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...

Today is World Dolphin Day, a time when people everywhere celebrate dolphins and call attention to the threats they face. 



Dolphins communicate in ways that demonstrate incredible intelligence. They forge lifelong relationships and use unique whistles that function like names.



These marine mammals are social and playful. But while dolphins are fun to watch, they also serve as important indicators of ocean health. When dolphin numbers decline, it often signals deeper problems in the environment. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dolphins-exposed-to-chemical-toxins">Dolphins exposed to chemical toxins</h2>



Researchers studying short-beaked common dolphins near the UK found something alarming. The dolphins carried high levels of PCBs, toxic industrial chemicals banned decades ago. 



These poisonous chemicals linger in the ocean and build up in dolphin bodies. They harm the immune system and reduce reproduction.



Warming oceans pile on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-face-serious-threats-from-chemical-pollution-and-ocean-warming/">extra stress</a>. Heat makes dolphins more likely to get sick. Pollution and rising temperatures together create a dangerous double hit.



The research shows that even old chemicals, long out of factories, continue to harm marine life today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pollution-starts-before-birth">Pollution starts before birth</h2>



A <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unborn-dolphin-calves-have-toxic-metals-in-their-blood-revealing-horrific-ocean-pollution">study</a> in Brazil revealed a heartbreaking fact: unborn dolphin calves already carry toxic metals in their blood. 



Scientists found mercury, arsenic, copper, zinc, and more. These metals pass from mother to calf through the placenta. That means dolphin life begins with dangerous chemicals already inside the body.



Older calves collect even higher amounts as they grow and eat fish. This early exposure can damage health for life. 



World Dolphin Day reminds us that pollution is not just a problem for current dolphin populations - it threatens the very future of the species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mercury-in-dolphins-and-humans">Mercury in dolphins and humans</h2>



Dolphins in the southeastern United States are contaminated with high levels of mercury. Some live in bays where the pollution is especially strong.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elevated-mercury-levels-discovered-in-dolphins/">Mercury</a> enters the ocean from coal burning and industry. It works its way through the food chain. Dolphins, as top predators, get the worst of it.



Furthermore, dolphins eat the same kinds of fish people eat. High mercury in dolphins means humans are also at risk. If they’re poisoned, our food sources may be too.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dolphins-are-breathing-plastic">Dolphins are breathing plastic </h2>



You’ve probably heard about dolphins swallowing plastic. But did you know they also <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-found-in-dolphin-breath">breathe</a> it in? 



Scientists studying bottlenose dolphins in Florida and Louisiana discovered microplastics in their breath. Small fibers and fragments from clothing and packaging slip into their lungs during normal breathing.



Microplastics don’t just harm the stomach - they may also damage respiratory health. And because these plastics are everywhere, avoiding them is nearly impossible. Dolphins now face pollution from both water and air.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-efforts-to-protect-dolphins">Efforts to protect dolphins</h2>



Conservation groups are pushing back against these threats. They’re setting up marine protected areas. They’re working with fisheries to reduce accidental captures. Teams also rescue stranded dolphins and provide care when possible.



Some governments regulate emissions and pollutants like mercury, while campaigns urge the public to cut down on single-use plastics. These steps matter, but they’re not enough. 



Old pollutants like PCBs remain in the environment, and new problems like microplastics keep spreading. Protecting dolphins will require stronger global cooperation and long-term action.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dolphins-talk-in-whistles">Dolphins talk in whistles</h2>



Studies continue to reveal just how remarkable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-hear-special-whistles-and-change-their-behavior/">dolphins</a> are. In Sarasota Bay, researchers found that dolphins use special whistles beyond their usual signature calls. These sounds trigger changes in behavior, suggesting a form of shared language.



The study reinforces what many already believe: dolphins are capable of complex communication. They don’t just react to their environment. They share information, cooperate, and likely understand far more than we once imagined.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-you-can-help">How you can help </h2>



Even if you don’t live near the ocean, you can still make a difference to help protect dolphins. 



Choose seafood from sustainable sources, cut back on plastic, join beach cleanups when possible, and support conservation groups - whether through time, donations, or simply by amplifying their message.



Small actions build up when people work together. Every choice to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-catalyst-could-change-how-we-recycle-plastic-forever/">recycle</a>, refuse plastic, or eat responsibly causes less harm to the ocean. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taking-action-on-world-dolphin-day">Taking action on World Dolphin Day</h2>



World Dolphin Day 2025 isn’t just about admiration. It’s about action. Dolphins reflect the damage humans are inflicting on marine life.



The evidence is clear: dolphins are poisoned by metals before birth, stressed by warming seas, and choked by plastics. 



Protecting dolphins goes far beyond ensuring the survival of one remarkable species. When oceans thrive, they regulate climate, provide food, and safeguard human health. When they falter, we all pay the price. 



Saving dolphins is, in many ways, saving ourselves - a reminder that the well-being of humans, wildlife, and the planet are inseparably linked.



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World Dolphin Day: Protecting oceans and the planet

Today is World Dolphin Day, a time when people everywhere...

Male mice can learn to be aggressive just by watching. The twist is that the effect shows up after they see familiar cage mates fight, not strangers, and it appears to run through a specific hub in the brain.



This work adds a new layer to the classic <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/bystander-effect.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bystander effect</a>, shifting the focus from helping behavior to the spread of hostile actions. It also highlights observational <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-oil-omega-3-capsules-have-been-found-to-help-control-aggression/">learning</a>, the process of picking up behavior by seeing others do it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aggression-in-male-mice">Aggression in male mice </h2>



Jacob C. Nordman of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (<a href="https://www.siumed.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SIU</a>) and his team designed a simple setup. Mice watched either known peers or unfamiliar mice attack intruders for 10 minutes, then were tested 30 minutes later in their own resident territory.



In a new <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/08/18/JNEUROSCI.1018-25.2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paper</a>, the researchers report that only male witnesses who had observed familiar fighters showed a later uptick in attacking. Females did not show the effect, and observing strangers did not change later behavior.



The group chose this design to separate mere exposure to violence from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/geese-guide-the-flock-with-boldness-not-aggression/">social</a> context of the model. Familiarity turned out to be the on switch for later aggression in males.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-circuit-of-aggression">Brain circuit of aggression</h2>



The experiments point to the amygdala, a region important for emotion and social signals. Within it, the medial amygdala contains a posterior ventral subdivision that previous work ties to aggression priming.



Prior <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/40/25/4858" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> showed that repeated attacks strengthen connections from this MeApv node to downstream targets that control how often and how long mice attack. That background helped in framing the new results.



The team recorded neural activity in this area during the witnessing phase using fiber photometry, a population recording method that reads calcium-linked fluorescence in defined cells. A recent <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11582208/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> describes how this approach lets scientists monitor activity in freely moving animals.



Signals in excitatory MeApv neurons rose when males watched familiar peers attack, but not when they watched unfamiliar fighters. The pattern fits a model where recognized peers engage circuitry that prepares, or primes, an aggressive state.



“We previously found that these neurons are involved in an ‘aggression priming’ <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dopamines-role-in-male-aggression-fades-with-fighting-experience/">effect</a>,” said Nordman. The new study tested whether simply seeing known peers act aggressively would recruit the same circuit.



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



Social identity shapes imitation in many species. In humans, a long term longitudinal <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12661882/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> shows that heavier exposure to violent media in childhood predicts more aggressive behavior in young adulthood, even after accounting for important confounders.



A <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/204790" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meta-analysis</a> from 2006 revealed consistent short-term and long-term links between violent media exposure and aggressive behavior, thoughts, and arousal. That literature helps explain why repeated observation can change later actions.



In mice, familiarity may heighten relevance, salience, or identification with the model. The selective MeApv activation during familiar observations hints that the brain tags familiar peers differently, which can bias later choices toward attack.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-confirming-the-role-of-neurons">Confirming the role of neurons </h2>



To move beyond correlation, the team manipulated the MeApv neurons during observation. Chemogenetic silencing cuts the later aggression that usually follows watching familiar fighters, which argues the activity is necessary.



The reverse effect was also observed. Activating the same neuron population while males watched strangers, who normally do not trigger the effect, made later attacks more likely.



Related animal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1433993/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence</a> indicates that acute social defeat in adolescence drives long lasting aggression by recruiting MeApv neurons. Putting the findings together, MeApv emerges as a convergence point for both direct experience and observational routes to aggression.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tools-for-tracking-aggression">Tools for tracking aggression</h2>



Terms like chemogenetics and optogenetics describe ways to control defined neurons. Chemogenetics uses engineered receptors that respond to a designer drug to turn cells down or up for minutes to hours.



Optogenetics uses light sensitive ion channels to switch activity with millisecond timing. In this study, chemogenetics handled inhibition and activation during the viewing window, while photometry tracked the activity patterns that predicted later <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gorillas-adjust-their-aggression-based-on-risk-and-reward/">behavior</a>.



These tools let scientists pose causal questions about circuit nodes. If turning down a node prevents the learned behavior, and turning it up installs the behavior when it would not otherwise appear, that node likely sits on a necessary pathway.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-study-limitations-and-next-steps">Study limitations and next steps</h2>



The work uses mice, so direct translation to people needs care. Sex differences showed up clearly here, and the effect depended on social familiarity, which may play out differently in human groups.



Time scales also matter. The observation lasted 10 minutes and the test came 30 minutes later, so the results speak to short term acquisition expressed soon after witnessing.



Future studies can ask how long the familiarity gated effect lasts and whether repeated observing builds stronger, longer lived priming. Experts can also examine whether adolescence, stress history, or social rank change how the MeApv encodes familiar aggression.



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



Social environments can nudge biology in ways that push behavior. The results suggest that who you watch may matter as much as what you watch when it comes to aggressive scripts.



Public health and education strategies often target exposure volume. Adding social identity and relationship context to that conversation could make prevention efforts more precise.



Circuit level insights can also guide ideas for intervention. If a specific node reads social familiarity and primes later attack, targeted behavioral training or neuromodulation approaches could aim to disrupt that readout before it turns into action.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/08/18/JNEUROSCI.1018-25.2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JNeurosci</a>.



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Male aggression may be triggered by the influence of friends

Male mice can learn to be aggressive just by watching....

It’s easy to miss the ocean’s smallest inhabitants, yet some play outsized roles in keeping the planet running. One of the most remarkable is Prochlorococcus - a microscopic, single-celled powerhouse so tiny that billions can fit into a single drop of seawater.



The tiny microbes occupy the ocean surface, particularly in tropical and subtropical oceans. They create food using sunlight and carbon dioxide - a process called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-microalgae-show-photosynthesis-is-possible-in-near-darkness/">photosynthesis</a> - and work diligently to sustain much of the ocean.



Now, scientists are concerned. As the Earth warms, recent studies reveal that Prochlorococcus may not be coping with increasing temperatures. And that could have a ripple effect through the whole food chain - from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plankton-at-risk-global-warming-threatens-the-oceans-lifeline/">plankton</a> to fish to whales.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-microbes-power-the-oceans">Tiny microbes power the oceans</h2>



Prochlorococcus is not just any microbe. It’s the most common photosynthesizing organism in the ocean. It helps supply food for tiny animals that are eaten by bigger animals, all the way up the food chain. 



These microbes also contribute about 5 percent of all the photosynthesis on Earth - meaning they help take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, just like trees do.



More than 75 percent of surface ocean waters are packed with Prochlorococcus. That’s why scientists once thought these microbes would thrive in a warmer world. After all, they already live in the warmest parts of the ocean.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbes-meet-their-limit">Microbes meet their limit</h2>



But it turns out there’s a limit. Prochlorococcus prefers temperatures between 66°F and 86°F (19°C–30°C). Once the water gets warmer than that, things start to fall apart. Cell division slows significantly, and populations drop.



In the warmest parts of the ocean, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">temperatures</a> are expected to rise even more in the next 75 years. Climate models predict many areas will go past that upper limit. That could put Prochlorococcus at serious risk in places where it’s always been most common.



The study was led by François Ribalet, an associate research professor of oceanography at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a>.



"For a long time, scientists thought Prochlorococcus was going to do great in the future," said Ribalet. "In the warmest regions, they aren’t doing that well, which means that there is going to be less carbon, less food for the rest of the marine food web."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-microbes-across-oceans">Tracking microbes across oceans</h2>



Over the last 10 years, Ribalet and his team sailed over 150,000 miles and gathered information from nearly 100 research cruises. 



They analyzed around 800 billion Prochlorococcus-sized cells. Instead of just growing the microbes in labs, they studied them directly in the ocean using a tool called SeaFlow - a machine that fires a laser through seawater to track tiny cells in real time.



“I had really basic questions,” Ribalet said. “Are they happy when it’s warm? Or are they not happy when it’s warm?”



The team built a model to measure growth and compare conditions like sunlight, nutrients, and temperature. In the end, temperature turned out to be the big factor. Above 86°F (30°C), the microbes’ cell division rate dropped to just one-third of what it was at 66°F (19°C).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-missing-defenses-against-heat">Missing defenses against heat</h2>



In tropical waters, nutrients are scarce. The ocean looks clear and blue in those areas because there isn’t much in it. But Prochlorococcus survives there because it is tiny and efficient.



Over millions of years, it has shed unnecessary genes and retained only the ones it absolutely needs. That adaptation helped it live in nutrient-poor water.



But that evolution came with a trade-off: the microbe no longer has the genes to protect itself from heat stress.



“Their burnout temperature is much lower than we thought,” Ribalet said. Earlier climate models expected the microbes to keep growing in warmer water. But now it’s clear they cannot.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-another-microbe-steps-in">Another microbe steps in</h2>



Another microbe called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-reshaping-marine-ecosystems-in-the-northeast-atlantic/">Synechococcus</a> lives in the same waters. It’s bigger and better at handling heat, but it needs more nutrients.



If Prochlorococcus populations shrink, Synechococcus could become more dominant. Still, it's unclear whether the rest of the food web would adjust.



"If Synechococcus takes over, it’s not a given that other organisms will be able to interact with it the same way they have interacted with Prochlorococcus for millions of years," Ribalet said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-warming-and-productivity">Global warming and productivity </h2>



The researchers looked at different climate scenarios - from mild to severe. In the tropics, a modest increase in temperature could cut Prochlorococcus productivity by 17 percent. In the worst-case scenario, it could drop by 51 percent. 



Globally, the declines range from 10 percent to 37 percent, depending on how much the planet warms.



"Their geographic range is going to expand toward the poles, to the north and south," Ribalet said. "They are not going to disappear, but their habitat will shift." That shift could change entire <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/overfishing-and-habitat-degradation-have-devastated-marine-ecosystems/">ecosystems</a> in the tropics and subtropics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbe-survival-depends-on-diversity">Microbe survival depends on diversity</h2>



At the same time, there are limits to what this study could capture. The team sampled broad areas and could not test every single strain. It is possible that a heat-tolerant version of Prochlorococcus exists out there, just waiting to be discovered.



“This is the simplest explanation for the data we have now,” Ribalet said. “If new evidence of heat-tolerant strains emerges, we would welcome that discovery. It would offer hope for these critical organisms.”



That hope might come. But for now, the ocean’s smallest worker is sending a clear message - it is feeling the heat. And that could mean trouble for the rest of us who depend on a healthy ocean to survive.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02106-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Microbiology</a>.



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Climate change threatens the ocean’s most vital microbes

It’s easy to miss the ocean’s smallest inhabitants, yet some...

Bats do not just hunt by ear. A new study on wild common noctule bats shows that light changes how they chase insects, and it changes their speed as well. These bats still use echolocation during the hunt, sending out high-pitched calls and listening for echoes. 



A team from Aarhus University and the <a href="https://www.izw-berlin.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leibniz Institute</a> for Zoo and Wildlife Research found that bats also keep functional vision. They can blend information across senses, a pattern supported by earlier lab work on multisensory integration.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tuning-sonar-for-precision">Tuning sonar for precision</h2>



Decades of research show that bats adjust call timing, intensity, and frequency as they close in on prey. This flexibility helps them track fast movements and cut through cluttered backgrounds instead of relying on a fixed pattern.



Vision also plays a role - when there is even a little light in the sky, it adds information that complements echoes and helps refine tracking decisions.



This is especially useful at dusk, when many bats leave their roosts. To explore how bats integrate sound and light in real time, researchers tagged 21 wild common <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-surf-the-winds-of-storms-during-migration/">noctules</a> (Nyctalus noctula) with tiny recorders that captured light, ultrasound, and motion.



The tags documented commuting flights between sites and foraging flights over open air. Meanwhile, sensors tracked call intervals, call loudness, wingbeat strength, flight speed, and ambient brightness, allowing the team to compare behavior in both dark and lit conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bat-vision-reshapes-the-hunt">Bat vision reshapes the hunt</h2>



When the environment was lit, the bats called less often but somewhat louder. They cut call rate roughly in half and increased loudness by up to seven decibels compared with darkness, while still intercepting prey.



Approach speed rose from about 11.6 miles per hour in the dark to about 17.7 miles per hour in light, a large jump for an aerial chase. Faster approaches with fewer calls suggest that vision helped fill in key details when it was available.



“We show that the bats reduce the acoustic tracking of their prey when enough light is available as complementary sensory information,” said Laura Stidsholt, an assistant professor of biology at Aarhus University.



“We were able to reveal that this happens because the bats flapped their wings more vigorously in light environments and approached the insects significantly faster than in dark environments.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-on-bat-biology">Impact on bat biology</h2>



The same study showed that commuting behavior stayed stable across light levels, indicating bats keep <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-brains-are-highly-specialized-for-flight/">sonar</a> running for short range orientation even when they can see.



That pattern lines up with controlled experiments showing some species maintain signature echolocation behaviors even when light is present during target approaches.



Hunting is different from commuting because prey can jink, drop, or climb in an instant. Adding vision gives another stream of information that can speed up choices without sacrificing accuracy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-artificial-light-shifts-bat-behavior">Artificial light shifts bat behavior</h2>



Dusk is a prime time for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/very-little-is-known-about-99-of-all-insects-on-earth/">insects</a>, and open-air hunters like noctules take advantage of that window. Streetlights and skyglow, however, can create uneven patches of brightness that alter how bats balance vision and echolocation during those early hours.



That doesn’t mean more light is always better. Species differ in their tolerance of artificial illumination, and many avoid bright areas altogether. 



Local context - such as habitat type, light intensity, and insect activity - still plays a major role in shaping bat behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-technology-reveals-hunting-secrets">Technology reveals hunting secrets</h2>



New bat-borne sensors that log sound, light, and movement at high resolution are giving biologists a way to see hunting from the bat’s perspective. 



These tags capture moment-by-moment choices that are impossible to observe from the ground, revealing how animals adapt to changing conditions.



By combining synchronized data streams, researchers can distinguish commuting from prey pursuit and link call patterns to wingbeats and acceleration. This level of detail strengthens long-standing theories of bat foraging while showing how vision and echolocation complement one another. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-have-acoustic-mental-maps-to-navigate-total-darkness/">Echolocation</a> samples the world in rapid pings, while vision - when light is available - provides continuous input. Together, they reduce uncertainty during fast maneuvers. 



Field evidence now confirms that bats can integrate both senses in real time to catch evasive prey, underscoring their flexibility in dynamic, human-influenced landscapes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-planning-with-bats-in-mind">Planning with bats in mind</h2>



Scientists want to know how general this pattern is across bat families and habitats. Noctules hunt in open spaces, while other species forage along edges or within cluttered vegetation.



Future work can test how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rapid-surge-in-global-warming-may-have-an-unexpected-source/">cloud cover</a>, moon phase, and artificial light influence the balance between sight and sound. Comparative studies may also reveal how eye structure and call design shape sensing choices.



Urban lighting plans can consider bat activity without compromising safety. Warmer color temperatures, targeted fixtures, and darker corridors can reduce disruption where sensitive species forage.



Fine grained data like those in this study can help planners know when and where lighting changes matter most. That can support both biodiversity and human needs.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2515087122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Bats use a hidden superpower to hunt faster

Bats do not just hunt by ear. A new study...

Anxiety disorders, depression and stress are not fringe concerns. In 2021, anxiety affected 359 million people, while depression affected 332 million people. 



“In 2021 alone, nearly 700 million people were affected globally," said Professor Wei-Hua Yue, dean of the <a href="https://www.pkuh6.cn/Html/News/Articles/101026.html?WebVisitShield=zOaFkQ6TfsGT09qMu7dQ">Peking University Sixth Hospita</a><a href="https://www.pkuh6.cn/Html/News/Articles/101026.html?WebVisitShield=zOaFkQ6TfsGT09qMu7dQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">l</a>. "Together, these disorders account for more than 90 million years of healthy life lost each year.” 



A new comprehensive review of how stress changes the brain - and how those changes relate to anxiety and depression - pulls together evidence on neurotransmitters, hormones, genes, inflammation, and the wiring of neural circuits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stress-alters-brain-s-wiring-system">Stress alters brain’s wiring system</h2>



The lead voice behind the review, centering on a circuit-focused approach, is Bing-Xing Pan, dean of the Institute of Biomedical Innovation at <a href="https://english.ncu.edu.cn/International.htm">Nanchang University</a>. His team links specific brain pathways to the symptoms people feel.



“We think of neural circuits as the brain's intricate wiring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-hijacks-the-brain-disrupting-sleep-and-memory/">system</a>, networks of neurons that communicate to regulate specific functions,” said Pan. The point is to study connections in action rather than isolated regions.



By measuring activity in single cells and larger populations - and by carefully altering circuit function - scientists can link networks to behavior. That shift opens the door to targeted tests and treatments. Instead of simply observing symptoms, researchers can now see how certain brain signals cause those feelings or actions.



This deeper insight makes it possible to design therapies that focus on repairing the right connections rather than using a broad trial-and-error approach. 



With time, these discoveries could lead to highly personalized care, where doctors match treatments directly to brain activity patterns - offering more effective and lasting relief for patients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-pathways-explain-symptoms">Brain pathways explain symptoms</h2>



Animal and human studies show that disrupted prefrontal cortex control over the amygdala tracks with pathological anxiety. Pan puts this pattern into everyday terms.



“For instance, we recently identified that hyperactivity in the prefrontal-amygdala circuit is strongly linked to anxiety-like behaviors,” said Pan. 



The finding ties fear processing to a specific pathway that doctors may one day be able to measure and modulate.



“Reduced function in the hippocampus-nucleus accumbens circuit is associated with anhedonia, a core symptom of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-gut-bacteria-morganella-morganii-could-cause-depression-not-a-brain-disorder/">depression</a>,” explained Pan. That connection helps explain why pleasure and motivation can fade when stress and mood disorders set in.



Independent reviews report that the lateral habenula often acts like an anti-reward center in depression. Overactivation of the lateral habenula - often called the brain’s “anti-reward center” - has been linked to elevated depression-like behaviors



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-current-drugs-fall-short">Current drugs fall short</h2>



Clinical data from early 2024 show that emotional blunting can occur with commonly used serotonergic antidepressants. Rates in one clinical program ranged from 43 to 47 percent across several SSRIs.



“Not all patients respond well. Side effects such as weight gain and emotional blunting are common,” said Professor Yue. Many people need options that fit their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/simple-and-self-guided-nature-program-quickly-improves-mood-and-reduces-stress/">biology</a> more closely.



Response can also vary with stress history, age, and coexisting conditions. A one-size-fits-all plan does not match the variety seen in clinics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-targeting-brain-stress-circuits">Targeting brain stress circuits</h2>



The review points to circuit-specific ideas for intervention, including neuromodulation that targets misfiring pathways. Mapping symptoms to circuits makes it easier to test whether a therapy hits the right spot.



Sensors, imaging, and blood-based biomarkers could guide choices and track progress. That is the promise of precision psychiatry - data, not trial and error, drive selection.



Future investigations are expected to bring advanced technologies into everyday medical practice, speed up the identification of dependable biomarkers, and encourage the design of treatments that can be applied across different diagnoses. 



The hope is that recognizing common biological features among disorders will make it possible to develop more effective tools more quickly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-of-stress-on-brain">Impact of stress on brain </h2>



For someone sitting in a clinic, this arc of research matters. A symptom like constant worry can reflect a pattern in prefrontal amygdala signaling that points to a specific treatment plan.



For someone who cannot feel joy, it can signal a weakened line between the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens that needs support. The more we link symptoms to circuits, the easier it becomes to match therapies to people.



This approach moves beyond general labels like “anxiety” or “depression” and instead ties experiences to the specific brain networks involved. For example, when doctors know which pathway is underactive or overactive, they can suggest treatments that directly address that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-stress-harms-the-brains-of-low-status-fish/">imbalance</a>. 



Over time, this could mean fewer side effects, quicker recovery, and more hope for individuals who feel stuck with ineffective options.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11427-025-3024-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science China Life Sciences</a>.



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Stress rewires your brain circuits to fuel anxiety and depression

Anxiety disorders, depression and stress are not fringe concerns. In...

When the air turns hot, your body shifts into cooling mode: you sweat from heat, you lose water, and your brain looks for fast relief, usually in the form of sugar. 



Sweetness signals quick energy, and cold, sugary drinks or treats feel extra tempting because they promise two things at once - fluid to cool you down and sugar to perk you up. 



Heat also dulls appetite for heavy foods, so sipping something sweet feels easier than eating a full meal. 



Add bright ads and ice-cold displays by the checkout, and it’s no surprise that warm days nudge many people toward more sugar than they’d normally choose. But is this just observational bias, or is it a real thing? 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-and-sugar-consumption">Heat and sugar consumption</h2>



A new study looked at what millions of U.S. households actually bought in grocery stores from 2004 to 2019 and asked a simple question: when the temperature rises, do people end up taking in more added sugar? 



The short answer is yes, and the increase shows up most in communities with lower incomes or less formal education. 



The longer answer uncovers a demand-side ripple of climate change that most of us haven’t thought about: heat changes cravings and habits, and those shifts can widen health gaps unless we plan for them.



For every 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-use-sugar-in-ways-we-never-imagined/">warming</a>, added sugar rose by about 0.7 grams per person per day, with the sharpest climb from roughly 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. 



That may not sound like much in a day, but across a season and a population, it stacks up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-and-sugar-link">Heat and sugar link</h2>



The project was led by <a href="https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/hep3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pan He</a> of Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. 



She and colleagues paired long running scanner data from tens of thousands of households with local temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation to isolate the temperature effect.



The analysis focused on retail purchases rather than restaurant orders, so it likely undercounts some items consumed away from home. Even so, the signal was clear in warmer months across many regions.



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-type-of-diabetes-type-5-is-now-officially-recognized-linked-to-nutritional-deficiencies/">temperature</a> response was not linear at every extreme. The increase was strongest in moderate to hot ranges, while the very hottest days showed a flattening.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-temperature-alters-food-choices">How temperature alters food choices</h2>



Beverages did most of the work. The extra sugar came mainly from sodas and fruit drinks, while frozen desserts added a smaller share.



Extreme heat can suppress appetite, which helps explain why the total increase slows on the most sweltering days. That kink does not erase the broader upward link between heat and added sugar.



Price movements did not drive the core pattern. When researchers accounted for food prices, the heat signal largely held.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-feels-the-heat-most">Who feels the heat most</h2>



The effect was largest in households with lower income or less education, a reminder that socioeconomic factors shape both exposure and choices. 



Higher income groups showed smaller changes, likely reflecting access to air conditioning, safer water, and steadier routines.



Patterns varied by background <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heat-is-making-crop-harvests-wildly-unpredictable/">climate</a> and work setting. People in cooler baseline regions and households with outdoor workers were more responsive to hotter conditions.



“What surprised us most was that the strongest increase in added sugar consumption occurred not during extreme heat, but within a relatively mild temperature range, between 12°C and 30°C," explained Pan He. 



This suggests that even moderate warming can significantly influence dietary behavior, leading to increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and frozen desserts."



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



Excess added sugar is <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/php/data-research/added-sugars.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">linked</a> to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, and average U.S. adults still take in about 17 teaspoons per day. 



That baseline makes a few extra grams per day under future warming more troubling for those already at risk.



The American Heart Association (<a href="https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/how-much-sugar-is-too-much" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AHA</a>) recommends capping added sugars at about 6 percent of daily calories. That comes to roughly 36 grams per day for men and 25 grams for women.



The study’s projection adds context. Under a high emissions pathway, the researchers estimate nearly 3 grams per person per day of additional added sugar by 2095, with the steepest seasonal rise in summer and fall.



Health burdens do not fall evenly. Communities with fewer resources already face higher rates of diet related disease, so a temperature linked nudge toward more sugar can widen gaps.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-can-be-done">What can be done</h2>



Public policy can help. City level beverage taxes have been followed by higher shelf prices for taxed drinks and lower purchases of sugary beverages, as shown in a <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1002283" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> from Berkeley back in 2017.&nbsp;



Clearer labeling and steady nutrition education can support better choices without adding cost. Water access matters too, especially in neighborhoods with unsafe pipes or limited fountains.



Climate adaptation plans should include diet. Cooling centers, safe drinking water, and employer protocols for hot days can lower the pull of sweet, chilled products when temperatures spike.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-research-on-sugar-intake-and-heat">More research on sugar intake and heat</h2>



Restaurant orders remain a blind spot, and future work can test whether the same pattern appears in quick service and delivery data. 



That matters for sweetened coffees, teas, and blended drinks that often carry substantial added sugar.



The team’s approach can extend to other countries and cultures. 



Regions with popular sweet teas, energy drinks, or bubble teas may show different temperature thresholds but similar upward shifts during warm periods.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02398-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Climate Change</a>.



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Direct link found between the weather and the amount of sugar humans eat

When the air turns hot, your body shifts into cooling...

Music feels personal at any age. Yet if your feed suggests artists that do not stick, you are not alone. 



A new analysis of long-running listening histories finds that our taste gradually narrows with age. Younger people sample widely, but by midlife many of us return more often to familiar tracks.



Professor Alan Said and his team at the <a href="https://www.gu.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Gothenburg</a> (GU) analyzed 15 years of data to show how listening behavior changes with age, linking it to shifts in variety and personalization.



The team drew on Last.fm histories that connect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-and-the-mind-new-clues-about-how-we-experience-pleasure/">plays</a> from multiple services into one profile. Because many users self-report age at signup, the dataset allows age-linked modeling across years.



The backbone for such research is the LFM-2b dataset. It includes over 2.014 billion listening events from more than 120,000 users between 2005 and 2020, plus track and user metadata that enable careful analysis.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-taste-changes-with-age">Music taste changes with age</h2>



Psychology has long described a reminiscence bump in autobiographical memory for music from adolescence and early adulthood. 



Research shows that recognition, preference, and emotion all peak for songs from those years, and even reveals a secondary peak for the music of one’s parents.



Consumer behavior work adds another angle. Classic studies note that favorite popular music often reflects tastes shaped in late adolescence and early adulthood, a pattern that helps explain why songs from those periods feel enduringly salient.



The new findings fit these patterns without reducing older listening to pure nostalgia. Many older listeners still try new artists, yet they circle back more frequently to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/your-music-playlist-may-hold-the-cure-to-motion-sickness/">songs</a> that mattered during youth.



Teenagers tend to share many favorites with peers. With age, overlap falls as tastes become more individualized.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-journeys-grow-more-personal">Music journeys grow more personal</h2>



The authors describe a broadening from adolescence into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/depression-in-early-adulthood-may-lead-to-dementia/">early adulthood</a>, then a contraction into a more personal profile later in life. That turn toward personal history does not stop new discovery, but it shifts the balance toward repeat plays of established favorites.



The age-linked analysis of more than 40,000 Last.fm users, over a 15-year period, counted 542 million plays across more than one millions songs. That is enough data to trace trends across the life course. These numbers explain why the conclusions carry weight.



The team identified a clear pattern among older adults. “Most 65-year-olds do not embark on a musical exploration journey,” noted Professor Said.



The same data show that middle-aged listeners keep engaging with new releases. They just return to earlier personal favorites more often than younger listeners do.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-age-and-music-recommendations">Age and music recommendations</h2>



The study highlights the importance of recommender systems that adapt to life stage. A single strategy for everyone risks missing what different groups actually want, especially when older profiles reflect unique, deeply personal histories.



Age-aware systems can handle exploration and familiarity differently at different times of life. For younger listeners, novelty may play a larger role, while for older listeners, models can weight long term favorites more heavily and still surface fresh material that fits established preferences.



Long window evaluation also matters for system design. Many benchmarks sample a short slice of time, but the longitudinal arc of listening reveals <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-doesnt-just-hear-music-it-becomes-the-rhythm/">patterns</a> that short-term tests cannot capture, including how variety and uniqueness shift across decades.



Datasets with age and multi-year histories make it possible to evaluate these choices properly. They also open doors for fairness and inclusivity work, since demographic signals can expose where models overfit to a narrow slice of users.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-your-lifelong-soundtrack">Building your lifelong soundtrack</h2>



Younger readers can embrace the broad sampling that comes naturally. Variety now builds the library you will draw on later, and it can sharpen your sense of which artists feel most like you.



If you are in midlife or older, leaning into your personal canon is not a problem. You can still try a measured stream of new tracks that mesh with your history, then save the ones that land so your recommendations keep learning.



The industrial takeaway is simple. Recommendation teams should test strategies that mix new and familiar differently by age, and they should measure success on multi-year horizons.



The human takeaway is just as clear. A personal music <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-soundtracks-stir-stronger-emotions-than-music-composed-by-humans/">soundtrack</a> tightens with age, but it remains alive, and careful design can help it stay that way without forcing change.



The study is published in <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3708319.3733673" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adjunct Proceedings of the 33rd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization</a>.



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Music taste broadens in youth but narrows with age

Music feels personal at any age. Yet if your feed...

Strength training often brings to mind toned arms and powerful legs. But new research suggests that the benefits extend much further. Lifting weights may also reshape the trillions of microbes living in our gut, which influence everything from metabolism to immunity.



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/studies-learn-the-exact-amount-of-time-you-should-spend-training-to-build-muscle/">gut</a> microbiome is closely linked to both health and aging. Inside of it are microbes like Faecalibacterium, Akkermansia, and Roseburia hominis. These tiny organisms produce short-chain fatty acids that strengthen the gut lining and ease inflammation.



Endurance activities like running or cycling are known to boost these helpful microbes. But when it comes to resistance training, the picture has remained far less clear.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conflicting-past-studies">Conflicting past studies</h2>



Until recently, research painted a mixed picture. Some trials found that weight training shifted microbial communities, while others reported almost no changes. 



Matthieu Clauss of the <a href="https://www.nih.no/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Norwegian School of Sport Sciences</a> in Oslo noted that the existing research remains limited.



To settle this uncertainty, Sven Nahnsen and colleagues at the <a href="https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Tübingen</a> studied 150 sedentary adults. Participants engaged in an eight-week resistance program using advanced machines that adjusted loads in real time and tracked every lift.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-strength-and-gut-microbes">Tracking strength and gut microbes</h2>



This digital system created detailed performance records while ensuring progressive, individualized training. Stool samples collected before, during, and after the program allowed researchers to map microbial changes.



When researchers looked at the whole group, they saw no clear changes in microbial diversity. The story shifted, however, once strength gains came into focus. 



Participants who made the biggest improvements showed noticeable rises in Faecalibacterium and Roseburia hominis. In fact, these microbes were especially abundant in individuals who gained far more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strength-training-may-be-the-best-exercise-for-insomnia/">strength</a> than everyone else.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbes-differ-in-strong-lifters">Microbes differ in strong lifters</h2>



The study revealed clear differences between high and low responders. The strongest gains were linked with distinct changes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natures-sweet-remedy-honey-is-a-microbial-marvel/">microbial</a> composition.



High performers also showed enrichment of members of the Lachnospiraceae family, many of which are linked to anti-inflammatory effects.



Notably, an amplicon sequence variant classified as Roseburia hominis showed the most significant increase in high responders by week eight.



Other enriched microbes included Bacteroides massiliensis and certain Prevotellaceae. Meanwhile, taxa like Lachnoclostridium and Oscillospiraceae declined.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gut-shifts-depend-on-training-progress">Gut shifts depend on training progress</h2>



Why do only some people experience these changes? <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weight-training-shields-the-aging-brain-from-dementia/">Training</a> compliance was similar, and diet surveys showed no clear differences. 



This suggests factors beyond effort or food intake. One possibility is that microbial shifts themselves supported muscle gains by increasing production of short-chain fatty acids, which enhance energy metabolism and recovery.



Resistance training did not increase overall microbial richness (alpha diversity), unlike endurance training, but it did remodel microbial composition (beta diversity) in high responders. 



This points to a dose-response effect: only when strength improvements cross a certain threshold do microbiome shifts emerge.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lifting-and-running-converge">Lifting and running converge</h2>



Despite differences between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-running-can-help-you-move-think-and-feel-better/">running</a> and lifting, both exercise types seem to converge on similar microbial outcomes. 



Enriched short-chain fatty acid producers like Faecalibacterium and Roseburia suggest common pathways that support gut integrity, regulate glucose, and reduce systemic inflammation.



The changes occurred without dietary modification, meaning resistance training alone can act as a driver of gut remodeling. This highlights its role not only for musculoskeletal health but also for metabolic and immune regulation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exercise-benefits-are-clear">Exercise benefits are clear</h2>



Some mysteries remain. Stool metabolomics showed no significant changes, which may indicate that functional shifts were subtle, localized, or required longer adaptation. 



The study also lacked a non-exercising control group, leaving room for further confirmation.



Even so, outside experts remain hopeful. The results suggest that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-reduces-depression-and-anxiety-in-children-and-teens-with-mental-health-issues/">exercise</a> of any kind can benefit gut health. They also point to the possibility that resistance training sparks unique, health-related shifts in the microbiome.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strength-training-as-gut-medicine">Strength training as gut medicine</h2>



From a public health perspective, resistance training may offer far more than toned muscles. It could serve as a non-drug approach to improving gut health, especially for people facing chronic inflammation or the challenges of aging.



The changes happening inside the gut are striking. Beneficial microbes increase, the gut lining becomes stronger, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fasting-helps-the-body-fight-inflammation-and-chronic-diseases/">inflammation</a> settles down. These microbes also help regulate blood sugar and energy use, lowering the risk of long-term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and digestive problems.



What makes this especially interesting is that participants did not need to change their diets. The exercise itself appeared to reshape the gut community, suggesting that strength training works as its own form of medicine.



For many, this shifts how we think about working out. Exercise is not only about muscles or appearance - it is about keeping the body resilient from within. Regular resistance training might help people recover faster, age more gracefully, and carry less risk of disease throughout life.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.13.670057v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bioRxiv</a>.



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Strength training can boost healthy gut bacteria

Strength training often brings to mind toned arms and powerful...

Cannabis carries two faces in today’s world. On one side, it’s medicine. On the other, it’s a drug with unknown costs. Many women turn to it for nausea, stress, or pain relief. Yet scientists are raising alarms about what it might be doing to eggs inside the ovary.



A new study shows <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-use-in-any-form-directly-linked-to-significant-risk-of-heart-damage/">THC</a>, the compound that makes people feel high, can seep into the follicular fluid where eggs grow. 



Once there, it doesn’t just sit quietly. It changes how eggs mature and may set the stage for genetic mistakes. That raises hard questions about fertility, miscarriages, and the health of future children.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thc-found-in-ovaries">THC found in ovaries</h2>



The research team collected more than a thousand samples of follicular fluid from women in fertility clinics. About six percent contained THC, even though most of these patients hadn’t reported cannabis use. That means eggs were exposed to cannabis whether the women realized it or not.



Eggs from THC-positive patients matured faster. At first glance, that sounds like a good thing. But the study showed a twist. Those same patients produced fewer embryos with the right number of chromosomes. Faster wasn’t better - it was riskier.



“The findings of this study are concerning and highlight the importance of a cautious approach in using cannabis when planning to conceive,” said Dr. Jamie Lo, an obstetrician at <a href="https://www.ohsu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oregon Health &amp; Science University</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-cannabis-may-affect-fertility">How cannabis may affect fertility</h2>



Ovarian follicles are tiny sacs that prepare eggs for fertilization. The timing of this process matters. Rushing it can leave the egg unprepared. 



THC appears to trigger early changes by interacting with cannabinoid receptors. This likely lowers levels of cyclic AMP, a molecule that normally prevents eggs from maturing too soon.



When eggs race ahead, chromosomes don’t always line up properly. Under the microscope, THC-exposed eggs showed spindles that were broken, misplaced, or multipolar. 



These are the very structures that should guide chromosomes during division. When they fail, the result is aneuploidy - embryos with missing or extra chromosomes.



“This is a hypothesis, and the worst thing I would want is for the public to read this and become fearful. More studies are needed to verify our findings and determine how or even if the changes we observed affect reproduction,” noted study lead author Cyntia Duval.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shifts-in-gene-activity">Shifts in gene activity</h2>



The team also examined which genes switched on or off inside eggs exposed to THC. They found hundreds of changes. Many genes tied to inflammation, cell structure, and embryo survival showed altered activity.



One important example is MMP9, a gene critical for breaking down tissue so embryos can implant. THC exposure reduced its expression. 



Other signals, like interleukin-33 and interferon-gamma, also dropped. These molecules help prepare the uterus for implantation. Without them, the odds of miscarriage climb.



Eggs rely on precise gene activity to build reserves of RNA and proteins before fertilization. If THC scrambles that preparation, embryos may falter in the first days of life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-and-fertility-treatments">Cannabis and fertility treatments </h2>



In real fertility treatments, the impact was clear. Women with THC in their ovarian fluid had fewer healthy embryos to transfer. 



For those trying naturally, this might mean longer waits to conceive, more miscarriages, or fewer chances of success.



“The finding that exposure to higher levels of THC could be associated with worsened fertility and increased reproductive complications may help patients that cannot abstain from cannabis with a harm-reduction strategy,” Lo said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cannabis-potency-problem">The cannabis potency problem</h2>



Potency has changed the landscape. Decades ago, marijuana contained about three percent THC. Today, dispensaries sell strains that easily top 30 percent. Extracts and concentrates climb past 40 percent.



“However, certain types of cannabis are typically more potent than others - cannabis extracts are typically more potent than cannabis flower,” said Tom Freeman, a professor of psychology at the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bath</a>.



People often try to adjust by smoking less or inhaling lightly. But as Freeman pointed out, these efforts rarely balance the equation. “Higher potency products still deliver a larger dose of THC to consumers than lower potency products,” he said.



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



Eggs are not renewable. Women are born with all they will ever have. Damage to these cells carries lasting consequences. 



Unlike sperm, which regenerate daily, eggs cannot be replaced. If THC harms them, the effects echo across fertility and pregnancy outcomes.



“Because it’s hard to know the specific level of THC in various cannabis products on the shelves, I advise my patients to consider safer alternatives to treat the symptoms they’re using cannabis for or at least try to reduce the frequency of their use," said Lo.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-on-cannabis-and-fertility">Future research on cannabis and fertility</h2>



This study doesn’t close the book. It opens it. The findings highlight real risks, but more work is needed to prove direct cause and effect. 



Scientists need larger samples, longer follow-ups, and data from natural conceptions, not just fertility clinics.



Still, the warning is clear. THC speeds egg maturation, disturbs chromosomes, and alters gene activity. It may not stop conception entirely, but it may lower the odds of healthy embryos. For women planning pregnancies, this information could make all the difference.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63011-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Cannabis may cause unexpected fertility issues in women

Cannabis carries two faces in today’s world. On one side,...

When we talk about sleep, most people think of rest, dreams, and maybe hitting the snooze button. But once your head hits the pillow, your body shifts into high gear. One of its biggest tasks? Releasing growth hormone, which is crucial for muscle, bone, metabolism, and even thinking clearly the next day.



So, what really controls this nighttime hormone boost? And why does missing sleep mess it up? A new study finally uncovers what’s happening deep inside the brain - and how sleep and hormones stay in balance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-the-human-growth-hormone">The role of the human growth hormone</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/love-hope-and-happiness-help-children-grow-taller/">growth hormone</a> does more than just help kids grow taller. It builds muscle and bone, burns fat, and supports repair throughout the body. It also plays a major role in how the body handles sugar and fat, with links to diabetes, obesity, and heart problems.



That’s why athletes love <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sleep-clears-toxic-waste-from-the-brain/">deep sleep</a> - it’s during non-REM sleep, the first and deepest stage of sleep, that the body releases the most growth hormone. 



Teenagers also need it for proper height and development. But until now, scientists weren’t exactly sure how this system worked.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-brain-circuit-behind-the-scenes">The brain circuit behind the scenes</h2>



A team in the lab of Yang Dan at UC Berkeley wanted to go beyond just measuring blood hormone levels. The researchers directly recorded brain activity in mice using electrodes. This made it possible to watch neurons firing off during sleep.



The key players in this brain network are located deep in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that existed in the earliest mammals. 



Two types of hormones run the show: growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), which tells the body to make growth hormone, and somatostatin, which puts the brakes on it.



These two signals aren’t always working the same way. During <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-disruptions-could-signal-the-onset-of-alzheimers/">REM sleep</a> - when dreams happen - both GHRH and somatostatin surge. During non-REM sleep, somatostatin backs off and GHRH ramps up, helping growth hormone levels rise. But that's not the end of the story.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-feedback-loop-in-the-brain">A feedback loop in the brain</h2>



Once growth hormone is released, it doesn’t just float around helping bones and muscles. It actually loops back into the brain and affects a region called the locus coeruleus. 



This brainstem hub controls alertness, focus, and how the brain responds to new things. It’s also tied to mental health and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-deprivation-impairs-the-brain-potentially-causing-neurological-disorders/">neurological disorders</a>.



“Sleep drives growth hormone release, and growth hormone feeds back to regulate wakefulness, and this balance is essential for growth, repair and metabolic health,” said study co-author Daniel Silverman.



Growth hormone slowly stimulates the locus coeruleus to prepare the brain for wakefulness. But if this region gets too revved up, it can flip the switch and cause sleepiness instead — a weird but fascinating twist.



“This suggests that sleep and growth hormone form a tightly balanced system: Too little sleep reduces growth hormone release, and too much growth hormone can in turn push the brain toward wakefulness,” Silverman said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growth-hormone-supports-focus">Growth hormone supports focus</h2>



Growth hormone’s benefits go beyond the body. A growing collection of evidence suggests it may also help with mental sharpness.



“Growth hormone not only helps you build your muscle and bones and reduce your fat tissue, but may also have cognitive benefits, promoting your overall arousal level when you wake up,” said Xinlu Ding, &nbsp;first author of the study.



This helps explain why people who don’t sleep enough often feel foggy and struggle to focus - not just because they’re tired, but because their brain chemistry is off balance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-paths-for-better-sleep">New paths for better sleep </h2>



Understanding how these brain circuits work could lead to new treatments. For people with sleep issues tied to diabetes or conditions like Parkinson’s or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/17-year-old-man-breaks-the-world-record-for-early-onset-alzheimers-disease/">Alzheimer’s</a>, targeting this system might help rebalance hormones and restore better sleep patterns.



“There are some experimental gene therapies where you target a specific cell type. This circuit could be a novel handle to try to dial back the excitability of the locus coeruleus, which hasn’t been talked about before,” Silverman said.



The team's use of advanced brain mapping and live recordings in mice shows just how much more we can learn when we look directly at brain activity rather than just measuring hormones in the blood.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sleep-isn-t-passive-it-s-powerful">Sleep isn’t passive - it’s powerful</h2>



Sleep is more than rest. It’s a tightly managed biological system that controls everything from growth and metabolism to brain power and mood. 



If you’ve ever been told to get a good night’s sleep before a big day, now you know why: your brain is literally setting the stage for how you’ll feel, think, and grow tomorrow.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00626-9?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867425006269%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">Cell</a>.



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Sleep isn’t just rest - it’s the body’s secret growth formula

When we talk about sleep, most people think of rest,...

Rainforest,Destruction.,Gold,Mining,Place,In,Guyana,,South,America.,Amazon

Gold mining in Peru has moved into sensitive wetland areas and is releasing a lot of stored carbon. These wetlands are peatlands, waterlogged soils built from partly decayed plants that lock away carbon for centuries.



Peat loss turns a slow natural carbon vault into a fast source of emissions. That is why scientists are sounding the alarm about new mining scars in remote corners of the Amazon.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-peatlands-carbon-and-mining">Peatlands, carbon, and mining</h2>



<a href="https://www.unep.org/resources/global-peatlands-assessment-2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Peatlands</a> hold an outsized share of the world’s soil carbon and help stabilize climate over long timescales. They cover a small slice of land area yet store a huge fraction of carbon underground.



Lead researcher <a href="https://www.ifgg.kit.edu/english/staff_householder.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">J Ethan Householder</a> is with the Wetland Department, Institute of Geography and Geoecology at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany (<a href="https://www.ifgg.kit.edu/english/index.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IFGG</a>). 



His team’s field work and satellite analyses focus on peat swamps in southeastern Peru.



The term carbon stocks refers to the amount of carbon stored in plants and soils. In peat, most of that carbon sits below the surface in thick, oxygen poor layers that decompose very slowly.



These peat swamps also support biodiversity, the variety of living species in an ecosystem. When mining drains or digs up peat, both the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/">carbon</a> bank and the living communities take a hit.



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



The study analyzed more than three decades of images from <a href="https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellites/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Landsat</a>, a U.S. satellite program that produces consistent pictures of Earth’s surface each year. 



That time series lets researchers pinpoint when forests were cleared and when bare mine pits appeared.



They mapped mining scars along rivers in <a href="https://7wonders.org/south-america/peru/madre-de-dios/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Madre de Dios</a>, a region in Peru that has seen a rapid spread of small operations. The scars are easy to spot because forest gives way to sand and water filled pits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-massive-carbon-release-from-mining">Massive carbon release from mining</h2>



In a new paper, the team reports that mining has removed more than 550 hectares of peatland, with over half of that loss happening in just the last two years. 



They estimate that 0.2 to 0.7 million tons of carbon have already been released, and they identify 63 of 219 peatlands showing evidence of mining at their edges.



They also find that mining inside peat now accounts for 9 percent of all mining in the area and could reach 25 percent by 2027 if current trends hold. 



The analysis flags more than 10,000 hectares of peat at immediate risk, with a potential release of 3.5 to 14.5 million tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-the-ocean-holds-carbon-hidden-mechanisms-revealed/">carbon</a> if those areas are disturbed.



“The rapid proliferation of gold mining inside peatlands appears to be of such scope as to be an existential threat to the entire peatland complex,” wrote Householder. The numbers and the geographic pattern point in the same direction.



The team also tracked where mining is advancing. An outward front has been pushing into the alluvial plain at about 330 feet per year, and that front is reaching the peat rich margins where swamps are most common.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-mining-is-pushing-into-peatlands">Why mining is pushing into peatlands</h2>



Rivers are the main highways in this part of the Amazon, so early mines hugged the banks. 



As miners followed gold bearing sediments inland, access paths, machinery, and makeshift camps increased, lowering the barrier to work in wetter ground.



Peatlands sit on the outer edges of the river plain where water pools for most of the year. 



Once miners arrive with pumps and hoses, it gets easier for others to follow, especially where law enforcement relies on boats and cannot easily reach new clearings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-driven-destruction">Human-driven destruction</h2>



A long term remote sensing <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/12/1903" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> record shows that mining has been a major driver of deforestation in southeastern Peru. 



Many operations are small and informal, and the work is a source of income for thousands of families.



Processing often uses mercury, a toxic metal that binds to fine gold particles. 



One river focused <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/em/c4em00567h" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> documented elevated mercury in sediments and fish downstream of mining hubs and found that a large share of carnivorous fish exceeded health guidelines for mercury in tissue.



Communities that rely on river fish face real exposure risks. This adds a public health layer to the climate and ecosystem costs of tearing up peat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-mining-made-this-carbon-bomb">How mining made this carbon bomb</h2>



The researchers combined annual vegetation change with a classifier that separates mining from other forest losses. That approach reduced false alarms from seasonal flooding or quick regrowth after storms.



They then overlaid those mine maps with peat maps to see where pits and ponds overlap organic soils. That allowed them to calculate both the area lost and the likely carbon released.



Peat stores carbon more densely than nearby upland forests. When miners dig pits, drain water, or burn cleared vegetation, oxygen speeds up decay and carbon escapes into the air.



Even small patches can have outsized impacts because a few feet of peat can hold as much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-atoms-in-your-body-took-a-400000-light-year-journey-through-space/">carbon</a> as a much larger area of non peat forest. That is why a few hundred hectares of loss matter.



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



The results point to three priorities that do not require new technology. 



Map the edges of active peatlands at high resolution, monitor hot spots in near real time, and keep heavy equipment out of places where peat depth is greatest.



Local voices and science can work together to steer enforcement and restoration budgets to the areas of highest risk. 



Peat that stays wet and shaded keeps its carbon, and that is the simplest way to avoid adding more heat trapping gases to the air.



The study is published in <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/adb868" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Research Letters</a>.



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Ticking 'carbon time bomb' has been unleashed in the Amazon rainforest by gold miners

Gold mining in Peru has moved into sensitive wetland areas...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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How the pandemic changed dog behavior over 3 years

Dogs live with us, watch us, and often reflect our...

<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...

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4eLFNYrKE
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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...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



<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;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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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

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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?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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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