Dogs live with us, watch us, and often reflect our lives back at us. When routines shift, they shift. When stress builds, they sense it. 



Scientists wanted to know just how much these changes affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-puppy-day-2025-where-happiness-meets-responsibility/">dogs</a>, particularly during the upheaval of the pandemic. That curiosity led to one of the largest studies ever on canine behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-dog-behavior-and-health">Tracking dog behavior and health</h2>



Researchers at Virginia Tech and the <a href="https://www.washington.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a> studied over 47,000 dogs between 2020 and 2023. 



The work was conducted as part of the Dog Aging Project, a massive effort that tracks the lives and health of dogs across the United States.



"Most importantly, with these data, we're excited to now have a starting point from which we can continue to follow changes in the behaviors of tens of thousands of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-may-respond-to-each-other-through-blinking/">dogs</a> as they age, which will ultimately help us understand how behavior and health are linked," said Courtney Sexton, lead researcher from Virginia Tech.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-detecting-changes-in-dogs">Detecting changes in dogs</h2>



Behavior in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-suffer-from-the-january-blues-just-like-humans/">dogs</a> is more than personality. A sudden change can point to illness, pain, or stress. Small shifts in aggression, fear, or trainability can signal bigger problems. 



By establishing a baseline, researchers now have a way to spot meaningful changes across time. 



The team relied on a widely used survey known as C-BARQ, in which owners reported on 14 aspects of their dogs’ behavior - from aggression to trainability. 



Researchers then organized these traits into four broad categories: Fear, Attention and Excitability, Aggression, and Trainability. This framework allowed them to track and compare behavior patterns over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strength-of-the-data">Strength of the data</h2>



The dataset was huge. It included dogs from every region of the United States. Nearly half of the dogs were mixed breeds, while the rest were single breeds. Ages ranged from puppies to seniors.



"When you have a data set this big, you really do have power in numbers," Sexton explained. "While we can't understand all the factors, when we find statistical significance, there is likely something there worth thinking about in its real-world context."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dog-behavior-during-the-pandemic">Dog behavior during the pandemic </h2>



The original goal was clear. Researchers wanted to see how the pandemic shaped dog behavior. People spent more time at home. Many adopted new pets, and social interactions declined.



Routines changed overnight. Did <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-are-evolving-to-fit-the-modern-lives-of-humans/">dogs</a> change too? Scientists hoped to uncover whether these new conditions led to lasting behavioral shifts, from training challenges to changes in aggression or fear. They wanted to know if dogs adapted or struggled alongside humans.



The data showed that dogs remained surprisingly consistent from 2020 through 2023. "We saw that certain factors, such as a dog's life stage, sex, and size had some influence on their behavior," Sexton said.



"Interestingly, we found that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic time period, there were not substantial changes in dogs' overall behavioral profiles from year to year despite what we might have expected given the changes in environment and routines that many were experiencing at that time."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pandemic-puppy-struggles">Pandemic puppy struggles</h2>



One behavior did shift: trainability. Dogs enrolled in 2020 scored higher than those added in later years. Scores dropped in 2021, 2022, and 2023. 



Researchers think the dip reflects “pandemic puppy” struggles. New owners often lacked time or access to training. Dogs had fewer chances to socialize. Stress in households added to the mix.



By 2023, trainability scores started to climb back toward earlier levels. That rebound suggests that as people regained stable routines, dogs did too.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-gender-breed-and-size">The role of gender, breed, and size</h2>



The study also revealed differences tied to breed and body size. Mixed-breed dogs scored higher on fear, attention-seeking, and aggression than purebred dogs. Shelter backgrounds and early trauma may play a role.



Small dogs were more fearful, more aggressive, and less trainable than larger dogs. 



Puppies needed more attention, were less fearful and less aggressive, but also harder to train. Males were more aggressive and less trainable than females.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dogs-and-owners-bounced-back">Dogs and owners bounced back</h2>



Owners in 2020 reported more aggression than those in 2023. That drop may reflect less household stress and more opportunities for dogs to interact as restrictions lifted.



“What was interesting was that the difference in reported trainability between the first year and the last year was the smallest of any in the averages,” Sexton noted. 



“It’s a small statistical significance but could show that dogs, or their owners, are bouncing back.”



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



This is only the beginning. <a href="https://dogagingproject.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Dog Aging Project</a> will keep tracking these dogs as they grow older. Researchers want to see how location, health, and age shape behavior over time. 



The ultimate goal is to connect behavior with health so owners can better care for their pets.



Dogs adapted through the pandemic. They struggled in some ways, especially with training, but showed remarkable resilience. Their story mirrors ours. 



As life changed, dogs adjusted, and as routines returned, they found steadier ground. This study now offers the first large-scale baseline of canine behavior - a reference point that will guide both researchers and dog owners for years to come.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0330257" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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How the pandemic changed dog behavior over 3 years

Dogs live with us, watch us, and often reflect our lives back at us. When routines shift, they shift. When stress builds, they sense it. Scientists wanted to know just how much these changes affect dogs, particularly during the upheaval of the pandemic. That curiosity led to one of the largest studies ever on canine behavior. Tracking dog behavior and health Researchers at Virginia Tech and the University of Washington studied over 47,000 dogs between 2020 and 2023. The work was conducted as part of the Dog...

For cats, eating grass is a behavior held over from earlier generations, according to a new study. 

Eating grass can make our four-legged friends throw up. Even though <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-recognize-name/">cats</a> don’t need to purge thanks to modern veterinary care, early on in their evolution, this was a necessary measure to help prevent intestinal parasites. 

The cat’s ancestors used grass to help get rid of parasites contracted from eating infected rodents.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/">University of California School of Veterinary Medicine</a> conducted the study and surveyed 1,021 cat owners. 

The survey was taken online, and the participants observed their cat’s eating habits for at least three hours a day. 

While a majority of the cats, 71 percent, did eat grass at one point or another, nearly 91 percent didn’t throw up after. It appeared that the cats ate grass because they wanted to, not because they were feeling unwell. 

In other words, it may simply be an instinctive behavior. 

For your pet cat, eating grass is likely just a normal part of their routine, like grooming themselves or scratching on a scratching post.

An earlier <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288656215_Why_do_dogs_and_cats_eat_grass">2008 study</a> found that the same was true for dogs who ate grass. While eating grass can induce vomiting, researchers Benjamin Hart found that dogs often ate grass regardless of how they felt.  

“Given that virtually all wild carnivores carry an intestinal parasite load, instinctive plant-eating would have an adaptive role in maintaining a tolerable intestinal parasite load, whether or not the animal senses the parasites,” the study’s authors wrote. 

The findings were published in the journal Science and presented at the annual meeting of the <a href="https://www.applied-ethology.org/">International Society for Applied Ethology</a> in Norway. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/KDdesignphoto

Why do cats eat grass if it makes them sick?

For cats, eating grass is a behavior held over from...

Experts have genetically reconstructed the history of the cave bear and found that it was likely humans, and not colder climate conditions, that drove the species to extinction about 24,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum.

The scientists analyzed genome data using the bones of 59 cave bears that were uncovered across sites in Italy, France, Spain, Poland, Germany, Serbia, and Switzerland.

The team identified a population decline 50,000 years ago that corresponded with the arrival of ancient humans in eastern Europe. An even sharper decline followed about 10,000 years later, which coincides with the spread of Homo sapiens throughout <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-europe-wetter/">Europe</a>. 

The cave bear, or Ursus spelaeus, lived during the Ice Age alongside animals like the cave lion, woolly rhino, and the woolly mammoth. Even though it was as big as a polar bear, the cave bear was an herbivore. The males weighed an average of 1,000 pounds, while the females weighed about half as much.

The current study may finally settle the long debate of whether the bears were wiped out by a cooling climate that drastically reduced their food supply or if humans were to blame. 

[caption id="attachment_1876621" align="aligncenter" width="633"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cave-bear.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1876621" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cave-bear.jpg" alt="" width="633" height="300" /></a> Image Credit: University of Zurich/Matteo Romandini[/caption]

According to paleogeneticist Verena Schuenemann, the steep population decline that was pinpointed by the analysis predated the climate cooling associated with the last Ice Age. In addition, the cave bear population had remained stable for long time periods and had endured many other cooling episodes. 

“There is more and more evidence that modern humans have played a determinant role in the decline and extinction of large mammals once they spread around the planet, starting around 50,000 years ago,” explained biogeologist Hervé Bocherens.

“This happened not just by hunting these mammals to extinction, but by causing demographic decline of keystone species, such as very large herbivores, that led to ecosystems’ collapse and a cascade of further extinctions."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: DeAgostini

Humans were likely responsible for the extinction of the European cave bear

Experts have genetically reconstructed the history of the cave bear...

According to scientists at the <a href="https://en.unisi.it/">University of Siena</a>, at least 40 dolphins have been killed by a measles-like cetacean mobillivirus. The virus causes <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-dead-stranded-gulf/">dolphins</a> to lose weight and eventually attacks the brain and internal organs. Tests on affected dolphin carcasses have also confirmed the presence of virus-linked chemicals that prohibit the dolphins’ immunity to fight off the disease.

Experts believe the virus has become more potent due to pesticide pollution.

“We are powerless in the face of this virus,” Federica Fratoni, environment commissioner for the Tuscany region, said in a written statement to DailyMail.com. “But we could do a lot about another problem highlighted by the analysis of tissues and organs taken during the autopsies.”

“Note the high levels of DDTs and PCBs, old generation polychlorinated biphenyls also used as insecticides and still present in the Mediterranean Sea,” she continued. “These products can have an immunosuppressive effect and therefore may have contributed to the spread of the disease and its effects.”

Fratoni and other officials in the area are urging Italy to join the 2001 Stockholm Convention, which bans the use of persistent organic pollutants. Italy is currently the only European country that has not yet signed the pact.

The same virus killed off an estimated 800 dolphins off the East Coast of America in 2013. It even caused the death of four whales. The last time the virus affected dolphins off the coast of Italy was back in 1987. Then, it claimed about 740 dolphin lives.

Italian officials agree it’s time to rethink their position on joining the 2001 Stockholm Convention.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/sergioboccardo

Measles-like virus is killing off dolphins off Italian coastline

According to scientists at the University of Siena, at least...

Fossil leg bones belonging to a newly described species of giant penguin dating back to the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/co2-emissions-56-million-years/">Paleocene Epoch</a> were discovered in New Zealand. 

New Zealand was once home to several giant species millions of years ago including the giant eagle, the world’s largest parrot, and several species of large penguin. 

Crossvallia waiparensis, though, may have towered over them all, according to a new study published in the journal<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1641619"> Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. </a>

The leg bones were discovered in an area called the Waipara Greensand fossil site in North Canterbury, New Zealand in 2018 by Leigh Love, an amateur paleontologist. 

The Waipara Greensand has been a hotbed for penguin fossils from the Paleocene Epoch.

After the fossils were uncovered, researchers from the <a href="https://www.canterburymuseum.com/">Canterbury Museum </a>and the <a href="http://www.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=5256">Natural History Museum </a>in Frankfurt analyzed the fossils and found they belonged to a new species, Crossvallia waiparensis. 

The previously unknown species would have stood even taller than Emperor Penguins, measuring five feet, two inches, and weighing nearly 200 pounds. 

Crossvallia waiparensis is one of the oldest known species of penguin ever discovered, and the find is helping shed light on what conditions were like in New Zealand during the Paleocene Epoch. 

The researchers theorize that the reason C. waiparensis was so giant was that the penguins were able to thrive in an ocean free of major predators. After the extinction of dinosaurs and marine reptiles, prey was abundant.

“The oceans were ripe for the picking with the lack of mega predators,” Paul Scofield, a co-author of the paper and senior curator at the Canterbury Museum, told the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/c15df5d85b6646b0b1287177bc91e1d8">Associated Press</a>. “It looks like what was going on was that penguins were just starting to exploit that niche.”

C. waiparensis is the fifth species of penguin described from fossils that were found that Waipara site and the second species of giant penguin discovered dating back to that time. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Canterbury Museum

Newly described species of extinct penguin was 5 feet tall

Fossil leg bones belonging to a newly described species of...

This summer, the movie Crawl joined the ranks of other animal horror blockbusters from the lineage of Jaws. As someone with an interest and love of alligators and a soft spot for horror flicks, I was guardedly excited to watch Crawl. 

The film focuses on a father and daughter with a troubled relationship (along with their adorable dog Sugar) and follows the normal format of a horror film. The movie starts with Haley Keller (Kaya Scodelario) at a University of Florida swim practice where she loses a race. It seems like this is foreshadowing of her faceoff with killer alligators and this idea is only reinforced by her father calling her an ‘apex predator’ as an encouragement throughout the film. 

During a major hurricane, Haley ignores posted flood warnings and drives past road closures to check on her father Dave (Barry Pepper) after a call from her worried sister. The family dog Sugar leads Haley to the darkest, creepiest part of the home she grew up in – the crawl space. Shortly after descending the stairs to the crawl space, Haley is challenged by an enormous alligator that smashes through the stairs as if they were matchsticks. The rest of the film is a violent struggle for survival with vicious alligators as the house slowly floods during the Category 5 hurricane.

The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/florida-men-alligator-attacks/">alligators</a> are center to the film although dialogues and flashbacks try to bring some depth to the characters and story. Technology has made the alligators in the film incredible looking, if not always really accurate looking. Most people have never seen the inside of a live alligator’s mouth but I have, it’s really a yellowish off-white color. In the movie, the alligator’s mouths seem a bit more of an expected reddish color. 

Minor details like this only highlight how real the alligators in the film look, though. Director Alexandre Aja revealed in an interview with <a href="https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3572094/alexandre-aja-explains-importance-using-cgi-alligators-crawl-interview/">Bloody-Disgusting</a> that although some old fashioned props were used, the alligators were almost entirely CGI. That said, there are many surprising details that seem outlandish but are somewhat keeping with alligator behavior. 

In one scene, several alligators tear a person apart, seeming to cooperate with each other. Despite their selfish, dim-witted reputation, alligators have been known to <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/herpetology/links/cooperative-feeding">cooperate</a> while hunting and feeding. In another scene, one alligator seems to almost purposefully scare Haley towards another. This behavior is also similar to real life. In his book <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=HFktAgAAQBAJ&amp;q=Pig#v=snippet&amp;q=Pig&amp;f=false">Dragon Songs</a>, biologist Vladimir Dinets tells of observing two crocodiles (behaviorally similar) hunting a pig. One crocodile burst from the water in front of the pig walking along a nearby trail. The startled pig ran backwards and slipped into the jaws of another waiting crocodile. Dinets also tells of watching alligators work together while hunting catfish in the US. 

But there were other details in Crawl that seemed inaccurate and out of place. In one scene, Haley is trying to make her way out of the crawl space through an overflow drain pipe, near the entrance of the pipe, she encounters alligator eggs. She accidentally breaks one of the eggs revealing a yellow, completely undeveloped yolk. An underwater shot also reveals a baby alligator near the ‘nest’. Perhaps the scene is used to subtly encourage a bit of empathy for the viewer, making the savage killing of humans more understandable. Maybe the alligators are trying to feed young, or protect a nest. 

Yet, the nest isn’t very realistic. The hurricane season and the alligator nesting season overlap sufficiently for the timing to make sense but the ‘nest’ looks like a pile of unprotected eggs. Alligator eggs depend on rotting vegetation to supply incubation warmth and are usually not far from water, certainly not typically under a house. It’s also odd that the alligators that hunt so ferociously aren’t near the nest to protect it, typical behavior. 

The most obvious odd detail is the mis-match between undeveloped eggs and fully hatched babies. Most alligator nests hatch over a shorter period than suggested in the film. Of course, the most glaring inaccuracy in the alligators is their vicious hunting of humans and unending appetite. 

It’s true that alligators sometimes pose a real threat to humans but they don’t continuously hunt for whoever they can find, as the film suggests. Alligators also have much smaller appetites than their large size suggests, as their ‘cold blooded’ metabolisms actually allow long periods of fasting. Increasing alligator aggression seems necessary to drive the plot of Crawl along but it clashes oddly with the nest scene.

Over the course of the film, limbs are lost, many background characters including gas station looters and policemen are eaten by the never-satisfied alligators. Along with the reptiles, another rarely commented upon danger continues to build in the form of a hurricane and the attendant flood. <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/crawl-climate-change-alligator">GQ</a> suggests that hidden in the flood waters are the secret monster of the film. The encouragement that Haley’s dad uses throughout the film that she’s an apex predator suggests that perhaps humans are the most dangerous animal after all.

The hurricane waters seem to sweep the alligators along and trap the humans with them, this seems like a horror movie norm – a storm trapping the characters in a dangerous building. When you consider the question - What caused the hurricane? - the situation becomes more complicated. 

It may not be the intention of the film makers but it’s easy to see humanity in the swirling impersonality of the hurricane. After all, climate change is predicted to increase the rate and severity of storms and Florida in particular is in danger of slipping under rising sea levels. Climate change is never uttered in the film but viewed from this angle, Crawl joins the ranks of other eco horror films like The Happening. Perhaps, like most deadly encounters with wild animals in the real world, humans created the horrible scenario in Crawl. 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer     

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com </a>

Image Credit: Ghosthouse Pictures

‘Crawl’ offers mixed depiction of alligators and a larger environmental message

This summer, the movie Crawl joined the ranks of other...

Increasing the abundance of a threatened salmon could have economic benefits. A new study from the <a href="https://www.uoregon.edu/">University of Oregon</a> suggests that increasing the abundance of a threatened species can be very beneficial to people living in the Pacific Northwest. The team found that a two-thirds increase in the average number of coho salmon returning to the Oregon coast each year would generate up to $518 million in economic benefits.

The study has been released just as the U.S. Department of Interior announced that economic impacts must now be considered for listing a species under the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/trump-endangered-species-act/">Endangered Species Act</a> (ESA).

"When we think about actions to protect endangered and threatened species, we often focus on the costs," said study co-author David Lewis. "The benefits of protecting threatened species are difficult to estimate since they are considered to be non-market and arise from the public's values for things like the existence of abundant salmon in the wild. This study gives us a way to evaluate the benefits."

"If an agency is considering a policy or program that would increase the number of salmon by a certain amount, our study translates the benefits for that amount of salmon to a dollar value," added study co-author Steven Dundas.

"This provides evidence of the economic value Pacific Northwest residents place on protecting threatened and endangered species. We can compare it to how much we actually spend on salmon restoration activities, to see if there's a net benefit to more investment."

In collaboration with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, the researchers found that up to $277 million a year could be gained by achieving conservation goals sooner rather than later.

"There are sizable benefits to achieving conservation goals quickly," said Lewis. "That has real implications for conservation programs, showing that there's significant value to the public in up-front investments."

The investigation was focused on surveys that were mailed to 5,000 households in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and northern California in the fall of 2017. The participants were presented with various conservation scenarios and their associated benefits for improving the abundance of Oregon Coast coho salmon. 

The survey respondents were then asked to choose a conservation scenario, which was linked to an annual per-household cost from a combination of additional taxes and higher prices for lumber and agricultural products, ranging from $10 to $350 per year.

"The surveys create a situation for someone to make a decision about a public good - as if increases in salmon abundance were something they could choose off the shelf at the grocery store," said Dundas.

By analyzing the responses, the researchers were able to calculate the average household willingness to pay for salmon conservation, which was multiplied by the number of households in the Pacific Northwest to estimate the overall benefits.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Bill Perry

Increasing the abundance of a threatened salmon could have economic benefits

Increasing the abundance of a threatened salmon could have economic...

Let the celebrations commence! A previously unrecognized species of medicinal leech has been identified by scientists at the Smithsonian’s <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/">National Museum of National History</a>. 

This new species has been given an appropriately exciting name – Macrobdella mimicus, and is native to freshwater wetlands from Georgia to New York.

This new species of worm is described in the <a href="https://www.journalofparasitology.org/">Journal of Parasitology</a> by an international team of museum scientists led by Anna Phillips, the National Museum of National History’s curator of parasitic worms. 

“We found a new species of medicinal leech less than 50 miles from the National Museum of Natural History – one of the world’s largest libraries of biodiversity,” Phillips said. “A discovery like this makes clear just how much diversity is out there remaining to be discovered and documented, even right under scientists’ noses.”

Back in the 1700s and 1800s, doctors used leeches to (unsuccessfully) treat a wide range of conditions. These physicians believed that the leeches helped remove “bad blood” from a patient’s body. Phillips and her colleagues have been exploring the wild world of medicinal leeches in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plant-fossils-cretaceous-period/">North America</a> for years. 

After collecting numerous orange-spotted, olive-green leeches found in a Maryland swamp, Phillips and her team believed they belong to the known species M. decora. But a round of DNA sequencing showed significant differences from the DNA of this species. 

Although this molecular discrepancy was unexpected, it led to the scientists reexamining their specimens. They quickly found a physical difference in this new species that separated it from M. decora – multiple reproductive pores along the bottom of their bodies, known as gonopores and accessory pores, which were located in a different position relative to those on the M. decora. 

The team then went back into the field and found more leeches from South Carolina that had the same accessory pore positioning. 

“Then we sequenced [their DNA], and they all came out more closely related to the leeches we had found in Maryland than to anything else known to science,” says Phillips. 

Phillips then went into the Smithsonian’s parasite collection to analyze dozens more North American leeches. “All of a sudden, I started finding these things everywhere,” she says. These leeches had been found in locations from Georgia to Long Island, New York – with the oldest specimen dating back to 1937.

The historical records from the Smithsonian, along with specimens analyzed from other museums, confirms that the species was not recently introduced to the area and does not represent a newly evolved species. 

“It’s been here this whole time,” Phillips says. “We just hadn’t looked at it in this new way.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Ian Cook

First medicinal leech discovered in North America in over 40 years

Let the celebrations commence! A previously unrecognized species of medicinal...

According to a new study from David Gruber of <a href="https://www2.cuny.edu/">City University of New York</a>, Anomalops katoptron, also called flashlight fish, use <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/bioluminescence-animals-glow-dark/">bioluminescent</a> organs located under its eyes to maintain their schools at night.

"Over 25% of fish species exhibit collective schooling behavior, but schooling based on bioluminescent signaling has not previously been demonstrated," Gruber said. He and his colleagues used low-light video to film the flashlight fish at night during three expeditions to the Solomon Islands between 2013 and 2016.

They found that one fish velocity increased past a certain point, a loose group of flashlight fish would transform into a close-knit school, and only a mere few flashlight fish would actually flash their bioluminescent organs to keep the school moving in the right direction.

Based on their observations, the research team was able to create a model to simulate the movement of the flashlight fish schools based on individual fish actions, including cohesion, separation, and alignment, as well as water friction and resistance.

[caption id="attachment_1876513" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/flashlight-fish.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1876513" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/flashlight-fish.jpeg" alt="" width="650" height="265" /></a> Adult flashlight fish, Image Credit: ©J. Sparks, R. Schelly, D. Roje[/caption]

Using the model, the team found that less than 5% of schooling flashlight fish needed to flash their organs for the school to be maintained in dark conditions. And this low number could most likely be explained as a predator-avoidance strategy. 

"Being in the middle of one of these bioluminescing schools was one of the most magical things I've ever experienced as a marine biologist,” Gruber said per the study published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0219852">PLOS ONE</a>. “It was like an Avatar moment as we watched rivers of bioluminescing fish merge like a blue-brick road and flow down the reef."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bioluminescence allows flashlight fish to school at night

According to a new study from David Gruber of City...

New study finds the ‘Nemo effect’ to be inaccurate. After Finding Nemo became a worldwide hit, reports of skyrocketing clownfish sales soon followed. The film’s sequel, Finding Dory, prompted fears that the royal blue tang, another popular character in the movie, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/18/finding-nemo-wasnt-so-entertaining-for-real-clownfish-now-conservationists-worry-about-finding-dory/">would suffer a similar fate</a>. 

The rise in clownfish purchases spurred by Finding Nemo became known as “the Nemo effect.” However, a new study has found that warnings about consumers influenced by animal movies are unsubstantiated. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> investigated “the Nemo Effect” to find the source of the reports about clownfish sales and to see if animal movies influence consumers. 

“We think these narratives are so compelling because they are based on a clear causal link that is plausible, relating to events that are high profile - Finding Dory was one of the highest grossing animated movies in history,” said Diogo Veríssimo, the lead researcher of the study. 

While animal movies can impact viewers, the researchers found that people are not driven to buy pets but rather seek out information. Animal films even have the power to increase <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hollywood-boost-conservation-efforts/">conservation efforts</a>. 

For the study, the researchers reviewed data from the Google Trends platform to identify search trends, fish purchase data from a major ornamental fish importer and data from 20 aquariums across the US. 

Finding Nemo was far from the first movie to spur a “Nemo Effect” after the fact. Reports of increased demand in certain animals after the Harry Potter films and even Jurassic Park have all alleged that the films prompted consumers to buy certain animals. 

The researchers found no evidence proving this to be the case. 

“Our results suggest that the impact of movies is limited when it comes to the large-scale buying of animals,” said Veríssimo. “There is, however, a clear effect in terms of information-seeking which means that the media does play an important role in making wildlife and nature conservation more salient.”

The research was published in the journal Ambio. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Aleksey Stemmer

New study finds the ‘Nemo effect’ to be inaccurate

New study finds the ‘Nemo effect’ to be inaccurate. After...

You can call them <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfkkMHieqcI">poor unfortunate souls</a> if you like. They do seem like the type of creature into which Ursula the Sea Witch might transform her desperate victims. But really, the approximately 16 species of giant deep sea isopod have it pretty good. 

Sure, they don’t see the light of day unless they’re hauled up by meddling humans, and their preferred food consists of rotting organisms from the pelagic levels above. But they don’t have many predators, they live in a state of semi-hibernation, and most of their food drops right in front of their admittedly alarming faces. 

For such apparently lazy creatures, the members of the genus Bathonymus have been hugely successful. Aquatic relatives of the terrestrial pill bugs or roly-polies that many of us played with as children, they have been trundling about on the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/arctic-ocean-seafloor/">seafloor</a> for some <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0774">300 million years</a>. 

Vacuuming up marine snow—organic matter drifting down through the depths, chomping on sponges and sea cucumbers, and feasting on the odd whale or sea lion carcass, these prehistoric invertebrates are among the few organisms that can survive the enormous pressures of the zones that they inhabit: from the sublittoral to the bathypelagic. They are typically found at depths of 550-7,000 feet. 

Members of the crustacean family, they have segmented bodies and each segment sports either a pair of legs that assist them in scuttling about on the sand, or a pair of pleopods that facilitate swimming and respiration. (For such ponderously proportioned animals, deep sea isopods are surprisingly graceful swimmers. However, after gorging themselves on a particularly rich cadaver, they have been known to face-plant, apparently unbalanced by the decayed flesh in their guts.)

Their bizarre physiology and unusual size make them the stuff <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/isopods">viral dreams</a>. Extraterrestrial in appearance and habitat, these foot-long pillbugs have been mainstays of the weird news section for at least a decade. Increasingly innovative—and ecologically devastating—deep sea trawling enterprises have brought them to the surface in ever greater numbers and the photographs of these finds justifiably amaze and horrify the netizenry. 

[caption id="attachment_1876482" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/deep-sea-isopod.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1876482" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/deep-sea-isopod.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" /></a> Giant isopod Bathynomus giganteus, Image Credit: NOAA[/caption]

Once thought to be relatively rare, they seem to be quite common in the lowest reaches of the ocean. Some are inevitably dredged up by the massive nets employed by trawlers. And others are attracted by the distressed fish and other organisms that these operations ensnare. Deep sea isopods are nothing if not opportunists. They may even be more predatory than originally believed: one was captured on video lunging at a dogfish and <a href="https://roaring.earth/giant-isopod-vs-deep-sea-shark/">grabbing its head</a>, à la the Alien face huggers.

It is not entirely certain how they detect their food, though it is likely through a combination of chemosensory and mechanoreceptory techniques. Like all isopods, they possess two pairs of antennae. Their compound eyes, which contain up to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Victor_Meyer-Rochow/publication/19414852_Morphology_of_the_compound_eye_of_the_giant_deep-sea_isopod_Bathynomus_Giganteus/links/5a001dcaaca272347a2b2a9a/Morphology-of-the-compound-eye-of-the-giant-deep-sea-isopod-Bathynomus-Giganteus.pdf">3,500 ommatidia</a>, may assist them to some extent, though light penetration at the depths in which they are found is minimal. It has been found that when exposed to unfiltered daylight at the surface, their eyes are irreparably damaged. Whatever their mode of detection, it’s an effective one. 

<a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a27127506/ancient-giant-isopods-love-eating-alligators/">In April 2019</a>, a group of researchers from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) dropped a bunch of dead alligators culled by the state into the Gulf of Mexico. It only took a day for deep sea isopods to descend on the caracasses and begin devouring them. Undeterred by the thick hide of the reptiles, they burrowed right in using their four pairs of jaws. This startling discovery suggests that the creatures are highly attuned to their food-scarce environments and can rouse from their usual torpor at a moment’s notice in order to take advantage of any meals that may drift within their reach. 

First discovered in 1879 in a trawling expedition in the Gulf of Mexico north of the Tortugas organized by oceanographer Alexander Agassiz and later described by zoologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards, the deep sea isopod was among the first organisms produced from the ocean floor. Its existence provided valuable evidence contradicting the Azoic hypothesis, an early 19th century theory that maintained life was impossible in the deeper reaches of the ocean. 

The size of these crustaceans is likely due to the influence of the extreme conditions in which they live. The species are classified into giants, which max out at around 6 inches, and supergiants, which may be close to 2 feet long, as in the case of the largest, Bathonymus giganteus. Because the water is so cold, it contains more oxygen. Combined with the slower metabolism of creatures who can survive these conditions, it allows for the development of larger cells, and ultimately, body size. 

Even its eggs are huge—at half an inch in diameter, they are the largest of any marine invertebrate. Deep sea isopods have also adapted to the fact that large food supplies such as whale falls (or alligator falls) are rare. Unlike many invertebrates, they store large amounts of fat. A deep sea isopod at the Toba Aquarium in Japan ate a single fish in January 2009 and survived until <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2561063/Giant-isopod-dies-Japanese-aquarium-five-year-hunger-strike.html">February of 2013</a> without another meal, testifying to the staying power of a slow metabolism.

They’ve got stamina in the pop culture sphere as well, particularly in Japan, where they are occasionally eaten. The Omoshiro Aquarium in Yokohama recently sponsored <a href="https://kotaku.com/would-you-like-some-grotesque-sea-bugs-to-eat-1551830363">an event</a> where visitors could try one of the smaller species, deep fried. Evidently, what little meat they have on them tastes a bit like shrimp. The Japanese have also come up with a huge array of isopod merchandise: everything from cell phone cases to plushies. 

In real life, these creatures aren’t all that huggable. But they provide a hugely valuable ecological service in cleaning up the remains of the creatures that sink into their lightless milieu. And though they might seem safely removed from the human-induced ecological catastrophes at the surface, they’ve been found with plastic in their guts and are now common bycatch. Even a few hundred million years of evolutionary stability may not save them from the ravages of human carelessness. So enjoy these weird news darlings while you still can.  

--

By <a href="mailto:rtpallardy@gmail.com">Richard Pallardy</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Main Image Credit: NOAA

Fathoms and fathoms below: The weird life of the deep sea isopod

You can call them poor unfortunate souls if you like....

A couple in North Carolina lost all three of their dogs last week after a visit to a local pond turned fatal. The culprit was toxic blue-green algae. 

For many dogs, nothing beats a good swim in a lake or river. It’s also an excellent way to cool off, especially during the hot summer days. The problem is that freshwater is prone to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-algae-extinction/">algae blooms</a> as temperatures rise and heavy rains cause fertilizer runoff. 

Toxic blue-green algae poisoning can cause serious health problems for both humans and animals. Dogs easily ingest pieces of algae floating on the water, which is why exposure is so dangerous. 

Pet owners in the southeastern United States are being warned to stay away from algae blooms, and swimming bans are in place all along the Mississippi coast, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/12/us/blue-green-algae-dogs.html">New York Times</a>. 

Harmful algal blooms occur when algae in freshwater grow out of control. High temperatures, stagnant water, high levels of nutrients usually from agricultural runoff carried by heavy rains all create the perfect conditions for algae to thrive and spread. 

Some of these blooms produce harmful bacteria like cyanobacteria. 

Even though people the southeast are on high alert, harmful algal blooms can happen anywhere in the US, according to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/protect-your-pooch">Environmental Protection Agency</a>. 

If you see floating soapy foam or a swath of scum on the surface of a pool of water, it’s likely a bloom which can range from blue, green, and even red in color. 

Algal blooms produce a strong unpleasant odor to humans, but dogs are unphased. 

Stay vigilant with your pet on walks and keep them away from water if you suspect a bloom. If you think your dog was exposed, rinse them off immediately and watch for symptoms of poisoning, which can appear as soon as 15 minutes after exposure. 

“It happens every single year in the U.S. and around the world,” Val Beasley, a professor of veterinary, wildlife and ecological toxicology sciences at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a>, told the New York Times. “A lot of times, the neurotoxins will kill the animal before they can get to the veterinarian. This time of year is when you have the most numbers of cases and people are out and about with their animals and the conditions are ripe for the cyanobacteria to grow.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Bryan Neuswanger

Why toxic algae blooms can be fatal for dogs

A couple in North Carolina lost all three of their...

New changes to the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/endangered-species-act-support/">Endangered Species Act</a>, which were finalized by the Trump administration on Monday, drastically scale back protections issued to species threatened with extinction. 

The addendum to the Act states that species categorized as “threatened,” such as the North American wolverine, the northern spotted owl, and the American burying beetle, will not automatically receive the same protections as those categorized as “endangered.”

Currently, more than 1,600 species are at risk in the United States, and human interference alone has put up to one million species on the brink of extinction worldwide. In just 400 years, an estimated 680 vertebrate species have gone extinct.

The reasoning behind the weakening of protections is so that Trump officials can draw more attention to the economic impact of protecting certain species. For example, the burying beetle was “downlisted” in order to allow for more oil and gas drilling in Oklahoma and surrounding states.

“Certainly we have to have an environment that favors economics, but not at the cost of everything else,” Jon Bedick, a burying beetle researcher from <a href="https://www.shawnee.edu/">Shawnee State University</a>, told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/12/endangered-species-act-trump-administration-protection-changes?CMP=share_btn_link">The Guardian</a>.

Furthermore, the climate crisis, which puts hundreds of species at risk for population decline, is not a make-or-break factor under these new Endangered Species Act changes. That’s because the definition of “foreseeable future” has shifted under the Trump administration — the deadline of 2050 being the scientifically predicted boiling point if climate policies are not changed to decrease greenhouse gasses and carbon output is not fully recognized by Trump officials, who are more project-by-project oriented. And in their opinion, one project cannot possibly eliminate an entire species of animal.

The changes made to the Endangered Species Act will undoubtedly make protecting specific species more difficult. Environment advocates plan to challenge the edits in court.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/FloridaStock

Trump admin faces blowback for weakening the Endangered Species Act

New changes to the Endangered Species Act, which were finalized...

<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.

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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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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
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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

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