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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

Human egg cells wait in the ovaries from before birth until they are finally called upon, sometimes 40 years later, to kick start new life. 



New research shows that one reason the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-plastic-particles-found-in-human-egg-and-sperm-fluids/">egg cells</a> last so long is that they run their internal “housekeeping” on a near standby setting, spending as little energy as possible while still keeping themselves tidy.



The work comes from Dr. Elvan Böke and colleagues at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona (<a href="https://www.crg.eu/">CRG</a>), who examined more than 100 freshly donated oocytes. 



The findings build on earlier <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04979-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reports</a> that oocytes even delete an entire piece of their mitochondrial engine, complex I, to avoid making damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-eggs-stay-intact-for-decades">Human eggs stay intact for decades</h2>



Women are born with one to two million immature oocytes, yet only a few hundred will ever mature and ovulate. 



Keeping those cells intact for decades is a tall order because everyday metabolism creates molecular debris that can harm <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-life-begins-egg-sperm-and-a-covert-team-of-proteins/">DNA</a>, membranes, and proteins.



The cell’s main waste bins, the lysosome, and its protein shredding partner, the proteasome, normally burn through fuel as they dismantle old parts. 



Every round of degradation consumes energy and risks generating ROS, which can nick chromosomes and shorten the egg’s lifespan.



Earlier work tracked ROS levels during mouse and human oogenesis and saw that eggs hold mitochondrial activity to a minimum, trading speed for safety. The new study takes that idea further by measuring actual lysosomal and proteasomal throughput in live human eggs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eggs-use-less-energy-to-avoid-damage">Eggs use less energy to avoid damage</h2>



Böke’s team stained live oocytes with fluorescent probes and compared the signal to neighboring cumulus cells that nourish the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sperm-have-a-heat-activated-switch-that-may-be-key-to-fertility/">egg</a>. 



Signals from active lysosomes, proteasomes, and mitochondria were roughly half as bright inside the oocyte, confirming an across the board power down.



“By looking at more than a hundred freshly donated eggs, the largest dataset of its kind, we found a surprisingly minimalist strategy that helps the cells stay pristine for many years,” said Dr. Böke. 



The group also watched mature eggs push lysosomes to the cell edge and eject them into the fluid around the egg, dumping worn parts before ovulation.



“It’s a type of spring cleaning we didn’t know human eggs were capable of,” said Dr. Gabriele Zaffagnini, first author on the study. Few lysosomes remain afterward, and those cluster near the egg’s center, away from mitochondria that migrate toward the rim.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-eggs-ejecting-waste">Human eggs ejecting waste </h2>



Live cell imaging caught mitochondria and proteasomes forming a loose ring under the membrane in the hours before ovulation. At the same time, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-body-prevents-multiple-sperm-from-fertilizing-an-egg/">egg</a> jettisons lysosomes, shrinking its waste handling capacity even further.



The researchers did not measure ROS directly but argue that trimming both degradation and respiration likely keeps ROS formation close to zero. That idea fits with biochemical assays showing human oocytes lack detectable complex I activity, a key ROS producer.



Mouse eggs, by contrast, ramp up lysosomal work late in maturation and rely on different compartments called <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38382525/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ELVA</a>s to sequester protein aggregates. 



The species difference may reflect the weeks long growth of mouse oocytes versus the months long growth in humans, which gives human eggs more time to adopt a slow burn strategy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-findings-mean-for-ivf">What the findings mean for IVF</h2>



Around <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10905501/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2.6 million</a> in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles are attempted worldwide each year, leading to more than half a million births. Yet failure to achieve pregnancy after embryo transfer remains common, and poor egg quality is a major factor.



Most laboratory studies have relied on eggs matured artificially in a dish, a process linked to uneven metabolism and lower success rates. 



The new data, built on freshly donated eggs, suggest that the best human oocytes succeed precisely because they stay metabolically quiet until fertilization.



Clinics often recommend antioxidant cocktails or metabolic boosters in hopes of “revving up” tired eggs. Evidence that such supplements actually improve live birth rates is mixed, and some reviews note only modest changes in oocyte numbers or embryo quality.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-eggs-quiet-may-work-better">Keeping eggs quiet may work better</h2>



Böke and colleagues propose doing the opposite, preserving the egg’s low power state rather than pushing it. If future trials confirm this idea, IVF protocols might shift toward gentler culture media and timed exposure to avoid waking cellular powerhouses too soon.



A drug that blocks unnecessary proteasome activity or an additive that buffers ROS without raising respiration could, in theory, keep eggs closer to their natural resting mode. 



Such interventions would need careful testing because too little housekeeping can be as harmful as too much.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-testing-older-eggs">Next steps: Testing older eggs</h2>



The team plans to analyze eggs from women over 35 and from failed IVF cycles to see whether the low power program slips with age or disease. If metabolic quietude erodes over time, restoring it could become a targeted therapy for age related infertility.



Basic questions also remain about how human eggs sense when to dump lysosomes or rearrange mitochondria. Answers may reveal new checkpoints that embryos use to gauge human egg quality before development begins.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.1038/s44318-025-00493-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The EMBO Journal</a>.



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Human egg cells survive decades by running on low energy mode

Human egg cells wait in the ovaries from before birth...

There’s a curious mystery involving a meteor, a massive landslide, and an ancient lake - all buried in the layers of rock and sediment across the Grand Canyon. It’s a story pieced together over decades through science, family ties, and unexpected discoveries.



In a new study from researchers at the <a href="https://www.unm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of New Mexico</a>, scientists connect the Meteor Crater impact in Arizona to a rockslide in the Grand Canyon that may have dammed the Colorado River around 56,000 years ago. 



This dam likely created a temporary lake, and clues from caves high above the current river level seem to support that idea.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-decades-of-cave-research">Decades of cave research </h2>



The idea took root in the 1960s, when Thor Karlstrom explored Stanton’s Cave in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-discovery-at-the-grand-canyon-is-rewriting-geology-textbooks-tonto-group/">Grand Canyon</a> with a cross-disciplinary team of geologists and archaeologists. 



The experts found evidence of now-extinct species like the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/california-condors-are-threatened-by-organic-contaminants/">California condor</a> and Harrington’s mountain goat, along with split twig figurines made 3,000 to 4,000 years ago by ancestors of today’s tribal communities in the region.



They also uncovered driftwood buried in sediment. Initial testing suggested the wood was older than 35,000 years - pushing the limit of radiocarbon dating at the time. 



By 1984, the date was refined to 43,500 years. But recent tests using more advanced methods in labs from New Zealand and Australia now put the driftwood at 56,000 years old.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mysterious-age-of-the-cave-deposits">Mysterious age of the cave deposits </h2>



Today, Thor’s son, Karl Karlstrom, a geologist at the University of New Mexico, is carrying that early work forward.



“It would have required a ten-times bigger flood level than any flood that has happened in the past several thousand years," said Karlstrom.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/grand-canyon_Nankoweap-landslide_visualization_credit-Karl-Karlstrom_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/grand-canyon_Nankoweap-landslide_visualization_credit-Karl-Karlstrom_1s.webp" alt="Conceptualization of Nankoweap landslide that brought down large boulders of Kaibab Limestone from the cliffs at left and created a geologically short-lived paleolake in Grand Canyon. Credit: Karl Karlstrom" class="wp-image-1978711"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Conceptualization of Nankoweap landslide that brought down large boulders of Kaibab Limestone from the cliffs at left and created a geologically short-lived paleolake in Grand Canyon. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Karl Karlstrom</figcaption></figure>



"Or maybe they are very old deposits left as the river carved down, or maybe they floated in from a paleolake caused by a downstream lava dam or landslide dam? We needed to know the age of the cave deposits."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-canyon-wood-matches-meteor-age">Canyon wood matches meteor age</h2>



Chris Bastien, another co-author of the study, had been working on wood samples from Stanton’s Cave stored at the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Arizona</a>’s Tree Ring Lab. 



At the same time, David Kring, a scientist working on the chronology of Meteor Crater, had refined its estimated age to a window between 53,000 and 63,000 years using multiple methods.



Then came the break. Jonathan Palmer, a visiting collaborator from Australia, stopped at both Meteor Crater and the Tree Ring Lab during a U.S. road trip. 



Palmer noticed something remarkable - the ages of the crater and the driftwood lined up almost perfectly. That connection kicked off the collaboration that led to the new paper.



“From numerous research trips, Karl and I knew of other high-accessible caves that had both driftwood and sediment that could be dated,” said Laurie Crossey.



The team sent a second driftwood sample to labs in Australia and New Zealand, and sediment samples to Tammy Rittenour at <a href="https://www.usu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Utah State University</a>. Using two separate dating methods, the results came back with nearly identical ages: around 55,600 years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meteor-s-impact-on-the-grand-canyon">Meteor's impact on the Grand Canyon</h2>



Back in the 1980s, Richard Hereford of the U.S. Geological Survey proposed that a rockslide near Nankoweap Canyon, about 22 miles downstream of Stanton’s Cave, may have blocked the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-is-the-colorado-river-water-going/">Colorado River</a>. 



That dam could have created a lake that floated wood into the cave. Now, with fresh dating evidence, that idea has resurfaced.



Further support came from Grand Canyon caver Jason Ballensky, who had seen beaver tracks in Vasey’s Paradise caves - deep inside areas far above and away from today’s riverbanks. The only plausible explanation: a massive ancient lake.



The researchers mapped how deep and wide that paleolake might have been. Some caves with driftwood and sediment were found at 940 meters elevation - high enough that the water would have backed up above Lees Ferry, where river trips typically begin. The lake theory started to look more than plausible.



The team also revisited the landslide site. There, reddish, chaotic rocks - consistent with landslide debris - were found beneath rounded river cobbles. 



That layering suggests a dam formed, held back water, and was eventually overtopped and eroded away. Based on what’s known from modern dam erosion, the whole cycle could have lasted less than 1,000 years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-evidence-is-adding-up">The evidence is adding up</h2>



Was the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/barringer-crater/">Meteor Crater</a> blast enough to trigger the rockslide that dammed the river? Kring has studied the physics of meteorite impacts and estimates that this one would have caused a magnitude 5.4 earthquake - possibly even a 6.0 depending on the model. 



Even 100 miles away in the Grand Canyon, the seismic energy would have hit as a magnitude 3.5 shock. That’s enough to dislodge unstable cliffs and trigger rockfalls.



“The team put together these arguments without claiming we have final proof; there are other possibilities, such as a random rockfall or local earthquake within a thousand years of the Meteor Crater impact that could have happened independently,” said Karlstrom. 



“Nevertheless, the meteorite impact, the massive landslide, the lake deposits, and the driftwood high above river level are all rare and unusual occurrences." 



"The mean of dates from them converge into a narrow window of time at 55,600 ± 1,300 years ago which gives credence to the hypothesis that they were causally related.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meteor-strike-in-the-grand-canyon">Meteor strike in the Grand Canyon </h2>



There’s still room for debate. The idea that a meteor could have triggered a landslide that created a temporary lake sounds dramatic - but the evidence is adding up.



The picture that’s emerging - a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meteor-showers-help-scientists-discover-where-comets-came-from/">meteor</a> striking Arizona, shaking the Grand Canyon, causing a landslide that blocks the river and forms a lake - isn’t just a wild theory anymore. It’s a serious hypothesis backed by decades of data and careful fieldwork.



And while the story isn’t finished, it’s a strong reminder of how even the most unexpected clues - like a piece of driftwood tucked in a cave - can lead to discoveries about Earth’s past that no one saw coming.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/doi/10.1130/G53571.1/659552/Grand-Canyon-landslide-dam-and-paleolake-triggered">Geology</a>.



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Explosive meteor strike may have dammed the Grand Canyon and created a lake

There’s a curious mystery involving a meteor, a massive landslide,...

A dusty leg bone, pulled from the ground in 1963 and stored away in a museum drawer for decades, may now be helping scientists rethink the early days of dinosaurs.



Originally found in what’s now Zambia, this 225-million-year-old fossil was largely ignored for years. 



However, new research suggests the fossil holds key information about an ancient group of reptiles known as silesaurs. The study may shift long-held assumptions about the size and role of the first dinosaurs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossil-challenges-dinosaur-size">Fossil challenges dinosaur size</h2>



Researchers have been re-examining the femur - first uncovered by British scientists more than 60 years ago - and what they’ve learned is surprising.



“Some fragmentary fossils from the silesaurids and a group of early dinosaurs called the herrerasaurids suggest that these animals could grow much bigger than more complete remains suggest,” said Jack Lovegrove, a Ph.D. student who led the research. 



“As more large animals are found close to the origin of dinosaurs, it raises the possibility that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-did-dinosaurs-come-from-missing-fossils-hold-the-secret/">first</a> dinosaur was bigger than we predicted.”



This idea runs counter to the long-standing belief that early dinosaurs started out small and gradually evolved into giants. If Lovegrove’s team is right, dinosaurs may have actually shrunk in size over time.



“If this is the case, then some groups of dinosaurs would have actually gotten smaller across the late <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-erosion-and-fire-contributed-to-triassic-mass-extinction/">Triassic</a>,” Lovegrove said. “Finding more silesaur fossils could help us to figure out how they are related to early dinosaurs and confirm the existence of these size trends.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossils-of-dinosaur-relatives">Fossils of dinosaur relatives</h2>



Silesaurs are an extinct group of dinosaur-like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reptile-ancestors-appeared-40-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought/">reptiles</a> that lived roughly between 240 and 200 million years ago. For a long time, scientists couldn’t quite figure out where they belonged on the reptile family tree. Were they dinosaurs? Close relatives? Something else entirely?



In 2010, silesaurs were officially recognized as their own group. The most famous example is Silesaurus, a two-meter-long animal with a beak-like jaw that may have helped it eat insects or plants.



Originally considered dinosaur cousins, silesaurs are now thought by some experts to actually be early dinosaurs. One clue is the toothless tip of their lower jaw, which links them to ornithischians - a major group of dinosaurs that would later include species like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/triceratops-dinosaurs-seem-to-have-developed-complex-social-structures/">Triceratops</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-complete-stegosaur-skull-ever-found-forces-rewrite-of-plated-dinosaur-history/">Stegosaurus</a>.



But even now, placing silesaurs neatly into the dinosaur family tree is tricky. Most of the fossils found are incomplete, which makes identification difficult. That’s why researchers are taking a fresh look not just in the field, but in museum collections.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-fossil-comes-back-into-focus">Old fossil comes back into focus</h2>



The femur at the center of this study had been sitting in the Natural History Museum in London for over 50 years before its importance was recognized.



“This fossil was discovered on an expedition to what are now Zambia and Tanzania in the early 1960s,” Lovegrove explains. “The researchers were mainly interested in studying mammal-like reptiles such as the dicynodonts and cynodonts but also found a variety of other fossils.”



“As the fossil wasn’t what they were focusing on, it hadn’t been studied until one of my co-authors, Brandon, came across it. This shows how important museum collections are at preserving specimens whose importance can be appreciated by future generations.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-silesaurs-one-species-or-many">Silesaurs: One species or many?</h2>



The rocks in Zambia where this bone was found are packed with silesaur fossils. Only one species from the region has been formally named - Lutungutali sitwesis - but researchers have found many leg bones that don’t seem to match that species. 



Most are about 15 centimeters long. One, however, is more than double that size. This raises two possibilities. Either the large bones belonged to Lutungutali at a more mature stage of life, or multiple species were living side by side.



The team can’t say for sure yet, but the new study shows clear differences in growth patterns between the Natural History Museum bone and others from the area. That might suggest that more than one type of silesaur lived in the same ecosystem.



“It’s historically been assumed that there was just one silesaurid per area in the past,” said Lovegrove. “As a result, fossils from different species might have been lumped together.”



“This could explain the uncertainty we find when we try to understand how silesaurids relate to other animals. New datasets will be important to untangle these evolutionary relationships and work out what’s really going on.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bigger-than-we-thought">Bigger than we thought</h2>



There’s another piece to this puzzle: size. If silesaurs like the one in the study were as large as the leg bone suggests, they may not have been minor players in their environment. They might have been in charge.



“The size of the bone we’ve studied, as well as others from this formation, suggest that silesaurids might have been the largest herbivores in some parts of the world at this point in the Triassic,” noted Lovegrove. 



“The biggest silesaurids were probably taller and longer than the dicynodonts, even if they were lighter. It suggests they probably had a much greater impact on the ecosystem than we’ve realized, especially as they are the most common archosaur found in this region.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rewriting-the-story-of-dinosaurs">Rewriting the story of dinosaurs</h2>



The early evolution of dinosaurs is still full of questions, but fossils like this Zambian femur are helping scientists get closer to the answers. 



Silesaurs may have been bigger, more diverse, and more influential than anyone thought. And if they turn out to be early dinosaurs themselves, we may need to rewrite the story of how dinosaurs came to be.



For now, one thing is clear: sometimes the most important discoveries are already sitting on a shelf - waiting for someone to take a second look.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250762" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Society Open Science</a>.



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Fossil suggests early dinosaurs were larger than we thought

A dusty leg bone, pulled from the ground in 1963...

3d,Rendering.,Sci-fi,Scene.,The,Colony,Of,The,Future,On

Building a long term base on the Moon has always stumbled over one stubborn shortage, water. A study recently published describes a device that heats lunar soil to pull water out of the dirt and, in the same chamber, uses that water to turn exhaled carbon dioxide into oxygen and materials for fuel.



“We never fully imagined the ‘magic’ that the lunar soil possessed,” said <a href="https://sse.cuhk.edu.cn/en/faculty/wanglu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lu Wang</a> of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. 



The researchers say the one step approach could slash the mass of supplies future crews must haul from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/moons-entire-surface-is-covered-with-water-and-hydroxyl-not-just-the-poles/">Earth</a>. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shipping-water-is-unsustainable">Shipping water is unsustainable</h2>



Rocketing water into space is painfully expensive. NASA once pegged the cost at about $83,000 for every gallon that leaves Earth’s gravity well.



Each astronaut drinks roughly four gallons per day, and that figure does not include hygiene, food preparation, or plant cultivation. Over a six month mission, one crew member would need a barge’s worth of liquid.



Launch prices are falling, yet even the cheapest commercial rides still charge thousands of dollars per pound. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-the-sun-might-be-making-water-on-the-moon/">Water</a> quickly becomes the heaviest line item on any manifest.



Those eye watering figures push agencies toward in situ resource utilization (<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/isru" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ISRU</a>), the practice of making essentials from local materials instead of paying to haul them across a quarter million miles.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lunar-soil-holds-hidden-water">Lunar soil holds hidden water</h2>



The Chang’e 5 mission returned dusty gray samples from <a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021AGUFM.P52A..07Q/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oceanus Procellarum in 2020</a>. Analyses of those grains revealed at least 170 parts per million of molecular water locked inside common lunar minerals.



Much of that moisture forms when solar wind protons smack into oxygen atoms on the surface, creating tiny hydroxyl and water molecules that cling to glass and silicate crystals.



Because this process happens everywhere sunlight hits, mid latitude regions can be moist as well as the famously icy poles. 



The catch is concentration: miners would still need to heat several tons of regolith for every household bucket they hope to fill.



The payoff is big enough to justify the effort. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-is-the-moons-water-a-nasa-mission-will-soon-find-out/">Water</a> secures life support, radiation shielding, and, once split into hydrogen and oxygen, a potent propellant.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sunlight-powers-lunar-water-and-fuel-creation">Sunlight powers lunar water and fuel creation</h2>



The new prototype relies on photothermal catalysis, a method that focuses sunlight onto a black ceramic reactor until interior walls glow. Temperatures soar above 1,800°F, hot enough to vaporize bound water molecules.



Instead of running two separate units, the team lets that same heat drive carbon dioxide reduction. Released hydrogen teams with CO₂ to make carbon monoxide, while leftover oxygen is freed for breathing or combustion.



Tests used dust from Chang’e 5 alongside synthetic stand ins, all packed around a quartz window that admitted concentrated light. Reaction rates improved with every watt of illumination, confirming that the Sun can supply the energy instead of an electric heater.



Because no pumps or moving parts touch the soil, the rig stays compact. A lander the size of a refrigerator could, in principle, process hundreds of pounds of dirt each <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-are-searching-for-viable-sources-of-water-on-the-moon/">lunar</a> dawn.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ilmenite-boosts-water-and-fuel-output">Ilmenite boosts water and fuel output</h2>



Much of the action centers on <a href="https://www.mindat.org/min-2013.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ilmenite</a>, a titanium iron oxide that stains the lunar maria charcoal black. Besides hiding hydrogen, the mineral contains iron atoms that help shuttle electrons during CO₂ conversion.



Lab experiments suggest one ton of ilmenite rich regolith can yield about 112 to 168 pounds of drinkable water. That is enough to cover the daily needs of fifty people.



The same batch of lunar soil leaves behind metallic iron, a useful feedstock for future construction or radiation shields. Engineers could smelt structural beams and refill lunar water and life support tanks from the same scoop.



Survey data show ilmenite deposits clustering in basaltic plains, so prospectors will need detailed maps and perhaps bulldozers before picking reactor sites.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-remain-but-progress-is-real">Challenges remain, but progress is real</h2>



Moon days bake hardware at 260°F, and nights plunge to 280°F, a swing that can crack seals and warp lenses. Radiation showers electronics with charged particles that slowly erode semiconductors.



Dust grains cling to everything, abrading joints and clogging filters. Even soil composition varies from crater to crater, forcing reactors to adapt on the fly.



The authors emphasized in their study that addressing the technical challenges and high costs tied to development, deployment, and operation is essential for achieving sustainable lunar water use and enabling long-term space exploration.



Yet momentum is building. China aims to field a robotic base near the south pole by 2035, while NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/artemis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artemis</a> program plans multi week crewed visits and a permanent orbital station. A compact, sun powered unit that turns dirt into air and fuel could be the missing piece that lets those ambitions stick.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(25)00187-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joule</a>.



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New device turns moon dirt into water and oxygen for lunar bases

Building a long term base on the Moon has always...

Scientists have discovered two new species of wart sea slugs in North Sulawesi, Indonesia: Phyllidia ovata and Phyllidia fontjei. These marine invertebrates belong to the family Phyllidiidae and are known for their vivid colors and chemical defenses.



The sea slugs live on Indo-Pacific coral reefs and feed on sponges. They store sponge toxins in their own tissues as protection from predators. Though over 350 sea slug species are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-slugs-use-sunlight-to-survive-just-like-plants/">found</a> in North Sulawesi, nearly 100 remain unnamed.



The research was conducted by an international team of scientists from Germany, Indonesia, and Wales.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sea-slug-species-was-misclassified">Sea slug species was misclassified</h2>



Phyllidia ovata gets its name from its oval shape and pattern. This species has been photographed over the last two decades across Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Australia. However, it was previously misidentified as Phyllidia picta or Phyllidia coelestis. 



The sea slug has a clean white body with a central black patch surrounded by bright tubercles tipped in yellow. It can grow up to 50 mm (2 inches). 



The sea slug's unique appearance, including the ventral anus and black foot line, separates it from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-slugs-flash-bright-colors-to-scare-off-predators/">similar</a> species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-tribute-to-an-indonesian-scientist">A tribute to an Indonesian scientist </h2>



Phyllidia fontjei is named in honor of Dr. Fontje Kaligis, an Indonesian scientist who contributed significantly to global sea slug research. 



Measuring just 16 mm (0,6 inches), this species is notably small. It has a white body, a bright orange patch at the center, and a black band - making it visually distinct. 



Researchers discovered Phyllidia fontjei resting on a sponge at a depth of 25.3 meters (83 feet), near Bunaken Island in North Sulawesi.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sea-slugs-with-unique-traits">Sea slugs with unique traits</h2>



What sets&nbsp;P. fontjei&nbsp;apart from related species is its lack of prominent dorsal tubercles. Instead, its back displays three smooth ridges and tiny granules. 



Internally, it reveals unique anatomical traits. Scientists observed a well-developed glandular oral tube, a structure now recognized as key in feeding. This oral tube was previously referred to as a pharyngeal bulb.



The slug also features a complex reproductive system. These internal features, captured in detailed histological slides, helped confirm&nbsp;P. fontjei&nbsp;as a new and separate sea slug species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-distinct-anatomical-differences">Distinct anatomical differences </h2>



Scientists used advanced microscopy to compare&nbsp;P. fontjei&nbsp;with&nbsp;P. ocellata&nbsp;and the Mediterranean species&nbsp;P. flava. 



They found minor structural differences in digestive and reproductive anatomy, despite size and distribution variations.&nbsp;P. fontjei&nbsp;matures at a small size, while&nbsp;P. ovata&nbsp;and&nbsp;P. flava&nbsp;grow much larger.



The study introduced the term “glandular oral tube” to describe a part of the digestive tract previously called the “pharyngeal bulb.” This gland structure, which is used during feeding, may be specific to each species. 



Images from histological slides show glandular folds, muscle bundles, and the reproductive organs in striking clarity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limited-sightings-of-the-sea-slugs">Limited sightings of the sea slugs</h2>



Phyllidia ovata&nbsp;ranges from Japan to Australia, with most sightings in Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. 



In contrast,&nbsp;Phyllidia fontjei&nbsp;has a smaller known range and is limited to Indonesia, Malaysia, and parts of the Andaman Sea.



Both species remain extremely rare, even in areas where other&nbsp;Phyllidia&nbsp;sea slugs are commonly found.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Sea-slug_Phyllidia-ovata_credit-Heike-Wagele_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Sea-slug_Phyllidia-ovata_credit-Heike-Wagele_1s.webp" alt="Phyllidia ovata. Credit: Heike Wägele" class="wp-image-1978676"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Phyllidia ovata. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Heike Wägele</figcaption></figure>



Limited sightings suggest that these newly described species may have highly specific <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-is-tracking-endangered-animal-habitats-from-space/">habitat preferences</a> or low population densities.



Despite their <a href="https://www.mcsuk.org/news/sea-slugs-a-rainbow-of-life-in-our-seas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vibrant appearance</a>, they often go unnoticed in the diverse reef ecosystems they inhabit. Their rarity underlines the need for continued exploration and documentation of marine invertebrate life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-citizen-science-played-a-key-role">Citizen science played a key role</h2>



The discoveries would not have been possible without contributions from amateur divers and photographers. Platforms like iNaturalist, NudiPixel, Facebook, and the <a href="http://www.seaslugforum.net/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sea Slug Forum</a> helped scientists locate images of these nudibranchs.



“We all use these platforms in many different fields of taxonomy as they provide useful records when the species are distinctive, and have done so for more than two decades,” said Dr. Nathalie Yonow of <a href="https://www.swansea.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Swansea University</a>.



This discovery highlights the value of open collaboration and long-term data collection. It also reminds us that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/inspired-by-sea-slugs-microneedles-could-transform-health-monitoring/">ocean</a> still holds many surprises, even in regions that are frequently explored.



The full study appears in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/153046/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ZooKeys</a>.



Image Credit: Heike Wägele.



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Two rare sea slugs discovered using diver photos

Scientists have discovered two new species of wart sea slugs...

We are living through the fastest period of environmental change in Earth’s history. Many wild populations no longer carry the genetic diversity they need to keep up.



Some scientists now believe that the same technologies behind drought-resistant crops and efforts to revive extinct species like the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/de-extinction-of-the-woolly-mammoth-should-we-bring-lost-species-back/">mammoth</a> could be repurposed to tackle a more pressing challenge.



The goal is to restore lost genetic diversity in endangered species using gene editing - helping them better adapt to future threats.



In a new study, an international team of experts discusses both the promise and the perils of using cutting‑edge genome engineering for conservation and outlines a roadmap for how it could work in practice.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-restoring-genetic-diversity">Restoring genetic diversity </h2>



Traditional conservation methods - protecting habitat, outlawing hunting, and running captive‑breeding programs - have saved more than a few species from the edge. 



Yet those same species often emerge from population bottlenecks genetically impoverished. When numbers crash, chance replaces natural selection, and whole sets of gene variants disappear.



Even after head counts rebound, the population can remain stuck with a narrow genetic toolkit and a heavy load of harmful mutations. Biologists call this situation genomic erosion.



The authors of the new study, led by Professor Cock van Oosterhout at the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> and Dr. Stephen Turner at <a href="https://colossal.com/">Colossal Biosciences</a>, argue that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crispr-gene-editing-gets-a-revolutionary-upgrade-with-new-tool/">genome editing</a> can address what traditional measures cannot: it can put lost diversity back into play.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-borrowing-lost-dna">Borrowing lost DNA</h2>



One avenue, the team suggests, is to recover genetic variation that disappeared long ago. Natural history museums, biobanks, and research collections hold feathers, skins, bones, and tissue samples gathered decades or even centuries in the past.



DNA extracted from those specimens can reveal gene variants that no longer occur in today’s populations. Using CRISPR or similar tools, scientists could reinsert those variants into living individuals and breed them back into wild populations.



In essence, the technique would give threatened species access to their own lost history, including immune‑system alleles that could help them stand up to new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-pandemic-looms-as-pathogens-move-from-wild-plants-to-crops/">pathogens</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gene-editing-for-endangered-species">Gene editing for endangered species</h2>



A second option involves what the authors call facilitated adaptation. Closely related species or distinct populations often carry genes tuned to hotter climates, novel diseases, or different diets.



By moving those alleles into struggling populations, conservation biologists might give them a genetic boost in a warming, rapidly changing world.



A third potential use is to correct <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-genetic-mutation-dramatically-increases-the-risk-of-dementia-in-men/">harmful mutations</a> that became fixed during a population crash. 



If a broken gene reduces fertility or increases disease risk, editors could swap it for the healthy sequence found in ancestral samples. The payoff could be higher reproductive success and better overall health.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-lesson-from-the-pink-pigeon"><a></a>A lesson from the pink pigeon</h2>



The pink pigeon of Mauritius illustrates why such interventions might be necessary. Intensive captive breeding and reintroduction lifted the pigeon from around ten surviving birds in the 1990s to more than 600 today.



Genetic studies, however, show that despite the species' numerical recovery, it continues to lose genetic diversity and could vanish within a century unless scientists restore its gene pool.



The team argues that genome editing could restore lost DNA variants, boosting the pigeon’s resilience to disease and climate change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risk-of-reducing-genetic-diversity">Risk of reducing genetic diversity </h2>



Farmers already plant millions of acres with gene-edited crops altered for pest or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fertilizer-reduces-plant-damage-caused-by-droughts/">drought resistance.</a> The idea of applying similar tools to wildlife raises both hope and concern.



Off‑target edits, unintended side effects, and the possibility of further reducing genetic diversity are real risks. 



Conservation genome editing must start with small, monitored trials grounded in ecology and guided by strong ethical oversight.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-treading-carefully-working-locally"><a></a>Treading carefully, working locally</h2>



Because conservation often intersects with livelihoods and cultural values, the paper calls for robust engagement with local communities and Indigenous groups. 



It also urges involving the broader public before any genome‑engineered individuals are released.



The scientists stress that genetic interventions should never replace habitat restoration or established protections. Instead, they are meant to complement those efforts when conventional tools fall short.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-lab-genes-to-wild-species">From lab genes to wild species</h2>



The team proposes a phased strategy. First come proof‑of‑concept laboratory edits in cell cultures, followed by controlled experiments in captive animals to test fitness, fertility, and ecological interactions.



Scientists would release edited individuals into semi‑wild or wild settings only after rigorous vetting, regulatory approval, and local consent. Long‑term monitoring would then track both the target species and its ecosystem.



Biotech companies eager to showcase beneficial applications of their technologies may find common cause with conservation nonprofits. This partnership could potentially open new funding channels for endangered species programs.



“The same technological advances that allow us to introduce genes of mammoths into the genome of an elephant can be harnessed to rescue species teetering on the brink of extinction,” noted study co-author Beth Shapiro, chief science officer at Colossal Biosciences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-endangered-species-beyond-gene-editing">Endangered species: Beyond gene editing</h2>



Genome editing will not reverse habitat loss, curb poaching, or slow climate change by itself. But for species already hanging on by a genetic thread, it could supply the raw material evolution needs to do its work.



“Genome editing is not a replacement for species protection and will never be a magical fix," said Professor Hernán Morales of the <a href="https://globe.ku.dk/">Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen</a>. "Its role must be carefully evaluated alongside established conservation strategies.”



With careful testing and collaboration, gene editing could become a valuable new tool for conserving Earth’s biodiversity. It may help keep endangered species from vanishing during the turbulent decades to come.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s44358-025-00065-6">Nature Reviews Biodiversity</a>.



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Rewriting evolution: Can gene editing save endangered species?

We are living through the fastest period of environmental change...

Farm chemicals often go everywhere except where farmers want them. A solution from Massachusetts involving silk microneedles could keep those nutrients right where the plants need them.



Associate professor Benedetto Marelli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (<a href="https://web.mit.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MIT</a>) leads a team that built <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3627464/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microneedle arrays</a> from silk to inject crops with various substances, including vitamins and minerals.



Their study, co‑authored with colleagues at the <a href="https://web.mit.edu/sma/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Singapore‑MIT</a> Alliance for Research and Technology, was recently published.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-silk-makes-sense">Why silk makes sense</h2>



Silk fibroin is tough yet biodegradable, so it can pierce a tomato stalk without lingering in the field. When the fibers dissolve, they leave no shards to clog harvesters.



They pour a salty silk mix into cone‑shaped molds, let the water evaporate, then wash the salt away to reveal hollow microneedles. The cavity holds liquid nutrients that are ready for slow release.



“Graduate students can make thousands of tips in an afternoon, with no clean room. It can be done outside of a clean room, you could do it in your kitchen if you wanted,” ,” said Doyoon Kim, a former MIT postdoc.



Unlike metal or plastic, silk proteins are gentle on living tissue, an idea that first drew medical engineers to microneedles for painless vaccine delivery two decades ago. That gentleness matters for living stems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-silk-microneedles-don-t-prick-the-planet">Silk microneedles don't prick the planet</h2>



Pesticide sprays and dusts drift on the wind or seep into groundwater. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7908628/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reviews</a> show that most of the active chemicals never reach their target leaves, instead soaking the soil and surrounding air.



In contrast, the microneedles anchor inside the plant’s vascular tissue and every milligram of pesticide stays put. That precision means farmers could use far less chemical per acre.



Kim injected iron into chlorotic tomatoes and found the yellowing reversed without any visible damage to the stems. The treatment ran for days because the hollow cores meter out the dose slowly.



“There's a big need to make agriculture more efficient,” said Benedetto Marelli. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.631529/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Iron deficiency</a> chlorosis can trim tomato yields by as much as thirty percent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-boosting-nutrition-at-the-source">Boosting nutrition at the source</h2>



Silk needles are not limited to farm inputs; they carry human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vitamin-c-promotes-skin-renewal-and-anti-aging-at-the-genetic-level-dna-demethylation/">vitamins</a> too. The team loaded vitamin B12, a nutrient absent from most plants, into the stalks of greenhouse tomatoes.



Lab tests confirmed that the vitamin traveled from stem to fruit before harvest, opening a path to <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9501456/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">on‑vine biofortification</a>. That could help plant‑based eaters who struggle to meet B12 needs because the vitamin comes mainly from animal foods .



“This new delivery mechanism opens up a lot of potential applications, so we wanted to do something nobody had done before,” Marelli explained. The professor’s lab focuses on using sustainable materials.



The same approach could ferry zinc, iodine, or folate, reducing the cost of fortified staples that are now sprayed or blended after harvest. Researchers see similar potential for chili peppers and strawberries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-silk-microneedles-for-sample-collection">Silk microneedles for sample collection</h2>



The hollow silk microneedles also work in reverse, sipping sap for analysis. In hydroponic trials the needles detected cadmium in tomato stalks fifteen minutes after exposure.



Current spectral cameras spot stress only after leaves go pale, but sap sampling flags trouble while the crop still looks normal. Early warnings mean early fixes.



Researchers monitored cadmium levels over an 18‑hour window without removing the probes. Continuous readings beat labor‑intensive stem punctures that growers rarely perform.



With the right sensor package a robot could patrol rows, plug in a microneedle, and upload chemistry to a phone in real time. Such automation is already common in high‑tech greenhouses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-lab-bench-to-field-rows">From lab bench to field rows</h2>



At present, a graduate student presses each patch onto a petiole by hand. Marelli imagines repurposing existing auto‑grafting arms or drone sprayers to stamp whole orchards.



“There shouldn't be a trade‑off between the agriculture industry and the environment,” said Marelli. He argues for tools that boost yields without harming biodiversity.



Farmers, meanwhile, will want proof that the extra step pays for itself and that devices do not clog or snap during harvest. Field economics will depend on automating placement and refilling nutrient reservoirs without slowing crews.



Pilot tests on open‑air <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tomato-plants-talk-to-one-another-to-signal-danger/">tomato</a> plots are scheduled for the coming season, with attention to labor costs, residue testing, and yield bumps. Results will guide scale‑up strategies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-are-silk-microneedles-cost-effective">Are silk microneedles cost effective?</h2>



Silk cocoons are already spun at scale for surgical sutures, so the supply chain exists. Commodity prices fluctuate, but current estimates put the raw protein at a few cents per needle.



The molds can be reused hundreds of times, and the salt reagent is recovered and recycled. That circular chemistry keeps manufacturing overhead low.



Researchers calculate that a single <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenhouse-gases-can-help-detect-alien-life-on-distant-planets/">greenhouse</a> could recoup microneedle hardware costs within one harvest cycle if even a five‑percent yield gain holds true. Independent trials will verify those numbers under field stress.



Investors are interested because the technology fits within existing smart‑farm systems, pairing well with sensors and autonomous vehicles already roaming high‑value crops. Early venture funding talks are under way.



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



The Massachusetts team is already talking with seed companies about combining the needles with seedling clips. That marriage could roll nutrition and monitoring into a single transplant step.



Beyond food, similar silk <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-first-gene-edited-spiders-spin-red-silk/">structures</a> could deliver growth factors to tree seedlings in reforestation projects or vaccines to cash crops threatened by viral blights. Microneedles began in clinics and now stand to branch into orchards and vineyards.



Researchers in Singapore are evaluating whether the same platform can log <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-learn-what-makes-plants-roots-grow-faster-and-stronger-autophagy/">plant</a> hormones in rice paddies that are battered by heat waves. Their results will shape the next generation of silk microneedle sensors for climate‑ready farming.



Their journey shows how ideas migrate when materials meet imagination. If the field trials match the lab promise, tomorrow’s tomatoes might quietly get their vitamins straight from a silk straw.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-025-01923-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Nanotechnology</a>.



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MIT scientists invent new technology that grows much healthier fruits and vegetables

Farm chemicals often go everywhere except where farmers want them....

Climate change conversations often focus on dramatic ecosystem collapse such as icebergs shearing off shelves or coral reefs bleaching overnight. These striking images capture our attention. 



But what if the real danger lies elsewhere? Not in the visible collapse - but in ecosystems quietly shifting out of balance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-magnetic-clues-about-ecosystems">Magnetic clues about ecosystems</h2>



A recent study led by Professor John Dearing at the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Southampton</a> offers a new perspective. It shows that many ecosystems may collapse quietly, without obvious warning signs. This insight emerges from a surprising source: magnetic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-what-were-really-fighting-for/">materials</a>.



Laboratory tests on ferromagnets helped researchers compare how systems respond to stress. 



Simple magnetic structures behaved like lakes turning abruptly green. But more complex ones - like rainforests - shifted gradually. This behavior echoes in nature, revealing how forests or ice sheets might quietly degrade over time.



“Some systems snap. Others sag,” said study co-author Professor Simon Willcock of <a href="https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rothamsted Research</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-many-ecosystems-collapse-slowly">Many ecosystems collapse slowly</h2>



Traditional tipping point models assume abrupt shifts. But the study challenges that idea using new frameworks like Turing bifurcations. These models suggest that complex systems re-organize in stages. They may remain in partial balance while adjusting to rising stress.



This “soft tipping” aligns with real-world observations. Large <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-innovation-takes-the-lead-in-environmental-action/">ecosystems</a> often show slow responses and don’t follow classic tipping behaviors. 



For example, changes in lake water quality often happen linearly. Spatially complex areas like semi-arid landscapes shift in patterns, not dramatic breaks.



Importantly, the study warns against relying solely on early warning signals. These signs - like rising variance - may not appear in complex systems. Instead, change may already be happening silently.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ecosystem-collapse-and-recovery">Ecosystem collapse and recovery</h2>



In magnetic systems, changes in domain alignment under stress mirror <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-day-for-biological-diversity-2025-bonding-with-nature/">ecosystem</a> responses. Hard magnetic materials behave like simple systems - they change abruptly. Soft magnetic materials shift incrementally. The same applies to ecological systems.



A table in the study compares magnet terms like “coercive force” with ecological ideas like “tipping point.” These parallels reveal how much energy or stress is needed to push a system into collapse - or recovery.



This analogy also explains why recovery in some systems takes more energy than collapse. In magnets, reversing the field after a collapse takes extra effort. In nature, restoring a damaged ecosystem often requires sustained action and sometimes shock interventions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slow-changes-are-deceptive">Slow changes are deceptive </h2>



According to the study, the speed at which stress is applied matters as much as its size. A rapid rise in temperature or pollution levels can cause systems to tip sooner. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-wildlife-day-2025-a-global-call-to-protect-nature/">systems</a> then show more resistance to recovery.



Magnetic tests support this. When magnetic fields change quickly, domains flip faster and require more force to reverse. Climate models show similar results. Fast warming leaves systems less time to adapt, pushing them closer to collapse.



“Slow changes can be deceptive,” said co-author Professor Roy Thompson.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-subtle-signs-of-ecosystem-collapse">Subtle signs of ecosystem collapse</h2>



Viewing ecosystems at the wrong scale hides early damage. Forests may look healthy overall while many small areas degrade internally. These patches act like magnetic domains - each with its own threshold and response rate.



This fragmented degradation explains why early warnings are rare. It also means policymakers might miss the chance to act in time. Waiting for big, visible signs - like widespread forest death - may be too late.



“Our work suggests we may already be crossing tipping points without realising,” said Dearing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-recovery-may-still-be-possible">Recovery may still be possible</h2>



The study offers hope. Systems that collapse gradually may still recover - if we act early. Passive recovery, like letting nature heal itself, might help in some cases. But more often, active measures are needed.



Examples include reintroducing species, removing pollutants, or reshaping collapsed ecosystems. These interventions can push ecosystems back from collapse to a stable state, just like magnetic fields realign domains under the right conditions.



“This work flips the script on climate risk,” said Willcock. “If we wait for ecosystems to scream, we’ll have waited too long. The real danger is in systems that whisper while they fall apart.”



The full study is recently published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(25)00184-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">One Earth</a>.



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Some ecosystems collapse quietly without warning signs 

Climate change conversations often focus on dramatic ecosystem collapse such...

Imagine you're a fish - darting through the water, dodging predators, searching for food, and trying to find shelter. Now imagine that your only option is a flat concrete wall with nowhere to hide. This is the challenge many fish face in human-made waterways.



Years ago, Keith Van de Riet started wondering: what if we designed seawalls with fish in mind?



Currently a professor at the <a href="https://arcd.ku.edu/">University of Kansas School of Architecture &amp; Design</a>, Van de Riet has spent more than a decade experimenting with textured seawall panels inspired by mangrove roots.



His latest study - conducted in partnership with scientists from Carleton University in Canada - explored whether freshwater fish, too, prefer these artificial root structures to flat walls.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-sparked-a-design-shift">Nature sparked a design shift</h2>



Van de Riet’s interest in redesigning <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fighting-coastal-erosion-electricity-turns-sand-into-a-sea-wall/">seawalls</a> began while living along a canal in Florida. One day, something he witnessed made him rethink how fish interact with built environments.



“We saw bait fish being chased by predators literally leaping up against the flat side of the seawall, trying to evade them, because they had nowhere else to go,” he said.



Back then, Florida’s coastlines were thick with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mangroves-help-raise-hundreds-of-billions-of-fish-annually/">mangrove</a> roots - natural hiding places for marine life. Those roots became the blueprint for what he would later call “Reef Wall” panels.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-preferred-textured-walls">Fish preferred textured walls</h2>



The Canadian team had followed the professor’s earlier experiments in Florida’s saltwater habitats. 



The researchers wanted to know if similar designs could work in freshwater environments - like lakes and seawall-lined canals - using fish commonly found in Canada.



So they built a controlled experiment. In a test tank, they introduced four species one at a time: bluegill, rock bass, yellow perch, and <a href="https://earthpedia.earth.com/animal-encyclopedia/chordata/fundulidae/fundulus-diaphanus/?_gl=1*1vxpgm*_ga*MTg3OTEyMjQ2Ni4xNzIxMDYzMTg3*_ga_STJW8JPZJQ*czE3NTI3OTYxMDAkbzE2JGcxJHQxNzUyNzk2MzgxJGo5JGwwJGgw">banded killifish</a>. 



The fish were given a choice between a flat concrete wall (the control) and four wall panels with increasing levels of texture and complexity.



The results were encouraging. All the Canadian fish liked the variegated walls more than the flat ones.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-habitat-tastes-varied-by-fish-species">Habitat tastes varied by fish species</h2>



The results also demonstrated that one size doesn't fit all. Some species were pickier than others. Their preference for the most complex design turned out to be fairly species-specific, 



Van de Riet pointed out that bluegill liked - or at least hung out near - the artificial panels the most, followed by banded killifish.



Rock bass and yellow perch showed more versatility, preferring a range of relief depths, according to the researchers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-better-walls-for-healthier-ecosystems">Better walls for healthier ecosystems</h2>



The point of these panels isn’t only to keep smaller fish from being eaten. The more textured the surface, the more nooks and crannies there are for bivalves - like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-freshwater-mussels-are-threatened-by-sea-level-rise/">mussels</a> and oysters - to attach. 



Those animals can filter water naturally, improving water quality for the entire ecosystem, including the humans living nearby.



The team noted that the research is especially important for places where shorelines are already built up or too heavily trafficked for traditional living shorelines.



Professor Van de Riet said the study is challenging because each species has different behavior. "And they behave differently at different ages. When they're younger, they're going to seek refuge, no matter what."



"As bluegill age, they prefer open spaces because they can see everything around them. So they tried to account for those things based on what they already know about the species.”



The takeaway? Fish respond to structure - but there's a sweet spot in the design.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-designing-for-the-real-world">Designing for the real world</h2>



The work has not stopped. This year, the team is testing the root-inspired panels in an actual lake instead of a lab tank. They’re monitoring how fish respond in more natural, uncontrolled conditions.



“The work includes reaching out to waterfront property owners, doing surveys and trying to figure out what's the best way to roll out ideas and concepts that would impact how they build on their shorelines,” said Professor Van de Riet.



As more shorelines are paved over with concrete, this research offers a hopeful message: we can still make room for nature. Fish seem to know what they need - we just have to pay attention.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.70148">Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems</a>.



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Helping fish survive: Building walls with fake plant roots

Imagine you're a fish - darting through the water, dodging...

By the year 2100, nearly a billion people could be living with drastically reduced access to river water. The finding comes from a new study that used some of the most advanced Earth systems models available.



The research was led by scientists at <a href="https://www.northeastern.edu/">Northeastern University</a>, specifically from the Institute for Experiential AI and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.



The researchers reassessed climate model performance and found that improved simulations shift our expectations about future water availability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-changing-in-the-models">What’s changing in the models?</h2>



Earth systems models simulate the planet’s processes - from the atmosphere and oceans to land surfaces and human activities. They're critical tools for understanding future climate impacts. But not all models are created equal.



The researchers compared two generations of climate models: CMIP5 and the newer CMIP6. 



The CMIP6 system had a clear edge. It used finer spatial resolution - every 100 kilometers instead of 500 - and more advanced physics, including better handling of land, ocean, and ice systems.



"The CMIP6 also did a better job of incorporating comprehensive physics, such as physics of land, ocean and ice into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-models-underestimate-sea-ice-melt-and-global-warming/">climate model</a> equations," noted Puja Das, a post-doctoral research fellow at Northeastern University.



Some climate models handle cloud formation and atmospheric convection through a process known as parameterization.



"There are some critical parameterizations that need to be correct. We saw that the models that use those parameterizations are performing well," said Das.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-river-runoff-and-water-shortages">River runoff and water shortages </h2>



Understanding future water availability means looking at where the stakes are highest. That’s why the researchers zeroed in on the world’s largest river basins - systems that support vast populations and economies.



"We chose the 30 biggest river basins around the world, including the <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/earth-from-space-the-amazon-river/">Amazon</a>, Congo, Ganges, Brahmaputra and <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/heart-shaped-oasis-on-the-nile-river/">Nile</a> rivers," said Das. "We were trying to see how the runoff in those river basins, or water availability in those river basins, are presented in climate models."



Runoff - the water that flows from land into rivers - is a key part of that equation. It feeds into drinking water systems, sustains agriculture, and powers hydroelectric plants. Even small drops in runoff can cause major disruptions.



"Population estimates are important because they give policymakers an idea of what to expect in terms of the availability of food, water and energy," explained Das.



The results were sobering. The five most accurate climate models predict that 40% of these rivers will experience reduced <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/water-cycle/">runoff</a> by the end of the century. That would affect roughly 850 million people - more than triple the number that was previously estimated.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-model-projections-of-water-outcomes">Model projections of water outcomes </h2>



Better resolution and physics help, but that's not enough. The researchers wanted to be sure the improved models actually matched historical data and worked well with each other. That’s where skill and consensus come in.



"She's saying that higher resolution, better parameterization and more physics components do add value. We try to look at all these kinds of metrics based on skills and consensus and that's what Das has done," said study co-author Auroop Ganguly, a professor at Northeastern.



However, even better models can come with trade-offs. As precision improves, the range of possible outcomes - known as uncertainty bounds - can actually grow wider.



"Higher resolutions, more intricate parameterizations and comprehensive physics are hypothesized to improve model projections, but this is not guaranteed until the models are thoroughly evaluated against observations (skills) and against each other (consensus)," said Das.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-shortages-of-river-water">Future shortages of river water</h2>



The research didn’t stop with one future scenario. The team also ran the models through five different emissions pathways. As expected, a lower-emissions world had better results.



"We saw that if there is a greener world, the water availability will be higher and fewer people will be impacted because of the decrease in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/water-reservoirs-are-shrinking-and-becoming-less-reliable/">water availability</a>," said Das.



Even in the best-case scenario, drying rivers will still threaten hundreds of millions of people with water shortages. 



“We found that 500 million people (would be affected) instead of 900 million people, but water availability will still decrease in certain parts of the world.”



The goal of the research is to inform two key groups: policymakers and water resource managers who use these models for future planning, and scientists and modelers working to improve their accuracy.



By identifying the most reliable models and highlighting their projections, the study equips both groups to make more informed decisions in a rapidly changing world.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-025-01134-5">npj Climate and Atmospheric Science</a>.



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Drying rivers could cause water shortages for 850 million people

By the year 2100, nearly a billion people could be...

An electric current can clear vineyard weeds as effectively as herbicides and mowing, scientists have shown. It offers growers a chemical‑free option that performs well in real‑world conditions while posing only a minor seasonal fire risk.



The discovery comes from research led by  Catherine Borger and Miranda Slaven from <a href="https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-primary-industries-and-regional-development">Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development</a>. 



Working with the <a href="https://zasso.com/">Zasso XPower</a> system, the team compared electric weeding with glyphosate spraying and mowing during two consecutive spring seasons.



The findings give fresh momentum to electric <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/boosting-crop-colors-with-gene-editing-can-improve-weed-control/">weed control</a> at a time when herbicide resistance and consumer concern over chemical residues are on the rise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-high-voltage-weeding">Testing high-voltage weeding</h2>



The trials took place in 2022 and 2023 at four commercial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wine-production-in-a-warming-world-the-winners-and-losers/">vineyards</a> near Yallingup, a cool‑climate wine region south of Perth. 



Each site carried dense spring growth. It was dominated by annual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fairy-circles-kill-all-newly-planted-grasses-deepening-their-mystery/">grasses</a> such as rigid ryegrass and long‑flowered veldtgrass, as well as sprawling legumes and hardy kikuyu.



Researchers mounted a 36 kW power unit on a tractor and fitted retractable electrode arrays to reach beneath vine canopies.



Traveling at a cautious 0.7 to 0.9 mph, they applied either the full 48-horsepower or a reduced 32-horsepower setting to each vine row.



Parallel plots received a standard tank mix of glyphosate plus amitrole or were mown at a height of 2 inches.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-effective-alternative-to-herbicides">Effective alternative to herbicides</h2>



The researchers harvested the biomass five weeks later, and the numbers were clear.



Electric weeding at either power level removed 84 to 87 percent of weed mass. This matched the 88 percent weed removal rate that glyphosate achieved. Mowing lagged behind at 65 percent.



“We show electric weed control in viticulture has comparable efficiency to that achieved by herbicides,” Borger said.



Just as important for growers, repeated NDVI scans confirmed that neither voltage setting injured the grapevines themselves; canopy greenness and shoot growth were identical across all treatments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-fit-for-organics">Good fit for organics</h2>



Electric pulses kill by puncturing plant tissues and burning roots, and they bring several advantages that chemicals cannot match.



“These advantages include no chemical residues in the environment or food, no rain‑fast period after application, no restrictions on use in windy conditions, no chemical resistance and no impacts on neighboring vegetation or waterways," noted Borger.



The benefits carry particular weight in Australian viticulture. More than six percent of production is now certified organic, and herbicide‑resistant ryegrass threatens many conventional blocks.



“Electric weed control will be of particular importance for organic growers,” Borger added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limits-of-electric-weeding">Limits of electric weeding</h2>



The technology is not without drawbacks. The disadvantages include slow application speed and high fuel usage.



Fire was the other concern. To quantify the danger, the researchers applied electricity to plots covered with dry barley straw and oat hay. 



Sparks ignited debris only when plant residues were bone‑dry and the tractor moved slowly. Doubling ground speed cut sparks by 90 percent. Real vineyard passes in damp spring conditions produced no ignition at all.



“In every field experiment we conducted during spring, there were zero fires, and this is the most common time of year for weed management in Western Australia,” Borger said.



“Electric weed control is suitable for use in winter/spring weed management within the Mediterranean climate but not for control of summer or autumn weeds.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-integrating-electric-weeding">Integrating electric weeding</h2>



Taken together, the findings suggest a practical pathway for growers. Electric treatment can substitute for one or two spring herbicide applications, reducing chemical load and slowing resistance. Conventional spraying or mowing can still tidy escapes later in the season.



Adoption may accelerate as autonomous tractors become common in vineyards. Slow operating speeds are far less costly when machines can run unattended.



Further work will test performance at higher speeds, different soil moistures, and against perennial weeds with deeper reserves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sustainable-weed-control">Sustainable weed control</h2>



By proving that electric weeders can match chemicals under commercial conditions, Borger’s team has electrified the weed‑control debate. They have also supplied rare quantitative data on fire risk, giving growers concrete guidance on when and how to use the tools safely.



If follow‑up trials confirm similar benefits in orchards and row‑crop systems, voltage could become a central pillar of integrated weed management. 



Electric weed control would help farmers meet market demands for cleaner produce while protecting the efficacy of precious herbicides.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/weed-science/article/electric-weed-controlhow-does-it-compare-to-conventional-weed-control-methods/488C45B191B97E84E34257E80EB9CFC6">Weed Science</a>.



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Killing weeds without chemicals - the future may be electric

An electric current can clear vineyard weeds as effectively as...

For decades, scientists regarded large portions of our DNA as genetic junk - useless remnants of ancient viruses that invaded our ancestors' genomes. These segments, known as transposable elements (TEs), were long dismissed as evolutionary fossils with no present-day function. 



However, a new international study challenges the view that ancient viral DNA in our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-dna-test-can-tell-your-exact-age-from-just-a-tiny-blood-sample/">genome</a> is useless. Researchers from Japan, China, Canada, and the US focused on a DNA family called MER11. These sequences influence when and where genes turn on, especially during early human development.



The bits of viral DNA are part of a larger group called transposable elements (TEs). Over millions of years, they copied themselves into different spots across our genome. 



Today, they make up nearly half of human DNA. Once thought silent, TEs now appear to act as switches that help regulate nearby genes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-young-and-active-element">A young and active element</h2>



MER11 belongs to a class of TEs known as LTR retrotransposons. It likely entered primate genomes around 40 million years ago. 



While older TEs have been more studied, younger ones like MER11 remained under-characterized due to their repetitive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-dna-reveals-37000-years-of-hidden-human-infections/">nature</a>.



To understand MER11 better, researchers created a new classification system. They used evolutionary history and conservation in primates to sort sequences into four subgroups: MER11_G1 through MER11_G4. These range from oldest to youngest.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncovering-hidden-functions">Uncovering hidden functions</h2>



This new method helped uncover regulatory signals hidden in junk DNA and missed by older annotation tools. Researchers matched these junk DNA MER11 subfamilies to epigenetic markers. These chemical tags influence gene activity by modifying DNA or its associated proteins.



They found that the youngest subfamily, MER11_G4, showed strong gene activation potential. Using lentiMPRA (lentiviral massively parallel reporter assay), they tested nearly 7000 MER11 sequences. 



These experiments revealed that MER11_G4 sequences strongly boosted <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-link-autism-to-neanderthal-dna-genetic-variants-found-in-modern-humans/">gene</a> expression in human stem cells and neural cells.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-junk-dna-in-primates">Junk DNA in primates</h2>



The youngest MER11 subfamily stood out for having a unique set of transcription factor binding sites. These DNA motifs serve as landing pads for proteins that control gene activity. They are central to how cells interpret developmental or environmental signals.



The study also found that different primates - humans, chimps, and macaques - show slight variations in their MER11_G4 sequences. These differences may affect how genes are regulated across species.



“MER11_G4 binds to a distinct set of transcription factors,” explained Dr. Xun Chen from the <a href="https://english.cas.cn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a>. “This group gained different regulatory functions through sequence <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/airborne-dna-can-track-wildlife-diseases-and-even-drugs/">changes</a> and contributes to speciation.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-role-in-neurodevelopment">A role in neurodevelopment</h2>



The paper added new details on how the junk DNA element MER11 may support specific stem cell states. 



Junk DNA from MER11_G4 shows especially high activity in cells resembling early developmental stages. These include pluripotent stem cells and certain neural progenitors.



In neural contexts, MER11 elements were linked to genes involved in brain development. They showed strong regulatory activity in stem cells transitioning into neurons. These functions suggest that MER11 plays a role in setting up developmental gene networks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-viral-dna-is-not-junk-after-all">Ancient viral DNA is not junk after all</h2>



The findings highlight a broader idea: viral DNA sequences that once invaded our genome can be adapted for important uses. 



By tracking how these sequences evolve and testing their behavior, scientists are uncovering layers of genome regulation previously missed.



“Our genome was sequenced long ago, but the function of many of its parts remain unknown,” said study co-author Dr. Fumitaka Inoue from <a href="http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja">Kyoto University</a>. 



Transposable elements are thought to play important roles in genome evolution. Their full impact may only be revealed through deeper research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-junk-dna-has-real-power-in-evolution">Junk DNA has real power in evolution</h2>



This research significantly reshapes our understanding of what was once labeled as "junk DNA." For many years, scientists believed these segments, especially those originating from ancient viral infections, served no purpose and remained as passive remnants within our genome. 



However, this study on MER11 sequences reveals a very different story. Rather than being inactive bystanders, these viral sequences appear to play vital roles in gene regulation. They help determine when and where specific genes are expressed during critical periods of early development. 



Junk DNA also influence the behavior of stem cells, guiding how they transition into specialized cell types. Even more striking is the possibility that such sequences contribute to the genetic differences that set species apart.



What was once dismissed as useless debris now emerges as an evolutionary toolkit - carefully honed over millions of years - to shape the biology of humans and other primates in subtle but essential ways.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads9164" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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'Junk DNA' is not actually junk, it's found to play a powerful role in the human body

For decades, scientists regarded large portions of our DNA as...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



—–



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex
</div></figure>







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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