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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Graceful spiral galaxy hides a dark secret

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

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the barred spiral galaxy NGC 3783, which is located about 130 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus. 



NGC 3783 is also the most prominent of a galaxy group (by the same name) that contains 47 galaxies.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-galaxy-groups">What are galaxy groups?</h2>



“Like galaxy clusters, galaxy groups are aggregates of gravitationally bound galaxies. Galaxy groups, however, are less massive and contain fewer members than <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/titanic-galaxy-cluster-collision-defies-all-current-understanding-of-the-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxy clusters</a> do: where galaxy clusters can contain hundreds or even thousands of constituent galaxies, galaxy groups do not typically include more than 50,” noted <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>.



“The Milky Way is actually part of a galaxy group, known as the Local Group, which contains two other large galaxies (Andromeda and the Triangulum galaxy), as well as several dozen satellite and dwarf galaxies.”



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



The bright object that appears to the right of the galaxy is the star HD 101274. “The perspective in this image makes the star and the galaxy look like close companions, but this is an illusion. HD 101274 lies only about 1,530 light-years from Earth, meaning it is about 85 thousand times closer than NGC 3783,” explained ESA.&nbsp;



The star is part of the NGC 3766 cluster, sometimes referred to as the Pearl Cluster, which is known for its richness in bright stars and its relatively young age.



Characterized by its high temperature and luminosity, HD 101274 is categorized as a blue giant star.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-significance-of-blue-giants">Significance of blue giants</h2>



Blue giants are massive stars that have left the main sequence phase of stellar evolution and are burning helium or heavier elements in their cores. These stars are known for their short lifespans relative to smaller stars due to their rapid consumption of nuclear fuel.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-stars-scientists-discover-a-new-type-of-star-powered-by-dark-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stars</a> like HD 101274 are important for astronomers because they help in studying the properties of stellar populations in clusters and the dynamics of stellar evolution in different environments. 



Observations of blue giant stars can provide valuable insights into the characteristics of their atmospheres, internal structures, and the processes occurring within and around them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-active-galactic-nucleus-of-ngc-3783">Active galactic nucleus of NGC 3783</h2>



One of the most interesting aspects of NGC 3783 is that it harbors an active galactic nucleus. This means that its central region is exceptionally luminous, likely due to the presence of a supermassive black hole. 



The black hole is actively accreting material, which emits a substantial amount of radiation as it spirals inward and heats up.



The galaxy has been studied extensively in the ultraviolet and X-ray light spectra to understand better the properties of the accretion disk around the black hole and the complex dynamics of the material surrounding it. 



These studies are crucial for understanding the physics of active galactic nuclei and the role they play in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/galaxies-like-our-own-milky-way-are-not-unique/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxy evolution</a>.



According to ESA, NGC 3783 is a&nbsp;Type I Seyfert galaxy. “In this image it is recorded by Hubble in incredible detail, from its glowing central bar to its narrow, winding arms and the dust threaded through them, thanks to five separate images taken in different wavelengths of light," noted ESA.



“In fact, the galactic center is bright enough to Hubble that it exhibits diffraction spikes, normally only seen on stars such as HD 101274.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-massive-collection-of-galaxy-clusters">Massive collection of galaxy clusters</h2>



The NGC 3783 group is part of the larger Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster, which itself is a massive collection of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shapes-of-one-million-galaxies-hint-at-the-universes-origins/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxies</a> and galaxy clusters located primarily in the constellations of Hydra and Centaurus.



The NGC 3783 group consists of several galaxies that are gravitationally bound and interact with each other. These interactions can influence the galaxies' evolution through mechanisms like tidal forces and merger events, which can trigger star formation, fuel central black holes, and reshape the galaxies' structures.



Studying the NGC 3783 group helps astronomers understand how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ceers-2112-ancient-galaxy-looks-strikingly-similar-to-ours/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxies</a> evolve together in a common gravitational environment, offering insights into the dynamics and evolution of structures on cosmic scales.



Image Credit: ESA/Hubble &amp; NASA



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Luminous spiral galaxy and a blue giant star

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the star-forming region NGC 604. The nebula is located 2.73 million light-years away from Earth in the Triangulum Galaxy (M33). 



By studying regions like NGC 604, astronomers can gain insights into the complex interactions between stars and the interstellar medium, as well as the conditions that lead to the birth of stars. 



This, in turn, helps us understand the evolution of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/galaxies-like-our-own-milky-way-are-not-unique/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxies</a> and the universe as a whole.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-massive-stars-of-ngc-604">Massive stars of NGC 604</h2>



"Sheltered among NGC 604’s dusty envelopes of gas are more than 200 of the hottest, most massive kinds of stars, all in the early stages of their lives," said <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>.



"These types of stars are known as B-types and O-types, the latter of which can be more than 100 times the mass of our own Sun. It’s quite rare to find this concentration of them in the nearby universe. In fact, there’s no similar region within our own Milky Way galaxy."



According to ESA, this concentration of massive stars, combined with its relatively close distance, means that NGC 604 gives astronomers an opportunity to study these objects at a fascinating time early in their life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gigantic-region-of-ionized-hydrogen">Gigantic region of ionized hydrogen</h2>



NGC 604 is one of the largest known regions of ionized hydrogen, also known as an H II region. This nebula is significantly larger than the Orion Nebula, which is one of the most well-known H II regions in our own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-amount-of-dark-matter-may-be-missing-from-the-milky-way/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milky Way galaxy</a>.&nbsp;



NGC 604 spans about 1,500 light-years across, making it one of the largest H II regions in the Local Group of galaxies. This group includes the Milky Way, the Andromeda Galaxy, and about 54 other smaller galaxies.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ngc-604-starburst-phenomenon">NGC 604 starburst phenomenon </h2>



Within NGC 604, there are hundreds of young, hot, massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stars-at-the-edge-of-our-milky-way-galaxy-travel-more-slowly/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stars</a>. These stars have ionized the surrounding gas, causing it to glow and creating the nebula. 



The region is a prime example of a starburst phenomenon, where stars form at a much higher rate than in typical galactic conditions.



“The bright orange streaks in this image signify the presence of carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs," explained ESA.



"As you travel further from the immediate cavities of dust where the star is forming, the deeper red signifies molecular hydrogen. This cooler gas is a prime environment for star formation. Ionized hydrogen from ultraviolet radiation appears as a white and blue ghostly glow."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-about-star-formation">More about star formation </h2>



Star formation is crucial for the evolution of galaxies and the synthesis of heavy elements. In the cores of stars, elements heavier than helium are created.



The elements are spread throughout the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-stars-shakti-shiva-shaped-milky-way-galaxy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxy</a> when stars reach the end of their lives and expel their material - either gently through winds or violently via supernova explosions. 



This enriching process allows for the formation of new stars and planets, and ultimately, the potential for life.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Cloud collapse</h3>



The process begins when part of a molecular cloud becomes unstable and starts to collapse under its own gravity. This can be triggered by events like shock waves from nearby <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supernova-explosions-could-damage-distant-planets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supernovae</a>, galactic collisions, or the influence of other massive stars.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Formation of a protostar</h3>



As the cloud collapses, it fragments into smaller clumps. Each clump will eventually form one or more stars. 



The material within these clumps continues to fall inward, heating up as it does so, eventually forming a warm core called a protostar. At this stage, the protostar is not yet hot enough for nuclear fusion (the process that powers stars) to occur.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Accretion disk</h3>



Around the protostar, material from the surrounding cloud continues to fall inward, forming a rotating disk. This material slowly accretes onto the protostar, increasing its mass.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Nuclear fusion begins</h3>



Once the core of the protostar reaches a high enough temperature and pressure, hydrogen atoms begin to fuse into helium, releasing energy in the process. This marks the transition from a protostar to a main sequence star, like our sun.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Main sequence and beyond</h3>



The star will spend the majority of its life in the main sequence stage, where it balances the gravitational forces trying to collapse it and the outward pressure from nuclear fusion. 



Eventually, the star will exhaust its hydrogen fuel. Its subsequent evolution will depend on its initial mass, leading to various end stages such as red giants, supernovae, neutron stars, or black holes.



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



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Young, massive stars in the Triangulum Galaxy

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Hundreds of galaxies illuminate the early universe 

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features a Copernicus map of scorching summer temperatures across southern Europe.



“A powerful heatwave has been gripping large parts of southern Europe and North Africa, pushing air temperatures beyond seasonal norms and triggering widespread health and wildfire alerts. Among the hardest-hit countries are Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Algeria,” said <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/07/Southern_Europe_s_land_and_sea_sizzles">ESA</a>.



“This image, a mosaic from five overlapping orbital passes in the morning of 29 June 2025, was captured by the <a href="https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-3">Copernicus Sentinel-3</a> mission’s Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer.”&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-land-surface-temperatures-nbsp">Tracking land surface temperatures&nbsp;</h2>



According to ESA, the image reveals the temperature of the land surface - not air temperature.



Tracking land surface temperature is essential for predicting weather and climate patterns, assessing wildfire risk, helping <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-temperatures-threaten-the-future-of-banana-farming/">farmers</a> plan irrigation, and informing urban design strategies to reduce heat.



“Unlike measurements of air temperature, this satellite instrument measures the actual thermal energy emitted from Earth’s surface, which typically registers higher than air temperatures.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-dome-over-western-europe-nbsp">Heat dome over Western Europe&nbsp;</h2>



The image includes information from the Copernicus Marine Service, which shows that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">surface temperatures</a> are also hot across the Mediterranean Sea.



The ongoing heatwave is fueled by a high-pressure system stalled over Western Europe, known as a “heat dome.” This system traps hot, dry air beneath it, causing temperatures to rise steadily.&nbsp;



As it moves eastward, the dome pulls in even more hot air from North Africa, intensifying the extreme heat across the region.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-dome-over-the-united-states-nbsp">Heat dome over the United States&nbsp;</h2>



In June 2025, a heat dome developed over the central and eastern United States. It began forming around June 20 and persisted through the week.



The heat dome covered a large part of the country - from the Great Plains through the Midwest, Upper Midwest, Ohio and Tennessee River Valleys - and extended into the Mid‑Atlantic and Northeast regions.



More than 280 daily high-temperature records were shattered across the U.S., affecting some 130 million people under <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-heat-impacts-our-daily-routines-and-transportation/">heat warnings</a> or advisories.&nbsp;



Cities like New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Newark, Providence, and Raleigh saw triple-digit highs - some reaching more than 105 degrees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-health-concerns">Public health concerns</h2>



The heat dome not only caused dangerous daytime highs but also oppressive night-time warmth, with low temperatures often staying above 80 °F due to trapped heat. 



This persistent warmth strained power grids, led to emergency declarations, and triggered significant public health concerns.



Infrastructure suffered too: roads buckled in Missouri and softened asphalt sank vehicles in New York City, while a Baltimore Amtrak train stalled in a tunnel from the heat. 



Emergency measures included power reductions, heat shelters, and utility advisories in several states.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-domes-and-climate-change">Heat domes and climate change</h2>



Climate scientists emphasize that heat domes are fueled by anthropogenic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-earth-energy-imbalance-temperature-rise/">climate change</a>. These high-pressure patterns are occurring more frequently and enduring longer due to warming oceans, Arctic amplification, and altered jet stream behavior.&nbsp;



As global temperatures rise, the atmosphere can hold more moisture and energy, which intensifies heatwaves and makes them more persistent.&nbsp;



In particular, the weakened and meandering jet stream - a result of a warming Arctic - is allowing systems like heat domes to stall over regions for days or even weeks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adapting-to-a-hotter-future">Adapting to a hotter future</h2>



Recent climate models show that events like the June 2025 heat dome (once considered rare), are becoming increasingly common.&nbsp;



What used to be a one-in-100-year heat event in many U.S. cities may now occur once a decade or even more often. This shift has serious implications not just for human health, but also for infrastructure, agriculture, and energy systems.&nbsp;



Power grids are pushed to their limits, roads and railways buckle under extreme heat, and crops suffer from both high temperatures and water stress.



Public health officials are especially concerned about the cumulative toll of prolonged <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-heat-is-pushing-parts-of-earth-beyond-human-survival/">extreme heat</a>. 



Nights that remain hot offer little relief and are particularly dangerous for vulnerable populations such as the elderly, young children, and people with chronic health conditions. 



Without sustained adaptation efforts - such as redesigning cities to reduce heat retention, expanding access to cooling centers, and modernizing energy infrastructure - the human and economic cost of extreme heat is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades.



Image Credit: ESA



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Heat dome scorches Southern Europe 

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. It’s a vast cloud of gas and dust stretching roughly 70 light-years across. 



<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 new 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

How did life on Earth begin? People have been asking that for ages. The answers remain scattered across rocks, oceans, and ancient landscapes. One clue hides in an essential ingredient for life - phosphorus.



Phosphorus is everywhere in living things. It holds together DNA and RNA. It forms the framework of cell membranes. No life can grow or function without it. 



Yet, phosphorus mostly stays trapped in rocks. It hides inside phosphate minerals, which barely dissolve in water. That raises an old and puzzling question: how did early Earth get enough phosphorus to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-one-simple-rule-that-explains-all-life-on-earth-bioregions/">spark</a> life?



Yuya Tsukamoto and Takeshi Kakegawa from <a href="https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tohoku University</a> took that question seriously. They decided to look where most people wouldn’t - deep under the sea, in rocks that are billions of years old.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-element-for-life-on-earth">Key element for life on Earth</h2>



The researchers focused on the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia, which holds some of the oldest known seafloor rocks. 



The rocks are an astonishing 3.455 billion years old. The team's discovery wasn’t subtle. It jumped out from the data.



"We analyzed 3.455-billion-year-old basaltic seafloor rocks in drill core samples recovered from the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, discovering that P was significantly leached from the hydrothermally altered rocks compared to the least altered rocks," explained Tsukamoto.



He noted that further mineralogical analyses indicated that phosphate minerals had undergone dissolution in rocks where P was depleted. 



Simply put, hot fluids moved through these rocks and pulled phosphorus out. That phosphorus didn’t just disappear. It entered the surrounding seawater, turning parts of the ocean into phosphorus-rich zones.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-the-source-of-phosphorus">Tracking the source of phosphorus </h2>



The rocks alone didn’t tell the whole story. The team wanted to understand what made this phosphorus release possible. They uncovered two kinds of hydrothermal fluids that shaped this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/third-state-of-existence-beyond-life-and-death-confirmed-by-scientists/">process</a>.



One type was hot, rich in sulfur, and capable of breaking down minerals quickly. The other was more surprising - mildly acidic to alkaline fluids at lower temperatures. 



These fluids were common in the Archean era because Earth’s atmosphere back then was filled with carbon dioxide. That unique atmosphere made these fluids react in unexpected ways with the rocks.



The result? Massive amounts of dissolved phosphate in the water. The numbers were shocking. These fluids could carry up to 2 millimolar phosphate - nearly 1,000 times higher than what’s found in modern seawater.



Suddenly, early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/luca-last-universal-common-ancestor-progenitor-all-life-on-earth/">Earth</a> wasn’t a barren place. Its oceans were filled with phosphorus.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-oceans-held-elements-for-life">Earth’s oceans held elements for life</h2>



This wasn’t just a chemistry experiment. The results changed how scientists think about early Earth. The researchers calculated how much phosphorus these underwater systems could release. 



The findings were stunning. The amount of phosphorus released into the oceans by these hydrothermal systems could match, or even exceed, the amount entering modern oceans through rivers and weathering of land rocks.



"Importantly, this study provides direct evidence that submarine hydrothermal activity leached P from seafloor basaltic rocks and quantifies the potential P flux from these hydrothermal systems to the early ocean," adds Tsukamoto.



Imagine ancient oceans filled with nutrients. These phosphorus-rich waters may have supported some of Earth’s earliest microbial life. 



The ancient communities didn’t need a vast, lush <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rocks-reveal-the-turning-point-when-oxygen-changed-earth-forever/">planet</a>. It only needed these hidden underwater environments to get started.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hot-springs-and-hidden-worlds-on-land">Hot springs and hidden worlds on land</h2>



The study also pointed to something beyond the oceans - hot springs on land. Hydrothermal systems aren’t just found under the sea. They exist on land too, in places like hot springs.



These environments might have also released phosphorus on early Earth. That means life’s building blocks weren’t limited to deep-sea vents. They could have existed in steaming pools on land.



This opens the door for more discoveries. Scientists now plan to study how phosphate behaves in rocks across different periods of Earth’s history. By tracing phosphorus through time, they hope to unlock new chapters of Earth’s story.



The message is clear: Life’s ingredients may have come from places on Earth we’ve only just begun to explore. Deep beneath the waves, within rocks touched by ancient fluids, the story of life may have quietly begun.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016703725003266?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta</a>.



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Earth may have always held the key ingredients for life

How did life on Earth begin? People have been asking...

cinco-microhabitos-neurociencia-aprender-mas-rapido-recordar-mej

Varicose veins bulge and twist across the calves of up to 30 percent of adults, a reminder that blood sometimes pools instead of flowing home to the heart. When sluggish blood flow lingers, clots can form and, in rare cases, travel to the lungs or brain.



Centuries ago physicians in China brewed teas from <a href="https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=z990" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ginkgo biloba</a> leaves to sharpen memory. Today researchers wonder whether the same ginkgo leaves might support weary leg veins and cut the risk of small, yet dangerous, blood clots.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-circulation-can-falter">Why circulation can falter</h2>



Blood rising from the feet must fight gravity, and faulty valves can leave veins stretched and valves leaky. The lingering pressure distends vein walls, encourages <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fasting-helps-the-body-fight-inflammation-and-chronic-diseases/">inflammation</a>, and slows platelet aggregation, the first step toward clotting.



Slow venous return creates the setting for deep‑vein thrombosis as well as the aching, throbbing symptoms many patients feel after a day of standing. 



That overlap has pushed vascular specialists toward plant‑based compounds that might tone the vein wall and limit sticky platelets.



After logging stroke cases at Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing, neurologist <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Xiangqian-Huang-2265510495" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Xiangqian Huang</a> of <a href="https://ccmu.cucas.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Capital Medical University</a> began probing ginkgo’s effects on clot behavior in the brain, work that now informs leg‑vein research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ginkgo-leaves-and-blood-flow">Ginkgo leaves and blood flow</h2>



Ginkgo extract made <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-from-plastic-bottles-linked-to-high-blood-pressure-and-heart-problems/">blood platelets</a> less sticky when triggered by one type of chemical but didn’t have much effect when triggered by another. 



Dr. Xiangqian Huang and the team also noticed that blood took slightly longer to clot after treatment with the extract.



The leaf contains natural compounds that seem to interact with enzymes responsible for forming clots. 



In a 2025 animal <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40462336/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>, researchers found that ginkgo reduced damage inside blood vessels in rats with clotting problems and slightly increased the time it took for their blood to clot. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insights-from-a-beijing-stroke-ward">Insights from a Beijing stroke ward</h2>



Huang’s real‑world study followed 99 patients for five days. Among stroke survivors who received ginkgo plus baby <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/daily-aspirin-use-strongly-tied-to-colorectal-cancer-prevention/">aspirin</a>, arachidonic‑acid platelet aggregation fell more than in peers on aspirin alone, while major bleeding did not rise.



Minor nose or gum bleeds surfaced in four of thirty‑three combination patients, a signal that enhanced anticoagulation deserves monitoring. No severe hemorrhages occurred, suggesting short‑term safety when doses stay low.



The design also enrolled participants with internal jugular venous stenosis, a group whose <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-sweetener-erythritol-sugar-substitute-linked-to-blood-clots-heart-disease/">clots</a> mirror those in leg veins. 



In that arm ginkgo alone curbed blood platelet stickiness within 24 hours, and the effect held steady through day five.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aspirin-ginkgo-and-blood-clots">Aspirin, ginkgo, and blood clots</h2>



A team of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17982321/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">scientists</a> led by <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/christopher-gardner" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christopher Gardner</a> from <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford Department of Medicine</a> examined the potential adverse effects of concomitant aspirin and Ginkgo biloba on blood platelet function after giving the duo to older adults for four weeks. The worry was that the herbs might blunt or boost common drugs. 



Gardner and colleagues detected no dangerous bleeding, yet laboratory tests showed additive platelet inhibition, suggesting that low‑dose pairings could protect high‑risk patients who cannot tolerate stronger pharmaceuticals. 



Doctors, however, should adjust regimens around surgeries or when other blood thinners enter the mix.



Because the leaf targets arachidonic‑acid pathways that aspirin already touches, the partnership makes pharmacologic sense. 



Still, anyone taking nonsteroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs should discuss timing and dosage to avoid stacking identical mechanisms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-helping-legs-feel-lighter">Helping legs feel lighter</h2>



Deep veins are not the only place where endothelial cells detach under strain. 



In a classic double‑blind trial, scientists found that a capsule combining ginkgo, troxerutin, and heptaminol cut circulating endothelial cell counts by 14.5 percent in patients with chronic varicose veins, placebo achieved only 8.4 percent.



<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26848/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Endothelial cells</a> are early barometers of vein injury, so their decline hints at real structural healing. 



Participants also reported reduced ankle swelling and night cramps, benefits echoed by later Russian and Italian studies that tracked leg circumference.



Modern <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/home/phl" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phlebology</a> still relies on compression stockings and laser ablation, yet many sufferers ask for gentler first steps. 



A standardized ginkgo formula, already licensed for vascular disorders in parts of Europe, may slot neatly between lifestyle changes and invasive procedures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blood-clot-prevention-with-ginkgo">Blood clot prevention with ginkgo</h2>



Yang’s rat data showed lighter <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cause-of-strokes-cervical-artery-dissection-has-increased-400-percent-since-2005/">clots</a>, higher nitric‑oxide levels, and longer clotting times after gavage with 60 milligrams per kilogram of extract. 



Nitric oxide relaxes vessel walls and counters platelet stickiness, aligning with human data from stroke and vein clinics.



<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26030402/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Network‑pharmacology</a> maps place AKT1, ALB, and TNF at the center of ginkgo’s target web. Those same genes regulate inflammation, suggesting that the tree’s reach extends beyond platelets to the very lining of our veins.



Because oxidative stress weakens venous valves, the antioxidant side of the extract warrants equal attention. 



Flavonols scavenge free radicals, potentially slowing the progressive dilation that makes early spider veins blossom into rope‑like cords.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-talking-with-your-doctor">Talking with your doctor</h2>



Ginkgo supplements crowd store shelves, yet extracts used in clinical trials are highly standardized. Look for<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12757407/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> EGb 761</a> or products specifying at least 24 percent flavonol glycosides and 6 percent terpene lactones.



Patients on warfarin, <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.120.017559" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">direct oral anticoagulants</a>, or upcoming dental work should alert their clinicians before starting any form of ginkgo. 



Health professionals may stagger doses, check clotting labs, or advise pausing the herb to keep bleeding risk low.



For those with aching calves and a family history of clots, discussing ginkgo as an adjunct to compression or low‑intensity exercise could make sense. 



Evidence remains preliminary, yet the plant’s dual action on platelets and vein walls is steadily moving from bench to bedside.



Future multicenter trials ought to track long‑term safety and measure quality‑of‑life changes such as heaviness, itch, and nightly restlessness. If findings stay positive, an ancient tree might soon earn a modern role in vascular medicine.



The study is published in <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11803947/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thrombosis Journal</a>.



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Leaves from this popular tree may improve circulation and prevent blood clots

Varicose veins bulge and twist across the calves of up...

Astronomers poring over new data from the James Webb Space Telescope have reported the most compelling hints yet that “dark stars,” cosmic behemoths fed by dark matter, really existed. 



A new <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2505.06101" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> of five ultra‑distant objects shows spectra and shapes that match simulations of dark <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-star-giant-gas-planet-toi-6894b-breaks-current-planetary-formation-rules/">stars</a> rather than ordinary fusion‑powered suns.



The candidates sit more than 13 billion light‑years away, meaning their light left them when the universe was only a few hundred million years old. 



The dark star <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/0705.0521" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">concept</a> was first introduced in 2007 by Katherine Freese and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Texas at Austin</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dark-matter-powering-giant-stars">Dark matter powering giant stars</h2>



Dark matter accounts for about 85 percent of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-forming-disks-surrounding-stars-often-last-much-longer-than-expected/">universe</a>’s mass but reveals itself only through gravity. Two decades of underground detectors have yet to capture a single dark‑matter particle, yet its invisible pull sculpts galaxies and galaxy clusters.



Freese proposed that in the first halos of gas, self‑annihilating dark‑matter particles could generate heat faster than the gas could cool, inflating stars that grow to millions of solar masses without ever igniting fusion. 



Once the local dark‑matter reservoir ran out, the stars would collapse, possibly forming black holes hefty enough to seed the earliest quasars.



Webb's infrared vision extends far enough redward to catch such ancient, swollen <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-new-super-earth-kepler-725c-found-in-habitable-zone-around-its-star/">stars</a>, and its sensors have already revealed dozens of unexpectedly bright objects in the epoch known as Cosmic Dawn.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-webb-spotted-strange-ancient-stars">Webb spotted strange ancient stars</h2>



Freese’s team studied <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-sees-galaxy-mysteriously-clearing-fog-of-early-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JADES‑GS‑z11‑0, JADES‑GS‑z13‑0</a> and three even more distant specks, finding that each could be explained by a single dark star rather than a whole infant galaxy.



“If it’s real, then I don’t know how else you’d explain it other than with a dark star,” said Freese. A second clue comes from a tentative absorption dip at rest‑frame <a href="https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Sept15/Johnson/Johnson4.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1,640 Å</a>, the signature of <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1110.6202" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">He II</a>, that appears in one spectrum and is predicted only for dark‑star atmospheres.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-doubt-the-dark-star-idea">Some doubt the dark star idea</h2>



Daniel Whalen of the <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Portsmouth</a> studies massive stars forming without dark matter. He is not convinced about the existence of dark stars.



"They ignore an entire body of literature on the formation of supermassive primordial stars, some of which could give signatures very similar to the signatures that they show,” said Whalen. 



Whalen argues that rapid gas accretion alone can inflate stars to a million suns, and that Webb’s photometry cannot yet distinguish between such hot leviathans and Freese’s cooler, puffier dark stars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dark-stars-may-explain-early-black-holes">Dark stars may explain early black holes</h2>



The debate matters because JWST and Chandra recently found a black hole in <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/chandra/nasa-telescopes-discover-record-breaking-black-hole/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxy UHZ‑1</a> whose mass approaches ten billion Suns just 500 million years after the big bang. Traditional growth models struggle to build such giants so fast. 



A dark star collapsing after millions of years would supply a head start that ordinary <a href="https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/*/Population+III" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Population III stars</a> cannot match.



Supermassive primordial stars could also create big seeds, but they rely on rare <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-direct-image-cosmic-web-filaments-hidden-highways-universe-framework/">conditions</a> - pristine gas streams and intense ultraviolet fields - that may not occur often enough to explain the abundance of early quasars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-light-signals-may-prove-dark-stars">Light signals may prove dark stars</h2>



The dark star candidates give off light that’s much cooler and puffier than expected from galaxies or fusion‑based suns, which means their spectral energy distribution should look unique. 



One telltale feature would be an absorption dip caused by <a href="https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/heliumtable4.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">singly ionized helium</a>, known as He II, at 1,640 Å. If confirmed, this dip could act like a fingerprint. In the Webb spectrum of <a href="https://esawebb.org/images/jades4/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JADES‑GS‑z14‑0</a>, researchers spotted a faint signal that lines up with where the He II dip should appear.



However, the signal‑to‑noise ratio was just 2.4, which is barely above the threshold of what’s considered statistically meaningful. That makes it too early to declare the case closed. 



On top of that, observations from <a href="https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ALMA</a> spotted oxygen nearby, which shouldn't be present in pure dark stars. This could mean the dark star is part of a system with other stars, or something more complex is going on.



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



One wrinkle is that ALMA detects oxygen in one candidate’s vicinity, implying metal‑rich companions that classic dark‑star theory does not expect. 



Future deep spectra will need to confirm whether the He II feature is genuine and whether metals truly permeate the system.



Webb keeps adding targets, and the <a href="https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roman Space Telescope</a> will survey wider areas, potentially catching hundreds of dark‑star‑like objects at redshifts beyond 14. 



For now, dark stars remain an intriguing, if unproven, explanation for several mysteries in the early universe.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://arxiv.org/html/2505.06101v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



Image Credit: Pierluigi Rinaldi / Rafael Navarro-Carrera / Pablo G. Pérez-González



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Signs of 'dark stars' discovered in the early universe

Astronomers poring over new data from the James Webb Space...

Pregnancy is one of nature’s most intricate achievements. At its core lies a delicate exchange between mother and fetus, where two genetically distinct bodies maintain close contact and constant communication. 



This connection happens at the fetal-maternal interface - the meeting point between a baby’s placenta and the mother’s uterus - and it plays a critical role in allowing pregnancies to last long enough for full fetal development.



A new study by researchers from the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a> explores how this unique interface came to be. 



The research sheds new light on how cellular communication and cooperation evolved over millions of years to support successful pregnancies in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-mammals-bulked-up-to-deal-with-drastic-changes/">placental mammals</a>, including humans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-mammals-teach-us-about-pregnancy">What mammals teach us about pregnancy</h2>



The team examined single-cell transcriptomes - snapshots of active genes in individual cells - across six mammalian species. 



The species included humans, macaques, mice, guinea pigs, the tenrec (an early placental mammal), and the opossum (a marsupial whose evolutionary path diverged before complex placentas emerged). 



The goal was to understand how the different cells at the fetal-maternal interface evolved and how their communication systems work.



The experts focused on two major players: placenta cells from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-battle-of-the-sexes-begins-in-the-womb/">fetus</a> that invade maternal tissue, and uterine stromal cells from the mother that respond to this invasion. These interactions need to be tightly controlled. 



If the connection is too weak, the fetus may not get the nutrients it needs. But if it's too strong, the mother's immune system might recognize the fetus as foreign and attack it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-genetic-memory-behind-pregnancy">The genetic memory behind pregnancy</h2>



Using powerful molecular tools, the team uncovered genetic signatures tied to specific cell types and their unique functions. 



One striking discovery was a shared genetic signature linked to the invasive behavior of fetal placenta cells - and this signature has remained in place for over 100 million years.



This challenges the long-held idea that these invasive cells are unique to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-development-has-a-pause-button/">humans</a>. Instead, they appear to be a deeply rooted feature of mammalian biology. 



Meanwhile, maternal cells weren’t standing still either. In placental mammals (but not in marsupials), new forms of hormone production emerged. 



These hormonal innovations likely played a key role in extending pregnancy durations, giving developing babies more time in the womb. It also suggests that the evolution of pregnancy might have been shaped by a give-and-take between mother and fetus.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cooperation-or-conflict">Cooperation or conflict?</h2>



To understand the tug-of-war - or possible teamwork - between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/moms-pass-a-unique-set-of-breast-milk-antibodies-to-her-baby/">mother</a> and fetus, the researchers tested two evolutionary theories.



The first theory, called the “disambiguation hypothesis,” proposes that over time, certain hormonal signals became clearly assigned to either the mother or the fetus. This helps prevent confusion or manipulation between the two. 



The results backed this theory up: hormones like WNT proteins, immune signals, and steroid hormones could be clearly traced to one source or the other.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coordination-between-mother-and-fetus">Coordination between mother and fetus</h2>



The second theory, known as the “escalation hypothesis,” sees pregnancy as an arms race. Here, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pregnancy-stress-may-have-lasting-effects-on-fetal-development/">fetus</a> might ramp up growth signals while the mother tries to keep them in check.



Some evidence supported this theory, especially with genes like IGF2 that control growth. But overall, the data pointed more toward cooperation than conflict.



“These findings suggest that evolution may have favored more coordination between mother and fetus than previously assumed,” said Daniel J. Stadtmauer, lead author of the study. 



“The so-called mother-fetus power struggle appears to be limited to specific genetic regions. Rather than asking whether pregnancy as a whole is conflict or cooperation, a more useful question may be: where is the conflict?”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-origins-of-pregnancy">Understanding the origins of pregnancy</h2>



The real breakthrough came from combining two techniques: single-cell transcriptomics and evolutionary modeling. 



This allowed the team to compare gene activity in different<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-hidden-struggles-of-pregnant-humpback-whales/"> species</a> and even make predictions about what those interactions looked like in long-extinct ancestors.



“Our approach opens a new window into the evolution of complex biological systems - from individual cells to entire tissues,” said Silvia Basanta, co–first author of the study. 



The research not only offers insights into how pregnancy evolved, but it could also help us better understand - and perhaps one day improve - how we treat complications during pregnancy.



By zooming in on the cellular scale, the team has given us a clearer picture of the deep evolutionary roots of one of life's most remarkable biological collaborations.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02748-x">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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Ancient secrets of a modern miracle: How pregnancy evolved

Pregnancy is one of nature’s most intricate achievements. At its...

Drones deliver packages, inspect bridges, and shoot video, but their high‑pitched whine still irritates neighbors and wildlife. Engineers want rotor shapes that hush the noise without draining batteries.



One possible design comes from a 15th‑century notebook by <a href="https://www.leonardodavinci.net/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leonardo da Vinci,</a> a continuous spiral rotor he called an “aerial screw." New simulations suggest that it can lift a modern drone while saving power.



Rajat Mittal of <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johns Hopkins University</a> led a study that puts the Renaissance sketch to the test.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-da-vinci-s-drone-idea">Da Vinci’s drone idea</h2>



Leonardo da Vinci pursued flight long before airplanes - sketching wings, parachutes, and the spiral screw that inspired the helicopter dream. His notebooks show careful airflow doodles even though the science of lift would not be formalized for centuries.



The spiral looks like an overgrown <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Archimedes-screw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Archimedes' screw</a>, a water‑lifting helix from ancient Greece, except it twists upward to push air downward. Historians note that da Vinci often borrowed proven mechanical ideas for new purposes.



Human muscle could never spin the heavy canvas screw fast enough, so the contraption stayed on paper. Lightweight electric <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earthcares-first-year-surprising-climate-clues-unveiled-from-space/">motors</a> and carbon‑fiber skins finally give the old idea a chance to rise. 



A small <a href="https://vfs.umd.edu/assets/downloads/2020_elico.pdf">prototype</a> built at the University of Maryland in 2020 confirmed the screw can generate lift, though efficiency data were thin. The new work attacks that gap with supercomputer fidelity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-the-spiral-rotor">Testing the spiral rotor</h2>



Mittal’s team rebuilt the rotor in code and ran direct numerical simulations. The model tracked every swirl of air around the spiral as it hovered. 



The exercise probed aerodynamics and aeroacoustics at several Reynolds number values - a parameter that links size, speed, and viscosity. Matching those numbers to typical small drones let the results translate to real rotors.



“We were surprised,” said Mittal. The screw needed roughly 20 percent less mechanical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cloud-engineering-can-temporarily-cool-our-planet/">power</a> than a two‑blade prop to hold the same weight. 



Because the spiral presents more surface but turns slower, the simulation predicted a weaker pressure pulse and therefore a quieter signature. Earlier modeling of large‑area insect‑inspired rotors hinted at the same trend.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spiral-rotors-can-reduce-drone-noise">Spiral rotors can reduce drone noise</h2>



Community annoyance rises sharply when drone flights repeat every few minutes, a NASA laboratory <a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20240001863/downloads/Vaughn_2024_03_ATWG_05_ASA_v3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> found last year. People rated even modest noise harsher when it came in clusters. 



Complaints back that up; the <a href="https://www.faa.gov/noise/inquiries/noise-complaint-inquiry-policy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Federal Aviation Administration</a> logged 8,746 aircraft noise reports in the first quarter of 2025, with just 60 residents submitting 72 percent of them. Drones are included in the totals for many cities.



“It doesn’t have to be the da Vinci design to achieve this, but it is nice that da Vinci’s does,” said <a href="https://www.bu.edu/eng/profile/sheryl-grace-ph-d/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sheryl Grace</a> of Boston University. 



A rotor that spins 1,500 revolutions per minute slower cuts broadband noise roughly in half, according to the new simulation. That drop matters more than raw loudness because the whine often falls in the most sensitive range of human hearing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-da-vinci-s-design-for-drone-deliveries">Da Vinci’s design for drone deliveries</h2>



Drone couriers face strict <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-consciousness-is-a-quantum-process-connecting-us-all-to-the-entire-universe/">noise</a> limits near hospitals, schools, and wildlife preserves. A built‑in silencer would lighten regulatory burdens without adding extra shrouds or foam. 



The spiral also trims energy burn, extending range or freeing capacity for heavier batteries. Efficiency gains remain welcome while lithium prices climb.



Challenges persist: forward flight introduces side loads the screw has not yet faced, and the spiral adds mass compared with thin blades. Structural tests will need to prove the membrane can survive sudden gusts. 



Even so, quieter fleets could reduce the buffer zones that push drone depots to industrial parks and away from customers, shrinking the road miles trucks must still cover.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-plans-for-spiral-rotors">Future plans for spiral rotors</h2>



Mittal’s group plans to tweak pitch, taper, and turn count to squeeze more lift per square inch while keeping the low hum. The same code that vetted the classic shape can rank new variants in days instead of months. 



Lab prototypes will follow, spun by off‑the‑shelf hobby motors to compare thrust and decibels against standard props. Microphones will map the sound field in three‑dimensional space.



If the results stay promising, an industry partner could bolt a spiral onto a quadcopter for outdoor trials under current <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-107" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Part 107 rules</a>. City officials watching Amazon’s recent delivery setbacks know neighbors care more about noise than novelty. 



Leonardo da Vinci never flew, yet his spiral might help future drones coexist with people and birds in crowded skies.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://arxiv.org/html/2506.10223v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arXiv</a>.



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Leonardo da Vinci design solves modern drone noise problems

Drones deliver packages, inspect bridges, and shoot video, but their...

Greenland sharks cruise the North Atlantic at a pace slower than most people walk, yet some were already adults when the United States was founded. 



Their astonishing lifespan has turned this elusive fish into a living time capsule, capturing the imagination of biologists and longevity researchers alike.



Julius Nielsen of the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a> leads many of the modern expeditions that tag, scan, and sometimes briefly corral these giants in the icy dark.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-greenland-sharks-live-so-long">Why Greenland sharks live so long</h2>



<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaf1703" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eye‑lens radiocarbon dating</a> shows females can live at least 272 years, with one specimen estimated at 392 ± 120 years. The method pinpoints birth dates because the lens proteins stop exchanging carbon after a shark pup forms in utero.



“This is the longest living vertebrate that we know of,” said Nielsen, who helped age the record fish. He and colleagues calculate that females do not reach sexual maturity until roughly 150 years, a timetable unheard of in other sharks.



Slow annual growth, barely half an inch, means injuries heal gradually but bones and organs escape the cumulative cellular wear seen in faster‑growing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shark-skeletons-could-lead-to-technological-innovations/">animals</a>. 



Researchers suspect a combination of frigid water, low oxygen demand, and genes that police DNA damage all contribute, yet no single “silver bullet” for longevity has appeared.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greenland-sharks-have-slow-heartbeats">Greenland sharks have slow heartbeats</h2>



Greenland sharks have resting <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/221/19/jeb186957/33812" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heart rates</a> of about 10 beats per minute and unusually low blood pressure. That’s much lower than what you’d find in other large sharks, and it may help protect their blood vessels from long-term damage like heart attacks or strokes.



Even with such a slow heartbeat, each pump moves a lot of blood, keeping their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/different-shark-species-seen-scavenge-feeding-together-in-rare-event/">bodies</a> fueled during slow swimming under Arctic ice. 



Doctors are paying attention, hoping this natural “strong pump, gentle pressure” system could offer ideas for treating high blood pressure in people.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slow-bodies-save-energy">Slow bodies save energy</h2>



These sharks burn energy very slowly. In fact, their oxygen use is among the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-76371-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lowest ever recorded</a> for a fish their size. That kind of slow metabolism may reduce cell damage over time and help them survive long gaps between meals. 



A 280-pound shark might get through the day on fewer calories than a cheeseburger, making a single big meal last for months.



Because the deep Arctic is so cold, they digest food slowly too. Instead of burning energy for speed or growth, they stretch it out for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-sharks-face-growing-threats-despite-conservation-efforts/">survival</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-they-are-toxic-top-predators">Why they are toxic top predators</h2>



Greenland shark meat is laced with <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5127123/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trimethylamine N‑oxide</a>, a compound that stabilizes proteins under high pressure yet renders the raw flesh neurotoxic to mammals.



Icelanders neutralize it through months of fermentation to create the ceremonial dish kæstur hákarl, but few tourists finish more than a nibble.



The species ranks as an apex predator; evidence shows adults seizing fish, squid, and the occasional sleeping seal. 



Sightings in the Gulf of Mexico and off Spain reveal a wider range than once believed, hinting at deep‑water corridors that connect polar and temperate seas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greenland-sharks-are-at-risk">Greenland sharks are at risk</h2>



Commercial trawlers unintentionally haul up about 3,500 Greenland <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2022/11/07/greenland-shark-finally-gets-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sharks</a> each year as bycatch. Because breeding may not begin for a century and a half, losing even sub‑adults chips away at population recovery.



The <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60213/3112909" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> lists the species as “Vulnerable,” citing low fecundity and expanding deep‑sea fisheries. 



Simple changes, switching to LED‑lit nets that deter sharks, banning deep set gill nets in nursery zones, and funding release‑training for crews, can cut mortality without shrinking catches of cod or halibut.



Scientists also urge Arctic nations to establish no‑take refuges around known mating aggregations once those secret sites are found. Protecting a fish that may still be swimming in 2425 demands policies that look far beyond typical political horizons.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-search-for-hidden-nursery-grounds">The search for hidden nursery grounds</h2>



No one has ever observed Greenland sharks mating or giving birth in the wild. Only one pregnant female has been studied, and her embryos suggest the species may be <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/sharpen-your-shark-facts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aplacental viviparous</a>, meaning the young develop inside eggs that hatch within the mother’s body.



Females seem to carry up to 10 pups at a time, but the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/five-wild-facts-about-shark-reproduction" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gestation period</a> could last several years. Without regular breeding or nursery sightings, it's hard to estimate how often they reproduce or whether their range shifts during these vulnerable periods.



This gap in knowledge makes population modeling difficult. Without better data, scientists can't say how quickly these sharks could recover if current bycatch trends continue. 



Tagging mature females may help reveal mating routes or hidden nursery grounds. Learning how and where they reproduce could play a key role in designing effective marine protected areas.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaf1703" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



Image Credit: Julius Nielsen



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Longest-living vertebrates on Earth survive for centuries in icy waters

Greenland sharks cruise the North Atlantic at a pace slower...

A crew clearing ground for a championship golf course near Inverness expected to see nothing more dramatic than sand and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sun-stones-and-sacrifice-how-ancient-farmers-faced-climate-chaos/">stones</a>. Instead, they uncovered a complete iron tire that once clamped around a wooden wheel, quietly waiting underground for roughly 2,200 years.



They soon called in Andy Young of <a href="https://avonarch.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Avon Archaeology Highland</a>, who led the rescue excavation and confirmed that the rim belonged to a ceremonial Iron Age chariot.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iron-wheels-in-the-highlands">Iron wheels in the highlands</h2>



The discovery sits within a <a href="https://scarf.scot/regional/higharf/iron-age/7-3-settlement-evidence/7-3-2-palisaded-enclosures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">palisade circle</a>, a type of prehistoric enclosure marked by concentric ditches and timber fencing. Only one other Iron Age chariot burial has been excavated in <a href="https://headlandarchaeology.com/the-newbridge-chariot-burial-a-winters-tale-of-an-unexpected-and-unique-discovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scotland</a>, near Newbridge in 2001.



“They are such a rare thing. We were a bit bemused,” said Young. 



Researchers lifted the 55‑inch‑diameter rim in two curved pieces, its inner lips still showing the slight bevel that once locked against a wooden felloe. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-an-iron-wheel-ceremonial">What makes an iron wheel ceremonial</h2>



The wheel lay beside cremated bone, coarse pottery, and animal fragments, a cluster that signals a high‑status burial rather than a junk heap. 



The tire's iron would have demanded substantial ore, charcoal, and smithing skill, suggesting that the individual interred nearby ranked as a local leader.



In Iron Age Scotland, <a href="https://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/articles/techniques_blacksmith.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">metalwork</a> signaled power because workable ore was patchy and smelting required large fuel loads. 



A single one‑inch‑thick rim could consume an oak tree’s worth of charcoal during forging, according to traditional blacksmithing estimates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iron-craftsmanship-and-technology">Iron craftsmanship and technology</h2>



To create such rims, smiths first forge‑welded short bars into a hoop, heated it until fiery red, then hammered it onto the wooden wheel, quenching the iron so it shrank tight. 



The faint weld lines and hammer scars on the Inverness tire match that description, hinting at a travelling workshop able to serve elite clients.



The archaeological team also retrieved a slag bloom, waste from smelting, inside the outer trench, implying that secondary metalworking may have occurred on site. 



Such evidence feeds debates on whether Highland communities imported finished objects or ran local forges during 500 BCE–500 CE, the conventional Scottish <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/iron-age-societies-were-more-progressive-than-most-women-central-role/">Iron Age</a> span.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-window-onto-iron-age-society">A window onto Iron Age society</h2>



Two concentric ditches ring the tire's pit, forming a penannular enclosure about 65 feet across. 



Postholes flanking a southeast entrance held six‑inch‑wide timbers, probably gateway uprights that heightened the spectacle of any funeral procession.



Inside, archaeologists mapped three empty pits aligned with the inner ditch. They might once have supported stone stelae or tall posts, turning the space into an open‑air shrine visible from <a href="https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/moray-firth-p2570111" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moray Firth</a> a mile away.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-tree-rings-help-predict-extreme-solar-storms/">Radiocarbon</a> samples from charred plant remains are now in the lab, but field stratigraphy hints at a single‑stage construction. 



That differs from lowland Yorkshire sites where chariot burials reused older mounds, indicating regional diversity in mortuary customs.



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



Though Iron Age cart burials are well-documented in continental Europe, particularly in Gaul and northern Italy, they remain extremely rare in Britain, and even more so in Scotland. 



This new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archaeologists-find-2300-year-old-celtic-swords-adorned-with-gems-and-ancient-symbols/">discovery</a> adds weight to the argument that Highland communities had broader connections to pan-European elite traditions than previously believed.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/iron-tire-wheel_ceremonial_iron-age-scotland_credit-Avon-Archaeology_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/iron-tire-wheel_ceremonial_iron-age-scotland_credit-Avon-Archaeology_1s.webp" alt="Vertical photograph showing the Palisade Enclosure as excavated. Credit: Avon Archaeology Highland" class="wp-image-1976549"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Vertical photograph showing the Palisade Enclosure as excavated. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Avon Archaeology Highland</figcaption></figure>



Archaeologists from the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Edinburgh</a> and the <a href="https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Museum of Scotland</a> have already expressed interest in further investigating the site. 



They believe this could reshape how scholars understand social stratification and ritual practices in northern Scotland during the first millennium BCE.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-questions-that-remain-unanswered">Questions that remain unanswered</h2>



One puzzle is whether the burial originally included two wheels. Young believes that a modern plow may have destroyed or displaced the second one, a possibility supported by disturbed soil patterns near the site. 



If true, this would suggest a complete cart or chariot was once interred there, in line with known Iron Age funerary rites.



Another mystery is the identity of the person buried. The cremated remains were fragmentary, making it difficult to determine age, sex, or status. 



Still, the presence of a forged iron tire and careful burial design points to someone with significant social influence likely a tribal leader or high-ranking warrior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-the-past">Protecting the past</h2>



“This has been a remarkable journey from prehistoric times to the present, right here on our doorstep,” said <a href="https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/courses/2025/05/03/cabot-highlands-golf-course-site-nets-prehistoric-findings/83428084007/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stuart McColm</a>, vice‑president of golf development at <a href="https://cabothighlands.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cabot Highlands</a>. 



Developers re‑buried the enclosure beneath the geotextile and reshaped the fairway so stray golf balls will fly well clear.&nbsp;



The golf resort also pledged the associated pottery, flint, and Bronze Age urn to local museums in Inverness and Edinburgh, allowing future researchers to revisit the assemblage with fresh techniques.



“We were pretty amazed,” Young added, reflecting on a career that had never before produced a complete tire from the turf. 



Young’s team plans a full <a href="https://www.stat.cmu.edu/~brian/701/notes/paper-structure.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Data Structure Report</a> and radiocarbon program, hoping to pin down whether the wheel arrived new for the burial or was retired after years of use.&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="https://her.highland.gov.uk/api/LibraryLink5WebServiceProxy/FetchResourceFromStub/1-3-0-3-7-0_40c99a2d006336c-130370_14c10cc87e29a0a.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Avon Archaeology Highland Data Structure Report</a>.



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Rare ceremonial wheel from the Iron Age accidentally discovered by scientists

A crew clearing ground for a championship golf course near...

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.



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



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

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video 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.

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&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.

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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It seemed the little fish had more to offer. She took the rest of its guts out and traced her fingers along them until she found the lump again. She dug her fingers in and that was when something terrifying happened.

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