakes do pose risks, they generally avoid human contact and rarely bite unless threatened or provoked. Most bites occur when people try to handle, move, or harm them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-humans-are-the-biggest-threat-nbsp">Humans are the biggest threat&nbsp;</h2>



Habitat loss hits snakes hard. Cities expand, forests shrink, and wetlands dry up. Roads cut through territory, and cars hit snakes crossing them. Lawns replace wild grass. Fewer places to hide means that fewer snakes survive.



Then there’s the pet trade. People catch wild snakes, stuff them into containers, and sell them online. Some die in transit, while others live in tanks that are too small, too hot, or too dry. Many do not survive these conditions for very long.



Furthermore, misinformation spreads fast. One fake video of a “deadly” snake goes viral and people panic. More snakes get killed. We don’t do this to most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-birds-use-snake-skins-in-their-nests-to-deter-predators/">animals</a>, but for snakes, fear seems like justification. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meaning-of-world-snake-day">Meaning of World Snake Day </h2>



World Snake Day isn’t about loving snakes - it’s simply about respecting them. That means giving them space, learning the facts, and stopping needless harm. 



Across the country, zoos and wildlife groups hold events this week. They show people how snakes behave, and some offer safe encounters. Others run online sessions, where you can ask a herpetologist questions. 



These events open minds and help break down fear and misconceptions, promoting a greater appreciation for the important role snakes play in ecosystems everywhere.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-changing-our-perception-of-snakes">Changing our perception of snakes</h2>



First, stop believing every snake is dangerous. Learn which ones live near you. In most U.S. states, for example, venomous snakes are rare and easy to identify. 



If you spot a snake, stay calm and give it space to move away. If it’s in your yard and you’re concerned, contact a local wildlife organization for help. Avoid using sticks, guns, or any force. 



If you know someone who still believes “the only good snake is a dead snake,” start a conversation. Sharing just one fact can be enough to change how they see snakes. You don’t have to become an expert; just stop being their enemy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-creature-that-is-misunderstood">A creature that is misunderstood </h2>



Snakes have existed for over 100 million years. They’ve outlived dinosaurs. They’ve adapted, evolved, and survived major extinctions - but they might not survive us.



That’s the uncomfortable part of this story. We’re the problem, but we can also be the solution.



World Snake Day 2025 offers us a <a href="https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/our-campaigns/sentience/animal-awareness-days/world-snake-day/">moment</a> - not to idolize snakes or adore them without question, but to pause, gain understanding, and perhaps take steps to protect a creature that has long been misunderstood.



So next time you see a snake, remember this: it’s not out to get you. It’s just trying to live its quiet, necessary life. 



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World Snake Day 2025: Protecting nature’s silent guardians

Most people don’t like snakes. Some fear them and others...

These complex, looping tracks pressed into ancient seafloor mud look much more like doodles made by a child with a stick than fossils of animal movement. 



However, new measurements have shown those squiggles were, in fact, purposeful movements along paths made by primitive animals navigating their world almost 550 million years ago, well before textbooks say complex life "took off" during the Cambrian Explosion.



Analysis of 170 <a href="https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/trace-fossils.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trace fossils</a>, which are the preserved marks of animal movement rather than the animals actual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-movement-predictions-matter-more-than-ever/">bodies</a>, tell a much different story. 



They suggest that streamlined, sensor‑rich creatures were gliding across the seabed roughly 10 million years before the start of the <a href="https://stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2024-12.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambrian Explosion</a>, a 20‑million‑year interval beginning near 538.8 million years ago when most major animal groups appear in rocks.



Paleontologist Dr. Zekun Wang of the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natural History Museum, London</a>, led the <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2025.0889" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> with colleagues in Canada and China.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-animals-started-moving">When animals started moving</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grand-canyon-fossils-reveal-secrets-of-the-cambrian-explosion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambrian Explosion</a> has often been framed as a sudden evolutionary big bang that conjured eyes, limbs, and hard shells out of nowhere.



Yet the new study argues that many key traits, including directed movement and elongated bodies, emerged quietly during the preceding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/591-million-years-ago-complex-life-emerged-on-earth-magnetic-field-ediacaran-period/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ediacaran Period</a>, which stretched from 635 million to 539 million years ago.



Wang’s team grouped the oldest tracks into three phases that mirror escalating anatomical sophistication. Early trails twist abruptly, matching stubby builders with limited perception. 



Mid‑stage paths smooth out, implying better coordination. Latest tracks resemble modern worm burrows, pointing to long, hydrodynamic bodies.



“Life in the Ediacaran was no longer microscopic, but typically, it wasn't able to move along the seafloor,” said Wang. His catalog shows that by about 545 million years ago, motion had transformed from stumble to cruise.



That timeline overlaps a sedimentary upheaval known as the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229535050_The_Cambrian_Substrate_Revolution" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambrian Substrate Revolution</a>, when burrowers began churning seafloor mud and opening new ecological real estate. The traces imply the engineers of that revolution were already in rehearsal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-ancient-animals-moved">How ancient animals moved</h2>



Most Ediacaran body fossils are little more than quilted impressions, making it tricky to match shape to behavior. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/ichnology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ichnology</a>, the study of trace fossils, fills the gap by reading sediment as a behavioral diary.



Classic ichnology relies on eyeballing trail patterns, but Wang’s group added mathematics. They calculated curvature along each path, converting wavy lines into numbers that capture turning radius and smoothness. 



Paths that rarely bend sharply signal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-secretly-reshape-landscapes-in-powerful-ways/">creatures</a> with elongated, flexible trunks; jerky turns point to compact forms that pivot on the spot.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/complex-animals_Psammichnites_fossil_movement-before-skeletons_credit-Zhao_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/complex-animals_Psammichnites_fossil_movement-before-skeletons_credit-Zhao_1s.webp" alt="By analyzing trace fossils of ancient animal movement, like Psammichnites, researchers have been able to determine how animals lived and moved more than half a billion years ago. Credit: Ziwei Zhao and Dr Xiaoya Ma" class="wp-image-1978192"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">By analyzing trace fossils of ancient animal movement, like Psammichnites, researchers have been able to determine how animals lived and moved more than half a billion years ago. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Ziwei Zhao and Dr Xiaoya Ma</figcaption></figure>



Those metrics can also hint at senses. An animal plotting a straight, efficient route was likely following chemical or tactile gradients toward food, whereas a meandering track betrays a blind wanderer bumping into meals by chance.



By comparing fossil tracks to modern analogs, horseshoe crabs, snails, and worms, the researchers estimated how animals moved and found body length‑to‑width ratios climbing from roughly 1:1 to as high as 12:1 during the final Ediacaran chapter.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-movement-style-and-animal-shapes">Movement style and animal shapes</h2>



In a second paper, the team applied <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~wjh/dataview/tutorials/sonogram.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">power‑spectral analysis</a>, a signal‑processing tool more common in engineering than paleontology. 



The technique isolates periodicities in trajectory curvature, teasing out repeated movement motifs such as rhythmic undulation or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/peristalsis">peristalsis</a>.



Results hint that early trace makers moved by extending blobs of tissue, akin to giant amoebae. Later forms show signatures of muscular waves consistent with bilateral nerve‑muscle systems, the hallmark of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/Bilateria" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bilaterian animals</a> that dominate today’s fauna.



“By studying their mathematical properties instead, we can infer what the animals that made the traces might have been like,” added Wang. The numbers back a gradual rise in body coordination rather than an overnight makeover.



Because trace density also spikes near the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301926819306278" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ediacaran‑Cambrian boundary</a>, some researchers speculate that mobile bilaterians outcompeted stationary soft‑bodied cousins, contributing to an extinction that wiped out many iconic quilt‑patterned taxa.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-body-changes-over-time">Body changes over time</h2>



Curvature metrics separated paths into “unsmooth,” “regional‑smooth,” and “smooth” categories. Unsmooth tracks, older than 550 million years, loop and kink like cracked phone cords. 



<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40628487/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Regional‑smooth trails</a> appear a few million years later, tracking short animals that likely glided with cilia or stubby legs. 



Smooth trails dominate at 545 million years, matching long, tapered worms using muscular ripples to push through sediment.



Importantly, the switch did not require shells or skeletons. Streamlining alone would have lowered drag and extended sensory coverage, advantages in search of patchy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-share-hidden-behavior-patterns-across-continents/">microbial</a> mats that coated the sea floor.



As body plans slimmed, animals began to burrow vertically, ventilating deeper layers and altering chemical gradients. 



That engineering likely changed oxygen levels and nutrient cycling, paving the way for the bustling Cambrian seascapes familiar from <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/paleobiology/collections-overview/burgess-shale" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Burgess Shale</a> snapshots.



The data reinforce a view that evolution’s tempo can accelerate smoothly rather than spiking. What looks like an explosion in body fossils may instead record the moment when durable hard parts first preserved an already diverse cast of animals and their moves.



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



Mobility reshapes ecosystems by mixing sediments, redistributing microbes, and linking food webs. The Ediacaran traces show these processes igniting earlier than once thought, giving Earth an extra 10 million years of ecological tinkering before skeletons burst onto the scene.



Understanding that prelude helps resolve puzzles such as why some soft‑bodied lineages vanished while others thrived. 



Animals able to seek favorable niches or escape stress would outlast immobile epifauna during environmental swings of the <a href="https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Introductory_Biology_(CK-12)/05%3A_Evolution/5.08%3A_Late_Precambrian_Period" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">late Precambrian</a>.



The work also highlights how quantitative tools borrowed from physics and computer science can wring fresh insight from humble scrapes in stone. 



What once looked like random squiggles now provide centimeter‑scale snapshots of nervous systems coming online.



Next steps include three‑dimensional imaging of burrow architecture and geochemical probes that trace oxygen footprints around the tunnels, offering further clues to how early animals moved, breathed, and fed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-beyond-the-fossil-bones">Looking beyond the fossil bones</h2>



The updated timeline invites revisions to evolutionary trees calibrated on the <a href="https://evolution.berkeley.edu/the-cambrian-explosion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambrian Explosion</a>, because behavioral innovations precede skeletal ones. 



It may also adjust models of Earth’s biogeochemistry, as active burrowing accelerates the burial of carbon and sulfur.



Paleobiologists are already scanning older rock layers for similar curved tracks, hoping to push complex mobility even deeper into geological time. 



Each new find tightens the connection between behavior, environment, and evolutionary opportunity.



By quantifying wiggles in mud, Wang and colleagues show that the story of animals and their moves is written not only in bones but in the graceful arcs of forgotten journeys. The quiet crawl before the boom matters as much as the boom itself.



The study is published in <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rspb.2025.0889" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.



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Fossil discovery casts fresh doubt on the 'burst of evolution' known as the Cambrian Explosion

These complex, looping tracks pressed into ancient seafloor mud look...

Every year, billions of birds take on epic journeys between North America’s temperate zones and the tropical forests of South America. 



While their migration patterns have been studied extensively, most of what we know comes from data collected in North America and Europe. That’s left a big gap in our understanding - especially in tropical regions.



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uchicago.edu/en">University of Chicago</a>, working with scientists in Colombia and at universities across the United States, are now filling in those gaps. 



The team used radar data from across Colombia to see how birds behave when migrating through tropical skies. What they found is changing how we think about migration, weather, and conservation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birds-migrate-without-weather-cues">Birds migrate without weather cues</h2>



In places like the U.S. and Canada, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vanishing-forests-make-bird-migration-harder-across-the-corn-belt/">bird migration</a> often happens in big waves. Birds wait for just the right wind conditions - usually during cold or warm fronts - then take off by the thousands in a single night. But in Colombia, birds follow a different rhythm.



“Birds are great indicator species of environmental health, serving as bellwethers of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-biodiversity-crisis-is-actually-worse-than-we-thought/">global biodiversity</a> gain and loss," said Jacob Drucker, a doctoral student at the University of Chicago. "So understanding their migration on a global scale is extremely important.”



“But until now, our knowledge of this massive natural phenomenon has been heavily biased towards temperate latitudes in North America and Europe.”



Unlike temperate zones, Colombia doesn’t have strong seasonal wind patterns. Instead, its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-can-predict-the-weather-but-what-about-extreme-events/">weather</a> is more stable. The study revealed that birds migrating over the country travel at a steadier pace. They don’t wait for perfect nights - they go when they need to.



“It turns out that wind isn't as important to birds in deciding which nights to fly in Colombia, but it plays a major role in deciding the altitude they fly,” noted Drucker.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-soaring-to-beat-the-wind">Soaring to beat the wind</h2>



The Colombian Andes offer a special case. High above the forests, winds blow southward as part of the Orinoco Low-Level Jet. 



These winds can either help or hinder birds, depending on the season. In the fall, they act as tailwinds. In the spring, they become headwinds.



“We saw birds flying as high as 3,000 meters above the Amazon to avoid headwinds. It was spectacular,” Drucker said. “When the wind weakened at lower altitudes, birds adjusted by flying lower.”



These shifts in altitude helped them conserve energy as they responded to changing wind conditions in the Andes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-migrating-birds-tracked-by-radar">Migrating birds tracked by radar</h2>



This study wouldn't have been possible without an unusual data source: Colombia’s national weather radar network. Seven years ago, 



Drucker reached out to fellow researchers with a simple idea - what if they used weather radar to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/machine-learning-may-solve-the-mystery-of-bird-movements/">track birds</a>? He teamed up with Nick Bayly from the Colombian conservation nonprofit SELVA and Alfonso Ladino, a meteorologist with ties to Colombia’s weather agency and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 



Together, the researchers began a multi-year project to decode the tropical migration story. A major challenge was filtering out radar 'noise'. In tropical skies, there are a lot of insects - more than in temperate regions - and they can look a lot like birds on radar.



“We initially struggled to distinguish between insects and birds,” said Drucker. “There are far more insects in the tropics, creating substantial radar noise from an ornithological perspective."



"To solve this, we built a model that assumes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/very-little-is-known-about-99-of-all-insects-on-earth/">insects</a> move passively with the wind, while birds move independently and purposefully.”



The researchers tested that model using radar data from both Colombia and Australia. It’s likely to help other scientists in future studies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-safe-cities-need-rethinking">Bird-safe cities need rethinking</h2>



The study doesn’t just add to our understanding of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-behavior-productivity-being-directly-impacted-by-climate-change/">bird behavior</a> - it could shape how we protect birds in cities.



In cities like Chicago or Toronto, turning off lights during major migration nights can reduce bird deaths caused by building collisions. These “lights out” campaigns are carefully timed based on weather forecasts and migration patterns. But that strategy might not work in tropical cities.



“Since bird migration in Colombia isn't tied to predictable wind events, it becomes much harder to anticipate large migration nights and tell people when to turn their lights off,” Drucker said.



That means new strategies will be needed in cities like Bogotá, Medellín, and Calí. Conservation efforts in the tropics may need to focus less on timing and more on continuous solutions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-next-migration-frontier">The next migration frontier</h2>



This study is just the start. There’s still a lot to learn about how birds react to local weather and terrain as they move. For Drucker and his team, the goal is to go deeper - zooming in on finer scales to understand every twist and turn in a bird’s journey.



“We need to drill down into the granular details of how birds react to specific habitats and finer-scale weather patterns along migration routes,” he said.



By combining new technology with international teamwork, researchers are opening new ways to better understand and protect migratory birds - wherever they fly.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.2609">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>.



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Tropical birds migrate without riding the wind

Every year, billions of birds take on epic journeys between...

A fossilized rhino tooth, buried for over 20 million years, is now helping scientists rewrite the history of early rhino evolution. 



Inside the tooth enamel, researchers found something remarkable: preserved proteins that held clues to the animal’s lineage and evolutionary split from other species.



This breakthrough came from scientists at the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of York</a>. By analyzing enamel proteins in the tooth, the experts traced key moments in rhino evolution much further back than previously possible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reconstructing-the-rhino-family-tree">Reconstructing the rhino family tree</h2>



The team discovered that this particular rhino diverged from other members of the family <a href="https://www.su.se/english/news/geneticists-map-the-rhinoceros-family-tree-1.568317" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rhinocerotidae</a> during a window between 41 and 25 million years ago. This coincides with a time between the Middle Eocene and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-climate-shift-sheds-light-on-future-global-warming/">Oligocene</a> Epochs. 



Even more surprising was that the data revealed that the two main subfamilies of rhinos - Elasmotheriinae and Rhinocerotinae - split later than previously thought.



Instead of parting ways in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-reveal-a-previously-unknown-mass-extinction-event/">Eocene</a>, as earlier bone studies suggested, this separation likely occurred during the Oligocene, between 34 and 22 million years ago.



This new timeline helps scientists better understand how different rhino species emerged, adapted, and survived (or didn’t) through changing environments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rhino-evolution-revealed-in-dna">Rhino evolution revealed in DNA</h2>



Ancient DNA has helped researchers study <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cave-art-discovery-depicts-animal-dicynodont-that-went-extinct-280-million-year-ago/">extinct</a> species, but it rarely survives beyond a million years. This fossil tooth changes that. 



The successful recovery of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/enamel-protein">enamel proteins</a> from a sample over 20 million years old extends the timeline for molecular research by a factor of ten.



This is important because it allows scientists to explore evolutionary history through molecular evidence - not just fossil shapes. Well-preserved enamel proteins offer access to valuable genetic information, opening new avenues for discovery.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tooth-enamel-analysis-suggests-early-eurasians-were-multiple-species-paranthropus-robustus/">Enamel</a> is the hardest tissue in the body. Its mineral-rich structure protects proteins for millions of years, especially in cold environments where this tooth was found.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-the-fossil-tooth-data-pure">Keeping the fossil tooth data pure</h2>



The fossil tooth was found in Canada’s High Arctic - a region where permafrost still dominates. That cold environment played a key role in keeping the proteins intact, but cold alone wasn’t enough.



To make sure the proteins were truly ancient, researchers at the University of York ran tests using a method called chiral amino acid analysis.



This technique helped the team distinguish between original proteins from the rhino’s life and any later contamination. 



By comparing the degraded proteins in this tooth with those from previously studied rhino fossils, they confirmed the material was genuine.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unique-environmental-history-of-the-site">Unique environmental history of the site</h2>



Professor Enrico Cappellini from the University of Copenhagen’s Globe Institute emphasized the significance of the fossil site.



“The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016703721002234" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haughton Crater</a> may be a truly special place for palaeontology: a biomolecular vault protecting proteins from decay over vast geological timescales,” said Cappellini.



“Its unique environmental history has created a site with exceptional preservation of ancient biomolecules, akin to how certain sites preserve soft tissues. This finding should encourage more paleontological fieldwork in regions around the world."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploring-further-back-in-time">Exploring further back in time</h2>



Dr. Marc Dickinson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of York’s Department of Chemistry, was one of the co-authors on the study.



“It is phenomenal that these tools are enabling us to explore further and further back in time. Building on our knowledge of ancient proteins, we can now start asking fascinating new questions about the evolution of ancient life on our planet,” said Dickinson.



The team sees this fossil tooth as more than just an isolated find. It’s a signal that there may be more ancient biomolecules waiting to be studied.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-perspective-on-rhino-evolution">New perspective on rhino evolution </h2>



“Successful analysis of ancient proteins from such an old sample gives a fresh perspective to scientists around the globe who already have incredible fossils in their collections. This important fossil helps us to understand our ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supernovae-explosions-seem-to-have-altered-earths-climate-in-the-past-and-could-do-so-again-at-any-time/">past</a>,” said Fazeelah Munir, who analyzed the tooth during her doctoral research at York.



Modern rhinos are threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and climate change. Tracing their evolutionary history reveals how past environmental shifts shaped the species we see today. 



The more we understand what helped ancient rhinos survive - or led to their decline - the better equipped we are to protect the few that remain.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09231-4">Nature</a>.



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Secrets of rhino evolution found in 20-million-year-old tooth

A fossilized rhino tooth, buried for over 20 million years,...

New scans of two small predatory dinosaurs reveal a pea-sized wrist bone once thought unique to birds. The research suggests that the engines of flight were revving inside dinosaur arms long before any creature flapped skyward.



The study was led by James Napoli of <a href="https://www.stonybrook.edu/">Stony Brook University</a> with colleagues at the <a href="https://www.amnh.org/">American Museum of Natural History</a> and the <a href="https://mas.ac.mn/en/">Mongolian Academy of Sciences</a>. 



The research overturns earlier claims that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-theropod-dinosaurs-thrived-in-polar-environments/">theropods</a> lacked a bird-like pisiform and raises the possibility that the path to powered flight was, as the authors put it, “all in the wrist.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-wrist-bone-on-the-move">Dinosaur wrist bone on the move</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earliest-modern-bird-lived-in-antarctica-69-million-years-ago/">Modern birds</a> fold their wings automatically when the elbow bends. The hinge works because a tiny carpal called the pisiform migrated from the edge of the wrist to replace another bone, the ulnare. 



Its new spot lets a V-shaped notch clamp the hand bones and stop them from popping loose during vigorous flapping.



For years, paleontologists assumed non-avian dinosaurs never made that switch. Napoli’s team tested the dogma by CT-scanning an exquisitely preserved troodontid, a quick, velociraptor-like hunter. They also scanned an oviraptorid, a beaked omnivore with a long neck.



Digital slices peeled away surrounding rock, isolating each pebble-sized carpal in three dimensions. The images showed a bead-like bone tucked where the pisiform sits in modern birds.



“We believe this is the first time a migrated pisiform in a non-bird meat-eating dinosaur has been identified,” Napoli said. 



The discovery pushes the joint’s redesign back to Pennaraptora, a diverse branch of feathered theropods that includes velociraptors, troodontids, and oviraptorosaurs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flight-link-to-wrist-evolution">Flight link to wrist evolution</h2>



“While we currently do not know precisely how many times dinosaurs learned to fly, it is intriguing that experimentation with flight in these creatures appears only after the pisiform migrated into the wrist joint,” Napoli explained.



“Therefore, it is possible this established the automated mechanisms found in current living birds, though we would need to test this hypothesis with more research and analysis of dinosaur wrist bones.”



The scientists argue that the pisiform’s relocation was gradual. Early pennaraptorans still carried a small ulnare. Later species lost that bone entirely as the pisiform enlarged and took over its role.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gradual-wrist-bone-replacement">Gradual wrist bone replacement</h2>



The replacement mirrors other avian traits - hollow bones, enlarged brains, filamentous feathers - that spread outward through theropod evolution before coalescing into true birds.



According to the authors of the study, the findings make clear that the topological and functional replacement of the ulnare by the pisiform occurred much deeper in theropod history than has been previously understood and was a stepwise process.



“Over the past few decades, our knowledge of theropod <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-extinction-theories-are-challenged-by-new-research/">dinosaur</a> anatomy and evolution has increased exponentially, much of it revealing that classically ‘avian’ traits such as thin-walled bones, an enlarged brain, and feathers, all characterize more inclusive groups of theropod dinosaurs," noted the researchers.



"Our results suggest that the construction of the avian wrist is no exception and follows topological patterns laid down by the origin of Pennaraptora.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scans-reveals-hidden-features">Scans reveals hidden features</h2>



Identifying the bone took both luck and technology. The fossils - discovered in Mongolia’s Cretaceous rocks - had escaped crushing, so their wrist bones lay undisturbed. 



Micro-CT resolution below 50 microns allowed the researchers to trace delicate sutures, distinguishing the pisiform’s spoon-like head and its telltale notch. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/dinosaur-wrist-bone_Citipati_flight-evolution_credit-Henry-Sharpe_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/dinosaur-wrist-bone_Citipati_flight-evolution_credit-Henry-Sharpe_1s.webp" alt="This is an illustration of an oviraptorid dinosaur called Citipati. The scene depicts Citipati being startled while resting on a sand dune. The creature raises its arms in a threat display, which reveals its wrists, highlighting the small migrated pisiform carpal (blue X-ray view) bone. Credit: Henry S. Sharpe" class="wp-image-1978020"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This is an illustration of an oviraptorid dinosaur called Citipati. The scene depicts Citipati being startled while resting on a sand dune. The creature raises its arms in a threat display, which reveals its wrists, highlighting the small migrated pisiform carpal (blue X-ray view) bone. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Henry S. Sharpe</figcaption></figure>



Without such scans, the structure would look like one of several nubs commonly lumped together as generic carpals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wrist-bone-shaped-evolution">Wrist bone shaped evolution</h2>



Flight appears to have evolved at least twice within Pennaraptora and perhaps as many as five times. If the pisiform swap predates those experiments, it may have primed the limb for aerial feats in separate lineages. 



That echoes convergent “upgrades” seen in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pterosaurs-mastered-land-before-dominating-the-sky/">pterosaurs</a>, bats, and birds, where wrist and shoulder tweaks unleash new kinematic possibilities.



The finding also casts fresh light on grounded relatives like Velociraptor. Though too heavy to fly, such animals wielded feathered arms for display, brooding, or balance.



A bird-style pisiform would have let them tuck and unfurl their limbs with mechanical efficiency. This hints that the crouched, wing-guarding pose seen in some fossil nests used the same automatic folding action modern roosters employ.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-fossil-finds">Future fossil finds</h2>



Future work will scan additional fossils to see exactly when the pisiform first slid into place. The researchers want to investigate whether the move coincided with feather lengthening or muscle shifts.



They also hope to model forces across the joint to test how much stability the new bone adds during flapping or mantling motions.



For now, the lesson is clear: tiny parts can steer colossal evolutionary leaps. A marble-sized bone drifting a few millimeters may have set the stage for the skies to fill with beating wings. It began inside dinosaur wrists millions of years before the first true birds appeared.



Image credit: Henry Sharpe



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09232-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Flight may have started with a tiny wrist bone from a dinosaur called "Citipati"

New scans of two small predatory dinosaurs reveal a pea-sized...

Humans have limited regenerative abilities compared to some animals. Once sensory hair cells in the inner ear are damaged, hearing and balance often decline for good. Meanwhile, animals like fish, frogs, and chicks use gene-driven repair to easily renew these cells.



Scientists at the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> have discovered how two genes guide this regeneration in zebrafish. This research may shape future work on hearing loss in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-genetic-mutation-dramatically-increases-the-risk-of-dementia-in-men/">humans</a>.



“Mammals such as ourselves cannot regenerate hair cells in the inner ear,” said study co-author Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski. “As we age or are subjected to prolonged noise exposure, we lose our hearing and balance.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-genes-and-hearing-cells">Fish genes and hearing cells </h2>



The study was designed to investigate how zebrafish control cell division during hair cell regeneration. The team, led by Dr. Mark Lush, found two genes that regulate how two support <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gene-regulation-controlling-cells-to-improve-medical-treatments/">cell</a> types divide.



The researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing and lineage tracing to uncover gene activity patterns. This helped them see which genes were responsible for maintaining stem cells and triggering regeneration.



“During normal tissue maintenance and regeneration, cells need to proliferate to replace the cells that are dying or being shed - however, this only works if there are existing cells that can divide to replace them,” said Piotrowski.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-zebrafish-offer-rare-insight">Why zebrafish offer rare insight</h2>



Zebrafish have sensory structures called neuromasts, which contain hair <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-dna-reveals-37000-years-of-hidden-human-infections/">cells</a> resembling those in the human inner ear. These neuromasts are distributed in a line from head to tail and help detect water motion.



Because zebrafish larvae are transparent, scientists can observe their cells directly. The team studied how hair cells regrow using imaging, gene editing, and molecular tracing.



“We can manipulate genes and test which ones are important for regeneration,” said Piotrowski. “By understanding how these cells regenerate in zebrafish, we hope to identify why similar regeneration does not occur in mammals and whether it might be possible to encourage this process in the future.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-genes-control-hearing-cell-repair">Two genes control hearing cell repair</h2>



Within neuromasts, two groups of support cells drive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drugs-may-be-available-to-prevent-hearing-loss/">regeneration</a>. Stem cells lie at the edges, while progenitor cells are in the center. The research team discovered two cyclinD genes, each linked to only one cell group.



“When we rendered one of these genes non-functional, only one population stopped dividing,” said Piotrowski. 



“This finding shows that different groups of cells within an organ can be controlled separately, which may help scientists understand cell growth in other tissues, such as the intestine or blood.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncoupling-division-and-differentiation">Uncoupling division and differentiation</h2>



When the progenitor-specific gene was removed, those cells stopped dividing but still turned into hair cells. This meant cell division wasn’t always needed for differentiation. When the stem-cell gene was added to progenitors, their division restarted.



The ability to separate growth from differentiation could have broad biological implications.



The&nbsp;study&nbsp;illustrates this gene-switching in detail, using labeled cell populations and fluorescent markers to track regeneration.



"Our findings have important implications for the understanding of how proliferation of symmetrically dividing stem and progenitor cells is controlled during homeostasis and disease," wrote the researchers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-genes-may-help-human-hearing">Fish genes may help human hearing</h2>



Dr. David Raible, a professor at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a>, highlighted the significance of the research. 



“This work illuminates an elegant mechanism for maintaining neuromast stem cells while promoting hair cell regeneration. It may help us investigate whether similar processes exist or could be activated in mammals," said Dr. Raible.



CyclinD genes also affect many human tissues, such as the gut, brain, skin, and blood. The findings in zebrafish may offer clues for regenerative therapies beyond hearing.



“Insights from zebrafish hair cell regeneration could eventually inform research on other organs and tissues, both those that naturally regenerate and those that do not,” said Piotrowski.



The study received funding from the <a href="https://www.nih.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NIH</a>, the <a href="https://hearinghealthfoundation.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hearing Health Foundation</a>, and the Stowers Institute. The findings reflect the authors' views and not necessarily those of the NIH.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60251-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Fish genes offer clues to reversing human hearing loss

Humans have limited regenerative abilities compared to some animals. Once...

Butterflies are slipping away from the British countryside. Yet hope may lie in some of its most familiar sights: thorny hedges, pocket-sized woods, even a single oak in the middle of a field.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> and <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/">Butterfly Conservation</a> shows that these modest features can lift <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/butterflies-can-adapt-quickly-but-evolution-has-its-limits/">butterfly</a> numbers in ordinary farmland.



This gives species such as the Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown a fighting chance just as national counts have hit historic lows.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-ten-year-countryside-snapshot">A ten-year countryside snapshot</h2>



The research team mined ten years of records from the <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/our-work/recording-and-monitoring/wider-countryside-butterfly-survey">Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey</a>, in which volunteers stroll one-kilometer routes around farmland and record every butterfly they see.



Altogether, they analyzed more than a thousand routes scattered across England. They then matched each one to habitat maps that reach three kilometers in every direction.



Wherever hedgerows, groves, or field trees took up more space on that map, the counts rose. The pattern was clearest in arable regions where otherwise tidy fields leave few wild corners.



Dr. Ruth Feber, lead author of the study, pointed out numbers told only part of the story. 



“As well as demonstrating the importance of trees and hedgerows for biodiversity on farmland, our results also highlighted the relatively lower numbers of butterflies on intensively managed grassland compared to arable land," said Dr. Feber.



Those silage pastures, cut and fertilized for maximum yield, now cover more than a quarter of the country. Even small changes in how they are managed could tip the scales for wildlife.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farmers-want-to-help-and-need-support">Farmers want to help, and need support</h2>



The scientists also spoke with 31 farmers who manage land near the survey squares. Most recognized the upside of hedges and shade trees - from sheltering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/livestock-grazing-is-changing-soil-plants-and-insect-populations/">livestock</a> to soaking up floodwater.



But nearly expressed concern about the cost and commitment of planting, trimming, and replacing them. That tension sits at the heart of the study.



“It is clear that farmers recognize the importance of these crucial habitats," noted Dr. Feber. "But they need to be supported. We need to recognize that these trees and hedgerows provide public goods which benefit <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/un-report-disturbing-details-about-the-state-of-earths-wildlife/">wildlife</a> and people."



She noted that agri-environment payments must stretch beyond basic prescriptions and cover the true expense of keeping woody features healthy for decades. Otherwise, good intentions can wither the moment grain prices tighten.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farmland-hedges-are-butterfly-highways">Farmland hedges are butterfly highways</h2>



Hedges do more than mark a boundary. Their tangled branches serve as food plants for caterpillars and provide adult butterflies with a buffet of nectar. Thick growth breaks the wind, allowing butterflies to warm up and fly on cooler days. 



Above all, lines of woody cover act as green corridors, guiding insects from one flower-rich patch to another so that no colony becomes isolated.



That highway network is exactly what common butterflies need right now. Fresh figures show that 2024 ranks among the worst years on record. For the first time, more than half of U.K. species have slipped into long-term decline.



“We know that butterflies are in desperate trouble, including our common countryside species. Butterflies are important indicators of wider biodiversity, so actions that help butterflies will also help other declining wildlife,” said Dr. Feber.



“With 70 percent of the U.K.'s land area being farmland, our farmers and landowners play a vital role in helping these species recover, through protecting and restoring hedgerows and trees.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farming-with-butterflies-in-mind">Farming with butterflies in mind</h2>



Dr. Feber’s group is already probing one promising route. At Northfield Farm near Oxford, cattle are moved daily in a “mob grazing” system that leaves each paddock to regrow for weeks.



“My current project is investigating regenerative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/feeding-the-world-without-harming-nature-the-complex-balance-of-farming/">farming</a>, which uses livestock grazing and other practices to help promote soil health and increase soil carbon,” said Dr. Feber. 



“This is receiving increasing attention as an approach to grassland management that might contribute to tackling some <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-and-agriculture-are-locked-in-a-destructive-feedback-loop/">climate impacts of agriculture</a>."



Dr. Feber added that more research is needed on how this may impact biodiversity, particularly above-ground invertebrate groups, such as butterflies, moths, and other pollinators.



Early surveys will track whether butterflies bounce back when lush grass is replaced by more varied, flower-rich swards.



“In this system, areas of land are grazed for a short period of time before the cattle are moved on and the pasture allowed to recover,” Dr. Feber said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-butterflies-need-better-farmland">Butterflies need better farmland</h2>



The study’s message is disarmingly simple: keep - or better yet, expand - the scruffy, butterfly-friendly edges of Britain’s farmlands. A single thorn hedge or an untidy willow clump can be enough to connect the dots for butterflies.



For farmers, the next step is clear financial backing that rewards the effort year after year. For policymakers, it means seeing hedges and field trees as green infrastructure every bit as vital as roads and drains.



Butterflies respond quickly; give them corridors and they will return. The countryside may look pared to the bone, but its recovery could begin with nothing fancier than a line of hawthorn left to bloom or a young oak allowed to stand. Recognizing that these small gestures stitch life back into the land is the first step.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2688-8319.70042">Ecological Solutions and Evidence</a>.



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Simple farmland features can reverse butterfly declines

Butterflies are slipping away from the British countryside. Yet hope...

In 1960, a young woman walked into the forests of Gombe with a notebook and binoculars. Jane Goodall didn’t have formal scientific training, but she had a question: what are chimpanzees really like? Her observations would change science forever. 



On July 14 of that year, Goodall saw her first chimp using a stick to fish for termites. Until then, tool use was considered uniquely human. Today, we remember that moment with World Chimpanzee Day.



But this day is not just about honoring Jane’s legacy. It’s about recognizing who chimpanzees are and why they matter. They’re not just fascinating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-curiosity-starts-young-and-helps-us-survive/">animals</a>. They are our closest living relatives, and they need our help.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-day-to-focus-on-chimpanzees">A day to focus on chimpanzees </h2>



Chimpanzees don’t just live in the wild. They live full, emotional lives. They use tools, share food, form friendships, and sometimes even hold hands. 



In some places, chimps use leaves like sponges. In others, they sharpen sticks to hunt. Every <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-select-the-best-materials-for-termite-fishing/">group</a> has its own habits and culture, passed down through generations.



Chimpanzees care for their young for years. They play, tease, and comfort each other. And when a chimp dies, others mourn. One mother carried her infant’s body for days, unable to let go. 



These aren’t instincts on repeat. These are actions driven by memory, emotion, and thought. The more we watch chimps, the more familiar they feel.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-threats-to-chimpanzees">Threats to chimpanzees </h2>



Despite all this richness, chimpanzees are vanishing. Habitat loss is their biggest enemy. Forests are cleared for farming, roads, and mining. As the trees fall, so do the homes and feeding grounds of chimpanzees. 



Illegal hunting also takes a toll. Some chimps are killed for bushmeat. Others are captured and sold as pets or performers.



Diseases passed from humans spread quickly among <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-chimpanzee-mothers-raise-babies-more-successfully/">chimps</a>. Unlike us, they don’t have the immunity to fight back. What feels like a harmless cold to a human can be deadly for them. 



Climate change adds pressure too, shrinking food sources and drying up water. Fewer than 200,000 wild chimpanzees remain, and that number is dropping fast.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jane-goodall-changed-everything">Jane Goodall changed everything</h2>



<a href="https://janegoodall.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jane Goodall</a> broke the rules of science. She named chimps instead of numbering them. She saw personalities, not data points. There was David Greybeard, the first chimp she saw using a tool. There was Flo, a strong mother, and Flint, her emotional son. 



Goodall didn’t just watch - she listened, and that made all the difference. Her compassionate approach lives on through the Jane Goodall Institute and conservation efforts around the world. 



These programs safeguard forests, support education, and empower future generations. Her legacy proves the power of one person who chooses to truly care.



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



You don’t have to be a scientist to make a difference. Start small - learn something new about chimpanzees. Watch a documentary, share a story, or tell a child that chimps laugh and grieve just like we do. The more we understand them, the harder it becomes to ignore their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-copy-strange-useless-trends-just-like-humans-do/">struggles</a>.



Supporting trusted conservation groups can help protect wild habitats. Speaking out against wildlife trade and unethical animal shows can also help. 



Even simple choices, like avoiding unsustainable palm oil, can reduce pressure on forests. Every action matters, no matter how small it seems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-safe-places-new-beginnings">Safe places, new beginnings</h2>



Across Africa, sanctuaries now give rescued chimpanzees a second chance. In Uganda, Ngamba Island houses chimps rescued from illegal trade. 



In Liberia, hundreds of chimps once used in medical research now roam protected river islands. These places do more than provide safety. They offer peace, freedom, and healing.



Many of these chimpanzees arrive fearful and malnourished. With time, they climb again. They play again. They trust again. Sanctuaries remind us that healing is possible - not just for animals, but for the people who help them too.



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



World Chimpanzee Day isn’t just a date on the calendar. It’s a moment to stop and remember that chimpanzees are still here - but they’re in danger. 



If we let them disappear, we lose more than animals. We lose their stories, their intelligence, and a part of our own history.



Chimpanzees are more than a species in decline - they’re a reflection of who we are and what we choose to value. World Chimpanzee Day isn’t about sympathy; it’s about connection, respect, and a promise to protect a future we still share.



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World Chimpanzee Day 2025: Protecting our closest relatives

In 1960, a young woman walked into the forests of...

For decades, reptiles - including tortoises - have lingered in the background of animal sentience discussions. Popular imagination often casts them as simple, instinct-driven beings - unfeeling and unaware. 



Unlike mammals and birds, they rarely show overt emotion, leading many to dismiss the idea that reptiles might feel in complex ways. 



But a new study from the <a href="https://www.lincoln.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Lincoln</a> has disrupted that belief, offering compelling evidence that red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonaria) can experience long-term mood states.



Published in the journal Animal Cognition, the study reveals that tortoises can show optimism and pessimism depending on their environment. These emotional states then shapes their response to the world around them.



The implications are profound. If tortoises can feel mood shifts similar to mammals and birds, we must rethink how they are treated in captivity and reconsider their place in the story of animal consciousness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-moods-mean-in-animals">What moods mean in animals</h2>



Mood and emotion are not the same. Emotions are short-lived responses to immediate situations, like fear when chased or joy at finding food. Moods, on the other hand, linger. 



They form a kind of emotional background noise, influencing how an animal perceives new experiences. Scientists call these “free-floating” states, unattached to specific triggers but powerful in shaping behavior.



In humans and other mammals, we have tested mood using cognitive bias tasks. These tests explore how an individual interprets ambiguous situations. 



Someone in a good mood will expect a positive outcome, while someone in a bad mood will expect the worst. Until now, no study had used this method on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/turtles-may-hold-the-secret-to-cancer-prevention/">reptiles</a>.



That gap has finally been closed. Researchers at Lincoln tested 15 red-footed tortoises to determine if they could exhibit mood-driven bias. Their approach was clear and controlled, building on established methods from mammal studies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tortoises-respond-to-uncertainty">Tortoises respond to uncertainty</h2>



Each <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/turtle-heads-reveal-an-ancient-reptilian-secret/">tortoise</a> was trained in a simple spatial judgment task. A bowl placed in one spot always contained a food reward (rocket leaves). 



The same bowl, placed elsewhere, never had food. Once trained, tortoises were presented with the bowl at three new, in-between locations: one near the positive spot, one in the middle, and one near the negative.



How quickly a tortoise approached the bowl at each of these ambiguous points showed its expectation. Quick approach meant optimism. Hesitation meant doubt or pessimism. 



Every trial was carefully timed, filmed, and structured to avoid smell-based cues or random behavior. The test was fair.



Interestingly, the tortoises judged the near-positive and middle spots more optimistically. They moved faster toward these bowls, showing an “optimistic skew” similar to that seen in mammals and birds. This alone is a strong sign of mood in action. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anxiety-measured-in-action">Anxiety measured in action</h2>



To confirm that mood shaped behavior beyond just one task, the tortoises were also subjected to two classic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-do-fear-and-anxiety-reside-in-the-brain-new-cells-identified/">anxiety</a> tests: the novel object test and the novel environment test. 



These are used widely in animal cognition to assess emotional reactions to unfamiliar situations.



In the novel object test, each tortoise encountered an unusual item, a colorful bead coaster, inside a familiar arena. 



The researchers recorded how long it took the tortoise to approach the object, how far it extended its head, and how quickly it began to move. Confident, relaxed tortoises moved sooner and extended their heads farther.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tortoise-mood-affects-behavior">Tortoise mood affects behavior </h2>



The novel environment test changed the tortoises’ surroundings. Different textures, colors, and patterns created a new sensory world. 



Again, tortoises were watched for how they responded to unfamiliarity. The researchers noted that tortoises who showed optimistic bias in the earlier task also behaved with more confidence in these settings.



For example, tortoises that approached ambiguous bowls faster also reached new objects more quickly. 



Some even extended their heads farther in strange environments, indicating comfort and curiosity. These behavioral links show a deep connection between mood and action.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-reptile-feelings">Rethinking reptile feelings</h2>



The authors of the study interpret these results as remarkable. The presence of a mood state in a tortoise means that reptiles do not simply react. They evaluate, anticipate, and feel. That changes the ethical landscape.



"Animal welfare concerns are reliant upon evidence that a given <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-turtle-day-protecting-turtles-tortoises-and-their-vanishing-habitats/">species</a> has the capacity to experience affective states," said Anna Wilkinson, a professor of Animal Cognition at the University of Lincoln. 



"With reptiles becoming increasingly common as pets, it is essential for us to study their moods and emotions to try to understand how captivity may impact them."



Professor Oliver Burman noted that the research represents a significant shift in our understanding of what reptiles can experience, with important implications for how we care for these animals in captivity and interact with them in the wild.



The researchers emphasized that these findings align reptiles more closely with mammals and birds in terms of emotional capacity.



While reptiles may lack certain emotional expressions seen in other animals, they still experience shifts in affective state. Their moods impact how they explore, respond, and behave.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tortoise-mood-and-the-roots-of-emotions">Tortoise mood and the roots of emotions</h2>



Reptiles diverged from mammals and birds hundreds of millions of years ago. That makes this discovery even more significant. If a tortoise, members of one of the oldest lineages of land animals, can experience mood, then the evolutionary roots of emotion run deeper than we thought.



The study references earlier research that found reptiles do show some emotional behavior, such as emotional fever and response to enrichment. 



But until now, no one had shown that they could experience long-lasting, mood-like states. These new results argue against the idea that reptiles have a narrow emotional spectrum.



They suggest that affective states, both emotional and mood-based, might be ancient features of vertebrate brains. These are not recent innovations. This insight matters for biology, psychology, and ethics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reptiles-need-more-than-basics">Reptiles need more than basics</h2>



The researchers argue for major changes in how we house and care for reptiles. Current enclosures often focus on physical health and basic habitat needs. 



But if tortoises have moods, then their emotional well-being must also be addressed. That means offering larger enclosures, complex terrain, opportunities for exploration, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-stimulation-could-change-the-future-of-math-education/">mental stimulation</a>.



According to the researchers, we should assume that they are not only capable of suffering but also experiencing enduring positive moods. Captive reptiles deserve spaces that support both.



The research also expands the toolkit for welfare assessments. Behavioral and mood-based testing can help zookeepers, researchers, and pet owners recognize when a reptile like a tortoise is distressed or thriving.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-how-we-see-tortoises">Rethinking how we see tortoises</h2>



For too long, tortoises have been treated as slow-moving curiosities. But this new evidence invites us to see them differently. They can be optimistic, feel anxiety, and might even experience contentment.



This is not just about red-footed tortoises. It is about revising our relationship with all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reptile-ancestors-appeared-40-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought/">reptiles</a>. The cold-blooded no longer seem cold-hearted. They are thinking, feeling beings. And now we have the science to prove it.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-025-01973-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Animal Cognition</a>.



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Grumpy tortoise? Reptiles can experience mood swings too

For decades, reptiles - including tortoises - have lingered in...

Sharks have survived five mass extinctions and ruled the oceans for over 400 million years. As apex predators, they play a critical role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.&nbsp;But today, sharks are more threatened than ever. 



On Shark Awareness Day, we highlight the science behind their importance. Without sharks, ocean ecosystems would become unbalanced, leading to overpopulation of some species and the collapse of others.



This disruption would harm the overall health of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-climate-fixes-could-worsen-the-oxygen-crisis/">ocean</a>, ultimately affecting food security and coastal economies.



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



A <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/top-predator-missing-what-happens-when-great-white-sharks-disappear/#google_vignette">long-term study</a> conducted in False Bay, South Africa, offers a real-world example of what happens when sharks disappear from an ecosystem.



The researchers found that by mid‑2018, great white sharks had vanished from the region. This led to dramatic shifts throughout the ecosystem.&nbsp;



With the disappearance of great whites, Cape fur seal and sevengill shark populations surged, while their prey - smaller fish and bottom-dwelling shark species - declined sharply.&nbsp;



The findings provide real-world evidence of a “trophic cascade,” where the loss of a top predator triggers a ripple effect through lower levels of the food web.



The researchers suggest that the sharks may have disappeared due to several potential causes, including targeted attacks by orcas - which have been observed killing and eating great white livers.&nbsp;



The study demonstrates the importance of apex predators in maintaining ocean health. The research highlights how their loss can destabilize marine webs and reduce biodiversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-declining-shark-populations-nbsp">Declining shark populations&nbsp;</h2>



According to a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/overfishing-has-caused-a-50-decline-in-sharks-and-rays/">study</a> led by researchers from Simon Fraser University, over half of all sharks and rays have disappeared globally since 1970 - with overfishing identified as the primary cause.&nbsp;



Sharks and rays, serving as critical predators and sediment stirrers, help maintain food webs and nutrient flows. The report revealed that around one-third of shark and ray species now face extinction. 



However, there is cause for hope: countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the US, parts of Europe, and South Africa have implemented science-based fishing limits, reduced bycatch, and protected critical habitats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-endangered-shark-species-nbsp">Endangered shark species&nbsp;</h2>



Among the most threatened are the great <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-some-great-hammerhead-sharks-rarely-leave-home/">hammerhead</a> and the scalloped hammerhead sharks - both of which have seen dramatic population declines worldwide.&nbsp;



These species are particularly vulnerable because they grow slowly and reproduce rarely, making it hard for their populations to bounce back once they decline.



The oceanic whitetip shark, once abundant across tropical and subtropical waters, has suffered steep losses from bycatch and targeted fishing - pushing it toward critical endangerment.&nbsp;



Many deep-sea sharks, like the bluntnose sixgill and the gulper shark, are also threatened due to slow reproduction rates combined with increased fishing pressures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-campaigns-around-the-world">Campaigns around the world</h2>



Around the world, numerous campaigns and organizations are dedicated to protecting sharks and raising awareness about their critical role in ocean ecosystems.&nbsp;



One of the most widely recognized efforts is <a href="https://www.discovery.com/shark-week/shark-week-2025-kicks-off-july-20">Shark Week</a>, a series on the Discovery Channel that draws millions of viewers each summer. Through documentaries and expert interviews, the series highlights both the awe-inspiring nature of sharks and the threats they face from human activity.



<a href="https://iucn.org/our-union/members/iucn-members/project-aware-foundation">Project AWARE</a> mobilizes scuba divers globally to advocate for shark conservation by pushing for bans on shark finning and the creation of marine protected areas.&nbsp;



On a larger scale, coalitions like the <a href="https://www.globalsharkmovement.org/">Global Shark Movement Project</a> work to influence policy and fisheries management worldwide.



The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) <a href="https://www.iucnssg.org/">Shark Specialist Group</a> also plays a vital role by assessing species status and guiding conservation strategies globally.&nbsp;



Together, these campaigns combine public education, advocacy, and policy efforts to reduce shark deaths and support healthier oceans for future generations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-celebrate-shark-awareness-day-nbsp">Celebrate Shark Awareness Day&nbsp;</h2>



Shark Awareness Day highlights the urgent need for stronger protections and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sustainable-fishing-must-be-redefined-to-halt-ocean-destruction/">sustainable fishing practices</a> to prevent the irreversible loss of these vital ocean predators.



Today, people around the world are encouraged to learn about sharks and the threats they face from human activities. We are also encouraged to take action by choosing sustainable seafood and speaking up for better laws to protect sharks.&nbsp;



Shark Awareness Day helps build a stronger global community committed to conservation efforts. Ultimately, protecting sharks is about protecting the entire ocean system - and a planet that depends on it.



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Shark Awareness Day: Protecting the balance of the ocean 

Sharks have survived five mass extinctions and ruled the oceans...

What started as a student field trip along the cliffs of Dorset turned into the discovery of a new prehistoric species. A 16.5-millimeter lower jaw, embedded in rock near Swanage, is now reshaping how scientists view early mammal evolution.



The discovery was made by an undergraduate student from the <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/">University of Portsmouth</a>. The fossil belongs to a type of extinct mammal called a multituberculate. 



These small, rodent-like creatures once lived alongside <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-did-dinosaurs-come-from-missing-fossils-hold-the-secret/">dinosaurs</a> and were known for their distinctively complex teeth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-curious-jaw-a-surprising-species">A curious jaw, a surprising species</h2>



The fossil was uncovered at Durlston Bay, a site famous for its rich geological layers. It’s the first multituberculate jaw found there since the 1800s. 



Though it looks a bit like a rabbit's jaw at first glance, the structure of the teeth tells a different story. A sharp incisor juts out at the front, followed by a gap, and then four blade-like premolars.



“I instantly had my suspicions of what the jaw was when I found it at the beach, but couldn’t have imagined where the discovery would take me,” said Ben Weston,&nbsp;an undergraduate paleontology student.



“I’m extremely grateful to the team and to the university for helping me take my first steps into academic paleontology.”



Researchers at the University of Portsmouth confirmed that the fossil is from a species that had never been identified before.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-technology-brings-the-fossil-to-life">Technology brings the fossil to life</h2>



The fossil wasn’t easy to examine. Rock still clung to key parts of the specimen. To get around this, the team turned to high-resolution <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gordonia-traquairi-pig-like-creature-discovered-roamed-earth-250-million-years-ago/">CT scanning</a>. 



Dr. Charles Wood, a senior scientific officer at the university, scanned the fossil, allowing scientists to see inside the rock without damaging the sample.



Jake Keane, a former Portsmouth paleontology student now working in Abu Dhabi, helped process the scans. In just a few hours, he digitally removed the surrounding rock and isolated the teeth in fine detail.



The scans were then turned into 3D-printed models by John Fearnly, lead technician in the university’s Faculty of Technology. These models were ten times larger than the original, making it safer and easier to study the fossil in depth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-mammal-gets-a-name">New mammal gets a name</h2>



The team named the new species Novaculadon mirabilis. “Novacula” means razor, a nod to its sharp back teeth. “Mirabilis” refers to the jaw’s almost perfect preservation.



Portsmouth student Hamzah Imran created an artistic rendering of the animal. It’s imagined as a small, furry creature with a mix of spots and stripes - though its actual appearance remains speculative.



Based on its teeth, Novaculadon mirabilis likely ate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/very-little-is-known-about-99-of-all-insects-on-earth/">insects</a> and other small <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-noise-can-be-fatal-to-marine-invertebrates/">invertebrates</a>. Its slicing premolars and pointed incisors set it apart from modern rodents like rats or squirrels.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-hotspot-for-new-mammal-species">A hotspot for new mammal species</h2>



This isn't the first time a student has made a big find in the same area. In 2017, another Portsmouth undergraduate, Grant Smith, discovered fossils of two new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-mammals-live-depends-more-on-climate-than-human-activities/">mammal</a> species thought to be among humanity’s earliest relatives.



Dr. Steve Sweetman, a researcher at the University of Portsmouth, also worked on this new discovery. 



“This is a remarkable find that reminds me of when Grant found those extraordinary eutherian mammal teeth," said Dr. Sweetman.



"When I first saw Grant's specimens, my jaw dropped - and I had exactly the same reaction to Ben's multituberculate jaw. It's incredible that Durlston Bay keeps delivering such significant mammal discoveries by our undergraduate students.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolution-insights-from-tiny-jaw">Evolution insights from tiny jaw </h2>



Beyond the scientific importance, the discovery highlights the value of collaborative research. 



“Looking back now that the discovery has been published, I am amazed at how many people it took to describe this little mammal," said Professor David Martill.



"I especially appreciated that all team members were University staff or present and former students - a true team effort including academics, technicians, alumni, and students with diverse talents across three departments.” 



The fossil helps researchers better understand how early mammals survived during the age of dinosaurs. While multituberculates lived through the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-was-the-cause-of-earths-largest-mass-extinction/">mass extinction</a> that wiped out dinosaurs, they eventually died out during the Oligocene, around 33 million years ago.



With over 200 known species, multituberculates were the most diverse group of mammals in the Mesozoic era. They filled many ecological roles - some burrowed, others climbed trees. This new discovery adds to what we know about their evolution and survival.



And it serves as a reminder that major scientific contributions can come from anyone - even a 22-year-old student on a windy beach in Dorset.



Image Credit: Hamzah Imran



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2025.101128">Proceedings of the Geologists Association</a>.



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Tiny fossil, big discovery: Student uncovers a lost mammal species

What started as a student field trip along the cliffs...

Diseño sin título - 1

A beautiful turquoise‑and‑lilac sea creature that has been kept in hobbyist aquariums around the world for nearly two decades has finally been given a scientific species name. 



The modest crustacean hiding in plain sight turns out to be Cherax pulverulentus, an entirely new crayfish species no biologist had cataloged until now.



<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jiri-Patoka" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jiří Patoka</a> of the <a href="https://www.czechuniversities.com/catalogue-of-universities/czech-university-of-life-sciences-prague" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Czech University of Life Sciences Prague</a> and an international team realized the oversight while inspecting a shipment of Indonesian pets in 2023. 



Their detective work now ends years of speculation about the animal’s identity in the scientific community worldwide.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meet-cherax-pulverulentus">Meet Cherax pulverulentus</h2>



Ever since the early 2000s, importers have marketed the animal under nicknames such as “Blue Moon” and “Hoa Creek,” labels that lumped several look‑alike <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-may-have-three-million-undiscovered-animal-species/">species</a> together. 



Dealers moved thousands of specimens across Europe, the United States, Japan, and Indonesia, yet museum drawers remained empty of an official voucher specimen.



Collectors recognized the flashy colors, but the mix of hues muddied any attempt to match the pet to known taxa. Without an authoritative description, conservation agencies could not track exports or assess wild harvest pressure.



Field notes hinted that the mystery crayfish came from forested headwaters near Ayamaru Lake in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of western New Guinea. 



Border checkpoints rarely scrutinized small ornamental shipments, allowing animals to flow from creeks to storefronts without paperwork.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cherax-pulverulentus-has-two-forms">Cherax pulverulentus has two forms</h2>



The research team reports that purple‑form individuals sport turquoise bodies dusted with violet specks. Their joints and tail fans fade to a chalky white, producing an almost pastel appearance that appeals to aquarists.



Blue‑form animals replace those lilac freckles with a deep navy background that drifts toward black around the claws. 



Bright orange stripes frame the abdomen and legs, giving the crayfish a stark, two‑tone look unique within the genus.



Patoka and colleagues chose the species epithet pulverulentus, Latin for “covered with dust,” to capture these pinpoint spots. 



The name, Cherax pulverulentus, cements the animal’s singular identity and separates it from <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcb/article-abstract/35/6/830/2547908" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cherax pulcher</a>, a close relative described in 2015.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-detective-work-in-the-lab">Detective work in the lab</h2>



Traditional morphometrics ranked claw shape, eye size, and rostrum length against 38 allied species. DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial COI gene then revealed at least 2 percent divergence from every known member of the genus.



“This <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saving-biodiversity-scientists-discover-hidden-pattern-guiding-species-distributions/">species</a> has been exploited in the ornamental aquarium trade at least for 21 years,” wrote Patoka in the report. That long tenure outside science underscores how commercial networks can outpace taxonomy.



A second line of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387844505_Cherax_pulverulentus_a_new_freshwater_crayfish_Decapoda_Parastacidae_from_Southwest_Papua_Province_Indonesia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence</a> came from nuclear 28S sequences that grouped Cherax pulverulentus as a sister lineage to C. pulcher, yet still distinct enough to rule out color morph status. 



The dual approach gives regulators a clear diagnostic toolkit should confiscated shipments require forensic identification.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-guinea-streams-to-aquariums">New Guinea streams to aquariums</h2>



In the wild, the dusty crayfish digs shallow burrows into sandy streambeds shaded by rainforest canopy. Water temperatures hover near 75°F, oxygen levels stay high, and leaf litter offers both shelter and food.



The <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/new_guinea_forests/conservation_new_guinea_forests/sites_new_guinea_forests/papua_new_guinea_bird_head_peninsula/">Bird’s Head Peninsula</a> ranks as a biodiversity hotspot, yet many of its tributaries remain unsampled by crustacean specialists. 



Local fishers collect juveniles during the dry season when water levels drop, a practice that feeds the export pipeline but leaves population trends unknown.



Little is published on the crayfish’s diet, growth rate, or breeding season. Patoka’s team calls for ecological studies that could inform sustainable quotas before demand removes more animals than nature can replace.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dumping-cherax-pulverulentus">Dumping Cherax pulverulentus</h2>



During the survey, one dusty crayfish turned up in a thermal spring near Budapest, Hungary, evidence that at least one aquarist released an unwanted pet. 



Similar introductions have seeded invasive populations of marbled crayfish and signal crayfish across Europe.



Non‑native crustaceans often carry the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci, the agent of crayfish plague, a disease lethal to indigenous European stocks. Even a handful of carriers can trigger a cascade that empties streams of native fauna.



Thermal refuges give tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-3500-animal-species-are-directly-threatened-by-climate-change/">species</a> a foothold in colder climates. Once established, escapees outcompete local detritivores, alter nutrient cycling, and nibble on amphibian eggs, multiplying their ecological footprint.



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



Legal frameworks that govern wildlife trade, such as <a href="https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php">CITES</a>, depend on precise species lists. 



An unnamed organism cannot be added to an appendix, leaving customs officials powerless to intercept over‑harvested cargo.



Taxonomic clarity also guides aquaculture biosecurity. Without diagnostic characters, hatchery operators may unknowingly mix species, breeding hybrids that compromise genetic integrity in the source range.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-for-cherax-pulverulentus">What's next for Cherax pulverulentus?</h2>



Patoka’s group urges Indonesian authorities to map the crayfish’s distribution and to monitor harvest volumes. 



Citizen scientists photographing stream fauna with location tags could accelerate the search for hidden colonies.



Aquarists can help by buying captive‑bred stock, quarantining new arrivals, and never releasing pets into local waterways. 



Responsible hobby practice will allow enthusiasts to enjoy the dusty crayfish’s colors without endangering ecosystems.



The study is published in <a href="https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5566.3.4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zootaxa</a>.



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Colorful aquarium creature turns out to be a new species never catalogued by scientists

A beautiful turquoise‑and‑lilac sea creature that has been kept in...

Four tiny predators were hiding in South Korea’s limestone and lava caves, waiting for the right flashlight beam to catch their gleaming, pincer‑like jaws. These pale, eyeless pseudoscorpions - nicknamed “dragon pseudoscorpions” for their fierce-looking claws - had remained invisible to science until recently.



<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=do5tcEAAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Ki-Hoon Jeong</a> of the <a href="https://www.nibr.go.kr/">National Institute of Biological Resources</a> and his colleagues, who made the discovery, say the creatures spend their entire lives in complete darkness - which explains their ghostly lack of color and total blindness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-caves-hide-rare-life">Caves hide rare life</h2>



Researchers have identified more than 1,000 caves across South Korea, yet many remain biologically uncharted. Caves form inside <a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/karst-landscapes.htm">karst landscapes</a>, where acidic water dissolves limestone, creating isolated pockets that act like evolutionary islands for small creatures.



The perpetual night drives what biologists call <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3639761/">troglomorphic change</a>, most often the loss of eyes and pigment together with elongated limbs and sensory hairs. 



Because each cave system isolates itself from its neighbors, animals that stumble inside can quickly diverge, creating swarms of localized species that go unnoticed by science - unless someone rappels in



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dragon-jaws-and-vacant-eyes">Dragon jaws and vacant eyes</h2>



Jeong’s team named them Spelaeochthonius dugigulensis, S. geumgulensis, S. magwihalmigulensis, and S. yamigulensis. The adults are only about 0.08 inches long, but their chelicerae spread wide like grappling hooks.



“All species are strongly cave‑adapted and known from a single cave or karst system only,” wrote the authors. 



The pseudoscorpions wield venom‑tipped pedipalps that snap shut on springtails and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-mites-survived-without-sex-for-millions-of-years/">mites</a>, yet they lack the sting and tail that give true scorpions their reputation.



Worldwide, the order <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/1/25">Pseudoscorpiones</a> already boasts more than 3,300 described species, with dozens added every year.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genes-confirm-the-newcomers">Genes confirm the newcomers</h2>



Field collections supplied just a handful of specimens, sometimes only one, but that was enough for DNA work. The researchers sequenced the <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1691236/">mitochondrial COI barcode</a>, a 650‑base snippet widely used for species delimitation.



In arthropods, a 10 percent COI gap usually separates good species boundaries. The four Korean lineages showed between 13.7 and 19.8 percent divergence, easily clearing that bar. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pseudoscorpions_Spelaeochthonius-dugigulensis_new-species_images_credit-Jeong_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pseudoscorpions_Spelaeochthonius-dugigulensis_new-species_images_credit-Jeong_1s.webp" alt="Habitus of Spelaeochthonius dugigulensis sp. nov. A. Holotype male, dorsal view; B. Holotype male, ventral view; C. Paratype female, dorsal view; D. Paratype female, ventral view. Scale bar: 1 mm. Credit: Jeong et al." class="wp-image-1977845"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Habitus of Spelaeochthonius dugigulensis sp. nov. A. Holotype male, dorsal view; B. Holotype male, ventral view; C. Paratype female, dorsal view; D. Paratype female, ventral view. Scale bar: 1 mm. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Jeong et al.</figcaption></figure>



Even the closest pair differed by 6.8 percent, still above the in‑house variation of less than 0.6 percent reported for single populations.



These genetic splits mirror geography: each species occupies one cave, separated from its nearest relative by scores of rocky ridges and dry valleys, natural walls that arthropods the size of sesame seeds rarely cross.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-endemic-treasures-under-threat">Endemic treasures under threat</h2>



Blind cave life is fragile. Many Korean caves double as tourist attractions or concrete‑lined storage depots, and runoff can introduce pesticides, sewage, or construction dust.



Karst breakdown already erased one beetle, Coreoblemus parvicollis, which vanished after its only cave flooded behind the Chungju Dam, a cautionary tale cited by local conservationists.



Because the dragon pseudoscorpions live nowhere else, a single blocked entrance or polluted drip could wipe out each entire species. 



Jeong’s group urges formal protection for cave ecosystems before “dark extinction” claims more unseen lineages.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taxonomy-protects-cave-life">Taxonomy protects cave life</h2>



Accurate species identification is more than just naming. It sets the groundwork for conservation laws, biodiversity metrics, and habitat protection. 



Without formal recognition, these pseudoscorpions wouldn’t qualify for endangered listings or land protections, leaving them invisible in policy.



Jeong’s team used both physical features and genetic data to verify each new species. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pseudoscorpions_Spelaeochthonius_new-species_genetic-analysis_credit-Jeong_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pseudoscorpions_Spelaeochthonius_new-species_genetic-analysis_credit-Jeong_1s.webp" alt="Phylogenetic analyses of Spelaeochthonius shed light on species diversity and the biogeographical complexity of this genus. Credit: Jeong et al." class="wp-image-1977847"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Phylogenetic analyses of Spelaeochthonius shed light on species diversity and the biogeographical complexity of this genus. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Jeong et al.</figcaption></figure>



Their work followed standards set by the <a href="https://www.iczn.org/">International Code of Zoological Nomenclature</a> and included digital archiving in <a href="https://zoobank.org/">ZooBank</a> to make the names valid and permanent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-cave-equals-one-species">One cave equals one species</h2>



Each cave system in this study hosted a different pseudoscorpion, and none were found anywhere else. That makes them single‑karst endemics, meaning their entire population lives in one small, isolated location. If a single cave collapses or gets sealed, that species could disappear permanently.



This kind of hyper‑local distribution is common in cave life, especially among small <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cambrian-fossils-reveal-new-clues-about-arthropod-evolution/">arthropods</a> with limited mobility. It also means conservation decisions can’t rely on broad habitat ranges. 



Protecting these pseudoscorpions requires protecting individual caves, each one may be home to a species found nowhere else on Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-finds-lie-underground">Next finds lie underground</h2>



Every cave the team explored held at least one unknown pseudoscorpion, hinting that South Korea’s tally could climb from the current seven cave‑adapted species to dozens once systematic surveys begin.



With next‑generation sequencing now portable and cheap, even a few legs from a hand‑collected specimen can yield full mitochondrial genomes, opening the door to deeper evolutionary studies and faster threat assessments.



The discovery also reminds <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-can-accurately-perceive-biodiversity-through-the-senses/">biodiversity</a> workers that tiny arthropods matter. They patrol fungal films, recycle bat guano, and feed larger cave invertebrates, weaving subterranean food webs every bit as intricate as those above ground. 



Protecting the darkness, therefore, protects an entire hidden branch of the Korean biosphere, one dragon‑jawed pseudoscorpion at a time.



The study is published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0325375">PLOS One</a>.



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'Dragon pseudoscorpions' discovered living in caves have no fangs or eyes

Four tiny predators were hiding in South Korea’s limestone and...

You’ve seen them on shirts, in documentaries, and maybe jumping at a theme park. They look bold and sound fierce. But orcas, also called killer whales, aren’t what the name suggests. They’re smart, social, and loyal. Every year on July 14, we celebrate World Orca Day.



It started in New Zealand. A young orca got stuck in shallow water. Locals worked together to help him return to the sea. That rescue turned into something bigger. Now, people around the world use this day to honor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/orcas-have-hunting-and-eating-habits-that-we-never-imagined/">orcas</a> - not only celebrating their strength but also highlighting the challenges they face.



While some orcas are thriving, many are struggling. They face pollution, food shortages, and in some cases, captivity in tanks. World Orca Day presents an opportunity to learn about the real challenges they endure.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-orcas-live-in-pods-and-pass-on-skills">Orcas live in pods and pass on skills</h2>



Orcas aren’t whales - they’re actually <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-are-killer-whales-struggling-to-survive-in-the-pacific/">dolphins</a> that live in social groups called pods. Every pod has its unique way of communicating. Some feed exclusively on fish, others hunt seals, and a few even pursue sharks. Each group follows its own distinct hunting strategy.



Orcas learn how to hunt from each other. Young ones watch the adults. They copy what they see, and then get better at it. Some pods chase fish into tight balls. Others slide onto beaches to grab seals. These skills don’t come from instinct - they’re passed down like family recipes.



Orcas stick together. Mothers lead, sons often stay for life, and grandmothers play a big role. They know the best places to find food and guide the group with memory and experience. These pods aren’t random groups - they are families.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-awareness-on-world-orca-day">Awareness on World Orca Day </h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prehistoric-marine-reptiles-would-have-eaten-killer-whales-as-snacks/">ocean</a> has gotten louder due to ships, drills, sonar. It’s equal to trying to talk in traffic. Orcas use sound to hunt and stay close. Ocean noise messes that up.



Food is another problem. Some orcas depend on salmon, but in some places, these fish are disappearing. Less food means weaker orcas, affecting moms, calves, and the whole pod.



Pollution adds to the stress. Orcas store fat. When they don’t eat enough, they burn that fat for energy. That’s when stored toxins enter the bloodstream, impacting their health and survival.



Some orca populations are shrinking. They can’t bounce back if the ocean stays loud and empty.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tanks-are-not-healthy-homes">Tanks are not healthy homes</h2>



Captive orcas live in marine parks. They spend years in tanks that are too small and restrictive.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/photographer-captures-killer-whales-wearing-fish-hats/">Orcas</a> kept in tanks often suffer from illness. They may grind their teeth and display unusual behaviors, and they tend to have shorter lifespans than their wild counterparts. 



While some parks continue to feature them in shows, this is more for entertainment than genuine education.



A few places have banned <a href="https://savedolphins.eii.org/campaigns/fow">orca captivity</a>. Others still allow it. World Orca Day reminds people that wild animals belong in the wild. Tanks don’t offer a healthy life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-world-orca-day-inspires-action">World Orca Day inspires action</h2>



To help protect orcas, you can start with the basics. Learn what makes them unique and share those facts with others. Stay away from parks that keep orcas in tanks. Choose brands that care about the ocean.



You don’t need to live near the coast to make a difference. You can watch orcas through live cams, read their stories, and talk about them. You can join a cleanup in your area or support groups working to protect marine life. Every small step counts.



On World Orca Day, schools and science centers often join the effort. Kids ask questions. Teachers explore ocean life. Artists and researchers also get involved. And you can too, in whatever way fits you best.



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



Orcas play a big role in the ocean. They help keep balance in marine food webs. When they suffer, the whole system shifts. They’re not just animals. They’re indicators of ocean health.



World Orca Day calls on us to care - to recognize how our actions impact the ocean. Orcas don’t seek applause; they need clean waters, plenty of food, and peaceful places to raise their young.



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World Orca Day 2025: Saving the ocean's top predators

You’ve seen them on shirts, in documentaries, and maybe jumping...

Fish have voices, and the sea is never silent. From croaks that ricochet through mangroves to deep‑sea booms, these conversations guide courtship, navigation, and survival.



A new analysis from <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simon Fraser University</a> shows that Canada’s flagship conservation policies almost never recognize those <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-fish-species-are-the-big-catch-of-the-future/">voices</a>, leaving vital acoustic habitats unguarded. 



Marine ecologist <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/postdoctoral-fellows/profiles/kieran-cox.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kieran Cox</a> of Simon Fraser University co‑authored the study that sifted through two decades of federal paperwork.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-use-sound-to-survive-and-reproduce">Fish use sound to survive and reproduce</h2>



More than 1,000 known fish species are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-023-02745-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">soniferous</a>, meaning they deliberately produce sound to communicate, and hundreds more are suspected to do the same. Male toadfish drone like idling motorcycles, while haddock tick and grouper boom, each signal tuned to species‑specific ears.



“A male <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-fish-bones-reveal-clues-about-the-evolution-of-eating/">fish</a> might hum or sing to attract their mates, and the longer his song, or the louder it is, the more eggs he will get from females,” explained Cox. 



Atlantic cod <a href="https://academic.oup.com/tafs/article/135/2/529/7887937" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gadus morhua</a> grunt through swim‑bladder muscles during spawning, and researchers have tracked entire aggregations by listening to those calls.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ocean-noise-drowns-out-fish-voices">Ocean noise drowns out fish voices</h2>



The <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aba4658" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ocean soundscape</a>, the mix of biological, physical, and human noises filling the water, has changed faster than any other habitat feature in recent decades. 



Ship engines, seismic air guns, and pile drivers add low‑frequency roar that travels farther than light or chemicals, masking the fine‑tuned signals fish depend on.



Most of this din comes from <a href="https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/OurWork/PartnershipsProjects/Documents/GloNoise-Library/MEPC.1-Circ.833-7April2014.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">underwater radiated noise</a> generated when propeller bubbles collapse and machinery vibrates the hull. As depth increases and daylight fades, sound replaces vision, so the risk rises for deep‑water species that have no other way to find mates or food.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conservation-laws-ignore-acoustic-habitats">Conservation laws ignore acoustic habitats</h2>



<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320725003763" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">COSEWIC</a>, the expert panel that advises Ottawa on endangered wildlife, acknowledged fish sound production in just one assessment out of 204. Neither of the 56 recovery strategies drafted under <a href="https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/s-15.3/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SARA</a>, Canada’s endangered‑species law, mentioned soundscapes or noise threats.



Anthropogenic noise has <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aah4783" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">doubled</a> background sound levels in more than half of U.S. protected areas, hinting at the scale of the problem in Canadian waters as well. 



When noise blocks communication, the effect mirrors habitat loss, shrinking a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-dont-rest-while-hovering-its-actually-hard-work/">fish</a>’s functional living space even though the water looks unchanged.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-from-the-whales">Learning from the whales</h2>



Regulators already protect communication spaces for southern resident <a href="https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/publications/mammals-mammiferes/whalereview-revuebaleine/review-revue/killerwhale-epaulard/index-eng.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">killer whales</a>, setting vessel speed limits and buffer zones in the Salish Sea. During voluntary slow‑down trials, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X21010109" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quieter ships</a> raised successful foraging dives by the whales, proving that less noise can yield instant biological payoffs.



Fish biologists argue the same principle should apply below the whales, because many coral, seagrass, and deep‑sea communities are built on acoustic cues. 



The International Maritime Organization’s revised <a href="https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/Documents/MEPC.1-Circ.906%20-%20Revised%20Guidelines%20For%20The%20Reduction%20Of%20Underwater%20Radiated%20NoiseFrom%20Shipping%20To%20Address...%20%28Secretariat%29.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">guidelines</a> outline hull forms, propeller tweaks, and resilient engine mounts that slash cavitation clatter at the design stage.



For existing fleets, slower speeds remain the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X21013357" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quickest fix</a>, trimming hull noise in minutes and saving fuel at the same time. On land, urban planners already impose airport curfews; similar acoustic zoning could shield key spawning refuges from seismic blasts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-voices-must-be-included-in-planning">Fish voices must be included in planning</h2>



<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/ecoacousticssociety" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecoacoustics</a>, the cross‑disciplinary science of environmental sound, now lets managers deploy autonomous recorders that log fish choruses year‑round with little labor. 



Cox and his team want Ottawa to add acoustics to every new status report, a change that would trigger legal duties to weigh noise limits before approving coastal developments.



“These three aspects of sound create different types of marine noise pollution, and each kind of noise pollution poses potential risks to marine species, from whales to fish to crustaceans,” said Kiara Kattler, who led the analysis in Isabelle Côté’s <a href="https://tmel.wordpress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lab</a>.



If policy follows the evidence, tomorrow’s endangered‑species plans could include quiet hours, ship‑route changes, and protected “singing grounds” for fish.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-policymakers-can-do-now">What policymakers can do now</h2>



Fisheries managers don’t have to wait for more studies to take action. Passive acoustic monitoring gear is already cheap, easy to deploy, and able to track seasonal behavior in many key species. 



Adding simple guidance on soniferous species to existing review checklists could prevent new development from degrading acoustic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-alternative-seafood-can-help-save-our-oceans/">habitats</a> by accident.



Acoustic degradation doesn’t only affect fish. Crustaceans, cephalopods, and even coral larvae also use sound to find mates or settle in reef habitats, which means entire ecosystems could be thrown off balance. 



By integrating sound into conservation policies, agencies could protect dozens of marine species at once without needing separate rules for each.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320725003763?dgcid=coauthor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Biological Conservation</a>.



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Fish have voices but conservation policies ignore them

Fish have voices, and the sea is never silent. From...

A four week voyage across the North Atlantic has uncovered a pollutant so small that standard nets could never snag it. Researchers found that plastic particles under one micrometer, known as nanoplastics, saturate ocean water from the Azores to Europe.



When the team scaled their measurements up, they calculated roughly <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09218-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">twenty seven million tons</a> of these specks floating in the top 650 feet of the North Atlantic, rivaling every estimate of larger debris for the entire world <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-plastic-crisis-goes-way-deeper-than-we-thought/">ocean</a>.



This estimate comes from geochemist Helge Niemann of the <a href="https://www.nioz.nl/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research</a> and <a href="https://www.uu.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Utrecht University</a>, who worked with graduate student Sophie ten Hietbrink aboard the research vessel RV Pelagia.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-detecting-invisible-plastic-particles">Detecting invisible plastic particles</h2>



Ten Hietbrink drew two‑liter samples at twelve stations, collecting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-environment-day-2025-plastic-pollution-is-choking-our-planet/">water</a> from the surface, 3,300 feet, and near the seabed. She passed each sample through filters finer than a red blood cell.



Back in the Utrecht lab, the residue was baked inside a proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer, a device that fingerprints polymers by the gases they release. “By drying and heating the remaining material, we were able to measure the characteristic molecules of different types of plastics,” noted Ten Hietbrink.



The approach allowed the crew to log <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/polyethylene-terephthalate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polyethylene terephthalate</a>, polystyrene, and polyvinyl chloride even at 15,000‑foot depths. Every vial, no matter its origin, contained plastic.



Because the mass spectrometer ignores <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-algorithms-can-increase-ocean-plastic-cleanup-efficiency/">pieces</a> above one micrometer, the expedition focused exclusively on bits far smaller than conventional <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microplastic</a>, the fragments between one micrometer and five millimeters often photographed on beaches.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shocking-amount-of-ocean-plastic">Shocking amount of ocean plastic</h2>



When the numbers from each station were extended across latitudes eight to fifty-five degrees north, the tally reached masses never before assigned to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coca-cola-may-dump-1-3b-pounds-plastic-into-oceans-by-2030/">plastic</a> pollution. The final figure equals the combined cargo of almost 2,000 container ships.



Niemann described the result as a shocking amount and explained that it finally answers the puzzle of missing plastic that production statistics could not account for.



“There is more plastic in the form of nanoparticles floating in this part of the ocean than there is in larger particles floating in the Atlantic or even all the world's oceans,” said Niemann.



The data also reshape the popular image of ocean garbage patches. Nets that trap bottle caps and food wrappers sample only a thin veneer; the bulk of the load is invisible and dispersed.



Within the <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/gyre.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Atlantic subtropical gyre</a>, currents corral microplastics at the surface, yet the researchers found the highest nanoplastic concentrations closer to the European shelf, hinting at strong land-based sources.



The nanoplastic concentration dropped by roughly one half at 3,300 feet, and fell to about a third of surface levels near the seabed - yet plastic still appeared at every depth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nanoplastics-harm-animals-and-humans">Nanoplastics harm animals and humans</h2>



Laboratory and clinical <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001258" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> show that particles smaller than a micrometer can slip past the intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream, where they appear in human blood samples.



Once circulating, they can also cross the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35302003/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">blood‑brain barrier</a>, ferrying other contaminants into nervous tissue - as demonstrated in mice.



Marine life confronts the same risk. Bacteria may mistake nanoplastics for food, zooplankton ingest them, and the particles ascend the food web to fish and seabirds.



A recent <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30861380/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meta‑analysis</a> concludes that smaller pieces accumulate more readily than larger debris and may trigger oxidative stress in cells.



Field experiments in the Mediterranean have linked nanoplastic exposure to reduced filtration rates in farmed <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37379876/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">filter feeder mussels</a>, a sector worth more than $4 billion to coastal economies.



Economic losses could rise if shellfish accumulate particles that lower growth or market appeal, adding a financial dimension to what was once viewed solely as an environmental issue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-the-fragments-come-from">Where the fragments come from</h2>



Sunlight bleaches and cracks larger items at the surface, eventually grinding them into nanoscale dust. River mouths add steady plumes of city trash each day.



The air itself delivers particles. Atmosphere monitors detect plastic aerosols over both continents and oceans, which settle by rainfall or dry deposition.



Once in seawater, nanoplastics no longer obey buoyancy rules. Their motion is governed by <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11905425/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brownian motion</a>, letting them drift vertically and reach depths where light never penetrates.



Sediment cores from the deep <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10919090/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Pacific</a> and equatorial trenches already hold threads of polyester and shards of polyvinyl chloride, proving that tiny plastics sink or hitchhike on marine snow to the seabed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-types-of-ocean-plastic-still-unclear">Types of ocean plastic still unclear</h2>



Curiously, the expedition detected no nanoparticles of polyethylene or polypropylene, the two polymers that dominate surface trash. Niemann suspects chemical weathering may hide their fingerprints, or the fragments may degrade faster than they form.



Future cruises will test other oceans and refine techniques to reveal modified polymers, because the Atlantic is unlikely to be unique.



Researchers also need time‑series records to track whether nanoplastic levels continue climbing or have reached a plateau.



Equally urgent is understanding how mixtures of plastic and natural organic matter interact, potentially altering toxicity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-choosing-prevention-over-cleanup">Choosing prevention over cleanup</h2>



Niemann stresses that the particles already adrift are beyond recovery; their size makes skimming devices useless. The logical path is to curb new emissions.



Several countries now restrict the use of microbeads in cosmetics and plan to phase out certain single‑use items, yet production of virgin plastic keeps rising faster than recycling capacity.



Standardized monitoring that includes nanoscale particles would give policymakers a clearer target and let them judge whether interventions are working.



Citizen science beach cleanups, while unable to net nanoparticles, still remove items that would otherwise weather into new fragments, providing a frontline defense against future invisible pollution.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09218-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Nanoplastic particles have infiltrated the ocean's food web at the most important levels

A four week voyage across the North Atlantic has uncovered...

Long before the first mammals walked the Earth, the oceans were home to strange, powerful fish. Some of these ancient fish eventually crawled onto land and kicked off a new chapter in evolution. 



Now, thanks to new fossil research, we’re learning even more about how these early animals lived - and ate.



In a new study led by scientists from <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a>, researchers examined jawbones from 380-million-year-old lungfish found in Western Australia's remote Gogo fossil field. 



The findings shed light on the evolution of feeding strategies in fish that are closely related to all land-dwelling <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/over-half-of-the-worlds-vertebrates-reside-in-the-tropics/">vertebrates</a>, including us.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biting-power-of-ancient-fish">Biting power of ancient fish</h2>



The researchers used 3D finite element modeling (FEM) - a tool more commonly seen in engineering. They digitally tested how different fossilized jaws handled biting stress. 



By running simulations on fish jawbones from multiple species, the team revealed surprising variation in shape, strength, and eating behavior.



“Lungfish are ‘sister taxa’ to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/we-know-far-less-about-four-footed-animals-than-expected/">tetrapods</a> - or all four-limbed animals with a backbone, including humans - which means they are our closest ‘fishy’ relatives,” noted Dr. Alice Clement.



“They have an extensive fossil history stretching back over 400 million years and still with living representatives today and their phylogenetic proximity to tetrapods giving insight into our long-distant ancestors who first made the move from water to land.”



That close relationship makes lungfish fossils especially valuable. The Gogo Formation in northern Western Australia is a goldmine of such specimens. With 11 known species, it holds the most diverse group of lungfish ever discovered from one place or time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-bite-force-and-eating-style">Fish bite force and eating style</h2>



Until now, scientists knew these fish had different jaw shapes. What they didn’t know was how those jaws worked. The new models changed that.



“We’re slowly teasing apart the details of how the bodies and lifestyles of these animals changed, as they moved from being fish that lived in water, to becoming tetrapods that moved about on land,” said Dr. Clement.



By scanning seven fossil species and applying FEM to five of them, the team was able to measure how the jawbones responded to stress during simulated bites.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossil-bites-defy-expectations">Fossil bites defy expectations</h2>



The dataset is the most detailed look yet at biting performance in any <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossilized-fish-lived-15-million-years-ago-still-has-preserved-food-in-stomach-ferruaspis-brocksi/">fossil fish</a>. It provides biomechanical evidence for diverse feeding adaptations and niche partitioning within Gogo lungfishes, noted Dr. Olga Panagiotopoulou, a functional anatomist at Touro University California.



Some of the findings contradicted assumptions. Jaws that looked sturdy on the outside didn’t always perform well in bite-force simulations. And some that looked more delicate turned out to be much stronger than expected.



“The results were somewhat surprising, with some ‘robust’-looking lower jaws appearing to not be all that well suited to biting stress, and some of the more gracile or slender jaws appeared to be able to withstand stress and strain very well,” said Professor John Long of Flinders University.



“This diversity of biomechanical function seen in the Gogo lungfishes suggest that there was niche partitioning and trophic differentiation among lungfishes, possibly accounting for their incredibly high species diversity at this site.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-fish-reinvented-eating">When fish reinvented eating</h2>



The Devonian period, often called the “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-jawless-fish-rhinopteraspis-dunensis-filter-feeders/">Age of Fishes</a>,” was ruled by placoderms and other ancient species for about 60 million years. Many of their fossils were found decades ago, but new tools like FEM are finally revealing how these animals actually lived.



Joshua Bland, a researcher at the Flinders Palaeontology Lab, is the study's lead author. He noted that the Gogo lungfish of the Late Devonian reefs were truly unique, with species possessing a host of different behaviors and abilities.



“To capture parts of that story, hidden in the bone, was extremely rewarding. It felt like we lifted the veil on some real functions behind the form. It was impressive to see the more complex morphology perform better in our tests," said Bland. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-science-from-old-bones">Future science from old bones</h2>



All 3D models from the study are now available on Morphosource, allowing other researchers to explore and expand on this work.



By combining old fossils with new technology, the team has brought us one step closer to understanding the creatures that helped shape life on land. 



The researchers have also shown that even after 380 million years, ancient bones can still have something new to say.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(25)01231-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2589004225012313%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">iScience</a>.



Image Credit: John Long, Flinders University



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Ancient fish bones reveal clues about the evolution of eating

Long before the first mammals walked the Earth, the oceans...

'Zombie' fungi that hijack insects are not just a modern forest horror story. A pair of tiny fossils locked in Burmese amber shows that these parasites stalked ants and flies nearly 100 million years ago in what is now Myanmar.



The newly described fungi, Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae and Paleoophiocordyceps ironomyiae, sprouted from their long‑dead hosts, just like today’s entomopathogenic relatives. This gruesome strategy has clearly been in play since ancient times. 



Study co‑author <a href="https://www.biotaxa.org/pe/article/view/palaeoentomology.5.3.1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Edmund Jarzembowski</a> of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (<a href="http://english.nigpas.cas.cn/">NIGPAS</a>) and London’s <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natural History Museum</a> helped craft the formal description.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-outbreak-of-parasitic-fungi">Ancient outbreak of parasitic fungi</h2>



Amber from the Hukawng Valley captures an ant pupa with a slender fungal stalk, and a fly pierced by a second projectile‑like stroma. 



The position of each growth mirrors the way that modern zombie fungi erupt from soft joints after the host’s last breath.



Palaeontologists reconstructed the scene and noted that the ant appears to have been dragged away from the nest before the infection reached its spore‑spraying stage. Social insects often quarantine sick kin, a behaviour already in place during the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-cretaceous-period.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cretaceous</a>.



“It’s fascinating to see some of the strangeness of the natural world that we see today was also present at the height of the age of the dinosaurs,” said Jarzembowski, reflecting on the familiar menace that infected the ancient insects.



The research team counted flask‑shaped perithecia, the microscopic chambers where sexual spores mature, on the fossilized stalks. 



Their arrangement ties the ancient genus to living Ophiocordyceps, even though the lineage split more than 130 million years ago.



Very few fossil pathogens display intact reproductive parts. This makes every new specimen a potential window into deep‑time disease ecology. 



The rarity arises because fungi are soft and because an insect corpse rarely fossilizes side by side with its killer, scientists noted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-a-fungus-a-zombie">What makes a fungus a zombie</h2>



Members of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1005037" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ophiocordyceps</a> start with a pin‑sized spore that germinates. It drills through the exoskeleton of a living insect, and sets up shop in the haemolymph. 



Chemical signals then steer the victim to a perch that maximizes wind exposure for the dispersal of spores released after death.



A genome survey of ant‑infecting species uncovered dozens of genes that code for enterotoxin‑like proteins. This suggests that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deadly-fungus-aspergillus-that-can-eat-you-from-the-inside-out-is-quietly-spreading-around-the-world/">fungus</a> rewires muscles and nerves using the same tricks that bacteria use to upset mammalian guts.



Transcript <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_fungus_makes_ant_zombies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> show that as the infection peaks, genes tied to serotonin and dopamine pathways in the ant surge or plunge, matching the precise timing of the so‑called death grip.



Today more than 1,500 insect‑killing <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/understanding-fungi-characteristics-and-function/">fungi</a> are catalogued, yet only a handful make headlines. Specialists target beetles that bore into crops or mosquitoes that spread malaria, demonstrating the ecological punch of these microbes, even outside tropical forests.



Their life cycle is a masterclass in recycling nutrients: the mycelium consumes host tissues from within, then the emergent stalk spreads fresh <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biodegradable-living-plastic-contains-bacterial-spores-that-break-it-down/">spores</a> that restore carbon and nitrogen to soil food webs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-amber-as-nature-s-time-capsule">Amber as nature's time capsule</h2>



Tree resin entombs soft bodies in minutes and hardens into amber that resists water, oxygen, and microbial decay. 



That airtight seal lets researchers inspect insect cuticles along with fungal filaments that are thinner than a human hair.



Kachin amber is celebrated for its clarity, but the deposit also raises ethical concerns because mining revenues can fund armed conflict. International guidelines now press museums to verify provenance before accepting new pieces.



Gem cutters often discard cloudy chunks, yet those fragments may shelter the best biological inclusions. Researchers therefore sift mine tailings for overlooked specimens, rather than fueling fresh extraction.



Because resin flows layer over layer, a single piece can trap snapshots separated by hours. That layering helps date biological events with unusual precision when volcanic ash beds bracket the deposit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fungi-give-clues-to-insect-evolution">Fungi give clues to insect evolution</h2>



Comparative anatomy and molecular clocks place Paleoophiocordyceps on a branch that diverged from the modern zombie‑ant fungus during the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392592127_Cretaceous_entomopathogenic_fungi_illuminate_the_early_evolution_of_insect-fungal_associations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Early Cretaceous</a>. this was at the time that flowering plants began reshaping terrestrial food webs.



The study’s host‑switch analysis flagged a likely jump from beetles to flies and ants, mirroring the radiation of pollinators and social insects. Such leaps underline how a parasite’s fate is tied to the fortunes of its preferred prey.



Beetles already thrived in decaying wood, an environment humid enough for fungal spores, while the rise of canopy flowers led <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/swarm-intelligence-ants-can-anticipate-obstacles-and-plan-ahead/">ants</a> to exploit new niches. The fungus followed its insect food, so to speak, adapting its toolkit for each cuticular landscape.



Host regulation may have checked insect booms long before birds or bats evolved sophisticated appetites for six‑legged prey. 



That invisible policing force could explain relatively stable herbivore damage in Cretaceous leaf fossils, despite soaring insect diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-tale-familiar-to-modern-forests">A tale familiar to modern forests</h2>



Field surveys in Thailand show that fungus-infected ant graveyards form in patches where humidity hovers near 95 percent, suggesting the parasite needs microclimates as well as hosts.



Timing is equally precise. Infected carpenter ants bite down at solar noon more often than chance predicts, hinting that fungal circadian genes sync with the host’s biological clock.



When <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004835" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cadavers</a> pile up, each fungal stalk releases millions of spores, yet infections remain patchy. Colony grooming, corpse removal, and antimicrobial secretions keep outbreaks from wiping out entire nests.



Lab trials with generalist insect fungi show a trade‑off between killing speed and spore burden, meaning parasites that act too quickly may sacrifice dispersal success.



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



Entomologists already deploy fungal <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/what-are-biopesticides" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bio‑pesticides</a> against insects such as locusts and crop‑boring moths. 



This method of control targets the insects without drenching fields in chemicals. Lessons from ancient lineages could sharpen that strategy by revealing how host jumps evolve.



Climate models predict that warmer nights and shifting rainfall will widen the habitat for many fungal pathogens. 



Tracking their evolutionary playbook helps forecast which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-populations-dramatically-declining-around-the-world-rising-temperatures/">insect</a> groups, helpful or harmful, might feel the heat next.



The fossils nevertheless remind us that even tiny microbes leave fingerprints on evolution, shaping who thrives and who fails. 



The study is published in <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rspb.2025.0407" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</a>.



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'Zombie' fungus that lived almost 100 million years ago found preserved in amber

'Zombie' fungi that hijack insects are not just a modern...

Ever wonder what kind of videos would keep monkeys glued to a screen? Turns out, their preferences aren’t all that different from ours.



A recent study found that long-tailed macaques are especially drawn to watching aggressive behavior and familiar faces - just like us. The findings offer new insight into the social instincts we share with other primates.



The study was led by researchers at <a href="https://www.uu.nl/en">Utrecht University</a> in the Netherlands, in collaboration with The Ohio State University.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inside-the-monkey-theater">Inside the monkey theater</h2>



The team showed two-minute videos to 28 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/japanese-macaques-have-social-bonds-that-persist-beyond-death/">macaques</a> living at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in Rijswijk, the Netherlands. 



Each video featured monkeys from the same group or complete strangers, engaged in one of four activities: fighting, grooming, running, or just sitting around.



The macaques were free to enter a testing corridor where laptops played the videos. These testing areas were already familiar to the animals, so the environment wasn’t new or stressful. While watching, researchers tracked how long the monkeys looked at the screen.



The results were clear: the macaques paid the most attention to videos showing fights between monkeys. Running came in second. Grooming and sitting barely registered.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conflict-grabs-attention">Conflict grabs attention</h2>



Brad Bushman is co-author of the study and professor of communication at The Ohio State University.



“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-bonds-drive-learning-in-monkeys-and-humans-alike/">Humans</a> and macaques are both social animals who have a fundamental need to belong,” he said. “It’s not surprising that they both would be most interested in the video content that may help them navigate relationships in their groups.”



“We have plenty of research showing the popularity of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-exposure-to-violent-media-increases-aggression-in-teens/">violent media</a> with humans. Now we have some evidence that other primates might also be attracted to conflict and aggression in videos."



“From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense. Both humans and other animals may be hardwired to pay attention to aggression because that is an adaptive response that increases survival,” Bushman added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-groupmates-get-more-views">Groupmates get more views</h2>



The macaques didn’t just favor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/visually-striking-primate-features-ease-tension-and-reduce-conflict/">conflict</a> - they also preferred to watch monkeys they knew. Videos of their own group members got more attention than clips featuring strangers.



“This indicates that gathering social information on group members is more important than getting information about strangers,” said Elisabeth H.M. Sterck, professor of animal behavior and cognition at Utrecht University.



“When we as humans watch movies, we like to see actors we know – we like to see the stars playing in big movies more than we do actors who are not familiar to us,” Bushman said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monkey-social-status">Monkey social status </h2>



Not all monkeys watched with equal interest. Lower-ranking and less aggressive macaques were more attentive to the videos than their dominant peers.



“More dominant individuals can be more confident that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-increases-pain-tolerance-and-fuels-aggression/">aggression</a> will not affect them – they don’t have to pay attention to others as much,” Sterck said.



“Lower-ranking individuals can become an aggression victim and that may be why they pay more attention to what others are doing in the videos.”



Interestingly, monkeys that were more anxious or easily stressed were less focused on group members.



“We found that the gathering of social information from the videos differed with dominance rank and behavioral tendencies, which may reflect personality,” Sterck said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-shared-curiosity-across-species">A shared curiosity across species</h2>



These monkeys, known for their visual acuity, watched the videos on their own terms - walking into the test space voluntarily. Each session was brief, but the pull of conflict on screen was undeniable.



“The macaques are very visual animals. Their eyesight is similar to that of humans, and they are very interested in watching videos,” Sterck said.



And while the videos were short, their effect was real. Bushman noted that even this brief exposure to aggressive media captured the attention of macaques in the study.



“When you see this in some of our closest primate relatives, it is easy to see why humans are so interested in violent media," said Bushman. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-primate-preference-for-drama">A primate preference for drama</h2>



What we see on screen says a lot about who we are - and apparently, that’s true for monkeys too.



In this study, our primate cousins showed they’re drawn to social drama and familiar faces, just like humans sitting down with popcorn for a movie night. 



Whether it’s about survival, curiosity, or just plain interest, the content that grabs attention may be more universal than we thought.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10071-025-01970-1">Animal Cognition</a>.



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Monkeys love watching videos of fights and friends - just like humans

Ever wonder what kind of videos would keep monkeys glued...

A fossil found on Vancouver Island in 1988 looked like a typical long‑necked marine reptile, yet every expert who studied Traskasaura sandrae left with new questions. 



Scientists have now confirmed that the 39‑foot creature, which lived about 85 million years ago, represents an entirely new species with a hunting style never before documented in its family.



“It has a very odd mix of primitive and derived traits,” said <a href="https://www.marshall.edu/cohp/profile/f-robin-okeefe-phd/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor F. Robin O’Keefe</a> of <a href="https://www.marshall.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marshall University</a>, whose group named the predator Traskasaura sandrae. He led the team that solved the puzzle.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-digging-up-traskasaura-sandrae">Digging up Traskasaura sandrae</h2>



The first bones came from the <a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/jsedres/article-abstract/52/3/975/97637/The-Haslam-Formation-a-late-Santonian-early?redirectedFrom=PDF" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haslam Formation</a>, a shale layer laid down when shallow seas covered what is now British Columbia. 



Community volunteers spent three summers freeing the skeleton, which included more than fifty tightly linked neck vertebrae.



Additional material surfaced during highway construction and a separate riverbank dig, bringing the total to three individuals. 



Together they revealed a full neck, torso, limbs, and the crushing teeth that tipped researchers off to an unusual feeding strategy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neck-was-built-for-ambush">Neck was built for ambush</h2>



Most <a href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Elasmosaurus/390035" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">elasmosaurs</a> relied on sideways sweeps to grab fish, but the team noticed that the neck joints of Traskasaura sandrae allow smooth downward flexion. 



That range, paired with robust shoulder muscles, supports the idea that the reptile hovered above prey before plunging like a heron.



Each cervical rib points slightly forward, a feature seen only in a handful of southern-hemisphere relatives. The forward slant stiffened the neck during a rapid dive, preventing whiplash while the head shot toward a target below.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clues-in-the-shoulders-and-teeth">Clues in the shoulders and teeth</h2>



The <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Dinosaur+Paleobiology-p-9780470656587" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">glenoid cavity</a>, where the humerus meets the body, faces partly downward instead of purely sideways. That tilt aimed the paddles to push water straight back and down, giving the animal a quick vertical burst.



“Its teeth were ideal for crushing,” explained O’Keefe. One preserved crown still holds fragments of broken shell. 



Heavy conical teeth, round in cross‑section and ringed by deep grooves, suggest a diet of shelled <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-an-ammonite.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ammonites</a> common in the same rocks. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-life-in-the-late-cretaceous-pacific">Life in the late Cretaceous pacific</h2>



During the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-cretaceous-period.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Late Cretaceous</a>, Vancouver Island sat around the latitude of present‑day Oregon, edged by warm fore‑arc basins teeming with mollusks and early sharks. 



Ammonite fossils from the Pachydiscus group dominate these beds, matching the menu implied by the reptile’s dentition.



The sea also hosted sleek mosasaurs and blade‑toothed birds, yet Traskasaura filled a separate niche: the slow‑motion stalker that attacked from above. 



Its 12‑foot paddles produced short bursts rather than long chases, conserving energy in nutrient‑rich but cooler northern waters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rewriting-the-plesiosaur-family-tree">Rewriting the plesiosaur family tree</h2>



Although classified as a plesiosaur, the newcomer sits near the base of the elasmosaur branch. The phylogenetic work by O’Keefe and colleagues shows it split early from southern cousins such as <a href="https://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/aristonectes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aristonectes</a> yet later evolved similar shoulder joints, an example of convergent evolution.



That finding warns against sorting species by one standout trait. Neck length alone once grouped nearly every long‑necked reptile together, but limb and girdle details tell a more nuanced story about how different lineages hunted and swam.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-traskasaura-sandrae-anatomy">Traskasaura sandrae anatomy</h2>



The first fossil puzzled paleontologists because it blended features usually found in different branches of the plesiosaur family. 



Its skull and teeth matched primitive species, but its shoulders and forelimbs looked like more specialized animals from the southern hemisphere.



Researchers initially hesitated to call it a new species because many of the bones were fragmented or eroded. It wasn’t until a second, better-preserved skeleton was uncovered that scientists could confidently identify the creature’s unique traits and confirm its identity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-find-means-today">What the find means today</h2>



The <a href="https://www.courtenay.ca/EN/main/community/arts-and-culture/courtenay-district-museum.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Courtenay and District Museum</a> now displays the best skeleton, giving British Columbia a provincial fossil with unmistakable local flavor. 



School groups can stand beside vertebrae longer than their hands and imagine a reptile that prowled the same coastal waters where orcas swim.



“Our new research finally solves this mystery,” added O’Keefe. 



Beyond regional pride, the study highlights how community collectors, careful curation, and modern scans can unlock decades‑old mysteries. The creature’s hybrid anatomy will keep fueling debates about function and evolution for years. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-traskasaura-sandrae-got-its-name">How Traskasaura sandrae got its name</h2>



The genus name Traskasaura honors <a href="https://my.northcoastchurch.com/FindAGroup/316626" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Michael and Heather Trask</a>, the father-daughter team who found the original fossil along the Puntledge River in 1988. The name combines their surname with the Greek word sauros, meaning lizard.



The species name sandrae was chosen in memory of <a href="https://www.bcrf.org/blog/sandra-lee-being-breast-cancer-survivor-activist-and-advocate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sandra Lee O’Keefe</a>, a Pacific Northwest native and advocate for breast cancer awareness. 



This tribute mirrors the legacy of <a href="https://dbpedia.org/page/Elizabeth_Nicholls" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elizabeth Nicholls</a>, a paleontologist who helped identify the fossils in 2002.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2025.2489938" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Systematic Palaeontology</a>.



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Very rare and predatory marine reptile identified as a completely new species

A fossil found on Vancouver Island in 1988 looked like...

Evolution often follows curious paths, especially when it comes to food. Over the past 100 million years, mammals have explored an incredible range of diets. 



Some mammals graze on grass, others hunt prey, and a few even sip tree sap or dive for krill. But one of the strangest dietary turns comes from species that eat and depend deeply on ants and termites.



This peculiar choice may seem limiting, even risky. Yet, it has driven major transformations in anatomy, behavior and even survival <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-ground-dwellers-survived-the-asteroid-impact-that-killed-the-dinosaurs/">strategies</a>. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dietary-changes-for-mammals">Dietary changes for mammals</h2>



According to new research, mammals evolved ant and termite-only diets at least 12 separate times over 66 million years.



This shift, called myrmecophagy, followed the dinosaur extinction. It allowed ants and termites to thrive and opened a new food niche for mammals.



“There’s not been an investigation into how this dramatic diet evolved across all known mammal species until now,” said Phillip Barden of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (<a href="https://www.njit.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NJIT</a>).



“This work gives us the first real roadmap, and what really stands out is just how powerful a selective force ants and termites have been over the last 50 million years - shaping environments and literally changing the face of entire species.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-mammals-adapted-to-eat-ants">How mammals adapted to eat ants</h2>



Over 200 mammal species consume ants or termites occasionally. But just 20, like pangolins and anteaters, rely on them completely. 



These true myrmecophages evolved long, sticky tongues and powerful claws. Many even lost their teeth.



To track this trend, the researchers collected diet records from 4,099 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-mammals-have-evolved-over-66-million-years/">species</a>. These came from nearly 100 years of scientific papers, field notes and conservation reports.



“Compiling dietary data for nearly every living mammal was daunting, but it really illuminates the sheer diversity of diets and ecologies in the mammalian world,” said Thomas Vida from the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bonn</a>. 



Small ant-eaters need to eat huge numbers to survive. Numbats eat around 20,000 termites daily. Aardwolves can eat over 300,000 ants in one night.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-anteaters-the-basics">Understanding anteaters - the basics</h2>



Anteaters belong to the suborder Vermilingua, which literally means “worm tongue” - an apt name, since their tongues can extend up to two feet and flick in and out of their mouths up to 160 times per minute. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-anteater-day-a-tribute-to-natures-unique-foragers/">Modern-day anteaters</a> don’t have teeth, so they rely on their sticky tongues and powerful stomachs to digest the thousands of ants and termites they consume daily. 



Their long, tubular snouts house an excellent sense of smell, which is key to locating insect nests in the wild.



Despite their name, anteaters don’t just eat ants. They also snack on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/termites-play-an-unexpected-role-in-rainforest-revival/">termites</a>, and they’re careful not to destroy an entire colony - they’ll feed for just a minute or two before moving on, ensuring the nest can recover for future visits. 



Giant anteaters, like the one pictured in this article, can grow over 7 feet long from nose to tail. These solitary animals roam grasslands and rainforests across Central and South America. 



With their shaggy coats and slow, deliberate movements, they might seem awkward - but they’re incredibly strong, especially in their forelimbs, which they use to rip open tough termite mounds or defend themselves from predators.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-rise-of-ants-and-termites">The rise of ants and termites </h2>



The team grouped <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-fossil-big-discovery-student-uncovers-a-lost-mammal-species/">species</a> by diet. From ant-only eaters to generalists. Then they mapped these onto a mammal family tree and ran evolutionary models.



The experts found at least 12 independent shifts to strict myrmecophagy. These happened in marsupials, monotremes and placental mammals. But not evenly. Some groups showed more change than others.



The researchers also looked back 145 million years to study the rise of ant and termite colonies. During the Cretaceous, ants and termites were rare. By the Miocene, 23 million years ago, they made up over a third of insect populations.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/anteater_mammal-phylogeny_evolution_NIJT_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/anteater_mammal-phylogeny_evolution_NIJT_1s.webp" alt="A mammal phylogeny with colors depicting the diet of living species and their ancestors; silhouettes of myrmecophagous mammals surround the tree. An inset diagram in the upper right illustrates transitions between dietary states. Credit: Vida, Calamari, &amp; Barden/NJIT" class="wp-image-1978347"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A mammal phylogeny with colors depicting the diet of living species and their ancestors; silhouettes of myrmecophagous mammals surround the tree. An inset diagram in the upper right illustrates transitions between dietary states. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Vida, Calamari, &amp; Barden/NJIT</figcaption></figure>



“It’s not clear exactly why ants and termites both took off around the same time. Some work has implicated the rise of flowering plants, along with some of the planet’s warmest temperatures during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum about 55 million years ago,” said Barden. 



“What is clear is that their sheer biomass set off a cascade of evolutionary responses across plants and animals.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ant-eating-mammals-rarely-change-diets">Ant-eating mammals rarely change diets</h2>



Myrmecophagy arose more often from insect-eating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-tried-different-ways-to-move-before-walking-upright/">ancestors</a> than from carnivores. But surprisingly, carnivores like dogs and bears made the switch several times too.



“That was a surprise,” Barden said. “Making the leap from eating other vertebrates to consuming thousands of tiny insects daily is a major shift.”



Once a mammal becomes a myrmecophage, it rarely reverts. Only one genus, Macroscelides, the elephant shrews, ever switched back to a broader diet after specializing.



Eight of the twelve times mammals evolved to eat only ants or termites, just one species survived each time. 



This limited survival suggests that highly specialized creatures, while successful in their niche, may face a greater risk of extinction due to changing environments, food scarcity, or habitat disruption over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ant-eaters-survive-as-insects-spread">Ant-eaters survive as insects spread</h2>



“In some ways, specializing on ants and termites paints a species into a corner,” Barden said. But for now, these specialists thrive.



Ants and termites now outweigh all wild mammals combined. Climate change favors species with massive colonies. 



This shift may help ant- and termite-eating mammals, known as myrmecophages, survive and thrive. Their specialized diet could become a surprising advantage in a world increasingly ruled by social insects.



“If you can’t beat them, eat them,” Barden said. That idea, repeated across millions of years, has changed the face of mammals again and again.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/evolut/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/evolut/qpaf121/8155241?redirectedFrom=fulltext&amp;login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Evolution</a>.



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Mammals have evolved to eat ants and termites 12 different times since the dinosaurs

Evolution often follows curious paths, especially when it comes to...

A new study shows how everyday waste - like ropes and plastic bags - is silently killing baby birds, not just in the oceans, but on land too.



Researchers spent four years tracking white storks in southern Portugal. What they found was brutal: plastic-filled nests, chicks caught in rope, and many young birds that didn’t survive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-nests-built-with-trash">Bird nests built with trash</h2>



The research was led by scientists at the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a>, along with teams from the University of Montpellier and the University of Lisbon. 



The team focused on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/white-storks-and-humans-have-a-long-intertwined-history/">white storks</a> - large, land-dwelling birds that often build their nests near people. And those nests? They were filled with trash.



The researchers inspected 568 nests from 32 colonies in Portugal’s Alentejo and Algarve regions. Of those nests, 91 percent contained human-made debris - mostly plastic. 



Soft plastic like shopping bags was found in 65 percent of nests. But the bigger danger was rope. Nearly half the nests had it, and it was the top cause of fatal entanglement.



In one especially detailed year of the study, scientists visited 93 nests weekly. They found that 12 percent of the chicks became tangled in debris - many fatally.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chicks-caught-in-cords">Chicks caught in cords</h2>



Most of the ropes came from agriculture - specifically, baler twine made of polypropylene. 



This tough plastic rope is used to bind hay bales, but it doesn’t break down easily. Once it ends up in the environment, birds collect it for their nests. The consequences are often deadly.



In 63 percent of cases, entanglements were caused by ropes. Some nests contained as many as 22 separate ropes. Baler wrap, another plastic material used in farming, showed up in 13 percent of nests and entangled six nestlings.



White stork chicks in nests with more rope were more likely to get stuck. And once entangled, their chances of survival dropped dramatically.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-plastic-nest-problem">The plastic nest problem</h2>



“This is a serious issue,” said Professor Aldina Franco of the University of East Anglia. “These chicks get entangled in synthetic ropes when they are very young and the ropes slowly strangle their limbs as they grow - mostly legs and feet - leading to necrosis and amputations, they suffer a horrible death.”



It’s not just happening in Portugal. According to Franco, birds across Europe are weaving plastic waste into their nests. 



In Ukraine, soldiers have reported nests containing drone wiring. In the UK, small birds like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/goldfinches-are-moving-to-new-homes-in-unusual-places/">goldfinches</a> and wrens are building nests with colored plastic threads.



“We show that the impact of plastic in the nests can be underestimated, because the negative effects of the ropes and other human-produced materials tend to happen in the early life of the chicks, at an average age of two weeks, and the deaths can go unnoticed," said Professor Franco. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-storks-signal-wider-threat">Storks signal wider threat</h2>



White storks are what scientists call an “indicator species” - meaning they can signal a wider environmental problem. If this many of them are getting trapped in plastic, other birds likely are too.



“This study suggests that the threat posed by human-derived materials to terrestrial birds may be far more severe than previously recognized,” said lead author Ursula Heinze of the University of East Anglia.



“Our findings offer new insights into the extent of nestling deaths caused by entanglement, and highlights the urgent need to remove and replace hazardous materials such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hotspots-of-microplastic-pollution-found-in-the-north-sea/">polypropylene</a> baler twine from both agricultural use and the environment, given its harmful impacts on nestlings.”



While past research has looked at the presence of plastic in nests, this study went a step further. It tracked chicks from hatching to fledging, allowing scientists to see exactly when the entanglements occurred.



“Our main goal has been to identify the nesting materials that may pose significant risks to terrestrial bird species and pinpoint their origins, in order to develop effective strategies to mitigate these risks to wildlife,” noted Professor Franco.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mistaking-trash-for-twigs">Mistaking trash for twigs</h2>



Why do birds use plastic in the first place? According to Dr. Inês Catry from the University of Lisbon, white storks are known to incorporate discarded human-made materials into their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tangled-twigs-the-secrets-of-sturdy-bird-nests/">nests</a>, frequently nest near or within human settlements and often forage on organic waste at landfill sites.



“The reasons for using these materials in nest-building are not fully understood but may relate to their availability and the scarcity of natural ones, while some might also be mistaken for food, being inadvertently incorporated in the nests," said Dr. Catry.



“This study highlights that plastic pollution in terrestrial environments needs to be addressed and solutions to replace or safely discard of hazardous materials are urgently needed.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-land-birds-face-plastic-threat">Land birds face plastic threat</h2>



The study’s message is clear: plastic pollution isn’t just a marine problem. It’s affecting life on land in painful, visible ways. And even common farming tools like baler twine are part of the problem.



If these findings are ignored, more birds will suffer. However, if people and industries take responsibility - by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/surprise-study-some-scientists-call-for-halting-ocean-plastic-cleanup-efforts/">cleaning up</a>, switching materials, and being more aware - there’s a chance to stop these deaths before they happen. 



The full study was published in the journal Ecological Indicators.



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Birds are building nests with plastic, and the consequences are deadly

A new study shows how everyday waste - like ropes...

As wild chimpanzees grow older, they tend to back away from complex tool-use activities. When they do engage, they become less efficient - paralleling many of the changes seen in aging humans.



This is the central finding of a new study based on an extraordinary 17-year record of wild chimpanzee behavior in Guinea’s Bossou Forest.



Researchers discovered that aging chimpanzees were not only less likely to participate in nut-cracking sessions using stone tools, but those who did often worked more slowly and less effectively than in their youth.



Some individuals appeared to struggle considerably with the task, while others retained strong abilities into their later years. The data suggest that, just like humans, chimpanzees vary widely in how age impacts their technical skills.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aging-chimpanzees-slow-down">Aging chimpanzees slow down</h2>



Scientists know much less about how growing older affects wild animals than they do about human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lemurs-reveal-surprising-new-clues-about-healthy-aging/">aging</a>, which is well studied. This is especially true when it comes to physically and cognitively demanding behaviors.



Elliot Howard-Spink, a postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="https://www.ab.mpg.de/">Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior</a>, is the study's lead author.



“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-pass-tool-use-skills-across-generations/">Tool use</a> is uncommon among animals, possibly because it requires a suite of physical and cognitive abilities, such as planning, fine motor coordination, understanding causal relationships, and identifying physical properties of objects,” he said.



“Given many of these faculties can be impacted by aging, wild animals’ tool-use behaviors could be vulnerable to decline with old age.”



The team analyzed behavior records from Bossou, where chimpanzees use stones to crack oil palm nuts. The technique involves selecting appropriate hammer and anvil stones and executing coordinated, targeted strikes.



Over the 17-year study period, the researchers focused on five adult chimpanzees - four females and one male - who aged from around 40 to 60 years old during the observation window.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-interest-lower-efficiency"><a></a>Less interest, lower efficiency</h2>



What they saw was a steady decline in nut-cracking activity among the older individuals. Unlike younger adults, older chimpanzees showed a major decline in their attendance at the outdoor laboratory over successive field seasons.



This reduction suggested a gradual disengagement from the demanding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-foraging-behavior-changing-climate-warming-waters/">foraging behavior</a>. Even when older chimpanzees did show up, some spent noticeably less time interacting with the tools and nuts - further evidence of an age-related withdrawal.



The team also documented changes in performance. Some older chimpanzees took longer to select appropriate tools, switched stones more frequently, or required more attempts to open each nut.



The inefficiencies accumulated: it took more time and more strikes for the older apes to get the job done. But the degree of decline was not universal.



The scientists found stark differences in the magnitude of changes across individuals. Some chimpanzees maintained relatively steady skill levels into old age, while others showed marked decline.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-elder-stands-out">One elder stands out</h2>



Susana Carvalho, a group leader at the <a href="https://www.cibio.up.pt/en/about/">Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources</a> (CIBIO) in Portugal recalled a particularly vivid example from a chimpanzee named Yo. 



“We first spotted an elderly female (Yo) seemingly experiencing difficulties during <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/just-one-handful-of-pecan-nuts-each-day-can-lower-cholesterol-heart-health/">nut</a> cracking whilst observing chimpanzees in 2012,” she said. “Yo, formerly a keen and efficient tool-user, was taking a very long time to crack each nut, and was changing the stone tools she was using frequently.” 



The long-term data later confirmed those early observations. This deep behavioral record from Bossou is unique because it covers nearly two decades. 



The data was gathered in a consistent field setup known as the “outdoor laboratory.” The researchers placed nuts and tools in a clearing and filmed the chimpanzees who came to use them.



“This research was only possible through the unique video archive produced by decades of continuous observation,” said Tetsuro Matsuzawa, the founding director of the Bossou Archive.



“The Bossou Archive offers a baseline to inform conservation strategies across wild chimpanzee populations, including accounting for behavioral changes over lifetimes.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chimpanzees-mirror-aging-humans">Chimpanzees mirror aging humans</h2>



The study also demonstrates the cultural dimension of tool use among chimpanzees.



“Just as with human technical skills, chimpanzee tool use is culturally learned through social learning and individual practice,” noted study co-author Katarina Almeida-Warren, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-and-bees-are-capable-of-complex-social-learning/">University of Oxford</a>.



“By studying the same chimpanzees over two decades, we’ve been able to see how chimpanzees’ cultural skills change with old age.”



While the research did not pinpoint the biological mechanisms behind the decline, it opens new avenues for exploring how age affects cognition and behavior in our closest living relatives.



“As ours was an observational study, we can’t yet identify the specific reasons why aging affects nut cracking,” said co-senior author Dora Biro, a primatologist at the <a href="https://www.rochester.edu/">University of Rochester</a>.



“But our results raise important questions about how aging influences apes’ cognition and behavior in natural settings.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aging-changes-chimpanzee-culture">Aging changes chimpanzee culture</h2>



With its detailed focus on individual animals over many years, the Bossou study provides a rare look at aging outside of captivity or the human species.



It also raises questions about how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/adults-learn-skills-faster-than-children-but-theres-a-catch/">skill learning</a>, use, and decline might shape not only individual lives but group dynamics and traditions in wild chimpanzee communities.



“Until now, there has been no systematic study of how old age influences the technological behaviors of wild animals,” said Howard-Spink. That’s beginning to change - and the results suggest that even in the forest, age can bring challenges similar to those in humans.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/105411">eLife</a>.



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What aging chimpanzees can teach us about ourselves

As wild chimpanzees grow older, they tend to back away...

species in Trimusculidae

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