Eels move in ways that seem to ignore the rules most vertebrates live by. They swim with flowing body waves, they can scoot across wet ground, and they often keep going even when the spinal cord is cut. 



According to a new paper, two simple body signals, stretch and pressure, help explain how that is possible.



Those signals are not fancy. Stretch tells the body how much each segment bends, and pressure reports forces on the skin from water or from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-a-new-eel-species-with-fang-like-teeth/">objects</a>. 



When these signals are fed into the spinal circuits that set a basic rhythm for movement, the eel’s whole body keeps time without micromanagement from the brain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-secrets-of-eel-movement">Secrets of eel movement</h2>



Kotaro Yasui is an assistant professor at Tohoku University’s Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science (<a href="https://www.fris.tohoku.ac.jp/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FRIS</a>) and lead author of the study



“Our findings will help design highly adaptive robots capable of navigating complex and unpredictable environments,” noted Professor Yasui.



Most vertebrates walk or swim thanks to networks in the spinal cord called central pattern generator <a href="https://openbooks.lib.msu.edu/introneuroscience1/chapter/central-pattern-generators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">circuits</a>. 



These circuits can produce rhythmic muscle commands on their own, then shape that rhythm using feedback from the body. That is why the same overall plan can show up in animals as different as fish, salamanders, and mice.



Eels add a twist by leaning hard on two kinds of sensory input. Proprioception is internal sensing of stretch that tells a segment where it is in the cycle. Exteroception is sensing from outside the body, including water pressure on the sides of the fish or contact with a surface. 



Stretch sensitive neurons like the classic lamprey edge cells have long shown how such bending <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-our-power-our-planet/">signals</a> can tune the spinal rhythm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flexible-robot-mimics-eel-movement">Flexible robot mimics eel movement </h2>



Yasui’s team built a mathematical model in which each body segment has a small local oscillator that produces a timing signal. They wired in two feedback loops, one for stretch and one for pressure, so the oscillators would be tugged into step by what the body feels.



The researchers tested the controller in two settings. First, they used computer simulations that generated body movements and force patterns. Then, they tried it on a physical eel-like robot made of flexible segments and equipped with skin-level sensors.



The same controller worked in both settings, and it produced stable swimming quickly, without central commands to lock the segments together.



The stretch loop had a special job. It sped up the time it took for a smooth traveling wave to appear from random starting positions. It also helped the body hold a strong stride once the pattern settled, even though that gain could cost a little <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-what-were-really-fighting-for/">energy</a> because the joints work harder during sharper turns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spinal-rhythm-and-sensory-feedback">Spinal rhythm and sensory feedback</h2>



The team asked a simple question. If the controller swims well, can it also crawl on land when the ground is dotted with obstacles? They ran the robot through a peg field where pushing and bracing matter more than glide.



Stretch feedback made the difference. With stretch only, the robot found traction on the pegs and made steady headway. 



Pressure alone did not help in that setting, which fits earlier <a href="https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/acg/publications/Pace_%26_Gibb_2011.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> showing that elongated fishes such as ropefish change their kinematics across water and land in specific ways, with long, slow, high amplitude body waves on land.



The results suggest continuity rather than a clean break between swimming and crawling in these fishes. 



The same spinal rhythm and sensory feedback can drive both swimming and crawling, as long as the environment provides the right reaction forces. The fish doesn’t need a separate land-based neural controller to move



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-spinal-injuries-teach-us">What spinal injuries teach us</h2>



The most striking tests involved spinal cord transection. The group measured swimming in live American eels before and after a complete cut around the middle of the body, then matched those tests with simulation and robot runs using the same controller.&nbsp;



The movement behind the injury kept a similar frequency and phase as the movement in front of it, which echoes decades old <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11744256/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence</a> that eels can recover coordinated swimming after transection as regrowth advances.



In the model, that coordination did not need signals from the brain. It emerged when the local oscillators had some built-in tendency to tick on their own, and when stretch and pressure loops were strong enough. 



The body above the cut tugged the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-secretly-reshape-landscapes-in-powerful-ways/">body</a> below the cut into the same rhythm through passive motion and local sensing.



That simple recipe explains why eels can move immediately after injury while many amphibians and mammals cannot. If the posterior spinal cord cannot oscillate on its own, or if the feedback pathways are too weak, the two halves fall out of step and the body stalls.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eel-movement-robots-and-evolution">Eel movement, robots, and evolution</h2>



Robots that move without legs need to live with uncertainty. Water currents change, floors are cluttered, and obstacles shift. Prior <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abf6354" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> has shown that proprioceptive feedback can entrain undulatory robots into reliable patterns despite turbulence and noise.



This study adds pressure sensing on the skin to that recipe and shows how a simple stretch rule helps robots use clutter for propulsion. That means eel-like machines could search pipes, navigate earthquake rubble, or inspect tanks without complex top down control.



There is also a story about evolution here. If a swimming controller can produce useful crawling when the environment offers something to push against, early vertebrates may have needed adjustments more than a full rewrite to move onto land. Flexible circuits and strong local feedback could have carried a lot of that load.



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



Biologists can now test specific predictions in the lab. For example, they can look for descending stretch pathways that echo the model’s anterior to posterior copy rule, and they can probe how pressure sensors along the skin tune rhythm in moving fish.



Engineers can search for energy savings by blending stretch rules that boost stride with rules that prevent excessive bending. They can also explore how to route around damaged links in a robot by letting neighboring segments pull each other back into rhythm.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2422248122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Spinal secrets: What eels reveal about the origins of movement

Eels move in ways that seem to ignore the rules most vertebrates live by. They swim with flowing body waves, they can scoot across wet ground, and they often keep going even when the spinal cord is cut. According to a new paper, two simple body signals, stretch and pressure, help explain how that is possible. Those signals are not fancy. Stretch tells the body how much each segment bends, and pressure reports forces on the skin from water or from objects. When these signals are fed...

With names like the blue jay and the mallard, birds are among the most familiar wildlife to the general public. Yet bird naming - where the names come from, what they mean - has remained surprisingly underexplored.



A new study offers the most detailed look yet into this world, revealing patterns that stretch from biology to mythology - and even mistaken medieval beliefs.



Researchers from <a href="https://www.nyu.edu/">New York University</a> (NYU) and the <a href="https://nhm.org/">Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County</a> have compiled a massive database of nearly 11,000 English bird names. The findings show that nearly 90 percent are based on physical or ecological traits, while just 11 percent honor people.



The project is one of the first to quantify the structure and sources behind bird naming. It comes at a time when ornithology is reexamining how these names shape public understanding and whose stories they preserve.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-comprehensive-naming-atlas"><a></a>A comprehensive naming atlas</h2>



Erin Morrison is a professor in Liberal Studies at NYU and is co-lead author of the study. "Until this database, there was no quantitative way to analyze the current state of terms in English bird names,” she said. 



“In addition to showing that a very small percentage of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/all-birds-one-tree-complete-evolutionary-map-reveals-hidden-links/">birds</a> are named after people, the database reveals some of the terminology we use to name birds is very specialized."



"It points towards an issue with how accessible these names are, such as the isabelline shrike and the diademed sandpiper-plover, even to native English speakers.”



The resource, called the <a href="https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/avianlexiconatlas/home">AvianLexiconAtlas</a>, includes every known English-language bird species name. It categorizes the main descriptive term into one of ten thematic groups.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-bird-names-reveal">What bird names reveal</h2>



The categories range from physical characteristics, like the black-capped chickadee, to natural history traits, such as the rock pigeon. They also include cultural references and geographic ties, like the European <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/starlings-are-independent-navigators-not-copycats/">starling</a>.



Some names are straightforward: the yellow-rumped warbler clearly reflects a visual trait. Others, like Wilson’s warbler or Bonaparte’s gull, reference historical figures. 



These names often reflect who discovered or classified the species more than the birds themselves. Still others - such as the barnacle goose, once thought to hatch from barnacles - have roots in outdated folklore.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-renaming-effort-underway">Renaming effort underway </h2>



Allison Shultz is co-lead author and curator of ornithology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.



“The work gives us a rich insight into how birds are named overall,” she said. “Those naming processes can reflect all the strangeness and specificity of the people naming them, their culture, and their history - things that wouldn’t help tell you what a bird looks like.”



This disconnect between name and meaning is central to growing debates in ornithology. Names that once honored explorers or scientists are now being reconsidered. Institutions like the <a href="https://americanornithology.org/">American Ornithological Society</a> are moving to rename all species currently named after people.



The new study offers hard data to guide that shift, revealing just how few species actually fall into that category.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-changing-how-we-name-birds">Changing how we name birds</h2>



Common names are often the public’s main entry point to a species. Just as “California <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-animals-feel-the-beat-ronan-the-sea-lion-might-just-prove-it/">sea lion</a>” or “brown bear” might quickly convey meaning, bird names should do the same - but many don’t.



“In ornithology, there has been significant reflection among both professional researchers and amateur naturalists about what the terminology in regionally standardized English-language common names should communicate about species of birds,” Morrison noted.



The database could help guide future renaming decisions. It offers a consistent reference for how names are formed, what they signal, and whether they help or hinder understanding.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-classroom-idea-becomes-global-tool">Classroom idea becomes global tool</h2>



The project began in Morrison’s Life Science class at NYU in fall 2022, when students identified what type of descriptor formed the basis of a bird’s name.



They examined thousands of names and sorted them into categories: size, behavior, habitat, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/from-dinosaurs-to-birds-the-mysterious-origin-of-feathers/">plumage</a>, geography, or human reference.



“We found that 1,000 of the 11,000 species were named after male-only plumage, but just 20 were named after female-only plumage,” Shultz said. "The orange-bellied antwren is one of the few."



Students and faculty from NYU’s Liberal Studies program contributed to the final dataset and co-authored the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-names-more-inclusive">Making names more inclusive</h2>



The research team hopes that the AvianLexiconAtlas will serve as a foundational tool for both scientists and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birdwatching-can-significantly-improve-students-mental-health/">birdwatchers</a>. It includes not only the core dataset but also a glossary and a gazetteer to decode unfamiliar terms.



That may be especially helpful in parsing names like the Pincoya storm-petrel - named for a Chilean sea spirit said to dance on the waves - or the obscurely labeled baglafecht weaver.



“In the future, we look forward to combining what we learned with rich sources of data like our bird collections to understand the connections between birds and people better,” Shultz said. 



“Overall, this work provides valuable insights in helping develop approachable names that help strengthen this connection and ultimately help protect birds and nature.”



With names playing a central role in how people relate to the natural world, the project encourages a more thoughtful approach to how species are introduced, remembered, and preserved.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0325890">PLOS One</a>.



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Origins and oddities of bird names mapped for the first time

With names like the blue jay and the mallard, birds...

Acute diarrhea affects nearly 1 in 12 dogs annually in the UK. This stat comes from a new analysis of over 2.2 million vet health records. 



Led by Dan O’Neill at the <a href="https://www.rvc.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Veterinary College</a>, this study uncovers which dogs are most at risk, what symptoms they show, and how vets treat them.



“Experiencing the dreaded ‘poonami’ with your dog is one of those events any <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-may-respond-to-each-other-through-blinking/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dog</a> owner fears. This new study shows that diarrhea events are very common in dogs but that owners should not panic - no matter how bad the deluge, most dogs will recover in a few days after veterinary treatment,” Dr. O’Neil noted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dog-breeds-and-diarrhea-risk">Dog breeds and diarrhea risk</h2>



Some dogs are significantly more likely to suffer from diarrhea. The top at-risk <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-compares-dna-of-chernobyl-dogs-to-canines-living-outside-the-radiation-zone/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">breeds</a> include Cavapoo, Maltese, Miniature Poodle, German Shepherd, Yorkshire Terrier, and Cockapoo. 



Cavapoos had the highest annual incidence risk at nearly 15 percent, followed closely by Maltese and Miniature Poodles.



Why these breeds? Genetics may play a role, but it’s also possible that lifestyle and owner behavior matter. For example, owners of popular designer crossbreeds like Cavapoos may visit vets more often, leading to more diagnoses. 



Still, even accounting for this, the odds ratios point to real predispositions, especially in Miniature Poodles and their crossbred descendants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-designer-breeds-face-higher-diarrhea-odds">Designer breeds face higher diarrhea odds</h2>



Designer crossbreeds like Cockapoos and Cavapoos showed a higher risk than general crossbreeds or purebreds. 



This challenges the idea that hybrid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-can-understand-words-even-in-monotone-speech/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dogs</a> always benefit from hybrid vigor. Owners should be aware that these trendy dogs might need more digestive care than expected.



Interestingly, Jack Russell Terriers and Chihuahuas had lower odds of being diagnosed. These findings might help inform breed-specific guidance and early prevention efforts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-age-affects-dog-diarrhea-risk">Age affects dog diarrhea risk</h2>



Age stood out as a major factor. Dogs under 3 years and over 9 years had significantly higher odds of diarrhea. Puppies may eat things they shouldn’t. Older dogs might suffer due to weakened gut health or age-related illness.



The researchers found that very young dogs (under the age of one) had 2.4 times the odds of diarrhea compared to middle-aged dogs. Dogs over 14 had nearly 2.6 times the odds. For both groups, careful diet and close monitoring are key.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-common-symptoms-and-what-to-expect">Common symptoms and what to expect</h2>



For most of the dogs in the study, diarrhea was accompanied by other symptoms. Vomiting was seen in 44 percent of cases. Reduced appetite affected 28 percent, and 24 percent were lethargic. A smaller group of dogs (about 13 percent) showed signs of abdominal pain.



Roughly 29 percent of the cases were classified as hemorrhagic (bloody). Surprisingly, blood in stools did not increase the likelihood of lab testing on the first vet visit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simple-care-for-dog-diarrhea">Simple care for dog diarrhea</h2>



Most cases were managed with supportive care. Probiotics were used in 60 percent of cases. Dietary changes were prescribed in 44 percent. 



Antibiotics, though discouraged for mild cases, were still used in 38 percent of all cases. The most common was oral metronidazole.



Even more striking, 59 percent of hemorrhagic cases were treated with antibiotics, despite guidelines saying they usually should not be. These decisions seem driven by concern for the dog’s well-being and owner anxiety, not always evidence-based need.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-antibiotic-overuse-a-problem">Is antibiotic overuse a problem?</h2>



Veterinary experts have warned about this for years. Antibiotics should not be the go-to for uncomplicated diarrhea. 



Overuse of antibiotics heightens the risk of resistance and gut microbiome imbalance. Yet, fear of client dissatisfaction and ingrained habits keep antibiotics in play.



A recent European panel strongly advised against giving antibiotics to dogs with mild or moderate diarrhea, even if it’s bloody. They emphasize fluid therapy and dietary support instead.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-should-dog-owners-do">What should dog owners do?</h2>



Don't panic. Over 80 percent of diarrhea cases resolved with just one vet visit. Most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-our-relationships-with-dogs-matter-so-much/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dogs</a> got better within a few days, even without lab tests or medication.



But stay alert if your dog is very young, elderly, or from a high-risk breed. Monitor for repeated episodes, especially if blood is present or other symptoms appear.



This study gives vets and owners something rare: data from real dogs, in real clinics, across the UK. The message is clear. Diarrhea is common, but most dogs recover fast. Awareness, not alarm, is the best first step.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0324203" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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Some dogs have a higher risk of digestive problems like diarrhea

Acute diarrhea affects nearly 1 in 12 dogs annually in...

Life almost ended 252 million years ago. The end-Permian mass extinction wiped out 81% of marine life and over half of land-based <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-lizards-help-keep-madagascars-forests-alive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>. But not everything perished. Among the survivors were the archosauromorphs, small early reptiles that would later give rise to crocodiles, dinosaurs, and birds.



These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-found-to-have-a-sixth-sense-gecko-hearing-vibrations-changing-science-view-of-sound/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">creatures</a> were not supposed to survive the intense heat of the early Triassic tropics. Scientists considered this zone nearly lifeless. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-reptiles-crossed-deadly-zones">Ancient reptiles crossed deadly zones</h2>



New research published in the journal Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution&nbsp;reveals that archosauromorphs did more than endure the deadly zone. They moved through it.



Using a modeling system called TARDIS, which maps dispersal across time and space, researchers estimated the migration routes of 392 archosauromorph species. 



The model linked fossils with landscape data and climate reconstructions, exposing hidden paths through so-called inhospitable regions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-adaptability-and-niche-expansion">Climate adaptability and niche expansion</h2>



The study showed that these reptiles had much wider climate tolerances than fossil <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reptile-ancestors-appeared-40-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence</a> alone suggested. They adapted to extreme environments, including hot and dry zones with high temperature seasonality and low rainfall.



This ability to cross geographic and climatic barriers helped them enter new ecological niches. These movements likely shaped the evolutionary path that led to the rise of dinosaurs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-ancient-reptiles-outlived-extinction">How ancient reptiles outlived extinction</h2>



“Amid the worst climatic event in Earth’s history, where more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-discovery-pushes-back-reptile-evolution-by-40-million-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> died than at any period since, life still survived," said Dr. Joseph Flannery-Sutherland from the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Birmingham</a>, who led the study.



"We know that archosauromorphs as a group managed to come out of this event and over the Triassic period became one of the main players in shaping life thereafter."



“Gaps in their fossil record have increasingly begun to tell us something about what we weren’t seeing when it comes to these reptiles. Using our modeling system, we have been able to build a picture of what was happening to the archosauromorphs in these gaps and how they dispersed across the ancient world."



According to Dr. Flannery-Sutherland, the results of the study suggest that these reptiles were much hardier to the extreme climate of the Pangaean tropical dead zone, able to endure these hellish conditions to reach the other side of the world. 



"It’s likely that this ability to survive the inhospitable tropics may have conferred an advantage that saw them thrive in the Triassic world," he noted. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-evolutionary-radiation">Tracking evolutionary radiation</h2>



The paper describes how the reptiles’ dispersal began in the northern supercontinent Laurasia. Over time, they crossed Central Pangaean mountains and entered southern Gondwana. 



By the Wordian stage, long-distance movements had begun. These ancient reptiles not only traveled across land but also ventured into regions that lacked any fossil record. These regions were once thought off-limits.



The team found that climate conditions during these travels included both very high temperatures and arid environments. Their movement wasn’t random. It often followed low-elevation coastal routes, sometimes aided by monsoon-like humidity along ancient seashores.



“The evolution of life has been controlled at times by the environment, but it is difficult to integrate our limited and uncertain knowledge about the ancient landscape with our limited and uncertain knowledge about the ecology of extinct organisms," noted Professor Michael Benton, senior author of the study.



"But by combining the fossils with reconstructed maps of the ancient world, in the context of evolutionary trees, we provide a way of overcoming these challenges.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-capturing-the-full-story-of-reptiles">Capturing the full story of reptiles</h2>



The oldest fossils were found in Europe, but that may reflect better sampling rather than true origins. The study's models show that archosauromorphs could have existed elsewhere long before they appeared in the fossil record. 



In fact, dispersal paths into South America and North America predate the oldest known fossils there by up to 15 million years.



By measuring climate variables along these ancient migration routes, the researchers captured broader ecological diversity than fossils alone could show. This reveals how species adapted as they moved through different environments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-other-ancient-animals">Tracking other ancient animals</h2>



The authors suggest that similar modeling approaches could apply to other ancient lineages with poor fossil records. By coupling evolutionary trees with climate and terrain data, scientists can rebuild missing chapters of evolutionary history.



These early reptiles didn’t just bounce back from catastrophe. They reshaped their world through resilience and movement. Their journey laid the groundwork for the age of dinosaurs and ultimately modern birds and crocodiles.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02739-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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Reptiles survived 'hellish' conditions during Earth's worst climate crisis

Life almost ended 252 million years ago. The end-Permian mass...

Forests, mountains, and deserts are home to a quiet and elusive animal: the cougar. Often overlooked and frequently misunderstood, this powerful predator plays a vital role in North America’s ecosystems. 



On National Cougar Day, June 12, 2025, we take a closer look at the importance of this remarkable species - and the challenges it faces.



National Cougar Day isn’t just about appreciation - it’s a reminder that coexistence matters. It calls on us to learn, adapt, and do our part to protect the wild places and species that still survive alongside us.



As habitat loss and biodiversity decline continue, cougars have become a symbol of resilience. Their ability to survive in changing landscapes highlights the delicate balance of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cougars-hunt-smaller-prey-to-avoid-conflict-with-other-predators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a> - and the critical role top predators play in keeping that balance intact.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cougar-s-place-in-nature">The cougar’s place in nature</h2>



Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, are the most widely distributed wild cats in the Western Hemisphere. From the Canadian Yukon to the Andes Mountains of South America, these animals traverse grasslands, deserts, forests, and mountains. 



Despite their wide range, they remain elusive, mostly avoiding humans while maintaining an essential role in local <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-cougar-day-the-crucial-ecological-role-of-cougars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a>.



As apex predators, cougars help control prey populations, especially deer. This influences vegetation growth and benefits many other species. A balanced food chain reduces overgrazing, supports plant diversity, and stabilizes the broader environment. 



Cougars act as nature’s regulators, making sure that no species overwhelms the rest. Their role is subtle but foundational.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-national-cougar-day-was-created">Why National Cougar Day was created</h2>



National Cougar Day was established in 2019 to celebrate the ecological importance of cougars and draw attention to the threats they face.



Despite their broad range, cougars face habitat loss, human encroachment, road mortality, and lethal management policies in several states. These pressures grow stronger each year.



National Cougar Day seeks to change perceptions. It replaces fear with understanding, myth with science, and confrontation with coexistence. 



Conservation groups use the occasion to spread awareness, share research, and advocate for laws that protect cougars and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/apex-predators-can-help-restore-ecosystems-but-not-immediately/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a> they support.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-clear-focus-in-2025">A clear focus in 2025</h2>



National Cougar Day 2025 echoes a clear message across conservation <a href="https://mountainlion.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">communities</a>: coexistence. 



This year, many wildlife groups are focusing on practical ways to help humans and cougars share space safely. Instead of pushing them out or hunting them down, experts are encouraging informed policies and education.



This focus matters. Urban expansion enters cougar territory more each year, increasing the chance of conflict. Without education, these encounters often lead to tragic outcomes. Most often, it is the cougar that pays the price. 



Understanding how to prevent conflict can change this trend. Learning to interpret cougar behavior and create safe environments helps both humans and animals.



Coexistence includes wildlife corridors, community education, and responsible livestock management. These strategies already show positive results in some regions. They could provide the foundation for broader, lasting harmony between people and wildlife.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-threats-to-cougars">Growing threats to cougars</h2>



Cougars are not globally endangered, but their numbers decline in certain regions. Expanding human development slices through their migration paths. Roads, fences, and housing projects isolate populations. This leads to genetic bottlenecks and weakens long-term survival.



Some U.S. states continue to allow cougar hunting under wildlife management plans. While intended to regulate populations, studies show that this often creates instability. When dominant adult cougars are killed, young males take over, leading to more unpredictable behavior and increased human conflict.



The cougar’s greatest threat is human misunderstanding. For decades, stories and media shaped a fearful image. National Cougar Day invites us to look again. Science-based policies can ensure a future where cougars and people thrive together.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moving-forward-with-intention">Moving forward with intention</h2>



National Cougar Day 2025 comes during a time of growing environmental awareness. Climate change, habitat loss, and biodiversity decline dominate global conversations. 



In that context, the cougar’s story offers something different. It offers hope. Unlike many species in crisis, cougars still roam across vast areas. We still have time to act wisely.



This day invites thoughtful action. Watching a documentary, reading wildlife science, or supporting a <a href="https://cougarconservancy.org/save-la-cougars" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conservation campaign</a> can all help. Better awareness leads to smarter policies. Informed communities become protectors, not opponents.



By standing up for cougars, we stand up for healthy landscapes. Their survival means the ecosystem is still working. Their absence would show a system in collapse. 



When we protect cougars, we also protect every creature that depends on the balance they maintain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-significance-of-national-cougar-day">Significance of National Cougar Day </h2>



National Cougar Day is an opportunity to recognize an animal that often goes unnoticed but plays a vital role in the natural world. 



Cougars don’t demand attention - they survive quietly, shaping ecosystems simply by being part of them. But today, they face growing threats, and their future depends on our awareness and action. 



June 12 is a chance to learn, to speak up, and to support efforts that keep wild places wild - with cougars still a part of them.



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National Cougar Day 2025: Peacefully coexisting with wildlife

Forests, mountains, and deserts are home to a quiet and...

Pigs stand out among domestic animals for their intelligence, social behavior, and ability to adapt to various environments. But their historical journey from wild creatures to companions in early agricultural societies is just as compelling.



Across centuries, they have played vital roles in food systems, cultural traditions, and even scientific research. Their domestication marks not only a biological transformation but also a deepening relationship between humans and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/from-wolves-to-dogs-did-domestication-begin-without-human-help/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a>.



A new study, led by researchers from <a href="https://home.dartmouth.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dartmouth</a>, offers fresh insight into that transformation. The findings trace the origins of pig domestication back nearly 8,000 years, placing the earliest known human-pig interactions in South China. 



This discovery does more than date an evolutionary milestone. It adds depth to our understanding of how early agricultural communities shaped - and were shaped by - the animals around them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracing-the-first-domesticated-pigs">Tracing the first domesticated pigs</h2>



For years, scholars believed China might be one of the centers where pigs were first <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/all-domestic-horses-have-ancestors-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">domesticated</a>. However, evidence remained scattered and incomplete. This new research bridges that gap. 



The study shows that pigs living near humans began to eat leftover cooked food and scavenge waste during the early Neolithic period, around 8,000 years ago. 



This was the time in which humans shifted from foraging to farming and made their earliest attempts at domestication. Among the species they tried to domesticate were wild boars - large, fierce creatures with big heads and strong teeth.



"While most wild boars are naturally aggressive, some are more friendly and less afraid of people, which are the ones that may live alongside humans," explained lead author Jiajing Wang. 



"Living with humans gave them easy access to food, so they no longer needed to maintain their robust physiques."



As a consequence, their characteristics underwent changes. "Over time, their bodies became smaller, and their brains also became smaller by about one-third," Wang said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pig-teeth-reveal-early-signs-of-domestication">Pig teeth reveal early signs of domestication</h2>



Traditionally, archaeologists examine bones to detect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sheep-have-been-intertwined-with-humans-for-over-11000-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">domestication</a>. But this method can miss early behavioral changes. "What probably came first were behavioral changes, like becoming less aggressive and more tolerant of humans," noted Wang.



So the team used a different approach. They analyzed dental calculus - plaque buildup - on 32 pig teeth. These came from ancient sites in the Lower Yangtze River region: Jingtoushan and Kuahuqiao.



Waterlogged conditions helped preserve the organic material. Researchers recovered 240 starch granules from the plaque deposits. These showed that the pigs had eaten cooked rice, yams, an unknown tuber, acorns, and grasses.



"These are plants that were present in the environment at that time and were found in human settlements," said Wang.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pigs-lived-closely-with-humans">Pigs lived closely with humans</h2>



The researchers found another sign of pig-human intimacy: parasite eggs. Specifically, whipworm eggs. These eggs can grow inside human intestines. They showed up in 16 pig specimens and represent the earliest archaeological evidence of human whipworm in East Asia.



"Pigs are known for their habit of eating human waste, so that is additional evidence that these pigs were probably living with humans or having a very close relationship with them," noted Wang.



Wang also added that pigs do not cook food for themselves, so were probably being fed scraps from human food, or possibly scavenging the scraps from waste sites. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pig-domestication-and-scavenging">Pig domestication and scavenging</h2>



The team also studied tooth sizes. Some pigs had teeth like today’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chicken-domestication-humans-timeline-silk-road-evidence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">domestic</a> pigs. This supports the idea that some were already under human care .



"Wild boars were probably attracted to human settlements as people started settling down and began growing their own food," said Wang. 



"These settlements created a large amount of waste, and that waste attracts scavengers for food, which in turn fosters selection mechanisms that favored animals willing to live alongside humans."



This supports the “commensal pathway” theory - animals first came for food, not because humans wanted to tame them. But Wang’s team also saw signs of the “prey pathway,” where people began managing pigs directly.



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



"Our study shows that some wild boars took the first step towards domestication by scavenging human waste," concluded Wang.



This study also highlights a key issue: living close to animals can spread diseases. Parasite transfer likely began early in human settlements.



The research involved several scholars: Yiyi Tang, Yunfei Zheng, Leping Jiang, Guoping Sun, Xiaolin Ma, and Yanfeng Hou. Their work brings us closer to understanding the long, messy, and fascinating journey of pig domestication.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2507123122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Biologists finally unravel the surprising story of how humans domesticated pigs

Pigs stand out among domestic animals for their intelligence, social...

Each year on June 11, the world turns its attention to a quiet predator. International Lynx Day celebrates the mysterious and solitary lynx, one of the forest’s most skilled hunters. 



In 2025, the event serves as both a tribute and a call to action. The lynx may seem invisible in the wild, but their presence shapes entire ecosystems.



This day reminds us of the delicate balance between nature and human development. It invites reflection, education, and renewed commitment to preserving the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protecting-lynx-habitat-in-a-shifting-landscape/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>. As pressures on forests intensify, the lynx remains a symbol of resilience, solitude, and environmental health. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-closer-look-at-the-lynx-family">A closer look at the lynx family</h2>



The lynx belongs to a small but mighty group within the cat family. There are four distinct species: the Eurasian lynx, the Canada lynx, the Iberian lynx, and the bobcat. 



All share tufted ears, large paws, and a taste for stealth. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saving-the-iberian-lynx-how-humans-rescued-this-rare-feline-from-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a> live across varied landscapes, from snowy boreal forests to rugged Mediterranean terrain.



The Eurasian lynx is the largest, thriving in pockets across Europe and Asia. The Canada lynx, adapted for deep snow, follows the snowshoe hare's cycle. 



The Iberian lynx, once the most endangered feline in the world, roams the Iberian Peninsula. The bobcat, North America’s smallest lynx species, is widespread but often misunderstood.



Each lynx plays a vital ecological role. They keep prey populations in check, maintain healthy forests, and support biodiversity. However, despite their adaptability, these animals face rising threats that challenge their survival across the globe.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dramatic-recovery-of-the-iberian-lynx">Dramatic recovery of the Iberian lynx</h2>



Of all the lynx <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/canada-lynxs-historic-range-points-to-a-promising-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>, the Iberian lynx’s comeback is the most dramatic. In the early 2000s, fewer than 100 individuals remained in the wild. Conservationists feared extinction. Then came a surge of action: breeding programs, habitat protection, and public awareness campaigns.



Today, there are over 2,000 Iberian lynx roaming free. The species has moved from "Critically Endangered" to "Endangered" on the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IUCN Red List</a>. “This is one of the greatest conservation success stories of the 21st century,” said Miguel Ángel Simón, a leading lynx conservationist in Spain.



Despite this progress, dangers persist. Lynx often fall victim to vehicle collisions. Encroaching development fragments their habitat. 



Conservation groups warn that if momentum slows, the population could stall or reverse. Continued protection, monitoring, and expansion of territory remain critical for the Iberian lynx to thrive long term.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-habitat-fragmentation-a-shared-threat">Habitat fragmentation: A shared threat</h2>



All lynx <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/canada-lynx-survival-linked-to-life-cycle-of-snowshoe-hares/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> depend on large, connected forests. When these habitats become isolated, their survival grows uncertain. Roads, farms, and fences block their natural movement. This not only leads to accidents but also weakens genetic diversity through inbreeding.



In Europe, rewilding efforts have reintroduced lynx to places like the Alps, Jura Mountains, and parts of the Balkans. These animals show strong adaptability when given the space. Yet gaps remain. Connectivity between territories is often poor.



In North America, especially Canada, logging and climate change impact the snowshoe hare. With their main prey in decline, lynx populations also suffer. Meanwhile, bobcats, though more resilient, struggle with suburban expansion and reduced prey.



Conservationists argue that saving lynx means more than protecting forest patches. It requires landscape-scale planning and collaboration across borders and communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-honoring-international-lynx-day">Honoring International Lynx Day </h2>



This year’s International Lynx Day pushes for deeper thinking about conservation. It emphasizes both physical and emotional ties. Forests must be reconnected through wildlife corridors. But people also need to reconnect with nature and with each other.



Wildlife crossings such as green bridges and tunnels are gaining popularity. These help lynx cross busy roads without risk. Forest buffers between farms and wild zones also create safe paths. Some regions in Germany and Switzerland have already seen benefits from such solutions.



Public engagement forms the heart of these efforts. Many communities hold nature walks, host talks, and run school programs during International Lynx Day. Young people, in particular, are seen as crucial allies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-perception-and-coexistence">Public perception and coexistence </h2>



Living alongside lynx is not always easy. In some regions, livestock predation fuels resentment. Hunters sometimes see lynx as competition. But research shows that these conflicts often come from misunderstanding.



Lynx are shy and rarely seen. They prefer deer or hares to sheep or goats. Many attacks on livestock are wrongly blamed on them. 



Education and compensation schemes have helped reduce these tensions. In Portugal and Spain, coexistence training has made local farmers more willing to support lynx programs.



Art, film, and storytelling also help reshape public perception. The cultural approaches, when combined with scientific ones, create lasting change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-take-action-on-international-lynx-day">Take action on International Lynx Day </h2>



The lynx does not demand loud attention. It walks quietly, blends in, and keeps to itself. But its survival depends on our willingness to act. International Lynx Day challenges individuals and governments alike.



You do not need to see a lynx in the wild to help. By protecting forests, supporting conservation groups, and spreading awareness, you contribute to their survival. Every tree preserved, every corridor built, and every child educated brings the lynx closer to safety



Let this year’s celebration be more than symbolic. Let it be a turning point where connection becomes action and the silent footsteps of the lynx continue to echo through the forests for generations to come.



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International Lynx Day 2025: Protecting the silent hunters of the forest

Each year on June 11, the world turns its attention...

Each year, more than two trillion wild and farmed fish are killed to feed humanity. Their deaths often go unnoticed. Yet beneath the surface is a simple biological fact: fish can suffer.



Rainbow trout, a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-fish-provide-climate-resilient-nutrition-for-a-warming-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> farmed and consumed across the globe, experience not just death - but a prolonged and intense form of distress when killed by air asphyxiation. 



A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports shines a light on this pain and offers a pathway to reduce it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-pain-needs-better-measurement">Fish pain needs better measurement</h2>



Unlike environmental impact or public health, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crabs-lobsters-crustaceans-feel-pain-calls-for-immediate-ban-on-boiling-them-alive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animal suffering lacks a universal metric</a>. There are no equivalents to carbon footprints or life years lost. To address this, scientists developed the Welfare Footprint Framework (WFF).



This tool measures pain in minutes, allowing researchers to compare welfare outcomes across species and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-oceans-day-2025-sustaining-what-sustains-us/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conditions</a>. The research team applied this method to trout slaughter, where air exposure is still a widely used technique.



Fish, when pulled from water, begin a slow and stressful decline. Their gills collapse. They gasp in panic. Their blood chemistry spirals. Oxygen disappears while carbon dioxide builds. 



These biological reactions unfold as the fish continues to move, gasp, and suffer - sometimes for as long as 25 minutes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-suffer-up-to-25-minutes">Fish suffer up to 25 minutes </h2>



The researchers divided the trout's suffering into four time segments. These range from alarm at removal to the final depression of brain activity before unconsciousness. 



Through behavioral, neurological, and pharmacological evidence, the team estimated that the average trout endures about ten minutes of pain that qualifies as hurtful, disabling, or excruciating. 



In some conditions, this could stretch beyond 20 minutes. When adjusted by weight, that translates to 24 minutes of such pain per kilogram (about 11 minutes per pound) of fish killed.



The team used neurophysiological data like EEG signals and reflex loss to identify unconsciousness. They reviewed how fish respond to CO₂, pH imbalance, muscle exhaustion, and fear-inducing stimuli. Each pain level had specific criteria, ranging from annoyance to total disruption of basic functions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-current-methods-cause-painful-deaths">Current methods cause painful deaths</h2>



Air asphyxiation is still legal and common in many parts of the world. But it is neither quick nor painless. Chilling in ice or using ice slurry might sound gentler, yet for cold-adapted species like trout, this method just slows down metabolism. 



This can delay loss of consciousness even further, compounding the suffering. Ice exposure also risks tissue damage, thermal shock, and prolonged fear.



The research shows that suffering does not always begin at the point of slaughter. It often starts well before. 



Crowding, transport, and handling all add to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-thought-extinct-for-85-years-reappears-in-himalayan-river-chel-snakehead/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fish</a>’s cumulative pain. These pre-slaughter stressors can cause physical injury and hours of distress. Yet, regulations usually overlook them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stunning-can-help-fish-suffer-less">Stunning can help fish suffer less </h2>



The study evaluated two types of stunning: electrical and percussive. Electrical stunning, if properly used, could spare 60 to 1,200 minutes of suffering for every dollar spent. This makes it one of the most cost-effective welfare interventions known. 



But implementation remains inconsistent. In many commercial settings, electrical stunning fails to reliably render fish unconscious. Poor placement of electrodes, inadequate voltage, or faulty machines may undermine the potential benefits.



Percussive stunning - a physical blow to the head - has shown better consistency in lab settings. But it's difficult to scale. Fish vary in size. Equipment must be precisely calibrated. Worker fatigue also reduces effectiveness. Any slip means the fish remains conscious while bleeding out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-language-for-animal-pain">A new language for animal pain</h2>



What makes the Welfare Footprint Framework powerful is its transparency. Instead of assigning a fixed label to pain, it works with probabilities. If scientists believe there's a 40% chance the pain is disabling and a 40% chance it is excruciating, the framework includes both.



This makes the model flexible and more reflective of real-world uncertainty. Pain, like emotion, varies between individuals. Some fish may suffer more than others, even under identical conditions.



"The Welfare Footprint Framework provides a rigorous and transparent evidence-based approach to measuring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-fish-species-are-the-big-catch-of-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animal</a> welfare, and enables informed decisions about where to allocate resources for the greatest impact," noted Dr. Wladimir Alonso from <a href="https://welfarefootprint.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Welfare Footprint Institute</a>.



This approach mirrors models used in public health or environmental science. Just like life years lost to disease, we can now talk about minutes of suffering saved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-policies-and-people">Implications for policies and people</h2>



Fish slaughter occupies only minutes in an animal’s life - but these minutes can be extremely painful. Compared to long-term reforms on farms, slaughter improvements are easier to implement and affect billions of lives. 



The study's authors argue that investing in better stunning tools and training workers can provide enormous welfare gains.



For policy makers, this research offers a scientific foundation to reform outdated practices. Certification schemes can set minimum stunning effectiveness based on real pain data. 



Governments can use this to guide humane slaughter laws. For consumers, it gives a new way to think about what ends up on their plate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-fish-suffer-too">Other fish suffer too</h2>



Though this study focused on rainbow trout, the underlying stress pathways - oxygen deprivation, acidosis, metabolic failure - are common across fish species. That means the Welfare Footprint Framework can be adapted. 



Salmon, catfish, seabass, tilapia - they all may suffer in similar ways during air exposure. However, each species will need specific data. 



Some tolerate low oxygen better. Others may react more strongly to ice. Future research must expand to include this diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-turning-point-for-aquatic-welfare">A turning point for aquatic welfare</h2>



The world is just beginning to reckon with the sentience of fish. For decades, their pain was denied or ignored. But science no longer allows that. 



With trillions of fish slaughtered every year, even small improvements can have vast impact.



The WFF doesn’t just measure pain. It opens a language of empathy grounded in evidence. It lets regulators, producers, and consumers weigh the cost of change. 



And perhaps, most importantly, the framework acknowledges what fish have felt all along - suffering that deserves to be seen and reduced.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-04272-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



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Scientists prove fish suffer "intense pain" for at least 10 minutes after catch, calls made for reforms

Each year, more than two trillion wild and farmed fish...

Beautiful,Black-browed,Albatross,,Falkland,Islands,,South,Atlantic,Ocean

Marion Island, a speck of volcanic rock about 1,243 miles southeast of Cape Town, hardly looks like the setting for a horror story. Yet on this windy, treeless outpost, an invasion of house mice is turning a haven for seabirds into a crime scene. 



Night after night, the rodents swarm across the nests of wandering albatrosses and other ocean-roaming birds, gnawing at eggs - and, more recently, at the birds themselves.



The attacks are easy to miss if you picture mice as timid scavengers. On Marion, milder winters have stretched their breeding season, ballooning their numbers. 



With plants and insects picked clean, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modern-day-plague-rodents-fleas-and-their-impact-on-wildlife/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rodents</a> have discovered an easier, protein-rich target that can’t flee: birds that never evolved defenses against land predators.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invasive-mice-wreaking-havoc">Invasive mice wreaking havoc</h2>



House mice first arrived on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/205064b0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marion Island</a> in the early 1800s, stowed away on sealing vessels. For most of the next century, they nibbled seeds and invertebrates. 



Warming temperatures, though, gave them extra breeding cycles each year. The population boom pushed the mice to experiment, and birds - stationary, trusting, and plentiful - proved irresistible.



Visitors now report grisly scenes at dawn. Adult <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strong-winds-make-it-difficult-for-albatrosses-to-feed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">albatrosses</a> sit tight on nests, unblinking, while scores of mice chew away at feathers, skin, and muscle. 



Lacking any instinct to fight back, the birds endure the assault until sheer blood loss or infection finishes the job.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-mice-can-displace-seabirds">How mice can displace seabirds</h2>



Marion shelters roughly one-quarter of the world’s wandering albatrosses, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/albatrosses-use-infrasound-for-long-distance-navigation-study-reveals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">legendary fliers</a> whose wings can stretch 11 feet tip to tip. In all, 29 seabird species breed on the island, yet 19 now face local extinction. 



Climate change adds another layer of trouble: warmer seas push fish farther south or deeper, forcing parent birds to travel longer for food and return to nests depleted.



Chicks miss meals; adults miss breeding windows. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seabirds-have-different-strategies-to-survive-storms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Extreme storms</a>, whipped up by hotter oceans, wash away nest sites perched on exposed tussock slopes. Combined with the mouse attacks, these pressures make every breeding season a roll of the dice.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kill-the-mice-save-the-seabirds">Kill the mice, save the seabirds</h2>



“These mice, for the first time last year, were found to be feeding on adult Wandering Albatrosses,” stated Anderson, who also serves as the CEO of <a href="https://www.birdlife.org.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BirdLife South Africa</a>. His team’s camera traps record the slow-motion assaults in heartbreaking detail.



“Mice just climb onto them and slowly eat them until they succumb,” said Anderson. The sad, slow process of dying can take days for a bird. “We are losing hundreds of thousands of seabirds every year through the mice.”



Enter the <a href="https://mousefreemarion.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mouse-Free Marion Project</a>, an operation every bit as ambitious as it sounds. 



The blueprint involves loading helicopters with 600 tons of cereal pellets laced with rodenticide and spreading them across the island’s 15.5-mile length and 10.6-mile width. 



Of the $29 million price tag, about a quarter is already in the bank.



“We have to get rid of every last mouse,” emphasized Anderson. “If there were a male and female remaining, they could breed and eventually get back to where we are now.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-from-a-previous-fiasco">Lessons from a previous fiasco</h2>



Conservationists have tried drastic fixes here before. In the 1940s, cats were introduced to curb the rodents; instead, the felines multiplied and devoured roughly 450,000 birds each year. 



A massive trapping campaign finally removed the last cat in 1991, but the mice inherited an island free of natural enemies.



That cautionary tale hangs over today’s planning sessions. Project leaders stress that baiting must be swift and island-wide - no gaps, no second chances. 



Precision GPS flight lines and winter timing, when most summer-nesting birds are offshore, aim to protect non-target wildlife.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-is-everything">Timing is everything</h2>



Winter 2027 is the chosen window, when food is scarce for mice yet most seabirds have migrated north. Helicopters, weather permitting, will crisscross Marion in overlapping swaths to rain down pellets. 



Comparable missions on <a href="https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/south-georgia-mainland-islands-islets-and-stacks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">South Georgia</a> and New Zealand’s <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/southland/places/subantarctic-islands/antipodes-islands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antipodes Islands</a> wiped out rats and mice in recent years, showing the blueprint can work even in harsh sub-Antarctic weather.



Logisticians still face headaches: sudden katabatic winds, hidden lava domes, and thick coastal fog that can ground aircraft for days. Even so, a successful first pass is cheaper and kinder than chasing survivors for decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seabirds-mice-and-invasive-species">Seabirds, mice, and invasive species</h2>



The Marion saga isn’t an isolated oddity. Islands make up barely two percent of Earth’s land, yet they hold an outsize share of endangered species. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-have-become-one-of-the-worlds-most-invasive-predators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Invasive predators</a> - rats, cats, pigs, and now even mice - have driven 75 percent of recorded bird, mammal, and reptile extinctions on islands worldwide. 



Climate change intensifies that pressure, allowing hardy generalists to outcompete specialists already living on the edge.



Protecting seabird strongholds pays off far beyond the shoreline. Albatrosses and petrels fertilize oceans with guano rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-plankton-are-key-players-in-carbon-cycle-regulation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">boosting plankton</a> and fish that feed coastal communities. 



Lose the birds, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-viruses-hijack-ocean-plants-to-control-marine-food-webs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine food webs</a> feel the pinch.



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



Funding gaps still loom, and the clock keeps ticking. Yet every dollar pledged brings the Mouse-Free Marion Project closer to takeoff. 



If helicopters lift off in 2027 and every pellet lands where it should, Marion could echo with healthy albatross calls again within a decade. That would free the conservationists to tackle other invaded islands before more birds vanish.



For now, researchers keep watch through wind-lashed winters, counting nests and documenting each fresh wound. 



The task is grim, but the payoff - restoring one of the world’s greatest seabird nurseries - would be well worth the sleepless nights. 



Should the plan succeed, Marion Island might one day be known not for its tragedy, but for showing how persistence, good science, and a bit of grit can tip the balance back in favor of the wild.



<a href="https://www.birdlife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Visit BirdLife International</a> for more information on this and other topics.



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Officials plan to literally “bomb” invasive mice that are eating seabirds alive

Marion Island, a speck of volcanic rock about 1,243 miles...

When ships travel to the ends of the Earth, their anchors leave more than temporary marks - they create lasting scars on fragile marine life and ecosystems. 



From tourism vessels to research ships, maritime traffic is growing even in the far reaches of Antarctica. And with every anchor dropped, the seafloor is at risk.



Undersea cables, pipelines, and sensitive wildlife habitats can all be damaged by this simple act. Yet, anchoring remains almost completely unregulated in polar waters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anchors-leave-their-mark-in-antarctica">Anchors leave their mark in Antarctica</h2>



Scientists have recorded new underwater footage that reveals the impact of ship anchoring in Antarctica’s remote marine environments. Their findings offer a rare look into an underreported environmental issue that’s hidden from view.



“This is the first time the impacts of ship anchoring and chain damage are documented in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-antarctic-waters-are-cooling-in-a-warming-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic waters</a>," explained Matthew Mulrennan, a marine scientist and founder of KOLOSSAL, an ocean exploration and conservation nonprofit in California.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_undisturbed_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_undisturbed_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1s.webp" alt="Directly adjacent to the anchoring sites, marine life flourished. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL." class="wp-image-1973330"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Directly adjacent to the anchoring sites, marine life flourished. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL.</figcaption></figure>



"Activities in Antarctica have a lot of strict rules around conservation, yet ship anchoring is almost completely unregulated."



Study co-author Dr. Sally Watson, a marine geophysicist from New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, emphasized the urgency of the situation.



"Documentation is way overdue, given the importance of these ecosystems and the protections we place on them. Anchoring impacts are understudied and underestimated globally. It’s so important to recognize and mitigate the impacts across all industries and limit planned anchoring,” said Dr. Watson.



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



During the austral summer of 2022-23, researchers recorded underwater footage across 36 sites near the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heat-in-tasman-sea-is-melting-the-antarctic-peninsula/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic Peninsula</a> and South Georgia Island. 



Cameras were positioned at various depths - close to the surface, midwater, and just one meter above the seabed. What they captured was alarming.



In areas where ships had dropped anchor, the ocean floor was visibly disturbed. Grooves and striations crisscrossed the seabed, and patches of mud covered the habitat. 



At these sites, marine life was sparse or entirely absent. Sponge colonies were crushed, and overall benthic biomass was nearly nonexistent. Yet, just meters away, life thrived - showing that the destruction was highly localized and recent.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_crushed-stars-sponges_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_crushed-stars-sponges_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1s.webp" alt="Striations, grooves, and mud deposits from anchor retrieval were visible in the substrate of the ocean floor. The researchers observed crushed sponge colonies. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL" class="wp-image-1973333"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Striations, grooves, and mud deposits from anchor retrieval were visible in the substrate of the ocean floor. The researchers observed crushed sponge colonies. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL</figcaption></figure>



“The observed damage was a near miss to three giant volcano <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sponges-are-mysteriously-moving-across-the-arctic-seafloor/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sponges</a>, believed to be the oldest animals on the planet, which may live up to 15,000 years,” said Mulrennan.



The team also observed other species at risk, including Antarctic sun stars, giant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-identify-cold-adaptations-in-nervous-system-of-antarctic-octopus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic octopuses</a>, sea spiders, and various fish, all of which dwell at depths that make them vulnerable to anchoring.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chain-reaction-across-ecosystems">Chain reaction across ecosystems</h2>



According to the researchers, the impacts of ship anchors to marine life extend beyond individual species.



“The weird and wonderful animals that are impacted, like sponges, are important for filtering water, carbon sequestration, and providing shelter, food, and complex habitats which benefit the whole marine ecosystem, including penguins and seals - the animals tourists come to see,” noted Mulrennan.



This ripple effect could alter the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-ice-loss-is-transforming-the-marine-food-web/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food web</a>, and affect iconic Antarctic wildlife that draws attention and resources for conservation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slow-recovery-in-cold-waters">Slow recovery in cold waters</h2>



Life in Antarctica is tough, slow, and highly adapted. That makes it especially vulnerable to disruption. Many organisms in anchor zones are slow-growing and can’t relocate. Recovery could take decades - or more.



“We know that anchor impacts in tropical reefs can last a decade. In muddy sediment the scours can still be visible over a decade later,” said Dr. Watson.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_Antarctic-sun-stars_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_Antarctic-sun-stars_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1s.webp" alt="The researchers recorded giant volcano sponges, Antarctic sun stars, giant Antarctic octopus, sea spiders, and a variety of fish at anchorable depths. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL" class="wp-image-1973328"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The researchers recorded giant volcano sponges, Antarctic sun stars, giant Antarctic octopus, sea spiders, and a variety of fish at anchorable depths. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL</figcaption></figure>



“Ecological recovery is really site specific. Things in cold waters are much slower growing than in warmer temperatures so I expect that recovery would take longer the higher the latitude.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anchor-impacts-on-marine-life">Anchor impacts on marine life</h2>



The researchers say more work is needed. Studies should examine both short- and long-term effects of anchoring, recovery timelines, and how broader ecological functions are disrupted. 



But a major hurdle remains: there is no global database tracking where and how often ships anchor in polar regions.



“Anchoring is likely the most overlooked ocean conservation issue in terms of global seafloor disruption; it is on par with the damages from bottom trawling,” Mulrennan concluded. “It’s a pressing environmental issue, but it’s out of sight, out of mind.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2025.1500652/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Conservation Science</a>.



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Ship anchors are doing great harm to protected ocean life on the Antarctic seafloor

When ships travel to the ends of the Earth, their...

Fossilized plant fragments preserved inside the belly of an Australian sauropod dinosaur have given researchers the first complete snapshot of what these long-necked giants actually ate. The evidence firmly backs the long-held view that they were voracious herbivores.



The findings are based on a subadult specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae that roamed what is now Queensland between 94 and 101 million years ago. Its last meals reveal a mixed, unchewed salad of conifer foliage, seed-fern fruiting bodies, and flowering-plant leaves.



The dinosaur broke off these plant fragments instead of chewing them, leaving the gut microbes to do the hard work of digestion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unique-dinosaur-discovery">Unique dinosaur discovery</h2>



“No genuine sauropod gut contents had ever been found anywhere before, despite sauropods being known from fossils found on every continent” said lead author Stephen Poropat, a paleontologist at <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curtin University</a>.



Until now, scientists pieced together sauropod menus indirectly - examining tooth scratches, jaw mechanics, and neck reach. 



The new discovery provides something more definitive: a preserved cololite, or fossil gut content. Scientists can analyze this down to the species of plant it contains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-discovery-in-australia">Big discovery in Australia</h2>



The breakthrough came during the 2017 field season at the <a href="https://www.australianageofdinosaurs.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum</a>. Volunteers preparing the Diamantinasaurus skeleton noticed a fractured, oddly packed slab of sediment lodged among the ribs.



Careful extraction revealed dozens of delicate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-reveals-how-plants-use-winged-seeds-to-expand-their-habitats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plant fossils</a>: scales from conifer needles, seed-fern pods. The researchers also found tender angiosperm leaves and even tiny shoots and bracts.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sauropod-guts_fossilized_australia_credit-Stephen-Poropat_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sauropod-guts_fossilized_australia_credit-Stephen-Poropat_1s.webp" alt="Australian Age of Dinosaurs Collection Manager Mackenzie Enchelmaier holds up sauropod gut content fossil. Credit: Stephen Poropat" class="wp-image-1973337"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Australian Age of Dinosaurs Collection Manager Mackenzie Enchelmaier holds up sauropod gut content fossil. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Stephen Poropat</figcaption></figure>



Chemical analyses later detected biomarkers of both angiosperms and gymnosperms, confirming the findings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-insights-into-sauropod-feeding">New insights into sauropod feeding</h2>



Microscopic inspection revealed that the sauropod had snapped, not shredded, most plant fragments.



“The plants within show evidence of having been severed, possibly bitten, but have not been chewed, supporting the hypothesis of bulk feeding in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-species-of-sauropod-dinosaur-discovered/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sauropods</a>,” noted Poropat.



The conclusion matches anatomical expectations: sauropod teeth evolved for nipping vegetation rather than grinding it. 



Instead, these dinosaurs likely swallowed mouthfuls whole, letting fermentation chambers and resident microbes break down the cellulose.



Chemical signatures in the cololite point to an “eat what’s within reach” strategy rather than selective browsing.



“This implies that at least some sauropods were not selective feeders, instead eating whatever plants they could reach and safely process,” Poropat explained.



That indiscriminate appetite would have amplified the ecological influence of sauropods. It allowed their vast bodies to recycle nutrients across entire landscapes during the Jurassic and Cretaceous.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-surprise-serving-of-flowers">A surprise serving of flowers</h2>



The team expected to find conifer and seed-fern remains, but the presence of flowering-plant foliage caught them off-guard.



“Angiosperms became approximately as diverse as conifers in Australia around 100 to 95 million years ago, when this sauropod was alive,” Poropat said.



“This suggests that sauropods had successfully adapted to eat <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flowering-plants-appeared-two-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flowering plants</a> within 40 million years of the first evidence of the presence of these plants in the fossil record.”



The finding suggests these dinosaurs quickly incorporated new plant types as they emerged in Mesozoic ecosystems.



Because the specimen was a subadult, the researchers infer it could graze both low and mid-story vegetation. Hatchlings grazed only on groundcover, while fully-grown adults could strip branches from treetops.



The abundance of soft shoots and seed pods suggests that younger Diamantinasaurus individuals targeted nutrient-rich new growth, which ferments more easily than woody tissue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-stomach-many-questions"><a></a>One stomach, many questions</h2>



Poropat stresses that the study offers “a single data point.” The snapshot captures only the last few meals of one individual and may not represent typical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossilized-poop-reveals-the-diet-of-dinosaurs-200-million-years-ago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diets</a>, seasonal shifts, or adult feeding habits.



Even a single case shows that gut-content fossils, though rare, can confirm hypotheses and refine our view of dinosaur ecology.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sauropod-dinosaur_Diamantinasaurus-matildae_illustration_credit-Travis-Tischler_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sauropod-dinosaur_Diamantinasaurus-matildae_illustration_credit-Travis-Tischler_1s.webp" alt="Artist impression of Diamantinasaurus matildae feeding. Credit: Travis Tischler" class="wp-image-1973335"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Artist impression of Diamantinasaurus matildae feeding. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Travis Tischler</figcaption></figure>



The team hopes further excavations in the Winton Formation and other Cretaceous sites will yield additional cololites to broaden the picture.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-feeding-for-giants">Feeding for giants</h2>



Taken together, the findings bolster the idea that “indiscriminate bulk feeding” underpinned sauropod dominance for roughly 130 million years.



By gulping vast quantities of whatever greenery was available and outsourcing digestion to microbial partners, these giants could fuel bodies the size of whales on land.



As Poropat and colleagues point out, understanding that strategy not only illuminates dinosaur biology but also helps reconstruct the plant communities and nutrient cycles of ancient Earth.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960982225005500" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a>.



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Fossilized guts reveal the eating habits of sauropod dinosaurs

Fossilized plant fragments preserved inside the belly of an Australian...

Springtime in the Arctic is a spectacular show of life, as millions of birds gather to nest and raise their young under the midnight sun. Remarkably, this annual ritual traces its roots back much further than previously believed - 73 million years ago. 



That’s the conclusion of a recently published study that identifies the oldest known evidence of birds nesting in the polar regions.



The discovery was made in northern Alaska’s Prince Creek Formation. It reveals that several types of birds were already breeding in the Arctic during the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/late-cretaceous-dinosaur-was-sluggish-and-nearly-deaf/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Late Cretaceous</a> period, when dinosaurs still ruled the land.



These findings challenge previous assumptions about where and when ancient birds reproduced - and expand the timeline of avian life in Earth’s most extreme environments by more than 25 million years.



“For half of the time they have existed, they have been nesting in the Arctic,” said Lauren Wilson, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student at <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Princeton University</a>. Wilson completed her master’s degree at the <a href="https://www.uaf.edu/uaf/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Alaska Fairbanks</a> (UAF), where the research began.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-fossils-rewrite-history">Bird fossils rewrite history</h2>



Using a collection of over 50 fossilized bird bones and teeth excavated from Alaska’s North Slope, Wilson and her team made an important discovery. They identified several species of birds that appear to have nested in the region.



These included diving birds similar to modern loons, gull-like species, and various duck- and goose-like waterfowl. 



The bones representing juveniles - some likely still nest-bound - offer strong evidence that these birds were not merely passing through but breeding in the Arctic.



“Finding bird bones from the Cretaceous is already a very rare thing,” Wilson said. “To find baby bird bones is almost unheard of. That is why these fossils are significant.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saving-fragile-fossil-evidence">Saving fragile fossil evidence</h2>



The mere existence of such delicate remains is extraordinary. Bird bones are lightweight and fragile by design, and juvenile bones are even more prone to destruction over time.



Yet, thanks to meticulous excavation efforts, researchers were able to recover and identify these fossilized traces of ancient avian life.



The fossils were found in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018218306667" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prince Creek Formation</a>, a remote site along the Colville River renowned for its Cretaceous dinosaur remains.



Until recently, the area was not known for yielding fossil birds. This changed recently, thanks in part to the excavation strategy used by the UAF Museum of the North’s research team.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-bones-from-arctic-bird-fossils">Tiny bones from Arctic bird fossils</h2>



Traditional vertebrate paleontology often focuses on recovering large, visible bones - those of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/organic-molecules-collagen-discovered-in-66-million-year-old-dinosaur-bones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dinosaurs</a>, for example. But the team working at Prince Creek takes a more comprehensive approach.



Alongside the big finds, they also gather large volumes of sediment and screen them for microscopic remains. Researchers then carefully examine these samples under microscopes back at the lab, revealing a world of small, often-overlooked fossils.



“We put Alaska on the map for fossil birds,” said Pat Druckenmiller, the paper’s senior author and director of the <a href="https://www.uaf.edu/museum/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Alaska Museum of the North</a>. “It wasn’t on anyone’s radar.”



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/birds_arctic-nesting_bird-beak-fossil_credit-Pat-Druckenmiller_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/birds_arctic-nesting_bird-beak-fossil_credit-Pat-Druckenmiller_1s.webp" alt="The tip of a hatchling bird beak sits on the end of a finger. Credit: Pat Druckenmiller" class="wp-image-1973308"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The tip of a hatchling bird beak sits on the end of a finger. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Pat Druckenmiller</figcaption></figure>



Druckenmiller credits the fine-grained approach with revealing new insights into Cretaceous Arctic ecosystems. The same methods have also led to the discovery of new dinosaur and mammal species in the region.



“In terms of information content, these little bones and teeth are fascinating and provide an incredible depth of understanding of the animals of this time,” Druckenmiller said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-arctic-bird-nursery">Ancient Arctic bird nursery</h2>



The findings show that birds have been using the Arctic as a breeding ground far longer than previously thought.



Earlier evidence of polar bird <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tangled-twigs-the-secrets-of-sturdy-bird-nests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nesting</a> dated to around 47 million years ago - well after the mass extinction event that wiped out most of Earth’s species, including the non-avian dinosaurs. 



The new discovery pushes that timeline back by 25 to 30 million years, deep into the age of dinosaurs.



“The Arctic is considered the nursery for modern birds,” Druckenmiller said. “It’s kind of cool when you go to Creamer’s Field [a well-known stopover for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-migratory-birds-navigate-with-such-accuracy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">migratory birds</a> in Fairbanks], to know that they have been doing this for 73 million years.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-origins-of-modern-birds">The origins of modern birds</h2>



Beyond expanding the record of avian life in the polar regions, the fossils raise intriguing questions about the origins of modern birds.



Some of the bones appear to belong to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-and-why-tropical-birds-are-so-strikingly-colorful-and-iridescent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neornithes</a> - the group that includes all living birds. These fossils show skeletal traits exclusive to modern birds. Some even lacked teeth, a feature seen in today’s avian species.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/birds_arctic-nesting_with-dinosaurs_illustration_credit-Gabriel-Ugueto_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/birds_arctic-nesting_with-dinosaurs_illustration_credit-Gabriel-Ugueto_1s.webp" alt="An illustration of Cretaceous Period birds with other dinosaurs from the same time period in the background. A paper in the journal Science documents the earliest-known example of birds nesting in the polar regions. Credit: Gabriel Ugueto" class="wp-image-1973310"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An illustration of Cretaceous Period birds with other dinosaurs from the same time period in the background. A paper in the journal Science documents the earliest-known example of birds nesting in the polar regions. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Gabriel Ugueto</figcaption></figure>



“If they are part of the modern bird group, they would be the oldest such fossils ever found,” Druckenmiller said. 



At present, the oldest known Neornithes fossils date to around 69 million years ago. “But it would take us finding a partial or full skeleton to say for sure.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



The implications of the study go beyond the Arctic. They suggest that ancient birds - despite their small size and delicate physiology - were able to thrive in high-latitude environments long before the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-polar-regions-changing-fundamental-alarming-ways/">polar climates</a> we know today fully developed.



During the Cretaceous, the Arctic was warmer but still experienced seasonal extremes of light and darkness, posing significant challenges for any nesting animals.



That these birds not only survived but reproduced successfully hints at a more complex evolutionary history than previously assumed. It also suggests modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-geese-adapt-by-finding-a-new-migratory-route/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">migratory waterfowl</a> echo ancient patterns by returning to northern wetlands each spring to raise their young.



As researchers continue to study the Colville River fossils, they hope to uncover additional material that can confirm the identity and relationships of these Arctic avian pioneers.



For now, the Prince Creek Formation stands as one of the world’s most important sites for understanding the early history of birds. It shows what can be found when scientists search for both big and small bones.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt5189" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



Image Credit: &nbsp;Gabriel Ugueto



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Scientists find proof that birds nested in the Arctic alongside dinosaurs

Springtime in the Arctic is a spectacular show of life,...

Two notorious hybrid termite species have found a surprising way to become even more destructive. Researchers in Florida report that these wood-eating insects are forming hybrids that might spread into many parts of the world.



Both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/termites-play-an-unexpected-role-in-rainforest-revival/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> are known for their ability to damage timber and invade new places with ease. The research was led by Thomas Chouvenc at the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Florida</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hybrid-termites-may-survive-in-more-places">Hybrid termites may survive in more places</h2>



Invasive termites have already caused massive economic losses, with <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-ento-120710-100634" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimated</a> worldwide damage of $40 billion each year.



This figure covers structural repairs, preventive treatments, and other costs tied to these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/termites-are-natures-architects-building-well-ventilated-nests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">insects</a>. Experts worry that combining two invasive species might produce termites that thrive in more environments than either parent.



These interbreeding pests are believed to hail from <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN278" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coptotermes formosanus</a> (the Formosan subterranean termite) and <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN285" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coptotermes gestroi</a> (the Asian subterranean termite).



Hybrids could open doors to new areas if they tolerate different climates better than either <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/enormous-desert-structure-termite-mound-built-by-insects-can-be-seen-from-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hybrid-traits-from-both-parent-termites">Hybrid traits from both parent termites</h2>



Some hybrid termites have been found to carry traits from both parent species, including the ability to tolerate a wider range of temperatures.



Edouard Duquesne at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, who was not involved with the research, elaborated on the significance of the study.



“The findings are interesting and alarming. Viable hybrids of these two species would likely lead to a super-invasive termite that could potentially have a huge suitable range worldwide, and that could do important damages,” said Duquesne.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hybrid-termites-could-spread-through-boats">Hybrid termites could spread through boats</h2>



Hybrid termites are not just concerning because of what they are, but because of how easily they could travel. With both parent species already established in southern Florida, opportunities for hybridization increase every year.



“It’s just a matter of time before they get a chance to hybridise,” said Chouvenc. Ships and leisure boats might carry them from infested areas to new coastal regions, making Florida’s global boat traffic a major risk factor for future outbreaks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-this-hybrid-unique">What makes this hybrid unique</h2>



The hybrid termites don't just survive - they reproduce. The researchers confirmed that hybrid females can mate with either parent species, forming second-generation <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-select-the-best-materials-for-termite-fishing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">colonies</a>.



This genetic flexibility may allow the hybrids to evolve quickly and adapt to new challenges. Early studies show that while some of these colonies struggle, others can grow and mature over time.



In one case, a second-generation colony reached over a thousand workers in under three years, showing surprising resilience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-florida-the-perfect-launchpad">Florida: The perfect launchpad</h2>



Florida isn’t just a mixing zone for these two termite species, it’s a global hub for their spread. With nearly a million privately owned leisure boats <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1155988/us-recreational-boating-vessels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">registered</a> in the state, the potential for unnoticed transport is sky-high.



The first confirmed hybrid colony was found just over half a mile from a dense marina district. That proximity makes it likely that flying <a href="https://www.orkin.com/pests/termites/colony/termite-alates" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">alates</a> could settle onto boats and travel to distant coastlines without ever being detected.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-problems-for-pest-control">Problems for pest control</h2>



Most termite treatments are tailored to specific species. Pest management companies often adjust their methods depending on whether they’re dealing with C. formosanus or C. gestroi.



But hybrids could blur that line. Their mixed traits might respond unpredictably to current treatments, making control efforts more complicated and potentially less effective.



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



Spotting these hybrids early could prevent bigger problems later. The longer they go unnoticed, the more likely they are to spread through infested wood, soil, or boats.



Unfortunately, identification isn’t always straightforward. Some hybrid termites show features that fall between the two parent species, making them hard to classify without genetic testing or detailed knowledge of termite morphology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-practical-steps-ahead">Practical steps ahead</h2>



In some cases, local authorities try to prevent termite travel by inspecting cargo, but private vessels often escape such checks. Researchers advise owners of docked vessels to inspect wooden parts carefully and seek professional help if they find signs of infestation.



Public agencies might focus more resources on monitoring, because identifying hybrids early could be key to containment. Yet the process of telling these insects apart can be tricky, since their features can blend.



Early identification often involves a close inspection of alates (the winged caste) that appear in warmer months. Scientists note that hybrid alates can show subtle differences in body color or size.



By staying vigilant, communities may slow the spread of these insects to new regions. Many hope that targeted strategies will limit hybrid termite expansions before they become unstoppable.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-long-term-risks-for-ecosystems">Long-term risks for ecosystems</h2>



The hybrid termites don’t just threaten buildings - they could also affect forests and natural habitats. Their ability to feed on a wide range of wood sources makes them a potential danger to native trees and vegetation.



As they spread, they may disrupt local ecosystems by outcompeting native decomposer species. Over time, this could affect nutrient cycles in the soil and alter the balance of natural communities.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2025.0413" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.



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Hybrid termites could spread worldwide from Florida boats

Two notorious hybrid termite species have found a surprising way...

<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>



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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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>



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.



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.



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



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.



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.



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.



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



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."



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



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.



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



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



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.



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.



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



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.



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.



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



The forest was remarkably diverse. Scientists identified Eospermatopteris, 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.



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.



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



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.



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."



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.



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



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.



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.



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



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.



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.



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.



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.



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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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...

<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=prrq8Ql81zk
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-don-t-we-ever-hear-about-acid-rain-anymore-the-environmental-crisis-that-was-solved">Why don't we ever hear about "acid rain" anymore? The environmental crisis that was solved</h2>



Remember the 1980s when acid rain dominated headlines? Dire warnings about rain eating buildings, killing fish, and destroying forests filled every news cycle. Then, almost like magic, acid rain vanished from public discourse. What happened? Did we actually solve one of the late 20th century's most pressing environmental challenges?



The answer might surprise you. Unlike many environmental issues that drag on indefinitely, acid rain represents one of modern history's most successful ecological recovery stories. It's a tale of science, politics, and technology working together to tackle what seemed impossible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What was acid rain?</h2>



Acid rain isn't regular rain having a bad day – it's precipitation that became significantly more acidic due to air pollution. When power plants, factories, and vehicles burn fossil fuels, they release sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The science behind it</h2>



Think of acid rain as nature's chemistry experiment gone wrong. These compounds react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. When mixed with water vapor in clouds, they create precipitation with dangerously low pH levels.



While clean rain has a pH of about 5.6, acid rain could drop as low as 4.2 to 4.4 – roughly as acidic as tomato juice or coffee. According to US Geological Survey documentation, Scottish chemist Angus Smith first coined "acid rain" in 1872, but it didn't become a household phrase until the 1960s and 1970s when Swedish scientist Svante Odén documented its devastating effects on Scandinavian lakes and European forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The crisis at its peak</h2>



During the height of public concern, environmental damage was both widespread and visible. This wasn't some abstract future threat – people could see destruction happening in real-time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Environmental devastation</h2>



The most dramatic impacts were impossible to ignore. Research documented by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation shows that in the Adirondack Mountains, more than 200 lakes became so acidic they couldn't support fish life. The Adirondack Council reports that 409 lakes once supported brook trout, but many lost their fish populations due to acid rain.



By 1976, when scientists cataloged all acidified lakes in the Adirondack Park, researchers found that half of the lakes over 2,000 feet above sea level had no fish, according to studies published in environmental journals. The acidification process worked like a slow-motion disaster. As acid rain fell into watersheds, it gradually lowered pH levels. Fish couldn't survive in acidic water, and their food sources died off too.



Trees at high elevations showed stress directly linked to acid rain. It weakened them by leaching nutrients and making them susceptible to disease. Historical records show Germany's Black Forest saw nearly half its trees damaged by the mid-1980s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Economic impact</h2>



Acid rain wasn't just environmental – it was expensive. Acidic precipitation corroded infrastructure, buildings, and monuments. Historic stone structures deteriorated at accelerated rates. Tourism suffered as lakes became fishless and forests declined. EPA economic analyses from the period documented repair costs mounting into billions annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The solution: government action and technology</h2>



Transformation from crisis to success required unprecedented cooperation between governments, industries, and environmental groups.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Clean Air Act of 1990</h2>



The turning point came with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, signed by President George H.W. Bush. This represented a fundamentally new approach to environmental regulation, as documented in EPA historical records.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cap-and-trade success</h2>



Instead of mandating specific technologies, the 1990 amendments introduced something revolutionary: a cap-and-trade system for sulfur dioxide emissions. EPA program documentation shows this market-based approach set overall limits but allowed companies to trade emission allowances.



The genius was harnessing market forces to find cost-effective pollution reduction. Companies reducing emissions cheaply could sell excess allowances to those facing higher costs. Research published in environmental economics journals and EPA progress reports shows this resulted in dramatic SO2 reduction at a fraction of projected costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Technology advances</h2>



Policy provided the framework, but technology made reductions possible. Studies in atmospheric science journals document the widespread adoption of flue gas desulfurization systems ("scrubbers") that removed sulfur dioxide before it reached the atmosphere. By the 2000s, new installations could remove over 95% of SO2 emissions, according to EPA technical reports.



The push coincided with cleaner energy development. Natural gas produces fewer sulfur compounds than coal. Wind and solar, emerging in the 1990s, captured growing market share, reducing reliance on high-sulfur coal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-we-don-t-hear-about-it-today">Why we don't hear about it today</h2>



Why did acid rain disappear from headlines? Simple: the problem was largely solved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Success doesn't make news</h2>



There's an old journalism saying: "If it bleeds, it leads." Environmental success stories don't generate urgency like crisis reporting. Media attention shifted to other challenges: climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss. There's only so much environmental anxiety the public can absorb, and newer concerns replaced acid rain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mission accomplished</h2>



The primary reason is beautifully simple: interventions worked. EPA monitoring data shows sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990. Academic research published in environmental science journals confirms pH levels in formerly affected areas returned closer to normal. This represents one of history's most dramatic environmental recoveries. Studies by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation show fishless lakes now support healthy populations. Forests recovered, and building damage slowed dramatically.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-it-really-gone">Is it really gone?</h2>



The crisis is largely resolved, but monitoring data shows the problem isn't completely eliminated – it's managed to acceptable levels. Some areas still experience occasional events during high pollution periods. International environmental research indicates that rapidly industrializing Asian countries face similar problems to what we experienced decades ago, though they're implementing successful strategies.



EPA research shows nitrogen oxide emissions proved more challenging than sulfur dioxide, coming from vehicles and mobile sources. Climate science studies suggest changing weather patterns add complexity to how acid rain forms and falls.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What this teaches us</h2>



The acid rain experience proves that seemingly intractable environmental problems can be solved with scientific understanding, political will, and technological innovation. Environmental monitoring data shows recovery speed was remarkable – within a decade, measurable improvements appeared in air quality and ecosystem health.



Success came from bipartisan support across party lines. Policy analysis studies show the market-based approach appealed to those preferring economic incentives while achieving environmental goals. This support created lasting policy surviving political changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h2>



Acid rain's disappearance from public consciousness represents environmental science's greatest success stories. Through effective regulation, technological innovation, and international cooperation, we transformed an overwhelming crisis into a manageable challenge.



Today's silence isn't because we forgot – it's because we solved it. The 1990 Clean Air Act, combined with technology and energy market changes, reduced acid rain emissions over 90%, according to comprehensive EPA data analysis.



This success offers hope for current challenges. It proves complex problems can be solved when science, policy, and technology work together. As we face climate change and plastic pollution, acid rain reminds us that dramatic positive change is possible.



Next time someone asks whether environmental regulations work, remember acid rain. It's proof that sometimes, we get it right.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Sources: This article draws from EPA official documentation and progress reports, peer-reviewed research published in environmental and atmospheric science journals, historical data from the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation records, US Geological Survey publications, policy analysis studies, and environmental monitoring data collected over three decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



1. Is acid rain completely gone? No, but EPA monitoring shows it's reduced to manageable levels. US sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990, making acid rain much less severe than the 1980s crisis.



2. How long did solving take? Environmental monitoring data shows significant improvements began within 5-10 years of 1990s emission controls. Full ecosystem recovery took longer – some areas need 20-30 years for complete recovery.



3. What made the solution successful? Clear scientific understanding, visible damage motivating action, bipartisan support, available technology, and innovative market-based policies like cap-and-trade.



4. Do other countries have acid rain problems? Yes, particularly rapidly industrializing Asian countries. However, international environmental research shows many implement similar successful control strategies.



5. Could acid rain return? Potentially, if regulations weaken or we return to high-sulfur coal without controls, though effects would take years to become severe according to environmental projections.



6. Can you recommend any teaching tools on the subject of "acid rain"? The United States Environmental Protection Agency produced a wonderful teacher's guide for ages 14 and under that you can find on the EPA website here: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf</a>



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The environmental problem we actually solved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk Acid rain and a crisis solved. Why don't we...

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex
</div></figure>







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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