Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features a dramatic view of dust sweeping across the Tarim Basin in western China - one of the dustiest places on Earth. 



Spring and summer usually grab the headlines for dust activity, but that doesn’t mean the skies clear in the other months. <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154772/dust-in-the-eye-of-the-tarim-basin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Satellite data</a> and ground observations show that autumn brings its share of haze too. 



Known for its unusual eye-like shape, the Tarim Basin is surrounded by mountains that often trap dust inside. This natural barrier keeps the fine particles from traveling far beyond the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-from-africa-sparked-a-massive-phytoplankton-bloom/">desert</a> floor, creating persistent hazy conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-landscape-shaped-by-tectonic-power">A landscape shaped by tectonic power</h2>



Look north and the “eyebrow” of the Tarim reveals striking ridges running east to west. These aren’t ordinary hills but part of the Kuqa fold-and-thrust belt.&nbsp;



Millions of years of tectonic forces pushed the Tarim Basin against its mountainous neighbors to the north, squeezing rock layers until they buckled and folded. The result is a series of wave-like formations called anticlines and synclines.



Over time, erosion has carved into these ridges, peeling back layers of red and green sandstones and pale limestones. From above, these colorful stripes stand out sharply against the muted tones of the desert around them.&nbsp;



<a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154126/a-curtain-of-dust-over-the-tarim-basin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Landsat images</a> have captured the intricate detail of this fractured geology, offering a glimpse into the dynamic forces that continue to shape the region.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-counting-the-dusty-days">Counting the dusty days</h2>



Scientists studied more than 30 years of satellite records and found that the Tarim Basin averaged 60 dusty days a year. The month of September typically saw seven.&nbsp;



About 85 percent of those days fell into a category called “floating dust.” On such days, winds were light but visibility dropped below six miles as particles lingered in the air.



The rest of the time, conditions were harsher. On “blowing dust” days, moderate winds reduced visibility to less than three miles. The most extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-storms-are-a-surprising-source-of-deadly-air-pollution/">dust storms</a> cut visibility to under half a mile, carried by powerful gusts that scoured the landscape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dust-size-tells-a-seasonal-story">Dust size tells a seasonal story</h2>



Not all dust is the same. By comparing seasons, researchers found that larger particles show up most often in spring, fall, and winter.&nbsp;



NASA’s Terra satellite, using its Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer, provided the detail. These coarse grains likely lift when strong horizontal winds sweep across the desert.



Summer is different. Rising heat drives localized convection, creating dust whirls - sometimes called dust devils - that pull smaller, finer grains into the air.&nbsp;



These swirling columns may look less threatening than a full storm, but they can still loft material high into the atmosphere.&nbsp;



The seasonal contrast shows how different forces, from heat to wind, work together to keep the basin’s air loaded with dust.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dust-from-the-tarim-basin-nbsp">Dust from the Tarim Basin&nbsp;</h2>



Dust from the Tarim Basin doesn’t just linger over western China. Depending on weather patterns, it can drift across Asia, impacting air quality in major cities. In extreme cases, it may even cross <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atmospheric-dust-plays-surprisingly-crucial-role-in-stabilizing-ocean-ecosystems/">oceans</a>.&nbsp;



These particles influence more than visibility. They affect climate by reflecting sunlight or trapping heat, and they alter ecosystems when they settle far from their source.



Understanding when and how dust moves is key for both health and climate research. The Tarim Basin offers a natural laboratory where scientists can track these processes in detail, thanks to decades of satellite coverage and on-the-ground measurements.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-reminder-of-nature-s-reach">A reminder of nature’s reach</h2>



The desert may seem remote, but its restless skies have a global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-is-an-understudied-contributor-to-climate-change/">footprint</a>. What satellites recorded in early September was just one episode in a cycle that repeats year after year.&nbsp;



Tectonic history, seasonal winds, and rising heat all converge in this basin to keep the air in motion.&nbsp;



For scientists, the Tarim continues to show how landscapes that appear still and silent are, in fact, alive with change.



The image was captured on September 1, 2025 by the NOAA-20 satellite.&nbsp;



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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China’s Tarim Basin: A desert that never sleeps

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features a dramatic view of dust sweeping across the Tarim Basin in western China - one of the dustiest places on Earth.  Spring and summer usually grab the headlines for dust activity, but that doesn’t mean the skies clear in the other months. Satellite data and ground observations show that autumn brings its share of haze too.  Known for its unusual eye-like shape, the Tarim Basin is surrounded by mountains that often trap dust...

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Hurricane Kiko, spinning west across the Pacific Ocean toward the Hawaiian Islands.



Hurricane Kiko began as a tropical depression on August 31 in the eastern Pacific. Within days, it rapidly gained strength and climbed into major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-has-amplified-hurricane-strength/">hurricane</a> status. By early September, it was heading west with Hawaii in its path - raising concerns about what the islands might face.



The storm’s approach forced Hawaii to prepare for high surf, rip currents, and shifting forecasts. While the cyclone weakened as it neared land, the ocean did not quiet down, and warnings were issued for dangerous conditions along east-facing shores.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-calm-beginnings-to-furious-winds">Calm beginnings to furious winds</h2>



Kiko’s early days followed the typical pattern of many Pacific hurricanes. Warm waters and unstable atmospheric conditions fueled its rise from depression to named storm, and then to hurricane.&nbsp;



At its peak, Kiko wavered between Category 3 and Category 4 strength. On September 4, its sustained winds reached 145 miles per hour, enough to rank it among the most powerful storms of the season.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-observing-kiko-from-space">Observing Kiko from space</h2>



On September 7 at about 1:30 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, satellites offered a clear view of the storm.



Today’s featured <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154769/hurricane-kiko-nears-hawaii" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">image</a> reveals a vast spiral with a defined center. At this time, it was a Category 2 system with winds of 110 miles per hour. 



The photo was captured by instruments aboard the Suomi NPP satellite when Hurricane Kiko was about 600 miles east of Hilo. 



These satellite snapshots are crucial for monitoring storm size, cloud structure, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-causes-the-rapid-intensification-of-hurricanes/">intensity</a>. They help forecasters understand how the cyclone is evolving as it moves across the ocean.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-storm-weakened">Why the storm weakened</h2>



Hurricanes thrive on warm water and favorable atmospheric conditions. But Kiko encountered hurdles that sapped its energy.&nbsp;



The National Hurricane Center noted that cooler water played a role in its decline. In addition, moderate vertical wind shear - the shifting of wind direction and speed with altitude - disrupted the storm’s internal structure. A dry surrounding environment further limited the fuel supply.



All of these factors caused Kiko to lose some of its punch as it pushed closer to Hawaii. Even so, the system remained large enough to stir up trouble in the seas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hurricane-kiko-forecasts">Hurricane Kiko forecasts</h2>



As of September 8, meteorologists expected Kiko to veer northwest, weaken to a tropical storm, and pass north of the Hawaiian Islands on September 9 and 10.&nbsp;



That track suggested the islands might avoid damaging winds and widespread heavy rainfall. But not every hazard depends on direct landfall.



The National Hurricane Center warned that east-facing coastal areas could see dangerous surf and rip currents. These hazards often linger long after the storm’s eye has passed, and they pose risks to swimmers, boaters, and anyone near the shoreline.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hawaii-s-storm-history">Hawaii’s storm history</h2>



Hawaii sits in the middle of the Pacific, far from continental landmasses but not immune to tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/even-weak-storms-are-deadly-for-infants-in-developing-nations/">cyclones</a>. While direct hits are rare, the islands have experienced damaging storms in the past.&nbsp;



Hurricane Iniki in 1992 was the strongest to strike Hawaii in recorded history, causing widespread destruction on Kauai. More recently, storms like Lane in 2018 and Douglas in 2020 skirted the islands but still produced heavy rains and flooding.



Kiko fits into this long-running narrative: powerful systems often threaten Hawaii, and even near misses bring serious impacts. For residents and visitors alike, the warnings serve as reminders of the Pacific’s power.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preparing-for-the-next-storm">Preparing for the next storm</h2>



Forecasting has improved in recent decades thanks to satellite technology, advanced computer models, and constant monitoring by meteorologists.&nbsp;



These tools give island communities more time to prepare for changing conditions. Emergency managers urge residents to take <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-hurricane-warnings-fail-to-convey-the-real-danger/">warnings</a> seriously, even if the storm’s center never crosses land.



High surf alone can be life-threatening, and rip currents claim lives every year. For island states like Hawaii, where the ocean defines daily life, respecting these warnings is vital.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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Hurricane Kiko spins toward Hawaii 

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

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features the Isles of Scilly, located in the Celtic Sea southwest of Cornwall, England.&nbsp;



The photograph, which was captured by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is focused on the largest of 150 islands - St. Mary’s, Tresco, St. Martin’s, Bryher, and St. Agnes.



The shallow coastal waters are a bright shade of turquoise, while the deeper waters are darker blue. According to NASA, the photo also captures swell patterns caused by waves that intersect one another as they move around the islands due to the westerly sea breeze.



The Isles of Scilly are remnants of the Cornubian Batholith, ancient volcanic rock that formed about 290 million years ago.&nbsp;



Tresco is home to a 19th century garden that features more than 20,000 plants from over 80 countries. The Tresco Abbey Garden was originally built as a private garden by proprietor Augustus Smith. 



The isles of Scilly are also known for beautiful and rare birds. An exciting variety of birds arrive each year in the fall, and birdwatchers come from all over to catch a glimpse. Some interesting birds that can be seen on the islands include fulmars, sandwich terns, willow warblers, sand martins and swallows



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&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

The Isles of Scilly in the Celtic Sea

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

Ship tracks across the North Sea Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features the North Sea, one of the  busiest areas on the planet for ship traffic.

The North Sea holds more than 170 oil rigs, making it one of the largest offshore <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-will-release-more-co2-as-plants-hit-a-growth-spurt/">oil</a> and gas exploitation sites in the world.  On an area of over 575,000 square kilometers, countless ships, boats or yachts are on the road every day. Above all, cruise ships and freighters are to be found here. With the help of the Shipradar  you can closely observe shipping traffic in the  and track individual ships live or you can view more information.

The image shows lights from oil rigs and pathways of ships navigating between the rigs in the North Sea on March 2, 2021. With the help of the Shipradar North Sea you can closely observe shipping traffic in the North Sea and track individual ships live or you can view more information. The North Sea belongs to the Atlantic Ocean and is located in northwestern Europe. It is enclosed by 3 sides of land.

The shipping lanes are traced by “ship tracks," which are narrow clouds that are illuminated by small airborne pollution particles emitted from the vessels. Water vapor condenses around the tiny particles to form thin, winding clouds. The image shows lights from oil rigs and pathways of ships navigating between the rigs in the Sea on March 2, 2021. The shipping lanes are traced by “ship tracks,” which are narrow clouds that are illuminated by small airborne pollution particles emitted from the vessels.Register and become VIP to continue using FULL SCREEN option or wait 24 hours !  Ship Marine Traffic Live Tracking AIS MAP Density Map. Ships Current Position. 

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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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

Ship tracks across the North Sea

Ship tracks across the North Sea Today's Image of the...

Great Salt Lake in northern Utah Today's Image of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah, which is often referred to as America's Dead Sea, captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.

The Great Salt Lake is the biggest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere. It is also the largest remnant of Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric freshwater lake that once covered much of western Utah.

The Bear, Weber, and Jordan Rivers collectively deposit around one million tons of minerals in the lake each year, according to the ESA. The Great Salt Lake has no outlet, and its water level fluctuate depending on the flow of the rivers that feed it, as well as on rates of evaporation.

The turquoise colors visible on both sides of the lake are evaporation ponds. The shoreline consists of beaches, marshes, and mudflats, which provide valuable habitats for millions of native and migratory birds. The Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah, is the largest salt water lake in the Western Hemisphere, and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. In an average year the lake covers an area of approximately 1,700 square miles (4,400 km ), but the lake's size fluctuates substantially due to its shallowness. For instance, in 1963 it reached its lowest recorded size at 950 square miles (2,460 km²), but in 1988 the surface area was at the historic high of 3,300 square miles (8,500 km ). In terms of surface area, it is the largest lake in the United States that is not part of the Great Lakes region. The lake is the largest remnant of Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric pluvial lake that once covered much of western Utah. The three major tributaries to the lake, the Jordan, Weber, and Bear rivers together deposit approximately 1.1 million tons of minerals

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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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

Great Salt Lake in northern Utah

Great Salt Lake in northern Utah Today's Image of the...

Days of torrential rains cause deadly flooding in Australia Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> shows devastating flooding in the aftermath of several days of torrential rainfall in New South Wales, Australia. The region has been hit with the worst flooding it has experienced in decades. 

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reports that some areas around Sydney received 16 to 24 inches of rain in four days, and the most extreme totals approached one meter, or 39 inches.

According to NASA, at least 40,000 people were evacuated and several died across New South Wales, while farmers suffered significant crop and livestock losses.

The image was captured on March 23, 2021 by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, and shows severe flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system around Sydney.

Many of the areas affected by the floods in Australia are still recovering from extreme drought and bushfires in the summer of 2020. The burn-scarred landscapes are less capable of absorbing and holding water.

“Communities who were battered by the bushfires are now being battered by the floods and a deep drought prior to that. I don’t know anytime in our state’s history where we’ve had these extreme weather conditions in such quick succession in the middle of a pandemic,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told the media.

“You’ve been through three or four incidents which are life changing on top of each other. It can make you feel like you are at breaking point.”

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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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

Days of torrential rains cause deadly flooding in Australia

Days of torrential rains cause deadly flooding in Australia Today's...

The Yellow River in China Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features the Yellow River, which is the second longest river in China after the Yangtze River.

The Yellow River, or Huang He, is named for its muddy color. According to ESA, there are few rivers that carry as much sediment.

The river flows through a region in northwestern <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-yellow-river-in-china/">China</a> with unusually fine and powdery soil called loess.Early Chinese literature including the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Yu%20Gong%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Yu Gong</a> or Tribute of Yu dating to the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Warring%20States%20period%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Warring States period</a> (475–221 BC) refers to the Yellow River as simply(<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Old%20Chinese%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Old Chinese</a>: *C.gˤaj, modern Chinese (Pinyin) Hé), a character that has come to mean "river" in modern usage. The first appearance of the name <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%BB%83%E6%B2%B3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">黃河</a> (<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Old%20Chinese%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Old Chinese</a>: *N-kʷˤaŋ C.gˤaj; <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Middle%20Chinese%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Middle Chinese</a>: Huang Ha ) is in the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Book%20of%20Han%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Book of Han</a> written during the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Eastern%20Han%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Eastern Han</a> dynasty about the <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Western%20Han%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">Western Han</a> dynasty. The adjective "yellow" describes the perennial color of the muddy water in the lower course of the river, which arises from soil (<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Loess%20wikipedia&amp;form=WIKIRE">loess</a>) being carried downstream.

As the river dumps sediment into the shallow waters of the Bo Hai Sea, the shape of its delta is constantly changing. The Yellow River or Huang He is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of 5,464 km. Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai province of Western China, it flows through nine provinces, and it empties into the Bohai Sea near the city of Dongying in Shandong province. The Yellow River basin has an east–west extent of about 1,900 kilometers and a north–south extent of about 1,100 km. Its total drainage area is about 795,000 square kilometers.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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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

The Yellow River in China

The Yellow River in China Today's Image of the Day...

Egmont National Park in New Zealand Today's Image of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Egmont National Park on  North Island.

The name Egmont is linked to John Perceval, the 2nd Earl of Egmont in 1770, while Taranaki is the original name given by the indigenous Māori people.

The boundary between the densely forested area in the park and surrounding agricultural landscape is clear in this <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=satelitte&amp;cvid=84ac6be2fea8422296eb26dfb1e28c5b&amp;aqs=edge..69i57j0l6.2758j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">satellite</a> image. 

According to the ESA, national parks protect forested areas from human activities that cause land degradation and deforestation. The Park is located south of New Plymouth, close to the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The park covers Mount Taranaki and its slopes. The park was first created in 1881 as a forest reserve and went on to become  second national park in 1900. Egmont National Park can be found on the western coast of New Zealand's North Island. Here the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/caribbean-volcanoes-show-first-signs-of-activity-in-decades/">volcano</a> Taranaki (or Mt Egmont as it is also known) rules supreme. Loading... Map currently unavailable. Egmont is one of the most accessible of New Zealand's national parks. It can be found on the western coast of the North Island. Visit Dawson Falls area, North Egmont area or East Egmont area. Discover heritage sites: Dawson Falls power station and The Camphouse. There are visitor centres at both North Egmont and Dawson Falls. View displays and watch audio visuals at both. Egmont is one of the most accessible of New Zealand's national parks.

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

Egmont National Park in New Zealand

Egmont National Park in New Zealand Today's Image of the...

The City of Seven Islands Today's Image of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Mumbai on the western coast of India. Mumbai is located at the mouth of the Ulhas River, which carries sediments into the Arabian Sea. 

Just across the harbor, Navi Mumbai is the largest planned city in the world. It was developed to help lower the population of the congested area.

According to the United Nations, is the second-most populous city in the country after Delhi and the seventh-most populous city in the world with a population of roughly 20 million.

Mumbai is referred to as the "City of Seven Islands" because it was built on what was once an archipelago that included Isle of Bombay, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island. Mumbai  has its history which many of us don’t know, Mumbai was an archipelago of “seven Islands”, namely Colaba, Mazagaon, Mahim, Parel, <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=Mumbai&amp;filters=sid%3afbbc8d69-667a-e1ff-34bf-e524be01025d&amp;form=ENTLNK">Bombay</a> Island, Worli and Old Woman's Island. This group of islands formed a part of the kingdom of Ashoka, the famed Buddhist emperor of India.  The seven islands of Bombay were a group of islands that were, connected to form the area of the modern city over the span of 5 centuries. The seven islands were gradually physically united through land reclamation projects. Also is one of the most famous cities in the world, which was earlier called Bombay.

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

The City of Seven Islands

The City of Seven Islands Today's Image of the Day...

The Texas Gulf Coast from space Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features a photograph of the Texas Gulf Coast captured by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The image is centered around Houston, which is home to the<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=nasa&amp;cvid=120ead928d2848b592800a21554aab6d&amp;aqs=edge.0.69i59j0l6.535j0j9&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS"> NASA</a> Johnson Space Center where astronauts live and train

At the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, astronauts learn about the diverse science objectives of photographing Earth from space.The company publicly announced in August 2014, that they had decided on Texas as the location for their new non-governmental launch site. Site soil work began in 2015 and major construction of facilities began in late-2018, with rocket engine testing with flight testing beginning in 2019.

West of Houston, San Antonio and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sauna-sessions-workout/">Austin</a> border a central Texas geographic region called the Edwards Plateau, which ranges from flat and humid coastal wetlands to rocky hills with woodlands. The area is known regionally as the Texas Hill Country. An astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) took this photo of the Texas Gulf Coast. The field of view is about the same as what astronauts see with their unaided eyes from station windows. The photo centers on Houston, home to NASA Johnson Space Center, where astronauts live and train. The SpaceX South Texas launch site, also known as Boca Chica launch site, is a private rocket production facility, test site, and spaceport constructed by SpaceX, located at Boca Chica approximately 32 km (20 mi) east of Brownsville, Texas, on the US Gulf Coast.

Along the coast of Texas are long, narrow barrier islands that create protective bays between the Gulf of Mexico and the mainland. 

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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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

The Texas Gulf Coast from space

The Texas Gulf Coast from space Today's Image of the...

A team of arachnologists has named a new tarantula genus, Satyrex, after discovering males with record length reproductive organs that set them apart from all known tarantulas. 



The open access study reported that the male organs are the longest of any species in the tarantula group. According to Alireza Zamani from the <a href="https://www.utu.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Turku</a>, these organs are “possibly functioning in cannibalism avoidance during mating.” 



These spiders live in parts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, where they occupy burrows and face tough living conditions. 



The find reshapes how scientists classify several lookalike tarantulas and adds fresh data on behavior, anatomy, and evolution in harsh landscapes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-satyrex-genus-with-five-species">Satyrex genus with five species</h2>



Satyrex brings together five <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/species-are-vanishing-but-mass-extinction-hasnt-arrived-yet/">species</a>, four of them new to science and one, Satyrex longimanus, reclassified from a name first used in 1903. The largest, Satyrex ferox, is notable for a defensive posture and a bold hiss when disturbed.



These spiders dig and line tunnels with silk at the bases of shrubs or under rocks. Their range spans Yemen and Oman into Saudi Arabia, and two species occur in Somaliland.



The name blends the Greek “satyr” with the Latin “rex.” This is nod to the unusual male anatomy and the sense that this group sits like a kingly outlier within its subfamily. The distinctive genital structures were central to creating the new genus.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-longer-tarantula-palps-might-do">What longer tarantula palps might do</h2>



Male spiders do not use a penis. They use palps, small appendages near the mouth. These load sperm into a bulb and transfer it to the female during mating. 



In Satyrex ferox, a palp can reach about 2 inches (5 centimeters) in length, which is nearly as long as the spider’s longest legs.



The research team points to female aggression and the risk of being eaten as pressure that may have shaped palp length. “I think it is a fascinating hypothesis that is very testable,” said behavioral ecologist Chrissie Painting.



Sexual conflict is a known driver of unusual mating structures in spiders and other animals. A broad <a href="https://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/content/6/11/a017731.full.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> frames sexual cannibalism as a form of conflict with costs and benefits, for both sexes, that can steer evolution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-team-sorted-satyrex">How the team sorted Satyrex</h2>



The new classification rests on integrative taxonomy, a method that combines visible anatomy with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-fishing-helps-scientists-survey-marine-life-in-the-deep-ocean/">DNA</a> evidence to test relationships. 



The authors used mitochondrial cox1 and nuclear 28S and 18S markers to show that these spiders form a coherent lineage that sits apart from their nearest named relatives.



That result led them to redefine Monocentropus as a narrower genus and assign M. longimanus to the genus Satyrex. 



The genetic distances among Satyrex lineages were substantial, supporting the view that these species are older splits, not recent local variants.



Diagnostic traits in the males included the extreme palp length relative to the carapace, the robust shape of the embolus, and the arrangement of keels on the tip. 



Females had distinct reproductive structures that also separated the genus from its neighbors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-satyrex-live-underground">Satyrex live underground</h2>



Satyrex species spend most of their lives out of sight, in silk lined burrows. When threatened, S. ferox raises its front legs and produces a hiss that is easy to hear at close range.



Tarantulas can produce loud, defensive sounds known as <a href="https://www.ukm.my/jsm/pdf_files/SM-PDF-53-4-2024/1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stridulation</a>. The sound comes from rubbing specialized bristles or surfaces together and is used for defense or communication in several species.



The hiss in S. ferox matches a pattern seen elsewhere in old world tarantulas that lack urticating hairs. Rather than flicking irritating hairs, they rely on posture, stridulation, and a readiness to bite if provoked.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-this-fits-in-the-spider-family">Where this fits in the spider family</h2>



The tarantula family is Theraphosidae, a group that now includes about 1,159 recognized species, according to the World Spider <a href="https://wsc.nmbe.ch/familydetail/100" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">catalog</a>. 



Satyrex adds a striking new branch to that tree, and it prompts questions about how reproductive structures evolve under risk.



Elongated male palps occur outside tarantulas too. An American Museum of Natural History <a href="https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/items/8451235e-1ec6-4846-9187-a9f58966212f" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">monograph</a> on crevice weaver spiders, the genus Kukulcania in the family Filistatidae, documents unusually long palps and a similar resting pose that may help males keep distance during mating.



The authors argue that Satyrex combines very long palps with tibial hooks that lift or control the female’s fangs, a combination that could provide extra safety. 



That mix of features makes these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-species-joro-spiders-has-invaded-the-united-states-heres-what-to-look-for/">spiders</a> a useful model for studying how multiple traits evolve together under intense mating risk.



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



New lineages from understudied regions keep expanding the known diversity of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-tarantula-discovered-in-cuba-has-feather-duster-legs/">tarantulas</a>. 



The new species reinforce the idea that many countries on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Horn of Africa still hold hidden burrow-dwellers that will reshape maps and phylogenies.



“The reality is that the vast majority of Earth's biodiversity remains undocumented,” said Zamani. That point lands sharply here, since one Satyrex species had been misassigned for more than a century.



Clear taxonomy has practical value. It sets baselines for conservation, guides local education about medically important species, and helps keep the pet trade’s labels accurate.



The study is published in <a href="https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/162886/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ZooKeys</a>.



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This new tarantula was named for its enormous sex organs

A team of arachnologists has named a new tarantula genus,...

Forests in California’s Sierra Nevada are not fragile by nature. A new study reveals that when people thin crowded tree stands and reduce fuels, the most destructive kind of wildfire drops sharply.



High-severity burned area in the Sierra Nevada now exceeds historic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-are-lagging-centuries-behind-in-climate-adaptation/">patterns</a>. The 2020 to 2021 fire seasons, coupled with a punishing drought, set the stage for a natural experiment.



The research was led by Ethan Yackulic of <a href="https://nau.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northern Arizona University</a>. He worked with partners across several environmental organizations, including the U.S. Forest Service, to track exactly how managed and unmanaged forests fared.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thinning-projects-reduced-fire-severity">Thinning projects reduced fire severity</h2>



The team looked at 216 thinning projects initiated in 2016 across the Central Sierra and followed them through 2023. They paired each treated site with a closely matched untreated area to build a real-world test that would hold up under scrutiny.



The researchers measured changes in live tree carbon using satellite based biomass estimates and tracked fire behavior with the composite burn index (<a href="https://burnseverity.cr.usgs.gov/products/cbi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CBI</a>), a standard field calibrated scale of fire severity. They then compared outcomes during years with and without fire.



The team paid close attention to where treatments sat on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protecting-forests-helps-birds-and-humans-in-many-ways/">landscape</a>. Large projects, especially those near fire edges, can influence how a blaze spreads.



Projects that received follow-up work like prescribed burning or extra fuel removal after thinning were also evaluated. Maintenance is routine in ecological forestry, and the team wanted to see if it measurably improved results.



“Treatments reduced average fire severity by 32 percent and the prevalence of high severity fire by 88 percent,” wrote Yackulic. That reduction did not eliminate fire. It shifted fire toward lower intensities, which keeps more trees alive and keeps more live carbon on site.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forest-thinning-projects-need-upkeep">Forest thinning projects need upkeep</h2>



Treatments larger than about 15 acres showed the strongest reductions in severity inside burn perimeters. Scale helps because bigger patches interrupt fuel continuity and give firefighters safer, wider anchors.



A separate landscape <a href="https://escholarship.org/content/qt2c13v0j9/qt2c13v0j9_noSplash_25a4e70da681c1e1f4b86c65eb1dd126.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> in the northern Sierra found that strategically placed networks of treatments reduced severity and aided recovery, reinforcing the value of placement and size across a broader area, showing landscape level gains.



Maintenance mattered too. Projects that received a second entry, such as prescribed burning, saw lower severity and held more live carbon after fire than one and done treatments. Follow through amplifies the initial investment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thinning-forests-and-carbon-storage">Thinning forests and carbon storage</h2>



The study tracked aboveground live carbon, a proxy for the living forest and its <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-carbon-sequestration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon sequestration</a> capacity. Treated stands lost carbon in year one because thinning removes biomass, which is expected.



From there, the signal flipped. By year seven, nearly three quarters of treated forests matched or exceeded their baseline carbon, and the average treated site gained 12.8 metric tons of carbon per hectare relative to its matched control.



During the 2020 to 2021 drought and megafire years, untreated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-are-not-adapting-fast-enough-to-climate-change/">areas</a> lost much more live carbon to high severity fire. Treated areas held steady or declined far less because the fires that did burn there were usually less intense.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-restoring-natural-fire-patterns">Restoring natural fire patterns</h2>



Historically, many of these forests burned frequently at low intensities. A U.S. Forest Service <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr256/psw_gtr256.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> documents that pattern and shows how a century of fire exclusion altered structure, density, and fuels.



Thinning and burning are ways to restore that functional pattern in places where safe, low intensity fire no longer happens on its own. The goal is not to eliminate fire but to return it to a level the forest can handle.



Drought pushes trees to their limits, especially when too many stems compete for the same water. A previous analysis in the Sierra Nevada found that stands thinned before the 2012 to 2015 drought saw significantly lower drought-related mortality.



That pattern matches the new findings. Treated stands in the Central Sierra kept accumulating live carbon even through the 2020 drought period, while many untreated areas stalled or lost ground.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supporting-forests-in-the-long-term">Supporting forests in the long term</h2>



Managers face a tough balance. Removing biomass lowers fire risk but can undercut <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-is-just-three-years-away-from-dangerous-carbon-milestone/">carbon</a> goals. Yet over a full decade in a fire-prone landscape, the evidence suggests the opposite - fuel reduction can actually support carbon objectives.



A widely cited <a href="https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/63734" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paper</a> argues for “operational resilience,” a practical target that reduces competition and surface fuels enough to handle fire and drought. The new results show that such targets are not only compatible with carbon stability, they can support it under stress.



Planning also matters. Grouping larger units along likely fire edges, then maintaining them with prescribed burns, turns them into semi-permanent speed bumps that slow and shape a blaze when it comes.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2025.1498430/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Forests and Global Change</a>.



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Forest thinning cuts wildfire severity and saves carbon

Forests in California’s Sierra Nevada are not fragile by nature....

The Arctic has long symbolized extremes of nature. Its frozen landscapes transform briefly each year into rich feeding grounds, attracting migratory birds from across Europe and beyond. 



For these species, the region offers the narrow window of abundance necessary to raise their young. 



Yet, this delicate timing faces disruption. Climate change is speeding up the arrival of spring in the far north, challenging birds that rely on precision to survive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-arctic-birds-fuel-up-faster">Arctic birds fuel up faster</h2>



A new study explores how these birds are coping with the accelerating pace of Arctic thaw. 



Scientists from the <a href="https://www.uva.nl/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Amsterdam</a> and the <a href="https://nioo.knaw.nl/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Netherlands Institute of Ecology</a> combined high-tech tracking with decades of body mass data to reveal a picture of flexibility and risk.



The findings suggest that many waterfowl <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-may-follow-a-hidden-pattern-of-human-language/">species</a> can shorten their journeys by fueling more quickly, but this strategy will only remain viable for a limited time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-birds-are-adapting">How the birds are adapting</h2>



The team GPS-tracked more than 500 spring migrations, covering five species: brent geese, barnacle geese, greater white-fronted geese, pink-footed geese, and Bewick’s swans. 



By linking flight records to long-term observations of body condition, the researchers saw how birds adapt their journeys.



"Our results are both encouraging and concerning," said lead author Hans Linssen. "We show that these birds can migrate faster by adjusting their stopovers and feeding times." 



"But the clock is ticking if we look at the current rates of Arctic warming - this flexibility will only compensate for the advancing Arctic spring for a few more decades."



The discovery highlights a short-term advantage. Birds can cut their migration times by changing where and how long they stop. But this cannot continue indefinitely. The Arctic spring is advancing faster than many species can permanently adjust to.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-migration-timing-matters-for-birds">Migration timing matters for birds</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-may-be-using-quantum-physics-for-migration/">Migration</a> is more than movement. For Arctic-breeding waterfowl, timing their arrival with precision determines whether their young survive. 



As snow melts, the land bursts into life. Insects, plants, and other food sources become abundant for only a few weeks. If birds miss this short peak, their chicks struggle to feed and grow.



Egg-laying and incubation must also occur within this fragile season. Chicks need to develop quickly before the Arctic cold returns. Even a slight delay in arrival can mean that young birds face migration southward without sufficient strength. 



Success or failure for entire populations comes down to arriving exactly when nature’s brief feast begins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-journeys-shorter">Making journeys shorter</h2>



Although <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-bird-species-could-vanish-in-the-next-century/">flights</a> across continents seem daunting, much of migration is not about being in the air. Birds spend large portions of their trip resting and building energy at stopovers. 



The new research revealed that by shortening fueling stops, waterfowl could shave days or even weeks off their journeys.



Unlike many earlier studies, this research also considered fueling before departure. Barnacle and brent geese, for example, depend heavily on building fat stores before leaving. 



Accounting for this stage showed that birds had more flexibility than expected. Some individuals shortened their total fuelling time by nearly 30 percent. In practice, this meant reaching the Arctic weeks earlier than before.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-responding-to-early-springs">Responding to early springs</h2>



Not all birds used the same strategies. White-fronted geese and Bewick’s swans adjusted more readily when the Arctic thawed early, reducing stopovers and speeding ahead. 



Pink-footed and brent geese were less responsive, likely due to the nature of their migration routes. With fewer suitable stopovers and longer flight segments, they had less room to adapt.



"<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/all-birds-one-tree-complete-evolutionary-map-reveals-hidden-links/">Birds</a> with more stopovers and shorter flights in between could better track spring conditions," said Linssen. "Those flying longer stretches or across the sea might have less opportunity to react to spring being early or late."



These differences reveal how some species may cope better than others in a warming world. Adaptability depends not just on instinct, but on geography and the availability of safe resting points.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-migration-limits-for-birds">Migration limits for birds</h2>



Despite this flexibility, speeding up migrations has costs. Birds that fuel too quickly need high-quality food and quiet environments free of disturbance, which may not always exist. 



Arriving sooner but in poorer condition could undermine their chances of breeding successfully. Migration, breeding, and survival are deeply connected, and trade-offs are inevitable.



The researchers estimated that waterfowl might keep pace with the Arctic spring for another 18 to 28 years. Beyond that window, the pace of climate change could outstrip their ability to adjust. Flexibility, impressive though it is, has a deadline.



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



"These birds are showing remarkable adaptability," said Linssen. "But by mid-century, they may need to rely on other strategies - like shifting their wintering grounds or changing migration routes entirely - to avoid falling out of sync with the Arctic spring."



This warning reflects more than bird migration. It signals the pressures climate change places on ecosystems where timing is everything. Breeding success, food cycles, and survival depend on delicate synchrony. When even a few weeks are lost, generations can fail.



The Arctic has long been a sanctuary for migratory birds. But as warming reshapes its seasons, these ancient travelers may be forced to reinvent their journeys. Their struggle mirrors the wider story of wildlife adapting to a world changing faster than evolution’s usual pace.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02419-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Climate Change</a>.



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Arctic birds speed up migrations to match earlier springs

The Arctic has long symbolized extremes of nature. Its frozen...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Hot glue gun turned surgical tool can rebuild broken bones

When a bone is shattered or a tumor leaves a...

Graphene,,A,New,Material

Physicists just watched light change the way graphene behaves at the <a href="https://www.graphenea.com/pages/graphene?srsltid=AfmBOoroloxJdThv3S-SYSO3NzeFNiswnBr8s8wteTf-iRgt3KDWUttv" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">level</a> of its electrons. They did this by creating <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.12676" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Floquet states</a>, repeat features in the electronic spectrum that appear at energy steps set by the light.



The result is not a suggestion or a hint. It is a direct observation reported in a new <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-02889-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> that resolves years of debate about whether this control works in a semi metal like graphene.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-graphene-reacts-to-light">How graphene reacts to light</h2>



<a href="https://www.uni-goettingen.de/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Marco Merboldt</a>, a physicist at the <a href="https://www.uni-goettingen.de/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Göttingen</a>, led the work that pinned down the effect in graphene. He and colleagues used ultrafast light to dress electrons and read out their response in real time.



When a light pattern can switch an electronic phase in trillionths of a second, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strange-atomic-vibration-phason-discovered-in-graphene-could-solve-physics-mystery/">materials</a> start to look programmable. 



That points to sensor, computing, and communications approaches that can be tuned without touching the hardware.



It also reaches into topological behavior, where certain features depend on overall geometry, not small imperfections. That kind of stability is useful when devices have to work in noisy, hot, or busy environments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-light-to-shape-graphene">Using light to shape graphene</h2>



The group used time-resolved photoemission to map energy and momentum while the light was on. This <a href="https://journals.aps.org/rmp/abstract/10.1103/RevModPhys.96.015003" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">technique</a>, known as <a href="https://arpes.stanford.edu/research/tool-development/time-resolved-arpes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ARPES</a>, sends an ultrafast pump to drive the system, then an extreme ultraviolet probe to knock out electrons for analysis.



A wide field detector called <a href="https://momentum-microscopy.fz-juelich.de/research/momentum-microscopy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">momentum microscopy</a> collects many emission angles at once. That speeds up the readout and keeps fine detail in view.



They watched sidebands appear next to the main cone in graphene’s spectrum, the footprint of its <a href="https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/70963/about-dirac-cones" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dirac cones</a>. Those replicas were spaced by the photon energy, a key sign of Floquet physics.



To lock down the interpretation, the team modeled both genuine Floquet signatures and <a href="https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/330321/files/fulltext.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Volkov states</a>, which come from electrons interacting with the light after leaving the material. 



The measured patterns matched a mix of Floquet and Volkov contributions in the way theory predicts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-separating-real-from-false">Separating real from false</h2>



A long-standing headache in these measurements is that Volkov replicas can look like the real thing. They are not evidence of a light dressed band <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-create-a-two-dimensional-carbon-material-eight-times-stronger-than-graphene/">structure</a>, but they can clutter the picture.



Independent <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-02939-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> explains how rotating the pump polarization changes the interference between Floquet and Volkov paths. That knob lets researchers separate the two without needing to resolve a tiny gap at the band crossing.



The Göttingen led team used that logic to tune conditions and compare against calculations. The sidebands’ intensity and polarization behavior matched the interference picture.



That agreement provided a clean fingerprint that theory has asked for all along. It turned a plausible story into a measured one.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-graphene-shows-under-light">What graphene shows under light</h2>



“Our measurements clearly prove that ‘Floquet effects’ occur in the photoemission spectrum of graphene,” said Dr. Merboldt.



The statement reflects what the spectra actually show in energy and momentum. It also emphasizes that the effect appears even when electrons relax quickly.



The broader idea is called <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-031218-013423" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Floquet engineering</a>, which means shaping a material’s properties with a rhythmic drive. A broad <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-031218-013423" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> lays out how periodic driving can imprint band replicas and open gaps where replicas mix.



Before graphene, ARPES work on a topological insulator directly imaged Floquet Bloch bands. Those <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1239834" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experiments</a> made the physics concrete in an insulator.



Graphene itself offered a different kind of clue from transport. A gate tunable anomalous Hall signal appeared under circularly polarized light, as reported by a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-019-0698-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paper</a> that connected the effect to a Floquet engineered topological band structure.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-towards-real-applications">Towards real applications</h2>



Ultrafast optical control of electrons could enable modulators that switch at terahertz rates. It could also support reconfigurable sensors that adjust on the fly to different signals.



There is a practical angle too. Light based tuning means the same wafer could host many functions, selected by pulse energy, color, and polarization.



Engineers will still ask how to keep states stable, how to scale, and how to manage heat and power. Those are fair questions, and they will need careful answers.



The physics now supports pushing forward. A semi metal once thought too lossy to dress with light turns out to be dressable, and its response can be read without ambiguity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-technical-details">Key technical details</h2>



The observed sidebands are replicas of the original band <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/graphene-wonder-material-changing-the-world-is-officially-declared-safe-for-humans/">structure</a>, shifted by the light energy. When such replicas cross the main band, they can hybridize and open small gaps that signal nontrivial topology.



ARPES gives access to both energy and momentum, which is why it is so persuasive here. Earlier confirmations of Floquet features in solids also leaned on ARPES, and that path remains central as teams refine pulse sequences.



Graphene’s thinness helps because the probe can reach all the way through the layer. The honeycomb lattice also provides a simple Dirac spectrum, which makes pattern recognition clearer.



Momentum microscopy adds coverage and throughput. That combination is useful when signals are subtle and timing windows are short.



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



Expect studies that vary pulse shape, frequency, and delay to nudge different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/researchers-announce-an-unexpected-breakthrough-in-graphene-physics-that-could-lead-to-a-new-generation-of-ultra-efficient-computers/">interactions</a>. Teams will likely test how long the dressed states can persist, and whether steady driving can hold useful features for device operation.



Moiré materials and other semi metals are natural targets. If the same recipe works in those systems, designers gain a flexible toolbox for tuning electronic phases without cutting or doping.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-025-02939-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Physics</a>.



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Study elevates graphene's 'miracle' potential to a whole new level

Physicists just watched light change the way graphene behaves at...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the opposite.</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to implement the latest AI Agent building platform.</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

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

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