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 the European Space Agency...

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

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

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features a stunning reflection nebula known as GN 04.32.8 in the constellation Taurus.



Reflection nebulae are cosmic clouds of fine dust that become visible not by producing their own light, but by reflecting the light of nearby stars.&nbsp;



Unlike emission <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/six-rogue-worlds-discovered-inside-a-young-star-forming-nebula/">nebulae</a>, which glow due to ionized gases radiating light, reflection nebulae shine more subtly.&nbsp;



The light from nearby stars strikes the dust particles within the cloud and scatters in many directions - especially shorter, bluer wavelengths. This scattering effect, similar to the way Earth’s sky appears blue, often gives reflection nebulae their characteristic bluish hue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-taurus-molecular-cloud">The Taurus Molecular Cloud</h2>



“GN 04.32.8 is a small part of the stellar nursery known as the Taurus Molecular Cloud. At only roughly 480 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus, it's one of the best locations for studying newly forming stars,” noted <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images">ESA</a>.



The Taurus Molecular Cloud is one of the closest and most extensively studied regions for low-mass star formation.&nbsp;



Unlike larger star-forming regions like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/orion-nebula-destroys-an-oceans-worth-of-water-every-month/">Orion</a> that produce many high-mass stars, the Taurus Molecular Cloud is dominated by the formation of Sun-like and smaller stars, making it a prime analog for understanding the conditions that led to the birth of our own solar system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-energetic-stars-in-the-constellation-taurus-nbsp">Energetic stars in the constellation Taurus&nbsp;</h2>



“This reflection nebula is illuminated by the system of three bright stars in the center of this image, mainly the variable star V1025 Tauri in the very center," ESA noted. 



“One of those stars overlaps with part of the nebula: this is another variable star that is named HP Tauri, but is classified as a T Tauri star, for its similarity to yet another variable star elsewhere in the Taurus Molecular Complex.”&nbsp;



T Tauri stars are young, energetic stars in the earliest stages of stellar evolution, just beginning their journey toward becoming stable main sequence stars like our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/discovery-sun-like-stars-with-secret-companions/">Sun</a>.&nbsp;



These stars are highly variable, often exhibiting strong stellar winds and flares as they settle into equilibrium. 



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



In this case, the trio of T Tauri stars - named HP Tau, HP Tau G2, and HP Tau G3 - are believed to be gravitationally bound, forming a dynamic triple star system.



“Eagle-eyed viewers might notice the small, squashed, orange spot, just left of center below the clouds of the nebula, that’s crossed by a dark line. This is a newly-formed protostar, hidden in a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-forming-disks-surrounding-stars-often-last-much-longer-than-expected/">protoplanetary disc</a> that obstructs some of its light,” explained ESA.



“Because the disc is edge-on to us, it’s an ideal candidate for study. Astronomers are using Hubble here to examine it closely, seeking to learn about the kinds of exoplanets that might be formed in discs like it.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-light-of-hot-young-stars">The light of hot, young stars</h2>



Reflection nebulae are usually found in regions where new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/10-billion-white-dwarf-stars-in-milky-way-galaxy-might-have-habitable-planets/">stars</a> are forming, often near or within dense molecular clouds.&nbsp;



Some reflection nebulae can span light-years across and serve as markers of stellar nurseries - places where future generations of stars are taking shape.



Reflection nebulae offer astronomers a valuable glimpse into the structure and composition of the interstellar medium and help trace the life cycles of stars from birth to maturity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-examples-of-reflection-nebulae-nbsp">Examples of reflection nebulae&nbsp;</h2>



One well-known example is the reflection nebula surrounding the Pleiades star cluster, also called the Seven Sisters.&nbsp;



The Iris Nebula, located in the constellation Cepheus about 1,300 light-years from Earth, is a striking reflection nebula illuminated by the young star SAO 19158.



This nebula is a popular target for astrophotographers due to its vivid colors and intricate structure.



Found about 1,600 light-years away, M78 is the brightest reflection nebula in the Orion constellation and one of the easiest to observe with amateur telescopes. It’s illuminated by two young stars, HD 38563A and HD 38563B.&nbsp;



M78 is part of a larger complex of gas and dust that includes many other star-forming regions within the Orion Molecular Cloud.



Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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Young stars illuminate the constellation Taurus 

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features a large phytoplankton bloom in the Gulf of Maine.



The image was captured on June 21, 2025, by the Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) on NASA’s PACE satellite.&nbsp;



“In summer 2025, waters in the Gulf of Maine popped with vivid swirls of blue and green. The cause was a massive bloom of phytoplankton - microscopic plant-like organisms that often float near the ocean surface,” noted <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154472/a-booming-bloom-returns-to-the-gulf-of-maine">NASA</a>.



“Scientists say it was one of the largest blooms of its kind to show up in the Gulf’s waters in recent years.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bloom-in-the-gulf-of-maine">Bloom in the Gulf of Maine </h2>



Catherine Mitchell is a satellite oceanographer at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. She noted that the Gulf of Maine bloom contained coccolithophores, a type of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-phytoplankton-that-feed-ocean-life-are-rapidly-disappearing/">phytoplankton</a> that makes the water appear milky blue.



“The tiny organisms, along with other types of phytoplankton, including diatoms that bloom here in spring, lie at the base of the marine food web,” explained NASA.



“Their presence - or absence - in Gulf of Maine waters can affect the entire ecosystem, from finfish to shellfish, and the region’s fisheries that depend on them.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shifting-conditions-and-plankton-communities-nbsp">Shifting conditions and plankton communities&nbsp;</h2>



Mitchell said that coccolithophore blooms like this one became less common in the Gulf’s waters starting around 2010. But in recent years, they’ve started to come back.&nbsp;



Scientists have also seen more dinoflagellates (a type of phytoplankton that move with tiny tails) and an overall drop in phytoplankton productivity over the past few decades.



These changes in plankton are linked to shifting ocean conditions. For instance, heavy rainfall from 2006 to 2009 made the Gulf’s waters fresher. Then, starting in 2008, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invisible-forest-of-phytoplankton-thrives-in-a-warming-climate/">warm water</a> from deep in the North Atlantic began heating the Gulf from the bottom up.&nbsp;



However, by spring 2025, bottom-water temperatures were cooler than they’ve been in 20 years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ongoing-research-efforts">Ongoing research efforts</h2>



“The relationship between these changing water conditions and phytoplankton communities in the gulf remains unclear, but ongoing research could begin to provide some answers,” noted NASA.



“In fact, Mitchell and colleagues scrutinized this PACE image just days before heading out on a research expedition to study the bloom and other ocean properties up close. The cruise, the third so far this year, offers scientists the chance to validate ocean color data collected by PACE with real-world ocean samples.”



Mitchell pointed out that a major benefit of the PACE satellite is its ability to “see the rainbow,” which makes it easier for scientists to distinguish between groups of phytoplankton.



“With our continuing field measurements, we will validate ocean color observations from PACE, enabling satellite observations in the Gulf of Maine and supporting the region’s fisheries and aquaculture industries.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vital-signs-of-ocean-health">Vital signs of ocean health</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-from-africa-sparked-a-massive-phytoplankton-bloom/">Phytoplankton blooms</a> like the one captured in the Gulf of Maine are vital signs of ocean health. These microscopic organisms form the foundation of marine food webs, feeding everything from tiny zooplankton to large fish, whales, and seabirds.&nbsp;



When conditions are right - such as warm temperatures, abundant sunlight, and available nutrients - phytoplankton populations can grow rapidly, creating colorful blooms that are visible from space.



The Gulf of Maine is particularly sensitive to environmental change. Located at the intersection of cold northern currents and warmer waters from the south, it’s a dynamic ecosystem where small shifts in temperature or salinity can have outsized effects.&nbsp;



This region is also one of the fastest-warming ocean areas on the planet, with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">temperatures</a> rising more than three times the global ocean average in some years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forecasting-changes-with-ocean-monitoring-nbsp">Forecasting changes with ocean monitoring&nbsp;</h2>



Changes in water temperature and salinity have ripple effects across the food chain. Warmer waters can favor certain types of phytoplankton over others, shifting the balance of species in ways that affect what fish and shellfish are available to predators - and to the region’s fisheries.&nbsp;



For example, coccolithophores may thrive in clearer, warmer waters, while traditional spring-blooming diatoms do better in colder, more nutrient-rich conditions.



Long-term monitoring is essential to understand and predict these shifts. Satellites like PACE provide a global view of ocean color, which reflects the presence and composition of phytoplankton.&nbsp;



By combining these observations with ship-based sampling, scientists can get a more complete picture of how plankton communities are evolving and how that affects everything from carbon cycling to fisheries sustainability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-warming-in-the-gulf-of-maine-nbsp">Warming in the Gulf of Maine&nbsp;</h2>



The Gulf’s warming trend has already caused noticeable ecological changes. Some species of fish have moved farther north or into deeper waters in search of cooler temperatures.&nbsp;



Lobsters, a key commercial species, have shifted their range as well. Meanwhile, harmful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-algae-in-lake-erie-may-be-hiding-toxic-deadly-compounds/">algal blooms</a> - caused by certain types of phytoplankton - have become more frequent in some parts of the Gulf, threatening shellfish harvests and public health.



Scientists are working to better predict how blooms will respond to future climate conditions.&nbsp;



Understanding which species are likely to dominate under warmer, fresher, or more acidic conditions can help predict changes in fish stocks, shellfish safety, and ecosystem stability.&nbsp;



This kind of forecasting is especially important in the Gulf of Maine, where marine resources are closely tied to local economies.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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Giant bloom in the Gulf of Maine signals change

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the Cat's Paw Nebula - a massive, active star-forming region in the constellation Scorpius. Also known as NGC 6334, the nebula is located about 4,000 light-years away from Earth.



The nebula’s name comes from its appearance. When viewed in visible or infrared light, it resembles a cat’s paw with bright lobes that look like giant toe beans.



“To celebrate the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s third year of highly productive science, astronomers used the telescope to scratch beyond the surface of the Cat’s Paw Nebula (NGC 6334), a massive, local star-forming region,” said <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images">ESA</a>.



“This area is of great interest to scientists, having been subject to previous study by NASA/ESA’s Hubble and retired NASA Spitzer Space telescopes, as they seek to understand the multiple steps required for a turbulent molecular cloud to transition to stars.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-activity-in-the-cat-s-paw-nebula-nbsp">Activity in the Cat’s Paw Nebula&nbsp;</h2>



The Cat’s Paw Nebula is a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/80-million-pixels-reveal-the-brilliance-of-a-star-cluster/">stellar nursery</a>, teeming with young, hot stars that are still forming from clouds of gas and dust. It spans roughly 50 light-years across and glows red, primarily due to the presence of ionized hydrogen gas illuminated by ultraviolet radiation from the newborn stars.&nbsp;



Much of the star formation remains hidden in visible light because of dense dust clouds, but observations in infrared and radio wavelengths have revealed an incredible amount of ongoing activity beneath the surface.



NGC 6334 is particularly rich in massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-forming-disks-surrounding-stars-often-last-much-longer-than-expected/">stars</a>, including some that are over ten times the mass of the Sun.&nbsp;



Because of this, it's often used by astronomers to study the early stages of high-mass star formation, which are less understood than the processes that form lower-mass stars.&nbsp;



The region is also home to a number of protostars and clusters still wrapped in dusty cocoons, making it a dynamic and evolving part of our galaxy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-details-in-the-cat-s-paw-nebula-nbsp">New details in the Cat’s Paw Nebula&nbsp;</h2>



“With its near-infrared capabilities and sharp resolution, the telescope 'clawed' back a portion of a singular 'toe bean,' revealing a subset of mini toe bean-reminiscent structures composed of gas, dust, and young stars,” noted ESA.



“Webb’s view reveals a chaotic scene still in development: massive young stars are carving away at nearby gas and dust, while their bright starlight is producing a bright nebulous glow represented in blue.”&nbsp;



Although only recently recognized in modern astronomy, the Cat’s Paw Nebula has become iconic - not just for its curious shape, but also for the insight it offers into how massive stars form in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/milky-ways-thin-disk-is-billions-of-years-older-than-we-thought/">Milky Way</a>.



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



Scorpius is one of the most striking constellations in the night sky, especially visible during the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere and lower latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;



Its shape is unusually recognizable, forming a long, curving line that resembles a scorpion with a curled tail and extended claws.&nbsp;



In mythology, Scorpius is often associated with the story of Orion, the great hunter. According to one version of the myth, Orion boasted that he could kill all the animals on Earth, which angered the goddess Artemis. To punish him, she sent a giant scorpion to defeat him.&nbsp;



After a fierce battle, both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-solar-system-once-drifted-through-orions-star-forming-region/">Orion</a> and the scorpion were placed among the stars on opposite sides of the sky. To this day, Orion sets as Scorpius rises, as if the hunter is still fleeing from the celestial scorpion.



Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, is a red supergiant whose name means "rival of Mars" due to its reddish hue and brightness. Antares serves as the scorpion's heart and is one of the most prominent stars in the night sky.&nbsp;



Because Scorpius lies along the plane of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cosmic-map-reveals-that-the-milky-ways-dust-has-very-unusual-properties/">Milky Way</a>, it is filled with dense star fields and deep-sky objects. This part of the sky is exceptionally rich in detail, offering a glimpse into the crowded heart of our galaxy.



Image Credit: ESA



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Webb reveals the Cat's Paw Nebula in stunning detail

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1559, located around 35 million light-years away in the southern constellation Reticulum. The image was captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.&nbsp;



"The data featured in this portrait make use of two of Webb’s instruments: the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) and Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam)," noted <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>.



"Here MIRI captures the glow of interstellar dust grains, which trace out the interstellar medium, the fuel for future star formation. NIRCam shows the light from stars, even young stars hidden behind prodigious amounts of dust. NIRCam also captures emission from ionized nebulae around young stars."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-webb-reveals-galaxies-in-new-light">Webb reveals galaxies in new light</h2>



According to ESA, the data was collected by the <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/phangs/home">PHANGS team</a> as part of a program in which Webb will observe 55 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/james-webb-captures-galaxies-that-are-too-old-to-exist/">galaxies</a> that have also been mapped by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, and more.&nbsp;



"By combining Webb’s unprecedented view of the dust and stars with data from these other facilities, the team aims to obtain a new, highly detailed view of how stars are born, live, and die in galaxies across the Universe."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ngc-1559-a-loner-in-space">NGC 1559: A loner in space</h2>



Although NGC 1559 appears to sit close to one of our nearest neighbors in the sky - the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) - this is just a trick of perspective, noted ESA.



While it is part of the Reticulum constellation, NGC 1559 is not part of the Local Group of galaxies but instead resides in a more distant region of space.



"In reality, NGC 1559 is physically nowhere near the LMC in space; in fact it truly is a loner, lacking the company of any nearby galaxies or membership of any galaxy cluster," said ESA.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-star-formation-in-ngc-1559">Star formation in NGC 1559</h2>



NGC 1559 is notable for its active star formation and strong magnetic fields. It has also been the site of several <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supernova-explosions-could-damage-distant-planets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supernovae</a>, making it of particular interest to astronomers who study stellar evolution and the life cycle of stars.



The structure of NGC 1559 includes well-defined spiral arms that contain young, hot stars and regions of ionized gas, indicative of ongoing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-hole-is-starving-its-host-galaxy-of-star-forming-fuel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">star formation</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-extragalactic-wonder">An extragalactic wonder</h2>



Despite being relatively small compared to larger galaxies like the Milky Way, NGC 1559 is an important object for understanding how barred spiral galaxies evolve and the processes that trigger supernovae.



The galaxy’s remote location and active nature make it a fascinating subject of study in the field of extragalactic astronomy. 



The isolation of NGC 1559 allows for a clearer view of its structure without much interference from neighboring galaxies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-barred-spiral-galaxies">Barred spiral galaxies</h2>



Barred spiral galaxies are a type of spiral galaxy characterized by a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. This bar extends out from the core and connects to the galaxy's spiral arms, which swirl outward in a graceful pattern.



Scientists believe that the bar plays a crucial role in the evolution of the galaxy, funneling gas towards the core and potentially triggering star formation or feeding a central black hole. 



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/newly-discovered-stars-milky-way-are-old-as-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milky Way</a>, our own galaxy, is an example of a barred spiral. These galaxies are quite common in the universe, making up about two-thirds of all observed spiral galaxies.



The bar itself is thought to be a temporary feature, developing as the galaxy matures and possibly disappearing over time as the dynamics of the stars change. 



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



Reticulum is a small, faint constellation in the southern sky. Its name means "the reticle" in Latin, which refers to the crosshairs in an eyepiece of a telescope.



The constellation was named in the 18th century by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille to honor the reticle he used in his scientific instruments. It is one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union.



Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA &amp; CSA, A. Leroy, J. Lee and the PHANGS Team



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Spiral galaxy glows with young stars and interstellar dust

Kings Canyon National Park&nbsp;is an American&nbsp;national park&nbsp;in the southern&nbsp;Sierra Nevada, in&nbsp;Fresno&nbsp;and&nbsp;Tulare Counties,&nbsp;California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed to Kings Canyon National Park on March 4, 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged&nbsp;glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600&nbsp;m) deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot (4,300&nbsp;m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of&nbsp;giant sequoia&nbsp;trees. Kings Canyon is north of and contiguous with&nbsp;Sequoia National Park, and both parks are jointly administered by the&nbsp;National Park Service&nbsp;as the&nbsp;Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.



There are fourteen campgrounds in these parks, including three that are open year-round. Campgrounds require reservations in advance, and sites are usually full.&nbsp;

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California

Ancient foragers in southern Africa did not settle for whatever stones lay at their feet. New evidence shows they walked, traded, or rafted many miles to secure vividly colored rocks. 



The rocks included red jasper, green chalcedony, and black and white chert, used for knives, scrapers, and spearpoints. These choices reveal both technological savvy and an eye for aesthetic or symbolic appeal.



The research was led by Gregor D. Bader in the Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology at the <a href="https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/faculties/faculty-of-science/departments/geosciences/work-groups/prehistory-and-archaeological-sciences/ina/early-prehistory-quaternary-ecology/">University of Tübingen</a>. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chasing-colorful-stones-for-tools">Chasing colorful stones for tools</h2>



Together with colleagues at the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, the team traced the origin of hundreds of stone <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/from-nature-to-knapping-the-surprising-origins-of-stone-tools/">tools</a> from four Eswatini sites dating back as far as 40,000 years.



The study focused on Hlalakahle, Siphiso, Sibebe, and Nkambeni - camps once dotted across grasslands now bordering South Africa and Mozambique. Each yielded blades and flakes of colorful stone for tools unlike the drab local bedrock.



“Artifacts from numerous archaeological sites are kept there,” Bader said, noting that Eswatini’s dense museum collections allowed a landscape-wide view rather than the usual single-site snapshots.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-samples-reveal-big-journeys">Tiny samples reveal big journeys</h2>



To match stone tools to the source the team drilled pinhead-sized samples and bombarded them with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neutron-stars-may-hold-the-key-to-understanding-dark-matter/">neutrons</a>. “Although the method is destructive, only tiny sample quantities are required and the results are excellent,” Bader explained.



The resulting gamma rays sketched a geochemical fingerprint as unique as a barcode. When researchers compared those codes with river gravels and outcrops in the Mgwayjza Valley, matches clicked into place.



Human-made blades of green chalcedony and red jasper carried the same elemental signature as rocks lying 12 to 60 miles west, an astonishing gap for groups who roamed on foot. Black and white chert drew from pockets even farther afield.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-routes-across-a-rolling-savanna"><a></a>Routes across a rolling savanna</h2>



How did the stone travel? “We have calculated whether the stones used may have been transported via the local Komati and Mbuluzi rivers,” Bader said.



“However, this could only have happened as far as Hlalakahle, and the other three sites of Siphiso, Sibebe, and Nkambeni are a long way from there.”



The geometry points to people moving, not just rivers. According to Bader, even if the hunter-gatherers took the shortest routes, there are still considerable distances between the rock deposits and the places where the stones were used.



"In addition, an exchange of materials with other early human groups is conceivable," noted Bader. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stone-color-preferences-changed">Stone color preferences changed</h2>



Chemical matches also revealed a swing in color preference. In the Middle Stone Age, from about 40,000 to 28,000 years ago, toolmakers favored the sleek blacks and whites of chert and the cool greens of chalcedony. 



By the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hitra-man-lived-4000-years-ago-during-late-stone-age/">Later Stone Age</a>, roughly 30,000 to 2,000 years ago, red jasper had become the star.



“Both colors occurred close together in the same valley and in the same river deposits, so we can assume a deliberate selection of different materials at different times,” Bader said. Climate change, group identity, or spiritual meaning may have driven the switch.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-colorful-stone-tools-hint-at-identity">Colorful stone tools hint at identity</h2>



“Colorful and shiny materials seemed attractive to early humans; they often used them for their tools. We can only speculate as to whether the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-struggles-with-color-metaphors-that-humans-easily-understand/">colors</a> had a symbolic meaning,” Bader noted.



Red, linked to blood or fire, might have signaled vitality; green could have echoed fresh vegetation; black might have denoted endurance. 



Whatever the message, carrying a scarlet-flecked knife or jade-toned scraper would have declared its maker’s reach and taste.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracing-ancient-journeys-through-color">Tracing ancient journeys through color</h2>



The findings enlarge a picture of Stone Age mobility already hinted at by shell beads ferried inland and ochre mined from distant cliffs. 



Now, thanks to nuclear probes and meticulous museum work, those journeys come into sharper focus. Small bands paced river valleys, traded nodules, and swapped ideas long before roads or herding.



As analytical techniques refine, the team hopes to test adjacent regions and older strata, mapping the spread of color preference across the subcontinent and through time. 



Each geochemical fingerprint adds a waypoint to humanity’s first supply chains and shows that creativity, even then, traveled far on foot. 



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440325001517?via%3Dihub">Journal of Archaeological Studies</a>



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Early humans traveled long distances to find colorful stones for tools

Ancient foragers in southern Africa did not settle for whatever...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Image credit: Henry Sharpe



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



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

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

The,Crystal,Structure,Of,The,Protein.,Molecular,Graphic,,3d,Model.

For gram-negative bacteria, many life-or-death decisions happen on their outer surface, where special outer membrane proteins work like gatekeepers, sensors, and support structures. Scientists have long thought these proteins followed a strict architectural rule book.



That rule book just gained a startling footnote thanks to <a href="https://www.wikigenes.org/e/gene/e/1223184.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PopA</a>, an unusually shaped protein from the predatory bacterium <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8289219/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus</a>. 



The discovery was made by Professor Andrew Lovering and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Birmingham</a>. 



“The unique structure and function of PopA suggest that bacteria have more complex ways of interacting with their environments than previously understood,” said Professor Lovering.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rewriting-protein-structure-rules">Rewriting protein structure rules</h2>



Classical porins form single barrels or three‑barrel <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10418385/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clusters</a> that let nutrients or antibiotics seep through. PopA, by contrast, assembles five identical 16‑strand barrels into a single bowl about 100 Å across, locking an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969212624004878" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">alpha‑helical plug</a> in the middle.



<a href="https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Analytical_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(Analytical_Chemistry)/Instrumentation_and_Analysis/Diffraction_Scattering_Techniques/X-ray_Crystallography" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X‑ray crystallography</a> and <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3537914/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cryo‑electron microscopy</a> show that the five barrels share walls, producing a seamless outer rim instead of five separate cylinders. That distinction forces a rethink of how beta‑barrel proteins can fold and fit into the membrane.



The inner surface of the bowl is lined with hydrophobic residues, while the outer face carries a ring of lysine that may guide the protein into the cell wall. 



Molecular dynamics simulations predict that the structure stays stable even when shaken inside a realistic membrane patch.



PopA’s basic fold resembles the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15178802/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">long‑chain fatty‑acid transporter FadL</a> but swaps FadL’s single channel for a pentameric chamber, illustrating how small loop changes can rewrite a scaffold once thought rigid.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fat-trapped-in-bacteria-membranes">Fat trapped in bacteria membranes</h2>



Instead of forming an open pore, PopA corrals up to eleven lipid tails in a tight monolayer, turning the protein into a miniature bucket for fat molecules. 



Electron density maps from two detergents and live simulations converge on the same picture, so the lipid binding is unlikely to be a crystallization artifact.



When PopA is expressed in harmless <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/about/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Escherichia coli</a>, the prey’s membranes bulge and sometimes rupture, hinting that the trapped lipids destabilize the surrounding bilayer rather than shuttling small molecules..



Liposome swelling tests back that idea: vesicles containing PopA pass only the tiniest amino acids, while a standard porin lets sugars zip through at least six times faster.



A second binding pocket behind the bowl wall captures a palmitate molecule much as FadL does, suggesting PopA could also recruit free fatty acids during predation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-popa-protein-helps-bacteria-attack-prey">PopA protein helps bacteria attack prey</h2>



Bdellovibrio slips between the outer and inner membranes of other bacteria, consumes the cell from within, and bursts out to hunt again. 



PopA may prime that invasion by loosening the prey’s inner membrane, a task that would explain why deleting the popA gene derails predator growth in certain lab strains.



Fluorescent microscopy shows PopA patches appearing in both outer and inner membranes of E. coli, supporting the notion of inter‑membrane transfer reported in earlier predation <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5705579/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a>. 



The same images reveal inner‑membrane damage in roughly one out of six cells producing PopA, a rate four times higher than controls.



Such membrane sabotage could give the predator an early nutrient pulse or open a route for larger effector proteins. 



It also underscores why Bdellovibrio and its tools have drawn attention as living antibiotics, especially as drug resistance rises.



The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/data-research/threats/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> estimates that more than 2.8 million antimicrobial‑resistant infections strike Americans each year, killing over 35,000 patients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-similar-proteins-found-across-bacteria">Similar proteins found across bacteria</h2>



PopA is no quirky one‑off. Structure searches guided by artificial‑intelligence models uncover dozens of homologues in soil, gut, and marine bacteria. 



Some build tetramers or hexamers, others stretch loop eight into helixes that enlarge the central cavity, yet all keep the lipid‑trapping core.



Another group of proteins, built from just eight strands, also forms ring shapes with a fatty center. This suggests that bacteria may have hit on the same solution more than once. 



Holding onto certain fats inside the membrane might help reshape the cell’s surface or make room for other important proteins.



Intriguingly, certain pathogens such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/treponema-denticola" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Treponema denticola</a> encode a PopA‑like hexamer linked to <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0089051" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biofilm formation</a>, while cellulolytic Fibrobacter species express another variant during plant fiber degradation. Those clues imply the superfamily’s functions extend well beyond predation.



Because many candidates sit in understudied microbes, the full ecological range of these lipid buckets is only starting to emerge. Each new structure offers a chance to refine folding models that still treat beta‑barrels as neat cylinders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-possible-medical-and-biotech-uses">Possible medical and biotech uses</h2>



Learning how PopA shields and flips lipids could guide the design of antimicrobial peptides that pry apart bacterial envelopes without harming human cells. 



Biotechnologists already coax outer membrane vesicles to deliver <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31383892/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vaccines</a>; engineering a PopA‑like cavity into those vesicles might improve cargo control.



Synthetic biology could also co‑opt the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/pentameric-protein" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pentameric scaffold</a> as a nano‑reactor, trapping hydrophobic reagents in a defined space. 



Because the bowl displays conserved loops on its outer face, it may accept affinity tags or catalytic groups with minimal disruption.



For live‑bacterial therapies, PopA offers a new biomarker to track predatory efficacy and safety. 



Disabling its lipid trap might dial down host toxicity if Bdellovibrio is ever given intravenously, while boosting trap strength could sharpen the predator’s bite in agricultural settings.



Finally, the PopA story in bacteria shows how combining high-resolution imaging, AI search tools, and old-fashioned mutagenesis can reveal protein surprises even in pathways once thought settled. Many more bacterial protein surprises likely lie buried in genomic databases.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61633-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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'Superfamily' of bacterial predator proteins is changing scientific theory

For gram-negative bacteria, many life-or-death decisions happen on their outer...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Fish genes offer clues to reversing human hearing loss

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

The,Changing,Seas,Of,The,Florida,Keys.,Growing,Corals,And

Sea levels have risen and fallen since Earth first held oceans. Until recently, scientists could only measure these shifts over million-year increments. 



Now, researchers from Utrecht, the UK, and the United States have mapped sea level changes across much shorter timeframes - spanning thousands of years and covering the last 540 million years.



Published in&nbsp;the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the study combines paleoclimate data, sediment records, and orbital modeling.



"Taking these rapid sea level variations into account is important for understanding the structure of the subsurface and the applications to green energy resources," said Dr. Douwe van der Meer, guest researcher at <a href="https://www.uu.nl/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Utrecht University</a> and lead author of the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-sea-level-rise">Measuring sea level rise</h2>



Sea level changes depend on two main factors: plate tectonics and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/land-exposed-by-melting-glaciers-transforms-into-a-greenhouse-gas-emitter/">land ice</a>. Tectonics control the shape of ocean basins. Ice determines how much water fills them. 



Previously, scientists could detect 200-meter (656 feet) swings in sea level over million-year periods using fossil and rock records.



"In time steps of about a million years, you can derive an average sea level for as far back as there are fossils, about 540 million years," said Van der Meer.



"That varied by as much as 200 meters. We suspected that sea level could go up and down enormously in much shorter periods as well, but there is not enough data to make those shorter time steps."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-orbit-affects-sea-level">Earth’s orbit affects sea level</h2>



To track faster <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/a-simple-guide-to-understanding-sea-level-rise/">changes</a>, researchers used a clever method. They matched sediment records with Earth’s orbital cycles, called Milankovitch cycles, that change climate on scales of 20,000 to 400,000 years. These wobbles trigger glacial and interglacial phases, which affect sea levels.



"We see alternations, especially when the global climate is cold, and there is ice on the poles," said Van der Meer. 



"Then, the rhythmic wobbling of Earth's spin axis creates ice ages that last only tens of thousands of years, during which the sea level can go up and down by as much as 100 meters (328 feet)."



This new approach calculated how much ice volume could change due to orbital variations. Then, the researchers estimated how those changes would affect sea level during the last 540 million years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greenhouse-vs-icehouse-worlds">Greenhouse vs. icehouse worlds</h2>



During warm, ice-free periods like the mid-Cretaceous, sea levels stayed relatively stable. In contrast, colder times like the late Carboniferous or modern ice age showed huge sea level swings.



Modeling showed that orbital cycles in the icehouse phases could cause sea levels to shift by over 328 feet within a few thousand years.



During the Permo-Carboniferous, for example, global temperatures may have ranged from 17°C (62.6°F) during interglacials to 10°C (50°F) during glacials. 



Such shifts drove large expansions and retreats of ice sheets, influencing sediment layers and fossil patterns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-past-sea-level-rise-helps-planning">Past sea level rise helps planning</h2>



Knowing when and how sea levels changed helps scientists better understand Earth’s climate and geography. These findings can also improve models for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/geothermal-energy-is-cheap-and-clean-and-having-its-moment/">geothermal energy</a>, hydrogen storage, and radioactive waste disposal.



"High or low sea levels, it's all happened before in the geological past," said Van der Meer.



Sandstone, laid down during low sea levels, makes a good reservoir for storing gases or heat. Claystone, formed during high sea levels, can seal these reservoirs. Mapping these layers globally can help in safe subsurface use.



"If we know that at a certain time global sea level was high, we also know that a relatively continuous layer of claystone would have been deposited," said Van de Meer.



"We can use that information to create a global layer map of sand and claystone, which helps us in the safe use of the subsurface."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-sea-level-rise-patterns">Ancient sea level rise patterns</h2>



The researchers tested their new model against known sedimentary records. For the Silurian, their orbital-scale sea level variation estimates - around 230 feet - match compiled data from five paleo-continents.



Similar matches appear in Cretaceous and Devonian records, with fluctuations ranging from 50 to 230 feet.



The model shows especially large short-term sea level swings during the late Ordovician, Permo-Carboniferous, and the past few million years. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/earth_sea-level-history_graphic_credit-EPSL_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/earth_sea-level-history_graphic_credit-EPSL_1s.webp" alt="Paleogeographic reconstructions. A) Last Glacial Maximum (∼20 ka), an example of maximum glacial extent, low global mean sea level and more exposed continental shelf. As a result of changing continental ice-cover, glacio-eustasy results in changes in eustasy and flooding of continents. B) Present-Day, as example of an Interglacial with relatively high sea level. Long-term sea level reconstructions do not consider short-term changes in sea level due to orbital-scale variations. Credit: Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2025)" class="wp-image-1978010"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Paleogeographic reconstructions. A) Last Glacial Maximum (∼20 ka), an example of maximum glacial extent, low global mean sea level and more exposed continental shelf. As a result of changing continental ice-cover, glacio-eustasy results in changes in eustasy and flooding of continents. B) Present-Day, as example of an Interglacial with relatively high sea level. Long-term sea level reconstructions do not consider short-term changes in sea level due to orbital-scale variations. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2025)</figcaption></figure>



In contrast, during the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jurassic-rocks-reveal-new-details-about-earths-climate-system/">Jurassic</a> and mid-Cretaceous, the shifts were much smaller, generally under 164 feet.



Some older reconstructions show higher variability, up to 328 feet, even during greenhouse phases. The new study argues that such large estimates may be inflated and not supported by physical models or isotope data.



Instead, this new work provides more grounded estimates using physics-based ice models, stratigraphy, and isotope geochemistry.



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



This approach can help resolve long-standing questions about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-climate-shift-sheds-light-on-future-global-warming/">ancient climates</a>, sedimentary patterns, and biodiversity changes. It also offers new tools for identifying reliable storage sites in the subsurface.



The authors suggest refining the method with non-linear models and more paleoclimate simulations. For now, their work marks a turning point in how we study ancient sea levels.



It is not just about history. It is a guide to understanding our dynamic planet.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X25003243?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth and Planetary Science Letters</a>.



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New model reveals dramatic swings in Earth's sea levels

Sea levels have risen and fallen since Earth first held...

Teenagers who live with anxiety or depression aren't using social media platforms the same way as everyone else. 



A survey of 3,340 adolescents shows that those diagnosed with mood disorders spend about fifty extra minutes per day online and feel less satisfied with their circle of digital friends.



“The link between social media use and youth mental health is hotly debated, but hardly any studies look at young people already struggling with clinical‑level mental health symptoms,” said <a href="https://www.data.cam.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/luisa-fassi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luisa Fassi</a> of the University of Cambridge’s <a href="https://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit</a>, lead author of the new analysis.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-media-use-in-teens">Social media use in teens</h2>



Screen‑time tallies have long dominated discussions, yet raw hours rarely capture how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/growing-up-in-a-digital-world-tiktok-makes-teenagers-happy/">different minds</a> behave online. 



Fassi’s team compared adolescents with and without internalizing conditions, a clinical category that includes anxiety, depression and post‑traumatic stress, to tease out patterns that simple time logs miss.



The researchers used gold‑standard diagnostic interviews rather than symptom checklists, giving the work more clinical weight than most surveys. 



Co‑author <a href="https://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/people/amy.orben/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr Amy Orben</a> noted that their approach “scratched only the surface” and called for richer data drawn directly from platforms, not just memory‑based questionnaires, to clarify what teens actually do online.



A separate <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/22/teens-social-media-and-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pew Research Center poll</a> of 1,391 U.S. teens released this spring echoed the concern: forty‑five percent of teenagers say they spend too much time on social media, up nine points from 2022. 



These self‑judgments hint that many young users already sense a mismatch between healthy habits and their own scrolling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-spent-is-just-one-clue">Time spent is just one clue</h2>



Numbers alone cannot capture who is at risk, because everyday usage varies widely. 



A 2020 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-67727-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> that pinged Dutch adolescents six times a day found that forty‑six percent actually felt better after passive browsing, while ten percent felt worse, underscoring how effects shift from one teen to the next.



Cambridge’s work agrees that harm clusters in specific groups. 



Teens with anxiety or depression were twice as likely as their peers to say they compare themselves with others online and to report mood swings tied to likes and comments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teens-use-social-media-for-comparisons">Teens use social media for comparisons</h2>



Scrolling social media often invites <a href="https://jedfoundation.org/resource/understanding-social-comparison-on-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">online social comparison</a> in teenagers, the tendency to measure one’s own worth against curated posts. 



When the study team asked participants whether they judged themselves against others on social platforms, forty‑eight percent of anxious or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-teen-girls-struggle-more-with-depression/">depressed teens</a> agreed, versus twenty‑four percent of teens without a diagnosis.



Such comparisons can erode self‑image during a developmental window when peer approval carries extra weight. 



Clinical psychologists warn that upward comparisons, seeing only friends’ highlight reels, may intensify rumination in youths already prone to negative self‑talk.



Fassi’s group also saw a sharp dip in friendship satisfaction: young people with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/too-much-screen-time-is-making-teens-anxious/">mood disorders</a> were less happy with the size of their online networks, even though they spent more hours building them. 



That mismatch can reinforce feelings of rejection and loneliness, two hallmarks of depressive thinking.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-likes-comments-and-mood-swings">Likes, comments and mood swings</h2>



Social media feedback tools, especially visible like counts, amplify emotional highs and lows in teens' lives. 



About one in four <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/internet-addiction-impairs-brain-function-in-teenagers/">teens</a> with internalizing conditions said their mood rises or falls with social feedback, nearly double the rate seen in unaffected peers.



Losing control over time was another problem spot. 



Respondents with anxiety or depression were more likely to report that they stayed online longer than intended, suggesting that compulsive use may act as both symptom and amplifier of distress.



Externalising disorders such as ADHD told a different story. 



These teens logged more time overall but showed few other differences, hinting that impulse‑driven overuse is not always paired with negative feelings about online life.



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



The findings help clinicians move beyond blanket screen‑time limits. Targeted guidance that tackles comparison habits, late‑night usage and the emotional weight placed on likes may benefit vulnerable teens more than universal caps.



Parents can start by keeping phones out of bedrooms, a step the <a href="https://www.aap.org/?srsltid=AfmBOoqkM5iQDwcRHDFUTY1VibCNeCFWCTrE7ypeGZU2jNn3DkxFYM0S" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Academy of Pediatrics</a> has recommended for years. 



Modeling intentional use, checking feeds at set times rather than reflexively, is another practical shift that shows adolescents how to set boundaries.



Policymakers, meanwhile, are weighing curfews, age‑verification rules and tighter controls on algorithmic feeds. 



Orben cautions that regulation should be informed by rigorous evidence, not moral panic, because a minority of teens appear resilient or even happier online.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teen-social-media-use-needs-more-study">Teen social media use needs more study</h2>



Researchers do not yet know whether heavy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-observation-our-decisions-shift-when-people-are-watching/">social</a> media use triggers anxiety or whether anxious teens seek refuge online. 



Longitudinal data that track the same individuals over years, paired with direct platform logs, are needed to untangle cause from effect.



Future studies must also include marginalized groups and conditions like eating disorders, which were too rare in the Cambridge dataset to analyze. 



Only by mapping diverse experiences can science inform design changes that protect every young user, not just the average one.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02134-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Human Behaviour</a>.



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Teenagers with anxiety or depression spend more time on social media, according to experts

Teenagers who live with anxiety or depression aren't using social...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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-----

Simple farmland features can reverse butterfly declines

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

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

<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://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex
</div></figure>







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.

<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://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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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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...

Sawtooth National Forest&nbsp;is a&nbsp;National Forest&nbsp;that covers 2,110,408 acres (854,052 ha) in the&nbsp;U.S. states&nbsp;of&nbsp;Idaho&nbsp;(~96 percent) and&nbsp;Utah&nbsp;(~4 percent). Managed by the&nbsp;U.S. Forest Service&nbsp;in the&nbsp;U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sawtooth National Forest offers facilities for recreation, with four ski areas,&nbsp;whitewater&nbsp;and&nbsp;flatwater&nbsp;boating, hunting, 81 campgrounds, and over 1,000&nbsp;mi (1,600&nbsp;km) of trails and roads for&nbsp;hiking,&nbsp;mountain biking, and&nbsp;all-terrain vehicle&nbsp;use, including two&nbsp;National Recreation Trails.&nbsp;



Sawtooth offers cabins, campgrounds, and dispersed camping. See the US Forest Service for more information.&nbsp;

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California

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