Australia holds secrets beneath its soil. Some remain buried for millennia, waiting for discovery. Cave fossils reveal traces of animals that once called this land home.



But sometimes, the truth arrives too late. A new marsupial species has been identified, and it is already gone.



Scientists from Curtin University, the Western Australian Museum, and <a href="https://www.murdoch.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Murdoch University</a> pieced together the evidence. They examined fossils from the Nullarbor and southwest Australia. 



The study revealed a previously unknown bettong and two new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marsupials-are-key-to-healthy-ecosystems-in-australia/">subspecies</a> of woylie, a small kangaroo relative still clinging to survival. The findings highlight both the richness of Australia’s biodiversity and the fragility of its remaining wildlife.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-woylies-are-critically-endangered">Woylies are critically endangered </h2>



Woylies are tiny but powerful. They dig constantly in search of underground fungi, their favorite food. In doing so, they turn over tons of soil every year. This endless digging spreads spores, refreshes the soil, and keeps ecosystems alive.



Despite their impact, woylies are in trouble. Habitat destruction and predators have reduced their numbers. They are now critically endangered. Conservation teams move them across reserves, making them the most translocated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-3500-animal-species-are-directly-threatened-by-climate-change/">mammal</a> in Australia. Survival is the only goal. 



Each relocation represents both hope and desperation, a reminder that these animals cannot yet stand alone. Without protection, their role in shaping healthy landscapes could vanish entirely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-living-subspecies-of-woylies">Two living subspecies of woylies </h2>



The research revealed more than anyone expected. Lead author Jake Newman-Martin, a PhD student at <a href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&amp;ai=DChsSEwjE-7PEsMePAxVriO4BHQIRHpgYACICCAEQABoCZHo&amp;co=1&amp;ase=3&amp;agsac=Sji_ZRGNpeA&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw2vTFBhAuEiwAFaScwgRGmzBNF7TTRPqNT5gS8sB0IeDq8c1Q5N24-t54khBDZTXrysM-EBoCAIEQAvD_BwE&amp;ei=J9y9aNWFJ6nbkPIPkPGEkQs&amp;ohost=www.google.com&amp;cid=CAESwwHg9u_LnlK2yWPa1JAEeR5JGyuCqx5cApTuZsFL6fvIgGIGL4GeDNRgHSNu2bDXnOvjwGhvJGvTkKLtuSgCvzy99ppR2RvschDNpmkrSElV0Tli55nxfoZf6BhU_8snQgG7zpEcP2-KgsJzxwQA2TXbRPR8qWgAFDdcMWSBtUy3hKGS9QWuBOuL5Yoy4lNGjOXd2IceAju78yaEE6wbjHXHDfNFjJjNwTQL7_4TtRrWvEc-GtuYujbMOHpuDmgCRoXGlcQ&amp;sig=AOD64_1RloOzproshrfVI9YTzBfmtPc53Q&amp;q&amp;sqi=2&amp;adurl&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiVta_EsMePAxWpLUQIHZA4IbIQ0Qx6BAgSEAE&amp;ms=CoAC7KYzD2cYp7wFtE9fRTZ-TE2thCjnG8htoBjkH-bMSbZFi9D8PmleTLl1Zd3oJh7cY8tLWWjVYlEaPcGD_6Y3Fq8qPaZ3R9yHjnyKgzZIJuV_00sjUdE4UTY5ACm3UgSc-s61NbAK3f1-vRgUBHOi8MH7V86nktAQSf-9YeRGzfO_a0fVcl-rHXFbQFHhjnadpz5vasYpyFtPm2MRPDvSFUdxYwDhyfIMYSR7IaQub3mNE3Pxa5heMdOJL79I-NM7X7avWh6bIlppEOBUf3jbfUZ_tt7t2iiTpSC6dc4fDCFoV-LfTmBO0TNsIteVGy4IXO2aViHd4xv5VhaFFLNNUgqAAn1XW8Bnk25mY3Q9uJHWFBNC1ugehImsoMAJMHq8lkwMD2QSDSxr426QVu1uFWGfHPe6pZSFABEMpLfWPLXrObfLGCed9fyuFFtXQsKJrmP43ZHXLKBDH4WiIafdbygvEdhDvzs_DyfiTytREDotCIdIWBaF8kV_Cu8u7kkKijEwkw1UdGvyLLiYNWfXx-rQtnwnHx6dStqpRGe1AZBCCKphZ6fNxLY9FReksuf-KZIM0-v1HUsZXCK8oKYlfHRVts3Z-gnIkjsjz1M-zrn1TCxsJW6KP9KqTRnF_ER50LLTUQcSlWzjE5pke1xtQ0qsA-2lLUTfYs8k7WfKUK6ccwwSEN-w-JfN3z1nVRCH9VLXhwY&amp;nis=12&amp;uk=1757273128761" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curtin</a>, explained the significance of the study. He noted that woylies are critically endangered marsupials that have been the focus of conservation efforts for decades.



“In this new research, we’ve named a completely new species based on fossil material, and two new subspecies of woylies for the first time. Sadly, many of them have become extinct before we’ve even been aware of them," said Newman-Martin.



“Our results split the critically endangered woylie into two living subspecies, which is very important for conservation when we’re considering breeding and translocation initiatives to increase the size and fitness of populations.”



This means conservationists must adjust their work. Breeding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/surprising-marsupial-relative-lived-in-ancient-texas/">programs</a> now need to preserve the differences between subspecies, not just save numbers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossil-evidence-of-woylies">Fossil evidence of woylies</h2>



To reach these findings, the team measured fossils in collections across the country. They studied skulls and bones that had been left unexplored in detail. Some specimens came from overseas museums in London and Oxford. Each piece offered new information.



Study co-author Kenny Travouillon from the <a href="http://Welcome to the Western Australian Museum | Western Australian Museum https://share.google/7KXpr23XEua9KXB3E" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Western Australian Museum</a> explained the process. 



“This research confirmed several distinct species and expanded the known diversity of woylies by measuring skull and body fossil material that had previously not been looked at in detail,” Dr. Travouillon said.



“What we’ve found through this research tells us that examining fossils alongside genetic tools could offer significant insights that may help conservation efforts of this critically endangered native species.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-than-a-name">More than a name</h2>



The new Nullarbor species has been described scientifically as Bettongia haoucharae. But researchers are not stopping there. They are now working with Indigenous communities to choose a name that reflects cultural knowledge. 



This matters because “woylie” itself is a Noongar word, tied to the language and land where these animals lived. Giving the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-wallace-line-a-natural-border-that-no-species-crosses/">species</a> a name shaped through collaboration ensures it carries more than scientific meaning. It becomes a recognition of people, place, and tradition, linking modern research with cultural heritage. 



This step highlights how science and community can move together, giving discoveries a deeper and shared significance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-of-the-study">Broader implications of the study</h2>



The discovery adds to our scientific knowledge, but also highlights a painful truth: a species recognized only after it vanished. That harsh reality demonstrates how critical it is to protect the survivors.



Woylies still survive, but they remain on the edge. Their numbers are small, their habitats fragmented, and threats from predators continue. Understanding their diversity helps guide conservation, but action will decide their future. 



Research alone cannot save them. What matters is how quickly conservation measures are put in place and how strongly communities and governments support those efforts.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5690.1.1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zootaxa</a>.



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Newly discovered marsupial species is already extinct

Australia holds secrets beneath its soil. Some remain buried for millennia, waiting for discovery. Cave fossils reveal traces of animals that once called this land home. But sometimes, the truth arrives too late. A new marsupial species has been identified, and it is already gone. Scientists from Curtin University, the Western Australian Museum, and Murdoch University pieced together the evidence. They examined fossils from the Nullarbor and southwest Australia. The study revealed a previously unknown bettong and two new subspecies of woylie, a small kangaroo relative still...

Geologist Abderrazak El Albani and his team from the <a href="http://ic2mp.labo.univ-poitiers.fr/index.php/language/en/">Institut de chimie des milieux et matériaux de Poitiers (CNRS/Université de Poitiers)</a> have discovered the oldest evidence of mobility on Earth. This new evidence, discovered in a fossil deposit in Gabon in Central Africa, is estimated to be about 2.1 billion years old. Previously discovered remnants of mobility have only been dated to 570 million years ago.

El Albani and his team also discovered the oldest existing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ancient-fossils-antarctic-subglacial-lake/">fossils</a> of multicellular organisms in the same basin in Gabon. These ancient fossils helped the team prove that the appearance of multicellular life on Earth began around 2.1 billion years ago — about 1.5 billion years earlier than previously estimated. Now, with the discovery of fossilized motility evidence, researchers now know that certain of these multicellular organisms were evolved enough to move around in the mud.

[caption id="attachment_1867583" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mobility.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1867583" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/mobility.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="258" /></a> Image Credit: A. El Albani / IC2MP / CNRS - Université de Poitiers[/caption]

This evidence, published February 11th in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">PNAS</a>, was found and three-dimensionally reconstructed via X-ray computed microtomography. The team found the traces of motility to be tubular and generally consistent in diameter. These sinuous-like structures run through fine layers of sedimentary rock and are biological in origin.

Researchers believe that the organisms responsible for leaving these traces moved in search of nutritive elements and the dioxygen, both produced by cyanobacteria. They may have been similar in appearance to colonial amoebae, which cling together when resources are scarce, thus forming a type of slug that searches for a better environment.

Finding evidence of mobility this far back in history raises new questions such as, was this movement a prelude to more complex and perfected forms of movement? And/or did the drop in oxygen cut this evolutionary mobility short?

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: A. El Albani / IC2MP / CNRS - Université de Poitiers

Oldest evidence of mobility on Earth discovered in Gabon

Geologist Abderrazak El Albani and his team from the Institut...

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an illness in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/decline-hunting/">deer</a>, elk, and moose that attacks the brain and spinal cord, causes drastic weight loss, aggression, and eventually leads to death. It’s sometimes referred to as “zombie deer disease” because of the disease causes an infected animal to waste away. 

According to a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd/occurrence.html">recent update</a> by the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control</a> (CDC), the disease has spread to 24 states in the US and two provinces in Canada. There have also been cases of CWD reported in Norway and Finland among reindeer and moose. 

First reported in Colorado in the 1960s among captive deer, CWD later spread to wild deer across the US. 

“Since 2000, the area known to be affected by CWD in free-ranging animals has increased to at least 24 states, including states in the Midwest, Southwest, and limited areas on the East Coast,” the CDC reports. “Once CWD is established in an area, the risk can remain for a long time in the environment. The affected areas are likely to continue to expand.”

In some cases, it can take years for an infected animal to show signs, but once the disease is visible, the symptoms are severe. 

The CDC says that the prevalence of the disease is still relatively low even though it’s spreading and that infection rates are much higher among captive deer. 

As of yet, there’s no evidence that the disease can spread to humans, but the CDC reports that experiments have produced varied results with the disease infecting <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd/transmission.html">squirrel monkeys, mice and macaques</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bizarre “zombie” deer disease has now spread to 24 states

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an illness in deer, elk,...

Perching birds, also known as passerines, make up about 6,500 of the 10,000 bird species alive today. There was a time, however, when these birds were rare. Scientists recently discovered a passerine species from 52 million years ago, which is now the earliest known specimen of its kind.

“This is one of the earliest known perching birds. It's fascinating because passerines today make up most of all bird species, but they were extremely rare back then. This particular piece is just exquisite,” said study co-author Lance Grande, who is a distinguished curator at the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a>. “It is a complete skeleton with the feathers still attached, which is extremely rare in the fossil record of birds.”

Eofringillirostrum boudreauxi, which was found in what is now Wyoming, is the earliest example of a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nesting-roadway-tropical-birds/">bird</a> with a beak like modern-day sparrows and finches. The finch-like beak of the ancient bird gives experts some insight into its diet.

“These bills are particularly well-suited for consuming small, hard seeds,” said study lead author Daniel Ksepka.

Grande added that the earliest birds probably ate insects and fish, and some may have eaten small lizards. “Until this discovery, we did not know much about the ecology of early passerines. E. boudreauxi gives us an important look at this.”

The fossil skeleton of E. boudreauxi was found near Fossil Lake, a site that is known for having perfect fossilization conditions.

[caption id="attachment_1867414" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/perching-bird.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1867414" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/perching-bird.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="819" /></a> Image (c) Lance Grande, Field Museum[/caption]

“Fossil Lake is a really graphic picture of an entire community locked in stone - it has everything from fishes and crocs to insects, pollen, reptiles, birds, and early mammals,” said Grande. “We have spent so much time excavating this locality, that we have a record of even the very rare things.”

“Knowing what happened in the past gives us a better understanding of the present and may help us figure out where we are going for the future.”


Grande will continue to explore the site. “I've been going to Fossil Lake every year for the last 35 years, and finding this bird is one of the reasons I keep going back. It's so rich,” said Grande. “We keep finding things that no one's ever seen before.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The earliest known perching bird found in Fossil Lake, Wyoming

Perching birds, also known as passerines, make up about 6,500...

Caves challenge our bravery.  Dark winding passages can hide any danger.  Dangers are abundant, bat guano in large amounts can create ammonia to levels that can cause an adult to lose consciousness.  It’s easy for the unwary to hit their head on rock ceilings or trip on uneven floors. Once a flashlight runs out, a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/inside-caves/">cave</a> becomes a vast maze navigated in pitch blackness.  

Caves can also be a place to hide from danger.  Crocodiles hiding in caves sound like a dragon myth replete with human skeletons littering a dark den come to life.  Cave dwelling crocodiles are a reality, though. But the reason crocodiles live in caves may have more to do with hiding from danger than lurking in the dark waiting for unwary prey.

Throughout Africa, the bushmeat trade as well as trades in crocodile skin have devastated a once healthy crocodile population.  Fear of the reptiles only makes the situation worse, even for the relatively tiny African Dwarf Crocodile which reach a maximum length of less than two meters.  Such pressure from human hunting may be the driving force behind some crocodiles in Africa taking shelter inside caves. Luckily for crocodiles, local people in Africa are often reluctant to enter caves.      

In Gabon, research on cave dwelling crocodiles is still in its infancy.  Cave dwelling crocodiles in Madagascar haven’t yet been researched in any real way.  In Gabon, researchers first noticed what appear to be African Dwarf Crocodiles in the Abanda cave system in 2016, <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/abanda-gabon-orange-cave-african-dwarf-crocodiles-spd/">National Geographic</a> reports.

The crocodiles live in pools with large amounts of bat guano in them.  The guano seems to bleach the skin color of the older crocs to a strange orange-ish hue, which is strikingly different from the more common green/brown color.  The crocodiles also seem to eat mainly bats as opposed to the mostly fish diet of their non-cave dwelling relatives. 

Scientists believe that young crocodiles can come and go from the caves small openings at will, but once a croc grows to a certain size, it may be trapped in the subterranean ecosystem for the rest of its life.  Researchers have found real genetic differences in the cave dwelling crocodiles which suggests that they’ve been evolving differently from the top side African Dwarf Crocodiles. Interestingly, outside of cave environments, the African Dwarf Crocodiles are also nocturnal, making the transition into cave living relatively straightforward.  

But there are still many unanswered questions about the crocodiles. Scientists have no knowledge of how the crocodiles mate.  If after growing to a certain length, the crocodiles are truly trapped in the cave environment, it puts real restrictions on reproduction.  In most African Dwarf Crocodiles, vegetation is an important part of nest material. Crocodiles are ectotherms or ‘cold blooded’, so they rely on decay from plant material and other methods to regulate nest incubation temperatures.  Inside caves, there isn’t much available plant material for a crocodile to use for nesting. Perhaps the crocodiles have found a way to leave the cave for breeding, perhaps they are incapable of breeding after reaching a certain size.  More interestingly, it’s possible that the cave crocodiles actually nest inside the caves, a possibility that has yet to be observed. 

Even more mysterious are the cave crocodiles of Madagascar.  Madagascar is a place with a large human population and a related pressure upon the island’s wildlife.  People hunt crocodiles in Madagascar for the same reasons they do elsewhere in Africa and the rest of the world – for food, money and safety.  Ankarana Reserve in Madagascar has crocodiles hiding in caves, but it’s uncertain whether they spend as much time underground as those in Gabon.  

The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a> <a href="https://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/">Scientist at Work</a> column reports that ichthyologist John Sparks investigated the crocodiles informally.  Dr. Sparks had been studying cave fishes in Madagascar when he first encountered the cave crocodiles.  Unlike the crocodiles in Gabon, those of Madagascar are Nile Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus), a much larger species.  The cave with crocodiles yielded no interesting cave fishes for research but is waiting for a crocodile specialist to carry out research.  It could be that these crocodiles too are undergoing subtle evolution different from above ground crocodiles in Madagascar. 

Various accounts of the caves in the region say that there are various habitats within the cave system from dry guano beds to blue pools and even ‘sunken isolated forests’.  It sounds like a mythical underground world separate from the above ground like Madagascar is separate from the rest of the world and still connected. Bat guano in the caves supply a rich source of nutrients for animals like fishes and shrimp that the crocodiles could in turn feed upon.  The longest cave in the system, Ambatoharanana ‘crocodile’ cave, is 18 km long, big enough for many crocodiles to hide in. Some other caves in the system are also quite large, as long as 10 to 11 km. 

Much like the dwarf crocodiles in Gabon, little is known about how exactly crocodiles utilize the caves in Madagascar.  The caves likely keep crocodiles from being killed. There was a species of crocodile, Voay robustus, endemic to Madagascar.  Tellingly, the crocodile is thought to have gone extinct shortly after humans arrived on Madagascar roughly 2000 years ago.  As with many aspects of Malagasy culture, there are many different perceptions surrounding wildlife in general and crocodiles specifically in different parts of the island.  <a href="https://www.madamagazine.com/en/der-see-der-krokodile/">Mada Magazine</a> reports that there is a village in Madagascar where the locals make sacrifices of zebu (a type of cow) meat to crocodiles connected mythically to their ancestors.  Despite this, there are also Malagasy that are quick to kill crocodiles and this pressure might be driving the reptiles underground to become a different type of animal.                          

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Why some crocodiles hide out in caves

Caves challenge our bravery.  Dark winding passages can hide any...

The past few years have shown us the deadly and wide-reaching impacts that natural disasters can have on people, their homes, the environment, and also animals. But now, a <a href="https://titus.house.gov/sites/titus.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/PREPARED%20Act%20text%20116th_FINAL.pdf">newly introduced bill</a>, named the Providing Responsible Emergency Plans for Animals at risk of Emerging Disasters (PREPARED) Act, would require entities regulated under the Animal Welfare Act to have emergency plans for their animals.

The safety of animals during natural disasters was a relatively obscure issue until Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2005. The aftermath of the hurricane shed a light on the lack of emergency services for pets affected by natural disasters. Many victims refused disaster services, risking their own lives because they would have to leave their beloved pets behind. Others had to make the heart-wrenching decision to leave without their companions. An estimated 600,000 pets died or were left without shelter during Hurricane Katrina, according to<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hurricane-harvey-shelter-saves-cats-dogs-pets-new-orleans-a7936976.html"> The Independent</a>.

Lawmakers responded to this tragedy by passing The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act which mandated that states, cities and counties needed to include pets and service animals in their disaster relief plans in order to receive federal funding. The PETS Act was a ground-breaking law that changed the future of disaster planning. However, commercially owned animals were not included in this change.

The PREPARED Act hopes to fill this gap by requiring that entities covered under the Animal Welfare Act, such as zoos, circuses, commercial breeding facilities and research facilities, develop and implement emergency contingency plans. The contingency plans need to cover a wide range of emergencies including natural disasters, electrical outages and animal escapes. The bill was introduced by Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Pete King (R-NY).

“The lives of animals are too precious to leave to chance,” said Representative Dina Titus in a<a href="https://titus.house.gov/press-releases/reps-titus-king-introduce-bipartisan-prepared-act-to-protect-animals-during"> press release</a>. “This bipartisan bill will ensure that zoos, commercial breeders, research facilities, and the like are prepared to keep their animals safe when disaster strikes. Sadly, we’ve learned that if these entities do not have a plan in place when an emergency hits, it is already too late. I’m grateful for the support of Representative King and the many animal advocacy organizations that are helping advance this important legislation.”

As we have<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zoo-animals-natural-disaster/"> previously reported</a>, zoo animals have suffered through natural disasters, sometimes dying because of the extreme conditions. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums requires all of their member animal care facilities to develop and test an emergency plan. Not all zoos are members of the AZA though, and the AZA requirements do not cover other facilities such as research laboratories which can house a large number of animals.

“When disasters strike, preparation is crucial to effective response,” said Association of Zoos and Aquariums President and CEO Dan Ashe in a statement. “AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are leaders in disaster preparedness, and our 233 member facilities applaud Congresswoman Titus and her cosponsors for their leadership in introducing the PREPARED Act. It will provide needed and helpful focus in an era of changing climate and increasingly unpredictable and severe weather events.”

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

New bill mandates emergency plans for commercially owned animals

The past few years have shown us the deadly and...

Scientists estimate that the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/taller-older-rainforests-drought/">Amazon rainforest</a> is home to one-third of the world's plants and animals, but with so many species yet to discover, this could be an understatement. Experts at Chicago's <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a> are describing six previously unknown species of catfish that can be distinguished by a face covered in tentacles. 

Study lead author Lesley de Souza is a conservation scientist and ichthyologist at the museum. 

“We discovered six new species of really cool catfish from the Amazon and Orinoco River basins,” said de Souza. “They have tentacles on their snouts, they have spines that stick out from their heads, almost like claws, to protect themselves and their nests, and their body is covered with bony plates like armor. They're warriors, they're fish superheroes.”

The catfish are all members of the genus Ancistrus, or bristlenose catfish. At the aquarium, these are the sucker-mouthed “algae-eaters” that help clean the tanks. 

The fish are between three and six inches long, and the males have tentacles covering their snouts, which help them stand out to potential mates. Ancistrus catfish fathers are responsible for guarding nests of eggs and protecting them from predators, and the tentacles make them appear qualified for the job. 

“The idea is that when a female fish sees a male with these tentacles, to her, they look like eggs. That signifies to her that he's a good father who's able to produce offspring and protect them,” explained de Souza.

The catfish can be found in northeastern South America in clear, fast-moving rivers and streams. 

“If you're in the right habitat, you're going to find a lot of them,” said de Souza. “But they are sensitive to subtle changes in the environment, we have seen this at sites where they were plentiful and now scarce, this is due to habitat destruction.”

[caption id="attachment_1867344" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/catfish.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1867344" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/catfish.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="262" /></a> Image Credit: Jonathan W. Armbruster[/caption]

Some of the biggest threats are large-scale agriculture, deforestation, and gold mining. 

“Miners dredge up the river bottom causing increased sediment load, this changes the habitat structure of the river system, thus impacting the fishes ability to survive,” said de Souza. “Another effect from gold mining is the use of mercury to extract the gold in the river. This impacts all wildlife and principally local people that consume these fishes and other species in the watershed.”

“The whole ecosystem is interconnected - you can't separate the species in it. Giant river otters love to eat these catfish, and jaguars have been observed to have higher mercury levels from eating contaminated fish or other species that feed on fish. This can have dire impacts on the whole ecosystem. All the layers of the Amazon basin are interconnected from the rivers to the forest canopy.”

According to de Souza, the process of saving the Amazon starts with discovering new species and giving them names. With so many potentially unknown species remaining in the Amazon, the work will continue. 

“I have this undying curiosity - what's around that bend, that corner, what's in that creek, what can I find? And this project was all about discovery, whether we were finding new species in rivers in Guyana or in jars in museum collections. This study included more than 500 specimens, but this is just a drop in the bucket - there's still so much more to learn about Ancistrus and other Neotropical fish.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/">Zootaxa</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Six new strange-looking catfish species discovered in South America

Scientists estimate that the Amazon rainforest is home to one-third...

One of the oldest cases of bone cancer was recently discovered in a 240-million-year-old shell-less stem-turtle fossil known as Pappochelys rosinae, proving that cancer has been around long before humans.

The turtle lived during the middle <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-triassic-period/">Triassic</a> when dinosaurs first began to appear, and the species is an integral part of the modern-day turtle’s evolutionary history. 

A fossil of Pappochelys rosinae, first discovered in 2013 and kept in the <a href="https://www.naturkundemuseum-bw.de/intl/englisch/stuttgart-state-museum-natural-history">Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History</a>, had a mysterious growth on its back leg bone. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/en">Natural History Museum in Berlin</a> studied the bone growth and found that it was a malignant and aggressive tumor.

“This is one of the oldest cases of cancer in the fossil record of vertebrates, and the oldest case in an amniote, which is the group that encompasses reptiles, birds and mammals,” said Florian Witzmann, an author of a study detailing the bone cancer.

[caption id="attachment_1867422" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Ancient-turtle-fossil-proves-that-cancer-long-predates-humans-copy.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1867422" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Ancient-turtle-fossil-proves-that-cancer-long-predates-humans-copy.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="471" /></a> Image Credit: Rainer Schoch/Wikimedia[/caption]

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Oncology, highlights the importance of paleopathology which is the study of ancient diseases.

This recent finding is particularly noteworthy because it’s difficult to find cancers in early fossils.

“Generally, paleopathologies are rare in fossils, particularly malignant cancers which are almost unheard of in the fossil record, making this a rare find indeed,” said Patrick Asbach, a co-author of the study.

The researchers scanned the turtle fossil and examined the growth under a microscope to help identify the tumor, which was located in the back of the left leg toward the hip joint.

The earliest case of bone cancer in humans was found in the bone of an ancient human ancestor that died in South Africa between 1.6 and 1.8 million years ago.

[caption id="attachment_1867423" align="aligncenter" width="634"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/turtle.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1867423" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/turtle.jpg" alt="" width="634" height="777" /></a> Image Credit: JAMA Oncology[/caption]

Because there are so few cases of cancer that pop up in the fossil record, researchers know very little about the disease’s origins, and there has long been an assumption that cancer is a modern malady.

“Our finding provides further evidence that cancer is not restricted to the modern human physiology. Instead, the susceptibility to this disease roots far back in the evolutionary history of vertebrates, hundreds of millions of years before the origin of humans,” said Yara Haridy, the first author of the study.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer 

Main Image Credit: Rainer Schoch/Wikimedia

Ancient turtle fossil proves that cancer long predates humans

One of the oldest cases of bone cancer was recently...

New research published by <a href="https://www.unl.edu/">University of Nebraska-Lincoln</a> shows that in Earth’s largest mass extinction, plants were likely killed off before animals started to wink out.  While this pattern of death is somewhat intuitive, it has real implications to our lives today.

About 252 million years ago, 70% of land vertebrates like you and me died off.  Along with animals living on land, 96% of ocean life also died off. The cause of the extinction seems to be from massive volcanic eruptions in what is now modern Siberia triggered by collision of tectonic plates.  

The volcanic eruptions threw ash and other pollutants into the air, creating a global cooling event, similar to a hypothetical nuclear winter.  Nickel from the eruption in particular may have killed off plants now fossilized in Australia 400,000 years before most of the marine extinctions occurred.  Scientists with University of Nebraska-Lincoln have been studying pollen fossils in the sea cliffs of Australia’s Sydney Basin where high levels of nickel have been found associated with pollen.  The scientists hypothesize that the nickel was turned into an aerosol by the volcanic eruptions in Siberia, and rained down on plant life, poisoning it and kicking off the mass extinction event. Unexpectedly high levels of nickel have been recorded in other parts of the world as well.    

The extinction, commonly called the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/permian-mass-extinction/">end Permian extinction event</a>, came along at a time of great change in the history of life on Earth.  In the Permian oceans, there was a rich diversity of shellfish. There were cephalopods that looked much like the modern nautilus with coiled snail-like shells enclosing bodies more like squids.  On land, enormous primitive dragonflies were fearsome predators. Mammals were just on the verge of evolving from reptiles. The whole planet was alien to modern eyes but full of an abundance of wildlife.  Plants of the time were mainly ‘primitive’; flowering plants not having evolved yet. Still the primitive forms supported entire ecosystems and filled niches later occupied by more ‘advanced’ forms. Ferns, mosses, gymnosperms and equisetum are a few examples of the plants that dominated the Permian landscape.      

If nickel did indeed kill off large amounts of plants, it’s easy to see how this would devastate whole ecosystems.  When there are no plants, herbivores starve and die. When there are no herbivores, carnivores starve and die. It’s a pretty straightforward connection between the extinction of plants and the extinction of animals.

An earlier paper in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921818110002286">Global and Planetary Change</a> discusses how plant composition changed at the extinction at the end of the Permian.  Before the end Permian extinction event, gymnosperms seem to be the most prevalent plants.  Gymnosperms are best represented today by conifers such as pine trees, that is plants bearing cones are gymnosperms as opposed to flowered plants.  Gymnosperms are more often pollinated by wind than insects like flowering plants. After the end Permian extinction event, there is a shift from a dominance of gymnosperms in the fossil record to a dominance of lycopods.  Lycopods are plants much more easily missed than gymnosperms. Commonly known as ground pines or creeping cedars, lycopods reproduce via spores, similar to ferns. Lycopods are small and inconspicuous for the most part, looking a little like mosses with small cones that bear their spores sticking above the soil.

Interestingly, the shift from gymnosperm dominance to that of lycopods was relatively short-lived.  Despite plants being the first to die off, they also seem to be some of the first organisms to rebound from the massive extinction.  All major plant groups ended up surviving the end Permian extinction and helps to explain the lesser extent to which land animals died off when compared to marine organisms.  Perhaps even more interestingly, the turnover of different plant regimes and the rebound of plant diversity are linked to carbon in the atmosphere. 

A study published in <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6419/eaat1327">Science</a> suggests that indeed, it was carbon and related ocean warming that drove the extinction of marine species.  The research shows that oceans at the end of the Permian rose in temperature by a staggering 20°F, and caused the loss of 80% of the ocean’s oxygen.  This change in temperature and dissolved gases obviously had devastating effects on life. In the long run, we can say that the oceans ‘recovered’ meaning that an abundance of new species evolved and again filled the waters with life.  In another view, something was lost forever. Individual species lost are lost forever but diversity can again recovery over extremely long periods of time. It’s easy to think of it like this – an individual child may die and the parents of that child might have three more.  We can say that on some level the family recovered from the loss of the child but we know on another level, they will never be the same.

An article in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/priyashukla/2018/12/10/what-we-can-learn-from-a-252-million-year-old-ocean-extinction/#535a08f4706e">Forbes</a> asks, ‘What can we learn’ from the Permian extinction?  As we are in a new age of mass extinction, partially caused by carbon emissions, there is a lot we can learn.  One disturbing takeaway is that ocean life may suffer more from climate change than terrestrial biota. Another lesson is that plant life is of utmost importance to the resilience and survival of terrestrial biodiversity.  It’s disturbing that along with carbon emissions, humans are also destroying millions of acres of forests. We’re also massively altering plant communities with agriculture. Sadly, we can only learn so much from the end Permian extinction because it happened at a much slower pace than our current extinction event.  The Permian event was on a scale of millions of years, now we’re working on a scale of hundreds or thousands of years. Beyond climate, habitat destruction, resource overuse, overhunting, and many more human created problems are driving our current extinction event. Only time will tell if plants can lead another rebound in diversity of life once humans are done wreaking destruction.      

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

The plants go first: Lessons from Earth’s largest mass extinction

New research published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows that in...

Scientists have discovered a relative of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/black-widow-spiders-strong-silk/">Black Widow spider</a> in South Africa. The Phinda Button spider is the first new widow species to be described in 28 years, and may also be the largest of the poisonous widow spiders. 

Barbara Wright, an entomologist at the <a href="https://www.wildtomorrowfund.org/">Wild Tomorrow Fund</a>, initially found the spider in 2014 at Tembe Elephant Park. The experts speculate that the bite of the Phinda Button spider is comparable that of the Black Widow, which is considered to be the most venomous in North America. 

“Although we still haven't done the toxicology on this species, all widow spiders (genus Latrodectus) are considered medically important due to their potent neurotoxic venom,” said Wright. “The effects of the venom on human beings may include pain, palpitation, sweating and vomiting.”

“Previously-discovered species of widow spider make up three of the world's nine deadliest spiders, as listed by the Encyclopædia Britannica. Yet in truth, Latrodectus bites rarely result in death - and the same will likely be true of the new species.”

According to Dr. Ian Engelbrecht, an arachnid expert at the <a href="https://www.up.ac.za/">University of Pretoria</a>, the Phinda Button is native to the critically-endangered sand forests of South Africa. The females have distinctive bright red marks on both their back and underbelly. The spider can also be distinguished by its purple-colored egg sac, which holds hundreds of hatchlings.

According to Wright, the species is extremely shy, reclusive, and docile. She noted that there have been no reports of bites from them. While it has not yet been determined whether it is the largest widow spider in the world, Dr. Engelbrecht said it is “certainly the largest in Africa.”

“I immediately thought this was something special but I was uncertain if it was just some specimen that blew in from Madagascar or some other exotic place.”

[caption id="attachment_1867342" align="aligncenter" width="548"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/spider.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1867342" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/spider.jpg" alt="" width="548" height="368" /></a> Image Credit: Pen News/Luke Verburgt[/caption]

Dr. Engelbrecht helped Wright confirm that the Phinda Button is a new species.

“When Barbara showed me the first photo, I literally could not believe this spider existed and that it was unknown to science. Discovering a new species is always exciting, but the feeling of finding something so spectacular and unique is indescribable,” said Dr. Engelbrecht. “Widow and button spiders are medically important for humans, so it's important to understand their diversity.”
--
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: Pen News/Luke Verburgt

New species of widow spider may be the largest of its kind

Scientists have discovered a relative of the Black Widow spider...

Aedes aegypti

Suppressing mosquito appetites could persuade them not to bite. New research from scientists at the <a href="https://www.rockefeller.edu/our-scientists/heads-of-laboratories/913-leslie-b-vosshall/">lab of Leslie B. Vosshall</a> from <a href="https://www.rockefeller.edu/">The Rockefeller University</a> reveals it may be possible shut down the host-seeking and blood-feeding behaviors of female mosquitoes. Their findings, published February 7th in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell</a>, could result in mosquitoes being rendered harmless creatures in the future.

Scientists experimented on the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species of mosquito responsible for spreading life-threatening diseases like Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, and dengue. Female Aedes feed on human beings because our blood possesses protein needed for the Aedes to produce her eggs. After they feed and become bloated, they do not seek blood for several days.

This bloated phenomenon can be recreated by scientists injecting female <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/malarial-mosquitoes-cattle-decoys/">mosquitoes</a> with large doses of neuropeptides, which activate certain receptors. Laura Duvall, the postdoctoral fellow project leader, and her team were able to figure out which neuropeptide compound would work to suppress the mosquitos’ appetite — by studying similar receptors in our own human bodies. 

Duvall and her team found that anti-obesity drugs used to inhibit Neuropeptide Y or NPY receptors in humans — those being receptors that regulate food intake — could affect NPY-like receptors in mosquitoes as well.

"We were impressed and amazed that drugs designed to affect human appetite worked perfectly to suppress mosquito appetite," said Vosshall, Rockefeller’s Robin Chemers Neustein Professor.

After a series of neuropeptide cloning tests, the team found that the drug was affecting the mosquito NPY-like receptor known as NPYLR7.

Because this human drug could not be safely introduced into the wild, the team then searched for molecules that would activate NPYLR7 without triggering human NPY receptors. They narrowed down a list of 250,000 candidates to one molecule — compound 18, the molecule that suppressed Aedes' host-seeking behavior without showing off-target effects.Mosquitoes who were fed compound 18 didn’t hunt for human blood, nor other mammal’s blood. 

The next step is to find where the receptor is located within the mosquitoes’ bodies to help stop the spread of mosquito-transmitted diseases. And perhaps, compound 18 could be delivered to female mosquitoes in the wild to thwart disease before new disease-carrying mosquitoes are born.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Suppressing mosquito appetites could persuade them not to bite

Suppressing mosquito appetites could persuade them not to bite. New...

When fish swim up to the glass, do they recognize their own reflection? Are fish self-aware?

A new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.orn.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for Ornithology</a> and <a href="https://www.osaka-cu.ac.jp/en">Osaka City University</a> says yes and no, as the results beg a broader question of what constitutes “awareness” in different species. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3000021">PLOS Biology</a>, and the researchers focused on the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) fish to better understand self-awareness, a cognitive trait that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-body-conscious/">few animals are thought to possess</a>. 

When the fish saw themselves in the mirror, the researchers observed behavior that seemed to suggest self-awareness, and the fish “passed” the mark mirror test which is used to test awareness in animals like primates. 

However, the researchers are cautious to compare the wrasse’s passing marks to the self-awareness of other animals, and the study results are more complicated than a black and white definition of self-awareness and recognition.  

The results do show that the fish are far more intelligent than previously given credit for. 

“The behaviours we observe leave little doubt that this fish behaviourally fulfils all criteria of the mirror test as originally laid out,” said Alex Jordan, the senior author of the study. “What is less clear is whether these behaviours should be considered as evidence that fish are self-aware--even though in the past these same behaviours have been interpreted as self-awareness in so many other animals.” 

Mirror self-recognition, or the ability to recognize one’s reflection for what it is, is an essential marker of awareness and cognition in animals. With the cleaner wrasse, a mirror mark test is more challenging. 

Researchers usually consider the mark mirror test “passed” if an animal recognizes a foreign mark on its reflection and tries to investigate or remove it, but fish don't have limbs. 

For this study, the researchers placed a colored mark on a cleaner wrasse and waited to see how it reacted to its reflection. The fish tried to remove the mark after seeing themselves in the mirror by scraping their bodies on different surfaces which the researchers saw as self-aware behavior. 

The fish didn’t try to remove transparent marks, and they didn’t remove marks if they never saw their reflection. 

The fish also didn’t attempt to remove a mark on themselves if they saw another fish had one which means that the wrasse understood the difference between another fish and its reflection. 

However, what exactly this means for fish awareness is unclear, according to the study. 

“Depending on your position, you might reject the interpretation that these behaviours in a fish satisfy passing the test at all,” Jordan said. “But on what objective basis can you do this when the behaviours they show are so functionally similar to those of other species that have passed the test?”

In a companion commentary to the study, Frans de Waas, a primatologist at <a href="http://www.emory.edu/home/index.html">Emory</a>, is also quick to point out that self-awareness for fish probably doesn’t mean the same thing that it does for humans or other species. 

‘What if self-awareness develops like an onion, building layer upon layer, rather than appearing all at once?” said Waal. “To explore self-awareness further, we should stop looking at responses to the mirror as its litmus test. Only with a richer theory of the self and a larger test battery will we be able to determine all of the various levels of self-awareness, including where exactly fish fit in.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Can fish recognize their own reflection?

When fish swim up to the glass, do they recognize...

A previously unknown <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-like-reptile-chewed-bones/">dinosaur</a> species from 140 million years ago has been discovered in Patagonia. The fossilized skeleton has extremely long and sharp spikes protruding from its spine.

The new species, which was named Bajadasaurus pronuspinax, had thick sheaths covering the backbone spikes that may have created the appearance of horns. This is believed to have deterred attackers, while helping the creatures look more sexually appealing to potential mates.

“These spines must have been covered by a keratin sheath similar to what happens in the horns of many mammals,” said Pablo Gallina, a researcher at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Scientific_and_Technical_Research_Council">National Scientific and Technical Research Council</a> (CONICET).

“We think that had they been just bare bone structures or covered only by skin, they could have been easily broken or fractured with a blow or when being attacked by other animals.”

The dinosaur existed just after the Jurassic period at the beginning of the Cretaceous period, and was most likely an herbivore.  

[caption id="attachment_1867336" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/spikes-spikes.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1867336" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/spikes-spikes.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="263" /></a> Image Credit: Jorge A. Gonzalez[/caption]

The skeleton represents the most complete specimen that has ever been found in the family of dinosaurs known as Dicraeosaurus. The family is part of the sauropods group of dinosaurs, which had long tails, long necks and small heads. The previous examples of these sauropods were not found with the extreme spikes on their backs. 

Amargasaurus cazaui, a dinosaur from the same family that lived 130 million years ago, had much shorter protrusions on its back. Scientists previously theorized that these spiked extensions supported a hump acting as a fat reservoir. Experts now believe that the spikes may have helped the dinosaurs look more attractive while providing them with a “passive defense system.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">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: EPA

New dinosaur species had huge spikes to appear sexy and intimidating

A previously unknown dinosaur species from 140 million years ago...

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







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



-----



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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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

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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

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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



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 rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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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

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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"

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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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