Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Today's Image of the Day from NASA features the spiral galaxy NGC 2566, which is located 76 million light-years away in the constellation Puppis. The image was captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.



“A prominent bar of stars stretches across the center of this galaxy, and spiral arms emerge from each end of the bar. Because NGC 2566 appears tilted from our perspective, its disk takes on an almond shape, giving the galaxy the appearance of a cosmic eye,” said <a href="https://phys.org/news/2024-12-hubble-spies-spiral-galaxy-ngc.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a>.



“As NGC 2566 appears to gaze at us, astronomers gaze right back, using Hubble to survey the galaxy's star clusters and star-forming regions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complex-appearance-of-ngc-2566">Complex appearance of NGC 2566</h2>



NGC 2566 lies at a considerable distance from Earth, making it a challenging object for amateur astronomers to observe in detail without powerful telescopes.&nbsp;



It can be seen in the Southern Hemisphere sky and is better observed from locations with minimal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-light-pollution-influences-interest-in-astronomy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">light pollution</a>.&nbsp;



The galaxy's arms are populated with young, bright stars, regions of active star formation, and interstellar gas and dust - giving it a dynamic and complex appearance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-the-ages-of-stars">Measuring the ages of stars</h2>



According to NASA, data from Hubble is especially valuable for studying stars that are just a few million years old. “These stars are bright at the ultraviolet and visible wavelengths to which Hubble is sensitive.”



“Using these data, researchers can measure the ages of NGC 2566's stars, which helps piece together the timeline of the galaxy's star formation and the exchange of gas between star-forming clouds and the stars themselves.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-star-formation-in-galaxies">Star formation in galaxies</h2>



Star formation in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shapes-of-one-million-galaxies-hint-at-the-universes-origins/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxies</a> is a fascinating and complex process that unfolds over millions of years. It begins in vast clouds of gas and dust, known as molecular clouds, which are often found in the spiral arms of galaxies or in regions of irregular or starburst galaxies.&nbsp;



These clouds provide the raw material for star formation, consisting primarily of hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of heavier elements.



As the molecular clouds collapse under their own gravity, regions within them begin to condense and fragment, forming dense clumps. Within these clumps, protostars emerge. Their formation is driven by the gravitational pull drawing in surrounding gas.&nbsp;



During this process, the gas heats up due to increasing pressure, eventually igniting nuclear fusion in the core, signaling the birth of a new star.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rates-of-star-formation">Rates of star formation</h2>



The rate of star formation varies across galaxies is influenced by numerous factors. In spiral galaxies like the Milky Way, star formation is most active in the spiral arms, where density waves compress gas and dust, triggering the collapse of molecular clouds.&nbsp;



Elliptical galaxies, which often have little cold gas and dust, typically exhibit low rates of star formation or none at all.



On the other hand, starburst galaxies experience episodes of exceptionally high star formation, often triggered by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-captures-a-galaxy-collision-with-a-radiant-smile/">galactic collisions</a> or interactions.



These events can funnel large amounts of gas into central regions, leading to intense star-forming activity. However, such bursts are usually short-lived on cosmic timescales, exhausting the available gas quickly.



The environment within a galaxy also plays a significant role. Stellar winds and supernova explosions from existing stars can both inhibit and promote star formation. They may disperse gas, preventing further collapse, or compress nearby clouds, triggering new star formation.&nbsp;



As galaxies evolve over time, the availability of gas diminishes, leading to a gradual decline in star formation activity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-puppis-constellation-nbsp">The Puppis constellation&nbsp;</h2>



The Puppis constellation in the southern sky represents the stern of a ship. It was once part of a larger constellation known as Argo Navis, which depicted the mythical ship of Jason and the Argonauts.&nbsp;



However, Argo Navis was later divided into three separate constellations: Puppis, Carina (the keel), and Vela (the sails). Puppis is the largest of these three and contains many notable celestial objects.



This constellation is home to several bright stars, including Naos (Zeta Puppis), a hot, massive star that emits intense ultraviolet radiation. Puppis also hosts a wide variety of deep-sky objects, such as open <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stunning-star-clusters-captured-in-the-extreme-outskirts-of-the-milky-way/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">star clusters</a> and nebulae.&nbsp;



Among these, Messier 46 and Messier 47 stand out. Both are beautiful star clusters that are visible through binoculars or small telescopes. The region is dense with stars because it lies along the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/milky-way-collision-may-change-everything-we-know-about-our-galaxy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milky Way</a>, making it a prime area for stargazing and astrophotography. 



Image Credit: NASA



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Eye in the sky: A galaxy that appears to be gazing back

Today's Image of the Day from NASA features the spiral...

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the galaxy I Zwicky 18, which was captured in remarkable detail by the James Webb Space Telescope.



I Zwicky 18 is a blue compact dwarf <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/newly-discovered-stars-milky-way-are-old-as-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxy</a> located approximately 59 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-star-formation-in-i-zwicky-18">Star formation in I Zwicky 18</h2>



The galaxy is notable for its relatively young appearance and the fact that it contains very few heavy elements. These characteristics indicate that it has experienced little <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/baby-stars-release-sneezes-of-gas-and-dust-as-they-develop/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">star formation</a> compared to other galaxies of similar age.



“The galaxy was first identified by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the 1930’s and resides roughly 59 million light-years from Earth,” noted <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>. “This galaxy has gone through several sudden bursts of star formation.”&nbsp;



According to ESA, I Zwicky 18 is typical of the kinds of galaxies that inhabited the early universe and is much smaller than our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/runaway-star-j1249-36-spotted-trying-to-escape-our-milky-way-galaxy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milky Way</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-webb-telescope-image-of-the-galaxy">Webb telescope image of the galaxy</h2>



“Two major starburst regions are embedded in the heart of the galaxy. The wispy brown filaments surrounding the central starburst region are bubbles of gas that have been heated by stellar winds and intense ultraviolet radiation unleashed by hot, young stars,” said ESA.



“A companion galaxy resides nearby to the dwarf galaxy, which can be seen at the bottom of the wider-field image. The companion may be interacting with the dwarf galaxy and may have triggered that galaxy's recent star formation.”&nbsp;



ESA explained that the “orange blobs” surrounding the galaxy are the dim glow from ancient fully formed galaxies at much larger distances.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-characteristics-of-i-zwicky-18">Key characteristics of I Zwicky 18</h2>



As previously mentioned, the galaxy has a very low abundance of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, suggesting that it has not undergone significant stellar processing.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-stellar-population-nbsp">Young stellar population&nbsp;</h3>



Despite its old age, I Zwicky 18 contains many young, hot stars. This suggests that it might have experienced a burst of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hubble-detects-awe-inspiring-newborn-star/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">star formation</a> relatively recently in its history.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-interstellar-medium-nbsp">Interstellar medium&nbsp;</h3>



The galaxy has a high density of gas, which is a prime ingredient for star formation. This gas is mostly in the form of hydrogen.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unusual-characteristics">Unusual characteristics</h3>



Its characteristics are more typical of primordial galaxies found in the early universe, making it a valuable object of study for understanding galaxy formation and evolution.



Ultimately, I Zwicky 18 provides insights into the conditions and processes that might have been prevalent in the early universe.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-life-cycles-of-stars-and-dust">Life cycles of stars and dust</h3>



The image was captured as part of a Webb program to study the life cycle of dust in I Zw 18.&nbsp;



“Scientists are now building off of previous research with Hubble obtained at optical wavelengths, studying individual dusty stars in detail with Webb’s equivalent spatial resolution and sensitivity at infrared wavelengths.”&nbsp;



ESA noted that this galaxy is of particular interest as its content of elements heavier than helium is one of the lowest of all known <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-galaxy-formation-occurred-much-faster-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxies</a> in the local universe.&nbsp;



“Such conditions are thought to be similar to those in some of the first star-forming galaxies at high redshift, so the Webb study of I Zw 18 should shed light on the life-cycle of stars and dust in the early universe.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-constellation-ursa-major">The constellation Ursa Major </h2>



Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is one of the most prominent and easily recognizable constellations in the northern sky. 



Its name, "Ursa Major," means "Great Bear" in Latin, and it has been a significant part of various mythologies and star lore across cultures for thousands of years. 



One of the most famous asterisms within Ursa Major is the Big Dipper, a group of seven bright stars that form a shape resembling a ladle or dipper. The Big Dipper is often used as a navigation tool because it points to Polaris, the North Star, located in the nearby constellation Ursa Minor.



Ursa Major is best viewed in the northern hemisphere and is circumpolar, meaning it is visible year-round for much of the Northern Hemisphere. Its position changes with the seasons, rotating around Polaris, the North Star.



Image Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope



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Dwarf galaxy provides a window into the early universe

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency...

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Lake Chad in central Africa. The photograph was taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station.



According to <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154407/lake-chads-water-wetlands-and-dunes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a>, Lake Chad once ranked among the largest natural lakes in the world. It was a critical resource for millions of people and animals, supporting agriculture and fishing across the region.&nbsp;



Lake Chad straddles the borders of Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon. The shallow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lakes-are-warming-toward-the-point-of-no-return/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lake</a> is primarily fed by the Chari River, which brings water from the Central African Republic.&nbsp;



The water levels are also influenced by seasonal rainfall. The rainfall patterns vary significantly across the basin but generally follow a wet-dry seasonal cycle.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-decline-and-shrinkage-nbsp">Environmental decline and shrinkage&nbsp;</h2>



From the 1960s to the early 2000s, the lake lost more than 90 percent of its surface area. It transformed from a vast expanse of open water into a patchwork of wetlands, reed beds, and scattered pools.&nbsp;



This environmental decline has had severe consequences for local communities, leading to food and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-water-security-relies-on-the-origins-of-rainfall/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">water insecurity</a>, loss of livelihoods, and increasing competition over scarce resources.



“Ongoing droughts and the rising demand for fresh water have shrunk the lake to less than a tenth of the area it covered in the middle of the last century,” noted NASA.



“Although the lake has experienced dry and wet periods for thousands of years, there has been a significant decline in the amount of lake water available since the 1960s.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conflict-culture-and-economy">Conflict, culture, and economy</h2>



Lake Chad is a geopolitical hotspot. The region has been affected by conflict, including the insurgency led by Boko Haram, which has displaced millions and further complicated efforts to manage and protect the lake’s fragile ecosystem.&nbsp;



Despite these challenges, regional governments and international organizations are working to restore and sustain the lake, including ambitious proposals to divert water from the Congo River basin.



Culturally and economically, Lake Chad remains vital. It is a hub for trade and social exchange among diverse ethnic groups and continues to provide fish and fertile land despite its reduced size.&nbsp;



The future of Lake Chad hinges on sustainable water management, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-extremes-alter-how-sunlight-travels-through-clear-lakes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate</a> resilience, and political cooperation across national boundaries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolution-of-lake-chad-nbsp">Evolution of Lake Chad&nbsp;</h2>



According to NASA, the evolution of Lake Chad has been documented by astronaut photography over the past 60 years.&nbsp;



“During the Apollo 7 mission in 1968, an astronaut acquired an oblique <a href="https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/photo.pl?mission=AS07&amp;roll=8&amp;frame=1932" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">photograph</a> of the lake as one large body of water. In 1982, another <a href="https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/photo.pl?mission=STS005&amp;roll=39&amp;frame=1022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">photo</a> from the space shuttle mission STS-5 recorded receding water levels and encroaching sand dunes.”



“A <a href="https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/photo.pl?mission=ISS042&amp;roll=E&amp;frame=244403" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">photo</a> taken in 2015 during space station Expedition 42 captured the lake’s remaining waters and wetlands in dark green, blue, and brown, contrasting with the sandy shades of the surrounding land.”&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wildlife-of-lake-chad">Wildlife of Lake Chad</h2>



Lake Chad still supports wildlife, though species diversity and abundance have declined significantly due to ecosystem degradation



The lake and its surrounding wetlands are home to several species of fish, including tilapia, catfish, and Nile perch, which are important both ecologically and economically.&nbsp;



These fish support a major regional fishing industry, although overfishing and changes in water conditions have put pressure on fish populations.



Birds are another key component of the ecosystem. The lake serves as a crucial habitat and stopover point for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-may-be-using-quantum-physics-for-migration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">migratory birds</a> traveling along the African-Eurasian flyway.&nbsp;



Species such as herons, storks, ducks, and geese can be found in the region, especially during the wet season when parts of the lake flood and create rich feeding grounds.



Mammals that depend on the surrounding floodplains and wetlands include hippos and various antelope species, yet their numbers have declined.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conservation-efforts-and-challenges">Conservation efforts and challenges</h2>



Reptiles like Nile crocodiles and turtles also inhabit the lake's waters and marshy areas. In the past, larger wildlife such as elephants and lions may have roamed the wider Lake Chad basin, but they are now mostly gone from the immediate lake area due to habitat loss and human activity.



Despite these challenges, Lake Chad remains an important, yet increasingly fragile, refuge for wildlife in a region where water and natural habitats are becoming more scarce.&nbsp;



Conservation efforts aim to balance the needs of people and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thousands-of-freshwater-species-are-threatened-with-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife</a>, but the success of such efforts depends on managing the lake’s limited resources in the face of climate change, political instability, and population growth.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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Lake Chad: A vanishing lifeline in Central Africa

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features...

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features smoke hovering over the Butler Fire in Six Rivers National Forest. The fire was sparked by lightning on July 1 before quickly spreading to the east of Orleans, California.&nbsp;



By July 16, the Butler Fire had burned more than 9,000 acres and was zero percent contained.&nbsp;



Fueled by triple-digit temperatures and low humidity, the fire produced massive smoke plumes that drifted westward, impacting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-are-changing-the-quality-of-our-air/">air quality</a> across the region.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-california-fires-ignited-by-lightning">California fires ignited by lightning</h2>



About 75 miles southeast of the Butler Fire, the Green Fire has been burning for weeks near the Pit River arm of Shasta Lake. The fire was also ignited by lightning.&nbsp;



By mid-July, the Green Fire had scorched over 15,000 acres and was only 13 percent contained.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154554/wildfire-smoke-billows-over-northern-california">NASA</a>, the fire’s rapid spread was driven by similarly extreme conditions - temperatures above 100°F and humidity levels below 20 percent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-california-s-intense-2025-fire-season">California’s intense 2025 fire season</h2>



California’s 2025 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-seasons-are-now-overlapping-worldwide/">wildfire season</a> started early - and with alarming intensity. In January, Southern California endured destructive fires that were fueled by strong Santa Ana winds.&nbsp;



Most notably, the Palisades and Eaton Fires burned over 57,000 acres, destroyed thousands of homes, and resulted in around 30 fatalities.&nbsp;



Through mid-July, more than 4,195 wildfires had scorched over 201,000 acres statewide. This is nearly triple the area burned in the same period in 2024 and well above the five-year average.&nbsp;



Among these fires, the massive Madre Fire in San Luis Obispo County alone had burned more than 80,000 acres by early July, making it the largest wildfire of the season.



California is entering the peak of its fire season amid worsening climate-driven hot and dry weather, with fire agencies forecasting above-normal fire potential through August and September.&nbsp;



Firefighters and communities are facing increasingly complex and dangerous conditions, including extreme heat, dry vegetation, and low humidity. These factors are making wildfires harder to predict and control.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-intense-fire-seasons-ahead">More intense fire seasons ahead</h2>



Looking ahead, California’s wildfire seasons are expected to grow longer and more intense as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-making-wildfire-smoke-more-deadly/">climate change</a> continues to reshape the landscape. 



Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and shrinking snowpacks are drying out forests and grasslands earlier in the year, creating dangerous conditions months before the traditional fire season.&nbsp;



Scientists warn that even in wetter years, vegetation growth can provide abundant fuel that dries out quickly under warming trends. This increases the risk of fast-moving, high-intensity fires.&nbsp;



The state is also seeing more fire activity in regions once considered low risk, including coastal areas and higher elevations.



In addition to fueling larger and more frequent fires, climate change is complicating response and recovery efforts. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-making-wildfire-smoke-more-deadly/">Smoke</a> from massive wildfires can impact extensive regions, posing serious health risks and straining public health systems.&nbsp;



Ultimately, experts agree that without significant action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the pace of global warming, wildfires will remain one of the most visible and destructive symptoms of a <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/earth/explore/wildfires-and-climate-change/">changing climate</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-living-with-fire">Living with fire</h2>



As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fast-wildfires-are-gaining-even-more-speed/">wildfires</a> become a more permanent fixture of life in California, residents are adapting to new realities. From packing emergency “go bags” in spring to installing air purifiers and fire-resistant landscaping, preparedness is becoming part of everyday life.&nbsp;



Schools and workplaces now routinely factor wildfire smoke into closure plans, and emergency drills are no longer seasonal but year-round.



For people on the front lines - firefighters, emergency responders, and healthcare workers - demands will only get worse and more support is needed. Many are calling for improved pay and benefits, as well as mental health services to cope with repeated trauma.



Living with fire in California means balancing resilience with action. Communities must prepare for fire, recover from fire, and push for climate policies that may prevent a future defined by ever-worsening wildfire seasons.



The image was captured on July 13, 2025 by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the <a href="https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellites/landsat-8/">Landsat 8 satellite</a>.&nbsp;



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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California's extreme fire season rages on

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features Abell S1063, a massive galaxy cluster located about 4.5 billion light-years from Earth. The galaxy cluster was captured by the Webb telescope in stunning detail.



According to <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/05/Webb_glimpses_the_distant_past" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>, the image is what’s known as a deep field - a long exposure of a single area of the sky, collecting as much light as possible to draw out the most faint and distant galaxies that don’t appear in ordinary images.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-galaxies-of-the-early-universe">Galaxies of the early universe </h2>



Composed of nine separate snapshots taken at different near-infrared wavelengths over roughly 120 hours, this image represents Webb’s most detailed and deepest view of a single target so far.&nbsp;



Thanks to the gravitational lensing effect of Abell S1063, astronomers can peer deeper into the past than ever before - possibly viewing some of the universe’s very <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-galaxies-formed-from-the-earliest-elements-in-the-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first galaxies</a>.



“The eye is first drawn, in this new NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month, to the central mega-monster that is galaxy cluster Abell S1063. This behemoth collection of galaxies, lying 4.5 billion light-years from Earth in the constellation Grus (the Crane), dominates the scene,” noted ESA.



“Looking more closely, this dense collection of heavy galaxies is surrounded by glowing streaks of light, and these warped arcs are the true object of scientists’ interest: faint galaxies from the universe’s distant past.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-a-galaxy-cluster">What is a galaxy cluster?</h2>



Galaxy clusters are the largest known gravitationally bound systems and include not just galaxies, but also vast amounts of hot, X-ray-emitting gas and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-true-nature-of-dark-matter-may-be-revealed-in-a-supernova/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dark matter</a>.&nbsp;



The galaxies within a cluster move through this hot intracluster medium, and their interactions can lead to phenomena like galaxy mergers or the stripping of gas from galaxies.&nbsp;



Galaxy clusters are important for studying the large-scale structure of the universe, the behavior of dark matter, and the evolution of galaxies over cosmic time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hundreds-of-galaxies-bound-together-nbsp">Hundreds of galaxies bound together&nbsp;</h2>



As one of the most densely populated clusters known, Abell S1063 contains hundreds of galaxies bound together by gravity.&nbsp;



Its immense mass makes it an excellent example of a gravitational lens - a cosmic phenomenon where the cluster’s gravity bends and magnifies the light from galaxies far behind it.&nbsp;



This effect allows astronomers to observe incredibly faint and distant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/milky-way-like-galaxies-were-present-in-the-early-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxies</a> that would otherwise be beyond our detection limits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-galaxy-evolution">Studying galaxy evolution</h2>



The cluster has been the focus of several major observational campaigns. It was prominently featured in the Hubble Space Telescope’s Frontier Fields program, which used its gravitational lensing power to study the early universe.&nbsp;



“The new imagery from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) takes this quest even further back in time,” said ESA.



“This image showcases an incredible forest of lensing arcs around Abell S1063, which reveal distorted background galaxies at a range of cosmic distances, along with a multitude of faint galaxies and previously unseen features.”



These observations are helping scientists probe the Cosmic Dawn era - the period shortly after the Big Bang.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploring-the-cosmic-dawn-nbsp">Exploring the Cosmic Dawn&nbsp;</h2>



The Cosmic Dawn refers to a time in the history of the universe when the first stars and galaxies began to form and shine. This pivotal era occurred roughly between 100 million and 1 billion years after the Big Bang.&nbsp;



During the Dark Ages, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fastest-feeding-black-hole-found-in-the-early-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">universe</a> had cooled enough for neutral hydrogen to form, but no luminous objects yet existed to light it up.&nbsp;



The birth of the first stars - often massive and short-lived - marked the beginning of the Cosmic Dawn. These stars emitted intense ultraviolet radiation, which gradually ionized the surrounding hydrogen gas in a process known as reionization.&nbsp;



This transformed the universe from a cold, opaque environment into one that was transparent to light, enabling the large-scale structure of the cosmos to take shape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-constellation-grus">The constellation Grus</h2>



Grus is a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-jupiter-discovered-in-the-great-bear-constellation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">constellation</a> in the southern sky, its name derived from the Latin word for "crane," a type of large, graceful bird.&nbsp;



It was introduced in the late 16th century by the Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman, during an era of celestial charting tied to European exploration of the southern hemisphere.&nbsp;



Grus is part of a group of constellations known as the "Southern Birds," which also includes Phoenix, Tucana, and Pavo.



This constellation lies near the celestial south pole and is best seen from the Southern Hemisphere during the months of August through October.&nbsp;



Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA &amp; CSA, H. Atek, M. Zamani



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Hundreds of galaxies illuminate the early universe 

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the spiral galaxy UGC 11397 in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre).



The light captured in this striking image traveled for 250 million years before reaching the NASA/ESA <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/35-years-of-hubble-the-telescope-that-changed-our-view-of-the-universe/">Hubble Space Telescope</a>.



“At first glance, UGC 11397 appears to be an average spiral galaxy: it sports two graceful spiral arms that are illuminated by stars and defined by dark, clumpy clouds of dust,” noted ESA.



“What sets UGC 11397 apart from a typical spiral lies at its center, where a supermassive black hole containing 174 million times the mass of the Sun is growing.”&nbsp;



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



As the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/largest-oldest-black-hole-jet-ever-seen-is-size-of-three-milky-ways-j1601-3102/">black hole</a> consumes gas, dust, and even entire stars from its surroundings, the infalling material heats up dramatically, producing a dazzling display of energy.&nbsp;



These emissions span the electromagnetic spectrum - from gamma rays to radio waves - and can flare or fade unpredictably.&nbsp;



“But in some galaxies, including UGC 11397, thick clouds of dust hide much of this energetic activity from view in optical light,” explained ESA.



“Despite this, UGC 11397's actively growing black hole was revealed through its bright X-ray emission - high-energy light that can pierce the surrounding dust.”&nbsp;



Its distinctive signature has earned UGC 11397 the classification of a Type 2 Seyfert galaxy. This category describes active galaxies whose central regions are obscured in visible light by a doughnut-shaped cloud of dust and gas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-galaxy-and-black-hole-growth">Galaxy and black hole growth</h2>



“Using Hubble, researchers will study hundreds of galaxies that, like UGC 11397, harbor a supermassive black hole that is gaining mass,” noted ESA.&nbsp;



“The Hubble observations will help researchers weigh nearby supermassive black holes, understand how black holes grew early in the universe’s history, and even study how stars form in the extreme environment found at the very center of a galaxy.”



Studying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-galaxies-discovery-would-upend-current-understanding-of-universe/">galaxies</a> like UGC 11397 also offers insight into the mysterious relationship between supermassive black holes and their host galaxies.&nbsp;



Despite residing at the heart of galaxies, these black holes influence their surroundings on a much larger scale, often regulating the formation of stars and even shaping the structure of the galaxy itself.



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



One of the key questions astronomers hope to answer is how these black holes grow so massive in the first place.&nbsp;



While some appear to have formed gradually over billions of years, others - especially those in the early universe - seem to have reached enormous sizes much more quickly. 



Observations of galaxies such as UGC 11397 provide crucial data to test different growth scenarios.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-clearer-picture-of-cosmic-evolution">A clearer picture of cosmic evolution</h2>



By combining Hubble’s observations with data from other telescopes, including those that detect X-rays and radio waves, researchers can build a more complete picture of how matter behaves around black holes.&nbsp;



This multi-wavelength approach is essential for studying objects obscured by dust, like Type 2 Seyfert galaxies, where optical views alone can be misleading.



Hubble’s sharp vision also allows astronomers to examine the surrounding galactic disk and spiral arms in high detail. 



These structures hold clues about recent star formation, galactic dynamics, and how gas flows toward the center - fueling both star birth and black hole growth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-black-hole-energy-in-active-galaxies">Black hole energy in active galaxies</h2>



In many active <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thousands-of-galaxies-revealed-in-a-single-webb-image/">galaxies</a>, the energy released by the central black hole can blast out powerful winds or jets that affect star formation. These feedback processes can either shut down or stimulate the creation of new stars, depending on the conditions.&nbsp;



Understanding when and how this feedback occurs is another major goal of Hubble’s ongoing studies.



UGC 11397 is just one of many galaxies being surveyed as part of broader efforts to trace the cosmic history of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-holes-turn-into-white-holes-and-blast-out-matter-and-time-runs-backwards/">black hole</a> activity.&nbsp;



Projects such as these are helping scientists map how common active galactic nuclei are, how their properties evolve over time, and how they relate to galaxy mergers and other large-scale events.



The wealth of information gathered from galaxies like UGC 11397 is not only deepening our understanding of black holes but also refining models of galaxy formation and evolution.&nbsp;



With each new observation, astronomers are piecing together the vast and complex puzzle of how galaxies and their central engines co-evolve across cosmic time.



Image Credit: ESA/Hubble &amp; NASA, M. J. Koss, A. J. Barth



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Bright spiral galaxy hides a dark secret

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the Eagle Nebula, also known as Messier 16, which is located about 7,000 light-years away in the constellation Serpens.



The Eagle Nebula is one of the most iconic star-forming regions in our galaxy.&nbsp;It’s a vast cloud of gas and dust stretching roughly 70 light-years across.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pillars-of-creation-nbsp">Pillars of Creation&nbsp;</h2>



What makes it especially famous is a portion of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/six-rogue-worlds-discovered-inside-a-young-star-forming-nebula/">nebula</a> captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995 - an area called the "Pillars of Creation."&nbsp;



Some of these towering columns of gas are several light-years tall. The towers resemble sculpted fingers reaching out into space. Inside these pillars, new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/serpens-nebula-image-reveals-how-stars-are-born/">stars</a> are being born as gravity pulls material together into dense cores that eventually ignite nuclear fusion.



The Pillars of Creation are often cited as a poetic example of the cosmic cycle of birth and destruction - where new stars are born even as the surrounding material is slowly destroyed by radiation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hubble-image-of-the-eagle-nebula-nbsp">Hubble image of the Eagle Nebula&nbsp;</h2>



“This towering structure of billowing gas and dark, obscuring dust might only be a small portion of the Eagle Nebula, but it is no less majestic in appearance for it,” said <a href="https://esahubble.org/images/heic2507a/">ESA</a>.



“The new Hubble image is part of ESA/Hubble’s 35th anniversary celebrations. The cosmic cloud shown here is made of cold hydrogen gas, like the rest of the Eagle Nebula. In such regions of space new stars are born among the collapsing clouds.”&nbsp;



The hot, energetic stars emit intense ultraviolet light and powerful stellar winds that erode and sculpt the surrounding gas. The result is the creation of fantastical structures - like the narrow pillar with a blossoming head featured in the Hubble image.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-light-and-shadow-in-the-eagle-nebula">Light and shadow in the Eagle Nebula</h2>



The thick material in the pillar blocks most light, appearing dark and heavy against the backdrop. However, its edges glow where light from the more distant nebula shines through.&nbsp;



The striking colors reflect the chemistry and physics at play: blues signal ionized oxygen, reds indicate glowing hydrogen, and orange shows where starlight has managed to pierce the dust.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-structure-under-siege">A structure under siege</h2>



Just out of frame lie the very stars responsible for shaping this dramatic pillar. Their radiation and winds continue to batter the cloud, compressing the gas and potentially triggering the birth of even more stars within.



For now, the pillar holds firm, but this stability is temporary. Over time, the relentless energy from newly formed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fluffy-molecular-clouds-may-change-our-understanding-of-star-formation/">stars</a> will eventually erode the entire structure.



“While the starry pillar has withstood these forces well so far, cutting an impressive shape against the background, eventually it will be totally eroded by the multitude of new stars that form in the Eagle Nebula,” explained ESA.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-life-cycle-of-the-milky-way">Life cycle of the Milky Way</h2>



The nebula’s location in the Sagittarius Arm - one of the Milky Way’s major spiral arms - places it in a zone bustling with similar star-forming regions. This highlights the role of the Eagle Nebula in shaping the structure and the future of our galaxy.



Studies of the Eagle Nebula have revealed that the region is rich in young, hot stars - some of which are only a few million years old. These stars are in various stages of development, providing a natural laboratory for astronomers to study stellar life cycles.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolution-of-the-eagle-nebula-nbsp">Evolution of the Eagle Nebula&nbsp;</h2>



Within the Eagle Nebula, there is a variety of stellar processes occurring in close proximity. Some stars are still forming within dense clouds of gas, while others have already matured and begun to emit powerful ultraviolet radiation.&nbsp;



The ongoing interaction between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/star-formation-reignited-in-the-galaxy-leo-p-after-billions-of-years/">young stars</a> and their environment drives the evolution of the nebula itself.&nbsp;



As newly formed stars heat and disperse the gas and dust around them, they trigger further waves of star formation - or in some cases, halt it altogether.&nbsp;



This feedback loop not only influences the pace of star birth in the Eagle Nebula but also contributes to the broader life cycle of matter within the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/milky-way-collision-may-change-everything-we-know-about-our-galaxy/">Milky Way</a>, enriching the galaxy with heavier elements forged in stellar cores.



Image Credit: ESA/Hubble &amp; NASA, K. Noll



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Eagle Nebula: Carving light from darkness

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features a satellite view of smoke from fires burning in Manitoba, Canada on July 9, 2025.&nbsp;



Manitoba is facing its most severe <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-seasons-are-now-overlapping-worldwide/">wildfire season</a> on record - driven by extreme heat, drought, and strong winds.



By mid‑May, five fires in Manitoba were already classified as out of control, including one north of Whiteshell Provincial Park that rapidly consumed more than 100,000 hectares.



A record‑breaking heat wave around May 13, which was the hottest day Winnipeg has seen in 125 years, further accelerated the spread of the fires.



“Large fires have burned in Canada’s Manitoba province since May 2025, but the intensity of activity escalated in July,” noted <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154531/manitoba-burning">NASA</a>. 



“The province’s wildfire service reported 98 active fires burning on July 8, including 16 that were listed as out of control across the northern, western, and eastern parts of the province.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smoke-plumes-are-shifting-directions-nbsp">Smoke plumes are shifting directions&nbsp;</h2>



The fires have blown across vast swaths of northern Manitoba, at times closing in on urban centers like Flin Flon and The Pas. 



Dense smoke rendered aerial firefighting efforts dangerous or impossible, forcing firefighting crews to focus on protecting lives and infrastructure from the ground. 



Smoke plumes drifted south into the U.S. Upper Midwest, degrading <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-are-changing-the-quality-of-our-air/">air quality</a> in states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, where conditions reached unhealthy levels and outdoor activities were limited.



“At the time the image was acquired, dense smoke plumes from several of the largest fires streamed north; however, satellites have often observed plumes from Manitoba’s fires blowing east in recent weeks and months,” noted NASA.



Persistent smoke has caused air alert levels to spike across North America. A growing collection of research links <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-making-wildfire-smoke-more-deadly/">wildfire smoke exposure</a> to long‑term health risks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-escalating-fire-crisis-in-manitoba-nbsp">Escalating fire crisis in Manitoba&nbsp;</h2>



“As of July 9, fires in 2025 had charred 4.8 million hectares across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. That’s an area about twice the size of New Jersey and nearly four times the 25-year average,” said NASA.



“Manitoba accounted for about 1 million hectares of burned area, about 20 times more than at the same point in 2024 and 13 times more than the 25-year average.”



Despite brief relief from cooler weather and scattered rain, officials caution that full containment of the fires remains a long way off. The threat of flare-ups grows as temperatures continue to rise.



Authorities in Manitoba have emphasized the importance of fire‑smart behavior and compliance with restrictions in what continues to unfold as a historic wildfire emergency.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-remote-communities-face-greater-risks">Remote communities face greater risks</h2>



First Nations communities have been hit especially hard by Manitoba’s wildfire crisis. Many of these communities are located in remote areas with limited road access, which complicates evacuation efforts and delays emergency response.&nbsp;



Critical firefighting infrastructure - such as water tanks, hoses, and trained personnel - is often lacking. In some cases, airstrips are too small to accommodate large aircraft needed for evacuations or supply drops.



These challenges stem from long-standing systemic inequities. Chronic underfunding of infrastructure, healthcare, housing, and emergency services has left many Indigenous communities more vulnerable to climate-related disasters.&nbsp;



When <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fast-wildfires-are-gaining-even-more-speed/">wildfires</a> strike, the impacts on these remote communities are often more severe and long-lasting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-rise-of-extreme-fire-seasons">The rise of extreme fire seasons</h2>



Climate change is intensifying wildfire activity across Canada and beyond. Rising global temperatures have led to longer and more severe fire seasons, as warmer air draws more moisture from vegetation and soil, leaving forests drier and more flammable.&nbsp;



In Manitoba, an early onset of heat and persistent drought created ideal conditions for ignition and rapid spread - conditions that are becoming increasingly common in a warming world.



In addition to fueling drier landscapes, climate change has altered atmospheric patterns that influence fire behavior. Shifts in jet streams and the frequency of high-pressure systems can trap <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-heat-is-pushing-parts-of-earth-beyond-human-survival/">heat</a> over regions for prolonged periods.&nbsp;



These effects compound the risks, turning what might once have been manageable fire seasons into widespread and persistent emergencies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-future-with-more-megafires">A future with more megafires </h2>



While wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems, the scale and intensity now being observed point to a system pushed beyond historical norms.&nbsp;



Experts warn that without major cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, Canada will face more frequent megafires - especially in fire-prone provinces like Manitoba. 



These escalating fires are expected to bring greater health risks from smoke and increasing strain on emergency response systems.



The image was captured on July 9, 2025 by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Aqua satellite.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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From drought to disaster: Manitoba’s fire crisis escalates

The MODIS instrument, short for Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, is a key instrument aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. MODIS is playing a vital role in the development of Earth ecosystem models, able to predict global changes, which then assist policy makers in making informed decisions about the protection of the global environment.

Heavy snow and cloud cover in the Alps are seen in this Image of the day&nbsp;from the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> and features a look at heavy snow and low clouds in the Alps. Wildlife such as ibex live in the higher peaks to elevations of 3,400 m (11,155 ft), and plants such as Edelweiss grow in rocky areas in lower elevations as well as in higher elevations.

Heavy snow and cloud cover in the Alps

Monitoring Earth Changes with MODIS

Aqua is a NASA scientific research satellite that studies precipitation, evaporation, and water cycles. Terra and Aura make up the Earth Observing System. It's the second component of the system.

A frozen Lake Erie in February Today’s Image of the Day comes from the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> and features a look at a frozen <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/icy-lake-erie/">Lake Erie</a>, which is currently 93.3 percent iced over. A frozen Lake Erie in February
This false-color image was created using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the Aqua satellite to differentiate between snow, ice, and clouds.
Lake Erie /ˈɪəri/ (French: Lac Érié) is the fourth-largest lake (by surface area) of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the eleventh-largest globally if measured in terms of surface area.It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. At its deepest point Lake Erie is 210 feet (64 metres) deep. 
Situated on the International Boundary between Canada and the United States, Lake Erie&#8217;s northern shore is the Canadian province of Ontario, specifically the Ontario Peninsula, with the U.S. states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York on its western, southern, and eastern shores. These jurisdictions divide the surface area of the lake with water boundaries. 
The lake was named by the Erie people, a Native American people who lived along its southern shore. The tribal name &#8220;erie&#8221; is a shortened form of the Iroquoian word erielhonan, meaning long tail
&#8212;
By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Rory Arnold</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Image Credit: <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a>

A frozen Lake Erie in February

Aqua Earth Observing Satellite

This beautiful photo gallery contains 50 incredible images of Earth from Space. These images were taken by astronauts onboard the International Space Station, as well as by a multitude of NASA satellites orbiting the earth.

Today’s Image of the Day comes thanks to the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90654&amp;eocn=home&amp;eoci=iotd_readmore">NASA Earth Observatory</a> and features a look at Super Typhoon Noru in the Pacific Ocean just south of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-blue-chrysanthemums-created/">Japan</a>.
This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on July 31, 2017. 
At the time the photo was taken, Typhoon Noru was located just 250 kilometers south of Iwo Jima. Maximum sustained winds hit 150 miles per hour.
The storm briefly became a category 5 on July 30, before being downgraded to a category 4 one day later.
&#8211;
By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Rory Arnold</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Source: <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=90654&amp;eocn=home&amp;eoci=iotd_readmore">NASA Earth Observatory</a>

Super Typhoon Noru in the Pacific Ocean

Incredible Images of Earth from Space

Photos from the International Space Station are found in this awesome Earth.com image gallery. Flat-earthers won't agree, but these incredible photos of the Earth were taken by astronauts onboard the International Space Station. The International Space Station is a modular space station in low Earth orbit.

Northern Italy from the space station is seen here in this Image of the Day from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA). The view includes the top half of the Italian Peninsula, along with <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/wildfires-burn-northern-corsica/">Corsica</a> and Sardinia off the coast. This image was captured by ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli on his third and final mission to the Space Station.

Northern Italy from the Space Station

Photos from the International Space Station

A glacier on Mont Blanc holds something remarkable: a frozen archive stretching back more than 12,000 years. This discovery offers an unusually detailed record of Earth’s changing climate and atmosphere that is preserved in layers of ice.



The glacier, located on the Dôme du Goûter in the French Alps, contains the oldest known glacier ice in the region.



Scientists from the <a href="https://www.dri.edu/">Desert Research Institute</a> (DRI) in Nevada, in collaboration with researchers from France and Germany, studied a 40-meter-long ice core originally collected in 1999. 



The results of the analysis show that the glacier has remained intact since the end of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/disastrous-climate-changes-of-the-last-ice-age-could-happen-again/">last Ice Age</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extensive-record-of-aerosols">Extensive record of aerosols </h2>



The team applied <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/radiocarbon-could-be-key-in-predicting-earths-future/">radiocarbon dating</a> to determine the age of the ice layers within the core. The analysis revealed a continuous archive of aerosols preserved through time. 



The aerosols included microscopic particles and droplets such as dust, soot, sea salt, volcanic sulfur, and human-made pollutants. These samples are essential for reconstructing both regional and global climate patterns.



"For the first time, we have a fairly complete Alpine record of atmospheric and precipitation chemistry going all the way back to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stone-age-hunter-gatherers-had-a-very-organized-domestic-life/">Mesolithic Period</a>," said Joe McConnell, Director of DRI’s Ice Core Lab. 



"And that’s a big deal, because you have two major climate states - glacial and interglacial - and to get a record of atmospheric precipitation chemistry across that huge climate change tells you the most extreme natural aerosol concentrations that you’d expect."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-europe-s-climate-history-in-an-ice-core">Europe’s climate history in an ice core</h2>



According to McConnell, the ice core also captures evidence from a time when humans transitioned from small, low-density hunter-gatherer groups to developing agriculture, domesticating animals, engaging in mining, and eventually clearing large areas of land.



"All of that is happening around this ice core site. It spans the full range of natural and anthropogenic change, and it’s right in the center of Europe - where much of Western civilization evolved," said McConnell. 



The location in the Alps is crucial. It gives researchers a close-up look at Europe’s climate history without relying on Arctic records, which are farther from pollution sources.



"Ice cores collected from glaciers and ice sheets can provide such information, but since these droplets and particles stay in the air only for a few days to maybe a week, records developed from glaciers close to the sources often are the most informative," explained study lead author Michel Legrand.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-long-awaited-analysis">A long-awaited analysis</h2>



Although the ice core was collected more than two decades ago, it remained frozen in France until recently. 



The ice was then transported to DRI’s lab in Reno, where advanced techniques like continuous flow analysis were used to melt and measure the chemistry of each layer.



"Determining what year or period of time a layer in the ice represents can be challenging, so here we used a unique combination of radiometric methods to establish the chronology in the ice," said study co-author Werner Aeschbach.



"We were relieved to find that even under the unusually warm climate of the 20th century, the cold temperatures at over 14,000 feet near Mont Blanc’s peak had preserved the glacier so that the ice record hadn’t yet been impacted by melting," said co-author Nathan Chellman.



The depth of the ice core told its own story. While the Dôme du Goûter ice contained ancient layers more than 12,000 years old, a nearby glacier less than 100 meters away held ice only about a century old. The difference likely comes from stronger wind patterns at the Dôme site.



"It's exciting to find the first ice core from the European Alps containing an intact record of climate that extends back through the current ten-thousand-year warm period and into the very different climate of the last ice age," noted study co-author Susanne Preunkert.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ice-core-reveals-climate-changes">Ice core reveals climate changes</h2>



By studying the chemistry preserved in the ice, researchers identified a shift of about 3 degrees Celsius between the last Ice Age and the present <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/holocene-vs-anthropocene-debate/">Holocene Epoch</a>. 



Pollen data showed that summer temperatures during the Ice Age were about 2 degrees cooler in western Europe and 3.5 degrees cooler in the Alps.



Phosphorous levels in the ice also gave insights into vegetation changes. Levels were low during the Ice Age, rose sharply during the early Holocene as forests spread, and then declined again with modern agriculture and industrial land-clearing.



Sea salt concentrations helped the team track wind patterns. Higher sea salt levels during the Ice Age suggest stronger westerly winds across western Europe. Since sea salt affects cloud formation and solar radiation, it plays a direct role in climate dynamics.



Dust aerosols told a more intense story. During the Ice Age, dust concentrations were eight times higher than in the Holocene. That’s a much bigger difference than current climate models predict, which usually suggest just a doubling. 



The discrepancy might be due to Saharan dust reaching Europe more frequently during colder, drier periods.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-to-come-from-the-ice">More to come from the ice</h2>



This study marks just the beginning. With a firm timeline now established, researchers plan to analyze the ice for signs of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-activities-are-weakening-earths-air-circulation/">human activity</a> across the centuries.



"Now we can start to interpret all these other records that we have of lead and arsenic and other things like that, in terms of human history," said McConnell.



Beyond the historical context, the ice core also helps scientists improve climate models. McConnell said that if you’re really going to go back and examine all possible climate states - past and future - you need a model that captures true climate variability.



"It’s a laudable goal, but to evaluate how good the models are, you’ve got to be able to compare them to observations, right? And that’s where the ice cores come in."



As the team continues their work, this ancient glacier may reveal even more about how natural forces and human activity have shaped Europe's past - and how they might shape its future.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/6/pgaf186/8157585">PNAS Nexus</a>.



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Europe’s oldest ice core reveals 12,000 years of climate change

A glacier on Mont Blanc holds something remarkable: a frozen...

More than one in ten U.S. high school seniors said they used delta‑8 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in 2023, according to a fresh analysis of the nationwide Monitoring the Future classroom survey. This trend concerns public health experts as the substance carries known health risks. 



The delta-8 compound, an isomer of the better‑known delta‑9 THC found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-reveal-the-most-complete-cannabis-genome-yet/">Cannabis sativa</a>, is marketed as “light” or “legal” weed, yet it activates the same brain receptors that make cannabis psychoactive.



Study author Dr. Adam Leventhal of the USC <a href="https://ias.usc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Institute for Addiction Science</a> calls the numbers “a flashing yellow light,” noting that kids in states without adult‑use cannabis laws are turning to delta‑8 products instead.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-delta-8-thc-loophole">Delta‑8 THC loophole</h2>



Congress legalized hemp in 2018 as long as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cbd-reduces-the-unwanted-side-effects-of-thc/">delta‑9</a> THC content stayed below 0.3 percent, but the law never mentioned its chemical cousins.



Entrepreneurs quickly learned they could convert hemp‑derived CBD into delta‑8 in a lab, keeping the letter of the law while selling a buzz that looks legal to consumers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-candy-colors-appeal-to-teens">Candy colors appeal to teens</h2>



Delta‑8 THC shows up in gummies, soda, breakfast cereal and cartoon‑branded vape carts, all of which are sold in places where no I.D. is required.



Earlier this year the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/07/ftc-fda-send-second-set-cease-desist-letters-companies-selling-products-containing-delta-8-thc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Food and Drug Administration</a> and the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/07/ftc-fda-send-second-set-cease-desist-letters-companies-selling-products-containing-delta-8-thc">Federal Trade Commission</a> warned several snack makers for packaging delta‑8 edibles that mimic name‑brand chips and cookies.



Gas‑station merchandising puts the compound beside energy drinks, making it feel as ordinary as candy and just as easy to grab between classes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-delta-8-abuse-is-growing-fast">Delta‑8 abuse is growing fast</h2>



Among teens who used delta‑8, almost seven in ten <a href="https://nida.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/2024/03/delta-8-thc-use-reported-by-11-of-12th-graders-in-2023" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a> taking it at least three times in the past year, and nearly one in six said they reached for it 40 or more times.



“Eleven percent is a lot of people, that’s at least one or two students in every average‑sized class,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/nih-almanac/national-institute-drug-abuse-nida" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Institute on Drug Abuse</a>.



Usage was highest in the South and Midwest and in states that still ban adult‑use cannabis, suggesting that teens substitute delta‑8 when licensed dispensaries are off‑limits.



Adolescence is a period of rapid synaptic pruning, and intoxicants can rewrite circuits that govern learning, memory and impulse control.



Animal studies show that THC disrupts the development of the prefrontal cortex, and early human data link frequent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-potency-why-you-shouldnt-trust-the-label/">cannabis</a> use to attention and mood disorders. 



Scientists expect similar risks from delta‑8 because it binds to the same CB1 receptor in the central and peripheral nervous system.



Because delta‑8 products are unregulated, potency varies, and heavy metals or residual solvents from the conversion process sometimes hitch a ride, adding more chemical stress to developing brains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-regulators-play-catch-up">Regulators play catch‑up</h2>



At least 32 states now restrict or ban delta‑8 THC, and Congress is weighing changes to the Farm Bill that could outlaw most intoxicating hemp derivatives nationwide. 



Meanwhile, <a href="https://poisoncenters.org/news-alerts/13302763" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">America's Poison Centers</a> logged 3,358 delta‑8 exposures in 2022 - an 82% jump in a single year.



Retailers counter that prohibition would drive teens to untested street products, but public‑health experts argue that age gates, potency caps and clear labeling are minimum safeguards for any psychoactive substance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-catching-the-next-thc-derivative">Catching the next THC derivative</h2>



Researchers are already watching for what may follow delta‑8. The editorial accompanying the study warned that, while delta‑8 might appear mild, future cannabinoids could be stronger, more addictive, or harder to detect.&nbsp;



Several public health <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871625001292?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">scientists</a> at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Johns Hopkins University, described the current delta‑8 surge as a sentinel event that could signal a new wave of cannabinoid use with unknown consequences.



That uncertainty complicates prevention. With new compounds synthesized regularly from legal hemp, each with slightly different chemical profiles, keeping regulations current becomes a game of chemistry whack‑a‑mole.&nbsp;



Public health experts say preemptive policy tools, real‑time exposure tracking, and better education campaigns are key to getting ahead of the next trend instead of simply reacting to it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-delta-8-teen-health-and-the-future">Delta‑8, teen health, and the future</h2>



Parents often <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thc-o-acetate-is-not-a-psychedelic-cannabinoid-according-to-scientists/">learn</a> about delta‑8 THC only when gummies turn up in a backpack; talking early about the difference between “hemp” and “harmless” closes that knowledge gap.



The published survey offers an opening benchmark. Repeated sampling will reveal whether teen curiosity flattens or the trend line climbs like early e‑cigarette adoption did a decade ago.



Researchers say the next step is straightforward: track exposure, set evidence‑based limits and keep psychoactive chemistry out of the cereal aisle until the adult brain has finished its build.



The study is published in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2816083" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JAMA</a>.



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THC variant marketed as 'harmless' is worrying public health experts due to its popularity

More than one in ten U.S. high school seniors said...

At first glance, the Orion Nebula Cluster, the Pleiades, and the Hyades appear to be separate star groups, scattered across different parts of the night sky. Their distinct locations and appearances make it easy to assume they have no connection to one another.



However, new research suggests that these well-known star clusters might be more than neighbors - they might be snapshots of the same system, seen at different stages in life.



This surprising connection comes from scientists at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) in Iran and the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bonn</a> in Germany. 



The study shows that the Orion Nebula Cluster, the Pleiades, and the Hyades likely formed from the same original star system. The findings are changing how we think about star formation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-star-clusters-at-different-life-stages">Star clusters at different life stages</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-stars-shape-planetary-systems-like-ours-with-ultraviolet-radiation/">Orion Nebula</a> Cluster (ONC) is the youngest of the trio - just 2.5 million years old. It’s also the most active, filled with thousands of young stars and surrounded by the gas cloud that birthed them. 



You can spot it in Orion’s Sword, although it looks like just one bright “star” to the naked eye.



Then there’s the Pleiades - visible as a tight knot of stars nearby in the sky. At 100 million years old, its stars are more spread out, having had time to drift away from each other.



Finally, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hyades-star-cluster-may-contain-the-closest-black-holes-to-earth/">Hyades</a> is around 700 million years old. Its stars are far more scattered and fewer in number.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-snapshots-of-an-evolving-star-system">Snapshots of an evolving star system</h2>



Despite their different ages and distances, scientists believe these three clusters are linked. 



“Our highly precise stellar dynamics calculations have now shown that all three star clusters originated from the same predecessor,” said study co-author Dr. Pavel Kroupa.



“The Orion Nebula, Pleiades and Hyades are like three different photos of the same person. These three photos show this entity at different ages: as a baby, adolescent and elderly.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-star-clusters-follow-a-growth-pattern">Star clusters follow a growth pattern</h2>



This discovery isn’t just poetic - it’s pointing to something deeper about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fluffy-molecular-clouds-may-change-our-understanding-of-star-formation/">how stars form</a>. According to the researchers, open star clusters might follow a consistent pattern in their development, regardless of the specific molecular cloud that births them.



“It is a bit like if the same person was being born over and over again,” said Dr. Kroupa. “From this we can learn that open <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stunning-star-clusters-captured-in-the-extreme-outskirts-of-the-milky-way/">star</a> clusters seem to have a preferred mode of star formation.”



“It appears that there is a preferred physical environment in which stars form when they evolve within these clouds.”



To test this idea, Dr. Ghasem Safaei and his team at the <a href="https://iasbs.ac.ir/">IASBS</a> used powerful computer simulations.



The experts modeled how a dense, young cluster like Orion could naturally transform into the more spread-out Pleiades, and then into the elderly Hyades, over hundreds of millions of years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-millions-of-years-of-star-life">Millions of years of star life</h2>



The simulations were based on careful calculations of how the stars interact with each other and with their environment. Over time, a cluster loses stars and gas due to gravitational forces, both internal and external.



“This research shows that it is entirely plausible that star clusters such as the Orion Nebula Cluster follow a development path that transforms them into systems like Pleiades and later on Hyades,” said study co-author Professor Hosein Haghi.



The models ran for 800 million years and started with the latest real-world data - high star density, compact shapes, and a high number of double stars. 



“The results show that clusters such as the Orion Nebula Cluster can lose up to 85 percent of their stars but nevertheless retain a coherent structure similar to Hyades, after they have passed through an intermediate stage similar to Pleiades,” said Dr. Safaei.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-star-clusters-with-a-common-origin">Star clusters with a common origin</h2>



What makes this even more intriguing is the fact that all three clusters sit in roughly the same region of the night sky. For decades, astronomers have wondered if this is just a coincidence or something more.



The team believes this alignment supports the idea that they share a common origin. It could reflect how these clusters form and evolve in the same part of our galaxy, influenced by similar conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-stellar-story-in-motion">A stellar story in motion</h2>



Understanding these connections also helps astronomers grasp how internal and external forces shape a star cluster’s fate.



“This research gives us a deeper understanding of how star clusters form and develop and illustrates the delicate balance between internal dynamics and external forces such as the gravitational pull of the Milky Way,” said study co-author Professor Akram Hasani Zonoozi.



The research doesn’t just reveal how one star cluster ages. It shows how theory and observation can work hand-in-hand to reconstruct a cosmic story billions of years in the making. 



As researchers refine these models, they may unlock similar patterns in other parts of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cozmic-simulations-of-milky-way-use-strange-physics-laws-to-study-alternate-universes-cozmic/">Milky Way</a> - and perhaps even beyond.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/541/2/1753/8202867" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</a>.



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Trio of star clusters may be the same system at different ages

At first glance, the Orion Nebula Cluster, the Pleiades, and...

Stevia may soon offer more than just sweetness. In the lab, researchers found that when fermented with a bacterium from banana leaves, this natural plant extract targets pancreatic cancer cells - while leaving healthy kidney cells unharmed.



“Globally, the incidence and mortality rates of pancreatic cancer continue to rise, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%,” said study co-author Narandalai Danshiitsoodol from <a href="https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hiroshima University</a>.



“Pancreatic cancer is highly invasive and prone to metastasis, showing significant resistance to existing treatments, such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. As such, there is an urgent need to identify new and effective anticancer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cancer-cells-create-power-waves-to-fuel-invasion/">compounds</a>, particularly those derived from medicinal plants.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fermented-stevia-for-cancer-therapy">Fermented stevia for cancer therapy</h2>



The researchers used&nbsp;Lactobacillus plantarum&nbsp;SN13T, a bacterium from banana leaves. They fermented stevia leaves and compared the result to a regular extract. The fermented version (FSLE) worked better in every way.



“To enhance the pharmacological efficacy of natural plant extracts, microbial biotransformation has emerged as an effective strategy,” said Masanori Sugiyama. 



“In this study, we aimed to compare LAB-fermented and non-fermented extracts to identify key compounds that enhance bioactivity, ultimately contributing to the efficacy of herbal medicine in cancer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/walking-each-day-at-any-speed-lowers-the-risk-of-cancer/">prevention</a> and therapy.”



The researchers didn’t just mix things and hope. They optimized fermentation time, temperature, and oxygen levels. Stevia turned out to be most potent when fermented for 72 hours, without oxygen, at 37°C.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fermented-stevia-hits-cancer-cells-hard">Fermented stevia hits cancer cells hard</h2>



Fermented stevia killed pancreatic cancer (PANC-1) cells more efficiently than the non-fermented extract. At the same time, it barely touched healthy HEK-293 cells, even at high doses. That balance is rare and valuable.



At some concentrations, FSLE didn’t kill cancer cells immediately. Instead, it slowed their growth. The cancer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-scientist-discovers-that-common-non-cancer-drugs-when-combined-can-kill-cancer-cells/">cells</a> looked weak, lost shape, and stopped sticking together. Under the microscope, they looked scattered and unhealthy.



Healthy kidney cells stayed mostly unaffected. This points to selectivity - a key feature for safe treatments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strong-antioxidant-effects">Strong antioxidant effects</h2>



Cancer isn’t just about rogue cells. Oxidative stress plays a big role. Fermented stevia turned out to be a powerful antioxidant too.



In lab tests, it neutralized free radicals more effectively than non-fermented extract. It hit 94% scavenging power in the DPPH assay and 75% in ABTS. Even when healthy cells were exposed to hydrogen peroxide, FSLE helped them survive.



Fermentation likely created new compounds. The researchers suspect chlorogenic acid transformed into chlorogenic acid methyl ester (CAME), a more active form. Fermented stevia contained lots of it. The raw extract had none.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-powerful-compound-fights-cancer-cells">Powerful compound fights cancer cells</h2>



CAME packed more punch than chlorogenic acid. It stopped cancer cell growth and triggered their self-destruction.



Its IC50 - the dose that kills half the cancer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breakthrough-cancer-cells-have-a-molecular-switch-that-could-be-rewired-to-behave-normally/">cells</a> - was just 119.1 µg/mL. For regular chlorogenic acid, it was 189.6 µg/mL. That’s a big difference. CAME shut down cancer cells by blocking their cell cycle and making them commit apoptosis.



Flow cytometry showed CAME, produced by fermented stevia, locked the cells in the G0/G1 phase. That’s the stage before a cell starts duplicating. It also caused the cells to release cytochrome c and activate caspases, which break down dying cells from the inside.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-altered-gene-activity">Altered gene activity</h2>



At the gene level, things got interesting. CAME dialed up pro-apoptotic genes like Bax, Bad, Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and Cytochrome c. 



The compound also boosted E-cadherin, a gene linked to reduced cancer migration. Meanwhile, it shut down Bcl-2, a gene that normally stops cells from dying.



This gene activity supports what the microscope and assays showed. The cells didn’t just die randomly. CAME pushed them into a specific self-destruct mode, the mitochondrial pathway.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stevia-more-than-just-a-sweetener">Stevia: More than just a sweetener</h2>



Fermentation changed the story. It gave stevia extract a new weapon - a compound that targets <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/light-activated-molecules-kill-cancer-cells-with-precision/">cancer</a> while keeping healthy cells safe. That transformation seems to happen through specific enzymes from the SN13T strain.



“This microbial transformation was likely due to specific enzymes in the bacteria strain used,” Danshiitsoodol said. 



“Our data demonstrate that CAME exhibits stronger toxicity to cells and pro-apoptotic effects - which encourage cell death - on PANC-1 cells compared to chlorogenic acid alone.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-upcoming-cancer-research-with-stevia">Upcoming cancer research with stevia </h2>



The team plans to move beyond the lab dish. Mouse studies come next. That will show whether fermented stevia works in living systems with real immune responses and complex metabolism.



“The present study has substantially enhanced our understanding of the mechanism of action of the Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T strain in the fermentation of herbal extracts, while also offering a valuable research perspective on the potential application of probiotics as natural anti-tumor agents,” said Danshiitsoodol.



This research suggests that with the right microbes, even a simple leaf can evolve into a targeted therapy. Not bad for a sugar substitute.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/9/4186" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International Journal of Molecular Sciences</a>. 



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Not all artificial sweeteners are bad for you, and this one might also fight cancer

Stevia may soon offer more than just sweetness. In the...

In 2012, Nobel laureate <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.160401" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frank Wilczek</a> asked whether the symmetry that arranges atoms in an ordinary crystal might also break in time, producing a structure that beats forever at its own pace.



More than a decade later, researchers at <a href="https://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tsinghua University</a>, working with theorists from <a href="https://www.tuwien.at/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vienna University of Technology</a>, have watched rubidium vapor settle into just such a rhythm and report their findings.



Prof Thomas Pohl of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at <a href="https://www.tuwien.at/en/phy/itp" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TU Wien</a>, a co‑author of the new paper, says the result brings Wilczek’s vision “very close to reality.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-a-time-crystals-differ">How a time crystals differ</h2>



A time crystal repeats itself in time rather than in space, breaking the uniformity of the clock the way a snowflake breaks the uniformity of a lake. 



The persistence of this rhythm, called spontaneous symmetry breaking, means the pattern survives even when no one is forcing it.



Laboratory evidence has grown fast, from early ion‑trap demonstrations of discrete time crystals in 2017 to optical‑cavity work that showed continuous versions in 2022. 



Yet every platform had limits, such as ultracold temperatures or brief lifetimes, that left physicists wanting a clearer test bed.



The new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-atomic-collisions-unleash-unexpected-energy-bursts/">rubidium system</a> operates at room temperature and runs for hundreds of milliseconds at a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-explain-why-time-seems-to-fly-by-pass-faster-as-we-age-brain-perception/">time</a>, long enough to watch thousands of oscillations. 



That endurance turns the humble glass cell into a laboratory for fundamental questions about nonequilibrium phases of matter.



“The tick frequency is predetermined by the physical properties of the system, but the times at which the tick occurs are completely random,” Pohl notes. The statement underscores that the crystal’s clock sets itself, with no hidden conductor waiting in the wings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-giant-atoms-set-the-stage">Giant atoms set the stage</h2>



At the heart of the experiment are <a href="https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/RevModPhys.82.2313">Rydberg atoms</a>, rubidium atoms whose outer electron is lifted so far from the nucleus that the atom swells to about a micron across, roughly four‑hundredths of a human hair or 0.00004 inches.



These bloated atoms carry exaggerated electric fields that let them push and pull on one another across distances many times their size, knitting the gas into a strongly interacting community. 



Because the atoms sit in a sealed vapor cell, they suffer almost no loss, avoiding the evaporation that plagues ultracold clouds.



The team drove each atom with two lasers tuned to excite two separate Rydberg levels at once. That choice created a built‑in tug‑of‑war: one level flourished only at the expense of the other, and the duel produced a limit‑cycle oscillation that showed up as a ripple in the transmitted light.



Like a roomful of people clapping until they fall into step, the atoms locked onto a single beat. The rhythm remained phase‑coherent for at least 80 periods, the longest window the detectors could track.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-crystals-and-laser-light">Time crystals and laser light</h2>



Nothing in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/americas-most-powerful-laser-zeus-just-hit-2-petawatts-100x-global-electricity-output/">lasers’ intensity</a> or frequency changed during the run, yet the transmitted light marched up and down with a period of a few microseconds. That self‑organization is the signature of a continuous time crystal.



Fourier analysis of single‑shot data revealed sharp combs of spectral peaks spaced by the fundamental oscillation frequency. 



Early in each run the peaks drifted before narrowing into a stable set, marking the moment the crystal snapped into long‑range temporal order.



The autocorrelation function, a standard way to test for order, stayed flat over dozens of cycles once the drift settled. 



The plateau shows that the pattern does not wash out with time, a key requirement for claiming true <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-observe-quasicrystal-crystal-pattern-the-shadow-of-crystal-in-4d-confirm-penrose-and-shechtmans-theory/">symmetry breaking</a> rather than a transient quiver.



When the probe beam was deliberately shaken with random intensity noise, the crystal shrugged off weak perturbations. 



Only at high noise levels did the oscillation contrast fall, and even then the fundamental frequency held firm until the signal disappeared into the background.



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



Theorists have known that a single Rydberg level coupled to a laser often settles into a steady state or a bistable pair of steady states. Adding a second level changes the math.



Pohl and his colleagues modeled the gas with mean‑field equations that include the long‑range van der Waals forces between the giant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/images-of-single-atoms-moving-freely-through-space-captured-for-the-first-time/">atoms</a>. 



Their calculation shows that as soon as both levels draw enough laser power, the system crosses a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/hopf-bifurcation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hopf bifurcation</a>, switching from fixed points to a limit cycle. The experiment’s phase diagram matches that prediction.



The result highlights a theme running through time‑crystal research: many‑body interactions create collective timekeeping that a single particle cannot match. 



Reviews of the field emphasize how this cooperative behavior extends ideas of order and phase transitions into driven, dissipative settings.



In the new system, the competition launches on a millimeter scale, far beyond the size of individual atoms, making it visible with standard optics and giving engineers a practical handle on the parameters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-tools-and-tests">Future tools and tests</h2>



Because the rubidium vapor sits at room temperature, the setup can be embedded into microfabricated chips alongside waveguides or microwave circuits, opening routes to compact sensors that read out time‑crystal beats in real time. 



Recent studies have already used Rydberg vapors to detect radio‑frequency fields with extreme sensitivity.



Persistent, phase‑locked oscillations promise low‑phase‑noise signals useful for clock recovery, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-secrets-of-water-molecules-discovered-in-the-lab-through-spectroscopy/">precision spectroscopy</a>, and perhaps gravitational‑wave detection, where any self‑referencing oscillator could serve as a phase tag.



On the theory side, researchers now have a platform for mapping phase diagrams that include stationary, bistable, and time‑crystalline regimes. 



Mapping how each region melts under noise or changes under periodic driving could test proposals for discrete time crystals that appear only under pulsed excitation.



Scaling the vapor‑cell concept to two or three dimensions may reveal whether spatial geometry feeds back into temporal order, a question still largely untouched in experiments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-possible-applications-and-open-questions">Possible applications and open questions</h2>



The vapor‑cell <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-quantum-states-found-in-crystal-layers-could-boost-computing/">crystal</a> also offers a living classroom for nonequilibrium thermodynamics, showing how systems trade energy and entropy while holding a strict temporal pattern. 



Lessons learned here could inform models of rhythmic behavior in chemical reactions, biological clocks, and even economic cycles.



Engineers eyeing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trapped-atoms-forced-to-serve-as-transistors-quantum-network/">quantum networks</a> wonder whether time‑crystal phases can synchronize remote nodes through shared photons, reducing the overhead for entangling operations. 



The long‑range Rydberg interactions and optical accessibility make the rubidium platform an attractive test case.



Still unresolved is whether a truly dissipation‑free, closed‑system <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/physicists-make-bold-claims-that-time-is-an-illusion-question-its-existence/">time</a> crystal can exist, or whether some coupling to an environment is always needed to stabilize the beat. The present work, like most others, relies on a balance of drive and loss.



Another question is how quantum coherence, rather than classical population oscillations, manifests in a macroscopic continuous time crystal. Experiments coupling Rydberg media to high‑finesse cavities may soon probe that regime.



The study is published in <a href="https://arxiv.org/html/2305.20070v3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Physics</a>.



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Scientists create a "time crystal" using giant atoms, a concept long thought to be impossible

In 2012, Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek asked whether the symmetry...

Astronomers thought the young star MP Mus had no planet in sight. But a closer look revealed a giant planet hidden in the surrounding gas and dust - one they had completely missed.



A team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>, along with colleagues from Germany, Chile, and France, revisited MP Mus using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission.



The findings point to a gas giant planet - anywhere from three to ten times the size of Jupiter - lurking inside the disc. This is the first time Gaia has helped identify a planet still embedded in its protoplanetary disc.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-planets-hidden-inside-their-discs">Planets hidden inside their discs</h2>



Studying young planets like this gives us important clues about how our own Solar System might have formed. When stars are young, they’re surrounded by discs of gas, dust, and ice. 



Over time, gravity pulls these particles together to form larger bodies like asteroids and planets. As planets take shape, they start to clear paths in the disc - like grooves in a vinyl record.



But spotting those young planets is tough. Gas and dust interfere with most observations. So far, scientists have only made three solid detections of young planets still sitting inside their discs. This discovery adds a fourth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-signs-of-a-hidden-planet">Signs of a hidden planet</h2>



The study was led by Dr Álvaro Ribas from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy. He has spent years studying protoplanetary discs.



“We first observed this star at the time when we learned that most discs have rings and gaps, and I was hoping to find features around MP Mus that could hint at the presence of a planet or planets,” said Dr. Ribas.



In 2023, his team used ALMA to observe MP Mus, also known as PDS 66. What he saw was underwhelming. The star looked alone. Its disc showed no gaps, no ridges - just a flat, lifeless expanse.



“Our earlier observations showed a boring, flat disc,” said Dr. Ribas. “But this seemed odd to us, since the disc is between seven and ten million years old. In a disc of that age, we would expect to see some evidence of planet formation.”



So the team tried again. They used ALMA to look at the star at a longer wavelength - 3mm - which allowed them to see deeper into the disc. This time, the picture changed.



The experts spotted a cavity near the star, plus two distant gaps. These features had been invisible in the first set of images. It was the first hint that a planet might be shaping the disc from the inside.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-star-that-wobbles">A star that wobbles</h2>



At the same time, another researcher was noticing something strange. Miguel Vioque, a scientist at the European Southern Observatory, was analyzing Gaia data when he noticed MP Mus wasn’t sitting still.



“My first reaction was that I must have made a mistake in my calculations, because MP Mus was known to have a featureless disc,” said Vioque. 



“I was revising my calculations when I saw Álvaro give a talk presenting preliminary results of a newly-discovered inner cavity in the disc, which meant the wobbling I was detecting was real and had a good chance of being caused by a forming planet.”



A wobbling star is a classic clue. When a planet orbits a star, its gravity pulls slightly on the star, causing a small but measurable motion. Combine that motion with the new disc structures seen by ALMA, and things start to add up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-indirect-observations-of-new-planets">Indirect observations of new planets</h2>



The team used computer models to pull the clues together. What they found fits the pattern of a gas giant orbiting between one and three times the distance between Earth and the Sun.



“Our modeling work showed that if you put a giant planet inside the new-found cavity, you can also explain the Gaia signal,” said Dr. Ribas. “And using the longer ALMA wavelengths allowed us to see structures we couldn’t see before.”



This marks the first time a planet has been indirectly discovered inside a protoplanetary disc by combining data from both ALMA and Gaia. It opens the door to new possibilities. If other discs hide their planets just as well, these tools together might help reveal them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revealing-more-hidden-planets">Revealing more hidden planets</h2>



“We think this might be one of the reasons why it’s hard to detect young planets in protoplanetary discs, because in this case, we needed the ALMA and Gaia data together,” said Dr. Ribas. 



“The longer ALMA wavelength is incredibly useful, but to observe at this wavelength requires more time on the telescope.”



Dr. Ribas noted that upgrades to ALMA and the upcoming next-generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) will allow scientists to peer deeper into these dusty discs and possibly uncover many more hidden planets.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02576-w">Nature Astronomy</a>.



Image Credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/A. Ribas et al.



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Massive hidden planet found orbiting young star

Astronomers thought the young star MP Mus had no planet...

Ocean warming is altering the mating routines of angelsharks, according to a new study. Instead of showing up to breed, females are heading for cooler waters - leaving the males behind.



This mismatch in behavior, scientists say, could spell trouble for the future of the species. 



A team of researchers from <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lancaster University</a> and the Angel Shark Project: Canary Islands uncovered this shift using acoustic trackers.



The study was focused on the Canary Islands, where sea temperatures have been rising steadily - particularly around La Graciosa Marine Reserve, off the coast of Lanzarote.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-angelsharks-in-a-warming-ocean">Angelsharks in a warming ocean</h2>



In 2022, the ocean around the reserve experienced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-heat-is-pushing-parts-of-earth-beyond-human-survival/">extreme heat</a>. Sea surface temperatures climbed above 23.8°C and stayed over 22.5°C for almost three times longer than in previous years. That temperature threshold, it turns out, is critical. 



“The males were much more resilient to temperature rises and stuck to their regular patterns of arrival and departure, seemingly prioritizing mating despite these temperature extremes,” said Dr. David Jacoby, a zoologist at Lancaster University and lead investigator on the study.



But while the males arrived in November as usual, the females were largely absent. This disrupted their usual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/whale-shark-mating-behaviors-observed-for-the-first-time-in-the-wild/">mating</a> season, which typically begins in late autumn when the waters are cooler.



Unlike males, females have higher energy demands due to their reproductive biology. Staying cool is more than a preference - it’s a matter of survival.



“With angelsharks we observed important sex differences in behavior, with the females being disproportionately influenced by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">sea temperature rises</a>,” noted Dr. Jacoby.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heatwaves-beneath-the-surface">Heatwaves beneath the surface</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mapping-marine-heatwaves-to-understand-their-impacts/">Marine heatwaves</a> may not be as visible as wildfires on land, but they can be just as disruptive. 



"These more frequent and extreme heatwaves are potentially the wildfires of the ocean and are having untold effects on marine species,” Dr. Jacoby explained.



Between 2018 and 2023, the team tracked over 100 angelsharks. Until 2022, male and female sightings in the reserve peaked around the same time each year. 



But then the pattern was broken. Female presence dropped off dramatically, and researchers believe 22.5°C is close to the upper temperature limit for their comfort.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-refuge-for-the-angelshark">A refuge for the angelshark</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/fuerteventura-and-lanzarote-of-the-canary-islands/">Canary Islands</a> are a major refuge for the angelshark, and one of the few places where both adults and juveniles are regularly seen. 



The region supports a growing dive industry that relies on this rare predator as a flagship species. However, as ocean temperatures creep upward, the window for successful mating narrows.



“That fact that environmental extremes are driving differing male and female arrival times at coastal mating sites is of particular concern for this critically endangered species,” said Dr. Lucy Mead of ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and Lancaster University.



"Angelsharks - as with most other sharks - are ectothermic, which means their body temperature directly depends on surrounding water temperatures.'



"It seems that male angelsharks prioritize mating even when conditions are unfavorable, while females prioritize staying within their preferred temperature range."



According to Dr. Mead, the Canary Islands are already at the warmer end of tolerable temperatures for angelsharks, and with significant warming projected here, our concern is that key areas may become inhospitable for females. 



"These findings have important implications for how we conserve this highly threatened species in a warming world," said Dr. Mead.



“Climate change impacts in the ocean tend to be ‘out of sight, out of mind’, but just as heatwaves and wildfires are becoming more frequent on land, so are extreme events in the oceans.”



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



The long-term tracking efforts behind this study show how vital it is to monitor temperature and shark movement together. 



“These findings are a reminder of how climate extremes are already reshaping the behavior of threatened marine species,” said Eva Meyers, co-lead of the Angel Shark Project and researcher at the <a href="https://leibniz-lib.de/en/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change</a>.



“This study highlights exactly why long-term monitoring of critical habitats in the Canary Islands must be a key pillar of any effective marine biodiversity recovery plan. The Canary Islands are one of the main strongholds for this species - safeguarding these waters is more urgent than ever.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-bigger-picture-for-ocean-life">The bigger picture for ocean life</h2>



Beyond angelsharks, the findings point to a broader concern - how warming oceans are unsettling the ecological balance of coastal ecosystems.



Dr. David Jiménez Alvarado is co-lead of the Angel Shark Project and postdoctoral researcher at the EcoAQUA Institute at the <a href="https://www.ulpgc.es" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria</a>.



“It’s important to understand how changes in the ocean’s physicochemical conditions can affect the species that inhabit coastal ecosystems," said Dr. Alvarado.



"These environmental shifts may alter the habitat use and behavior of key predatory species that play a crucial role in maintaining trophic balance."



“Since many of these species are already globally threatened, studying how climate-related stressors impact their ecological function is essential for developing effective conservation and management strategies.”



The message from the angelsharks is simple: if the ocean keeps heating up, they may stop showing up. And if that happens, it’s not just bad news for the sharks - it’s a warning sign for all of us.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70331" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Change Biology</a>.



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Angelsharks are skipping the mating season due to ocean warming

Ocean warming is altering the mating routines of angelsharks, according...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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