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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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How the pandemic changed dog behavior over 3 years

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

Researchers have unearthed fossils of massive freshwater crayfish that once scuttled through the lakes of southern New Zealand, 20 million years ago. 



These crustaceans, which stretched to nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters), challenge the assumption that ancient aquatic life in this region was limited to smaller species.



The fossils came from jaw fragments that shed light on the animals' unexpected size. 



By analyzing the shape and mineral composition of these remains, paleontologists gained new knowledge about a waterlogged world teeming with more creatures than anyone had expected, including formidable crayfish that appear to have thrived alongside fish, reptiles, and even <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-mammals-had-slower-growth-rates-and-lived-longer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">early mammals</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-parastacids-crayfish-fossils">Parastacids crayfish fossils</h2>



These fossils are <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/85966-Parastacidae" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parastacids</a>, a family of Southern Hemisphere crayfish that includes modern groups found in Australia, South America, and Madagascar. 



“We report the first identification of fossil freshwater crayfish based on fragments of the molar ridge from their mandibles,” stated <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/trevor.worthy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Trevor Worthy</a> of Flinders University.



The secret behind these remains lies in <a href="https://naturalhistory.si.edu/explore/collections/geogallery/10026755" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">apatite</a>, a phosphate mineral that hardens part of the crayfish jaw. 



That tough surface acted like a built-in shield, allowing small fragments to endure shifts in sediment and water flow across millions of years without being destroyed; this structural advantage is rare among crustaceans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revisiting-an-ancient-habitat">Revisiting an ancient habitat</h2>



Back then, large lakes in southern New Zealand supported fish, reptiles, and birds that dove beneath the surface for prey. 



The presence of these bigger crayfish indicates a richer underwater network, where stronger predators and agile scavengers likely crossed paths in an ecosystem that balanced competition and survival.



Fossil jaw structures suggest that at least three distinct crayfish species shared these waters. This contrasts with modern New Zealand, where only two species remain, each confined to separate regions and never overlapping in the same habitat. 



The newly-discovered shift in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crabs-lobsters-crustaceans-feel-pain-calls-for-immediate-ban-on-boiling-them-alive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">crustacean</a> variety offers fresh clues about how environmental changes shape crayfish evolution.



Researchers also uncovered traces called yabbie buttons, which are hardened deposits used by crayfish to store calcium for shell regrowth. 



These round structures were once mistaken for fish teeth, but they are now recognized as key evidence that large crayfish roamed the area and underwent regular molting cycles. This corrects decades of fossil catalog errors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-piecing-together-crayfish-fossils">Piecing together crayfish fossils</h2>



These extinct crayfish likely scoured lakebeds for decaying plant material, keeping water quality in check. 



Their size suggests they may have been valuable prey for fish and reptiles, fueling a cycle of consumption that drove ecological balance, and they might also have served as opportunistic feeders on smaller organisms whenever the chance arose.



Fossils from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Bathans_fauna" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. Bathans Formation</a> often reveal birds, fish, and occasionally mammals, painting a dynamic portrait of the Early Miocene. 



Crayfish fossils, though rarely complete, offer snapshots of how crustaceans adapted to murky waters and shifting temperatures, and this insight ties them to broader climate changes that shaped southern New Zealand’s aquatic fauna.



“It is morphologically distinguished from all other species of Cherax by the presence of marginal mesial dactylar basal spines,” noted <a href="https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5026.3.2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Robert McCormack</a>, adding that this highlights the diverse evolutionary paths within the family. Scientists have described separate parastacids with unique adaptations.&nbsp;



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



Having a body length of nearly 10 inches sets these New Zealand crayfish apart from typical freshwater <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-invasive-crustacean-species-discovered-in-the-mediterranean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">crustaceans</a> found in modern times. 



Larger bodies often confer advantages in mating, competition for habitat, and the range of food sources the animal can handle, though they also demand robust resources to support growth and molting.



The crayfish likely influenced nutrient cycling by breaking down organic debris and releasing nutrients back into the water. 



Their larger size meant they could tackle sturdier food items, accelerating the decomposition of plants and animals, and this role might have shaped local trophic dynamics.



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



Paleontologists plan to re-examine existing collections to spot more overlooked crayfish remains. They also hope to find better-preserved specimens that reveal details about the animals' anatomy, to help shed light on how these ancient giants functioned in their watery domain. 



Such discoveries may confirm links between extinct and surviving crayfish species across the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nothosaur-polar-sea-reptile-fossil-oldest-ever-discovered/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southern Hemisphere</a>.



Modern conservation efforts can benefit from a deeper understanding of extinct crayfish lineages. By tracing how these animals handled earlier climate shifts, researchers may uncover strategies that could help current species cope with warming habitats and changing water flows. 



Such knowledge might guide habitat management in regions where crayfish populations face pollution or competition from invasive species.



This discovery shows how small fossil pieces can shift our view of the natural world. With each new find, scientists refine the timeline of crayfish evolution, reminding us that ancient waters once held creatures that challenge our understanding of what we see in streams today.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2025.2488056" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology</a>.



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Fossil discovery shows freshwater crayfish measuring 10 inches from 20 million years ago

Researchers have unearthed fossils of massive freshwater crayfish that once...

Sebecid fossils are changing everything we thought we knew about the ancient Caribbean. Imagine a crocodile built like a greyhound - tall, fast, and fully land-dwelling. These agile predators, some stretching up to 20 feet long, once ruled South American landscapes after the extinction of the dinosaurs.



Scientists believed they vanished around 11 million years ago. But a surprising discovery in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/caribbean-salt-affects-global-climate-study-reveals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caribbean</a> tells a different story - one that begins with a few unusual fossilized teeth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-fossil-discovery-changed-the-story">A fossil discovery changed the story</h2>



Back in the 1990s, scientists discovered a pair of fossilized teeth in Cuba. The teeth, about 18 million years old, were serrated and sharp - built for tearing meat.



Then came another one in Puerto Rico, dated to 29 million years ago. The shape of these fossils clearly pointed to a large predator. 



But researchers were baffled. Until then, they thought the Caribbean had no land predators of that size. Without more bones to go on, the mystery sat unsolved.



Then in early 2023, something changed. A new fossil tooth turned up in the Dominican Republic, but this time it came with two vertebrae. It was a small clue, but it changed everything. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-large-predators-in-the-caribbean">Large predators in the Caribbean </h2>



The fossils confirmed the presence of a sebecid. That meant the Caribbean had been a safe haven for these large, land-based predators. They were still roaming these islands five million years after disappearing everywhere else.



This new discovery comes from a research team led by scientists from the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Florida</a>. 



“That emotion of finding the fossil and realizing what it is, it’s indescribable,” said Lazaro Viñola Lopez, the study's lead author.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crocodiles-that-ran-like-dinosaurs">Crocodiles that ran like dinosaurs</h2>



Sebecids were part of a long-extinct family of crocodile relatives called notosuchians. Unlike <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-amphibians-swam-like-modern-crocodiles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modern crocodiles</a> that lurk in rivers and swamps, sebecids were fully land-dwelling. 



They ran on strong limbs and hunted like the carnivorous dinosaurs that came before them. Some were enormous. 



Sebecids had armored bodies with tough bony plates beneath their skin. Their teeth were made for slashing meat, not catching fish.



When the mass extinction 66 million years ago wiped out most life, only the sebecids from the notosuchian line managed to survive in South America. With <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nuclear-winter-dinosaurs-were-likely-killed-by-dust/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dinosaurs</a> gone, they rose to dominate the food chain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sebecids-may-have-crossed-the-sea">Sebecids may have crossed the sea</h2>



How did a sebecid get to the Caribbean? The ocean has always been a serious barrier for land animals. That’s where the GAARlandia hypothesis comes in. 



The theory suggests there was once a chain of temporary land bridges or stepping-stone islands between South America and the Caribbean. 



These paths may have allowed animals like sebecids to migrate and settle. If the other teeth found across the Caribbean also belonged to sebecids, it means these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/past-climate-change-drove-the-rapid-evolution-of-reptiles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reptiles</a> weren’t just visitors. They were long-term residents.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-land-bridges-reshaped-ecosystems">Land bridges reshaped ecosystems </h2>



The land bridges may have shaped island ecosystems for millions of years. Now that they’re gone, smaller animals like birds, snakes, and native crocodiles have taken their place.



“You wouldn’t have been able to predict this looking at the modern ecosystem,” said a paleontologist from the Florida Museum of Natural History. 



“The presence of a large predator is really different than we imagined before, and it’s exciting to think about what might be discovered next in the Caribbean fossil record as we explore back further in time.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossil-secrets-of-the-caribbean">Fossil secrets of the Caribbean </h2>



Scientists often describe islands as natural museums. Their isolation makes them safe places for rare plants and animals to hang on after they’ve vanished elsewhere. But the Caribbean still holds many sebecid secrets - especially from deep in the past.



Until now, most Caribbean fossils have been found in caves and water-filled sinkholes called blue holes. Caves protect bones from the elements, while blue holes prevent decay by cutting off oxygen. 



These places have been valuable but only give a narrow view into recent biodiversity. They don’t tell us much about ancient species like sebecids.



Today, researchers are switching tactics. Instead of relying on caves and sinkholes, they’re going after older fossils in harder-to-reach spots.



“This is like a renaissance,” said Viñola-Lopez, describing the new wave of excitement in Caribbean paleontology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vanishing-fossil-sites">Vanishing fossil sites </h2>



In the Caribbean, fossil sites vanish quickly. Rain, wind, and forests erase rocky outcrops fast. When workers cut new roads or dig into hills, researchers have to act fast. 



That’s how the sebecid fossils were found. Road work in the Dominican Republic exposed the fossil bed just in time.



A graduate student from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez was studying the rocks in the area and spotted the site. He notified his colleagues, and soon after, the team from the University of Florida arrived to excavate the bones.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-surprises-to-come">More surprises to come</h2>



The sebecid fossils are only one piece of a much larger puzzle. In recent years, researchers have also found the first signs of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosasaurs-had-fierce-survival-strategies-including-cannibalism/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mosasaurs</a> - massive sea reptiles - in the Caribbean. 



The experts have identified the region’s oldest ground sloth fossils. And new work is hinting that early human arrival may have led to the extinction of native rodents.



It’s clear there’s more to uncover. “The sebecid is only the tip of the iceberg,” said Viñola-Lopez. And with more eyes now turned to the Caribbean, who knows what ancient giants might turn up next?



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.2891" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>.



Image Credit: Illustration by Jorge Machuky



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Giant crocodile in the Caribbean? Fossils reveal a lost apex predator

Sebecid fossils are changing everything we thought we knew about...

The personality possessed by a spider is distinct and may be similar to humans. But a group of African social spiders - often nicknamed ‘hippie spiders’ for their peaceful and cooperative lifestyles - might not fit that personality mold at all, according to recent observations by researchers.



Instead of having fixed traits or roles, these spiders seem to change their behavior from week to week. It’s as if individuality, at least in their case, is a moving target. 



In a new study, scientists from the <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Portsmouth</a> took a close look at the behavior of Stegodyphus dumicola, a species known for living in cooperative groups.



Over a four-month period, they carefully tracked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spiders-can-protect-tomatoes-from-invasive-pests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spider colonies</a> to see how their behavior held up over time, across different conditions and situations. What they found challenges what we think we know about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-personalities-can-shape-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animal personalities</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spider-personalities-keep-us-guessing">Spider personalities keep us guessing</h2>



Traditionally, personality in animals is defined by behavior that stays the same across time and different situations. But these spiders don’t follow that rule.



The researchers observed 28 colonies, measuring how the spiders behaved when startled, how bold or timid they were, and how quickly they helped capture prey as a team. These checks were repeated every two weeks.



At first, spiders did show some consistency in personality. But over time, that consistency fell apart. An individual that acted brave in one moment might seem shy in the next. Even hunger and environmental changes may have played a role in these shifting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/surprising-breeding-behaviors-of-giant-sea-spiders-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">behaviors</a>.



Dr Lena Grinsted is a senior lecturer of zoology in the School of the Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Portsmouth.



"Our study raises the question of whether these spiders truly have personalities at all. We found that their behavior fluctuates so much that it’s misleading to classify individuals as having stable personality traits," noted Dr. Grinsted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-spider-society">Rethinking spider society</h2>



Previous studies suggested these spiders had set roles - some being foragers, others acting as babysitters. It made sense at the time. These spiders live in tight-knit colonies, share food, and even sacrifice themselves to protect their young. 



The idea that each spider might serve a particular purpose seemed logical. But the new findings paint a different picture. Rather than playing specific roles, spiders appear to change jobs depending on the situation. Their behavior is more flexible than fixed.



“It’s tempting to assume that these cooperative spiders have defined roles within their societies, just as we see in some other social animals, like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-many-ants-live-on-earth-at-any-point-in-time-total-number-is-astounding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ants</a>,” said Dr Grinsted. 



“However, our findings suggest they may instead live in an even more equal society than expected, where individuals participate in tasks as needed rather than being locked into specific behavioral roles.”



This kind of flexibility could mean that the way we’ve been studying animal personality - especially in social spiders - needs to change. Short-term tests and one-off observations may not be enough to tell the full story.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-learned-from-hippie-spiders">What we learned from hippie spiders</h2>



If we want to understand how behavior influences evolution or ecology, we’ll need to rethink how we measure it. The researchers urge scientists to watch <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-tool-superanimal-can-accurately-analyze-animal-behavior/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animal behavior</a> for longer periods and to question the methods used in past personality studies.



Quick snapshots of behavior might capture a moment, but they miss the bigger picture. Long-term patterns can reveal the subtle shifts that short-term tests often overlook.



“This challenges the idea that individual personalities drive evolutionary and ecological outcomes in this species - at least based on using traditional methods to assess personality in spiders,” said Dr Grinsted. 



She noted that the study really highlights the importance of understanding how behavior changes over the course of an animal’s lifetime.



“Our humble ‘hippie’ spiders have demonstrated how categorizing individuals into ‘bold’, ‘shy’ or ‘aggressive’ based on a few observations is not just inaccurate, it may lead to wrong conclusions about evolutionary outcomes. So, much like people, you can’t judge a spider on first impressions and they’re not a fan of labels either!”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347225000946" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Animal Behaviour</a>.



Image Credit: Dr Virginia Settepani



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Do spiders have personalities? What new research reveals

The personality possessed by a spider is distinct and may...

Birds have always impressed people with beaks that come in every imaginable shape and form. This variety is striking, yet researchers discovered that nearly all follow a single mathematical guide.



One scientist who participated in this study is Dr. Kathleen L.S. Garland of <a href="https://www.monash.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monash University</a>. Her group investigated extinct dinosaurs alongside modern birds to see how a hidden formula <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-evolution-timeline-pushed-back-20-million-years-by-baminornis-zhenghensis-discovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">influences</a> different beak shapes over millions of years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-bird-beaks-follow-one-pattern">Most bird beaks follow one pattern</h2>



Beaks may appear random, but many share the same geometric growth <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-adapt-their-survival-strategies-to-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pattern</a>. This special pattern is known as the power cascade, which looks at how a beak’s width increases from the tip to the base.



“We call this rule the 'power cascade,'” noted Dr. Garland. Scientists found that 95% of bird beaks observed fit that shape.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-means-for-evolution">What this means for evolution</h2>



Finding a shared growth rule like this helps explain how such different-looking beaks evolved from a common base. It shows that birds didn’t need a new rule every time a new beak type appeared - just small tweaks to the same basic process.



This kind of pattern gives scientists a new tool to track how features evolve across <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-birds-are-at-great-risk-from-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>. It could also help in studying how extinct animals adapted to their environments when direct evidence, like diet or behavior, is hard to find.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaurs-with-toothless-beaks">Dinosaurs with toothless beaks</h2>



Many dinosaurs like <a href="https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/factsheets/tyrannosaurus-rex" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tyrannosaurus rex</a> had bony snouts and teeth. Others, however, evolved toothless beaks more than once in a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/saurischia/theropoda.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">theropods</a>.



Over 66 million years ago, only one line of beaked theropods survived a massive extinction. Those animals carried on and gradually turned into the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saving-americas-birds-scientists-declare-a-full-on-emergency-in-the-us/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">birds</a> we know today.



Most bird beaks, from the eagle’s slicing tip to the ostrich’s hefty bill, fit the shape pattern. A large dataset of 127 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/big-brains-and-wide-ranges-cant-save-birds-from-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> showed beaks that precisely match the geometry in question.



“We are excited to share our findings, now published in the journal iScience,” wrote Dr. Garland. According to the researchers, this growth guide is deeply rooted in developmental processes.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-beak-shape-links-to-diet">How beak shape links to diet</h2>



Birds don’t just grow random beaks - those shapes often match what they eat. Scientists found that birds with thin, sharp beaks tend to eat meat, while birds with thicker, more robust beaks are more likely to eat plants or a mix of foods.



Even more interesting, the shape of a beak changes faster in birds that eat both plants and animals. 



This mixed diet might push beaks to evolve more quickly, sometimes bending the usual rules as species adapt to different food sources.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-few-birds-evolved-unusual-beaks-nbsp">A few birds evolved unusual beaks&nbsp;</h2>



Certain birds break the pattern by showcasing very unusual beaks. One odd example is the <a href="https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/eurasian-spoonbill-platalea-leucorodia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eurasian spoonbill</a>, which has a flat and spoon-like tool that helps it sift for aquatic meals.



Those few exceptions confirm that most needs are met by following the power cascade, but special cases can force beaks to develop in different ways. Researchers welcome these outliers because they reveal how flexible evolution can be.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-birds-need-extreme-beaks">Some birds need extreme beaks</h2>



Some birds not only broke the rule but did it in very dramatic ways. The brown pelican and the ruby-throated hummingbird, for example, have beaks so specialized that they no longer fit the power cascade model..



Scientists think that when birds evolve for extreme lifestyles - like diving from the sky to catch fish or hovering while sipping nectar - normal growth patterns get thrown out the window in favor of unique designs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-beyond-birds">Looking beyond birds</h2>



Early results indicate that this rule may extend to other animals with elongated jaws or snouts. More studies on bird chicks could show exactly how beak tissues grow in stages that match or deviate from the pattern.



Scientists think this model might be found in the rostrum of fish, reptiles, and even mammals. They hope to uncover other growth secrets that trace back hundreds of millions of years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beak-rule-could-shape-future-research">Beak rule could shape future research</h2>



Knowing that the power cascade shows up in so many places opens new doors for evolutionary biology. Researchers could use it to predict what extinct animals might have looked like, even when fossils are missing parts of their faces.



It could also help spot when and why certain groups, like early birds or marine reptiles, broke from expected growth patterns. Tracking those moments might tell us even more about how life adapts when the usual rules no longer apply.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(25)00507-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iScience</a>.



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Bird beaks aren't random - they follow a hidden pattern

Birds have always impressed people with beaks that come in...

Over the years, dogs have been the go-to choice for animal-assisted support. Now a rising interest in therapy cats has sparked fresh questions about how well our feline friends adapt to these roles.



Belgian researcher Joni Delanoeije from <a href="https://www.kuleuven.be/english/kuleuven" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KU Leuven</a> has been examining how cats compare to their canine counterparts in structured animal-assisted services.



The <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/1/33" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> suggests that while some cats can be calm and social in unpredictable settings, the story is not so simple.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-therapy-cats-can-adapt-to-loud-and-unfamiliar-places">Therapy cats can adapt to loud and unfamiliar places</h2>



Most cats prefer stable territory. They rely on scent markers and predictable surroundings to feel safe.



Clinical settings, care homes, or prison environments can be hectic, loud, and filled with unfamiliar faces.



Some felines cope better than expected under these conditions. A 2021 study found that nearly half of 42 cats tested showed a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38224845/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">secure base effect</a>, which eased their stress when they reconnected with their caregiver.



The trait that sets these cats apart appears to be confidence in social contact. Experts also note that strong bonds with handlers might help cats endure noisy or disruptive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/therapy-dogs-on-campus-help-students-manage-stress-and-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">scenarios</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-therapy-cats-are-sociable-and-tolerant">Good therapy cats are sociable and tolerant</h2>



In the 2025 <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/1/33" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> involving 474 cats, researchers found that therapy cats shared several behavioral traits. These included higher sociability, increased attention-seeking, and a greater willingness to tolerate being held or restrained.&nbsp;



They were also more likely to get along with other cats and showed stronger predatory behavior, which could be linked to confidence or curiosity. 



These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/petting-a-dog-might-be-the-easiest-way-to-reduce-stress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">traits</a> might help the cats stay calm and alert in unfamiliar places, making them better suited for animal-assisted work.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-cats-handle-stress-better">Some cats handle stress better</h2>



Researchers say personal temperament matters. Findings suggest that therapy-ready felines tend to be more sociable, open to restraint, and unafraid of new faces.



These preferences may help explain why therapy cats work well with people who fear dogs. Cats are smaller, calm, and less likely to spark anxiety for those uneasy around large animals.



It also seems that highly interactive cats enjoy one-on-one attention. They can form trusting relationships, which is key in any <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-that-like-attention-can-soothe-people-during-therapy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">therapy</a> setting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-therapy-cats-for-people-who-dislike-dogs">Therapy cats for people who dislike dogs</h2>



Dogs often charm participants with a wagging tail and enthusiastic greeting. Cats, though, offer something different for people who see themselves as cat people.



Dog people often crave group interaction and lively play, while cat fans prefer quieter settings. A cozy purr can be just as comforting as canine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-puppy-day-2025-where-happiness-meets-responsibility/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">companionship</a>.



Therapy cats might work best with individuals who dislike bustling social settings or have less tolerance for a dog’s bounding energy. Handlers say that felines can also lift moods and reduce isolation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-personality-types-affect-animal-choice">How personality types affect animal choice</h2>



People who choose cats often share certain personality traits. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364514082_Personality_Differences_between_Dog_People_and_Cat_People" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Studies</a> suggest cat lovers tend to be more introspective, creative, and open to experience compared to those who prefer dogs.



This could influence the kind of emotional support they seek. A reserved person might find comfort in a quiet animal that respects boundaries, while a more outgoing individual could thrive with an excitable, affectionate dog.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cat-purrs-may-help-reduce-stress">Cat purrs may help reduce stress</h2>



A 2001 <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272259095_The_felid_purr_A_healing_mechanism" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> found that domestic cats purr at frequencies that are tied to healing in humans. Some caregivers have observed that these soothing vibrations can help reduce tension. 



Although research in this area is still limited, many cat owners have reported that purrs are a key part of the calming effect.



Dogs might excel at physical, hands-on support. Cats, however, offer a gentler approach that can comfort those uneasy with bigger animals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-therapy-cats-need-strong-bonds-nbsp">Future therapy cats need strong bonds&nbsp;</h2>



The newest <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/1/33" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> shows that cats in animal-assisted services have different behavior profiles than household pets.&nbsp;



This work highlights sociability, attention-seeking, and tolerance of handling as reasons certain cats fit this role well. Yet even the friendliest cat may need breaks from crowded places or frequent travel.



Experts say it’s crucial to respect each cat’s comfort zone. A strong bond with the handler also seems vital to successful therapy cat work.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/1/33" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Animals</a>.



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Why some cats make excellent therapy animals

Over the years, dogs have been the go-to choice for...

In the tropical forests of Central and South America, life hums, buzzes, and croaks. Among this symphony of animal calls, one predator has evolved to treat sound as a roadmap to food: the fringe-lipped bat. 



This <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-bats-navigate-rush-hour-without-crashing-into-each-other/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bat</a> doesn’t sniff or stalk its prey like many others do. Instead, it listens. It listens to the mating calls of frogs and toads - many of which are meant to attract mates, not signal danger. But for this bat, those calls become a dinner bell.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-experience-shapes-survival-skills">Experience shapes survival skills</h2>



A recent study by scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (<a href="https://stri.si.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">STRI</a>) reveals something even more remarkable: these bats are not born with the knowledge of which frog calls signal a safe meal and which could be deadly. 



They learn that over time. The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, sheds new light on how experience shapes survival skills in one of nature’s most acoustically-attuned hunters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bats-use-frog-calls-to-hunt">Bats use frog calls to hunt</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-secrets-are-hidden-in-the-babbling-of-bats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Predators</a> often rely on stealth and sharp senses to catch prey. Fringe-lipped bats have taken this a step further. They are known to eavesdrop on the mating calls of over a dozen frog and toad species that share their habitat, ranging from Panama to Brazil.



These calls, intended for potential mates, also end up attracting danger from above. The bats respond within seconds of hearing a call, swooping down to snatch the unsuspecting amphibian.



But the strategy is not without risks. Not all frogs make good meals. Some are too large to carry. Others produce toxins that can harm or even kill the bats. Just like humans screening unknown calls for spam, these bats must make a quick judgment. But unlike our phones, nature doesn’t come with caller ID.



Fringe-lipped bats seem to have developed one of their own. They ignore calls from frogs known to be unpalatable. 



However, scientists had long wondered how this system developed. Is it an instinct, or is it a learned behavior? This study finally offers an answer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bats-must-learn-safe-frog-calls">Bats must learn safe frog calls</h2>



“It’s truly remarkable that these bats hunt using the calls of an entirely different group of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-surf-the-winds-of-storms-during-migration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a> in the first place, and we have wondered for a long time how these bats acquire this unusual skill,” said Logan James, STRI postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study.



Previous experiments had already shown that these bats are intelligent and adaptable. But until now, no one had tested whether learning played a role in refining their hunting tactics. 



The researchers wanted to find out if young bats start out with these auditory judgments or if they develop them through trial and error.



To do this, the team studied how adult and juvenile fringe-lipped bats responded to a variety of frog and toad calls. They tested 15 different species, including both edible and toxic options. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-bats-identify-frog-size-through-calls">Young bats identify frog size through calls</h2>



The results told a fascinating story. Adult bats performed as expected. They responded more strongly to calls from palatable frogs and ignored those from toxic or too-large species.



This confirmed what earlier studies had found. But the juvenile bats behaved differently. They didn’t seem to distinguish between safe and dangerous calls. On average, young bats reacted equally to all of them, regardless of the frog’s size or toxicity.



Still, the juveniles weren’t entirely clueless. The researchers noticed that even the younger bats could identify large frogs by the pitch and tone of their calls. They avoided them just as the adults did. But when it came to toxicity, they had no filter. 



This showed that while some aspects of prey recognition might be instinctive, others - particularly those involving danger - require time and learning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-bats-need-time-and-experience">Young bats need time and experience</h2>



“We have studied this fascinating species for years, and in many aspects, we understand its behavior very well,” said Rachel Page, staff scientist at STRI, and one of the study’s senior authors. 



“But this was the first time we had ever tested juvenile bats. It was so interesting to see that, like human children, young bats needed time and experience to hone their discrimination skills.”



The comparison to human development is compelling. Just as young children don’t start life knowing what foods to avoid, young bats must also test, fail, and adapt. Their early mistakes could be deadly, but these experiences are crucial for shaping more refined behavior as they mature.



This learning curve likely mirrors processes in many other species, not just fringe-lipped bats. It opens new questions about how young animals learn to navigate the complexities of their environments—and survive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-larger-pattern-in-nature">A larger pattern in nature</h2>



This study marks the first time researchers have directly compared eavesdropping behavior between adult and juvenile predators like bats and frog-eating species. But it might not be unique to this species.



Many predators rely on sound to hunt. If experience plays such a vital role for fringe-lipped bats, it could be just as important for others that must decipher a confusing, noisy world.



“This study highlights the power of development and learning to shape eavesdropping behavior, an insight that may extend far beyond bats to other predators also navigating complex sensory environments,” said Ximena Bernal, research associate at STRI, professor at <a href="https://www.purdue.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Purdue University</a> and one of the study’s senior authors. 



“We hope it will inspire other scientists to examine how early experience modulates predator-foraging decisions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-listening-to-learn-surviving-through-sound">Listening to learn, surviving through sound</h2>



This research provides more than just insight into the life of one bat species. It emphasizes the importance of development in shaping behavior. The fringe-lipped bat begins life without the skill to discern between friend and foe.



Through experience and repetition, it learns. Over time, its reactions become precise. Each call becomes a clue, and each choice a matter of survival.



In a world where sound carries both promise and peril, the fringe-lipped bat shows how nature equips even its smallest hunters, like frogs and bats, with the tools to listen, learn, and live.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2025.0450" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences</a>.



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Frog mating calls teach bats which prey to avoid

In the tropical forests of Central and South America, life...

“Get off my lawn!” That phrase, often joked about as a grumpy old man’s warning to neighborhood kids, might just as well apply to a fiercely protective bird. 



This is especially the case when it comes to birds that depend on rare, hard-to-find real estate: tree holes.



Not all birds react with this much attitude. But researchers have found that certain female birds - those that can only nest in cavities - show a striking level of aggression when defending their homes.



These aren’t just random outbursts. They are calculated, defensive behaviors tied to how and where they can reproduce.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-cavity-nesting-birds-get-aggressive">Why cavity-nesting birds get aggressive</h2>



The study was led by experts at <a href="https://duke.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Duke University</a>, Indiana University, and several international institutions.



The team focused on a group known as obligate secondary cavity nesters. These are birds that must find existing holes in trees, fence posts, or rocky crevices to raise their young. They can’t dig their own cavities, and they can’t simply build nests anywhere.



“They can't excavate that cavity themselves, and they can’t just build a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weaver-birds-build-strikingly-unique-nests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nest</a> anywhere,” explained Sara Lipshutz, assistant professor of biology at Duke. “They have to find a hole in a tree, and this is the only way they can reproduce.”



This makes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/big-brained-seagulls-choose-more-challenging-nesting-sites/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nesting</a> spots incredibly valuable - and worth fighting for. These birds don’t just chase away threats. They screech, flap, dive, and even peck to protect what little they have.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-bird-defenses-in-the-field">Testing bird defenses in the field</h2>



To see how common this behavior is, the team studied five families of birds - swallows, wood warblers, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sparrows-have-fewer-friends-as-they-age-just-like-most-people/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sparrows</a>, thrushes, and wrens. Within each family, they compared two species: one that nests in cavities and one that doesn’t.



The setup was clever. The researchers placed lifelike decoys and broadcast bird calls via Bluetooth speakers near nests. Then, they sat back and observed how the resident birds reacted.



The differences were obvious. Most of the obligate cavity nesters were far more aggressive than their more flexible cousins. They didn’t just respond - they attacked. 



Female birds especially showed a stronger reaction, likely because they stood to lose more if their nesting space was taken over. "It was a really striking behavioral pattern,” said Lipshutz.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aggression-isn-t-all-in-the-family">Aggression isn’t all in the family</h2>



You might expect some of this aggressiveness to be genetic - passed down through bird families. But that’s not what the researchers found. Nesting strategy was a far better predictor of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/traffic-noise-makes-rural-robins-more-aggressive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aggression</a> than bird family.



There were two exceptions: sparrows were generally mellow, while wrens were always feisty.



“The pressure to compete led to higher aggressiveness. And this was especially strong for the females," noted Kimberly Rosvall, a Duke alumna whose lab at Indiana University contributed to the project.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testosterone-isn-t-to-blame">Testosterone isn’t to blame</h2>



Hormones like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-birds-trick-their-way-into-mating-by-removing-testosterone-from-their-bodies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">testosterone</a> often play a role in animal behavior, so the team checked if the more aggressive birds had higher levels of it. Surprisingly, they didn’t. 



Female cavity-nesters were not pumping out extra testosterone, at least not in a way that could explain the fierceness.



This left the researchers wondering if something deeper - like gene activity - might be behind the behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-genetic-puzzle-of-bird-aggression">A genetic puzzle of bird aggression </h2>



To find clues, the scientists looked at how genes were expressed across the different bird species. Were the same genes being flipped “on” in aggressive birds?



The answer was murky. Yes, there were some patterns in how certain genes were activated in cavity-nesting birds, but there was no one-size-fits-all answer. The genes tied to aggression varied between species, and the usual suspects weren’t showing up.



“We always want to find the genes, a handful of genes that make a lot of sense, previously known genes that are associated with aggression and maybe have even been experimentally manipulated to impact aggression,” said Lipshutz. “And we didn't find any of those usual suspects.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-different-genes-same-fierce-results">Different genes, same fierce results</h2>



Rather than finding one or two major aggression genes, the researchers believe there are probably hundreds of genes involved. Each species seems to use a different combination of them. That might sound like a frustrating result, but to the team, it’s a fascinating one.



“There are probably several hundred genes associated with aggression and they're probably all working together in subtle ways. Those combinations are not the same for each species, which is really interesting from an evolutionary perspective,” said Lipshutz. 



“It shows that there are independent ways to get to the same behavioral outcome. As our team likes to say, ‘There are many possible routes to build an aggressive bird.’”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02675-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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Angry birds: Why some females are more aggressive

“Get off my lawn!” That phrase, often joked about as...

Tiktaalik,,Extinct,Walking,Fish,,The,Evolution,Of,Four-legged,Animals,(3d

About 375 million years ago, shallow streams and tidal flats teemed with creatures that looked like fish but were already edging toward life on solid ground. One such pioneer, Tiktaalik roseae, blended fins with hints of limbs and sported a flat head suited for peering above the waterline. 



Its fossils, pulled from Arctic rocks, have become a favorite window into that unsure first step from swimming to strolling.



Fresh scans of a well-preserved specimen now show that the shift to land began deep inside the backbone and ribs, long before true legs showed up. 



Instead of an even string of look-alike vertebrae, Tiktaalik’s spine carried specialized sections, and the rear ribs grew stout enough to brace a body that sometimes lifted clear of the water’s push.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiktaalik-fossils-a-fish-with-a-twist">Tiktaalik fossils: A fish with a twist</h2>



Scientists led by Tom Stewart at <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State</a> turned a microcomputed tomography scanner loose on the fossil block, peeling away stone to reveal the hidden bones. 



“Tiktaalik was discovered in 2004, but key parts of its skeleton were unknown,” Stewart explained. “These new high-resolution micro-CT scans show us the vertebrae and ribs of Tiktaalik and allow us to make a full reconstruction of its skeleton, which is vital to understanding how it moved through the world.”



Those scans show that the fish’s rear ribs likely reached the pelvis by way of ligaments. 



That soft connection echoes the bony tie between hips and spine seen in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-reptiles-are-more-colorful-in-open-habitats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">four-limbed animals</a>, hinting that the load-bearing framework for walking was already under construction while fins still ruled the day.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spine-and-ribs-on-tiktaalik-fossils">Spine and ribs on Tiktaalik fossils</h2>



Most fish carry ribs and vertebrae that stay uniform from head to tail. Limbed animals break that pattern, dividing the spine into neck, trunk, sacrum, and tail, each tuned for a different job. 



Tiktaalik lands somewhere in between. Its trunk vertebrae differ from those near the skull, creating room for the head to swivel. 



“Tiktaalik is remarkable because it gives us glimpses into this major evolutionary transition,” Stewart noted. “Across its whole skeleton, we see a combination of traits that are typical of fish and life in water as well as traits that are seen in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/these-marine-mammals-killer-whales-dolphins-permanently-lost-ability-to-ever-walk-again/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">land-dwelling animals</a>.”



The researchers point out that bigger, stronger ribs in the rear half of the body would have let this fish prop itself up on the streambed rather than flop like a pure swimmer. 



Supporting weight that way is a critical step toward pushing against the ground with true limbs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-connecting-the-hips">Connecting the hips</h2>



Fins sprout from long rods of bone that float free inside most fish. In <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lungfish-genome-discovery-explains-how-fish-first-walked-onto-land/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">land vertebrates</a>, those rods fuse into a broad pelvis anchored to the spine. 



Tiktaalik’s pelvis was already large, and the new reconstruction shows it lining up neatly with reinforced ribs. 



“Tiktaalik had specialized ribs that would have connected to the pelvis by a ligament. It’s astonishing really. This creature has so many traits - large pair of hind appendages, large pelvis, and connection between the pelvis and axial skeleton - that were key to the origin of walking," Stewart enthused.



"And while Tiktaalik probably wasn’t walking across land, it was definitely doing something new. This was a fish that could likely prop itself up and push with its hind fin.”



That ligament link is softer than the tight bony joint found in later tetrapods, yet it marks a clear change in how force traveled through the body. Instead of relying only on water for support, Tiktaalik could shift part of its weight to the ground below.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scanning-the-tiktaalik-fossils">Scanning the Tiktaalik fossils</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dirt-ants-were-once-masters-of-disguise-in-the-caribbean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Micro-CT imaging</a>, a cousin of the medical CT machines used in hospitals, fires X-rays at a fossil from every angle and builds a digital stack of slices. 



The resolution reaches a fraction of a millimeter, letting researchers “see” bones still locked in stone. For Tiktaalik, this non-destructive peek exposed details of the pelvic fin skeleton that hand tools would have missed.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tiktaalik-fossil-discovery_computer-analysis_credit-PSU_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tiktaalik-fossil-discovery_computer-analysis_credit-PSU_1s.webp" alt="New reconstruction of the skeleton of the 375-million-year-old fossil fish, Tiktaalik roseae. In a new study, researchers used Micro-CT to reveal vertebrae and ribs of the fish that were previously hidden beneath rock. The new reconstruction shows that the fish’s ribs likely attached to its pelvis, an innovation thought to be crucial to supporting the body and for the eventual evolution of walking. Credit: Thomas Stewart, Penn State" class="wp-image-1967597"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">New reconstruction of the skeleton of the 375-million-year-old fossil fish, Tiktaalik roseae. In a new study, researchers used Micro-CT to reveal vertebrae and ribs of the fish that were previously hidden beneath rock. The new reconstruction shows that the fish’s ribs likely attached to its pelvis, an innovation thought to be crucial to supporting the body and for the eventual evolution of walking. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Thomas Stewart, Penn State</figcaption></figure>



“It’s incredible to see the skeleton of Tiktaalik captured in such vivid detail,” said Neil Shubin of the <a href="https://www.uchicago.edu/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Chicago</a>, who co-authored the study. 



“This study sets the stage for ones that explore how the animal moved about and interacted with its environment 375 million years ago.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hints-of-future-on-land">Hints of future on land</h2>



The new picture fits with other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prototaxites-the-mystery-fossil-from-a-lost-branch-of-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Devonian fossils</a>, such as Acanthostega and Ichthyostega, that carried limbs but still lived largely in water. 



Tiktaalik slots just before them on the timeline, showing that the groundwork for walking - regional spines, hefty ribs, mobile necks - began while fins were still the main mode of travel. 



Its head could lift, its body could rest on the bottom, and its rear fins could shove against mud or sand.



By tracing these incremental tweaks, biologists can chart how natural selection solved the engineering puzzle of gravity. 



Each adjustment, from a sturdier rib to a mobile skull joint, nudged our distant cousins closer to the shoreline.



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



Walking seems ordinary now, but it took a cascade of innovations to make it possible. Tiktaalik reminds us that evolution rarely leaps; instead, it stacks small changes that, over ages, open new ways of living. 



The study’s authors plan to model how the fish moved, using the fresh skeleton as a blueprint. Their work could even guide robotics engineers who borrow ideas from ancient anatomy.



For anyone who has ever skipped stones or waded in a creek, the notion that a fish once hoisted itself for a peek above the water threads our own story to a world long gone. 



Tiktaalik’s sturdy ribs and ambitious pelvis speak across the ages, whispering that bold moves often start with a subtle shift beneath the surface.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.14.011028" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Fossils explain how fish evolved to walk out of the water to live on land

About 375 million years ago, shallow streams and tidal flats...

For decades, farmers have relied on fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) to feed carnivorous species such as salmon, turning them into supermarket staples. 



Although this trade underpins a multibillion-dollar aquaculture sector, the whereabouts of the factories that convert anchovies, sardines, menhaden, and other small-pelagic fish into feed ingredients has remained obscure.



A study led by the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of British Columbia</a> (UBC) has now lifted that veil by assembling the first open-access, geo-referenced database of FMFO facilities worldwide.



The researchers located 506 factories in 63 nations and linked them to more than 400 separate companies. Peru, Mauritania, and Chile account for the greatest numbers of plants, but sizable clusters also appear in Vietnam, China, Denmark, and the United States.



“Production of fishmeal is a major issue in aquaculture. Understanding where FMFO production occurs is essential for addressing its environmental, social, and economic impacts,” said lead author Lauren Shea, who undertook the project while completing her master’s degree at UBC’s Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-footprint-of-fishmeal">Global footprint of fishmeal</h2>



Roughly two-fifths of the output catalogued in the new map still relies on whole, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-diversity-has-changed-dramatically-on-the-great-barrier-reef/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wild-caught fish</a> rather than trimmings from seafood processing plants. 



These bait-size species sit near the base of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/offshore-wind-farms-threaten-marine-life-hotspots/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine</a> food webs and are a crucial protein source for millions of people in low-income coastal regions.



“Dependence on the global FMFO trade could undermine food security while fueling unsustainable fishing practices,” explained Professor Rashid Sumaila, senior author of the study. “This is not just an environmental issue - it’s about justice and equity.”



The research team combined satellite imagery, government registries, company websites, and third-party certification data to locate each factory and verify which raw materials it uses. 



The most prolific region - Peru - hosts 125 factories and supplies a large share of the world’s fishmeal, primarily from anchoveta catches along the Humboldt Current. Mauritania, the runner-up, has 42 factories, many financed by foreign investors and linked by NGOs to local price spikes and resource conflicts. 



Meanwhile, nations such as Norway and Denmark host relatively few but highly efficient plants that benefit from state-of-the-art rendering technology and strict environmental oversight.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-plants-obscure-the-full-picture">Some plants obscure the full picture</h2>



While the map represents a major leap in transparency, Shea and her colleagues stress that it is only a baseline. Many of China’s FMFO facilities, for example, remain poorly documented because of language barriers, sparse public disclosure, and limited online footprints. 



Likewise, several West African and Southeast Asian plants operate in “data-poor” fisheries where catch statistics are unreliable or withheld from public view.



“With more transparent data, governments and organizations can better regulate FMFO sourcing, track environmental impacts, and support alternatives - like plant-based feeds or novel proteins - that reduce pressure on wild fish stocks,” Shea said.



The authors urge routine updates to the database, independent audits of raw-material sources, and finer-scale analysis of each fishmeal plant’s social and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biotic-homogenization-human-impacts-diminish-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecological</a> footprint.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pathways-toward-responsible-fish-feed">Pathways toward responsible fish feed</h2>



Because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aquaculture-impacts-wild-fish-much-more-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aquaculture</a> already supplies more than half of the fish consumed globally, reforming its feed inputs is central to achieving any credible vision of sustainable seafood. Possible solutions include redirecting fish processing waste into meal and oil and expanding algae-based or microbial proteins. 



An additional solution consists of more aggressively phasing in insect meal or plant concentrates where nutritional profiles allow. Yet technical fixes alone cannot solve the governance challenges that plague FMFO supply chains.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/fish-factories_spatial-distribution_map_credit-UBC_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/fish-factories_spatial-distribution_map_credit-UBC_1s.webp" alt="Factories are color-coded by data type (see Table 1). Factories in dark blue (data type A) represent plants whose locations we were able to verify using satellite imagery and company website information. Green shaded circles represent and are scaled to the number of factories per producing country. Credit: UBC" class="wp-image-1967574"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Factories are color-coded by data type (see Table 1). Factories in dark blue (data type A) represent plants whose locations we were able to verify using satellite imagery and company website information. Green shaded circles represent and are scaled to the number of factories per producing country. Credit: UBC</figcaption></figure>



“Science can only go so far,” Sumaila said. “We need political will, corporate accountability, and community engagement to drive real change. If aquaculture is going to be part of a sustainable food future, we need better data, smarter policies, and ethical sourcing of feed ingredients."



The study highlights existing initiatives such as the <a href="https://fiti.global/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fisheries Transparency Initiative</a> (FiTI), which invites member states to publish detailed statistics on catch volumes, processing facilities, and trade flows. 



Mauritania - a FiTI participant - has already placed a public list of its FMFO factories online, demonstrating how national action can complement independent research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-stakes-for-oceans-and-people"><a></a>The stakes for oceans and people</h2>



Small-pelagic fish are often described as “the gold of the sea” because of their high omega-3 content and sheer abundance. When harvested responsibly, they can support coastal livelihoods, provide affordable nutrition, and feed farmed fish without jeopardizing ecosystem balance. 



When industrial fleets overshoot precautionary limits, however, the health of predator species, seabirds, and local communities can unravel quickly. 



By shining a light on where these reduction fisheries land and where the converted products are manufactured, the UBC-led investigation equips policymakers, advocacy groups, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/boosting-seafood-production-while-protecting-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seafood</a> buyers with a new tool for risk assessment.



The footprint of fishmeal and fish oil production emphasizes the urgency of enforcing science-based catch quotas. This protects traditional fishing rights, and promoting circular-economy feed ingredients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reducing-the-footprint-of-fishmeal">Reducing the footprint of fishmeal</h2>



Future research will need to integrate factory-level emission estimates, water-use data, and labor-rights records to paint a fuller sustainability portrait. 



Furthermore, comparing the profitability of FMFO production against potential human dietary use of the same fish could inform more equitable allocation of marine resources.



For now, the global FMFO map establishes a reference point that did not exist before. Where those 506 dots move - or multiply - over the next decade will reveal whether the aquaculture sector can reconcile growth with ocean stewardship and social responsibility.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adr6921" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Feeding fish, draining the sea: Fishmeal's global footprint revealed

For decades, farmers have relied on fishmeal and fish oil...

Strolling a familiar beach and stumbling upon a relic from the age of dinosaurs sounds like pure fantasy, yet that is exactly what happened on England’s west coast. 



A stretch of shoreline below Somerset’s crumbling cliffs yielded a bone so large that it challenged everything we thought we knew about prehistoric marine reptiles. 



The fossil - a lower jaw more than 6½ feet long - promised a creature leagues beyond anything alive today. The find dated to around 202 million years ago, slotting it into the turbulent final chapter of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/triassic-fossils-shed-new-light-on-ancient-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Triassic Period</a>.



At that time, much of what is now Britain lay beneath a warm, shallow sea patrolled by meat‑eating giants. Their reign ended in a mass extinction, leaving only scattered bones to whisper their stories - until now.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ruby-and-ichthyotitan-severnensis">Ruby and Ichthyotitan severnensis</h2>



Back in late&nbsp;May&nbsp;2020, 11‑year‑old Ruby&nbsp;Reynolds and her father, Justin, headed for the mudflats of Blue&nbsp;Anchor, looking for fossils. 



Justin spotted a four‑inch scrap of bone, “bigger than any piece of bone I'd ever found before,” he recalls. 



Ruby wandered on and unearthed a second fragment twice that size. “It was just sort of lying there,” she says. “I was just happy, really.” Their excitement would soon ripple far beyond the shoreline.



Word reached paleontologist Dean&nbsp;Lomax, who holds posts at both the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bristol</a> and the <a href="https://www.manchester.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Manchester</a>. He recognized echoes of another Somerset specimen lifted in&nbsp;2016 by local collector Paul&nbsp;de&nbsp;la&nbsp;Salle. 



That earlier jaw fragment, called a surangular, came together from several chunks that, Lomax remembers, “fit together perfectly like an ancient prehistoric jigsaw puzzle.”



Ruby's discovery was eventually named Ichthyotitan severnensis, which literally translates to “giant fish lizard from the Severn.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ichthyotitan-severnensis-was-a-true-monster">Ichthyotitan severnensis was a true monster</h2>



The first bone’s eroded edges left scientists yearning for more. “It suggests that it was from something unusual and exceedingly large,”&nbsp;Lomax says. 



He and colleagues published a cautious description, but could not pin down the creature’s identity. “What we'd hoped for - we kept our fingers crossed - we hoped that maybe more specimens would come to light in the future,” he admits.



Ruby and Justin’s beachside haul delivered exactly that. After they emailed photographs - “Hey, Dr.&nbsp;Lomax - we think we've found another one of your giant ichthyosaur jawbones”&nbsp;-&nbsp;the research team raced to Somerset. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ichthyotitan-severnensis_largest-marine-reptile_jawbone-comparison_credit-Dean-Lomax_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ichthyotitan-severnensis_largest-marine-reptile_jawbone-comparison_credit-Dean-Lomax_1s.webp" alt="Photograph of the nearly complete giant jawbone, along with a comparison with the 2018 bone (middle and bottom) found by Paul de la Salle. Credit: Dr. Dean Lomax" class="wp-image-1966376"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photograph of the nearly complete giant jawbone, along with a comparison with the 2018 bone (middle and bottom) found by Paul de la Salle. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Dr. Dean Lomax</figcaption></figure>



“Of course, they were quite right,” Lomax says. “They correctly identified these sections of bone as belonging to an ichthyosaur.” 



Fresh collecting trips recovered still more pieces, leaving nearly two‑thirds of the jaw intact and in excellent shape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-matching-two-huge-jawbones">Matching two huge jawbones</h2>



Comparison of the two Somerset jaws revealed striking similarities. Because both turned up in the same rock layer and displayed uncommon internal bone textures, the team concluded they belonged to one new species. 



In a paper published in PLOS&nbsp;ONE, they proposed that the full animal stretched roughly&nbsp;82&nbsp;feet - “genuinely enormous, about the length of a blue whale,” Lomax says.



Scale alone does not grant a place in the record books; scientists also scrutinized microscopic structures inside the bone. 



These matched the odd pattern seen in other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fiona-the-ichthyosaur-was-preserved-for-millions-of-years-after-a-landslide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">super‑sized ichthyosaurs</a>, nudging researchers to suggest these reptiles grew in a way unlike most of their scaly kin.



Whether Ichthyotitan severnensis belonged to the shastasaur group - the clade that once produced Triassic leviathans across the globe - remains uncertain until a complete skeleton surfaces.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sizing-up-ichthyotitan">Sizing up Ichthyotitan</h2>



The Somerset titan likely carried a lighter, more streamlined frame suited for open‑ocean cruising. Its jawbone alone outsizes a grown person by several feet. 



If its proportions followed relatives such as Shonisaurus, the skull may have spanned over&nbsp;10&nbsp;feet, with paddle‑shaped flippers stretching wider than a living‑room couch.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ichthyotitan-severnensis_largest-marine-reptile_illustration_credit-Gabriel-Ugueto_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ichthyotitan-severnensis_largest-marine-reptile_illustration_credit-Gabriel-Ugueto_1s.webp" alt="A giant pair of swimming Ichthyotitan severnensis. Credit: Gabriel Ugueto" class="wp-image-1966374"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A giant pair of swimming Ichthyotitan severnensis. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Gabriel Ugueto</figcaption></figure>



Growth to such dimensions suggests a sea rich in food and free of bigger predators. Massive schools of squid‑like cephalopods thrived in Triassic waters, offering a banquet to long‑roaming hunters. 



Stable‑isotope evidence from other ichthyosaur bones hints at warm‑blooded metabolisms, which, paired with live birth and sleek bodies, let them fill whale‑like niches long before mammals took the plunge.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-life-in-the-triassic-was-incredible">Life in the Triassic was incredible</h2>



The Triassic often flies under the radar next to the Jurassic’s celebrity dinosaurs, yet biomechanist Kelsey&nbsp;Stilson calls it “a really weird time.” 



Continents had only just fused into <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/supercontinents-101-pannotia-gondwana-and-pangea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pangaea</a>, monsoon‑driven climates swung from drought to deluge, and both early dinosaurs and mammals were fresh on the scene. 



“There were things that we can't even possibly imagine in the past,”&nbsp;Stilson adds. “But we can get little hints, and this is one little hint at this larger picture of evolution on Earth.”



That broader picture shows ichthyosaurs rising fast after the end‑Permian mass extinction, then peaking in size just before the next cataclysm. 



“No marine reptile ever reached such gigantic sizes ever again,”&nbsp;Lomax notes. Later Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs shrank, perhaps pushed aside by changing oceans and by the emergence of other reptilian predators such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-were-not-the-only-animals-that-grew-fast-during-the-mesozoic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pliosaurs</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosasaurs-had-fierce-survival-strategies-including-cannibalism/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mosasaurs</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-whales-replaced-ichthyotitan-severnensis">Whales replaced Ichthyotitan severnensis</h2>



The last ichthyosaurs disappeared about&nbsp;94&nbsp;million&nbsp;years ago, vacating the top spot in marine food webs. 



That gap lingered until hoofed mammals ventured back to sea some&nbsp;50&nbsp;million&nbsp;years ago, setting whales on their own path to titanic proportions. 



The repeat story - big fish‑shaped predators evolving from land‑going ancestors - highlights how evolutionary solutions recur when similar ecological opportunities arise.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ichthyotitan-severnensis_largest-marine-reptile_beached_credit-Sergey-Krasovskiy_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ichthyotitan-severnensis_largest-marine-reptile_beached_credit-Sergey-Krasovskiy_1s.webp" alt="A washed-up Ichthyotitan severnensis carcass on the beach. Credit: Sergey Krasovskiy." class="wp-image-1966372"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A washed-up Ichthyotitan severnensis carcass on the beach. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Sergey Krasovskiy.</figcaption></figure>



Modern blue whales now stretch beyond&nbsp;100&nbsp;feet and can weigh&nbsp;180&nbsp;tons, yet, length for length, they share the open ocean’s realm with Ichthyotitan in the fossil archives. 



Their stories highlight the ocean’s capacity to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trachelosaurus-fischeri-worlds-oldest-long-necked-marine-reptile-rediscovered/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nurture behemoths</a> when food is ample and competition sparse.



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



Somerset’s cliffs erode a little more each winter. Storms tear at ancient mudstones, exposing new fossils overnight. 



“This research has been ongoing for almost eight years. It is quite remarkable to think that gigantic, blue whale‑sized ichthyosaurs were swimming in the oceans around what was the UK during the Triassic Period," Lomax concluded.



"These jawbones provide tantalizing evidence that perhaps one day a complete skull or skeleton of one of these giants might be found. You never know.”



Beachcombers like Ruby and Justin now scan those shores with renewed purpose. Their lucky strike reminds us that scientific breakthroughs sometimes hide in plain sight, waiting for curious eyes and a little persistence. 



The sea claimed Ichthyotitan severnensis long before humans walked Europe, yet its story shows that even after millions of years, a coast‑side ramble can rewrite natural history.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0300289" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS ONE</a>.



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Largest marine reptile ever known to exist was discovered by an 11-year-old girl

Strolling a familiar beach and stumbling upon a relic from...

In the natural world, family often defines survival strategies. Across species, cooperation among relatives has evolved into a powerful tool to ensure success in challenging environments. Yet few creatures embody this principle so intricately as the long-tailed tit.



Found flitting through British gardens, these small birds reveal extraordinary loyalty to their kin. Far from fleeting connections, long-tailed tits show unwavering commitment to family, even during the upheaval of migration. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cooperation-in-animal-societies">Cooperation in animal societies</h2>



Recent research from the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sheffield</a> brings the hidden social lives of long-tailed tits into sharp focus, offering new insights into how cooperation shapes animal societies.



Decades of careful observation and rigorous analysis culminated in a study that redefines what we know about the evolution of social behaviors. 



Through the lives of these tiny <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-adapt-their-survival-strategies-to-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">birds</a>, we glimpse powerful lessons about kinship, resilience, and the surprising complexity of animal communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-long-tailed-tits-stay-loyal-to-family">Long-tailed tits stay loyal to family</h2>



The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, draws on an extraordinary 30-year dataset. It confirms that long-tailed tits retain strong family bonds throughout migratory movements - a phenomenon never before documented so consistently in cooperative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/big-brains-and-wide-ranges-cant-save-birds-from-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">birds</a>.



Long-tailed tits migrate not as isolated individuals but as tightly knit family units. This behavior ensures that when they arrive at new locations, they are surrounded by familiar, trusted kin ready to support each other.



"This 30-year study is unique in its depth and has allowed us to understand the evolution of cooperation in a way that would not have been possible otherwise. The discovery of family ties persisting through migration is particularly exciting," noted Dr. Jennifer Morinay, co-lead author of the research.



"These tiny <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-evolution-timeline-pushed-back-20-million-years-by-baminornis-zhenghensis-discovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">birds</a> essentially travel with their support network, ensuring that when they reach their new location, they have their kin ready to assist. It highlights the profound importance of family in their social structure."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-family-groups-survive-together">Family groups survive together</h2>



The research identifies several intertwined processes that create and sustain these family structures. Limited natal dispersal ensures many young birds settle close to their birthplace. Even when they do move, long-tailed tits often migrate alongside their siblings, keeping family bonds intact across vast distances.



At the same time, environmental pressures, particularly high predation rates, play a significant role. Frequent nest failures result in clusters of surviving families, making the presence of close kin nearby more likely. Together, these ecological and demographic factors form what scientists term "kin neighborhoods."



Incredibly, even migratory long-tailed tits, such as those studied in Estonia, preserve these ties during long journeys. Studies found that 82% of migratory flocks included at least one first-order relative. These findings challenge longstanding assumptions that migration disrupts social cohesion among birds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolutionary-roots-of-helping-behavior">Evolutionary roots of helping behavior</h2>



Long-tailed tits do not only stick close to their families; they actively help them. When breeding attempts fail, many individuals redirect their efforts to assist <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-birds-are-at-great-risk-from-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">relatives</a> raising broods. This redirected helping strengthens the survival chances of their kin’s offspring, ultimately boosting their own inclusive fitness.



"The push and pull between cooperation and competition is something we readily recognize in our own lives. This study demonstrates that these same fundamental tensions are at play in the social dynamics of long-tailed tits and likely many other species," noted Professor Ben Hatchwell, co-lead author of the study.



"Our long-term research provides significant insights into the ecological and social conditions that favour cooperative behaviour and the evolutionary forces that sculpt these intricate social interactions."



Helping decisions are not random acts of kindness. They are influenced by various factors including the bird’s own breeding success, its relatedness to nearby individuals, and the strength of prior social bonds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mistakes-in-kin-recognition">Mistakes in kin recognition</h2>



Despite their strong social instincts, long-tailed tits sometimes help unrelated individuals. 



About 30% of helpers were found assisting nests of non-kin. Scientists believe this stems from errors in kin recognition rather than a deliberate choice.



The birds rely heavily on learned acoustic cues to identify relatives. Calls learned during the nestling stage help them recognize kin, but these vocal cues are not always completely reliable. Studies show overlap in call similarities between kin and non-kin, leading to occasional misdirected care.



Efforts are ongoing to determine whether other cues, such as olfactory signals, also influence how long-tailed tits recognize their family and make crucial helping decisions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environment-shapes-cooperation">Environment shapes cooperation</h2>



The study also shows how environmental pressures influence the rates of cooperation. Moderate levels of nest predation foster the highest levels of helping behaviour. 



If predation is too low, there are fewer failed breeders needing alternative strategies. If too high, there are simply fewer successful nests available to help.



Shorter breeding seasons similarly encourage cooperation. With less time to attempt new broods after failure, many birds abandon independent breeding and instead opt to help their kin.



Interestingly, overall population density did not seem to impact cooperation rates, suggesting that the quality of family connections matters more than simple numbers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-choosing-where-to-live">Choosing where to live</h2>



Where a bird chooses to settle has long-term fitness consequences. Males who stay close to their natal territory accrue higher indirect fitness by helping relatives. Conversely, males who disperse far have fewer opportunities to help and lower overall inclusive fitness.



Females experience a different dynamic. Those who disperse farther tend to achieve slightly better direct reproductive success, likely because dispersal reduces inbreeding risks.



These differing pressures create a fascinating tug-of-war, shaping dispersal behaviours across generations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-family-ties-of-long-tailed-tits">Family ties of long-tailed tits </h2>



Perhaps the most striking revelation is that migration, once believed to hinder the evolution of cooperation, does not necessarily break social bonds. Long-tailed tits maintain their family ties even after traveling hundreds of kilometres.



This finding challenges traditional theories and highlights the incredible flexibility of social strategies in the natural world. Stable territorial groups are not the only route to successful cooperation. 



Dynamic, migratory species can also evolve and sustain sophisticated social systems based on family loyalty.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-long-tailed-tits-recognize-family">How do long-tailed tits recognize family?</h2>



Looking ahead, the researchers aim to untangle the specific mechanisms that allow long-tailed tits to recognize and remember their kin.



Current efforts focus on understanding the role of calls, scents, and social associations built during early life stages. Scientists are investigating whether maintaining winter flock associations with relatives influences recognition in later breeding seasons.



These studies promise to deepen our understanding of how cooperation, kinship, and social cognition evolve across species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-birds-with-mighty-hearts">Tiny birds with mighty hearts</h2>



Through the lives of long-tailed tits, we see how powerful, enduring, and flexible family bonds can be, even in a world full of risks and change.



The study from Sheffield shows that nature’s loyalty is not reserved for mammals or large social species alone. In every tiny flutter of a long-tailed tit’s wing, there lies a rich story of kinship, survival, and the enduring power of cooperation.



The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.14237" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Animal Ecology</a>. 



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Long-tailed tits migrate in family units and maintain lasting bonds

In the natural world, family often defines survival strategies. Across...

Walk into any pet show and you’ll see them - flat-faced Persian cats with plush coats and round eyes, or pug dogs waddling about with their unmistakably squished faces.



At first glance, they seem like they belong together, cousins perhaps. Yet they are worlds apart in evolutionary terms. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-reveal-hidden-danger-of-microplastics-to-unborn-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cats</a> and dogs diverged from a common ancestor over 50 million years ago. Despite that, some breeds have grown so similar, they defy nature’s original blueprint.



How did we get here? The answer lies in us. Humans have not only guided the way these animals look but have also unintentionally rewritten the story of cat and dog evolution.



Recent research by scientists from Cornell University and <a href="https://washu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Washington University in St. Louis</a> shows just how powerful human preferences can be. This isn’t a story of natural evolution - it’s one of artificial selection, taste, and the strange paths of convergence that arise when we shape nature in our own image.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-humans-changed-cat-and-dog-evolution">Humans changed cat and dog evolution</h2>



The study, published in the journal PNAS, reveals a striking example of evolutionary convergence.



Convergence typically occurs when unrelated species adapt to similar environments, evolving comparable traits. Think wings in birds, bats, and pterosaurs. But here, convergence didn’t come from nature - it came from us.



The researchers found that certain breeds of cats and dogs - Persians, Pugs, Pekingese, Himalayans - developed nearly identical skull shapes.



The flat faces, short snouts, and upward-tilted muzzles were so similar that they overlapped in 3D models. Even more astonishing, these pets were more like each other than like their own ancestors.



“Persian cats and pug and Pekingese dogs all have skull shapes that are very similar to each other, with flat and short faces, and their muzzles and palettes are tilted up in the same way,” said Abby Drake, senior lecturer at <a href="https://www.cornell.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cornell</a> and co-author of the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dogs-bred-by-humans-are-more-varied">Dogs bred by humans are more varied </h2>



Much of this comparison began years earlier, in an unexpected place. Bern, Switzerland is home to the world’s largest scientific collection of pedigree dog skulls. With 2,800 skulls from over 100 breeds, it offers a comprehensive look into the diversity that breeding has created.



Drake studied this collection to understand how modern dogs compare with wild canines like wolves, foxes, and coyotes. The conclusion was clear: dogs bred by humans are far more varied in skull shape than their wild <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-have-become-one-of-the-worlds-most-invasive-predators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">relatives</a>.



This idea sparked curiosity in Jonathan Losos, evolutionary biologist at Washington University. If dog breeds were more varied than their wild kin, could the same be true for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-can-associate-human-words-with-images/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cats</a>? 



He soon found himself navigating a new kind of evolutionary question - one driven not by survival, but by human whim.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cat-and-dog-skull-evolution">Cat and dog skull evolution</h2>



In the new study, Drake and Losos used three-dimensional skull data from domestic cats and dogs, their wild ancestors - the North African wildcat and the wolf - and other members of the Carnivora order. They examined 47 shape landmarks across 1,810 skulls, creating a broad shape-space to compare variation.



“The original idea was to map the cat shape space onto the same graph with the dog shape space and see how diverse the cats were,” Drake said. 



“We did not expect to see what we saw, which was that the cat shape space overlapped the dog shape space. When I saw that, I thought, ‘What’s going on? That’s amazing.’”



The overlap wasn’t just statistical - it was visual. A Pekingese dog and a Persian <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-that-like-attention-can-soothe-people-during-therapy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cat</a> shared more in common with each other than with a wolf or a wildcat. Their skulls reflected nearly identical facial structures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cats-and-dogs-that-look-like-babies-nbsp">Cats and dogs that look like babies&nbsp;</h2>



This similarity didn’t happen by chance. Modern breed standards emphasize traits like big eyes, small noses, and round faces - features often associated with infants.



These “baby-faced” aesthetics appeal deeply to humans, possibly triggering nurturing instincts. And breeders, consciously or not, have refined their animals to meet those ideals.



“The dog and cat families diverged evolutionarily 50 million years ago,” Losos said. “What’s happening now is that breeders are selecting for the same baby-like features in dogs and cats: big eyes, small noses and round heads.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breed-standards-and-baby-features">Breed standards and baby features</h2>



Breed standards even describe these features in remarkably similar language. The Cat Fanciers’ Association describes the Persian head as “round and massive” with a nose “centered between the eyes.” 



The American Kennel Club calls the Pekingese’s skull “massive,” stating its chin, brow, and nose must lie in one vertical plane.



“If you read the breed standards for the Pekingese and the Persian, the language is very similar in terms of how they want the nose to be up between the eyes and the face to form a vertical plane with no protrusion of the muzzle,” Drake said. "They set these breed standards up, and they achieved them.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-different-breeds-evolved-similar-looks">Different breeds evolved similar looks</h2>



What’s even more fascinating is that this convergence didn’t occur just once. Within dogs, it happened independently in two lineages: English bulldogs and the Asian breeds like the Pekingese and Pug. In cats, the same short-faced form emerged in both Persian and Burmese breeds.



“We realized that the Asian short-faced dogs like the Pekingese and Pugs are basically unrelated to the bulldogs — or the English short-faced breeds,” Drake said. 



“This short-faced morphology has evolved twice within dogs, and also twice within cats, where it evolved in the Persians and the Burmese. So, we’re seeing not just convergence between the two species - cats and dogs - but also convergence within each species.”



This repeated pattern of similarity in unrelated lineages strengthens the case for artificial convergence. Unlike natural selection, where similar traits evolve to meet shared environmental needs, this is evolution for aesthetic preferences. And it happens fast.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-dark-side-of-breeding">The dark side of breeding</h2>



Yet this similarity comes at a cost. Brachycephalic breeds often suffer from serious health issues. Their flat faces can lead to breathing problems, dental misalignment, and complications during birth. These animals would struggle to survive in the wild.



“There are efforts by some groups led by veterinarians to outlaw breeding such extreme types,” Losos said. “And we really need that, for the benefit of the animals. There are all kinds of skull problems with these cats and dogs, because of the way they have been altered.”



Despite their appeal, baby-faced breeds are biologically compromised. Losos and Drake make it clear they do not support continued breeding for such extreme features. Their work exposes how far we’ve taken some animals from their natural design - and the price they pay for our preferences.



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



Looking ahead, the team plans to expand their study. They want to gather CT scans of breeds not included yet - like the long-faced Siamese or the uniquely shaped Cornish Rex and Savannah cats. These may add even more complexity to the picture of modern pet evolution.



The researchers also hope to apply their methods to extinct species. Comparing today’s breeds with saber-toothed cats or dire wolves may uncover even more about how artificial and natural selection interact.



This study not only reveals what humans have done to cats and dogs - it also helps us see evolution at work in real time. It’s a mirror reflecting both our creativity and our responsibilities. Through our choices, we’ve sculpted life - but not always with care.



Now, as scientists dig deeper, we face a question just as important as any data point: what kind of future do we want for the animals we love?



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2413780122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Our love for 'baby faces' reshaped cat and dog evolution

Walk into any pet show and you’ll see them -...

<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.



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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