In a remarkable medical breakthrough, engineers have developed a light-activated pacemaker so tiny that doctors can inject it into the body through a syringe. Remarkably, the device simply dissolves after it’s no longer needed.&nbsp;



Designed for newborns, the pacemaker could transform temporary heart care after congenital defect surgeries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-controlling-the-heart-with-light">Controlling the heart with light</h2>



The new pacemaker is smaller than a grain of rice. It's wirelessly activated through pulses of light which are delivered by a soft, wearable device mounted on the patient’s chest.



The external controller detects abnormal rhythms and sends light through the body to activate the pacemaker and restore heartbeat. The study demonstrates the device’s effectiveness across animal and human donor hearts.&nbsp;



The development of the pacemaker was led by John A. Rogers, a professor of material science, biomedical engineering, and neurological surgery at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northwestern University</a>.&nbsp;



“We have developed what is, to our knowledge, the world’s smallest pacemaker,” said Professor Rogers.



“There’s a crucial need for temporary pacemakers in the context of pediatric heart surgeries, and that’s a use case where size miniaturization is incredibly important. In terms of the device load on the body - the smaller, the better.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solution-designed-for-newborns">Solution designed for newborns</h2>



Though the light-activated pacemaker can function in patients of all sizes, its miniaturized design was motivated by the needs of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/infant-speech-is-driven-by-heart-rate-activity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">infants</a>. 



Igor Efimov is a co-leader of the study and experimental cardiologist at Northwestern.&nbsp;



“About 1% of children are born with congenital heart defects. The good news is that these children only need temporary pacing after a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-smallest-robot-could-transform-minimally-invasive-surgery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">surgery</a>. In about seven days or so, most patients’ hearts will self-repair. But those seven days are absolutely critical," said Efimov.



Traditional pacemakers require surgery and have wires sticking out of the chest to connect to an external device. When they are no longer needed, the wires are removed - risking bleeding, tissue damage, or even death.



“Wires literally protrude from the body, attached to a pacemaker outside the body,” Efimov explained. “When the pacemaker is no longer needed, a physician pulls it out. The wires can become enveloped in scar tissue. That’s actually how Neil Armstrong died.”



The new injectable pacemaker addresses these risks. All of its components are biocompatible and bioresorbable, meaning they safely dissolve in the body’s fluids without needing surgical removal. Once the device has served its purpose, it simply disappears.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-refining-the-light-activated-pacemaker">Refining the light-activated pacemaker</h2>



This innovation builds on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-021-00948-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">earlier work</a> by Rogers and Efimov, who developed a quarter-sized dissolvable pacemaker in 2021. Surgeons asked for a smaller version to allow easier placement and suit the smallest patients.&nbsp;



The original device used near-field communication (NFC), but its antenna limited how small the device could be made. To overcome this, the team replaced the NFC system with a novel light-based mechanism.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pacemaker_light-activated_worlds-smallest_heart-health_Northwestern_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pacemaker_light-activated_worlds-smallest_heart-health_Northwestern_1s.webp" alt="The tiny pacemaker sits next to a single grain of rice on a fingertip. The device is so small that it can be non-invasively injected into the body via a syringe. Credit: John A. Rogers/Northwestern University" class="wp-image-1964846"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The tiny pacemaker sits next to a single grain of rice on a fingertip. The device is so small that it can be non-invasively injected into the body via a syringe. Click image to enlarge. Credit: John A. Rogers/Northwestern University</figcaption></figure>



“Instead of using the radio frequency scheme for wireless control, we developed a light-based scheme for turning the pacemaker on and delivering stimulation pulses to the surface of the heart. This is one feature that allowed us to dramatically reduce the size,” said Professor Rogers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-powered-by-the-body-s-own-fluids">Powered by the body’s own fluids</h2>



The engineers also reimagined how to power the tiny pacemaker. Rather than requiring a battery or external power source, the device uses a simple galvanic cell - a chemical battery formed by two different metals as electrodes.&nbsp;



When the device is inside the body, surrounding biofluids act as the electrolyte, allowing electrical current to flow and stimulate the heart.



“A very tiny light-activated switch on the opposite side from the battery allows us to turn the device from its ‘off’ state to an ‘on’ state upon delivery of light that passes through the patient’s body from the skin-mounted patch,” explained Professor Rogers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reducing-trauma-and-risk">Reducing trauma and risk</h2>



Using infrared light, which can safely penetrate deep into the body, the wearable controller detects when a patient’s heart rate falls too low. It then triggers a light-emitting diode (LED) to flash on and off at the desired pacing rhythm.&nbsp;



“Infrared light penetrates very well through the body,” Efimov said. “If you put a flashlight against your palm, you will see the light glow through the other side of your hand. It turns out that our bodies are great conductors of light.”



Despite its microscopic size - just 1.8 mm wide, 3.5 mm long, and 1 mm thick - the pacemaker delivers stimulation on par with traditional devices. “The heart requires a tiny amount of electrical stimulation,” Rogers said.&nbsp;



“By minimizing the size, we dramatically simplify the implantation procedures, we reduce trauma and risk to the patient, and, with the dissolvable nature of the device, we eliminate any need for secondary surgical extraction procedures.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-era-of-heart-care">A new era of heart care</h2>



Because these light-activated pacemakers are so small and wireless, doctors could one day deploy multiple units on different parts of the heart to create more advanced pacing systems. 



Each device could be controlled independently using different light wavelengths, enabling personalized and precisely timed stimulation across the heart’s surface.



“We can deploy a number of such small pacemakers onto the outside of the heart and control each one,” Efimov said. “Then we can achieve improved synchronized functional care.”



Professor Rogers noted that because it’s so small, the pacemaker can be integrated with almost any kind of implantable device.



“We also demonstrated integration of collections of these devices across the frameworks that serve as transcatheter aortic valve replacements to address complications that can occur during a patient’s recovery process," said Rogers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-bioelectronic-medicine">Future of bioelectronic medicine</h2>



While this breakthrough has clear implications for pediatric heart care, the technology could pave the way for a new generation of bioelectronic medicine.&nbsp;



These tiny, dissolvable devices could one day be adapted to promote nerve and bone regeneration, manage <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mindfulness-meditation-is-a-powerful-weapon-against-chronic-pain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pain</a>, support wound healing, and more.



Northwestern engineers shrank the device and removed risks by making it dissolve after use. In doing so, they’ve created a tool that could reshape how doctors care for the heart - from the tiniest patients to adults.



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Click here to <a href="https://youtu.be/j_0hZ8cUwgo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watch a video interview...</a>



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08726-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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World's smallest pacemaker is set to revolutionize heart health

In a remarkable medical breakthrough, engineers have developed a light-activated pacemaker so tiny that doctors can inject it into the body through a syringe. Remarkably, the device simply dissolves after it’s no longer needed.&nbsp; Designed for newborns, the pacemaker could transform temporary heart care after congenital defect surgeries. Controlling the heart with light The new pacemaker is smaller than a grain of rice. It's wirelessly activated through pulses of light which are delivered by a soft, wearable device mounted on the patient’s chest. The external controller detects...

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." You've often heard this phrase, haven't you? Turns out, the beholder is no other than… you! Recent studies highlight that we are impressively adept at evaluating our own attractiveness. 



Even more intriguing, we tend to match with partners who reflect our level of attractiveness. Thereby, quite possibly, you and your partner are of comparable aesthetic appeal, as per scientific findings.



But what does attractiveness truly denote?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-intricacies-of-attractiveness-and-partners">Intricacies of attractiveness and partners</h2>



Attractiveness is indeed a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/having-a-sense-of-purpose-makes-you-more-likely-to-find-love/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complicated and subjective</a> notion, molded by cultural and biological aspects. Universally sought-after traits, such as crystal clear skin and symmetrical features, certainly play their part. 



However, individual tastes range vastly. Factors like personal experiences, societal norms, and our self-image shape our perception of beauty.



Research implies that we are inclined towards those we perceive as being equivalent to us in attractivity. This so-called "matching hypothesis" might be fueled by the quest for validation and aversion to rejection. 



Nonetheless, attractiveness constitutes just one component of the complex matrix of human association. Enduring relationships ultimately thrive on shared interests, values, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/want-a-happier-marriage-try-the-loving-talk-you-use-with-your-dog/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emotional harmony</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beauty-and-attractive-partners">Beauty and attractive partners</h2>



Dr. Gregory Webster, a renowned psychologist from the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Florida</a>, led a team diving into this captivating phenomenon. 



This team reanalyzed staggering data from a comprehensive 1988 study about couples' attractiveness. Using modern statistical techniques, they interpreted this old data in a fresh light.



Their findings? Both genders were exceptionally accurate at evaluating their allure. 



"There's an extensive line of research on meta-analysis. There's an entire line of research on how to analyze data for couples. But they haven't really been put together before," Dr. Webster emphasized.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-partners-share-same-definition-of-attractive">Partners share same definition of "attractive"</h2>



To gain these insights, researchers had couples rate their attractiveness, and then strangers rated the same individuals. 



The results revealed an astonishing consistency between self-perception and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/peoples-love-of-nature-is-both-learned-and-inherited-genetically/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">external opinions</a>. Dr. Webster, explaining the unique approach, said, "By combining these research methods, they were able to look at a vast quantity of data extending back to 1972."



The study further delved into how self-ratings of attractiveness change as the relationship progresses. In the earlier stages, men seemed slightly overconfident about their looks, which faded over time. 



"Men might be getting realistic," humorously quotes Dr. Webster. "Nobody's usually getting more attractive over time." 



However, as they say, love is blind, those rose-tinted glasses might just be the secret behind the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strong-teen-friendships-build-lasting-resilience/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">longevity of relationships</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-attractiveness-in-the-modern-dating-game">Attractiveness in the modern dating game</h2>



The dating landscape has seen a radical transformation since 1972. Online dating platforms revolutionized the way we connect with potential partners. 



We've shifted from random encounters to browsing profiles, with physical appearance playing a pivotal role in initial attraction.



Despite these changes, Dr. Webster's research indicates human's fundamental attractiveness preferences have remained remarkably static. 



"The fundamentals of what humans consider to be attractive across cultures and over time are pretty consistent," he acknowledges.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-this-mean-for-you">What does this mean for you?</h2>



This research is more than just <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experiences-not-things-are-key-to-deeper-social-connection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fun facts</a> for your next dinner party.&nbsp;It sheds light on how we perceive ourselves and choose our attractive partners.&nbsp;



But remember, attractiveness is just one piece of the puzzle. While this study focused on physical looks, other factors like personality, shared interests, and values are equally important in building lasting relationships. 



So, while it's nice to know you and your partner are a good-looking pair, it's the connection you share that truly makes you the fairest couple of all.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886924001909?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Personality and Individual Differences</a>.



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We usually end up with partners who look as attractive as we are

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." You've often...

Have you ever thought about why we wear clothes?&nbsp;Yes,&nbsp;they keep us warm and maintain our modesty,&nbsp;but there's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-knitting-could-transform-technology/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">even more to it</a> than that.&nbsp;The story of clothing is as fascinating as human history itself.&nbsp;Surprisingly,&nbsp;the tiny one-eyed needle became a key component in fashion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolution-of-clothing">Evolution of clothing</h2>



Imagine early humans taking shelter in caves, using tools to prepare animal hides. These garments weren't about fashion; they were purely for survival. 



Ancient humans donned clothing solely to protect themselves from the environment, putting it on or removing it as necessary.



Dr. Ian Gilligan, an archaeologist from the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sydney</a>, sheds light on this phenomenon.



“Why do we wear clothes? We assume that it’s part of being human, but once you look at different cultures, you realize that people existed and functioned perfectly adequately in society without clothes,” Dr Gilligan says. 



“What intrigues me is the transition of clothing from being a physical necessity in certain environments, to a social necessity in all environments."



Interestingly, about 40,000 years ago, the revolutionary eyed needle was invented. This invention changed not only the way we dressed, but also our perceptions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-of-the-eyed-needle-on-fashion">Impact of the eyed needle on fashion</h2>



The introduction of the eyed needle in the fashion world marked a significant milestone in human development. 



Dr. Gilligan and his team propose a remarkable theory: these needles weren't merely for sewing – they were the starting point of our modern fashion sense.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/eyed-needles_prehistoric_paleolithic_credit-Gilligan_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/eyed-needles_prehistoric_paleolithic_credit-Gilligan_1s.jpg" alt="Eyed needles from the last ice age (image credit Gilligan et al 2024)" class="wp-image-1937717"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Eyed needles from the last ice age (image credit Gilligan et al 2024)</figcaption></figure>



“Eyed needle tools are an important development in prehistory because they document a transition in the function of clothing from utilitarian to social purposes,” says Dr Ian Gilligan.



Why were these needles such a game-changer? While bone awls could create fitted clothing, eyed needles allowed for intricate designs and embellishments. 



Suddenly, garments served as a medium for self-expression rather than just protection from the cold.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-eyed-needles-changed-fashion">When eyed needles changed fashion </h2>



You may wonder why our ancestors began to adorn their outfits with decorations. The answer lies in the harsh conditions of the last ice age.



“We know that clothing up until the last glacial cycle was only used on an ad hoc basis. The classic tools that we associate with that are hide scrapers or stone scrapers, and we find them appearing and going away during the different phases of the last ice ages,” Dr Gilligan explains.



Picture living in a world where showing off body paint or scars was impossible due to extreme cold. What could early fashion-conscious individuals do? 



The solution was simple: if they couldn't embellish their bodies, they would embellish their clothes with instead.



And just like that, fashion as we know it was born. Clothing transitioned from a basic need to a means of standing out, belonging, and expressing individuality.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fashion-s-impact-on-societies">Fashion's impact on societies</h2>



The invention of eyed needle and resulting fashion revolution didn't just influence aesthetics; it reshaped human societies on a fundamental level.



Equipped with warm, decorated clothing, humans could now expand into colder regions, leading to the formation of larger, more sophisticated communities.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/eyed-needle_paleolithic-clothing_artist-Mariana-Ariza_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/eyed-needle_paleolithic-clothing_artist-Mariana-Ariza_1s.jpg" alt="Artist impression of decorated tailored clothing in the Upper Paleolithic (image credit Mariana Ariza)." class="wp-image-1937715"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Artist impression of decorated tailored clothing in the Upper Paleolithic (image credit Mariana Ariza).</figcaption></figure>



Shared clothing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-were-already-making-clothing-120000-years-ago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">styles</a> became a way to identify with one's community, promoting cooperation and social unity.



Additionally, the skills associated with clothing production and embellishment contributed to a more sustainable way of life, enhancing the survival and prosperity of human societies. 



Who could have guessed that a touch of prehistoric flair would have such far-reaching effects?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-psychological-influence-of-clothing">Psychological influence of clothing</h2>



In modern times, being clothed is a universal norm regardless of climate. This commonplace practice of covering up has brought about profound psychological changes in how we perceive ourselves and our environment.



Dr. Gilligan's future research aims to delve deeper into this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mushroom-leather-mycelium-latest-eco-friendly-fashion-trend/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fascinating area</a>.



“We take it for granted we feel comfortable wearing clothes and uncomfortable if we’re not wearing clothes in public. But how does wearing clothes impact the way we look at ourselves, the way we see ourselves as humans, and perhaps how we look at the environment around us?” wonders Dr. Gilligan.



These questions open up a new dimension in our conception of fashion. It's not just about what we wear, but how what we wear shapes our identity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-ahead-in-fashion-world">Looking ahead in fashion world</h2>



Considering the future, it is clear that fashion will continue to evolve and shape our cultures. From <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eco-friendly-vegan-leather-could-transform-the-fashion-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sustainable</a> materials to smart fabrics and beyond, the possibilities are vast. 



However, fashion will likely continue to fulfill the same fundamental roles it has for centuries: protection, expression, and forging connections.



So the next time you don your favorite outfit, pause to appreciate the rich history behind it. From simple animal hides to intricate designs, from survival gear to social statements, our clothes narrate a tale as old as humanity itself.



And who knows? In another 40,000 years, researchers will all be dissecting the meaning of skinny <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-fast-fashion-jeans-bad-for-environment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">jeans</a> and what it says about our civilization. 



One thing is for sure -- this tale of fashion continues to unravel with all of us playing a part in carving its future chapters.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp2887" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Fashion history was forever altered by the tiny eyed needle 40,000 years ago

Have you ever thought about why we wear clothes?&nbsp;Yes,&nbsp;they keep...

There is an old saying that honesty is the best policy, but in reality, people lie quite a bit. Despite this, we often refrain from calling out liars due to societal norms and a preference for politeness. However, a new player is entering the lie detection game and may dramatically change these norms – Artificial Intelligence (AI).



The game-changing role of AI in lie detection was highlighted in a recent study published in the journal iScience. The research uncovered that people are far more prone to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-happens-when-robots-lie/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">accuse others of deceit</a> when an AI system makes the initial accusation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-society-ready-for-ai-lie-detection">Is society ready for AI lie detection?</h2>



This insight into the societal implications of AI-based lie detection could have significant repercussions as policy makers explore and implement such technologies.



The lead proponent of this research is Nils Köbis, a behavioral scientist and senior author at the <a href="https://www.uni-due.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University Duisburg-Essen</a> in Germany. 



“Our society has strong, well-established norms about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lie-detection-nose-shrinks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">accusations of lying</a>. It would take a lot of courage and evidence for one to openly accuse others of lying," Köbis explains. 



"But our study shows that AI could become an excuse for people to conveniently hide behind, so that they can avoid being held responsible for the consequences of accusations.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-of-truth-default-theory">Implications of truth-default theory</h2>



The truth-default theory guides much of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/harder-lie-convincingly/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human interaction</a>. This theory asserts that we intuitively believe what we hear is true. 



Consequently, our inherent trust in others makes us terrible lie detectors. In fact, prior research has shown people are no better at detecting lies than pure chance.



With AI coming into the picture, Köbis and his team were keen to understand how its presence might alter existing social norms and behaviors related to accusations. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-ai-lie-detection">Testing AI lie detection</h2>



To put this to the test, they enlisted 986 individuals to write a truthful and false account of their plans for the following weekend. 



The team used this data to train an AI model that correctly distinguished between truth and lies 66% of the time, a success rate far higher than the average human’s.



Building on this, researchers brought in over 2,000 judges tasked with reading these accounts and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brains-may-be-hardwired-to-believe-lies-and-conspiracy-theories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">determining their veracity</a>. They divided these individuals into four groups - "baseline," "forced," "blocked," and "choice."



The ‘baseline’ group had no AI assistance, while the ‘forced’ group always received an AI prediction before making their judgement. 



The 'blocked' and 'choice' groups could opt to receive an AI prediction, but the 'blocked' group was denied it, while the 'choice' group was granted it.



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



Contrary to our inherent trust, the outcomes were revealing. Participants in the 'baseline' group correctly identified truthful and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/psychopathic-tendencies-better-lying/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">false accounts</a> only 46% of the time. 



Just 19% of this group accused the accounts of being false, despite knowing that half of the statements were indeed lies.



In comparison, the 'forced' group, who always received an AI prediction, saw over a third of participants accusing the statements of being lies – significantly higher than the 'baseline' and 'blocked' groups, which had no AI predictions.



Surprisingly, even when armed with an AI prediction, a mere 13% of participants called out <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sliars-suppress-deception-cues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">false statements</a> when the AI claimed them to be true. 



However, when AI labelled a statement as false, over 40% of participants readily echoed the accusation. And a staggering 84% of participants who received an AI prediction willingly adopted it, readily calling out lies when AI identified them as false.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-perception-of-ai-lie-detection">Public perception of AI lie detection</h2>



Despite the apparent accuracy, people seemed rather hesitant to embrace AI for lie detection. In the 'blocked' and 'choice' groups, only a third of participants requested the AI prediction. 



This reluctance to use AI might be due to overconfidence in our own lie detection abilities, despite evidence to the contrary.



AI, despite its potential, is known for frequently <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/politicians-get-away-lying/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reinforcing biases</a> and making mistakes. In light of this fact, Köbis warns that this reliance on AI, especially for sensitive matters like screening asylum seekers at borders, should be taken with caution.



“There's such a big hype around AI, and many people believe these algorithms are really, really potent and even objective. I’m really worried that this would make people over-rely on it, even when it doesn’t work that well,” Köbis cautions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ethical-dilemma-ai-bias-and-over-reliance">Ethical dilemma: AI, bias, and over-reliance</h2>



In summary, AI is changing how we trust each other. Dr. Köbis's study shows that people quickly believe AI when it says someone is lying. 



This is a big deal because it could change how we interact with our friends, family, and authority figures. We don't usually call others liars, but with AI, we might do it more often. 



AI lie detection could cause problems in our relationships and society. We need to be careful about using AI for lie detection, especially for important decisions. 



Leaders should think hard about when and how to use this technology. We all need to remember that AI can make mistakes. It's important to use our own judgment and not just rely on what AI tells us. 



As we use more AI in our lives, we must find ways to keep trust and understanding between people. This research helps us see the challenges we face as AI becomes more common.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(24)01426-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2589004224014263%3Fshowall%3Dtrue">iScience</a>.



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Truth, deception, and the future of AI lie detection machines

There is an old saying that honesty is the best...

“Climate change” is no longer a distant concept; it's an ongoing reality with tangible consequences. A manifestation of this can be seen in marine heatwaves that are altering the traditional coastal safe havens, making survival difficult for young Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cod-population-hit-hard-by-heat-waves-nbsp">Cod population hit hard by heat waves &nbsp;</h2>



With a focus on the marine heat waves in 2014-16 and 2019, researchers have discovered that young Pacific cod, who have traditionally found safety around Kodiak Island, no longer enjoy the defenses these near-shore nurseries used to offer.&nbsp;



Instead, they're undergoing significant alterations in their abundance, growth rates, and diet. It's estimated that only the top 15 to 25 percent of Kodiak Island's cod population with the largest size endured the summer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heat-waves-are-persisting-in-the-u-s-even-in-winter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heat waves</a>. 



Even as temperatures recede, these cod are still struggling to return to their pre-heat wave size and diet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unreliable-safe-havens-nbsp">Unreliable safe havens&nbsp;</h2>



Study lead author Hillary Thalmann is a graduate student in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences at <a href="https://fwcs.oregonstate.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oregon State University</a>. 



“These coastal habitats aren’t supporting fish in the same way that they used to as a result of marine heat waves,” said Thalmann.



“That’s a novel finding, because we don’t always look at the nurseries as a place where size-selective mortality could be occurring rapidly.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ripple-effects-of-climate-change-nbsp">Ripple effects of climate change&nbsp;</h2>



The evidence gathered from these observations could potentially have widespread implications for marine fish populations across the globe, as climate change causes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-are-causing-massive-seabird-mortality-events/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine heatwaves</a> to become lengthier and more frequent. 



The Pacific cod, a favorite choice for fish and chips, is the second-largest commercial groundfish fishery off the coast of Alaska.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-struggles-of-the-pacific-cod">Struggles of the Pacific cod</h2>



The coastal nurseries traditionally act as safe havens for young Pacific cod, who begin feeding and growing in these areas from around three months of age.&nbsp;



However, the heatwaves recorded water temperatures of 58 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly 6 degrees above normal, making survival a challenge. These two heatwaves are considered the most extreme warming events in the Northeast Pacific Ocean's records.&nbsp;



The impact on the cod population was so severe that the fishery had to close in 2020, leading to a federal disaster declaration in 2022.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-focus-of-the-research-nbsp">Focus of the research&nbsp;</h2>



In this study, the focus was on the physiological disruptions that young cod faced while inhabiting the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-protected-areas-are-not-immune-to-ocean-heatwaves/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coastal nurseries</a>. 



To investigate, the researchers analyzed juvenile Pacific cod collected from 16 sites around Kodiak Island during the summers of 2006-2019.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-size-selective-mortality-of-pacific-cod">Size-selective mortality of Pacific cod</h2>



The analysis of the samples revealed that the August fish were 30% larger than the projected size based on the July growth rate, with almost no small fish present in the August sample.&nbsp;



The only viable explanation for this was to consider only the top 15-25% of the July sample and project their growth to August. It's probable that the size-selective mortality was a significant factor in what the researchers witnessed.



“If we removed the little guys and grew the big guys - the top 15-25% - through to August based on the growth rates we saw earlier in the summer, then we got the size range that we see in those heat wave years,” noted Thalmann.&nbsp;



“It’s important to show that with heat events like this, size-selective mortality can continue in the cod population beyond just their early life in the open water.”



“We saw these differences in size in the nursery, and we tried to explain them with growth rates and tried to explain them with diet, but we couldn’t explain it all.”



“There was something out there, probably size-selective mortality, that was the major driver for what we were seeing.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cautionary-tale-for-climate-change-nbsp">Cautionary tale for climate change&nbsp;</h2>



Changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/frequent-heatwaves-have-become-the-norm-in-the-arctic-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ocean conditions</a> may result in Pacific cod moving further north to find suitable growth environments, or there may be a shift towards larger cod being the sole survivors who pass on their genetic information. 



“If the marine heat waves continue, there will probably be some changes in both the distribution and the quality of these populations,” said Thalmann. “I don’t think it’s the end of fish and chips, but I do think it’s a cautionary tale for climate change and the shifting dynamics of fisheries in warm temperatures.”



The study was a collaboration with co-authors Zoe Almeida, Kaitlyn Osborne, Kaylee Marshall, and Jessica Miller at the Oregon State University, and Benjamin Laurel at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Centre in Newport, Oregon.



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63897-w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



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Coastal safe havens may no longer protect Pacific cod

“Climate change” is no longer a distant concept; it's an...

Research is underway to decipher the motor circuits in the central nervous system that control the movements of a fruit fly. Quite surprisingly, this seemingly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-flight-is-powered-by-an-extraordinary-structure/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">simple creature</a> harbors an unexpected level of complexity in its neurons and motor system.



A closer look into their motor neurons has revealed that thousands of synapses are received from hundreds of presynaptic premotor neurons. 



Quite astonishingly, this is similar to the scale of synaptic integration in pyramidal cells of the rodent cortex. This observation opens up immense possibilities for advanced studies in neuroscience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-motor-circuits">Motor circuits</h2>



Motor circuits in the central nervous system are networks of neurons that control muscle movements. These circuits include motor neurons that send signals from the brain and spinal cord to muscles, telling them when to contract or relax. 



This network helps us perform actions like walking, talking, and writing by coordinating different muscle groups. Motor circuits ensure our movements are smooth and precise.



The circuits work together with sensory neurons, which provide feedback to adjust and refine our actions. Understanding motor circuits helps scientists learn how our bodies move and how to treat movement disorders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complexity-of-a-fruit-fly-s-motor-skills">Complexity of a fruit fly's motor skills</h2>



The findings provide further insights into how animals' central nervous systems coordinate individual muscles to execute a range of behaviors.



Consider a fruit fly: it uses its legs for a variety of tasks, from leaping and walking to grooming, fighting, and courtship. It can even adjust its gait to handle different terrains like house plants, walls, damp surfaces, and even ceilings.



The remarkable part? All these movements, whether it's maintaining a steady position or changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-flying-insects-fight-the-wind-to-reach-food-sources/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flight direction</a>, are controlled via electrical signals from motor neurons. These signals traverse threadlike projections from the motor neuron to stimulate the muscles.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mighty-motor-neurons-in-fruit-flies">Mighty motor neurons in fruit flies</h2>



A fruit fly's six legs are powered by just 60 to 70 motor neurons. In contrast, a cat's single calf muscle is served by around 600 motor neurons. It's even more striking when you realize that a fruit fly's wing - responsible for power and steering - is governed by a mere 29 motor neurons.



Despite having so few motor neurons, flies demonstrate extraordinary aerial and terrestrial feats. How do they manage this? 



The answer lies in motor units, which are made up of a single motor neuron and the muscle fibers it can stimulate. 



Various motor units, activated in different combinations and sequences, work together to cover a wide range of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fruit-flies-use-their-eyes-to-control-flight-at-incredible-speeds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">movement behaviors</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-premotor-circuits">Premotor circuits</h2>



The researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle sought to understand how the fly's nervous system coordinates these motor units to accomplish different tasks.



Using state-of-the-art tools, machine learning, and cell-type annotation, they identified roughly 14,600 neuronal cell bodies and about 45 million synapses within the ventral nerve cord of a female fruit fly. 



They then employed deep learning to reconstruct the anatomy of the neurons and their connections throughout the fly's body.



The results? A comprehensive map of the muscles targeted by leg and wing motor neurons, and an atlas of the circuits that coordinate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-flight-is-powered-by-an-extraordinary-structure/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flight</a> initiation and mid-air movements.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mystery-of-multiple-innervations">Mystery of multiple innervations</h2>



Interestingly, some muscle fibers in adult flies are innervated by several motor neurons – a feature that appears in some mammals as newborns but usually disappears by adulthood. 



The team theorizes that this could offer greater flexibility and explain why <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amazing-fact-insect-wings-flap-faster-than-their-brain-speed-can-command/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">insects</a>' limbs operate with such precision despite having so few motor neurons.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wing-it-like-a-fly">Wing it like a fly</h2>



The researchers also looked into the fruit fly's wing motor system, divided mainly into three functional sections: powering the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/universal-equation-predicts-the-flapping-frequency-of-birds-insects-and-even-whales/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wing flapping</a>, steering, and adjusting wing motion.



The study led to a comparison of the organization of premotor circuits for two types of limbs with distinct evolutionary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fungi-eating-orchids-assist-fruit-flies-with-reproduction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paths</a> and biomechanics.



These studies are crucial for developing connectomes, which are offering groundbreaking insights into neural circuit functionality.



The future looks promising, with the upcoming reconstruction of a male fruit fly's central nerve cord potentially revealing differences between sexes.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07600-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Fruit flies can walk, jump, and dance using the same motor neurons

Research is underway to decipher the motor circuits in the...

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (<a href="https://webb.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JWST</a>) has discovered a cosmic enigma that's shaking up our understanding of the early universe. This finding, called "Tiny Red Spots," is forcing scientists to reconsider their long-held <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-novae-star-explosion-may-be-origin-phosphorus-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">theories</a> about how galaxies form.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-red-spots">Tiny red spots</h2>



Researchers at Penn State have discovered three very peculiar objects dating back to around 600-800 million years after the Big Bang. These entities, dubbed "Tiny Red Spots," are a phenomenon unlike any seen before.



“We have confirmed that these appear to be packed with ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/newly-discovered-stars-milky-way-are-old-as-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stars</a> - hundreds of millions of years old - in a universe that is only 600-800 million years old. Remarkably, these objects hold the record for the earliest signatures of old starlight,” said Bingjie Wang, a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State and lead author on the paper.



“It was totally unexpected to find old stars in a very young universe. The standard models of cosmology and galaxy formation have been incredibly successful, yet, these luminous objects do not quite fit comfortably into those theories.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-traditional-views">Rethinking traditional views</h2>



These galaxies hold stars that are hundreds of millions of years old, within a universe that is merely 5% of its present age. It's akin to finding a 90-year-old individual in a realm where the eldest person should be 18. This uncovering disrupts our existing models of galaxy creation and development.



“It’s very confusing,” said Joel Leja, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State</a> and co-author on both papers.



“You can make this uncomfortably fit in our current model of the universe, but only if we evoke some exotic, insanely rapid formation at the beginning of time. This is, without a doubt, the most peculiar and interesting set of objects I've seen in my career.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supermassive-black-holes-in-tiny-red-spots">Supermassive black holes in tiny red spots</h2>



These galaxies also contain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-black-holes-become-supermassive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supermassive</a> black holes that surpass the anticipated sizes for this cosmic epoch. We're looking at black holes that are 100 to 1,000 times more massive than the one in our Milky Way.



“Normally supermassive black holes are paired with galaxies,” Leja said. “They grow up together and go through all their major life experiences together." 



"But here, we have a fully formed adult black hole living inside of what should be a baby galaxy. That doesn't really make sense, because these things should grow together, or at least that’s what we thought.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cosmic-compactness">Cosmic compactness</h2>



These galaxies are incredibly dense, measuring only a few hundred light-years in diameter. For a better grasp, they are roughly 1,000 times smaller than our Milky Way, yet they accommodate about the same number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-speed-baby-stars-swarm-around-milky-ways-supermassive-sagittarius-a/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stars</a> – ranging from 10 billion to 1 trillion.



“These early galaxies would be so dense with stars - stars that must have formed in a way we've never seen, under conditions we would never expect during a period in which we’d never expect to see them,” Leja said.



“And for whatever reason, the universe stopped making objects like these after just a couple of billion years. They are unique to the early universe.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pursuit-of-solutions">Pursuit of solutions</h2>



The researchers plan to conduct further observations to collect more data and hopefully shed some light on the Tiny Red Spots.



By focusing the telescope on the entities for extended periods, they aim to obtain more profound spectra, potentially assisting in distinguishing the light sources between stars and conceivable supermassive black holes.



Nevertheless, breakthroughs in science often emerge from unexpected avenues. “There's another way that we could have a breakthrough, and that's just the right idea,” Leja said. 



“We have all these puzzle pieces and they only fit if we ignore the fact that some of them are breaking. This problem is amenable to a stroke of genius that has so far eluded us, all of our collaborators and the entire scientific community.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reformulating-the-laws-of-the-cosmos">Reformulating the laws of the cosmos</h2>



This discovery serves as a reminder that the universe is full of surprises, and our knowledge continually evolves. 



These ancient, dense galaxies with their aged stars and outsized black <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-holes-are-not-the-secret-source-of-dark-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">holes</a> challenge our established models of galaxy birth and progression. They act as cosmic time capsules, retaining details about the earliest epochs of our universe's narrative.



As we push forward into the cosmos aided by powerful tools like the James Webb Space Telescope, we are destined to uncover more mysteries that expand our horizons of knowledge. 



For now, scientists will continue pondering over these tiny red spots, endeavoring to comprehend their role in the grand cosmic chronicle. And for the rest of us, we can gaze in awe at the marvels of the universe and applaud the devotion of researchers striving to decode its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/awakening-of-a-black-hole-witnessed-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enigmas</a>.



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Mysterious 'tiny red spots' discovered in space

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered a cosmic...

We've all watched those heartwarming videos: families presenting their kids with an adorable puppy, everyone giggling and showering affection as the little furry friend wags its tail and licks faces. But what comes next once the camera stops recording? 



Turns out, bringing a puppy home isn't always the continuous bundle of joy we picture. In reality, for many new dog owners, it can evoke emotions eerily similar to the "baby blues" new parents experience. This phenomenon is known as "puppy blues."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploring-the-puppy-blues">Exploring the puppy blues</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Helsinki</a> have undertaken a study that sheds light on this rollercoaster of emotions: the puppy blues. The researchers concluded that this experience is more prevalent than anticipated.



"Just under half of owners report having had significant negative experiences during their dog's puppyhood phase, with only about a tenth reporting the most severe levels of strain. This is in line with the prevalence of postnatal depression. However, the negative feelings fade relatively quickly," said Professor Hannes Lohi, one of the lead researchers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-do-people-get-puppy-blues">Why do people get puppy blues?</h2>



"The study found that these so-called 'puppy blues' manifest in three ways: anxiety, frustration and weariness. These often occur concurrently, but in some cases one or two of the three may be particularly prominent," said psychologist and doctoral researcher Aada Ståhl.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anxiety">Anxiety</h3>



Imagine this: you've just brought your new puppy home, and suddenly, you're engulfed in worry. Is the puppy eating enough? Too much? Is that sneeze normal, or should you rush to the vet? This constant state of apprehension characterizes puppy-induced anxiety.



Anxious puppy owners often have their minds clouded by concerns about their furry friend's health and growth. 



However, it doesn't end there – many owners also grapple with self-doubt, questioning their capability to look after their new pet. With things not going as planned (which is usual with puppies), these owners might find themselves shouldering the blame, heightening their anxiety further.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frustration">Frustration</h3>



Remember those daydreams of leisurely strolling through the park with your well-behaved puppy? 



Fast forward to reality: your shoes are chewed, your furniture scratched, and your once spotless carpet now a battleground. Welcome to the world of puppy-induced frustration.



Frustrated puppy owners often face unexpected hurdles and the hefty workload of raising a puppy. The stress can lead to discontent and tension, making it challenging to form that ideal bond with their new companion. 



At times, owners might even contemplate if they made a mistake, considering rehoming their puppy.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-weariness">Weariness</h3>



If you thought having a newborn baby was exhausting, try dealing with a creature possessing the energy of a toddler and the attention span of a goldfish – all encased in a furry body that demands constant supervision.



For the weary puppy owner, the puppyhood phase signifies a period of both mental and physical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/owning-a-pet-can-lead-to-more-restless-nights/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fatigue</a>. Sleep becomes a distant luxury as they navigate nighttime bathroom trips and early morning walks. 



The incessant need for attention and activity can leave owners feeling depleted and anxious, questioning if they'll ever feel refreshed again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evaluating-the-puppy-blues">Evaluating the puppy blues</h2>



While dog owners have shared accounts of challenges in raising puppies for a while, this study marks the first scientific measurement and analysis of the phenomenon. 



The researchers initially collected accounts from over 100 dog owners who experienced emotional strain after getting a puppy. Using this information, they designed a survey to gauge the puppy blues more broadly, collecting responses from over 2,000 dog owners.



This structured approach is critical. "Capturing the phenomenon in a measurable form is important if we are to better understand its characteristics, prevalence and duration. This will also allow us to improve understanding of the factors that may predispose <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/homeless-pet-owners-need-better-options-to-protect-their-animals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">owners</a> to or protect them from the 'puppy blues', which will help us to develop prevention and support measures," said Ståhl.



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



Before you swear off puppies forever, there's a silver lining on the horizon. The study indicates that for most owners, these negative sentiments tend to diminish relatively rapidly. Interestingly, the longer the time since the puppyhood phase, the more positively people reminisce about it.



Similar to human children, the trials of early puppyhood are often surpassed by the pleasure and companionship our four-legged friends bring us in the long haul.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-study-significance">Study significance</h2>



You might wonder why examining the 'puppy blues' matters. After all, don't most people eventually navigate through it? While that is true, comprehending this phenomenon can yield extensive advantages.



Primarily, it validates the encounters of numerous dog owners who may have felt isolated or embarrassed about their negative emotions. By bringing these narratives into the open, we can nurture a more supportive environment for new pet owners.



Furthermore, the research unveils fresh opportunities for assisting dog owners. With an enhanced understanding of the influences that contribute to or safeguard against the puppy blues, tailored interventions and support systems can be developed.



This could lead to happier pet owners, well-adjusted dogs, and ultimately, fewer dogs being relinquished to shelters due to owner exhaustion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-embracing-the-trials-of-puppy-love">Embracing the trials of puppy love</h2>



Welcoming a puppy into your home is certainly a life-altering occasion, filled with moments of pure delight and, as we now acknowledge, potential emotional hurdles. The 'puppy blues' stand as a genuine occurrence, impacting almost half of all new dog owners to a certain degree.



But similar to any worthwhile pursuit, the challenges of puppyhood are often outweighed by the rewards. As time goes by, those restless nights and chewed belongings transform into cherished memories, replaced by the unconditional love and companionship only a dog can offer.



So, if you find yourself grappling with the puppy blues, keep in mind: you're not alone, it's not your flaw, and things will improve. After all, every remarkable dog tale commences with a puppy – and a human courageous enough to sail through the storm of puppyhood.



The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-024-00072-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Npj Mental Health Research</a>.



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Many people experience 'puppy blues' with a new pet

We've all watched those heartwarming videos: families presenting their kids...

We all know insects are resourceful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/edible-ants-art-science-sustainable-food-source-ant-cuisine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">critters</a>.&nbsp;They fly,&nbsp;crawl,&nbsp;swim,&nbsp;and burrow...&nbsp;but hitchhike?&nbsp;It turns out,&nbsp;our cars are becoming the latest Ubers for invasive ant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/there-are-2-5-million-ants-for-each-human-on-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>,&nbsp;and scientists are sounding the alarm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stowaways-with-six-legs">Stowaways with six legs</h2>



Scotty Yang, an acclaimed entomologist from <a href="https://www.vt.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Virginia Tech</a>, has been closely observing an intriguing pattern unfolding before our eyes. And no, it's not about an occasional ant making its way into your picnic basket. 



We're talking about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/edible-ants-art-science-sustainable-food-source-ant-cuisine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">entire colonies</a> of ants, queens and all, view our cars as their personal Uber. Yang's research is pioneering in its focus on this fascinating phenomenon.



Scotty observed, "We saw social media posts where people were devastated about finding their cars covered in ants. Although we felt sorry for them, we wanted to examine whether these events had anything in common." 



This quest for answers led him to Taiwan, where he conducted a study involving nine different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/there-are-2-5-million-ants-for-each-human-on-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ant species</a> using vehicles as their own personal vans. 



Tweaking the ordinary by a notch, seven of these species were invasive, making themselves at home in new environments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-ants-travel-in-cars">How ants travel in cars</h2>



Scotty's research compiled reports from individuals across Taiwan who had seen ants on their vehicles. The citizen-led approach allowed him to gather data on a significant scale. 



His study revealed that ants are not picky about their choice of vehicle -- they have been seen inside and outside cars, and even under the hood. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impressive-climbing-ability">Impressive climbing ability</h3>



Common traits among these hitchhiking ants were their climbing ability, foraging habits, and temperature tolerance.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/determining-sex-of-ants-possess-unique-genetics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Small but mighty</a>, ants are remarkable climbers. Their feet come equipped with claws for gripping uneven surfaces like metal or plastic, and adhesive pads that create a temporary bond allowing them to walk on smooth surfaces like glass. 



This makes it possible for ants to navigate different parts of a vehicle, increasing their hitchhiking success.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-foraging-and-colonizing">Foraging and colonizing</h3>



When food sources are scarce, ants tend to explore new areas, making them more likely to turn vehicles into their means of transport. 



Overcrowded colonies or those facing resource limitations are more prone to start new nests. The scout ants could encounter vehicles during their search for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fire-ants-can-teach-us-how-to-create-stronger-materials/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new nesting sites</a>, turning them into moving homes.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-temperature-tolerance">High temperature tolerance</h3>



Cars, due to weather conditions, can exhibit wide temperature variations. Ants, being ectothermic creatures, rely on external sources for body temperature regulation. 



They survive based on their ability to find suitable areas providing the right temperature for their physiological processes. Thus, their assessment of the microclimates within cars is crucial to their survival.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invasive-ants-in-cars">Invasive ants in cars</h2>



This is more than just an annoyance on your commute. Invasive insects can outcompete native species, harm crops, and disrupt ecosystems. 



"Tracking invasive insects and how they spread is an important subject for entomologists because these creatures can represent threats to native species of plants and animals," Scotty emphasizes. 



What was once limited to logs and soil for their spread, now includes our daily commutes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-ants-choose-cars">Why ants choose cars</h2>



Overcrowding seems a key factor leading ants to seek new habitats by hitching rides. Invasive species are particularly prone to this behavior, which has implications worldwide. The U.S, for instance, wrestles with invasive ants like the<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-red-fire-ants-have-made-their-way-to-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> infamous fire ant</a>.



Scotty shares, "Of the 100 worst invasive species in the world, five are species of ants, and two of these are already established in Virginia: the red imported fire ant and the Argentine ant." 



By hitchhiking, these ants are getting a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ants-are-shifting-to-new-habitats-to-cope-with-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fast track to new territories</a>. Scotty hopes to start a similar citizen science project in the U.S. to track ant spread. 



As per his advice, while there's no need for alarm, if you find unexpected passengers, consider it a reminder of our world's interconnectedness and perhaps give your car a good vacuuming.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ants-live-life-in-the-fast-lane">Ants live life in the fast lane</h2>



Scotty Yang's fascinating research into the hitchhiking behavior of ants sheds light on an overlooked aspect of invasive species' expansion. His findings also underscore the impact of human activities on natural ecosystems. 



This surprising ant-car relationship reinforces our awareness of the world's interconnectivity and the significant, albeit often unseen, role even the smallest creatures play in shaping our environment.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/een.13336" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecological Entomology</a>.



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Ants are now using cars to travel and spread to new locations

We all know insects are resourceful critters.&nbsp;They fly,&nbsp;crawl,&nbsp;swim,&nbsp;and burrow...&nbsp;but hitchhike?&nbsp;It...

A,Glacial,Rivers,From,Above.,Aerial,Photograph,Of,The,River

Imagine stepping into a time machine and traveling back 34 million years. As you step out, you find yourself not on a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctica-shattered-extreme-cold-records-during-global-heat-wave/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">continent of ice and snow</a>, but in a lush, temperate landscape crisscrossed by mighty rivers. Welcome to ancient Antarctica, a land that time forgot – until now.



Recent research by a global team of earth scientists found compelling evidence of an ancient, expansive river network that once traversed Antarctica. 



This discovery is reshaping our understanding of the continent's past and providing a glimpse into a previously unknown era of Earth's history.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lost-rivers-of-ancient-antarctica">Lost rivers of ancient Antarctica</h2>



Today, Antarctica is synonymous with a frigid, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctica-ice-shelves-melting-faster-due-to-ocean-currents/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ice-blanketed terrain</a>, home to hardy penguin colonies and a hub for scientific exploration. 



However, this new finding suggests a dramatically different prehistoric landscape. Yet, it turns out that this frozen continent conceals secrets that are currently surfacing.



"The existence of such a transcontinental river system shows that – unlike today – large parts of West Antarctica must have been located above sea level as extensive, flat coastal plains," explains Professor Cornelia Spiegel from the <a href="https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bremen</a>. 



This statement paints a contrasting image of Antarctica as we know it today, allowing us to envision an Amazon basin or Mississippi delta-like landscape, teeming with life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strolling-through-gondwana">Strolling through Gondwana</h2>



To comprehend how Antarctica harbored such an enormous river system, we must journey back in time almost 100 million years. 



Back then, Antarctica wasn't the isolated continent we are familiar with today but was the centerpiece of a supercontinent known as Gondwana.



Gondwana was a geological enigma consisting mostly of today's Southern Hemisphere landmasses. The placement of Antarctica at Gondwana's heart played a crucial role in shaping its geographic features and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-circumpolar-current-speed-increasing-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climatic conditions</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rivers-of-antarctica-a-forgotten-tale">Rivers of Antarctica: A forgotten tale</h2>



With the gradual splitting of Gondwana, Antarctica began its voyage towards the south. Despite being polar in positioning, the continent nurtured its temperate climate for millions of years, leading to the formation of prolific river systems. 



The latest discovery suggests that the largest of these river systems stretched over 1,500 kilometers across the continent – roughly equivalent to the distance from New York to Dallas.



The question arises - how did scientists uncover this vast extinct river system? 



The answer lies in the analysis of sediment samples collected during an expedition on the research icebreaker Polarstern. These sediment samples were the key to unlocking the mysteries of Antarctica's past. 



Upon examining the mineral and rock fragments in the sediments, the researchers unraveled that most of the material originated not from West Antarctica but from the distant Transantarctic Mountains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-antarctica-s-geological-divide">Antarctica’s geological divide</h2>



The Transantarctic Mountains play a pivotal part in this geological narrative. These mountains have been rising since the late Eocene epoch, about 34 million years ago, thereby dividing the Antarctic continent into eastern and western regions. 



As these mountains ascended, they underwent erosion, leading to the genesis of a vast sediment reserve, which was then transported across the continent by the river system and deposited in the current-day Amundsen Sea.



This study's most astonishing finding reveals the dramatic transformation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birth-of-an-iceberg-a-83-breaks-free-from-antarctica/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">West Antarctica's topography</a>. 



While today this region lies largely below sea level, hidden beneath massive ice sheets, it presented a vastly different landscape at the close of the Eocene epoch.



Though focused on ancient geological events, this research offers valuable perspectives on contemporary climate dynamics. 



The swift transition from a temperate, river-rich Antarctica to the ice-covered continent we know today underscores the potential for rapid and significant environmental changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-redefining-earth-s-historical-record">Redefining Earth's historical record</h2>



In summary, this study fills crucial knowledge gaps and transforms our comprehension of Antarctica's history. 



As we delve deeper into Earth's past, we may uncover more important secrets hidden in its geological record.



Antarctica's journey from a landscape etched with rivers to its current icy expanse exemplifies our planet's dynamic nature. 



Facing an uncertain climatic future, these insights into Earth's past may provide crucial guidance for understanding and addressing the changes ahead.



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



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Antarctica was once home to vast river systems traversing the continent

Imagine stepping into a time machine and traveling back 34...

Prepare to rethink what you believe about the universe's darkest secrets. Some innovative researchers have unveiled new findings on dark matter that may necessitate a pivot in the field of cosmology. 



They have unexpectedly stumbled upon novel evidence that could send ripples through our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/theory-gravity-exists-without-mass-so-dark-matter-does-not-exist/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">comprehension of the cosmos</a>.



One path-breaking scholar in this field is Tobias Mistele, a post-doctoral researcher at <a href="https://case.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Case Western University</a> engaged in the study of astronomy. 



Mistele, an innovative force in his field, has pioneered a technique that uses gravitational lensing to penetrate the elusive mysteries of dark matter.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-galaxy-rotation-curves-and-dark-matter">Galaxy rotation curves and dark matter</h2>



His brilliant work has shed light on a surprising phenomenon: the rotation curves of galaxies continue flat as far as the eye can see, or rather, as far as our telescopes can detect. 



This is a direct contradiction to the previous belief that these curves must fall off the further you look into the abyss of space.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/existence-of-dark-matter-confirmed-by-new-study/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diving deeper</a> into the ways galaxies operate, we encounter more mysteries that throw scientists off. Based on Newtonian gravity, it would seem logical for stars situated on the outer edges of galaxies to move slower due to the lower gravitational pull, yet the observable reality has proven otherwise.



Initially, this peculiar behavior was explained by the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-matter-may-reveal-the-origin-of-magnetic-fields/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unseen presence</a> of dark matter. However, even the influence of dark matter halos should taper off at some point, leading to an expected decline in flat rotation curves. 



But Mistele's careful analysis paints a different picture: the influence of this so-called dark matter stretches at least a million light-years from the galactic center, far beyond our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neutron-stars-may-hold-the-key-to-understanding-dark-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previous estimations</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenging-existing-dark-matter-theories">Challenging existing dark matter theories</h2>



The extensive reach of what we've been calling 'dark matter' brings into question whether our current understanding of dark matter is even accurate. 



"This finding challenges existing models, suggesting there exist either vastly extended dark matter halos or that we need to fundamentally reevaluate our understanding of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/visible-matter-dark-matter-evolved-together-big-bang/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gravitational theory</a>," Mistele explained.



This upheaval of established ideas pushes us to think beyond what we've accepted as truth for so long.



Backing up Mistele's work, Stacy McGaugh, professor and director of the Department of Astronomy, lauds the profound implications of this discovery. 



"It not only could redefine our understanding of dark matter but also beckons us to explore alternative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unraveling-gravity-quantum-nature-entanglement-mechanics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">theories of gravity</a>, challenging the very fabric of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-holes-are-not-the-secret-source-of-dark-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modern astrophysics</a>," McGaugh remarks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wit-and-wisdom-of-einstein-still-at-play">Wit and wisdom of Einstein still at play</h2>



The crucial technique in Mistele's research is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-galaxy-jwst-er1g-dark-matter-einstein-ring-mystery-solved/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gravitational lensing</a>, predicted by no other than Albert Einstein himself, in his theory of general relativity. 



This intriguing phenomenon occurs when the mass of an object -- such as a galaxy cluster or even a single massive star -- bends the path of light from a different source. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gravitational-lensing_diagram_mond_dark-matter_ESA_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gravitational-lensing_diagram_mond_dark-matter_ESA_1s.jpg" alt="Diagram explaining gravitational lensing. Credit: ESA" class="wp-image-1937664"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Diagram explaining gravitational lensing. Credit: ESA</figcaption></figure>



The bending happens because the object's mass distorts spacetime around it, and it seems to continue over much larger scales than anticipated.



"Mistele's discovery underscores the necessity for further exploration and collaboration within the scientific community -- and the possible <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cosmic-glitch-in-gravity-expands-the-theory-of-general-relativity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis of other data</a>," McGaugh states. 



It is this spirit of collaboration and exploration that will guide the next steps in this exciting chapter of cosmic research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-do-we-go-from-here">Where do we go from here?</h2>



The core takeaway from these findings is that the mysteries of the universe might be even more profound than we initially thought. 



Either our understanding of dark matter needs to be expanded, or perhaps, as McGaugh pointedly remarks, "the whole paradigm is wrong."



Some have even suggested that existing evidence for dark matter could be pointing to a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/matter-spacetime-gravitational-waves-fabric-of-the-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new theory of gravity</a> that surpasses what Einstein taught us. 



Regardless of the path forward, one thing is clear: we're on the cusp of a paradigm shift, and the scientific community is more eager than ever to embrace it.



In summary, the startling discovery that the influence of dark matter extends much farther than previously thought presents a whole new level of complexity to our understanding of the cosmos. 



Whether we're headed towards an expanded view of dark matter or a fundamentally new theory of gravity, this important research signifies a pivotal moment in the field of cosmology.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.09685">arXiv</a>.



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Dark matter's cosmic influence extends much farther than previously known

Prepare to rethink what you believe about the universe's darkest...

Imagine Antarctica. You're probably visualizing vast, pristine landscapes of endless snow and frost. But as you read this, an unseen threat might be quietly destabilizing the continent's icy terrain.&nbsp;



Globally, scientists have been keeping a close eye on Antarctica, particularly its ice shelves' condition. And they just highlighted something alarming - there's double the previously estimated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ice-shelves-are-fracturing-from-meltwater-weight/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">volume</a> of meltwater present.&nbsp;



This meltwater is largely composed of “slush,” or water-drenched snow, that blankets over half of Antarctica's ice shelves during summer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-decoding-the-ice-shelves">Decoding the ice shelves</h2>



Interestingly, this discovery wasn't the result of a physical expedition but spawned from an innovative union of science and artificial intelligence.&nbsp;



Though ice shelves' surfaces accumulate water during the summer months, spotting this slush-filled meltwater has proved challenging.&nbsp;



"We can use satellite imagery to map meltwater lakes across much of Antarctica, but it's hard to map slush because it looks like other things, such as shadows from clouds, when viewed from a satellite,” said study lead author Rebecca Dell from the <a href="https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scott Polar Research Institute</a> (SPRI) at the University of Cambridge.



But artificial intelligence presented effective solutions to this tricky problem. Utilizing the optical data from NASA's Landsat 8 satellite and training a machine learning model to work with more light wavelengths than the human eye can perceive, the researchers successfully generated monthly records of slush and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ice-sheets-can-retreat-much-faster-than-previously-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meltwater</a> lakes across 57 Antarctic ice shelves from 2013 to 2021.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-silent-struggle-of-the-ice-shelves">Silent struggle of the ice shelves</h2>



Why is this discovery so significant? Well, it lies in the intricate dance of ice, slush, and water. The researchers discovered that in January, at the height of the Antarctic summer, over half (57%) of all meltwater on Antarctica's ice shelves exists as slush.&nbsp;



“This slush has never been mapped on a large scale across all of Antarctica’s large ice shelves, so over half of all surface meltwater has been ignored until now,” noted Dell. “This is potentially significant for the hydrofracture process, where the weight of meltwater can create or enlarge fractures in the ice.”



The fractures can destabilize the continent's surrounding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ice-shelves-are-much-thinner-than-previously-estimated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ice shelves</a>. As climate changes lead to increased melting, this meltwater - whether in lakes or slush form - can seep into ice cracks, expanding them.&nbsp;



This can trigger fractures and the collapse of ice shelves, accelerating inland glacier ice flow into the ocean and contributing to sea level rise.



“Since slush is more solid than meltwater, it won’t cause hydrofracture in the same way that water from a lake does, but it’s definitely something we need to consider when attempting to predict how or whether ice shelves will collapse,” said study co-author Ian Willis, a scientist at SPRI.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-melting-models-are-we-missing-something">Melting models: Are we missing something?</h2>



Aside from hydrofracture, slush also severely impacts melt rates. As darker and less reflective surfaces, slush and lakes absorb more heat than snow or ice, causing increased snowmelt.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, these factors are not currently represented in climate models, which could lead to underestimating ice sheet <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ice-sheet-fracture-sets-a-speed-record-in-antarctica/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">melting</a> and ice shelf stability.



“I was surprised that this meltwater was so poorly accounted for in climate models,” said Dell. “Our job as scientists is to reduce uncertainty, so we always want to improve our models so they are as accurate as possible.”



“In the future, it’s likely that places in Antarctica that currently don’t have any water or slush will start to change. As the climate continues to warm, more melting will occur, which could have implications for ice stability and sea level rise,” said Willis.



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01466-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Geoscience</a>.



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Hidden threat lurking in Antarctica's ice shelves

Imagine Antarctica. You're probably visualizing vast, pristine landscapes of endless...

A,Vacuum,Device

Scientists have produced a rare form of quantum matter known as a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) using molecules instead of atoms.



Made from chilled sodium-cesium molecules, these BECs are as chilly as five nanoKelvin, or about -459.66 °F, and stay stable for a remarkable two seconds.



“These molecular BECs open up an new research arenas, from understanding truly fundamental physics to advancing powerful quantum simulations,” noted <a href="https://www.columbia.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Columbia University</a> physicist <a href="https://www.will-lab.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sebastian Will</a>. “We've reached an exciting milestone, but it's just the kick-off.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-bose-einstein-condensate-bec">Understanding Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)</h2>



A Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) represents a state of matter that occurs when a collection of bosons, particles that follow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mit-scientists-create-new-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bose-Einstein</a> statistics, are cooled to temperatures very close to absolute zero. 



Under such extreme conditions, a significant fraction of the bosons occupy the lowest quantum state, resulting in macroscopic quantum phenomena. 



This means that they behave as a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-photons-fascinating-behavior-in-quantum-realm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">single quantum entity</a>, effectively "collapsing" into a single wave function that can be easily described using the principles of quantum mechanics.



The fascinating aspect of BECs stems from their superfluid properties -- exhibiting zero viscosity as they flow, which allows them to move without dissipating energy. 



This unique property enables BECs to simulate other quantum systems and explore new realms of physics. 



For instance, studying BECs can provide insights into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/finding-quantum-coherence-chemical-reaction-chaos/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum coherence</a>, phase transitions, and many-body interactions in quantum gases. 



The creation of molecular BECs, like those involving sodium-cesium molecules, extends this exploration even further, potentially leading to breakthroughs in quantum computing and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-realm-controlled-at-room-temperature-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">precision measurements</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ultracold-bec-odyssey">Ultracold BEC odyssey</h2>



The journey of BECs is a long and winding one, dating back a century to the works of physicists Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein. 



They prophesied that a cluster of particle cooled to the brink of standstill would merge into a singular macro-entity, governed by the dictates of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-entanglement-discovery-is-a-revolutionary-step-forward/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum mechanics</a>. The first true atomic BECs emerged in 1995, 70 years after the original theoretical predictions.



Atomic BECs have always been relatively simple - round objects with minimal polarity-based interactions. But the scientific community came to crave a more complex version of BECs compiled of molecules, albeit with no avail. 



Finally, in 2008, the first breakthrough came when a duo of physicists chilled a gas of potassium-rubidium molecules to about 350 nanoKelvin. The quest for achieving an even lower temperature to cross the BEC threshold continued.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microwaves-the-chilling-solution">Microwaves: The chilling solution</h2>



In 2023, the initial step towards this goal was achieved when the research group created their desired ultracold sodium-cesium molecule gas using a blend of laser cooling and magnetic manipulations. To further decrease the temperature, they decided to introduce microwaves. 



Microwaves can construct small shields around each molecule, preventing them from colliding and leading to a drop in the overall temperature of the sample.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-propelling-into-quantum-control-era">Propelling into quantum control era</h2>



The group's achievement of creating a molecular BEC represents a spectacular accomplishment in quantum control technology. 



This brilliant piece of scientific work is bound to impact a multitude of scientific fields, from the study of quantum chemistry to the exploration of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-is-a-virtual-world-and-humans-play-the-roles-of-its-characters-new-study/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complex quantum materials</a>.



“We really have a thorough understanding of the interactions in this system, which is vital for the subsequent steps, like exploring dipolar many-body physics,” said co-author and Columbia postdoc Ian Stevenson. 



The research team developed schemes to control interactions, tested these from a theoretical angle, and executed them in the actual experiment. It's truly wondrous to witness the realization of these microwave ‘shielding’ concepts in the lab.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unfurling-a-new-canvas-in-quantum-physics">Unfurling a new canvas in quantum physics</h2>



The creation of molecular BECs enables the fulfilment of numerous theoretical predictions. The stable nature of these molecular BECs allows extensive exploration of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/radical-new-theory-finally-unites-gravity-spacetime-and-the-quantum-realm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum physics</a>. 



A proposition to build artificial crystals with BECs held in a laser-made optical lattice might provide a comprehensive simulation of interactions in natural crystals.



On switching from a three-dimensional system to a two-dimensional one, new physics is expected to emerge. This area of research opens up a plethora of possibilities in the study of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/molecules-scramble-quantum-information-equally-well-black-holes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum phenomena</a>, including superconductivity and superfluidity, amongst others.



“This feels like a whole new universe of possibilities unveiling itself,” Sebastian Will concluded, summing up the enthusiasm in the scientific community.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-becs-from-atoms-to-molecules">BECs: From atoms to molecules</h2>



In summary, this research chronicles the successful creation of a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) using ultracold sodium-cesium molecules, reaching a stable state at five nanoKelvin for two seconds. 



Leveraging a combination of laser cooling, magnetic manipulations, and innovative microwave shielding, the research group and their theoretical collaborator achieved unprecedented control over molecular interactions at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/impossible-quantum-effects-observed-atoms-positioned-closely-together/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum levels</a>. 



This milestone enables comprehensive exploration of quantum phenomena such as coherence, phase transitions, and many-body interactions, potentially unlocking new avenues in quantum simulations, quantum computing, and precision measurements.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07492-z">Nature</a>.



Special thanks to Ellen Neff from Columbia University. 



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Rare form of quantum matter created with molecules for the first time

Scientists have produced a rare form of quantum matter known...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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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?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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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.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



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.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video 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 history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" 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.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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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.

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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