<p>Today's Image of the Day from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope features the most detailed view to date of the planetary nebula NGC 1514.</p>



<p>The nebula sits about 1,500 light-years away in the Taurus constellation. Webb’s latest <a href="https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2025/news-2025-118#section-id-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">observation</a> reveals two dusty rings wrapped around a fading star system, surrounded by orange arcs and glowing gas. </p>



<p>This scene isn’t new - it’s been evolving for at least 4,000 years. Until now, much of its structure remained hidden. Thanks to Webb’s powerful mid-infrared camera, scientists can finally see the full extent of the nebula’s complexity.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dust-rings-and-broken-shells">Dust rings and broken shells</h2>



<p>At the center of NGC 1514, two stars locked in a tight nine-year orbit are driving this dramatic display. One of them - formerly several times the mass of our Sun - has shed its outer layers as it reached the end of its life.&nbsp;</p>



<p>What’s left is a hot, compact white dwarf star blasting out faster, weaker winds that may have swept earlier material into thin, fragile shells.</p>



<p>What Webb has <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-telescope-may-have-just-found-its-first-planet/">uncovered</a> is a tangled mess of dust, much of which was invisible to previous telescopes. The rings now appear fuzzy and uneven, like clumps floating through space.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-material-ejected-from-a-dying-star">Material ejected from a dying star</h2>



<p>Some areas show distinct holes near the center, marking where faster material appears to have punched through the older gas. The telescope also picked up signs of oxygen in the nebula’s pink core, especially around the edges of the holes.</p>



<p>“Before Webb, we weren’t able to detect most of this material, let alone observe it so clearly,” said Mike Ressler, a project scientist for Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Ressler first spotted the rings in 2010 using an earlier infrared mission, but they were faint and hard to analyze. “With MIRI’s data, we can now comprehensively examine the turbulent nature of this nebula,” he said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-nebula-s-unusual-shape">The nebula’s unusual shape</h2>



<p>Unlike the perfectly round shapes many might expect, NGC 1514 isn’t a sphere. Webb’s observations show that the whole formation is tilted at about 60 degrees - like a can being tipped over - but its true shape is more like an hourglass with the ends sliced off.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Subtle pinches of dust in shallow V-shapes give clues to this structure, particularly near the top left and bottom right of the image.</p>



<p>The bizarre shape may be due to the interaction between the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-map-twin-stars-to-discover-hidden-planets-with-unprecedented-accuracy/">two stars</a>. During the period when the larger star was losing its outer layers, its companion may have drifted extremely close.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“That interaction can lead to shapes that you wouldn’t expect,” said David Jones, a senior scientist who confirmed the central binary system in 2017. “Instead of producing a sphere, this interaction might have formed these rings.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-patchy-rings-with-a-fuzzy-appearance-nbsp">Patchy rings with a fuzzy appearance&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Between the rings, dim and semi-transparent clouds stretch through the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/six-rogue-worlds-discovered-inside-a-young-star-forming-nebula/">nebula</a>, adding body and giving hints at the object’s full three-dimensional shape.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The rings themselves aren’t evenly lit - they fade out toward the top right and bottom left. This patchiness, along with their fuzzy appearance, points to their makeup: very small dust grains.</p>



<p>“We think the rings are primarily made up of very small dust grains,” Ressler explained. “When those grains are hit by ultraviolet light from the white dwarf star, they heat up ever so slightly, which we think makes them just warm enough to be detected by Webb in mid-infrared light.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-simple-mix-of-ingredients">A simple mix of ingredients</h2>



<p>Notably, the nebula lacks something usually seen in similar objects: carbon and its more complex molecules.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Most planetary nebulae contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - carbon-rich compounds that resemble soot. But <a href="https://webbtelescope.org/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Webb</a> didn’t find any trace of them in NGC 1514.</p>



<p>The absence of the molecules could be due to the swirling motion of the two central stars, which may have prevented more complex molecules from forming. This also allows more light from the stars to escape, helping to illuminate the faint, outer rings.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-glowing-shells-of-dying-stars">Glowing shells of dying stars</h2>



<p>Astronomers have been studying NGC 1514 for centuries. Back in 1790, William Herschel described it as the first deep-sky object he saw that looked truly cloudy - not just a collection of stars. He couldn’t resolve it into individual points of light the way he could with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trio-of-star-clusters-may-be-the-same-system-at-different-ages/">star clusters</a>. </p>



<p>That cloudy impression was one of the earliest clues pointing toward the existence of planetary nebulae - the glowing shells of gas that dying stars leave behind.</p>



<p>Now, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-telescope-uncovers-secrets-of-dark-matter-in-cosmic-collision-zone/">Webb</a> has revealed the full extent of the cloud Herschel saw. NGC 1514 has turned out to be a complex, dynamic structure still shifting over time.</p>



<p>Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Michael Ressler (NASA-JPL), Dave Jones (IAC)</p>



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Webb captures the fading legacy of a dying star

Today's Image of the Day from NASA’s James Webb Space...

<p>Today’s Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features IRAS 04302, a young star wrapped in a massive planet-forming disc about 525 light-years away in the Taurus star-forming region.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The young star sits deep in a dark cloud, hidden behind a veil of dusty gas. The material around it is raw fuel for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-formation-new-insights-mechanics-physics/">planet formation</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The birth of planets is not something we can watch unfold in real time. It takes millions of years for the ingredients of a solar system to come together.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Still, astronomers can get snapshots of these processes by turning powerful telescopes toward stellar nurseries. This <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images">image</a> from the James Webb Space Telescope offers an intimate look at one of the most striking planet-forming discs ever seen.</p>



<p>What Webb shows us is not only beautiful, but also a clue to how our own Solar System may have looked some 4.5 billion years ago.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-protostar-wrapped-in-dust">A protostar wrapped in dust</h2>



<p>At the heart of the IRAS 04302 system lies a protostar - a star still in the process of gathering mass. Around it is a giant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-forming-disks-surrounding-stars-often-last-much-longer-than-expected/">protoplanetary disc</a> that Webb has measured at about 65 billion miles across, several times wider than the Solar System we know.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This is the environment where planets might be taking shape, as dust grains collide, stick together, and gradually grow into larger bodies.</p>



<p>From Webb’s vantage point, the disc is tilted edge-on. That angle creates a dark band across the image, blocking light from the star itself.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The shadow is not empty space. It is packed with dust and gas, the very material that could eventually give rise to planets. Scientists can use this perspective to study the vertical structure of the disc, including how efficiently dust settles toward its midplane - a process essential for building worlds.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-butterfly-star">The Butterfly Star</h2>



<p>The striking appearance of IRAS 04302 has earned it a nickname: the Butterfly Star. The dense streak of dust bisects the view, while two glowing wings stretch above and below.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These wings are reflection <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/six-rogue-worlds-discovered-inside-a-young-star-forming-nebula/">nebulas</a>, lit up by starlight bouncing off surrounding clouds. They provide a softer glow that contrasts with the sharp dark lane running through the middle.</p>



<p>Seen from a different angle, protoplanetary discs often reveal features such as rings, gaps, or spirals. These patterns may point to baby planets carving out paths, or to other processes like gravitational instabilities.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The edge-on view here does not highlight those structures, but instead gives a rare look at the thickness of the disc itself.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stellar-system-in-transition-nbsp">Stellar system in transition&nbsp;</h2>



<p>To capture this image, astronomers combined data from Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera and Mid-Infrared Instrument with optical observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. Each tool adds its own piece of the puzzle.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/">Webb</a> is especially sensitive to the distribution of fine dust grains and the scattering of infrared light over great distances. Hubble, meanwhile, picks out sharp details in the dust lane and reveals clumps and streaks that hint at jets and outflows still erupting from the star.</p>



<p>Together, these telescopes show a stellar system in transition. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gas-streamers-may-help-high-mass-stars-grow-despite-strong-radiation/">protostar</a> is still feeding on its surroundings, but it is also shaping them with energy and motion. That push and pull is part of how young stars mature and carve out the conditions for planets to emerge.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-first-steps-of-planet-formation">The first steps of planet formation</h2>



<p>IRAS 04302 is one of four discs studied as part of Webb’s General Observer program #2562. The program focuses on discs oriented edge-on, since those views allow scientists to measure how dust grains evolve over time.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Dust growth is believed to be a crucial early step toward making planets. By watching how particles settle into dense midplanes, researchers can begin to reconstruct the timeline of planetary birth.</p>



<p>The Taurus region is a well-known nursery where dozens of young stars are found. Observing IRAS 04302 in such detail adds to our understanding of how stars and planets are connected.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Every glimpse like this one helps astronomers piece together the story of how ordinary gas and dust can turn into complex systems of worlds.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-back-to-our-own-beginnings">Looking back to our own beginnings</h2>



<p>Although IRAS 04302 is hundreds of light-years away, it offers a mirror to our past. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-our-sun-is-unusually-calm-and-what-that-means-for-earth/">Sun</a> once sat inside its own cloud of dust, pulling in material while planets assembled around it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Seeing another star at a similar stage helps remind us that solar systems are not accidents. They are natural outcomes of star formation, happening again and again across the galaxy.</p>



<p>The Butterfly Star is still in its infancy, and any planets taking shape there are far from complete. Yet in its shadowed disc and glowing wings, we catch a glimpse of the processes that once shaped Earth.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA &amp; CSA, M. Villenave et al.</p>



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Butterfly Star shows off its planet-forming disc

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

<p>Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features the Butterfly Nebula, located about 3,400 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.&nbsp;</p>



<p>It’s what astronomers call a planetary nebula - the brief phase when a dying star sheds its outer layers into space.</p>



<p>Despite the name, planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets. Early astronomers thought these glowing shells looked round, like distant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/six-rogue-worlds-discovered-inside-a-young-star-forming-nebula/">worlds</a> seen through primitive telescopes.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The name stuck, even though many nebulae are anything but round. The Butterfly Nebula, with its outstretched “wings” of gas and dust, is a perfect example.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-butterfly-with-a-hidden-heart">Butterfly with a hidden heart</h2>



<p>At the center of this spectacular cloud lies the remnant of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sun-like-stars-release-massive-superflares-every-100-years/">Sun-like star</a>. It has burned through its fuel and shed most of its mass, leaving behind a blazing hot core.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The star energizes the nebula, making it glow across the spectrum. Yet until recently, the star itself remained hidden.</p>



<p>A dark band of dust and gas cuts through the nebula like the “body” of the butterfly. This band is actually a torus, a doughnut-shaped structure that blocks visible light.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The torus shapes the nebula by forcing gas outward in two opposite directions, creating the iconic bipolar wings. It also conceals the central star from optical view.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-webb-telescope-brings-clarity">Webb telescope brings clarity</h2>



<p>The <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Webb Space Telescope</a> has now pierced the dust with its Mid-Infrared Instrument, offering the sharpest view yet of the nebula’s core. </p>



<p>By working in “integral field unit mode,” Webb captured <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Webb_investigates_complex_heart_of_a_cosmic_butterfly" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">images</a> and spectra at multiple wavelengths simultaneously. The result is a detailed portrait of how the nebula looks in different slices of light.</p>



<p>The team also added data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile, which revealed colder gas and dust.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Together, these instruments exposed a structure of extraordinary complexity, with nearly 200 spectral lines tracing atoms and molecules woven into layered shells.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-central-star-revealed">The central star revealed</h2>



<p>The Webb observations finally pinned down the location of the nebula’s hidden <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-stars-shape-planetary-systems-like-ours-with-ultraviolet-radiation/">star</a>. Its surrounding dust cloud glows brightly in mid-infrared light, betraying its position for the first time.&nbsp;</p>



<p>With a scorching temperature of 220,000 Kelvin - around 400,000 degrees Fahrenheit - this is one of the hottest known central stars in a planetary nebula.</p>



<p>That heat drives the nebula’s glow, but its power doesn’t escape evenly. The dense torus channels the outflow, creating the striking wings that stretch across space.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Webb data show that the torus contains crystalline silicates such as quartz, along with irregular grains about a millionth of a meter across. For cosmic dust, that’s relatively large, suggesting the particles have been accumulating for a long time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jets-layers-and-chemical-signatures">Jets, layers, and chemical signatures</h2>



<p>Outside the torus, the nebula displays a multilayered design. Atoms that need the most energy to ionize cluster near the center. Those requiring less energy appear farther out.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Among the highlights are iron and nickel, which mark out two jets blasting away from the star in opposite directions. These fast-moving streams help sculpt the overall shape of the nebula.</p>



<p>The team also found evidence of carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.&nbsp;</p>



<p>On Earth, PAHs are common in soot from fires, exhaust fumes, and even burnt toast. In the Butterfly Nebula, they appear to form when bursts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracing-solar-wind-directly-to-its-source-for-the-first-time/">stellar wind</a> collide with the surrounding gas.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This could be the first time PAHs have been spotted forming in an oxygen-rich planetary nebula, offering a rare window into the chemistry of dying stars.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fleeting-beauty-of-the-butterfly-nebula">Fleeting beauty of the Butterfly Nebula</h2>



<p>The entire spectacle will not last long by cosmic standards. The planetary nebula stage endures only about 20,000 years - a brief flicker compared to a star’s lifetime of billions of years.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Butterfly Nebula is a reminder of how short-lived and yet astonishingly beautiful the final chapters of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-star-redefines-our-understanding-of-stellar-evolution/">stellar evolution</a> can be.</p>



<p>The results of this study are <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/542/2/1287/8241385" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in the <em>Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</em>. </p>



<p>The research shows that even well-studied objects like the Butterfly Nebula can surprise us when viewed with fresh eyes.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Webb’s infrared vision has revealed not only the hidden star at the heart of the butterfly, but also the intricate chemistry that surrounds it - from crystalline dust to unexpected organic molecules.</p>



<p>Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA &amp; CSA, J. Kastner, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb)</p>



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Secrets of the Butterfly Nebula uncovered by Webb

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



<p>Image Credit: ESA</p>



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Webb reveals the Cat's Paw Nebula in stunning detail

<p>Today's <strong>Image of the Day</strong> from NASA Earth Observatory features the massive iceberg A-23A and its offspring near South Georgia, a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The natural-color <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/154625/antarctic-iceberg-downsizes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">image</a> was captured by NASA’s Aqua satellite on July 22, 2025, as sunlight returned to Antarctica after months of polar night.</p>



<p>By this time, the main <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-largest-iceberg-a23a-undergoing-major-erosion/">iceberg</a> still covered an impressive 969 square miles, while the smaller iceberg fragments measured 62 and 28 square miles.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-journey-of-iceberg-a-23a-nbsp">The journey of iceberg A-23A&nbsp;</h2>



<p>A-23A has been on a long journey since breaking away from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf nearly four decades ago. Now drifting about 1,500 miles north of where it started, the iceberg is showing its age.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Once a giant of the southern ocean, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-largest-iceberg-a23a-breaks-free-from-ocean-cyclone/">A-23A</a> is steadily losing large chunks of ice as it moves through the warmer waters near South Georgia.</p>



<p>Icebergs born in the frigid waters around Antarctica usually spend years drifting on the cold currents. But once they move north toward warmer seas, they face a tough fight against melting caused by higher temperatures, rough waves, and seasonal weather changes.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These natural forces slowly chip away at the ice, shrinking these floating giants over time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-iceberg-s-slow-breakup">The iceberg’s slow breakup</h2>



<p>Around March 1, 2025, A-23A became lodged on the shallow continental shelf near <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-largest-iceberg-may-crash-into-a-wildlife-sanctuary/">South Georgia</a>.</p>



<p>This stopover wasn’t permanent. By late May, the iceberg had broken free from the shelf, continuing its drift eastward along currents that also carried the famous A-68A iceberg in 2020.</p>



<p>The winter months in the southern hemisphere brought harsher conditions. The iceberg endured rough seas and freezing air, causing more ice to break off its edges.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Two of these newly formed icebergs were large enough to earn their own names and tracking status: A-23D and A-23E.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-radar-technology-nbsp">The role of radar technology&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Radar technology played a key role in spotting and tracking these pieces. Jan Lieser from Australia’s <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bureau of Meteorology</a> first spotted the new icebergs using radar data from NovaSAR-1. </p>



<p>These observations were later confirmed by the U.S. National Ice Center with radar images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite.</p>



<p>“Radar satellites can take images of the Earth at polar night and through all weather conditions, including heavy clouds and even smoke,” noted Lieser.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-life-cycle-and-climate-impact">Life cycle and climate impact</h2>



<p>Even after losing significant ice, A-23A remains the largest free-floating iceberg in the world’s oceans. Another iceberg, D-15A, is larger but grounded off East Antarctica’s Amery Sea.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As longer daylight hours brighten the South Atlantic, scientists expect A-23A to lose even more ice while it travels farther north.</p>



<p>Icebergs like A-23A serve as floating records of Antarctica’s changing climate. Their journeys help scientists learn how ocean currents and temperatures influence iceberg lifespans.&nbsp;</p>



<p>When <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/measuring-marine-environment-near-melting-mega-iceberg-a-68a-for-first-time/">icebergs</a> drift into warmer waters, melting accelerates, contributing freshwater to the ocean. This influx can affect local marine ecosystems and even influence global ocean circulation patterns.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cascading-effects-of-icebergs">Cascading effects of icebergs</h2>



<p>The breakup of large icebergs also releases nutrients trapped in the ice, feeding marine life and sometimes causing bursts of plankton growth.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These blooms can have cascading effects through the food chain, supporting fish and other wildlife around remote islands like South Georgia.</p>



<p>Tracking icebergs has become more precise thanks to advancements in satellite technology. Radar satellites provide consistent monitoring, unaffected by darkness or bad weather.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Visible light sensors complement these efforts during clear conditions. Together, they give scientists a clearer picture of iceberg movements and breakups.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iceberg-tracking-in-a-changing-world">Iceberg tracking in a changing world</h2>



<p>The story of A-23A is more than just the tale of a drifting iceberg. It reflects broader changes happening in polar regions due to climate shifts.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Ice shelves in Antarctica are breaking off more frequently, and giant icebergs are becoming common visitors to subantarctic waters.</p>



<p>Monitoring these icebergs helps researchers understand how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-icebergs-are-not-the-main-threat-to-antarcticas-stability/">warming oceans</a> affect ice melt and the resulting impacts on sea levels and ecosystems. This knowledge is vital for predicting future changes and preparing for their consequences.</p>



<p>In the end, A-23A is a powerful reminder of nature’s slow but relentless changes. From its breakaway in Antarctica to its current fate in the South Atlantic, this iceberg’s path tells a story about time, climate, and the forces shaping our planet.</p>



<p>Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;</p>



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Decades adrift: The slow decay of iceberg A-23a

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

<p>Today's <strong>Image of the Day</strong> from the European Space Agency features a dazzling view of the globular cluster NGC 1786, which was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Unlike open <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trio-of-star-clusters-may-be-the-same-system-at-different-ages/">clusters</a>, which are younger and more loosely arranged, globular clusters are tightly concentrated and typically located in a galaxy’s halo.</p>



<p>The globular cluster NGC 1786 is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) - a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way about 160,000 light-years from Earth.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“NGC 1786 itself is in the constellation Dorado. It was discovered in the year 1835 by John Herschel,” noted <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images">ESA</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-observing-globular-clusters-nbsp">Observing globular clusters&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Globular clusters are densely packed, spherical groups of stars that orbit the cores of galaxies like satellites.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Each cluster can contain tens of thousands to millions of stars, all bound tightly together by gravity. These stars are generally very old - often over 10 billion years - making globular clusters some of the oldest known structures in the universe.</p>



<p>The image of NGC 1786 is part of a broader observing program aimed at comparing old globular clusters in nearby dwarf galaxies with those found in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/milky-way-galaxy-may-be-inside-a-giant-void-in-the-universe-explains-hubble-tension/">Milky Way</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Our galaxy contains over 150 of these old, spherical collections of tightly-bound stars, which have been studied in depth - especially with Hubble Space Telescope images like this one, which show them in previously-unattainable detail,” said ESA.</p>



<p>“Being very stable and long-lived, they act as galactic time capsules, preserving stars from the earliest stages of a galaxy’s formation.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stars-in-globular-clusters">Stars in globular clusters</h2>



<p>For many years, astronomers believed that the stars in globular clusters all formed at roughly the same time. However, studies of Milky Way clusters have revealed multiple <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zhulong-spiral-galaxy-like-milky-way-discovered-at-edge-of-universe-should-not-exist/">stellar populations</a> of different ages.&nbsp;</p>



<p>To better understand how globular clusters form - and how they can be used to trace galactic evolution - researchers are now investigating whether clusters like NGC 1786 in external galaxies also show signs of multiple stellar generations.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This research sheds light on the origins and development of the Large Magellanic Cloud. It also helps scientists study the formation history of the Milky Way itself.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-large-magellanic-cloud-nbsp">Large Magellanic Cloud&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is one of the most prominent and intriguing galaxies in our cosmic neighborhood. It is the largest satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and is visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dozens-of-ghost-galaxies-may-be-orbiting-the-milky-way/">satellite galaxy</a> is a smaller galaxy that orbits a larger one due to gravitational attraction. Just as the Moon orbits the Earth, satellite galaxies are bound to larger galaxies and can slowly orbit them over billions of years. </p>



<p>These satellites can range in size from relatively massive dwarf galaxies to tiny, faint collections of stars.</p>



<p>Though classified as a dwarf galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud spans roughly 14,000 light-years across and contains billions of stars, nebulae, and star clusters.&nbsp;</p>



<p>One of its most famous features is the Tarantula Nebula - the most active star-forming region in the entire Local Group of galaxies. This stellar nursery is so intense that it's forming some of the most massive stars ever observed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dynamic-interaction-with-the-milky-way-nbsp">Dynamic interaction with the Milky Way&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The Large Magellanic Cloud is also of great interest to astronomers because of its dynamic relationship with the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-solar-systems-journey-through-the-milky-way-may-have-altered-earths-climate/">Milky Way</a>. It’s not just a passive companion - it’s interacting gravitationally with both the Milky Way and the Small Magellanic Cloud, another nearby dwarf galaxy.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These interactions have created long streams of gas, such as the Magellanic Stream, that arc across the sky. In fact, recent studies suggest the Large Magellanic Cloud may be on its first infall into the Milky Way’s halo, rather than orbiting it for billions of years as once thought.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This motion could have significant effects on the structure of our galaxy, possibly even perturbing the Milky Way’s dark matter halo.</p>



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



<p>The detailed observations of NGC 1786 not only showcase the stunning capabilities of the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/">Hubble Space Telescope</a> but also deepen our understanding of how galaxies like the Milky Way and the LMC evolve over time.&nbsp;</p>



<p>By examining ancient globular clusters in both the Milky Way and its neighboring galaxies, astronomers are uncovering vital clues about star formation and the processes that shaped our universe.</p>



<p>Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;</p>



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Glittering time capsule: Hubble peers into a galaxy's past

<p>Located in the western United States and spanning Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, Yellowstone is the country’s oldest national park. And over the years, millions of visitors have flocked there to take in its dramatic vistas and marvel at its famous geysers. But sometimes, they have left more than footprints behind. Photo Credit: Linda Aileen Photography </p>

The oldest national park in the US

<p>Life needs proteins for almost everything, from cell repair to immune defense. Scientists have long asked how the first proteins were formed before cells had complex machinery.</p>



<p>A new study reports a simple, water-friendly reaction that links early ingredients into the first steps toward protein-making. </p>



<p>The project was led by Professor Matthew Powner at University College London (<a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCL</a>), a chemist whose lab explores prebiotic chemistry.</p>



<p>"At life’s functional core, there is a complex and inseparable interplay between nucleic acids and proteins, but the origin of this relationship remains a mystery," wrote the researchers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-molecules-that-build-proteins">Molecules that build proteins</h2>



<p>The team showed that RNA - a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-discovery-water-molecules-will-force-chemistry-textbooks-to-be-rewritten/">molecule</a> that stores and transfers genetic information and can catalyze reactions - can become chemically linked to amino acids. These small molecules build proteins, and the linkage occurs under mild conditions in water.</p>



<p>The researchers changed amino acids into a more reactive form that holds extra energy, then linked those energized amino acids to RNA at a specific spot in the molecule, all without needing enzymes.</p>



<p>The reaction preferred the end of a double stranded RNA over interior positions, which avoids random chemistry that would scramble sequences. The experts also reported strong yields for several amino acids, including arginine linked to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forgotten-chemical-reactions-offer-clues-to-lifes-origins/">adenosine</a> at up to 76 percent.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sulfur-chemistry-drives-origins">Sulfur chemistry drives origins</h2>



<p>A thiol is a sulfur-containing compound common in metabolism, and thioesters made from thiols power many reactions in modern cells. </p>



<p>Using thioesters makes chemical sense for early Earth because they react in water without falling apart quickly, helping drive protein-related chemistry.</p>



<p>Earlier work from the same community showed that pantetheine, the active fragment of Coenzyme A that forms many biological thioesters today, can form under prebiotic conditions in water. That work supports the idea that the same types of sulfur chemistry existed before life began.</p>



<p>This new result connects that energy-rich chemistry to RNA handling of amino acids. It links metabolism- like reactions to information carriers, which is exactly the bridge origin of life research has needed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-molecules-found-in-all-living-cells">Molecules found in all living cells</h2>



<p>The team uncovered a switch that controls two different steps. In step one, thioesters favor attaching the amino acid to RNA, creating aminoacyl RNA in water at neutral pH. </p>



<p>In step two, converting to thioacids and adding a mild oxidant pushed peptide bond formation, which produced peptidyl RNA in very high yields.</p>



<p>Peptides are short chains of amino acids, usually two to 50 units long, while larger folded chains are proteins. Making peptidyl RNA shows that RNA-bound amino acids can be extended into short chains, a necessary move toward protein-like function.</p>



<p>“What is groundbreaking is that the activated amino acid used in this study is a thioester, a type of molecule made from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/key-compound-suggests-that-life-beyond-earth-could-be-common/">Coenzyme A</a>, a chemical found in all living cells," said Dr. Jyoti Singh of UCL Chemistry. "This discovery could potentially link metabolism, the genetic code, and protein building,”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neutral-waters-spark-proteins">Neutral waters spark proteins</h2>



<p>The chemistry works in water at near neutral pH, which points to pools, lakes, or wet shorelines rather than the open ocean. Concentrations would have been higher in small bodies of water, and minerals could have helped organize the molecules.</p>



<p>Freeze concentrate cycles also help. The researchers observed effective aminoacylation under eutectic ice conditions near 19°F. In this environment, ice excludes salt and concentrates solutes into brines, which speed reactions without harsh reagents.</p>



<p>“It seems pretty probable that this reaction would have been occurring on early Earth,” said Professor Powner. That assessment reflects the mild requirements and the water compatibility of the chemistry.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bridging-chemistry-and-biology">Bridging chemistry and biology</h2>



<p>Modern cells make proteins with the ribosome, a ribonucleoprotein machine that reads messenger RNA and couples amino acids with the help of transfer RNAs. </p>



<p>The new chemistry provides a path for RNA to handle amino acids without proteins, easing the chicken or egg problem.</p>



<p>An earlier study proposed an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rna-breakthrough-sheds-light-on-the-beginning-of-life/">RNA</a> peptide world in which RNA and short peptides co-evolved, forming chimeric molecules that could grow and select function. The present result shows a plausible way for RNA to acquire and extend amino acids in water.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-modern-genetic-code">The modern genetic code</h2>



<p>The genetic code is the set of rules that maps RNA triplets to amino acids. By preferring attachment at RNA termini and operating under duplex control, this chemistry hints at how sequence specific pairing could later become coded instruction.</p>



<p>The researchers point to the need for sequence preferences that pair specific RNA sequences with specific <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lifes-building-blocks-may-have-formed-near-newborn-stars-and-planets/">amino acids</a>. That would move from chemistry that charges RNA to chemistry that begins to encode.</p>



<p>Success there would show how early RNA could use simple rules to shape peptide sequences, with later evolution building the fully fledged ribosome and the modern code.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09388-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature</em></a>.</p>



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How Earth’s first proteins may have formed in water

Life needs proteins for almost everything, from cell repair to...

<p>As night falls in the rainforests, orangutans climb into the canopy to construct intricate tree nests, displaying remarkable ingenuity. </p>



<p>These comfy platforms are carefully engineered beds, providing warmth, comfort, protection from predators, and even reduce mosquito bites.</p>



<p>Scientists have long wondered how young orangutans learn to master such complex architecture. Recent findings reveal that they acquire this skill through close observation and practice, a process called observational <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-and-bees-are-capable-of-complex-social-learning/">social learning</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-orangutans-build-nests-for-survival">Orangutans build nests for survival</h2>



<p>Nest-building is essential for survival. Unlike many behaviors in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-orangutans-can-teach-humans-about-food-and-fitness/">animals</a>, this skill is neither entirely instinctive nor quickly learned. </p>



<p>Orangutans must manipulate branches, twigs, and leaves with strength and dexterity while making decisions about materials and structure.</p>



<p>Night nests, far more elaborate than day nests, can include linings, pillows, blankets, and even roofs. </p>



<p>To build such structures requires both technical know-how and material knowledge, making nest-building a cognitively demanding task.</p>



<p>Young <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/orangutan-mothers-have-unique-parenting-styles-like-humans/">orangutans</a> begin showing interest in nests at just six months, playing with leaves and branches. </p>



<p>Practice of basic day nests starts around age one, but night nest practice begins only at three years and is not mastered until about the age of eight.</p>



<p>Complex additions, such as multitree nests and comfort elements, appear later. This long timeline shows that the skill is not acquired quickly but gradually, with repeated attempts and guided observation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-from-mom">Learning from mom</h2>



<p>Researchers documented that immatures who carefully peered at their mothers during nest-building were far more likely to practice soon afterward. </p>



<p>Merely being nearby without watching closely did not have the same effect. This highlights the importance of selective attention in learning.</p>



<p>“Nest-building is critical to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-unlock-the-mysteries-of-orangutan-communication/">survival</a> in orangutans but is surprisingly not the focus of a lot of research," noted Dr. Ani Permana from the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Warwick</a>. </p>



<p>"We previously reported that it takes multiple years for immature orangutans to learn to nest-build but, based on 17 years of observational data, this paper shows that this learning process is highly dependent on young animals carefully watching the nest-building of others.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-orangutan-nests-are-complex">Orangutan nests are complex</h2>



<p>The study also showed that young orangutans pay special attention to complex features like multitree nests, twig manipulations, and comfort elements. </p>



<p>These require memorizing multiple steps and sequences. After observing these, immatures increased their practice, suggesting they were specifically learning the more challenging parts. </p>



<p>Simpler nests, such as single-tree day nests, did not trigger the same level of focused observation.</p>



<p>“Orangutan nest-building tendency may have some innate basis, but the details and method must be socially learned, starting from a very young age, by watching and practicing, learning from mistakes as they grow and this paper is the first time this has been shown in wild apes,” Dr. Permana added.</p>



<p>At first, immatures mostly learn from their mothers, but as they grow older, they begin peering at other group members, thereby expanding their knowledge base.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-what-to-use">Learning what to use</h2>



<p>Beyond construction skills, orangutans also learn what materials to use. </p>



<p>“Aside from learning ‘how to’ build a nest, immature orangutans also appear to learn the ‘know-what’ of which materials to use," noted Dr. Caroline Schuppli, <a href="https://www.ab.mpg.de/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior</a>.</p>



<p>The choice of tree species is important, and infants - who primarily peer at their mothers - are more likely to select the same species their mothers use.</p>



<p>“Just like human teenagers finding their own path, maturing orangutans increasingly peer at the nest-building of others and begin experimenting with the tree species those individuals use," Dr. Schuppli continued.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-returning-to-roots">Returning to roots</h2>



<p>Interestingly, adults often revert to using the tree species favored by their mothers, even after experimenting with alternatives in youth.</p>



<p>“Ultimately, adult orangutans tend to revert to the nest materials used by their mothers, perhaps recognizing that the most effective methods had already been established," Dr. Schuppli noted. </p>



<p>"This consistent variation in nest materials across generations indicates that wild orangutan populations possess cultural elements that could be lost without the conservation of the species and their habitats,” </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-orangutans-learn-and-pass-on-traditions">Orangutans learn and pass on traditions</h2>



<p>The study emphasized four main points: peering, not just proximity, drives learning; immatures focus on complex multi-step elements; role models expand with age; and knowledge of tree species is socially transmitted.</p>



<p>These findings suggest orangutans display cultural variation, with nest-building traditions passed through generations.</p>



<p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/32658/chapter-abstract/270606055?redirectedFrom=fulltext&amp;login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nest-building</a> is an evolutionarily ancient behavior shared by great apes. </p>



<p>By proving that orangutans acquire this skill through observational social learning, the study suggests that such cultural learning has deep roots in primate history.</p>



<p>It highlights not just the intelligence of orangutans but also their fragile cultural heritage - one that can only continue if their forest homes are preserved.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-08217-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Biology</a>.</em></p>



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Orangutans learn to build complex tree nests by watching their mothers

As night falls in the rainforests, orangutans climb into the...

<p>The universe feels simple at first glance: stars, gas, dust, and the gravity that binds it all. Then you look more closely and realize that nothing could be farther from the truth. </p>



<p>For decades, the standard picture has said that most of what is out there is not what we can see. It is a mix of ordinary matter and two invisible components often called dark matter and dark energy.</p>



<p>That picture has guided textbooks, space missions, and how we read the sky. It has also raised tough questions that have never quite gone away, mainly because of the fact that dark matter and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/is-dark-energy-changing-the-mystery-of-cosmic-expansion-deepens/">dark energy</a> have never actually been "seen."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenging-dark-matter-s-existence">Challenging dark matter's existence</h2>



<p>A new line of thinking takes those questions seriously and suggests we may not need those "dark" invisible components after all.</p>



<p>After years spent probing longstanding cosmology puzzles, physics professor <a href="https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-science/professors/rajendra-gupta" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rajendra Gupta</a> has proposed a model that aims to explain the universe without dark matter or dark energy. </p>



<p>Gupta teaches astrophysics at the <a href="https://www.uottawa.ca/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Ottawa</a> and argues that familiar assumptions might be impeding progress.</p>



<p>"The study's findings confirm that our <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/524/3/3385/7221343?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previous work</a> ("JWST early universe observations and ΛCDM cosmology") about the age of the universe being 26.7 billion years has allowed us to discover that the universe does not require dark matter to exist," explains Gupta.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tired-light-and-the-ccc-theory">"Tired light" and the CCC theory</h2>



<p>Gupta’s approach blends two concepts: covarying coupling constants (<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023Univ....9...70G/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CCC</a>) and "tired light" (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tired_light" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TL</a>). </p>



<p>CCC asks whether the so-called constants of nature - like the strength of forces or the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-matter-may-consist-of-particles-that-travel-faster-than-light/">speed of light</a> - might shift across time or space. If they do, even slightly, many calculations about how the universe evolves would change.</p>



<p>TL offers a different take on why light from faraway galaxies appears redshifted. Instead of treating redshift solely as a sign of cosmic expansion stretching light, TL suggests that photons shed energy over vast distances, shifting their color toward red. </p>



<p>Taken together, the CCC+TL model seeks to account for cosmic signals.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-scientists-think-dark-matter-is-real">Most scientists think dark matter is real</h2>



<p>The idea of dark matter did not arise in a vacuum. In the 1930s, astronomer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Zwicky" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fritz Zwicky</a> noticed that galaxy clusters seemed to move in ways that did not match their visible mass. </p>



<p>Later, astronomers saw that many galaxies rotate faster than expected at their outskirts. Something appears to add extra gravity. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/einstein-ring-discovered-normal-galaxy-ngc-6505-gravitational-lens/">Gravitational lensing</a> - the way mass bends light - also points to more pull than starlight alone can explain.</p>



<p>In the standard breakdown, dark matter is thought to make up about 27% of the universe. Ordinary matter - everything we can directly detect - adds up to less than 5%. </p>



<p>The rest is labeled <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/universe-expansion-rate-dark-energy-measured-11-billion-years-ago/">dark energy</a>, a placeholder for whatever drives the universe’s accelerated expansion. This picture also includes a commonly accepted age of roughly 13.8 billion years.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-questioning-the-need-for-dark-matter">Questioning the need for dark matter</h2>



<p>Gupta contends that if the forces of nature weaken over time, we do not need dark energy to explain why the expansion appears to speed up. </p>



<p>He also argues that major observations can be matched without dark matter by allowing constants to vary and by letting light lose a small amount of energy as it travels long distances to reach us, the observers.</p>



<p>"Contrary to standard cosmological theories where the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/dark-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">accelerated expansion</a> of the universe is attributed to dark energy, our findings indicate that this expansion is due to the weakening forces of nature, not dark energy," Gupta continues.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-redshifts-and-cosmic-observations">Redshifts and cosmic observations</h2>



<p>A substantial part of the work centers on <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/What_is_red_shift" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">redshifts</a> - how light shifts toward longer wavelengths as it travels. </p>



<p>The analysis compares how galaxies are distributed at low redshift with patterns from the early universe at high redshift. </p>



<p>The claim is that these signals align under the <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.04277" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CCC+TL approach</a> without requiring dark matter in the equations.</p>



<p>"There are several papers that question the existence of dark matter, but mine is the first one, to my knowledge, that eliminates its cosmological existence while being consistent with key cosmological observations that we have had time to confirm," Gupta confidently concludes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-all-of-this-mean">What does all of this mean?</h2>



<p>If CCC+TL continues to pass tests, much would change. The model would offer new routes to explain the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ground-based-telescopes-detect-light-from-the-cosmic-dawn/">cosmic microwave background</a>, the timeline of how galaxies formed and grew, and the way light bends on its journey to our telescopes. </p>



<p>It would also change how we read distance and time from the sky, since redshift would no longer be only a ruler for expansion.</p>



<p>It would challenge the Big Bang–anchored timeline. Those are substantial claims that require careful tests.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-gupta-s-theory">Testing Gupta’s theory</h2>



<p>Specific predictions need to be articulated. Any model has to meet observations head-on: galaxy rotation profiles, lensing maps, the pattern of hot and cold spots in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-capture-baby-pictures-of-the-very-early-universe-cosmic-microwave-background/">microwave background</a>, and the way <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/largest-cosmic-particle-cloud-ever-found-has-stunned-astronomers/">galaxies cluster</a> across hundreds of millions of light-years. </p>



<p>If constants vary, even a little, that could leave signatures in atomic spectra from distant quasars. If light tires, the effect should be measurable with enough precision and a clean way to separate it from other causes.</p>



<p>Teams are already poring over deep-sky surveys, precise supernova samples, and high-resolution microwave maps. </p>



<p>As instruments improve, the bar for any alternative rises. The goal is straightforward: make a clear, testable forecast, then see if the universe agrees.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dark-matter-ccc-tl-and-next-steps">Dark matter, CCC+TL, and next steps</h2>



<p>Two central questions remain. Are dark energy and dark matter just bookkeeping devices we used while working with fixed constants and a single redshift story? Could the true age of the universe be significantly older than the standard estimate? </p>



<p>The only way to answer is to press for independent tests that can separate one picture from the other.</p>



<p>Researchers are tuning methods to compare models fairly, using the same data pipelines and error checks. That helps avoid apples-to-oranges results. </p>



<p>If CCC+TL keeps matching the sky, interest will grow. If it stumbles on a key observation, that will be clear too.</p>



<p>Cosmology moves forward when claims meet data. This study advances a bold alternative: a universe where constants can change, light can lose energy across great distances, and neither dark matter nor dark energy need to be included in the ledger. </p>



<p>It offers clear, testable statements about cosmic age and the cause of the apparent acceleration.</p>



<p>The work will be validated or refuted by measurements. That is how the field operates: no shortcuts, no hand-waving - only observations and models that either fit or fail.</p>



<p>The full study was published in <em><a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ad1bc6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Astrophysical Journal</a></em>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Study claims dark matter does not exist and the universe is 27 billion years old

The universe feels simple at first glance: stars, gas, dust,...

<p>An international team kept solid gold intact while superheating it to 19,000 Kelvin, about 33,740 °F (18,726 °C). They measured the temperature directly, in real time, and documented the feat in a new study. The result outstrips a long assumed ceiling on how hot a solid can get before it gives way.</p>



<p>The team reached this state with ultra fast laser heating and then checked the atoms with precise X-ray probes.</p>



<p>The work also lays out a clean way to take the temperature of extremely hot, dense matter, which is something that has frustrated experimenters for decades.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-superheating-gold-means">What superheating gold means</h2>



<p>Lead author Thomas G. White of the University of Nevada, Reno (<a href="https://www.unr.edu/physics/people/admin-faculty-and-staff/thomas-white" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNR</a>), led the international collaboration with colleagues at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and partner institutions.</p>



<p>The study focuses on superheating, which is when a solid sits above its melting point yet does not melt because the rapid conditions do not give its structure time to reorganize.</p>



<p>Here, the group pushed a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-high-grade-gold-mine-found-in-an-unexplored-area-of-south-america/">thin gold sample</a> far beyond its normal melting threshold in a flash. </p>



<p>The superheated gold remained crystalline for a brief window, long enough to record how fast the atoms were moving and therefore how hot the lattice was.</p>



<p>The work touches a broader frontier known as warm dense matter (WDM), which is a high energy state relevant to planetary interiors and fusion targets.</p>



<p>Accurate temperatures in this regime have been hard to pin down because these hot states are tiny and very short lived.</p>



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



<p>In 1988, Hans J. Fecht and William L. Johnson proposed an upper stability boundary called the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/334050a0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">entropy catastrophe</a>, arguing that a solid cannot be heated much past about three times its melting temperature without melting. </p>



<p>The idea was that as a crystal heats, its entropy rises until it matches the liquid, which should trigger melting.</p>



<p>That back of the envelope limit, about three times the melting point, became the accepted stopping point in textbooks and talks. </p>



<p>It also aligned with the fact that most experiments ran into disordering events at lower temperatures anyway.</p>



<p>The new gold measurements show that ultra fast heating sidesteps those assumptions. </p>



<p>By outrunning processes that normally give a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-create-a-time-crystal-using-giant-atoms-long-thought-to-be-impossible/">crystal time to expand</a> and unravel, the team produced a much hotter solid phase without violating basic physics.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-team-pushed-past-the-limit">How the team pushed past the limit</h2>



<p>The experiment used a brief pulse, only 45 femtoseconds long, to pump energy into a thin gold <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-silver-and-gold-discovery-morena-confirmed-to-be-extraordinarily-high-grade-deposits/">foil</a>.</p>



<p>Immediately after this, an intense X-ray pulse captured the atomic motion through tiny shifts in the scattered X-ray frequency. This gave a direct readout of the atoms’ speeds.</p>



<p>Those shifts revealed the gold’s lattice temperature without relying on indirect models. </p>



<p>Because the heating was so swift, the lattice could not expand significantly during the measurement window, and crystalline order persisted for a few trillionths of a second.</p>



<p>The diagnostic hinges on inelastic X-ray scattering (<a href="https://neutrons.ornl.gov/sites/default/files/NX2023_IXS.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IXS</a>) which, in this fast backscattering geometry, records a clean spectral broadening linked to atomic velocities.</p>



<p>In short bursts, the technique treats the ion motion much like a classical gas and translates the line width into temperature.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-obeying-the-laws-of-thermodynamics">Obeying the laws of thermodynamics</h2>



<p>Direct temperature tracking matters because warm dense matter only exists for fleeting instants in the lab. </p>



<p>A reliable, model independent measurement gives planetary physicists and fusion researchers a sharper tool to test their calculations.</p>



<p>“It is important to clarify that we did not violate the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/second-law-of-thermodynamics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Second Law of Thermodynamics</a>. [But] the entropy catastrophe was still viewed as the ultimate boundary,” said White.</p>



<p>Outside voices have noted that ultrafast, ultrasmall conditions may not map cleanly onto everyday solids under normal pressure. </p>



<p>Even so, this controlled window lets researchers test long-standing assumptions about melting and stability with far less guesswork.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heating-gold-for-future-technology">Heating gold for future technology</h2>



<p>Better temperature measurements open doors for modeling planets, where WDM controls how heat moves through cores and mantles. Getting the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/superconductivity-achieved-at-room-temperature-with-new-materials/">temperature</a> right helps set the melting curves that guide those models.</p>



<p>Fusion research also stands to gain. In inertial confinement experiments, laser driven targets quickly cross from solid to ultra hot states, and design choices depend on when and how those transitions occur.</p>



<p>There is a materials angle as well. If rapid heating can lift other solids far beyond past expectations without immediate melting, that would invite a rethink of strength, heat capacity, and failure in extreme environments.</p>



<p>The upshot is not that thermodynamics has been tossed out. It is that speed, and the lack of time for expansion, can keep order in place long enough to measure and learn from it.</p>



<p>Future work will likely try different elements, thicker targets, and varied time delays to map exactly when order fails. Each variation will test where the practical limits really lie and how general the no-longer-so- strict ceiling might be.</p>



<p>The full study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09253-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature</em></a>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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Physicists superheat gold to over 33,740°F without melting it

An international team kept solid gold intact while superheating it...

<p>While most people witness only the familiar crack of thunder and flash of lightning from storms on Earth, brilliantly-colorful electric fireworks detonate much higher, in the thin air up to 55 miles overhead, easily seen from the ISS.</p>



<p>These brief spectacles - blue jets, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stunning-red-sprite-lightning-captured-from-space/">red sprites</a>, violet halos, ultraviolet rings - are collectively known as transient luminous events, or TLEs. </p>



<p>For decades, they eluded systematic study, appearing only in pilots’ anecdotes and the occasional lucky photograph.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-space-station-observes-something-unknown-55-miles-above-earth/">International Space Station</a> (ISS) has changed that by offering an unobstructed seat above the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/once-in-a-thousand-years-extreme-storms-are-becoming-much-more-frequent/">storms</a>, where specialized cameras and sensors capture every fleeting spark.</p>



<p>Piece by piece, researchers are discovering that what happens in this hidden layer can rattle radio transmissions, affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flying-has-never-been-safer-and-continues-to-improve/">aircraft safety</a>, and even tweak the chemistry of the upper atmosphere.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-storm-laboratory-bolted-to-the-iss">Storm laboratory bolted to the ISS</h2>



<p>The centerpiece of this sky-watching mission is the <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Research/Atmosphere_Space_Interactions_Monitor">Atmosphere–Space Interactions Monitor</a>. ASIM, built by the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a>, has clung to an external ISS platform since 2018. </p>



<p>Its job: watch Earth and record flashes smaller than a fingernail and shorter than a heartbeat.</p>



<p>The monitor’s high-speed cameras and photometers have already delivered more than scientists hoped. </p>



<p>Data show that certain lightning-like discharges at the crest of a thundercloud can pump <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lightning-sparks-the-discovery-of-a-new-electromagnetic-wave/">electromagnetic energy</a> into the ionosphere and ignite an enormous ring of ultraviolet light called an ELVES.</p>



<p>These rings can boost ionospheric charge for hundreds of miles, potentially disrupting long-distance radio signals.</p>



<p>ASIM has also catalogued ultra-brief corona discharges - bursts so short that ground-based instruments often miss them. </p>



<p>By timing and analyzing these coronas, researchers are beginning to understand how a cloud’s upper regions prime the pump for full-blown lightning.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strange-red-sprites-phenomenon">Strange "red sprites" phenomenon</h2>



<p>A mysterious phenomenon known as "<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mysterious-red-sprite-lightning-strikes-seen-above-the-himalayas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">red sprites</a>" randomly occur in the mesosphere, hanging like upside-down jellyfish for a scant ten milliseconds. Blue jets spear from cloud tops toward the stratosphere with eerie, silent urgency.</p>



<p>Both events happen so fast and high that capturing their details was nearly impossible. Yet ASIM can spot them from orbit.</p>



<p>One study used its footage and ground instruments to pinpoint the altitude of a single blue jet. This confirmed that these upward bolts really do punch beyond the weather layer we know.</p>



<p>Those measurements feed directly into storm-charging models, which in turn inform aviation guidelines about where dangerous electrical fields might lurk.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/red-sprite_TLE_Transient-Luminous-Events_ISS_NASA_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/red-sprite_TLE_Transient-Luminous-Events_ISS_NASA_1s.webp" alt="Red sprites like this one are called TLEs or Transient Luminous Events. They happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below. Astronauts have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms. Credit: NASA/Nichole Ayers" class="wp-image-1982031"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Red sprites like this one are called TLEs or Transient Luminous Events. They happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below. Astronauts have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA/Nichole Ayers</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iss-crew-films-storms-from-orbit">ISS crew films storms from orbit</h2>



<p>The ISS cupola - the seven-window observation dome often featured in astronaut selfies - has become part of the scientific toolkit.</p>



<p>Through ESA’s <a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023EGUGA..2515873C/abstract">Thor-Davis</a> experiment, ISS crewmembers attach a state-of-the-art camera behind the glass and capture distant storms at up to one hundred thousand frames per second. </p>



<p>The resulting slow-motion movies reveal electrical filaments proliferating in ways textbooks never predicted.</p>



<p>By capturing lightning’s split-second branching in vivid detail, Thor-Davis helps scientists validate laboratory plasma tests against real-world events.</p>



<p> More practically, the footage might one day improve the algorithms that warn power-grid operators when severe lightning threatens transmission lines.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-catching-invisible-lightning-pulses">Catching invisible lightning pulses</h2>



<p>Lightning’s hidden drama is not limited to visible colors. Some strikes trigger terrestrial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/integral-gamma-ray-telescope-mission-was-a-brilliant-success/">gamma-ray</a> flashes, pulses of radiation energetic enough to dowse an airliner in a brief surge equivalent to a chest X-ray.</p>



<p>To map these invisible hazards, the <a href="https://global.jaxa.jp/">Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency</a> worked with university partners to release <a href="https://www.eoportal.org/satellite-missions/light-1#performance-specifications">Light-1</a> from the ISS. </p>



<p>Though no larger than a loaf of bread, the CubeSat carries detectors fine-tuned to high-energy photons.</p>



<p>As Light-1 records flashes over equatorial storm systems, researchers plan to line up its timestamps with global lightning networks on the ground. </p>



<p>Over time, this will help build a three-dimensional atlas of where gamma-ray flashes fire most often.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/red-sprite_TLE_Transient-Luminous-Events_ISS_labeled_NASA_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/red-sprite_TLE_Transient-Luminous-Events_ISS_labeled_NASA_1s.webp" alt="In this photo, the &quot;gigantic jet&quot; TLE storm with red sprites appears to be hovering near the Texas–Mexico border. You can spot the glow of Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston to the northeast, and Torreón, Mexico, to the southwest. Credit: NASA/Nichole Ayers" class="wp-image-1982028"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In this photo, the "gigantic jet" TLE storm with red sprites appears to be hovering near the Texas–Mexico border. You can spot the glow of Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston to the northeast, and Torreón, Mexico, to the southwest. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA/Nichole Ayers</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-storms-mess-with-signals">Storms mess with signals</h2>



<p>At first glance, a sprite or ELVES ring might seem like nothing more than meteorological curiosity - a sky-high cousin of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/auroras-captured-on-neptune-for-the-first-time-thanks-to-the-webb-telescope/">aurora</a>. </p>



<p>Yet these flashes erupt in the same charged layers that carry radio waves and relay signals to submarines. Disturb those layers and communications can fade or fail without warning.</p>



<p>For airlines, understanding when and where blue jets or gamma-ray flashes appear adds another layer of safety planning on polar or equatorial routes.</p>



<p>Scientists also care about climate. TLEs and corona discharges shuffle nitrogen oxides and other chemicals between atmospheric strata, altering ozone chemistry and radiative balance. </p>



<p>Incorporating this vertical mixing into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-models-underestimate-sea-ice-melt-and-global-warming/">climate models</a> can tighten predictions of future warming.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lightning-trackers-get-upgrades">Lightning trackers get upgrades</h2>



<p>With the ISS likely to operate through the decade, ASIM and its successors will continue collecting a library of once-invisible storm events.</p>



<p>Engineers envision next-gen detectors that trigger automatically, record faster, and span a broader spectrum- from radio to hard X-ray. </p>



<p>CubeSats like Light-1 could multiply into a fleet, feeding real-time alerts to weather agencies and satellite operators whenever a gamma flash or mega-sprite erupts.</p>



<p>Above all, the space station shows that to grasp Earth’s weather, one must sometimes look down from above. Each orbit adds a few more frames to lightning’s hidden movie reel. </p>



<p>Those frames bring us closer to predicting - and perhaps mitigating - the electrical surprises that storms fling toward the edge of space.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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NASA shares photos of an extraordinary event witnessed by astronauts on the space station

While most people witness only the familiar crack of thunder...

<p>Coffee is part of the morning routines for millions of people. But does drinking more coffee align with having more muscle? </p>



<p>That’s the question behind a new analysis of Americans’ habits and body composition. This research doesn’t try to prove cause and effect. It asks whether higher coffee or caffeine intake corresponds to more limb muscle for a given body size.</p>



<p>The answer points in a positive direction for most adults, with an important exception. The details matter, because the way researchers measured muscle and tallied <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-may-help-you-live-longer-if-you-drink-it-this-way/">coffee intake</a> shapes how to read the results.</p>



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



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/studies-learn-the-exact-amount-of-time-you-should-spend-training-to-build-muscle/">Muscle mass</a> isn’t just about strength. Lower muscle mass in arms and legs raises the risk of falls, fractures, and everyday struggles that chip away at independence. </p>



<p>Scientists often track limb muscle adjusted for body size because it flags early losses that can sneak up with age.</p>



<p>A standard yardstick for that job is the appendicular skeletal muscle mass-to-BMI ratio, abbreviated as <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10401528/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ASMBMI</a>. In plain terms: “How much limb muscle do you have for your body size?” </p>



<p>This measurement focuses on muscle quantity, not how quickly you rise from a chair or how steady you feel on stairs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-coffee-s-link-to-muscles">Studying coffee's link to muscles</h2>



<p>Researchers pulled data from a large, ongoing U.S. health survey (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NHANES</a>) spanning 2011-2018. </p>



<p>They started with adults, applied clear rules such as “only include people with full diet interviews and body scans,” and finished with 8,333 participants. Muscle was measured by DXA scans of the arms and legs and then expressed as ASMBMI.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-helps-bacteria-resist-antibiotics-in-your-gut/">Coffee intake</a> came from two 24-hour dietary recalls - structured interviews covering everything people ate and drank on two different days. The team looked at regular coffee, decaf coffee, and total caffeine from all sources. </p>



<p>Their statistical models adjusted for age, sex, race, education, income, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, BMI, medical conditions, total calories, and protein, so they could compare people who were similar on many fronts except for coffee intake.</p>



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



<p>People who drank more coffee tended to have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-grapes-every-day-can-transform-your-muscles/">more limb muscle</a> relative to their body size. After full adjustments, the highest coffee group had about a 13% higher ASMBMI than the non-coffee group. </p>



<p>The highest caffeinated coffee group showed roughly a 12% increase. The top caffeine group showed about an 11% increase. Decaf didn’t show a clear, statistically significant link. </p>



<p>When researchers drew smoothed trend lines, the pattern appeared approximately linear: more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-coffee-may-help-women-stay-sharp-and-strong-as-they-age/">regular coffee</a> or caffeine corresponded to more muscle relative to body size.</p>



<p>There was one major exception. When participants were split by BMI, the positive link disappeared in the group with obesity (BMI ≥ 30). </p>



<p>In that subset, drinking more coffee was not associated with higher ASMBMI. That doesn’t mean coffee lowers muscle there; it means the helpful pattern seen elsewhere wasn’t present.</p>



<p>A likely reason is biological factors tied to obesity, including chronic, low-grade inflammation that speeds muscle breakdown and may overshadow small benefits from caffeine or other coffee compounds.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limitations-in-this-research">Limitations in this research</h2>



<p>This was a cross-sectional snapshot. It can spot links, but it can’t prove that coffee changes muscle. People with more muscle may simply be more active or keep schedules where coffee fits better. </p>



<p>The models adjusted for activity and many other variables, which strengthens confidence, but unmeasured factors can still nudge results.</p>



<p>Diet recalls lean on memory and honesty, and add-ins like sugar or cream can be easy to forget. </p>



<p>ASMBMI captures muscle quantity, not strength or performance, so it can’t tell you how much weight you can move or how good your balance is during daily activities. </p>



<p>Results also come from U.S. adults in specific survey years, so patterns could differ in other populations.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-coffee-is-linked-with-muscles">Why coffee is linked with muscles</h2>



<p>Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and modulates how the body uses fuel during activity. Coffee also contains <a href="https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/krnc/monthly-blog/what-are-polyphenols-another-great-reason-to-eat-fruits-and-veggies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polyphenols</a> with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. </p>



<p>Lab and animal research suggests these compounds may support healthier muscle by encouraging autophagy - the cell’s cleanup crew for worn-out parts - and by dialing down chronic inflammation over time. </p>



<p>This analysis didn’t test mechanisms, but these ideas fit with the pattern. Decaf’s “no clear link” signal hints that caffeine may be doing more of the heavy lifting in this dataset.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-did-we-learn-from-this">What did we learn from this?</h2>



<p>In U.S. adults, higher <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mood-boost-how-coffee-makes-us-happier-in-the-morning/">regular coffee</a> and total caffeine intake tracked with more limb muscle relative to body size after accounting for many other factors. However, that association did not appear in participants with obesity. </p>



<p>If coffee already fits your day, these results sit comfortably with a muscle-friendly routine. Keep portions sensible, mind the extras, and avoid late cups that cut into sleep because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/irregular-sleep-may-cause-premature-muscle-aging/">poor sleep impairs recovery</a>.</p>



<p>If you’re in the obesity range, the study’s “no clear link” finding suggests coffee isn’t a muscle fix. </p>



<p>The bigger levers are steady resistance training, enough protein spaced through the day, and better sleep, ideally alongside medical care that addresses weight, strength, and metabolic health together. </p>



<p>Coffee can still be part of that plan if it agrees with you, but it’s not the star of the show.</p>



<p>It’s a pattern, not proof. Pair your coffee with protein, training, and sleep if your goal is to build or protect muscle.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1390309/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Nutrition</a>.</em></p>



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Drinking this beverage every day helps protect your muscles from aging

Coffee is part of the morning routines for millions of...

Happy,Woman,Watching,Movie,And,Eating,Popcorn,At,Night,At

<p>We all know the pull of one more episode. Streaming services make it easy to keep watching, and though it often feels like a guilty pleasure, new research suggests it may not be entirely bad.</p>



<p>A study from the University of Georgia (<a href="https://www.uga.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UGA</a>) highlights that binge-watching or marathon reading can actually strengthen how we remember stories. </p>



<p>These memories may not vanish once the credits roll but instead linger in our minds, shaping imagination and reflection.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-binge-watching-strengthens-memory">Binge watching strengthens memory</h2>



<p>The research connects this phenomenon to something called <a href="https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34268/chapter-abstract/290548954?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">retrospective imaginative involvement</a>, or RII. It refers to how people continue to think about characters and events after finishing a story.</p>



<p>Rather than ending with the last chapter or episode, stories are reconstructed, expanded, and sometimes even altered in imagination.</p>



<p>“Humans are storytelling creatures. One of the functions of narratives is the ability to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-use-increases-smoking-vaping-risks-among-youth/">satisfy motivations</a> for things like connecting with other people, feeling autonomous and confident, and even security and safety. Stories have characters that fulfill these roles, and we can satisfy those needs through them,” noted Joshua Baldwin, lead author of the study.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-memory-and-imagination">Memory and imagination</h2>



<p>The study shows that people who binge-watch are more likely to engage with stories later, carrying them into daydreams. </p>



<p>Consecutive viewing appears to help audiences create richer mental models of characters and worlds, which makes these stories more accessible in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emotions-shape-what-goes-viral-on-social-media/">memory</a>.</p>



<p>By consuming content in longer stretches, viewers weave tighter connections across episodes and character arcs, allowing subtle details to resonate more clearly.</p>



<p>This means binging may support stronger recall in the short term, even if some details fade over time. </p>



<p>More importantly, it keeps the emotional and thematic essence alive, which is what fuels imagination and encourages people to revisit stories in new, creative ways.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-people-binge-watch">Why people binge watch</h2>



<p>The reason behind a person's binge-watching habits also matters. Some are drawn to stories to escape stress, while others seek to expand their sense of self through new perspectives.</p>



<p>The Temporarily Expanding Boundaries of the Self (<a href="https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34268/chapter-abstract/290539200?redirectedFrom=fulltext">TE</a><a href="https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34268/chapter-abstract/290539200" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">B</a><a href="https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/34268/chapter-abstract/290539200?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OTS</a>) model suggests narratives allow people to step outside daily limits and experience autonomy, competence, and connection in imagined worlds.</p>



<p>Escapism-driven viewing, on the other hand, gives relief by pushing aside everyday stress. </p>



<p>The study found both motivations can lead to retrospective imagination, though expansion motives appear more powerful in creating long-lasting engagement.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-enjoyment-versus-appreciation">Enjoyment versus appreciation</h2>



<p>Not all stories affect memory the same way. Lighter tales that are fun and easy to watch often spark simple recollections. </p>



<p>By contrast, appreciated stories (those that feel deep, moving, or even bittersweet) encourage people to reimagine, expand, and reshape them.</p>



<p>These more reflective narratives are especially likely to trigger dynamic forms of imagination, such as changing events or exploring hidden backstories.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stress-and-leisure-time">Stress and leisure time</h2>



<p>Stress does not influence story recall in a simple way. When stress is low or moderate, imagination can act as a relief, giving people a way to unwind and mentally process experiences. In these cases, stories serve as a calming outlet.</p>



<p>However, when stress levels rise too high, the brain becomes overloaded, leaving fewer mental resources available for remembering or reflecting on narratives. </p>



<p>Instead of nurturing imagination, the mind directs energy toward coping with immediate pressures.</p>



<p>Leisure time changes the picture. When people have free, relaxed moments, their minds are more open to revisiting favorite stories. </p>



<p>These quiet breaks - during a walk, while chatting, or simply reflecting - create mental space for narratives to return, grow, and shape daydreams.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-binge-watching-can-support-coping">Binge watching can support coping</h2>



<p>Binge-watching has often been criticized for harming sleep and well-being. But this research suggests the picture is more nuanced. </p>



<p>For some, it builds mental models that last well beyond the show itself. These memories and imagined extensions may even help people cope with challenges, making stories an ongoing psychological resource.</p>



<p>“People who have that habit of binge-watching shows often aren’t doing it passively but are actually actively thinking about it afterwards. They’re very much wanting to engage with stories, even when they’re not around to watch shows,” Baldwin explained.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stories-live-on-beyond-the-screen">Stories live on beyond the screen</h2>



<p>Most people think bingeing means wasting hours in front of a screen. But the study shows it can be much more than that. </p>



<p>When you get lost in a story, the characters and emotions often tag along even after you stop watching. Sometimes they reappear in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-dogs-binge-watch-television-everyday/">daydreams</a>, other times in quiet reflections when your mind drifts.</p>



<p>This habit doesn’t just strengthen memory. It can stir creativity, spark imagination, and even help people make sense of their own lives. </p>



<p>Stories can offer comfort, connection, or a fresh perspective - things we all need from time to time. That’s why they rarely end with the credits. Instead, they linger in our thoughts, shaping how we dream, reflect, and connect with the world.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825004147?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Acta Psychologica</a>.</em></p>



<p>-----</p>



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Why binge-watching TV shows may actually be good for your mind

We all know the pull of one more episode. Streaming...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



<p id="block-9bd989d6-2fd3-4580-957f-6cacce134f08">-----</p>



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



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

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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<p>-----</p>

Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVywlgRJXsc
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Some children read facial expressions when making food choices.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-people-s-reactions-influence-children-s-eating-habits">Other people's reactions influence children's eating habits</h2>



<p>Many children are finicky eaters, but research explains how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-learned-why-so-many-kids-dislike-vegetables/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watching others eat and social modeling</a> influence the eating habits of children.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Study Methodology Demonstrates Social Learning Impact</h2>



<p>Researchers at <a href="https://www.aston.ac.uk/hls/school-of-psychology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aston University School of Psychology</a> have published findings in Frontiers in Psychology that illuminate the neurobiological foundations of food preference development through observational learning. The investigation employed controlled video stimuli featuring adults consuming raw broccoli while displaying systematically varied facial expressions to measure participant responses.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Asymmetrical Response Patterns Identified</h2>



<p>The research, conducted with 204 female participants, revealed a pronounced asymmetry in social modeling effects. Negative facial expressions during vegetable consumption significantly diminished observer food preference ratings, while positive expressions failed to produce corresponding increases in vegetable appeal. This finding challenges conventional assumptions about the bidirectional nature of social influence in dietary behavior formation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Evolutionary Psychology Framework Applied</h2>



<p>Dr. Katie Edwards and her research team propose that these results reflect adaptive mechanisms developed through evolutionary processes. The heightened sensitivity to disgust expressions likely functions as a protective system, enabling individuals to identify potentially harmful foods through social cues without direct risk exposure.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Clinical and Educational Implications</h2>



<p>These findings carry substantial implications for pediatric nutrition interventions and family meal dynamics. The research suggests that parental expressions of distaste during vegetable consumption may inadvertently reinforce children's existing food aversions through unconscious social transmission pathways.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Future Research Directions</h2>



<p>The study establishes a foundation for expanded investigation into real-time social modeling effects and cross-demographic applicability. Researchers emphasize the necessity for longitudinal studies examining actual consumption behaviors rather than preference ratings alone, particularly within family contexts where social learning occurs most frequently.</p>



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<p>-----</p>



<p></p>

Social modeling affects our food choices

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVywlgRJXsc Some children read facial expressions when making food choices....

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JynHpMaNO8A
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chaotic cancer protein finally controlled after decades of mystery</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cancer-causing-protein-bound-and-blocked">Cancer-causing protein bound and blocked</h2>



<p>In a discovery that can one day revolutionize cancer treatment, researchers at the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Riverside</a> have successfully developed a means of controlling MYC, a notoriously slippery protein that causes approximately <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chaotic-protein-that-fuels-75-of-cancers-can-be-controlled/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">75% of all cancers in humans</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-myc-different">What makes MYC different</h2>



<p>MYC presents a unique challenge when studying cancer. Normally, this protein plays a vital role in healthy cells. It carefully controls transcription - the process that converts genetic information from DNA and RNA into proteins.</p>



<p>However, cancer changes everything. In cancer cells, MYC becomes a destructive force. It operates in overdrive mode with no regulation whatsoever.</p>



<p>Professor Min Xue, who led the research team, explains it simply: "MYC is less like food for cancer cells and more like a steroid. It drives cancer's aggressive growth." This superactive behavior makes MYC involved in three out of every four cancer cases.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-myc-is-hard-to-target">Why MYC is hard to target</h2>



<p>Despite its clear role in cancer, targeting MYC has been one of medicine's biggest challenges. The main problem lies in MYC's unusual structure - or rather, its complete lack of structure.</p>



<p>Professor Xue describes the protein as "basically a glob of randomness." This means conventional drug discovery methods don't work. These traditional approaches rely on sharply defined protein structures. MYC simply doesn't have one.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A New Approach to Fighting MYC</h2>



<p>The UCR research team developed a clever solution. They designed a special peptide molecule that could selectively bind to MYC. More importantly, this peptide could block MYC's destructive activity.</p>



<p>The key was fine-tuning two specific features: the peptide's stiffness and its shape. Through careful adjustments, researchers achieved something remarkable. They reached "sub-micro-molar affinity" - meaning their peptide binds as strongly as antibodies do.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breakthrough-results">Breakthrough results</h2>



<p>This accomplishment represents a major leap beyond previous attempts. The researchers enhanced their peptide's binding strength by two orders of magnitude. This dramatic improvement brings the work significantly closer to practical drug development goals.</p>



<p>The research opens new possibilities for treating the vast majority of cancers where MYC plays a destructive role.</p>



<p>The researchers are presently optimizing peptide-delivery systems based on lipid nanoparticles that deliver the peptide effectively into cancer cells. The<a href="https://www.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> National Institutes of Health</a> and the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Department of Defense</a> funded the study, which appeared in the Journal of the <a href="https://www.acs.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Chemical Society</a>.<br>This research offers renewed hope against cancer, and it can potentially open a door to more effective cancer therapies for most cancer patients worldwide.</p>



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The protein that fuels 3 out of 4 cancers has been controlled

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JynHpMaNO8A Chaotic cancer protein finally controlled after decades of mystery...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4eLFNYrKE
</div></figure>



<p>On the unforgiving landscape of North Greenland, temperatures drop and sunlight barely penetrates through the polar winter. It was here, however, that an international team of scientists found <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predatory-worms-were-terror-beasts-half-a-billion-years-ago/#google_vignette" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence of sea monsters</a> that would change our understanding of ocean life in the past.</p>



<p>This video captures the discovery of Timorebestia fossils that had been hidden for more than 500 million years in the Sirius Passet formation. The "terror beasts," as they are called, are a hidden chapter in the evolutionary history of <a href="https://www.earth.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth</a>, showing that sophisticated predator-prey interactions occurred much earlier than previously envisioned.</p>



<p>Dr. Jakob Vinther and his research team at the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bristol</a>, in collaboration with researchers at the <a href="https://eng.kopri.re.kr/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Korean Polar Research Institute</a>, braved extreme weather conditions at 82.5 north latitude to locate these giant creatures. Using sophisticated electron microprobe analysis, they revealed the detailed anatomy of the animals, including their muscle and nerve tissues.</p>



<p>The find upsets the traditional timeline of sea predators.  Although we've long appreciated that Cambrian oceans were at one time ruled by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWI3-UgA3_o&amp;list=PL1QLQMW9MWDwpkFOnvgAmu7wT6rZmYqdJ&amp;index=19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arthropods</a>, these discoveries indicate that relatives of arrow worms were first to dominate the seas.  These worms were building sophisticated food webs several million years before other predator groups arose.</p>



<p>Each fossil is a story of ancient hunger, with fossil stomach contents revealing these meter-long beasts dined on heavily armored arthropods regularly, cementing their place as the ocean's first apex predators.</p>



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4eLFNYrKE On the unforgiving landscape of North Greenland, temperatures drop...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3JH03PqEQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">New York is the site of the world's oldest forest.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-385-million-year-old-trees-discovered">385-million-year-old trees discovered</h2>



<p>Scientists have uncovered something extraordinary just two hours north of New York City. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-oldest-forest-discovered-close-to-new-york-city/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">world's oldest forest</a>, dating back 385 million years, offers a window into how Earth's first complex forests shaped our planet's atmosphere.</p>



<p>Located near <a href="https://townofcairo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cairo, New York</a>, in Greene County, these weren't merely primitive plants struggling to survive. These were sophisticated trees with root systems remarkably similar to modern forests. This ancient woodland predates dinosaurs by 140 million years.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cairo-forest-discovery">The Cairo forest discovery</h2>



<p>385 million years ago, upstate New York was a tropical paradise near the equator. Thanks to continental drift, this ancient forest has traveled thousands of miles to its current location.</p>



<p>The fossil forest sits in an abandoned quarry, roughly half the size of a football field. This represents just a slice of what was likely a massive forest system stretching from New York into Pennsylvania.</p>



<p>Charles Ver Straeten, curator of sedimentary rocks at the <a href="https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York State Museum</a>, made the discovery in 2009. While scouting the former highway department property, his trained eye spotted wandering patterns in the stone that looked like marine features.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-age-and-preservation">Revolutionary age and preservation</h2>



<p>The site contains 385-million-year-old rocks with fossilized woody roots forming horizontal patterns up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide. As Christopher Berry, a paleobotanist at Cardiff University, explains: "You are walking through the roots of ancient trees."</p>



<p>This discovery pushes back advanced tree evolution by millions of years. The research, published in <em><a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a></em> in December 2019, fundamentally changes our understanding of when complex forests first emerged.</p>



<p>Researchers believe a massive flood buried the forest floor, creating perfect fossilization conditions. Over millions of years, sediment hardened into rock, preserving these root patterns like nature's time capsule.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meet-archaeopteris-the-first-modern-tree">Meet <em>Archaeopteris</em>: the first modern tree</h2>



<p>The star of this ancient forest is <em>Archaeopteris</em> – not to be confused with the feathered dinosaur <em>Archaeopteryx</em>. This tree was far older and more revolutionary.</p>



<p>William Stein from <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Binghamton University</a> describes the roots as "strikingly modern, essentially what you'd see outside in my yard right now." These weren't simple root systems you'd expect from ancient plants.</p>



<p>Some fossilized roots are six inches (15 centimeters) in diameter, forming 36-foot-wide (11-meter) patterns. These giants grew up to 65 feet (20 meters) tall with five-foot-diameter (1.5-meter) trunks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-changing-impact">Climate-changing impact</h2>



<p>These trees fundamentally changed Earth's environment. Kevin Boyce, a Stanford University geoscientist, explains how their deep roots triggered "weathering," chemical reactions that pulled carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.</p>



<p>This process dropped atmospheric CO2 levels from 10-15 times higher than today to roughly modern concentrations. These ancient trees helped create atmospheric conditions that made complex life possible.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-forest-ecosystem">Ancient forest ecosystem</h2>



<p>The forest was remarkably diverse. Scientists identified <em>Eospermatopteris</em>, palm tree-like plants with short roots that reached 30 feet (9 meters) tall but lacked woody structure. The forest also housed cladoxylopsids and a mysterious third species still being studied.</p>



<p>All reproduced through spores rather than seeds – millions of years before seeds evolved. This tropical environment had no grass, flowers, or flying insects, just towering trees creating Earth's first complex forest canopy.</p>



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



<p>Before this finding, the Gilboa forest, located 25 miles (40 kilometers) away, held the "oldest forest" title. Cairo's trees are 2-3 million years older, showing that complex forest ecosystems developed much faster than scientists believed possible.</p>



<p>Patricia Gensel, a <a href="https://www.unc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of North Carolina</a> paleobotanist, notes: "The size of those root systems is really changing the picture. Even 20 years ago, researchers assumed trees with such complex root systems didn't evolve so early."</p>



<p>The Cairo site presents three unique root systems, suggesting Devonian period forests were diverse ecosystems with different trees occupying different environmental niches, much like today's forests.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-preservation-efforts">Modern preservation efforts</h2>



<p>In 2022, New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey secured a $170,000 grant for the town of Cairo to construct specialized fencing around the fossil forest site. The town plans to conduct a feasibility study exploring the possibility of creating an educational center and working lab on-site.</p>



<p>Joe Hasenkopf, chair of the Cairo Planning Board, hopes to partner with educational institutions to create a research facility serving scientists, students, and the public.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-today-s-climate">Lessons for today's climate</h2>



<p>Why does a 385-million-year-old forest matter today? It shows how dramatically forests can change Earth's climate. These ancient woodlands created the atmospheric conditions supporting complex life.</p>



<p>Understanding how prehistoric forests transformed the planet helps us appreciate modern forests' critical role in addressing climate change. Forests remain Earth's most effective carbon capture systems.</p>



<p>These prehistoric trees changed Earth's atmosphere by pulling massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the air. As we face modern climate challenges, this ancient forest reminds us of trees' incredible power to transform our planet's environment.</p>



<p>The next time you walk through a forest, remember you're experiencing an ecosystem whose blueprint was established 385 million years ago in upstate New York. These ancient pioneers didn't just survive – they thrived and changed the world forever.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em>Current Biology</em>.</p>



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3JH03PqEQ New York is the site of the world's oldest...

Yellowstone National Park

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