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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

The constant hum of city life often fades into the background, unnoticed by those who live in it. Yet, behind the sound of passing cars, rumbling trains, and the distant whir of traffic lights, an invisible health risk may be growing. 



Scientists are now uncovering how this steady noise <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stuck-in-traffic-youre-more-likely-to-grab-fast-food/">pollution</a> can do more than disturb sleep - it can shape mental well-being over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-traffic-noise-and-mental-health">Traffic noise and mental health</h2>



A new LongITools study, published in the journal Environmental Research, shows a clear link between traffic noise and diagnosed depression or anxiety. It is the first study to investigate long-term exposure in children, adolescents, and young adults.



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.oulu.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oulu</a> found a sharp rise in mental health risks when traffic noise exceeds 53 decibels (dB) at home. This crosses the safe limit set by the <a href="https://www.who.int" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Health Organization</a>. 



The findings support urban planning measures, like designing bedrooms on quieter building sides and lowering speed limits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-noise-pollution-as-a-health-threat">Noise pollution as a health threat</h2>



Environmental noise from roads, railways, airports, and construction is Europe’s second-largest environmental health concern. It can damage hearing, disrupt sleep, and trigger emotional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-traffic-cameras-are-preventing-thousands-of-crashes-each-year/">stress</a>. 



Over time, these effects can contribute to cardiovascular issues and neurological diseases.



Noise also activates the body's stress response through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This can impair emotional regulation, cognition, and behavior - especially in children whose systems are still developing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-noise-exposure-and-mental-health">Noise exposure and mental health</h2>



The study was focused on 114,353 people born in Finland between 1987 and 1998 who lived in the Helsinki metropolitan area in 2007. Participants were tracked for up to ten years, from ages 8 to 21.



Noise exposure was calculated for the most and least exposed sides of each home. Annual averages included road and railway <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stroke-risk-is-elevated-by-air-pollution-and-traffic-noise/">traffic</a> noise, with extra weighting for evening and nighttime hours. 



The researchers examined participants’ medical records to determine whether they had diagnoses of depression or anxiety.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clear-patterns-emerged">Clear patterns emerged</h2>



The World Health Organization advises keeping traffic noise below 53 dB over 24 hours. This study found that risks increase at or above this level. Each 10 dB rise in noise at the most exposed side was linked to a 5% higher risk of depression and 4% higher risk of anxiety.



“Our analysis showed that anxiety risk is lowest when traffic noise is around 45 to 50 dB at the quieter side of dwellings but increases significantly after 53 to 55 dB," noted Dr. Anna Pulakka, senior author of the study.



"Above 53 dB, noise becomes a significant psychological stressor for young people regardless of whether an individual sleeps on the quieter or noisier side of a dwelling."



Anxiety links were stronger for males and for those whose parents had no mental health disorders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-noise-environment-and-health-effects">Noise, environment, and health effects</h2>



The researchers investigated whether air pollution or access to green space could account for the connection between noise and mental health. They found that noise independently impacted mental health, even after accounting for these other factors.



Nighttime noise was strongly associated with depression, supporting the idea that sleep disturbances from noise may be one way it affects mental health.



For anxiety, the biggest impact was seen in places with 60–65 dB noise levels. These places also tended to have more social and environmental challenges, such as poorer living conditions.



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



"Our findings support further actions towards reducing traffic noise exposure," explained Yiyan He, lead author of the study.



"For policymakers and urban planners, this should include measures such as ensuring bedrooms are on the quieter side of the dwelling and ensuring there is green space nearby. For transport, quieter tyres or reduced speed limits should also be considered."



Roughly 10% of young people in the study were diagnosed with depression or anxiety by the time they turned 30.



Since traffic noise is something cities can change, it becomes a possible focus for prevention efforts. Lowering noise levels in living areas could help protect mental health, especially during the years when the brain and emotions are still developing.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935125016950?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Research</a>.



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Traffic noise exposure increases mental health risks

The constant hum of city life often fades into the...

Plants don’t think like we do. But they might remember - in their own way. New research shows that soybean plants can pass along stress responses to their offspring.



This means if a plant survives attacks from insects or extended periods without <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-rewire-themselves-to-fight-drought/">water</a>, its seeds may be better prepared to handle similar threats. The surprising part? None of this changes the plant’s DNA.



At the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (<a href="https://uada.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UADA</a>), scientists have found evidence that soybeans adapt not just in the moment but across generations.



This phenomenon, known as transgenerational plasticity, allows traits shaped by stress - such as drought or insect damage - to carry over into the next generation. And it’s all done without genetic mutation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-soybean-plants-tougher">Making soybean plants tougher </h2>



Unlike genetic mutations, epigenetic changes don’t alter the DNA sequence. They simply adjust how the plant reads its genetic code. These changes are reversible, but their effects can be powerful.



Soybean is one of the most important crops globally. The research team discovered that both drought and insect damage can leave a lasting impression. These stressors not only influence the parent plant’s traits but also shape how their offspring grow, defend themselves, and yield.



"This gives us the opportunity where we can manipulate the degree of stress of soybean to bolster defenses early in the season without compromising the final yield of the crop,” said Rupesh Kariyat, associate professor of crop entomology. 



“But there is a catch - we have yet to quantify the threshold under <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-a-humble-plant-may-help-us-save-crops-from-drought/">drought</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/streetlights-make-tree-leaves-too-tough-for-insects-to-eat/">herbivory</a> stress that may cause more harm than good to the plants.”



This idea - that carefully timed stress could help strengthen a crop - opens up possibilities. Just like vaccines prime our immune systems, early-season exposure to mild stress could make soybean plants tougher later on.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-memory-in-soybean-plants">"Memory" in soybean plants</h2>



Over the last two years, the researchers have studied how soybean looper and fall armyworm <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/caterpillars-can-stop-their-bleeding-in-seconds/">caterpillars</a> interact with soybean plants. They looked at how drought and sequential insect attacks impact not only the plants themselves but also their offspring.



“Insects are getting bigger, and they’re going through multiple generations each year,” Kariyat said. “That leads to increased pesticide use, which isn’t sustainable.”



With climate change intensifying insect threats, soybeans that “remember” past stress might help farmers cut down on pesticide use. 



This could be a game-changer - especially in regions like Brazil and Kenya, where farmers often rely on saved seeds due to the cost of commercial varieties.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-plant-stress-leaves-behind">What plant stress leaves behind</h2>



So, what changes when a parent plant has been stressed? Seeds from stressed plants contained more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-is-losing-nitrogen-along-with-its-climate-fighting-power/">nitrogen</a> and protein - two important indicators of plant health. The offspring also produced more flowers and had more trichomes, the tiny hairs on leaves that help defend against insects.



Interestingly, these benefits were most pronounced when parent plants were hit by both drought and insect feeding. But the news wasn’t all good.



Stressed offspring also grew less, yielded fewer pods, and produced more empty ones. And while trichomes increased early on, they declined with plant age. In short, soybeans seemed to face a trade-off: more defense, but less growth.



“It’s not that herbivory always improves the plant performance, but the type, severity and combination of stressors determine whether the responses would be beneficial or detrimental,” Kariyat said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insects-and-soybean-plants">Insects and soybean plants</h2>



In one experiment, the team wanted to know whether <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-boost-plant-evolution-in-surprising-ways/">insects</a> could tell if a soybean plant had previously been through drought. The researchers built little bridges between two plants - one that had been stressed and one that hadn’t.



The soybean looper caterpillars explored both. Many paused, turned their heads, and chose to crawl back to the healthier plants. 



The damage caused by caterpillars was heavier on the non-stressed plants. This supports the “plant vigor hypothesis,” which proposes that pests prefer robust hosts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-changes-everything">Timing changes everything</h2>



Most crop studies focus on a single stressor, but that’s not how real-life farming works. Droughts come and go. Insects swarm in waves. 



Kariyat’s team studied what happens when different pests attack in a certain order. They found that timing made a major difference.



When soybean loopers attacked first, the next generation of plants had 40% higher nitrogen, more flowers, better protein, and more pods than if the order was reversed.



From this, the researchers concluded that some stress may be helpful - but only under specific conditions. For example, drought seemed to amplify the effects of insect damage. 



And when drought was paired with herbivory, offspring focused more on building up internal resources (like protein and nitrogen) than on external defenses (like trichomes).



“From the research so far, while moderate or minimum biotic stress may induce resilience in soybeans - and this is also found in other systems - the combined abiotic and biotic stress may lead to exhaustive performance, triggering expensive defensive responses that often compromise yield and fitness,” said Kariyat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-soybean-plants-under-stress">Soybean plants under stress</h2>



The idea that soybean plants can "remember" stress across generations could change how we grow crops. It’s not just about surviving the current season - it’s about building stronger, smarter crops for the future.



But like Kariyat said, plant stress comes with trade-offs. Push too hard, and the plant burns out. Get the timing right, and you might have a tougher, more resilient crop.



That’s the challenge ahead: figuring out just how much stress soybeans can take - and when to apply it - without tipping the scales from help to harm.



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Do soybean plants have a memory? Scientists think so

Plants don’t think like we do. But they might remember...

A billionaire’s wedding trends for days, and another mega-yacht launches. Then along comes a careful study with a simple punchline: people who choose to live with less report feeling happier and better about their lives.



New peer-reviewed research finds that people who practice voluntary simplicity tend to report higher hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing.



That result cuts against the everyday marketing script that equates <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/couples-who-gossip-feel-closer-and-happier/">happiness</a> with income and accumulation. 



It also echoes a decade of psychology showing that heavy materialism often travels with lower wellbeing. The study was led by <a href="https://www.otago.ac.nz/marketing/staff/professor-robert-aitken" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Rob Aitken</a> at the <a href="https://www.otago.ac.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Otago</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simple-living-and-happiness">Simple living and happiness</h2>



The team examined how a commitment to voluntary simplicity relates to two <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-does-happiness-come-from-it-depends-on-who-you-are/">flavors of wellbeing</a>. 



<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/hedonic-well-being" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hedonic wellbeing</a> covers pleasant feelings and life satisfaction, while <a href="https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2023/09/subjective-well-being-measurement_a9950ae3/4e180f51-en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eudaimonic wellbeing</a> tracks purpose, growth, and living in line with one’s values.



Participants represented the national consumer base and answered validated measures that capture simplicity attitudes and behaviors. 



The authors also tested whether age, income, and gender change the strength of those links, which they did in nuanced ways reported in the paper.



The mechanics of simplicity here are practical, not mystical. Think buying less, repairing more, sharing gear, and choosing local when it makes sense. 



In the dataset, simplicity bundled with frugality, self-sufficiency, and local procurement, but the feel-good effect did not stop at thrift.



The statistical story pointed to how people meet psychological needs. Living simply often steers people into routines that increase interaction, mutual help, and civic participation, and those experiences align closely with the eudaimonic side of wellbeing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simplicity-relationships-and-wellbeing">Simplicity, relationships, and wellbeing</h2>



“It’s not directly the commitment to material simplicity that leads to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-chasing-happiness-makes-you-feel-worse/">wellbeing</a>, but the psychological and emotional need fulfilment that derives from relationships, social connection, community involvement and a sense of living a purposeful and meaningful life,” said Professor Aitken.



Those comments match the evidence base rather than just opinion. The authors validated a recent simplicity scale and showed its links to both types of wellbeing remained after accounting for demographics. 



The pathway ran through social connection and achievement fulfilment, not through austere deprivation.



That distinction matters. People do not feel better simply because they sold a closet of stuff. They feel better because the change frees time, attention, and money for relationships, skills, and contributions that matter to them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-studies-show-similar-results">Other studies show similar results</h2>



Independent psychology research backs the caution on high materialism. 



A large <a href="https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2014_DittmarBondHurstKasser_PPID.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meta-analysis</a> of 259 samples found that stronger materialistic values are reliably associated with lower personal wellbeing across measures like life satisfaction and vitality.



The same review and follow-on work also suggest that dialing down materialistic priorities can help. 



When people shift focus toward relationships and competence, they tend to report improvements in wellbeing. That maps neatly onto the social and values-based routes highlighted in the Otago study.



It also helps clarify a common confusion. Money can relieve stress up to a point, especially when basics are not covered, but endlessly chasing upgrades does not run the same play for wellbeing. 



The difference between security and status seeking is not academic when the outcomes diverge.



Marketing scholarship has been tracking this tension for years. At the level of macromarketing policy and culture, the question is how to support prosperity without pushing consumption that undercuts health and community.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wellbeing-found-in-daily-simplicity">Wellbeing found in daily simplicity</h2>



Simplicity is not a single script, and the study did not prescribe one. People took diverse routes that overlapped on lower overall consumption and stronger ties.



Common examples in the research context include community gardens, resource sharing, peer-to-peer lending, and local procurement. Those activities reduce acquisition while increasing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-identify-the-simple-emotion-that-gives-life-meaning-and-its-not-happiness/">interaction</a> and mutual help.



Small choices can rewire a week. Sharing tools or swapping clothes creates contact, which often leads to new skills and a wider sense of contribution.



The key is alignment. People reported larger gains when the routines reflected their values and gave them ways to practice those values in daily life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-timing-is-urgent">Why the timing is urgent</h2>



There is also a planetary angle that goes beyond personal happiness. Between 2000 and 2019, <a href="https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/Goal-12/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">global domestic material consumption</a> rose 66 percent to 95.1 billion metric tons, continuing a long upward trend that strains ecosystems and supply chains.



Those are not abstract curves. Extracting, moving, and disposing of materials drives emissions, biodiversity loss, and pollution, and those costs show up in local health and budgets. 



A lifestyle that demands fewer inputs removes some of that pressure at the margin.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-wellbeing-is-a-more-effective-focus-area-when-discussing-energy-solutions/">Policy and business</a> do not get a free pass here. Product design, repair access, and service models all shape the menu of realistic choices consumers can make. People cannot choose options they cannot reach.



Framing simplicity as deprivation misses the point. The results here suggest the upside sits where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/simply-looking-at-art-can-improve-your-well-being/">less consumption</a> unlocks more connection and a clearer sense of purpose.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-acting-on-the-simplicity-wellbeing-link">Acting on the simplicity-wellbeing link</h2>



No single study settles big questions, including who benefits most and under what conditions. The authors report that age, income, and gender modulate the simplicity-wellbeing link, which invites follow-up work in more countries and with longitudinal designs.



Measures also matter. Hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing capture different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-environment-day-the-critical-role-of-nature-in-human-well-being/">aspects of a good life</a>, and national surveys still harmonize the latter slowly, which can blur comparisons across studies and time.



Even so, the direction of travel is clear enough to act on now. If the goal is to feel better and tread lighter, the most promising moves are social, not flashy.



People are happier and more satisfied when consumption takes a back seat to community, competence, and meaning. That is the study’s core message, and it lands with uncommon clarity.



The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02761467251339399" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Macromarketing</a>.



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People who choose to live a simple life are much happier than those who chase materialism

A billionaire’s wedding trends for days, and another mega-yacht launches....

Mountains have always affected how people live. At high altitudes, the body changes to adapt, such as developing stronger lungs or showing slower growth in babies. Now, scientists think living higher up might also help prevent obesity in children.



As obesity <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-childhood-obesity-rate-is-expected-to-soar-by-2050/">rates</a> keep increasing around the world, especially in young kids, researchers are studying more closely how the environment and the human body work together.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-altitude-and-childhood-obesity">High altitude and childhood obesity</h2>



Living high up in the mountains may help protect children from becoming obese. A study looking at more than 4 million Colombian children found that those living at higher altitudes were less likely to have obesity compared to children living closer to sea level. 



Scientists think this could be because the air at high altitudes has less oxygen. With less oxygen, the body works harder and uses more energy, which may help keep weight lower.



Most earlier studies on altitude and obesity focused only on adults, like mountaineers or people living in highland areas. This new research is important because it shows the same link in children. 



Since childhood is a key time for health and growth, the findings suggest that where a child lives - whether in the mountains or lowlands - can influence their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childhood-obesity-rates-are-surging-worldwide/">risk of obesity</a> in the future.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-focus-of-the-study">Focus of the study</h2>



Fernando Lizcano Losada from the <a href="https://www.unisabana.edu.co" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of La Sabana</a> and colleagues analyzed data from 4.16 million children under five years old. 



The data, collected by the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, covered 1,123 municipalities. 



The researchers categorized children into four groups based on altitude: up to 1,000 meters, 1,001-2,000 meters, 2,001-3,000 meters, and above 3,000 meters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-obesity-drops-at-altitude">Obesity drops at altitude</h2>



At the lowest altitudes, about 80 in every 10,000 children had obesity. Between 2, 001 and 3,000 meters, prevalence dropped sharply to 40 in 10,000. 



Interestingly, rates rose again above 3,000 meters, reaching 86 in 10,000. The researchers caution that this may reflect limited data from only seven municipalities, with just over 11,000 participants.



“That’s a fair comment,” said David Stensel at <a href="https://www.lboro.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Loughborough University</a> in the UK. He noted the absence of a clear dose-response pattern, which would have strengthened the findings. 



Stensel emphasized that the study is observational, meaning it cannot prove altitude directly prevents obesity.



“They have tried to make sure that they have adjusted for the potential confounding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mothers-genes-may-hold-the-key-to-childhood-obesity/">factors</a>,” such as poverty and deprivation. Still, “you can’t account for everything."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-evidence-from-latin-america">Broader evidence from Latin America</h2>



According to the researchers, similar results have appeared in other high-altitude regions. In Peru, living above 2500 meters was linked with far lower obesity prevalence compared to lowlands.



Studies in Bolivia and Argentina showed children at higher elevations tended to be thinner, though growth restriction was sometimes observed. 



In Ecuador, children in highland regions displayed lower weight but also higher stunting rates compared to coastal children.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-altitude-obesity-and-metabolism">Altitude, obesity, and metabolism</h2>



Lizcano Losada suggests faster metabolism at high altitudes could explain the lower rates. Stensel agrees this is possible. 



“There’s a few studies that have shown resting metabolic rate, or basal metabolic rate, increases when you’re at high altitude,” he noted. 



An earlier 1984 study found mountaineers lost weight at high elevations, partly because fat was burned or excreted rather than stored.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hormones-and-hypoxia">Hormones and hypoxia</h2>



The researchers explained that high-altitude hypoxia can influence hormones like leptin and ghrelin, which regulate appetite. 



Low oxygen activates hypoxia-inducible factors that enhance leptin sensitivity, supporting appetite suppression.



Cold temperatures common in mountainous regions may also increase energy expenditure through thermogenesis. Together, these mechanisms may reduce obesity <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/obesity-can-be-passed-down-from-parents-to-kids/">risk</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-poverty-shapes-outcomes">Poverty shapes outcomes</h2>



Not all outcomes are purely biological. The research emphasizes how poverty interacts with altitude. 



Municipalities with moderate poverty often saw higher obesity rates, possibly due to reliance on cheap, ultra-processed food.



In contrast, extreme poverty sometimes correlated with undernutrition rather than obesity. This pattern reflects the “double burden of malnutrition” seen in many low- and middle-income countries.



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



Even if altitude helps reduce obesity risk, practical uses remain unclear. “They show us a relationship, and you then need to really design a bespoke study to investigate that hypothesis on its own,” said Stensel.



Lizcano Losada argues that environmental influences vary by region, suggesting that tailored public health advice may prove more effective in addressing childhood obesity. 



The research also supports geographically specific strategies that integrate both biological and social factors for better outcomes.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.14.25329127v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">medRxiv</a>.



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Obesity is less common in children living at high altitudes

Mountains have always affected how people live. At high altitudes,...

ADHD is often seen through the lens of restless behavior in children or difficulty focusing at school. But the condition carries consequences that extend far beyond the classroom. 



Without treatment, people with ADHD face higher <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-plastics-chemical-bpa-linked-to-autism-adhd-in-children/">risks</a> of substance misuse, accidents, and even criminal convictions. These outcomes can ripple through lives, affecting families, communities, and broader society.



A new Swedish study now provides strong evidence that medication does more than ease classroom struggles - it protects against some of the most serious risks linked to ADHD.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protective-benefits-of-adhd-medication">Protective benefits of ADHD medication</h2>



A large Swedish study has shown that people with ADHD who take prescribed medication face fewer serious risks in their lives. 



Among 150,000 individuals, researchers found lower rates of suicidal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/autism-and-adhd-disorders-directly-linked-amount-of-time-kids-spend-on-screens/">behaviors</a>, substance misuse, criminal convictions, accidental injuries, and road accidents. 



While earlier studies hinted at such outcomes, this work provides stronger evidence based on rigorous trial emulation methods.



“This is the best approach, the closest to a randomized trial,” said Zheng Chang at the <a href="https://ki.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Karolinska Institute</a> in Sweden.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-immediate-symptoms">Beyond immediate symptoms</h2>



When doctors and families consider ADHD medication, they often focus only on classroom or work performance. Yet untreated ADHD can carry consequences far beyond school challenges.



“When drugs are considered for managing ADHD, the wider consequences of not taking them can be overlooked,” said Samuele Cortese at the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a>. 



Parents may see day-to-day academic issues but overlook how treatment may prevent more severe problems later in life.



“If you don’t treat ADHD, there are risks,” he says. “Now we have evidence that treatment reduces these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/acetaminophen-use-during-pregnancy-linked-to-adhd-risk/">risks</a>.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evidence-from-real-world-data">Evidence from real-world data</h2>



ADHD is linked not just to inattention and impulsivity, but also to higher risks of injury, substance misuse, and even criminal behaviour. Randomized controlled trials confirm drugs reduce core symptoms but rarely examine these broader impacts.



To address this, researchers used a method called target trial emulation. By analyzing Sweden’s national health, legal, and population registers, they replicated the design principles of a trial within real-world data.



This approach improves reliability by comparing those who began ADHD medication within three months of diagnosis to those who did not. It reflects routine clinical settings, making the results more relevant for everyday patients and families.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adhd-medications-lower-suicide-nbsp">ADHD medications lower suicide&nbsp;</h2>



Medication was linked with a 17 percent reduction in suicidal behaviors and a 15 percent drop in road accidents. Substance misuse fell by about 25 percent, while criminal convictions declined by a similar proportion. 



The reduction in accidental injuries was modest for first events but more noticeable when looking at repeated incidents.



For people with a history of such <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toddler-screen-time-linked-to-atypical-sensory-behaviors/">issues</a>, the benefits were even stronger. Those previously involved in substance misuse or crime saw greater risk reductions when on medication. Stimulant drugs, such as methylphenidate, produced larger effects than non-stimulants.



“It’s always helpful to know if medications can impact daily life beyond reducing symptoms,” said Adam Guastella at the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sydney</a>. 



“This information is also important for governments to help policy-makers understand the potential benefits of treatment for broader society, such as mental health or criminal outcomes.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-medication-makes-a-difference">Why medication makes a difference</h2>



The BMJ study suggests ADHD drugs may reduce impulsivity and improve attention, which in turn lowers risky behaviors. 



For instance, better focus can help drivers avoid accidents, while reduced impulsivity may lower aggressive actions that lead to criminality.



The researchers noted that while randomized trials often exclude half of ADHD patients typically seen in clinics, this emulation study included a wide population across ages 6 to 64. This makes the findings more representative of real-world cases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adhd-medication-and-safer-futures">ADHD medication and safer futures</h2>



These results show that ADHD medication is not just about managing symptoms in the classroom. Treatment may help shape safer and healthier futures, reducing risks that affect both individuals and society. 



The evidence also highlights the importance of stimulants as first-line options, a recommendation supported by current clinical guidelines.



If you or someone you know struggles with suicidal thoughts, support is available. In the UK, call Samaritans at 116123. In the US, dial 988 for the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline. For international resources, visit <a href="http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj-2024-083658" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The BMJ</a>.



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ADHD medication lowers risks of suicide, accidents, and crime

ADHD is often seen through the lens of restless behavior...

Modern technology brings convenience, but it also opens new doors for surveillance. Smartphones, once trusted as private communication devices, now pose risks that go beyond hacking or data breaches - their internal vibrations can actually expose what’s being said during a call.



This possibility prompted researchers to explore how silent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/taking-a-smartphone-break-can-improve-your-life-in-surprising-ways/">signals</a> might still give away conversations. The results highlight both the advances of science and the fragile balance between technological innovation and personal privacy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-surveillance-concern">A new surveillance concern</h2>



A new form of surveillance called “wireless-tapping” is raising questions about phone call security. Researchers at Penn State demonstrated that it is possible to transcribe phone conversations by detecting tiny vibrations from a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-and-smartphones-what-we-now-know-about-the-hidden-impacts/">cellphone</a>’s earpiece. 



Using radar measurements taken up to three meters away, they achieved transcription accuracy of about 60% when dealing with a vocabulary of 10,000 words. While still imperfect, the findings highlight potential risks for personal privacy in the digital age.



This study builds on earlier work in 2022, where the team used radar sensors and recognition software to identify specific words, letters, and numbers with up to 83% accuracy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-capturing-phone-vibrations-with-radar">Capturing phone vibrations with radar</h2>



“When we talk on a cellphone, we tend to ignore the vibrations that come through the earpiece and cause the whole phone to vibrate,” said first author Suryoday Basak, doctoral candidate in computer science from <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pennsylvania State University</a>.



“If we capture these same vibrations using remote radars and bring in machine learning to help us learn what is being said, using context clues, we can determine whole conversations. By understanding what is possible, we can help the public be aware of the potential risks.”



Basak and his adviser, Professor Mahanth Gowda, used a millimeter-wave radar sensor similar to those in self-driving cars and 5G networks. The goal was to anticipate how such tools could be misused, even though their current setup was only experimental. 



To interpret the vibrations, they customized “Whisper,” an open-source AI-powered speech recognition model, to process radar data into readable transcriptions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wireless-tapping-with-ai-adaptation">Wireless tapping with AI adaptation</h2>



“Over the last three years, there’s been a huge explosion in AI capabilities and open-source speech recognition models,” Basak said. 



“We can use these models, but they are catered more toward clean speech or everyday use cases, so we have to adapt them to recognize low quality, ‘noisy’ radar data.”



Instead of retraining Whisper entirely, they used a technique called low-rank adaptation. This method let them fine-tune only about one percent of the model’s parameters for radar-specific data. 



By doing so, the researchers made the system more effective without requiring massive computing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eye-strain-in-young-adults-is-linked-to-the-type-of-content-consumed/">resources</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-phone-vibrations-to-transcriptions">Phone vibrations to transcriptions</h2>



To test their approach, the team placed a millimeter-wave radar sensor a few feet away from a phone while speech played back through the earpiece. 



The radar captured surface vibrations, and the AI system transformed these signals into text with about 60% accuracy. 



The accuracy improved further when context-based manual corrections were applied, such as adjusting predicted phrases with prior knowledge of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/digital-distraction-the-real-culprit-isnt-your-phone/">conversation</a>.



“The result was transcriptions of conversations, with an expectation of some errors, which was a marked improvement from our 2022 version, which outputs only a few words,” Gowda said. “But even picking up partial matches for speech, such as keywords, are useful in a security context.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-comparisons-to-lip-reading">Comparisons to lip reading</h2>



The researchers compared their model to lip reading, where people interpret about 30% to 40% of spoken words. By combining partial recognition with contextual knowledge, meaningful understanding can still emerge.



“Similar to how lip readers can use limited information to interpret conversations, the output of our model combined with contextual information can allow us to infer parts of a phone conversation from a few meters away,” Basak said. 



“The goal of our work was to explore whether these tools could potentially be used by bad actors to eavesdrop on phone conversations from a distance."



"Our findings suggest that this is technically feasible under certain conditions, and we hope this raises public awareness so people can be more mindful during sensitive calls.”



The research received support from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. National Science Foundation</a>.



The team presented the study at the Proceedings of WiSec 2025: 18th ACM Conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks.



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Smartphones may 'leak' conversations through vibrations

Modern technology brings convenience, but it also opens new doors...

A cave stalagmite has captured a season-by-season record of rain shortfalls during the final centuries of the Classic Maya. The stone’s chemical layers show eight wet-season droughts between 871 and 1021 CE, including one that dragged on for 13 consecutive years.



The pattern aligns with the era’s political turmoil and the halt of monument building at key cities.



Led by the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a>, a new study examined a cave in Mexico’s Yucatán, and managed to isolate rainfall in individual wet and dry seasons across the Terminal Classic period. 



This research adds a precise climate timeline to the historical and archaeological evidence for the Maya collapse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rainfall-recorded-in-rock">Rainfall recorded in rock</h2>



Stalagmites grow as mineral-rich water drips from cave ceilings and hardens on the floor. Each layer traps a chemical snapshot of the conditions outside. In this case, oxygen isotope ratios record how much rain fell when a given layer formed.



Earlier work measured lake sediments to gauge <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/droughts-and-extreme-weather-events-are-escalating/">drought</a> severity. Those cores are powerful, but they blur events across longer spans. 



This stalagmite is different. Its annual layers are relatively thick, about one millimeter, allowing the team to pull apart the rainy and dry seasons year by year.



“It hasn’t been possible to directly compare the history of individual Maya sites with what we previously knew about the<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-glaciers-are-destroying-a-valuable-record-of-earths-climate/"> climate record</a>,” said lead author Daniel James, who conducted the research while a Ph.D. student in Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences.



“Lake sediment is great when you want to look at the big picture, but stalagmites allow us to access the fine-grained detail that we’ve been missing.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crops-and-cities-under-strain">Crops and cities under strain</h2>



For farmers, annual averages can be misleading. What matters is the rainy season. If those months fail, harvests fail. 



The new record therefore tracks wet-season drought directly, identifying differences between subsistence and scarcity.



“Knowing the annual average <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-changing-rainfall-patterns-impact-plants-worldwide/">rainfall</a> doesn’t tell you as much as knowing what each individual wet season was like,” James said. 



“Being able to isolate the wet season allows us to accurately track the duration of wet season drought, which is what determines if crops succeed or fail.”



Between 871 and 1021 CE, the stalagmite registered eight wet-season droughts that lasted at least three years. The longest persisted for 13 years. 



Even with reservoirs, canals, and cisterns, a deficit that long would strain food stores, trade, and social order.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-s-mark-on-maya-politics">Climate’s mark on Maya politics</h2>



The Terminal Classic saw southern lowland cities emptied and dynasties ended. Power shifted north, and monument programs faltered. The new drought timeline overlaps those disruptions.



“This period in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mayan-civilization-may-have-been-shaped-by-ingenious-fisheries/">Maya history</a> has been a cause of fascination for centuries," James explained. "There have been multiple theories as to what caused the collapse, such as changing trade routes, war, or severe drought, based on the archaeological evidence the Maya left behind.”



“But in the past few decades, we’ve started to learn quite a lot about what happened to the Maya and why by combining the archaeological data with quantifiable climate evidence.”



At major northern sites, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chichén Itzá</a>, the carving of dated inscriptions stopped during severe, prolonged droughts. While that does not prove abandonment, it certainly marks a pivot in priorities.



“This doesn’t necessarily mean that the Maya abandoned Chichén Itzá during these periods of severe drought, but it’s likely that they had more immediate things to worry about than constructing monuments, such as whether the crops they relied on would succeed or not,” James said. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seasonal-view-of-the-maya-collapse">Seasonal view of the Maya collapse</h2>



Starting in the 1990s, researchers linked a series of droughts to the Maya collapse by comparing regional climate proxies with the dates on monuments.



The new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-americas-13000-years/">stalagmite record</a> builds on that foundation. It delivers the fine-grained detail that bridges climate processes and human decisions at specific places and times.



Researchers noted that earlier studies based on lake sediments offered a broad regional view, but lacked the resolution to pinpoint changes within specific years or seasons. 



Stalagmites, by contrast, allow researchers to match climate shifts to historical events more precisely.



By aligning wet-season failures with changes in building, ritual, and rule, scholars can test how drought pressure unfolded, how cities adapted, and when systems failed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-drought-in-the-record">Beyond drought in the record</h2>



The team, which includes collaborators in the UK, U.S., and Mexico, argues that stalagmites from this and other Yucatán caves can do more. 



They could capture the fingerprints of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-tropical-thunderstorms-are-radioactive/">tropical storms</a> as well as drought, widening the environmental context for Maya history.



“In addition to what stalagmites can tell us about this period in Maya history, they might also be able to tell us about the frequency and severity of tropical storms, for instance,” James said.



“As a case study for fine-grained comparisons between climate and historical data, it’s exciting being able to apply methods usually associated with the deeper past to relatively recent history.”



James, now a postdoctoral researcher at <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University College London</a>, said the next step is to expand the cave network and tighten links to site-by-site archaeology. 



The goal is a shared chronology that can help bring into focus the full sequence of droughts, decisions, and decline.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw7661" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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What caused the collapse of Maya civilization? The answer was hidden in a cave

A cave stalagmite has captured a season-by-season record of rain...

According to textbooks, humans lost the ability to make vitamin C because our diet provided enough of it. However, research in animals suggests this loss might have helped our ancestors fight certain parasites.



Most animals produce vitamin C using an enzyme called GULO. About 60 to 70 million years ago, a mutation in our primate ancestors disabled the GULO gene. 



The same mutation has occurred in other animals, such as many bats and some rodents, including guinea pigs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-harm-no-evolutionary-foul">No harm, no evolutionary foul</h2>



The common explanation in biology is that if animals get enough vitamin C from their regular diet, losing the ability to make it internally causes no harm. 



In such cases, a mutation in the GULO enzyme, which is responsible for producing vitamin C, would not reduce the animal’s chances of survival or reproduction.



Because the mutation does not create a disadvantage, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lifes-rules-natural-selection-change-significantly-often-daphnia/">natural selection</a> would not act to protect or restore the functioning gene. 



Over time, this change is seen as a neutral event in evolutionary terms - neither helping nor hurting the species in a significant way.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vitamin-c-s-stem-cell-link">Vitamin C’s stem cell link</h2>



In 2017, Michalis Agathocleous at the University of Texas <a href="https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southwestern Medical Center</a> started to question whether this explanation told the whole story.



His research team discovered that vitamin C plays a crucial role in the health and function of blood-forming stem cells, which are essential for producing new blood cells.



The finding raised an important question: if the ability to produce vitamin C internally is truly unnecessary for animals that consume plenty of it, why do so many species with naturally vitamin-C-rich <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-finds-vitamin-e-is-the-key-to-saving-sea-cucumbers-from-extinction/">diets</a> still keep a fully working GULO enzyme? 



This puzzle suggested there might be other evolutionary pressures or benefits influencing the retention of the gene.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-hidden-evolutionary-edge">A hidden evolutionary edge</h2>



One difference is that animals with the enzyme keep vitamin C levels constant in their blood. Humans, however, see fluctuations, with levels dropping significantly during food shortages.



If making vitamin C offers benefits, why lose the ability? One evolutionary explanation is disease protection. Some traits disappear because losing them helps <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/taking-vitamin-d-supplements-may-add-years-to-your-life/">survival</a>.



Agathocleous’s colleagues later found that schistosome flatworms, which cause schistosomiasis, lay more eggs when given extra vitamin C.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-the-parasite-protection-theory">Testing the parasite protection theory</h2>



These parasites enter through the skin and mature inside animals. The symptoms often come from immune reactions to their eggs.



To test the idea, researchers deleted the GULO gene in mice. When fed a low-vitamin C diet, these mice resisted infection symptoms and did not pass eggs after exposure to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/schistosomiasis-treatment-new-compound-more-effective/">schistosomes</a>. Mice with the enzyme shed many eggs and mostly died.



“What we have done is provide evidence that there is a benefit,” said Agathocleous. While proof of positive selection in our ancestors is impossible, the results make it plausible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-theory-tied-to-gene-loss">Theory tied to gene loss</h2>



Recent theoretical work suggests that losing certain biosynthetic abilities, like vitamin C production, may result from evolutionary trade-offs. 



If an environmental source of the nutrient is reliable, natural selection might favor losing the costly metabolic pathway. In some cases, the loss could alter immune responses in ways that protect against specific pathogens.



Such changes can also influence the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbes-have-an-unexpected-link-to-anxiety/">gut microbiome</a>. Variations in nutrient availability can reshape microbial communities, affecting both immunity and metabolism. 



This interaction among diet, metabolism, and immunity may have played a role in shaping our evolutionary path.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vitamin-c-loss-aids-survival">Vitamin C loss aids survival</h2>



The theory also proposes that losing a metabolic function can reduce oxidative stress from overproduction of certain compounds. For vitamin C, this could mean avoiding excessive antioxidant levels that might disrupt normal immune signaling.



Over time, these subtle benefits could outweigh the disadvantages of dependency on dietary sources, especially in environments where vitamin-rich foods were abundant. 



In the case of our primate ancestors, the trade-off may have been a small price to pay for greater resilience against harmful parasites.



“While many textbooks do state this might be a ‘use or lose it’ situation for the gene GULO, many scientists, including me, believe that there is sufficient evidence to support an evolutionary advantage to this gene loss,” said Deborah Good at <a href="https://www.vt.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Virginia Tech</a>. “Parasite protection could be one of these.”



The study is published in <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.22.666193v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bioRxiv</a>.



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Scientists finally learned why human bodies stopped making vitamin C

According to textbooks, humans lost the ability to make vitamin...

Seeing the same picture more than once makes us more likely to believe it reflects reality. That holds for both photographs and AI-generated fakes. Repetition alone boosts perceived authenticity, even when nothing else changes.



A new international study led by <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tel Aviv University</a> along with collaborators from Germany, Belgium, and Spain tested this effect in controlled experiments with real and synthetic images. 



The study shows how a basic feature of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-simple-solutions-appeal-to-the-human-brain/">human psychology</a> can shape what we accept as true online. In feeds and stories, the same image may surface across multiple accounts and over several days. Each exposure nudges belief upward, showing that our eyes tend to trust what they recognize.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-familiarity-fools-us">Familiarity fools us</h2>



“The study is based on a well-known psychological phenomenon called the ‘mere exposure effect,’ which suggests that information that we encounter repeatedly is perceived as more credible," said lead author Guy Grinfeld, a psychologist at Tel Aviv University.



"In our research, we examined whether this effect also applies in the visual domain - specifically with images created using artificial intelligence algorithms.” 



This is the first study to demonstrate the mere exposure effect for images; until now, it had only been demonstrated for text. The findings raise concerns about the spread of false visual information on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-likes-have-a-strong-emotional-effect-on-young-people/">social media</a> and its influence on public perception. 



"As we like to summarize it, if until now the proverb went, ‘A lie told often enough becomes the truth,’ our study shows that ‘An image seen often enough becomes reality,” said Grinfeld.



Past research tied repetition to credibility for written claims. This study moves that logic to pictures. It asks a tight question with huge stakes in an AI era: Does mere exposure make visual content feel truer, even when it is fabricated?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-real-and-fake-images">Testing real and fake images</h2>



Participants viewed a series of images - some authentic photographs, others created by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-does-not-replace-human-creativity-but-enhances-it/">artificial intelligence.</a> Later, they saw a mix of repeated and new images and judged whether each depicted a real object, person, place, or event.



The results were clear: images seen before were rated as more credible than those viewed for the first time. This pattern held whether the image was a genuine photograph or a synthetic fake. Familiarity, not accuracy, drove belief.



One twist stood out - the repetition effect was stronger among the most skeptical participants, those who, on average, rated images as less credible overall.



Even they relied on repetition as a cue; when they had seen an image before, their guard dropped more than expected.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-algorithms-amplify-fake-images">Algorithms amplify fake images</h2>



The finding aligns closely with how platforms operate: algorithms prioritize engagement, popular posts recirculate, and communities echo the same visuals across channels.



People may encounter the same image repeatedly, often without context or attribution. With each pass, certainty hardens.



That’s a serious problem in the age of generative tools. It was once easier to “lie” with words than with pictures, but today a convincing image can be created in seconds.



The study shows that once such an image enters circulation, repetition alone can elevate its perceived truth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fakes-gain-power-by-repetition">Fakes gain power by repetition</h2>



The psychology involved in this study shows how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-sizes-are-growing-possibly-lowering-dementia-risk/">brains</a> process risk and noise and how recognition lowers cognitive load. 



The mind treats familiar cues as safer and more likely to be true, so in cluttered environments that shortcut helps us cope.



The authors note that the effect does not depend on technical realism. A well-made fake may deceive with detail, but even a mediocre fake can gain plausibility through repetition. This dynamic blurs the line between evidence and mere exposure.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-repetition-reshapes-reality">Repetition reshapes reality</h2>



Repeated fake image <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/digital-misinformation-rumors-spread-like-nuclear-reactions/">misinformation</a> can shape memory, attitudes, and decisions. It can sway opinions about people and events, seeding false “proof” that resurfaces during crises. Moreover, it can do all that without any single, definitive lie.



Post fewer duplicate images, clearly label synthetic or recycled ones, and strengthen media literacy so repetition is treated as a warning.



“In the era of social networks and digital media, we are constantly and involuntarily exposed to visual information,” Grinfeld said. “Whereas in the past it was easy to lie with words, today AI tools make it just as easy to ‘lie’ with images.”



“Our study reveals a troubling mechanism: people attribute higher credibility to visual information that is repeated, regardless of its veracity. This creates a dangerous combination - repeated exposure to false information can make it seem credible, simply through repetition.”



“The findings raise profound questions about how we process information, especially in an age of visual overload in social and news media.”



The takeaway is simple and unsettling: what we see again and again starts to feel real. That makes repetition a powerful force in public life. And it makes resisting it one of the hardest, most urgent tasks in the information age.



The findings are published in the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxlm0001505" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition</a>.



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Repeated fake images trick your brain into thinking they’re real

Seeing the same picture more than once makes us more...

Bryozoans are tiny marine animals that live in colonies and quietly build underwater structures on which many species depend. These little invertebrates often go unnoticed, even though their work is essential to life in the sea. Now, research shows that climate change may be pushing them past their limit.



A recent study from scientists at the <a href="https://www.icm.csic.es/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Institut de Ciències del Mar</a> (ICM-CSIC) takes a close look at how ocean acidification and warming are affecting bryozoans. 



The team focused on two species that play an important role in building marine habitats, including Myriapora truncata, also known as the “false coral.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bryozoans-build-marine-homes">Bryozoans build marine homes</h2>



Myriapora truncata forms complex, three-dimensional structures that give shelter to a variety of marine life. These aren’t true <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/corals-can-be-trained-to-endure-heat-stress/">corals</a>, but they serve a similar purpose - building habitats that other species rely on.



The researchers examined how this species, along with another type of encrusting bryozoan, responds to future ocean conditions. These include warmer temperatures and more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidity-crosses-dangerous-threshold-threatening-marine-life/">acidic water</a>, both of which are caused by rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.



“Despite being a different phylum, very diverse and abundant globally, these small architects of the sea are often overlooked in studies,” said Blanca Figuerola, ICM-CSIC researcher and lead author of the study. 



Figuerola noted that bryozoans play a very important ecological role and their microbiome had been virtually unexplored.



This study is the first to describe the microbiome - the community of microorganisms that live in and on these animals - of the false coral.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-volcano-bubbles-mimic-future-seas">Volcano bubbles mimic future seas</h2>



To study how these organisms respond to acidified oceans, the research team used a unique spot off the island of Ischia in Italy. Natural volcanic bubbles mimic ocean acidification levels expected by the century’s end.



“This area offers a unique opportunity to study how marine species respond to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidification-is-spreading-into-deeper-waters/">acidification</a> under natural conditions,” said Núria Teixidó, a researcher at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and co-author of the article.



The scientists compared bryozoan colonies in acidified waters with those in normal conditions, examining their shape, skeleton structure, and microbiome.



The researchers found that the species show some flexibility. Animals in acidified water changed their skeleton composition in a way that could help them resist harsher conditions. And overall, their microbiomes stayed fairly stable - but not entirely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trouble-in-the-microbial-neighborhood">Trouble in the microbial neighborhood</h2>



The study found that acidified conditions reduced the variety of microbes performing key functions inside the bryozoans.



“However, we observed a loss in functional microbial diversity, with a decline in genera potentially involved in key processes such as nutrition, defense, or resistance to environmental stress,” said Figuerola.



That shift could have serious consequences over time. Even if the bryozoans look fine on the outside, a weaker microbiome could leave them more vulnerable to disease.



“Even if colonies look externally healthy, changes in the microbiome could serve as early bioindicators of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-could-completely-stop-growing-by-2054/">environmental stress</a>,” said Javier del Campo, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE, CSIC-UPF).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-double-blow-to-reef-makers">Double blow to reef-makers</h2>



Alongside acidification, the study also tracked the impact of rising <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">ocean temperatures</a> over a five-year period. When warming is added to the mix, the effects worsen.



“The models used indicate that the combination of these two stressors intensifies the effects observed, significantly reducing the coverage of the encrusting bryozoan and increasing mortality," said Pol Capdevila, a researcher at the University of Barcelona.



"Although the species show some morphological plasticity, it is not enough to offset the combined impact of acidification and warming.”



To reach these findings, the team used advanced modeling techniques and micro-CT scans to get 3D images of the internal skeletons of these animals. 



The team is currently working with Cooked Illustrations, a visual storytelling studio, to turn their research into a science animation aimed at education and outreach.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bryozoans-deserve-more-attention">Bryozoans deserve more attention</h2>



Bryozoans may not get as much attention as corals, but they play a similar role in creating habitats for other marine life. If they start to disappear, many other species could be affected.



This study highlights how important it is to understand not just the animals themselves but also the microbes they live with. 



By identifying potentially beneficial microorganisms, researchers are opening the door to future methods of helping these organisms adapt. These may include nature-based solutions that support both the host and its microbiome.



The research started under the MedCalRes National Plan project. It is continuing through the HOLOCHANGE consolidation project and the National Plan MedAcidWarm. 



These initiatives aim to better understand how bryozoans and their microbiomes interact, and how we might help them cope with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-stress-causes-undetected-changes-in-marine-ecosystems/">climate stress</a>.



“The complexity of the issue demands integrated analyses,” said Figuerola. “This study shows how interdisciplinary approaches can help us anticipate future scenarios and more effectively protect marine ecosystems.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-08524-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Biology</a>.



Image Credit: ICM-CSIC



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'Ocean architects’ expose hidden threats of climate change

Bryozoans are tiny marine animals that live in colonies and...

New evidence shows that the North Pacific is no longer drifting on its own. Human-driven greenhouse gases and industrial aerosols are steering ocean temperatures in ways that dry out the American West. The same forces may keep the region parched for decades.



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Colorado Boulder</a> and collaborators used hundreds of climate simulations to revisit a famous ocean pattern and link its recent behavior to the West’s record-breaking drought.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-hand-in-pacific-cycle">Human hand in Pacific cycle</h2>



For more than a century, scientists have watched the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), which seesaws over decades between a warm, “positive” phase and a cool, “negative” phase. 



In the negative phase, cooler waters line the U.S. West Coast, storm tracks shift north, and rain and snow across the Southwest decline.



The standard view held that this cycle was almost entirely internal to the climate system. The latest IPCC report even judged, with high confidence, that human influence was negligible. However, the new study overturns that view.



Using over 500 model runs, the team found that since the 1950s, human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-carbon-dioxide-emissions-hit-a-record-high-in-2023/">emissions</a> explain more than half of PDO variability, while before 1950, natural swings dominated.



“Our results show that the drought and ocean patterns we’re seeing today are not just natural fluctuations - they’re largely driven by human activity,” said lead author Jeremy Klavans, a postdoctoral researcher in CU Boulder’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pacific-stuck-in-dry-mode">Pacific stuck in dry mode</h2>



The PDO has lingered in its negative state since the 1990s. That persistence is unusual. It matters because it pushes moisture north and leaves the Southwest with less precipitation and drier air.



“If the PDO were purely natural, we would have expected it to shift back to positive after the strong <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-climate-shifts-date-back-250-million-years/">El Niño</a> in 2015,” Klavans said. “Instead, it flipped briefly and then reverted - suggesting something deeper and undiscovered is holding it in place.”



That “something deeper” is the external shove from greenhouse gases and industrial aerosols, the authors conclude. The ocean pattern is still a cycle, but it is being nudged into one gear.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-forcing-clear-in-models">Human forcing clear in models</h2>



The team’s rethink relied on advances in climate modeling. For years, many models suffered from a “signal-to-noise paradox.” 



They inflated the role of random swings while muting the effect of external forcing from human activity. The researchers corrected that imbalance across a large ensemble.



“Once we corrected for that imbalance, it became clear that human emissions are the dominant factor behind the current PDO pattern and the West’s extreme dryness,” Klavans said.



“Our work shows that, on decadal timescales, climate models have been underestimating how sensitive regional climates are to external forcing,” said co-author Pedro DiNezio, a professor at the University of Colorado.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-worst-drought-on-record">Worst drought on record</h2>



Tree ring records show the Southwest’s past two decades are the driest since at least 800 CE. Across the West, most areas are in drought, and a large share is in severe drought. Reservoirs, soils, forests, and rivers reflect the strain.



The study warns that if emissions continue on their current path, the PDO is likely to stay negative for many years, which would lock in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/megadroughts-are-becoming-more-frequent-and-severe/">megadrought</a>. This would constrain water supplies, heighten <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-risk-is-rapidly-rising-across-the-southern-u-s/">wildfire risk</a>, and pressure farms and cities.



“This isn't a temporary dry spell,” Klavans said. “It’s a climate-driven transformation of the region’s water system. Planners and policymakers need to treat it as such.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adapting-to-a-changing-climate">Adapting to a changing climate</h2>



The methods in this paper may sharpen forecasts far from the Pacific. Other ocean patterns, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, shape rainfall in Europe and beyond. 



Better separating human forcing from internal swings could improve projections of wet and dry trends on the time horizons that matter for planning.



“Our methods have the potential to drastically improve predictions of climate impacts - including precipitation trends across the globe,” said co-author Amy Clement, a professor at the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Miami</a>. “That kind of foresight is critical for planning and adapting to a changing climate.”



For the American West, the message is blunt. Managing a water system built for a wetter past will require new rules, new investments, and, above all, time. The PDO may eventually flip. But the study argues that external forcing has tilted the odds against a quick reversal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cut-emissions-calm-the-pacific">Cut emissions, calm the Pacific</h2>



The science also underscores the leverage of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/states-taking-action-on-their-own-can-cut-half-of-u-s-emissions/">emission cuts</a>. Less forcing means less push on the ocean cycle and better odds that the Pacific can slip out of its drought-favoring mode sooner.



This is not a story of the ocean alone. It is the story of how greenhouse gases and aerosols have rewired a familiar Pacific rhythm, with cascading effects on storms, snowpack, and rivers. The pattern is still oscillating - it is just doing so on a drought-shifted baseline that is reshaping the West.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09368-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Emissions are driving the West’s worst drought in 1,200 years

New evidence shows that the North Pacific is no longer...

A broken bone sets off a repair job inside the body. New blood vessels grow in, bringing oxygen and nutrients to rebuild the damage. 



Scientists have now traced that same process in a Tyrannosaurus rex rib from about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/t-rex-was-about-70-percent-bigger-than-we-thought/">67 million years ago</a>, using powerful X-rays to see mineral “shadows” where blood once flowed.



They focused on a deep fracture near the vertebral end of the rib. The bone had started to heal before the animal died, laying down a callus - the bumpy repair tissue that forms during recovery. 



Inside that callus, they spotted tube-like structures that matched the size and pattern of blood vessels linked with healing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finding-t-rex-blood-vessels">Finding T. rex blood vessels</h2>



The work centers on a Tyrannosaurus rex specimen named "Scotty," housed at the <a href="https://royalsaskmuseum.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Saskatchewan Museum</a> in Canada, one of the largest and most complete T. rex skeletons ever found. 



The research team scanned the rib at the <a href="https://www.lightsource.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canadian Light Source</a> synchrotron, a facility that generates extremely bright X-rays for high-resolution imaging and chemical analysis.



Jerit L. Mitchell, a PhD student in the Department of Physics at the <a href="https://www.uregina.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Regina</a>, led the study after joining the project during the first scan of the rib in 2019. 



“I remember showing my supervisors, Dr. Barbi and Dr. McKellar, a strange structure inside a scan of the rib that I originally didn’t give much thought to," Mitchell reminisced. 



"They were quick to point out that what I discovered could possibly be preserved blood vessels, which has since led to a much more expansive research project."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blood-vessels-from-an-injured-t-rex">Blood vessels from an injured T. rex</h2>



The vessel-like structures only showed up around the fracture and its callus, not throughout the rib. They were larger than the tiny <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haversian_canal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haversian canals</a> that normally carry blood in compact bone. 



That pattern lines up with what doctors see today: during healing, the body ramps up angiogenesis - growth of new vessels - to flood the injured area with supplies.



The team kept the features in place, studying them “in situ” rather than grinding the fossil down. That choice protected a rare specimen and let the researchers compare 3D shapes and chemistry directly within the bone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-tech-tools">High-tech tools</h2>



Synchrotron micro-CT produced 3D images at micrometer-scale resolution, small enough to resolve fine tubes weaving through the callus. 



X-ray fluorescence (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/x-ray-fluorescence-spectroscopy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">XRF</a>) mapped elements, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/x-ray-absorption-near-edge-structure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">XANES</a>) identified their chemical states. 



The team also checked thin sections with light and electron microscopes to confirm textures and mineral identities.



Together, those methods allowed them to connect geometry with chemistry. They could tell not just that tubes were present, but also what filled them and how those fillings changed over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iron-fractures-and-soft-tissue">Iron, fractures, and soft tissue</h2>



The tubes were rich in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fools-gold-may-be-a-valuable-source-of-lithium/">pyrite</a>, an iron sulfide often called fool’s gold. Some of that pyrite later oxidized to iron oxides such as goethite and hematite. 



Iron can help stabilize organic structures during fossilization, and the resulting minerals can persist long after soft tissue disappears. 



Here, the original vessels are gone, but their mineral casts remain, recording the paths where blood once moved through healing bone.



“Normally, what gets preserved in the fossil record is only just the hard parts - just the bones or the teeth,” Mitchell told CBC News' Adam Hunter.



“But we can actually have the soft tissues preserved in rare circumstances, and these can tell us a lot more about how dinosaurs lived millions of years ago.”



The chemistry and the location work together. Iron sulfides transitioning to iron oxides fit a plausible path from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archaeopteryx-fossil-soft-tissue-flight-evolution-proves-darwin-right/">soft tissue to mineral replicas</a>, especially in a confined space like a fracture callus where blood flow once surged.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-location-of-the-t-rex-blood-vessels">Location of the T. rex blood vessels</h2>



The features cluster where healing was most active. Temporary vessels can grow larger than everyday bone canals as they branch from the marrow cavity and the bone surface to supply repair tissue. 



Seeing that size and distribution in the rib strengthens the case that these were angiogenesis-related structures, not ordinary anatomy or random mineral growth.



“Preserved blood vessel structures, like we have found in Scotty’s rib bone, appear linked to areas where the bone was healing. This is because during the healing process, those areas had increased blood flow to them,” Barbi explained.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-06981-z/figures/4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/scotty_t-rex_preserved-blood-vessels_light-microscopy-images_Scientific-Reports_1s.webp" alt="In situ analysis of vascular structures in fractured Tyrannosaurus rex rib using cross-polarized light microscopy. Credit: Scientific Reports" class="wp-image-1981926"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In situ analysis of vascular structures in fractured Tyrannosaurus rex rib using cross-polarized light microscopy. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Scientific Reports</figcaption></figure>



This targeted preservation also speaks to how fossils can capture brief, intense biological episodes. A break triggers a rush of activity lasting weeks or months. 



Under the right burial conditions, traces of that activity can harden into rock and wait for us to find them.



“This work also provides a new way to compare how injuries healed in extinct animals, like dinosaurs, with living species, such as birds and reptiles, which helps us better understand the biology of the past, and also how life on Earth has evolved over millions of years," Barbi concluded.



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



These results connect dinosaur biology with processes we see in clinics and labs today. 



Bone is living tissue. It remodels, it repairs, and - under certain conditions - its repair work can leave a chemical and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/183-million-year-old-plesiosaur-fossil-plesiopterys-wildi-preserved-skin-soft-tissue/">structural record that lasts</a>. 



The study also shows how non-destructive tools can reveal fragile features without harming invaluable fossils.



The approach helps clarify past debates over “soft tissues” <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-fossils-reveal-cancer-clues-for-modern-medicine/">in dinosaur bones</a>. Here, the authors do not claim original vessels. 



They present mineral casts that track vessel paths in a healing zone, supported by size, distribution, and iron-based chemistry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-learned-for-future-studies">Lessons learned for future studies</h2>



Healed injuries may be prime places to look for similar traces in other dinosaurs and in distant relatives like early birds and reptiles. 



With broader sampling, finer imaging, and detailed chemical work, researchers could compare healing rates, test links to metabolism, and study how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-some-animals-become-fossils-while-others-just-disappear/">burial environments shape preservation</a>.



A single broken rib from an enormous T. rex skeleton has told a very precise story: blood rushed to a wound, vessels expanded, bone knit, and minerals later filled the spaces left behind. 



The biology ended ages ago. The imprint stayed put.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-06981-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



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Preserved blood vessels found in bones of the world's largest T. rex

A broken bone sets off a repair job inside the...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that scientists never expected.</figcaption></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



-----



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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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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