Young aspen trees in Yellowstone are doing something they have not done in almost 100 years. Rather than sprouting and being eaten back to nubs by elk and bison, they're actually growing into tall, adult forest trees rising up towards the canopy.



This matters more than it might seem, because it shows what happens when a missing piece of an ecosystem returns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-yellowstone-aspens-and-elk">Yellowstone, aspens, and elk</h2>



In the 1920s, people <a href="https://www.yellowstone.org/wolf-project/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eliminated wolves in Yellowstone</a>. At the time, with limited scientific knowledge, managers believed it was the right thing to do.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/from-wolves-to-dogs-did-domestication-begin-without-human-help/">Without wolves</a>, elk herds grew very large. Elk love to eat aspen shoots - the tender young growth is highly palatable to them.



For roughly 70 years, elk browsed aspen sprouts down to stub height, and the trees couldn't grow. 



If you had walked through Yellowstone in the 1980s, you would have seen many tiny aspen shoots covering the ground, but almost no young trees gaining height. 



The forest's regeneration was stalled. Old trees died, and no new ones replaced them.



In 1995 and 1996, park managers reintroduced wolves into the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yellowstone-supervolcano-eruption-study-sparks-new-debate-on-where-and-when-it-will-erupt/">Yellowstone Park ecosystem</a>. Scientists hoped and wondered whether this would change anything for the trees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-aspen-matter-to-yellowstone">Why aspen matter to Yellowstone</h2>



Aspen groves provide habitat for many species. Birds nest in them. Beavers eat the bark and use the wood for dams. Butterflies and moths lay eggs on the leaves. 



Their canopy admits enough light for wildflowers and shrubs to grow beneath. When it rains, aspen groves hold water in the soil better than some other forest types.



In short, when aspen return, dozens of other species benefit. More trees support more insects, which in turn support more birds, enriching the ecosystem.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-checking-the-trees-three-decades-later">Checking the trees three decades later</h2>



<a href="https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/users/luke-painter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luke Painter</a>, an ecologist at <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oregon State University</a>, sought clear answers. His team returned to 87 aspen stands across Yellowstone that scientists had previously surveyed. 



They measured thousands of young trees, looked for bite marks, and counted how many stems were tall enough that elk could no longer reach the tips.



About a third of these stands now have many tall young aspens pushing toward the canopy. 



"About 26 of the 87 aspen stands we examined had large numbers of tall saplings throughout, a remarkable change from the 1990s when surveys found none at all," Painter said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-wolves-matter-to-yellowstone-aspens">Why wolves matter to Yellowstone aspens</h2>



Breaking it all down, the conclusions of this study are pretty simple. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wolves-move-pups-across-mountains-to-adapt-to-climate-pressure/">Wolves hunt elk</a>. When wolves came back, two things happened. First, elk numbers declined from unusually high levels. Second, elk changed their behavior. They spent less time in the same areas feeding.



With fewer elk and shorter feeding bouts, more aspen shoots survived long enough to exceed the browsing zone - about six to seven feet high. 



Once a sapling reaches that height, elk cannot easily reach the growing tip. The tree continues to grow.



"The reintroduction of large carnivores has initiated a recovery process that had been shut down for decades," Painter explained.



Scientists call this a <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/trophic-cascades-across-diverse-plant-ecosystems-80060347/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trophic cascade</a> - when adding or removing one species causes changes that ripple through the whole system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-some-places-recover-others-don-t">Some places recover, others don't</h2>



Unfortunately, not every aspen stand has recovered yet. Some valleys still have many short, heavily browsed shoots, because it's not only elk eating them anymore. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yellowstones-iconic-bison-have-merged-into-a-single-herd/">Bison herds have grown</a>, and bison browse on aspen as well. They are strong enough to break young trees. 



"Increasing numbers of bison may be emerging as a new constraint to aspen in some areas," Painter confirmed.



Additionally, winter snow depth varies; droughts stress trees; bears and mountain lions also hunt elk; and hunting outside the park influences elk distribution. 



All of these factors interact, which is why some sites show strong recovery, others show moderate recovery, and a few have changed very little.



The key pattern is that places with many tall saplings experience little browsing, and aspen groves that remain popular eating grounds today stay short. 



This fact is the strongest indication that tree recovery is linked directly to wolf presence, not solely to weather or soil conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proof-in-the-measurements">Proof in the measurements</h2>



Painter's team did not rely on casual observation. They used the same methods as earlier researchers, measuring the same plots. 



They counted recruitment - when young trees surpass browsing height and begin progressing toward maturity. This measure is crucial. Sprouts are insufficient if they never grow; without recruitment, the forest cannot replace itself.



The results are robust. After being stalled for most of a century, Yellowstone's aspens are increasing in height. In recovering stands today, you will see saplings - six, eight, or ten feet tall - that were not present in the 1990s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-yellowstone-s-aspens">The future of Yellowstone's aspens</h2>



"This is a remarkable case of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-viruses-found-in-yellowstones-hot-springs-may-be-near-the-root-of-all-life-on-earth/">ecological restoration</a>," Painter concluded. "Wolf reintroduction is yielding long-term ecological changes contributing to increased biodiversity and habitat diversity."



Trees grow slowly, so even with wolves restored, it will take decades for these young aspens to form a full-grown forest. 



Some areas might never fully recover if bison numbers continue to rise or if the climate becomes too hot and dry.



Thanks to the work of Painter and his team, scientists are now certain that restoring the Yellowstone predator has restarted aspen forest regeneration. Not everywhere and not perfectly, but enough to be measured, creating hope for the future.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112725004499?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forest Ecology and Management</a>.



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Yellowstone's aspen trees are growing again thanks to the reintroduction of wolves

Young aspen trees in Yellowstone are doing something they have not done in almost 100 years. Rather than sprouting and being eaten back to nubs by elk and bison, they're actually growing into tall, adult forest trees rising up towards the canopy. This matters more than it might seem, because it shows what happens when a missing piece of an ecosystem returns. Yellowstone, aspens, and elk In the 1920s, people eliminated wolves in Yellowstone. At the time, with limited scientific knowledge, managers believed it was the right...

The diversity of rocks along the rim of Jezero Crater is offering an extraordinary peek into the deep past of Mars.



NASA’s Perseverance rover has been exploring this rugged Martian terrain and recently hit its fastest science-gathering streak since first touching down on the Red Planet, more than four years ago.



In just a few months, the rover has drilled into five rocks, sealed samples from three, and analyzed dozens more - all in an effort to understand Mars’s geological evolution better, and the potential it may once have had to support life.



The research team from <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> in Southern California has been guiding the rover as it scales the Crater’s western wall.



After a three-and-a-half month climb, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-perseverance-rover-now-uses-ai-search-minerals-life-on-mars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Perseverance</a> reached the rim of the Crater on December 12, 2024, and is now exploring a 445-foot (135-meter) slope known as Witch Hazel Hill.



What the rover found there surprised even seasoned scientists.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jezero-crater-s-rocky-tapestry">Jezero Crater’s rocky tapestry</h2>



“During previous science campaigns in Jezero, it could take several months to find a rock that was significantly different from the last rock we sampled and scientifically unique enough for sampling,” said Perseverance’s project scientist, Katie Stack Morgan of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.



“But up here on the crater rim, there are new and intriguing rocks everywhere the rover turns. It has been all we had hoped for and more.”



The rocks on the crater rim tell a story of violent impacts and ancient geological processes. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-studies-trove-of-rocks-on-crater-rim/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mars_perseverance-rover_jezero-crater_panoramic-mosaic_NASA_1s1.webp" alt="This mosaic showing the Martian surface outside of Jezero Crater was taken by NASA’s Perseverance on Dec. 25, 2024, at the site where the rover cored a sample dubbed “Silver Mountain” from a rock likely formed during Mars’ earliest geologic period. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS" class="wp-image-1965653"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This mosaic showing the Martian surface outside of Jezero Crater was taken by NASA’s Perseverance on Dec. 25, 2024, at the site where the rover cored a sample dubbed “Silver Mountain” from a rock likely formed during Mars’ earliest geologic period. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS</figcaption></figure>



Many of them are once-molten boulders blasted out from deep below the Martian surface, possibly during the very impact that created Jezero Crater. Others are layered formations that solidified in place, billions of years ago.



In some areas, rocks that were changed by water sit right next to rocks that probably remained dry for their entire history - a mix that gives scientists a lot to work with.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-digging-into-mars-s-early-history">Digging into Mars’s early history</h2>



Perseverance began its crater-rim sampling campaign on January 28 with a rock dubbed “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-collects-26th-rock-sample-on-mars-plans-to-bring-them-all-to-earth-for-study/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Silver Mountain</a>,” that was taken from an outcrop called “Shallow Bay.”



This rock likely formed at least 3.9 billion years ago, during Mars’s earliest geological period, known as the Noachian. 



The rock may have been broken up and re-formed by an ancient meteor impact, preserving clues about a chaotic time in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-evidence-found-for-life-on-mars-where-ancient-rivers-once-flowed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">planet’s past</a>.



Not far from there - about 360 feet (110 meters) away - the rover encountered an outcrop containing igneous minerals that had crystallized from magma deep within the Martian crust. However, that rock crumbled during two separate coring attempts. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-rock-named-tablelands-at-jezero-crater">A rock named "Tablelands" at Jezero Crater</h2>



So the rover traveled about 520 feet (158 meters) northwest to a different target - a rock named “Tablelands.”



Tablelands turned out to be a rich find. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/mars_perseverance-rover_tablelands-rock-sample_jezero-crater_NASA_1s.webp" alt="Sealing the “Green Gardens” sample — collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover from a rock dubbed “Tablelands” along the rim of Jezero Crater on Feb. 16, 2025 — presented an engineering challenge. The sample was finally sealed on March 2. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS" class="wp-image-1965650"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sealing the “Green Gardens” sample — collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover from a rock dubbed “Tablelands” along the rim of Jezero Crater on Feb. 16, 2025 — presented an engineering challenge. The sample was finally sealed on March 2. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS</figcaption></figure>



Data from the rover’s instruments showed that this rock is made almost entirely of serpentine minerals. These form when water interacts with iron- and magnesium-rich rocks in a chemical process called serpentinization.



This reaction often causes the rock to fracture and expand. It can also produce hydrogen gas and methane - both of which are important when considering the planet's ability to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/perseverance-rover-finds-best-evidence-yet-life-on-mars-cheyava-falls-rock/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sustain life</a>.



On Earth, similar rocks support entire microbial communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-sealing-challenge-for-perseverance">A sealing challenge for Perseverance</h2>



Coring Tablelands went well for the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Perseverance rover</a>, but sealing the sample turned into a frustrating challenge. Powdered rock collected at the top of the sample tube interfered with the seal.



“This happened once before, when there was enough powdered rock at the top of the tube that it interfered with getting a perfect seal,” said Kyle Kaplan, a robotics engineer at JPL. 



“For Tablelands, we pulled out all the stops. Over 13 sols,” or Martian days, “we used a tool to brush out the top of the tube 33 times and made eight sealing attempts. We even flicked it a second time.”



The “flick” is a unique maneuver. It involves the rover’s internal sample-handling arm pushing the tube against an internal wall, then quickly pulling back to shake loose debris. After multiple flicks and brushings, the team finally sealed and stored the sample on March 2.



Eight days later, Perseverance collected and sealed another sample, from a rock called “Main River,” without any trouble.



The alternating bright and dark bands on that rock stood out as something completely new to the team.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-on-jezero-crater-s-rim">What’s next on Jezero Crater’s rim?</h2>



Since collecting the Main River sample, Perseverance has moved on to investigate more outcrops at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/perseverance-rover-made-an-epic-climb-up-the-side-of-a-crater/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Witch Hazel Hill</a> - including Sally’s Cove, Dennis Pond, and Mount Pearl. The science team believes there’s still much more to learn from this area.



“The last four months have been a whirlwind for the science team, and we still feel that Witch Hazel Hill has more to tell us,” said Stack. 



“We’ll use all the rover data gathered recently to decide if and where to collect the next sample from the crater rim. Crater rims - you gotta love ’em.”



As the mission continues, the rocks of Jezero Crater’s rim may hold some clues about the oldest and most revealing chapters in Mars’s long and complex history.



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Perseverance rover drills into a Mars rock "treasure trove"

The diversity of rocks along the rim of Jezero Crater...

Stars,Of,A,Planet,And,Galaxy,In,A,Free,Space

A new idea about&nbsp;cosmic expansion has emerged that might remove the need for dark matter and dark energy altogether.



Experts have long debated exotic solutions to explain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/monster-in-the-shadows-giant-black-hole-emerges-from-cosmic-dust/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cosmic</a> acceleration. Now, an alternate approach proposes a scenario in which more than one burst of creation took place, rather than a singular event.



The <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6382/adbed1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">model</a> originates from Dr. Richard Lieu, a physics professor at <a href="https://www.ua.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The University of Alabama</a> in Huntsville. He suggests an ongoing series of events that shape galactic structure in real and unexpected ways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sudden-bursts-drive-cosmic-expansion">Sudden bursts drive cosmic expansion</h2>



These repeated bursts, called "<a href="https://opg.optica.org/ol/abstract.cfm?uri=ol-46-15-3789" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">transient temporal singularities</a>," may happen so fast that observers never witness them. 



The universe, according to this view, gains its expanded form from multiple sudden shifts instead of a single grand explosion.



"This new paper proposes an improved version of the earlier model, which is also radically different," said Dr. Lieu. He emphasized that these bursts "uniformly affect all space to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-dark-matter-does-not-exist-and-the-universe-is-27-billion-years-old/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">replace conventional dark matter and dark energy</a>."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-dark-matter-and-energy">Understanding dark matter and energy</h2>



According to commonly accepted theory, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-true-nature-of-dark-matter-may-be-revealed-in-a-supernova/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dark matter</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-energy-could-explain-the-rapid-expansion-of-the-early-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dark energy</a> drive cosmic expansion and compose roughly 95% of the Universe. The problem is, neither of these things have been definitively proven to exist.



For now, cosmology assumes that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-big-bang-theory-attempts-to-explain-origin-of-dark-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dark matter</a> acts like an invisible glue, holding galaxies together. It doesn’t emit light or energy, so we can’t see it directly, but we know it’s there because galaxies spin way too fast for visible matter alone to keep them from flying apart. 



Without dark matter, the structure of the universe would look totally different - more chaotic, less organized. It's like the scaffolding that lets cosmic architecture take form.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/is-dark-energy-changing-the-mystery-of-cosmic-expansion-deepens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dark energy</a>, on the other hand, is a bit more mysterious and a lot more powerful. It’s the force behind the accelerating expansion of the universe. 



Instead of gravity pulling everything back together, dark energy pushes space itself outward - faster and faster as time goes on. 



Imagine stretching a balloon, and then suddenly that balloon starts inflating on its own at breakneck speed. That’s what dark energy is doing to the cosmos.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-matter-appears-and-vanishes-briefly">Matter appears and vanishes briefly</h2>



The theory sidesteps any reliance on <a href="https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20200000366/downloads/20200000366.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">negative mass</a> or negative density. It outlines a process in which matter appears and disappears, providing the momentum needed for cosmic growth.



Researchers following this path acknowledge that there is still a place for known physics. Yet they note that <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/spacetime-singularities/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">singularities</a> do not violate conservation laws if they happen in short, abrupt flashes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-model-builds-on-steady-state-theory">Model builds on steady state theory</h2>



"Sir Fred Hoyle opposed Big Bang cosmology and postulated a steady state model of the universe," said Dr. Lieu. 



Hoyle's <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/108/5/372/2601825" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">view</a> relied on a continual source of matter, though it clashed with known conservation rules.



Dr. Lieu's model tries to resolve that conflict with carefully timed bursts that obey energy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-space-cosmic-rays-from-supernova-sparked-rapid-earth-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">constraints</a>. The notion recalls steady state logic but introduces a different mechanism to maintain total balance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-ideas-on-cosmic-expansion">Old ideas on cosmic expansion</h2>



Older theories proposed <a href="https://blog.ashcroft.com/what-is-negative-pressure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">negative pressure</a> to describe the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-cosmic-explosion-changes-what-we-know-about-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">universe's</a> acceleration. This occurs when certain forms of energy push outward, creating an effect that counters gravity.



Einstein proposed a similar <a href="https://adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1917SPAW.......142E" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">concept</a> in 1917 to explain how the cosmos might hold itself steady. This fresh approach weaves that idea into singularities that appear, then vanish without leaving direct traces.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cosmic-expansion-without-dark-matter">Cosmic expansion without dark matter</h2>



The model hints that galaxies can form and remain bound without unseen particles. One brief surge might seed structures, and subsequent surges keep the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/january-2025-stargazing-a-parade-of-bright-planets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">universe</a> expanding in steps.



Observation remains key. If these bursts are real, they might explain why direct searches for missing matter or unusual energy have yet to confirm anything conclusive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-telescopes-can-confirm-bursts">How telescopes can confirm bursts</h2>



Dr. Lieu points to Earth-based telescopes as a potential way to check for these cosmic jumps. Slicing data by redshift could reveal subtle irregularities in how distance scales with time.



He suggests that a high-resolution approach might spot discontinuities in the "<a href="https://skyserver.sdss.org/dr1/en/proj/advanced/hubble/">Hubble diagram</a>," an established method of gauging cosmic distances. 



Catching a slight break in data trends might confirm that cosmic expansion does not happen smoothly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-to-the-big-bang-story">Challenges to the Big Bang story</h2>



The standard view relies on a single creation event at the start of time. Alternative perspectives do not necessarily overthrow that story but raise the idea of multiple surges of matter and energy.



This approach challenges assumptions about the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/march-2025-stargazing-a-red-moon-and-a-vanishing-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cosmos</a> having only one moment of birth. If more bursts took place, they might stretch, shape, or energize space in irregular yet calculable steps.



These ideas link naturally to instruments like the <a href="https://keckobservatory.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Keck Observatory</a> in Hawaii and the <a href="https://www.ing.iac.es/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes</a> in Spain. 



Focusing on different redshift ranges over billions of light-years could gather the evidence necessary to distinguish between single-surge expansion and repeated bursts.



Some remain cautious, noting that past attempts to replace dark energy have faced strict challenges. Yet the possibility of verifying this model with improved detectors and broader data sets remains open.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-clues-in-cosmic-expansion">Future clues in cosmic expansion</h2>



Astronomers may seek patterns left by short-lived cosmic shifts. If matter indeed pops in and out of existence on fleeting timescales, it would explain why conventional searches for missing mass have so far been fruitless.



This line of research also revisits how cosmic expansion fits within fundamental physics. Each singular burst must respect mass-energy conservation, implying a deeper interplay between space, time, and matter.



The study is published in <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6382/adbed1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Classical and Quantum Gravity</a>.



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Multiple "Big Bangs" drive cosmic expansion, not dark matter or energy, study says

A new idea about&nbsp;cosmic expansion has emerged that might remove...

Close-up,Of,A,Bitter,Bracket,Fungus,At,The,Veluwe

Most of us experience bitterness as a simple taste - something triggered by a vegetable that makes us wrinkle our noses and push a plate away.



But there’s more going on behind the scenes. The molecules that cause bitterness can vary wildly in shape and source, and scientists are still piecing together how our bodies recognize and react to them. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-mystery-of-a-bitter-mushroom">The mystery of a bitter mushroom</h2>



A recent study has taken that search into lesser-known territory, using a forest mushroom with an extremely bitter flavor to find out more.



In a collaborative effort, scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the <a href="https://www.tum.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Munich</a> and the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry in Halle (Saale) set out to explore the bitter properties of Amaropostia stiptica, commonly called the bitter bracket mushroom.



This fungus can be found growing on the trunks and branches of dead trees. It has a shelf-like fruiting body that juts out from the wood and, although not harmful, it is known for its intensely bitter <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/taste-buds-are-the-first-line-of-defense-against-eating-too-much-and-too-fast/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">taste</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-amaropostia-stiptica">Understanding Amaropostia stiptica</h2>



Amaropostia stiptica is a crust fungus that hangs out mostly on decaying wood, especially in tropical and subtropical forests. 



You’ll spot it forming thin, resiny patches on dead hardwood, often with a waxy or slightly sticky texture. Its surface tends to look smooth to slightly bumpy, and it usually has a pale color - think creamy beige to light yellow. 



Even though it's not flashy, it plays a crucial role in breaking down tough plant material, recycling nutrients back into the forest floor.



While it’s not edible or medicinal, this fungus still earns respect for doing the gritty work of decomposition in ecosystems where that kind of job is essential.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-know-about-bitter-compounds">What we know about bitter compounds</h2>



Most of what we know about bitter compounds comes from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-of-life-created-for-flowering-plants-using-400-million-specimens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flowering plants</a> or synthetic chemicals. 



In fact, the BitterDB database - the main catalog of known bitter molecules - currently lists over 2,400 entries. For around 800 of them, researchers have matched at least one specific human bitter taste receptor. 



But animal, bacterial, and fungal sources of bitter compounds are still a mystery. This makes mushrooms an ideal place to look for new insights.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-all-bitter-compounds-are-toxic">Not all bitter compounds are toxic</h2>



Our bodies rely on bitter receptors, called TAS2Rs, to warn us against potentially dangerous substances. But there’s a twist: not all bitter compounds are toxic, and not all toxins taste bitter.



The infamous death cap mushroom, for example, contains toxins that don’t taste bitter at all. Clearly, something more complex is happening.



Adding to the mystery, bitter <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/your-tongue-now-has-six-basic-taste-receptors-instead-of-just-five/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">taste receptors</a> aren’t only found on the tongue. They also show up in the stomach, intestines, heart, lungs, and even on some blood cells. 



These receptors aren’t used for tasting in the traditional sense, so scientists wonder what role they’re playing in the rest of the body.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-identifying-new-bitter-compounds">Identifying new bitter compounds</h2>



"Comprehensive data collections on bitter compounds and their receptors could help us to find answers to these open questions," said Maik Behrens, who heads a research group at the <a href="https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/institute/leibniz-institute-alle-listen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leibniz Institute</a> in Freising.



"The more well-founded data we have on the various bitter compound classes, taste receptor types and variants, the better we can develop predictive models using systems biology methods to identify new bitter compounds and predict bitter taste receptor-mediated effects." 



This applies to both food constituents and endogenous substances that activate extraoral bitter taste receptors.



To support this effort, the team focused on finding new, underrepresented sources of bitterness. Their latest work adds rare fungal-derived compounds to the growing database of known bitter substances.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mushroom-with-three-bitter-compounds">Mushroom with three bitter compounds </h2>



Using advanced analytical techniques, the team identified three new bitter compounds from Amaropostia stiptica and mapped out their chemical structures. 



When tested in cell-based systems, all three compounds triggered at least one of the human bitter taste receptors.



The standout discovery, however, was a molecule called oligoporin D. This substance activates the TAS2R46 receptor at extremely low concentrations - about 63 micrograms per liter.



To put it in perspective, that’s like dissolving a single gram of the compound into more than 100 bathtubs of water. One gram is about the same as the tip of a knife full of baking soda.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bitterness-as-a-clue-to-better-health">Bitterness as a clue to better health</h2>



"Our results contribute to expanding our knowledge of the molecular diversity and mode of action of natural bitter compounds," explained Behrens.



"In the long term, insights in this area could enable new applications in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-region-that-influences-our-food-preferences-can-be-manipulated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food</a> and health research, for example in the development of sensorially appealing foods that positively influence digestion and satiety."



The discovery of new bitter molecules from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-all-fungi-matter-not-just-mushrooms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fungi</a> shows just how much is left to learn. Bitterness isn't just a taste - it’s a signal, a potential tool, and possibly even a pathway to better health.



With each new entry into the bitter compound database, researchers come one step closer to understanding how taste shapes our bodies in ways we’re only just beginning to grasp.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c12651" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry</a>.



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Most bitter tasting substance on Earth identified by scientists

Most of us experience bitterness as a simple taste -...

Most people know sauerkraut as a tart, crunchy topping for bratwurst or hot dogs. But this humble fermented cabbage could be doing much more than adding flavor. 



New research from the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Davis</a>, shows that sauerkraut may help protect and strengthen your intestinal barrier. 



The study focuses on the way fermentation transforms cabbage - and how those changes may improve gut health.



Fermented foods are not new. Humans have been fermenting vegetables for thousands of years. In many cultures, cabbage is transformed into regionally loved dishes: sauerkraut in Europe, suan cai in China, and curtido in Latin America. 



But while these foods have long been praised for taste and preservation, modern science is now catching up. Researchers are investigating what’s happening on a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbes-have-an-unexpected-link-to-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cellular level</a> when we consume these fermented foods, and why they could be so beneficial for the human body.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fermentation-transforms-more-than-flavor">Fermentation transforms more than flavor</h2>



In the new study, Professor Maria Marco and postdoctoral researcher Lei Wei examined how sauerkraut differs from raw cabbage in its chemical makeup. They wanted to see whether the transformation brought about during fermentation had any measurable effect on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-health-may-be-the-key-to-anxiety-relief/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gut health</a>. 



To do this, they analyzed hundreds of metabolites - small molecules formed through the breakdown of food and by microbial action.



The researchers compared raw cabbage, homemade sauerkraut, and commercial, store-bought sauerkraut. They also tested the leftover brine to see whether it carried any beneficial effects on its own.



Using Caco-2 cells, a well-established model of human intestinal epithelium, they exposed the cells to inflammatory cytokines to simulate gut stress.



They found that fermented cabbage helped protect the intestinal barrier, preventing the kind of damage typically caused by inflammation. Raw cabbage and the fermentation brine did not provide the same <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/targeting-the-gut-might-be-key-in-preventing-alzheimers-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">benefit</a>.



“It doesn't matter, in a way, if we make sauerkraut at home or we buy it from the store; both kinds of sauerkraut seemed to protect gut function,” Marco said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-gut-barrier-matters">Why the gut barrier matters</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-bacteria-have-very-clever-ways-of-supporting-human-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gut</a> lining is more than just a digestive surface. It forms a tight barrier that keeps harmful pathogens out while letting nutrients in. 



When this barrier breaks down, it can lead to inflammation, infection, and chronic conditions like irritable bowel syndrome. Inflammation also plays a key role in the progression of metabolic diseases.



The study showed that sauerkraut maintains trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TER), a measurement that reflects how well the gut barrier holds together. 



It also reduced paracellular permeability, meaning fewer unwanted substances passed through the gut wall. These effects were observed for both lab-fermented and store-bought samples.



“Some of the metabolites we find in the sauerkraut are the same kind of metabolites we're finding to be made by the gut <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-tool-detects-changes-in-gut-health-to-help-prevent-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbiome</a>, so that gives us a little more confidence that this connection we found between the metabolites in sauerkraut and good gut health makes sense,” Marco said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sauerkraut-has-unique-helpful-molecules">Sauerkraut has unique helpful molecules</h2>



What’s going on inside sauerkraut that gives it these powers? The UC Davis team analyzed over 500 metabolites using two high-resolution techniques: gas chromatography and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. 



Compared to raw cabbage, fermented versions had increased levels of beneficial compounds like D-phenyl-lactate (D-PLA), indole-3-lactate (ILA), and lactic acid.



These are not random byproducts. These metabolites are also made by beneficial gut microbes and are known to support the immune system and strengthen the gut lining. Some even help with antioxidant activity and metabolic regulation.



In particular, ferments that included the probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP8826R produced a metabolite profile closer to commercial sauerkraut. These samples had more sugar alcohols like sorbitol and mannitol, and higher acidity, which helps prevent spoilage and supports beneficial bacteria.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-whole-sauerkraut-works-better">Whole sauerkraut works better</h2>



The researchers didn’t stop at identifying these compounds. They isolated D-PLA, ILA, and lactate to test their effect on gut cells. While these molecules reduced permeability, they didn’t fully protect the gut barrier on their own. 



In contrast, the whole sauerkraut preparation worked much better, suggesting that the full spectrum of fermentation byproducts works together to support gut health.



This synergy reinforces the idea that whole fermented foods often outperform isolated compounds. The food matrix and microbial complexity likely play important roles that can’t be captured by a single supplement.



“A little bit of sauerkraut could go a long way,” Marco said. “We should be thinking about including these fermented foods in our regular diets and not just as a side on our hot dogs.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sauerkraut-and-gut-inflammation">Sauerkraut and gut inflammation</h2>



Interestingly, the team also measured levels of IL-8, a key marker of inflammation. Sauerkraut didn’t reduce IL-8 in every sample, especially not in the lab-fermented versions. 



However, the intestinal barrier still stayed intact. This suggests that fermented cabbage may act through a different pathway than previously assumed. It might not block inflammatory signals, but instead may prevent those signals from damaging the gut.



The study also looked at gene expression tied to gut integrity. Only the lab ferments with added L. plantarum restored normal levels of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), a gene involved in regulating tight junctions between intestinal cells.



“Along with eating more fiber and fresh fruits and vegetables, even if we have just a regular serving of sauerkraut, maybe putting these things more into our diet, we'll find that can help us in the long run against inflammation, for example, and make our digestive tract more resilient when we have a disturbance,” Marco said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fermentation-gives-cabbage-protective-powers">Fermentation gives cabbage protective powers</h2>



With rising interest in gut health, fermented foods are becoming more popular. But not all ferments are created equal, and most benefits are anecdotal. This study provides a clearer picture. It shows how cabbage fermentation creates a consistent core of protective metabolites.



Commercial sauerkraut also had higher levels of putrescine and tyramine - compounds that increase during storage. Though these didn’t appear harmful, their presence highlights how storage conditions may influence health effects. 



The probiotic-added lab ferments mimicked commercial samples more closely, suggesting that starter cultures might offer ways to tailor health benefits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-from-cells-to-humans">Next steps: From cells to humans</h2>



This study was done using cell models, not people. Human trials will be the real test. Future research should look at how long fermented cabbage metabolites stay active in the body and what quantity is beneficial. 



It will also be important to see how sauerkraut interacts with the diverse microbial communities in actual human guts.



Still, the results are promising. Fermented cabbage consistently protected intestinal cells from damage. Its effect was not tied to one specific brand, strain, or fermentation setup. This points to a resilient and adaptable health benefit - one that might fit easily into many diets around the world.



Whether you ferment your own cabbage or pick it up at the store, that tangy forkful might be doing your gut a favor. And that makes sauerkraut more than just a topping - it makes it a potential ally in maintaining everyday health.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.1128/aem.02234-24" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Applied and Environmental Microbiology</a>.



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Potential new superfood proves incredibly beneficial for gut health

Most people know sauerkraut as a tart, crunchy topping for...

Night sky watchers across the United States are in for another surprise tonight. A fresh blast of charged particles from the Sun - a G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm - is currently sweeping past our planet, with colorful auroras expected as far south as Alabama.



The Sun, currently in a busy phase of its 11‑year cycle, has been hurling coronal mass ejections (CMEs) toward Earth at a brisk pace this week. 



One of those eruptions has already sparked moderate geomagnetic storms and could strengthen after dusk on April 16, possibly drifting into April 18, setting the stage for a vivid show.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-g4-severe-geomagnetic-storm-alert">G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm alert</h2>



The NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (<a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SWPC</a>) has issued a G4 - or severe - geomagnetic storm conditions were observed at 5:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time on April 16, 2025, with the updated alert stretching into April 17-18, 2025.



A coronal mass ejection, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/noaa-severe-solar-storm-expected-to-reach-earth-tomorrow-october-10-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CME</a>, has bombarded Earth with solar particles throughout the day, and forecasters are still deciding whether the heightened solar wind comes from a second burst or a single, combined front. 



Geomagnetic activity can climb quickly when the CME’s magnetic field points south, opposite Earth’s field, but if it aims north, the response is usually mild.



“The strength of the light show will depend on how Earth’s magnetic field interacts with the solar bursts,” said Shawn Dahl at the SWPC. 



Because the current CME pushed solar wind speeds to roughly 375 miles per second - up from about 250 miles per second earlier this week - experts consider conditions ripe for vigorous auroras if the magnetic orientation tilts the right way.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-geomagnetic-storms-impact-earth">How geomagnetic storms impact Earth</h2>



During strong events the area of greatest impact sits poleward of about 50 degrees geomagnetic latitude, but mid‑latitude regions can feel the ripple. 



Power companies may notice voltage swings and an uptick in false alarms from protective equipment. 



Satellites in low Earth orbit can encounter extra drag; their instruments may experience surface charging; and attitude‑control systems sometimes struggle until the storm passes.



Navigation signals can wander, leading to intermittent GPS loss‑of‑lock and bigger range errors, while high‑frequency radio reception may fade in and out. 



Severe storms are even capable of scrambling radio and GPS communications altogether, a reminder of why operators pay attention. 



History offers cautionary tales: in 1859, a violent outburst lit Hawaiian skies and set telegraph lines ablaze, and in 1972 another storm is thought to have detonated magnetic U.S. sea mines off Vietnam.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geomagnetic-storm-auroras-and-the-south">Geomagnetic storm, auroras, and the South</h2>



Thanks to <a href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geomagnetic K-index of 8 (G4)</a> alert issued minutes ago, auroras may be seen tonight as far south as Alabama and northern California.



Clear, dark skies away from city glare remain the key. 



NASA’s Kelly Korreck suggests heading to a local or national park and snapping a quick photo with a smartphone because the sensor can reveal faint colors invisible to the eye. 



“Enjoy it,” said Korreck. “It’s this great show … from the sun to you.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-end-of-this-11-year-solar-cycle">End of this 11-year solar cycle</h2>



Every 11 years, the Sun’s magnetic poles trade places, twisting the star’s field lines and fueling flares and CMEs. The current surge is expected to last at least through the end of 2025, though scientists will not pinpoint the precise peak until months afterward, according to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a> and <a href="https://www.noaa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NOAA</a>. 



That sustained activity explains why colorful auroras have already reached Germany, the United Kingdom, New England, and New York City.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-prepares-impact-three-cme-events-solar-storms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Last spring</a> brought the strongest geomagnetic storm in two decades, and skygazers can expect more sporadic shows as the cycle rolls on. 



While no one can forecast these storms months ahead, the Space Weather Prediction Center issues watches in the days before impact so utilities, satellite operators, and curious night owls can prepare.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-digging-into-the-data">Digging into the data</h2>



Solar activity over the past&nbsp;24&nbsp;hours has been moderate. Region&nbsp;4055 unleashed an&nbsp;M1.3 flare at&nbsp;2:13&nbsp;p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on&nbsp;April&nbsp;15 and a smaller&nbsp;C8.1 flare at&nbsp;12:39&nbsp;a.m. on&nbsp;April&nbsp;16 before rotating out of direct view. 



With its departure, the chance of additional&nbsp;M‑class flares has slipped from about&nbsp;75&nbsp;percent to&nbsp;50&nbsp;percent through&nbsp;April&nbsp;18, while the odds of the more powerful&nbsp;X‑class events remain low. 



GOES‑19 registered electrons above&nbsp;2&nbsp;million electron volts, peaking at&nbsp;2,380&nbsp;particles per square centimeter per second per steradian around&nbsp;12:20&nbsp;p.m. on&nbsp;April&nbsp;15; proton levels have stayed quiet.



A shockwave from a&nbsp;CME that left the Sun on&nbsp;April&nbsp;13 arrived near Earth at&nbsp;12:37&nbsp;p.m.&nbsp;Eastern&nbsp;on&nbsp;April&nbsp;15. 



Magnetometer readings spiked to&nbsp;28&nbsp;nanoteslas just after&nbsp;2:20&nbsp;p.m. and later eased to between&nbsp;12&nbsp;and&nbsp;18&nbsp;nanoteslas. 



The crucial north–south component, known as Bz, dipped to –20 nanoteslas, a value capable of stirring strong geomagnetic activity. 



These effects are expected to linger into early April 17 before weakening, though a coronal hole is likely to keep the solar wind elevated into April 18.



As a result, G2&nbsp;storms flared on the evening of&nbsp;April&nbsp;15; G1 to G2&nbsp;levels are likely throughout&nbsp;April&nbsp;16, with a chance for G3&nbsp;periods; and minor disturbances could persist on&nbsp;April&nbsp;17 before conditions gradually settle.



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



With <a href="https://kauai.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/DONKI/view/CME/38300/1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Region 4055</a> gone, the spotlight now shifts to Region 4060, which has shown only mild growth, and to freshly arriving Region 4062, whose magnetic structure remains unclear. 



Unless one of those areas unexpectedly flares, electron levels should hover in the normal to moderate range and proton counts should stay quiet.



Forecast models suggest the current storm will weaken late on April 17, but magnetospheric conditions may stay unsettled until the high‑speed stream from the coronal hole passes sometime on April 18. 



Keep an eye on the Space Weather Prediction Center’s aurora map or your favorite alert app; step outside if skies cooperate; and you just might catch nature’s neon headline.



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"Severe" solar storm alert issued, auroras expected farther south

Night sky watchers across the United States are in for...

Each April, Earth Day invites us to reconsider our habits, choices, and responsibilities to the planet. While tree planting, cleanups, and protests receive the spotlight, one often-overlooked climate solution sits quietly on our dinner tables. 



Our food choices, particularly the consumption of meat and dairy, contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astonishing-global-heat-in-january-2025-defied-climate-expectations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a> accelerates, shifting toward a plant-based diet could offer a practical and personal form of climate action.



A new <a href="https://pcrm.widen.net/s/kgwshsgq2g/physicians-committee-for-responsible-medicine-morning-consult-earth-day-food-climate-change-survey" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">survey</a> released just ahead of Earth Day 2025 reinforces this message. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, in partnership with <a href="https://pro.morningconsult.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Morning Consult</a>, surveyed over 2,000 American adults.



The results suggest a growing awareness of the climate-food link - but also highlight how much education and policy progress is still needed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-based-food-climate-and-health">Plant-based food, climate, and health</h2>



Reducing meat intake can lower individual carbon footprints and boost personal health. That’s not just opinion - it’s the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (<a href="https://www.ipcc.ch" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IPCC</a>) conclusion in its 2022 report, Mitigation of Climate Change. The IPCC highlights diet shifts as powerful climate tools.



“This Earth Day - and every day - people should eat a plant-based diet to keep themselves and the planet healthy,” said Roxanne Becker, MBChB, DipIBLM.



She recommends plant-based diets to patients to help prevent chronic diseases and lower emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-awareness-of-food-related-emissions">Awareness of food-related emissions</h2>



Despite increasing concern, 54% of Americans don’t know which foods cause the most greenhouse gases. 



Only 16% correctly identified all five foods (beef, cheese, tofu, vegetables, nuts) in order of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-accelerating-beyond-control-as-co2-levels-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emissions</a>. A quarter of respondents ranked tofu and nuts as more polluting than beef.



According to UN data, beef emits 70.6 kg CO₂e per kilogram of food (about 155.7 pounds CO₂e per 2.2 pounds). Cheese comes next at 23.9 kg (52.7 pounds CO₂e), followed by tofu at 3.2 kg (7 pounds), vegetables at 0.7 kg (1.5 pounds), and nuts at 0.4 kg (0.9 pounds).



Cows produce methane while digesting food, in a process called enteric fermentation. This gas escapes when they burp. Methane also forms when manure is stored in tanks or lagoons.



Though methane breaks down faster than CO₂, its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wealthier-nations-set-bold-climate-targets-but-citizens-give-less/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warming</a> effect is about 80 times stronger over 20 years. Experts call methane reduction a key climate goal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-food-policies-and-dietary-guidelines">Food policies and dietary guidelines </h2>



The survey revealed that 40% of Americans support taxing the meat and dairy industry to address emissions. A larger number - 59% - support incentives to help farmers shift from raising animals to growing crops and orchards.



Younger adults show stronger support for policy change. Fifty-six percent of Gen Z and 49% of Millennials say they would consider eating plant-based foods to help the climate.



Most people in the survey - about 60% - believe that the government should include the environmental impact of food in its national diet advice. Right now, the official Dietary Guidelines for Americans do not talk about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-constantly-reshuffling-earths-species/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a>, pollution, or nature at all.



However, these same guidelines do mention a vegetarian diet option. This plant-based option avoids meat, chicken, and fish. Instead, it includes foods like beans, soy products, nuts, and seeds. Choosing this vegetarian plan instead of the usual one can cut your food-related emissions in half.



So, even though the guidelines don’t mention the environment, one of the options they mention is already better for the planet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-based-food-and-climate-action">Plant-based food and climate action</h2>



Eating more plant-based meals helps in several important ways. First, it lowers greenhouse gas <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-reductions-could-cut-billions-of-tons-of-co2-emissions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emissions</a>, which helps slow down climate change. Producing meat, especially beef, creates a lot of pollution. In contrast, growing plants for food is much cleaner and uses less land and water.



But the benefits go beyond the environment. A plant-based diet can also make you healthier. It may lower your chances of getting diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some types of cancer. That’s because plant-based foods are often lower in unhealthy fats and higher in fiber, vitamins, and nutrients.



Choosing more fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, beans, and soy products also supports a more sustainable food system. This means food can be produced in a way that uses fewer natural resources and causes less harm to animals and climate.



As Earth Day gets closer, it’s a great time to think about how our meals affect more than just our taste buds. Every food choice we make has an impact. What we eat not only shapes our health but also helps shape the future of the planet.



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Many people are willing to eat plant-based foods to save the climate

Each April, Earth Day invites us to reconsider our habits,...

A recent study suggests that satellite data can help protect 30% of ocean habitats in the Atlantic, while minimizing the disruption to shipping and fishing. The experts propose a practical way to meet global biodiversity targets without major sacrifices to economic activity.



The study was led by scientists at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the <a href="https://www.azti.es/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centro de Investigación Marina y Alimentaria</a> (AZTI), supported by the European Space Agency (ESA).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seascapes-of-the-atlantic">Seascapes of the Atlantic </h2>



The researchers divided the Atlantic Ocean into distinct zones called seascapes. These are areas defined by their unique biological and physical traits.



Using satellite data, the experts were able to identify which zones are most important to biodiversity and could benefit from protection.



“We calculated the center point of each seascape and then determined that, by diverting marine traffic around rather than through <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-protected-areas-fall-short-on-2030-biodiversity-targets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">protected areas</a>, we would achieve the UN’s goal of effectively protecting 30% of biodiversity, without heavy disruption to fishing and shipping,” explained Dr. Asier Anabitarte, a researcher in sustainable fishing technologies at AZTI.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-satellites-to-protect-the-ocean">Using satellites to protect the ocean</h2>



The researchers used data from ESA’s Envisat and Copernicus Sentinel-3, as well as NASA and NOAA satellites, to track biological activity across different parts of the Atlantic. The team monitored organisms at all levels of the food chain - from microscopic phytoplankton to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellite-tag-allows-long-term-tracking-of-whale-behavior/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">whales</a> and other marine mammals.



Dr. Victor Martinez-Vicente, coordinator of the <a href="https://booms-project.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BOOMS project</a>, emphasized the importance of this method:



“The biogeography of the ocean has a long history, yet the novel application described in Asier’s paper is a demonstration of the potential that satellite-derived data has to support marine policy at the global scale,” said Dr. Martinez-Vicente.



The experts also mapped human activity - particularly shipping and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/when-hunting-for-food-fulmars-follow-the-fishing-vessels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fishing</a> - using data from the Automatic Identification System. This allowed them to overlay areas of heavy traffic with key habitats for species such as migratory birds, turtles, dolphins, and porpoises.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ocean-noise-affects-marine-habitats">Ocean noise affects marine habitats</h2>



The study highlights noise as one of the most damaging effects of human activity on the high seas. The constant hum of engines, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/military-sonar-does-a-lot-more-damage-to-dolphins-than-previously-disclosed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sonar</a>, and industrial equipment can severely disrupt life underwater.



“Noise pollution from human activity can be disruptive and damaging to marine habitats because it can affect how cetaceans communicate and hunt,” said Dr. Anabitarte. 



“However, it also affects fish populations by interfering with their ability to sense their environment, their ability to mate, communicate and avoid predators.”



The experts took into account the type of ship, how many were traveling through a given zone, and how much noise they produced. The analysis suggests that careful redirection of shipping lanes could reduce these impacts without adding major costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-biodiversity-in-the-atlantic">Protecting biodiversity in the Atlantic </h2>



Currently, only about 1.45% of the high seas - the vast ocean areas outside any country’s jurisdiction - are officially protected.



Yet these waters make up roughly two-thirds of the world's oceans and are under increasing pressure from climate change, overfishing, and industrial development.



In June 2023, the United Nations adopted the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement. Its aim is to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, focusing on zones with rare and threatened species. But the lack of solid biodiversity data has made progress difficult.



Satellite technology can help protect these ocean zones by monitoring biodiversity across huge, remote areas and offering science-based recommendations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smart-protection-shared-oceans">Smart protection, shared oceans</h2>



ESA Ocean Applications Scientist Marie-Helene Rio, who served as the technical officer for the project, sees this study as a promising first step.



“By protecting at least 30% of each seascape with activity lanes is a good starting point for high seas protection, which can be redefined later based on the presence of rare species or key habitats and socioeconomic factors agreed with stakeholders within a systematic spatial planning approach,” said Rio.



Dr. Anabitarte noted that other impacts from shipping and fishing lanes on the high seas should be considered in future studies, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/basking-sharks-are-exceptionally-vulnerable-to-ship-strikes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vessel strikes</a> on mammals, as well as consequences of fishing such as seafloor damage, accidental loss of species, and litter.



This approach - using data to guide decisions - offers a realistic way to protect ocean life while still allowing human activity to continue. Ultimately, the model may help us meet international conservation goals without choosing between nature and progress.



The research was part of ESA’s Science for Society Biodiversity in the Open Ocean: Mapping, Monitoring and Modeling (BOOMS) project.



The&nbsp;study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X25002516" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marine Pollution Bulletin</a>. 



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Satellite data could help protect 30% of Atlantic ocean habitats

A recent study suggests that satellite data can help protect...

What makes us who we are? Is it our DNA, our childhood, or a mix of both? For decades, scientists and philosophers have debated how much early life shapes adult personality. A new study suggests that something as simple as maternal affection may quietly steer our path.



Affectionate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mothers-start-bonding-with-their-baby-before-delivery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mothering</a> in childhood may do more than bring comfort - it may influence traits that shape success in school, relationships, and health. This insight comes from a rigorous study published in American Psychologist, led by Professor Jasmin Wertz of the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Edinburgh</a>. 



By analyzing how children were parented and how they turned out at 18, the team shed new light on the subtle power of early care.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-mother-s-affection-shapes-personality">How mother’s affection shapes personality </h2>



Personality traits like openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness matter. These traits don’t just determine whether someone is polite or curious - they predict major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-paternity-leave-changes-parenting-dynamics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life outcomes</a>. Research has shown they link to academic achievement, job performance, mental health, and even physical health.



That’s why researchers have taken a growing interest in personality not as something fixed, but as something that can evolve with experience. While past studies hinted at parenting’s influence on personality, few could separate it from genetics or broader family context.



“Personality traits are strong predictors of important life outcomes, from academic and career success to health and well-being,” said Dr. Jasmin Wertz, a professor of psychology at the University of Edinburgh and the study's lead author.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-parenting-s-impact-on-personality">Parenting’s impact on personality</h2>



To truly isolate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-treat-their-children-differently-but-do-they-have-a-favorite/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parenting’s effects</a>, Dr. Wertz and colleagues studied 2,232 British twins, including many identical (monozygotic) pairs.



These twins share 100% of their DNA and grew up in the same households. That makes them ideal for teasing apart the role of environment - especially the differences in how each twin was parented.



Between ages 5 and 10, mothers participated in structured interviews where they were asked to talk about each child for five minutes. The interviews captured spontaneous expressions of warmth and dissatisfaction. Coders rated the tone and content to assess how affectionate each mother was toward each twin.



Later, when the twins turned 18, trained observers and family members rated their personalities using the Big Five framework: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mother-s-affection-linked-to-openness">Mother’s affection linked to openness</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parenting-may-help-keep-the-brain-younger/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Children</a> who received more maternal affection were more likely to become open, conscientious, and agreeable by age 18. These effects were small but statistically significant - even after adjusting for maltreatment, childhood behavior, and family support at 18.



Twins with more affectionate treatment than their co-twin scored higher on the three traits that support learning, cooperation, and long-term success.



“Our findings suggest that fostering positive parenting environments in early childhood could have a small but significant and lasting impact on the development of these crucial personality traits,” said Dr. Wertz.



These results held not just in the full sample but even within identical twin pairs. That means the differences can’t be explained by shared genes or family setting - they reflect parenting alone.



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



Among the three traits, conscientiousness stands out for its long-term value. People high in this trait tend to be organized, responsible, and reliable. They do better in school, avoid health risks, and thrive in the workplace.



Because of this, even modest increases in conscientiousness could improve public health and economic outcomes at a national scale. Affectionate parenting may thus play an important role in shaping not just individuals but society as a whole.



The study’s authors suggest that policies promoting supportive parenting could have long-reaching benefits. These might include income support, mental health treatment for parents, and programs that help families strengthen emotional bonds.



“There are many proven ways to support parents, such as policies that improve a family’s financial situation; access to treatment for parents who struggle with mental health problems such as depression; and parenting programs that help parents <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parent-children-relationships-are-key-to-lifelong-well-being/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">build stronger relationships</a> with their children,” said Dr. Wertz.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-personality-traits-and-mother-s-affection">Personality traits and mother's affection</h2>



The study also explored extraversion and neuroticism. In the broader sample, mother's affection seemed to relate to these personality traits. But when genetic and environmental confounds were removed by comparing identical twins, the effects disappeared.



This suggests that parenting may not have a strong or lasting impact on how outgoing or emotionally sensitive someone becomes. Instead, other influences - such as peers, later life experiences, or even therapy - might play a bigger role.



The authors note that neuroticism, despite being tied to early mental health issues, may not respond to affectionate parenting alone. However, interventions later in life can still help.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-study-rules-out-other-causes">Study rules out other causes</h2>



One strength of the study lies in its cautious, thorough approach. The researchers tested whether other factors could explain the results. They controlled for child behavior at age five to rule out the possibility that more agreeable children simply receive better parenting.



The experts also looked at the impact of childhood maltreatment and support from family at age 18. None of these factors changed the main outcome. Maternal affection remained linked to stronger personality traits.



“This research provides valuable evidence for the potential of parenting programs to influence critical aspects of personality development,” said Dr. Wertz.



“However, it also highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of how different factors, including genetics, parenting and life experiences, interact to shape who we are.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-subtle-yet-powerful-influence">A subtle yet powerful influence</h2>



While the effects of affectionate parenting on personality are not huge, they are consistent. And they come from a study design that few can match in terms of clarity.



Even small shifts in personality can lead to noticeable gains when seen across an entire population. This is especially true for traits that boost health, learning, and cooperation.



“By targeting parenting practices that promote positive traits in childhood, it may be possible to reduce disparities in life outcomes associated with socioeconomic background, family dynamics and other environmental factors,” said Dr. Wertz.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-care-lifelong-consequences">Early care, lifelong consequences</h2>



The link between personality traits and mother's affection reminds us that the small things we do for children may echo for years. A kind word, a warm tone, a moment of encouragement - they do not just comfort in the moment. They can shape who a child becomes.



In a world searching for effective, scalable ways to improve lives, these findings bring attention back to one of the oldest tools we have: love and attention in early childhood. 



Affection, though simple, may be one of the most powerful investments a society can make.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-amp0001508.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Psychologist</a>.



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Mother’s affection shapes a child's personality into adulthood

What makes us who we are? Is it our DNA,...

A new image of the planetary nebula NGC 1514 reveals a chaotic scene: rings of a dying star with tangled clouds of gas and dust.



The James Webb Space Telescope captured the stunning image, revealing the intricate structures of a stellar remnant located over 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus.



The observations were made by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who played a key role in managing the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the Webb telescope during its launch.



The data paints a dramatically detailed picture of a dying star’s final outbursts, bringing clarity to a scene that’s been forming for roughly 4,000 years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-rings-form-around-dying-stars">Why rings form around dying stars</h2>



At the heart of NGC 1514 is a star that once shone several times brighter and larger than our Sun. Over time, it ballooned outward, expelling layers of gas and dust in a slow, dense stellar wind. 



This process created what we now see as glowing rings of material. After shedding its outer layers, only a small, hot core remained - a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/white-dwarf-stars-may-be-billions-of-years-older-than-estimated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">white dwarf</a>. As this core continued to eject material at higher speeds, it sculpted the expanding gas into complex shells and cavities.



“Before Webb, we weren’t able to detect most of this material, let alone observe it so clearly,” said Mike Ressler, a researcher and project scientist for Webb’s MIRI at <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a>.



Ressler initially discovered the rings around NGC 1514 in 2010 using data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE).



“With MIRI’s data, we can now comprehensively examine the turbulent nature of this nebula,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nebula-rings-form-an-hourglass-shape">Nebula rings form an hourglass shape</h2>



The new image shows what appears to be two bright stars at the nebula’s center. These stars are part of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/binary-systems-with-living-and-dead-stars-reveal-stellar-secrets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">binary system</a>, locked in a tight, elongated orbit that lasts about nine years.



Webb’s observation displays them as a single source surrounded by bright diffraction spikes. An arc of orange dust is draped across the scene.



The nebula’s overall shape appears tilted at about 60 degrees. That gives it a poured-from-a-can appearance, but it’s more likely shaped like an hourglass with its ends cut off. This is especially visible near the top left and bottom right edges of the image. This is where orange dust appears to drift into V-shaped forms.



David Jones is a senior scientist at the Institute of Astrophysics on the Canary Islands, who confirmed the binary system at the center of NGC 1514 in 2017.



“When this star was at its peak of losing material, the companion could have gotten very, very close,” said Jones. "That interaction can lead to shapes that you wouldn’t expect. Instead of producing a sphere, this interaction might have formed these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-telescope-directly-observes-carbon-factories-milky-way-galaxy-wolf-rayet-140/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rings</a>.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fuzzy-rings-and-translucent-dust-clouds">Fuzzy rings and translucent dust clouds</h2>



In addition to the rings of a dying star, there’s a faint web of translucent dust clouds in the space between them. These soft orange filaments produce a three-dimensional feel.



The rings themselves aren’t smooth. Instead, they appear fuzzy and irregular in Webb’s infrared view.



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



At the nebula’s center, Webb also detected <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oldest-known-galaxy-contains-surprising-oxygen-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">oxygen</a>. This area is highlighted in pink tones, especially around the edges of bubble-like structures and holes where fast-moving material broke through.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lack-of-carbon-and-complex-molecules">Lack of carbon and complex molecules </h2>



What’s most surprising is what the team didn’t find, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-finds-largest-amount-of-carbon-ever-seen-in-a-planet-forming-disk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon</a> and more complex carbon-based molecules like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These substances are commonly seen in similar planetary nebulae.



One reason could be the orbital interaction between the two central stars, which might have stirred up the expelled matter too quickly for such molecules to form. 



With less complex material blocking the way, light from the stars travels farther, making the faint cloud-like nebula rings easier to observe.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unique-rings-of-a-dying-star">Unique rings of a dying star</h2>



NGC 1514 has puzzled astronomers since the 18th century. William Herschel made an important observation with his telescope in 1790. 



Herschel noted that that the nebula looked like a true cloud. This structure was unlike the star clusters he was accustomed to studying. For over 200 years, scientists lacked the tools to observe the unique rings of a dying star.



Thanks to the Webb Space Telescope’s infrared capabilities, NGC 1514 is finally giving up its secrets.



And while the nebula may appear serene in images, its appearance is anything but static. The dynamic interactions between its stars, dust, and gas will continue to reshape the scene for thousands of years.



One final detail in the image catches the eye: a bright blue star at the bottom left. Although it seems part of the action, it’s just a bystander. That star lies much closer to Earth and has nothing to do with the drama unfolding in the dying embers of NGC 1514.



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



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Webb telescope reveals the ghostly rings of a dying star

A new image of the planetary nebula NGC 1514 reveals...

Rice has long been a symbol of nourishment and security. Across vast stretches of Asia, it serves not just as a meal but as a cultural constant - present in everyday dishes and sacred celebrations alike. Now, climate pressure threatens that deep-rooted connection.



But a new study led by researchers at Columbia University’s <a href="https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mailman School of Public Health</a>, in collaboration with teams from China and the United States, reveals a brewing crisis. 



As the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astonishing-global-heat-in-january-2025-defied-climate-expectations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate</a> warms and carbon dioxide levels climb, a quiet transformation is taking place deep in paddy soils. This change could soon place millions at risk - not from scarcity, but from toxicity.



The findings, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, detail how a hotter, CO₂-rich atmosphere is likely to increase levels of inorganic arsenic in rice. This toxic compound is linked to a wide array of serious health problems, including cancers, cardiovascular disease, and developmental disorders. 



With rice being a staple food for over half the world’s population, the implications are far-reaching and deeply concerning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-factors-and-arsenic-accumulation">Climate factors and arsenic accumulation </h2>



Until recently, studies examining arsenic accumulation in rice focused on isolated climate factors. Researchers had explored how elevated temperatures or increased CO₂ levels might influence arsenic uptake, but never both at once in a natural setting. 



This new study is the first to simulate real-world growing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-water-day-2025-preserving-glaciers-protecting-our-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conditions</a> over multiple years and varieties using Free-Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) platforms.



Over a ten-year span, researchers observed 28 genetically diverse rice cultivars across four field sites in the Yangtze River Delta, a region emblematic of Asian rice agriculture. 



The FACE system introduced CO₂ levels 200 ppm above ambient conditions and used infrared heating to simulate a 2°C rise in temperature. The results were clear: temperature and CO₂ together had a synergistic effect, raising inorganic arsenic levels in rice grains more than either factor alone.



“Our results suggest that this increase in arsenic levels could significantly elevate the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and other non-cancer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-accelerating-beyond-control-as-co2-levels-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">health effects</a>,” said Dr. Lewis Ziska, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia Mailman School.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-change-increases-arsenic-uptake">Climate change increases arsenic uptake</h2>



What makes these findings especially alarming is the mechanism behind them. The study uncovered that elevated temperature and CO₂ don't just influence rice physiology - they reshape the microbial and chemical makeup of paddy soils.



Increased temperatures lowered redox potential in the soil, creating more anaerobic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-constantly-reshuffling-earths-species/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conditions</a>. These conditions favor the release of arsenic into the water where rice roots grow. 



Additionally, key soil microbial genes responsible for transforming arsenic into its more toxic forms became more abundant. One gene in particular, arsC, saw a sixfold increase in presence during the grain-filling stage when both temperature and CO₂ were elevated.



Dr. Ziska explained that the higher arsenic levels are likely due to climate-related changes in soil chemistry that favor arsenic that can more easily be absorbed into rice grain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-risks-of-arsenic-exposure">Health risks of arsenic exposure </h2>



The study didn’t stop at biochemistry. Using the latest population and consumption data, researchers modeled health risks for seven Asian countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam. 



These countries were selected because of their high rice consumption and the prevalence of irrigated paddy systems, where arsenic mobility is highest.



Their projections for the year 2050 are alarming. Under the combined CO₂+Temp scenario, mean inorganic arsenic exposure through rice was highest in Vietnam and Indonesia. 



Lifetime cancer risks, particularly for lung and bladder cancer, saw a 44% rise compared to ambient conditions. China alone may face 19.3 million excess cancer cases related to arsenic exposure through rice.



“Ingesting rice in regions like southern China and Southeast and South Asia is already a significant source of dietary arsenic and cancer risk,” said Dr. Ziska.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-diseases-linked-to-arsenic-in-rice">Diseases linked to arsenic in rice </h2>



From a public health perspective, arsenic is not just a cancer risk. Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic has been linked to diabetes, ischemic heart disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, neurodevelopmental delays, and immune dysfunction.



In every country assessed, non-cancer risks also rose sharply under the CO₂+Temp scenario. Hazard quotients for health issues like heart disease and diabetes reached worrying levels. 



In Vietnam, for instance, the hazard quotient for these conditions reached 12 - far above the safety threshold of 1. The pattern was similar for fetal and infant health effects and cognitive development concerns.



“From a health perspective, the toxicological effects of chronic iAs exposure are well established; and include cancers of the lung, bladder, and skin, as well as ischemic heart disease,” said Dr. Ziska.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-patterns-and-rice-arsenic-levels">Climate patterns and rice arsenic levels</h2>



While the FACE experiments simulated future climate conditions, natural seasonal variations from 2014 to 2023 added another layer of evidence. 



Arsenic levels in rice tracked closely with temperature changes across those years, even under current CO₂ levels. This real-world correlation supports the experimental data and suggests that climate-induced arsenic risks may already be escalating.



Furthermore, the presence of organic arsenic compounds like dimethylarsenic acid (DMA) also increased under warmer, CO₂-enriched conditions. Although these compounds were not found in highly toxic forms like DMMTA in this study, their rise raises concerns for future rice safety and yield.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-urgent-global-action-needed">Urgent global action needed</h2>



“Based on our findings, we believe there are several actions that could help reduce arsenic exposure in the future,” noted Dr. Ziska.



He and his co-authors recommend urgent attention to agricultural adaptation. That includes breeding rice strains that naturally accumulate less arsenic, managing irrigation to reduce soil anaerobic conditions, and improving milling processes to lower arsenic content in edible rice.



Policy gaps remain a critical issue. Most countries lack enforceable standards for arsenic in rice. For example, under the simulated climate scenarios, over half the rice samples exceeded China's proposed 200 ppb safety threshold for inorganic arsenic. 



Meanwhile, many nations either lack such standards entirely or rely on voluntary guidelines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rice-safety-in-a-changing-world">Rice safety in a changing world</h2>



“Our study underscores the urgent need for action to reduce arsenic exposure in rice, especially as climate change continues to affect global food security,” said Dr. Ziska.



Rice is too important to ignore. It sustains billions and shapes cultures. But as this study reveals, it can also quietly carry a growing threat when climate stress meets overlooked soil dynamics. 



The good news? The problem is not irreversible. With the right investment in science, policy, and farming practices, we can protect rice as a safe and trusted food for future generations.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(25)00055-5/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lancet Planetary Health</a>.



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Climate change is quietly making rice more toxic

Rice has long been a symbol of nourishment and security....

If you've ever watched songbirds squabble at a backyard feeder, you've seen a small glimpse of the competition animals face for limited resources. 



While some species seem to be constantly at odds, others - even those that appear quite similar - manage to coexist in surprising harmony.



For decades, a classic theory from the field of ecology has suggested that forest-dwelling <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-genes-are-responsible-for-the-rapid-diversification-of-warblers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warblers</a> share trees by using different parts of them. 



Now, a new study adds a modern twist to that idea and shows it may be more complicated than it seems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revisiting-a-classic-idea">Revisiting a classic idea </h2>



The research, conducted by scientists at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State</a> and the American Bird Conservancy, revisits an influential idea that was first proposed by ecologist Robert MacArthur in the 1950s.



MacArthur observed that several species of warblers could live in the same tree without crowding each other out, simply by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-social-networks-greatly-influence-their-food-choices/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">foraging</a> in different zones - some near the trunk, others at the tips of branches, and at varying heights.



This concept has been a staple in biology textbooks ever since. But thanks to DNA analysis and decades of fieldwork, the new study suggests that the story goes deeper.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-close-look-at-species-interactions">A close look at species interactions </h2>



Study co-author David Toews is the Louis Martarano Career Development Professor of Biology in the Penn State Eberly College of Science.



“MacArthur suggested that we needed to look more closely at species interactions. We wanted to revisit this idea with modern technology, using molecular methods and an evolutionary perspective that weren’t available in MacArthur’s time," explained Professor Toews.



"This allowed us to not only directly quantify their diet, but also better understand how warblers are partitioning their habitat and how what we see today may have been shaped by competition over the warbler’s evolutionary history.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-analyzing-bird-competition">Analyzing bird competition </h2>



The team observed 13 warbler species that nest in northeastern New York forests during the summer. 



Over 20 years, the researchers tracked where in the trees each bird preferred to forage - how high up they searched, how dense the foliage was, and how close they stayed to the trunk.



The experts also collected fecal samples during five breeding seasons to analyze what the birds were eating.



Using a technique called fecal meta-barcoding, they could extract insect DNA to identify prey species. Alongside this, they studied the physical traits of each bird, including size and beak shape, using public databases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-songbird-foraging-behaviors">Songbird foraging behaviors </h2>



The findings showed that each bird species did indeed forage in slightly different ways. "The implication from MacArthur’s study is that, if the birds are foraging in different areas of the tree, then they are eating different things,” said Professor Toews.



“MacArthur tried to test this using data from his colleagues, who attempted to analyze fragments of insects from stomach contents, but this was biased toward fragments that weren’t digested, and they were extremely difficult to identify."



"Now, we can extract DNA from fecal samples and use a technique called fecal meta-barcoding to see which insect species have been eaten by birds.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pressures-over-evolutionary-timescales">Pressures over evolutionary timescales </h2>



While the birds' movements and strategies differed clearly - smaller species tended to hover more, and those with longer legs stayed closer to the ground - their diets were surprisingly similar.



Eliot Miller, BirdsPlus Index Manager at the American Bird Conservancy, noted that a bird's and shape are products of many pressures operating over evolutionary timescales.



“But numerous studies, including our own, show that chief amongst these pressures is foraging behavior,” said Miller.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-subtle-differences-in-songbird-diets">Subtle differences in songbird diets</h2>



The DNA analysis revealed that although the warblers fed on thousands of insect and spider species, there was a great deal of overlap in their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-plantations-limit-native-birds-diets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diets</a>.



“The birds we studied collectively consumed thousands of arthropod species, and there was a considerable amount of overlap in their diets,” said Professor Toews.



“The differences in diet were quite subtle, and we found that closely related species had more similar diets. This suggests that MacArthur’s emphasis on diet may have been partially misplaced, though the general idea of portioning their resources by foraging in different parts of the trees is sound.”



Many birds were simply taking advantage of what was available. Professor Toews noted that more than 75% of fecal samples contained the most common insect in the area, a snipefly, and more than half of the samples contained a common, invasive leaf weevil.



This kind of opportunistic feeding may suggest that while <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/competition-limits-the-ranges-of-tropical-mountain-birds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">competition</a> shaped the songbirds’ physical traits and foraging strategies, diet may not have played as strong a role in pushing species apart.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-migration-and-competition">Bird migration and competition </h2>



“Because of the notable differences in foraging behavior, we believe that competition has shaped how these species forage today, as well as how they evolved to forage over evolutionary time,” Miller said. 



“But we don’t see many differences in diet, so it’s likely that other forces may have more directly influenced warbler evolution. It is worth noting that these birds migrate to Central and South America over the winter, so competition for resources in those locations as well as the stress of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-benefit-from-social-networks-during-migration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">migration</a> may also shape the traits we see today.”



The researchers are planning future studies to look more closely at what warblers eat during their time in the tropics and how the nutritional value of their food might vary. 



This could offer deeper insight into how competition and migration shape these songbirds beyond their breeding grounds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-more-nuanced-view-of-coexistence">A more nuanced view of coexistence</h2>



“MacArthur was right in that these warblers are partitioning their habitat in fine ways, but it’s a little more complex than he originally thought,” said Professor Toews.



“People often observe competitive interactions between species at their bird feeders, and studies like this show how these kinds of interactions that happened hundreds or thousands of years ago can shape the species we see today.”



The takeaway? Even birds that seem to get along may be playing out a long, slow competition - one that stretches across trees, continents, and generations.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0001" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Biology Letters</a>.



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Bird competition: How warblers share trees without fighting

If you've ever watched songbirds squabble at a backyard feeder,...

Ankylosaurus,In,Nature.,This,Is,A,3d,Render,Illustration

Dinosaur fossils often steal the spotlight, but sometimes, tracks and footprints can tell an even deeper story. Ancient ankylosaur tracks, recently discovered in Canada, have rewritten a chapter of dinosaur history.



These newly discovered tracks belong to a group of armored dinosaurs known for their tail clubs called ankylosaurids. Yet, no one had ever seen their footprints before.



Researchers working in British Columbia and Alberta uncovered the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-extinction-theories-are-challenged-by-new-research/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fossilized</a> prints in mid-Cretaceous rock formations. The discovery includes multiple trackways of a new ichnospecies, Ruopodosaurus clava.



This finding offers long-sought confirmation that ankylosaurid dinosaurs, known for their weaponized tails, roamed North America far earlier than previously recorded.



The research, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, highlights just how much a footprint can reveal. From foot structure to group behavior, and even evolutionary timelines, these impressions bridge gaps in the fossil record and expand our understanding of dinosaur diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-armored-ankylosaur-dinosaur-tracks">Armored ankylosaur dinosaur tracks</h2>



Ankylosaurs are famous for their tank-like bodies and low-slung frames. They fall into two main groups: nodosaurids and ankylosaurids. 



Nodosaurids had four toes and flexible tails. Ankylosaurids, however, carried club-like tails and walked on three-toed feet.



Until now, paleontologists had only found four-toed ankylosaur tracks in North America. These belonged to Tetrapodosaurus borealis, a widely documented ichnospecies linked to nodosaurid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-did-dinosaurs-come-from-missing-fossils-hold-the-secret/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dinosaurs</a>. 



The discovery of three-toed tracks with associated five-fingered forelimb impressions was new – and important.



The name Ruopodosaurus clava means “tumbled-down lizard with a club,” which is a nod to both its clubbed tail and the mountainous terrain of Tumbler Ridge. 



The armored dinosaur tracks date back around 100 million years to the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous. They came from two formations – the Dunvegan and the basal Kaskapau. Both represent wet deltaic environments that supported lush vegetation and slow-moving waterways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-well-preserved-dinosaur-footprints">Well-preserved dinosaur footprints </h2>



The most complete specimen, TRMF 2023.09.002, was found beside the Wolverine River. It preserves a left manus and a pair of feet, with all digits clearly impressed.



Other tracks were recovered from sites like Bullmoose Creek and Everlasting Creek - each offering a unique snapshot of these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-fossils-reveal-hollow-bones-just-like-modern-birds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a>' movements.



The prints differ sharply from other dinosaur tracks. The three toes of the hindfoot are wide, blunt, and either triangular or U-shaped.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dinosaur_Ruopodosaurus_footprints_spiked-tail_credit-Arbour_-1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dinosaur_Ruopodosaurus_footprints_spiked-tail_credit-Arbour_1s.webp" alt="Ruopodosaurus hand and footprints from Tumbler Ridge: Ruopodosaurus footprints from Tumbler Ridge. Credit: V. Arbour/C. Helm." class="wp-image-1965970"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ruopodosaurus hand and footprints from Tumbler Ridge: Ruopodosaurus footprints from Tumbler Ridge. Click image to enlarge. Credit: V. Arbour/C. Helm.</figcaption></figure>



The forefoot shows five spread-out digits in a crescent shape. The stride patterns, toe shapes, and narrow walking stance support the identification of ankylosaurids.



“While we don’t know exactly what the dinosaur that made&nbsp;Ruopodosaurus&nbsp;footprints looked like, we know that it would have been about 5–6 meters long, spiky and armored, and with a stiff tail or a full tail club,” said Victoria M. Arbour, a vertebrate palaeontologist at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uvic.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Victoria</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dinosaur-fossil-record-in-north-america">Dinosaur fossil record in North America</h2>



These footprints bridge a long-standing gap in the North American <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-ground-dwellers-survived-the-asteroid-impact-that-killed-the-dinosaurs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fossil</a> record. No ankylosaurid bones have been found in this region between 100 and 84 million years ago. 



For decades, researchers thought ankylosaurids had disappeared from the continent during this time, only to return later from Asia.



But the tracks tell a different story. They show that ankylosaurids were very much present in mid-Cretaceous ecosystems. They coexisted with nodosaurids, as both Ruopodosaurus and Tetrapodosaurus prints appear in the same rock layers.



Dr. Charles Helm, who co-authored the study, had observed these unusual three-toed tracks near Tumbler Ridge for years. 



He eventually brought Arbour into the project to confirm their significance. This collaboration paid off with the identification of a new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/north-americas-oldest-dinosaur-is-completely-rewriting-history/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> and the rewriting of an evolutionary timeline.



“Ever since two young boys discovered an ankylosaur trackway close to Tumbler Ridge in 2000, ankylosaurs and Tumbler Ridge have been synonymous," Helm enthused. 



"It is really exciting to know through this research that there are two types of ankylosaurs that called this region home and that Ruopodosaurus has only been identified in this part of Canada."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revealing-3d-models-and-skin-prints">Revealing 3D models and skin prints</h2>



Beyond visual observations, the researchers used photogrammetry to create detailed 3D models of the dinosaur tracks. These helped confirm the unique features of Ruopodosaurus. Some track surfaces also revealed faint skin impressions, providing rare textural data on ankylosaur feet.



Trackway measurements showed consistent stride lengths, narrow gait, and outward toe rotation. This matched well with ankylosaurid hip and limb anatomy. 



Although these dinosaurs had wide bodies, their legs were positioned more vertically, resulting in a surprisingly narrow trackway.



Comparative studies ruled out other possible candidates. Stegosaurs, ceratopsians, and iguanodonts either lacked the right foot shape or had different forelimb anatomy. Only ankylosaurids possessed the correct combination of a three-toed foot and a five-digit hand.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bone-and-stone-evidence">Bone and stone evidence</h2>



While skeletal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-predatory-dinosaur-species-identified-in-lost-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">remains</a> from this time are rare, a few bone fragments support the presence of ankylosaurids. 



Vertebrae and ossicles found in the same formations share more in common with ankylosaurids than nodosaurids. These hints, paired with the new tracks, paint a clearer picture of mid-Cretaceous dinosaur diversity.



“This study also highlights how important the Peace Region of northeastern BC is for understanding the evolution of dinosaurs in North America - there’s still lots more to be discovered,” said Arbour.



The size of the prints suggests the animals were about 120 cm tall at the hip. That’s slightly smaller than some nodosaurids, whose prints measure up to 50 cm. This difference hints at niche separation or varied ecological roles among the armored dinosaurs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-region-rich-in-dinosaur-tracks">A region rich in dinosaur tracks</h2>



The Peace Region continues to be a goldmine for track-based discoveries. Past finds include tyrannosaurid trails, giant crocodylian traces, and even the largest bird footprints from the Mesozoic in North America. 



Ruopodosaurus joins this growing list, adding a new dimension to our understanding of dinosaur evolution.



These armored dinosaur tracks, formed in mud and preserved by time, offer more than just direction. They tell us who walked here, how they moved, and how long they remained. In a land where bones are rare, the ground carries the memory of ancient giants.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2025.2451319" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology</a>. 



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Footprints of armored dinosaurs with clubbed tails found for the first time

Dinosaur fossils often steal the spotlight, but sometimes, tracks and...

<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=2E0mn5mTvhQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that scientists never expected.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-waters-beneath-ancient-craters">Hidden waters beneath ancient craters</h2>



Scientists have made a startling discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saturn-moon-mimas-has-remarkably-young-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saturn's moon Mimas</a>. Beneath the heavily cratered surface that earned it the nickname "Death Star" lies a global ocean that formed just 5 to 15 million years ago—a remarkably young age by cosmic standards.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cassini-data-reveals-orbital-secrets">Cassini data reveals orbital secrets</h2>



The discovery, led by Dr. Valéry Lainey of the <a href="https://observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Observatoire de Paris</a>, emerged from careful analysis of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a>'s Cassini spacecraft data. By studying subtle irregularities in Mimas's orbit around Saturn, researchers detected the gravitational signature of liquid water hidden 20 to 30 kilometers beneath the moon's icy shell.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-unlikely-ocean-world">An unlikely ocean world</h2>



At only 400 kilometers in diameter, Mimas seemed like the least likely candidate to harbor a subsurface ocean. Unlike other ocean moons such as Europa and Enceladus, which show clear surface signs of internal activity, Mimas displays no obvious hints of the liquid water beneath its ancient, crater-scarred exterior.



"Mimas is a small moon, and its heavily cratered surface gave no hint of the hidden ocean beneath," explained Dr. Nick Cooper from <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queen Mary University of London</a>, a study co-author.



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



The ocean's recent formation makes Mimas a prime target for studying how oceans develop and potentially support life. This discovery adds another member to the exclusive club of ocean worlds in our solar system, each offering unique insights into the conditions necessary for habitability.



The research, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a> journal, demonstrates how advanced orbital analysis can reveal hidden features of celestial bodies, opening new possibilities for understanding ocean formation throughout the cosmos.



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Scientists discover unexpected young ocean on Saturn's cratered moon Mimas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ 'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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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

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



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...

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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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;



---



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

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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"

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