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...

Deep in the Brazilian Amazon, something extraordinary was caught on camera. Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) filmed a black-coated jaguar mating with a spotted jaguar in Serra do Pardo National Park.



This rare moment offers a new glimpse into the secret world of one of the most elusive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jaguars-offer-a-glimpse-of-survival-in-a-changing-world/">predators</a> on Earth. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-black-jaguars-the-basics">Understanding black jaguars - the basics</h2>



Black jaguars are not a separate species, but a color variation of the jaguar (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/panthera-onca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Panthera onca</a>). Their dark coats come from a genetic trait called melanism, which causes them to produce more pigment than usual. 



Even though their fur looks almost completely black, if you look closely in the right light, you can still see the jaguar’s famous rosette patterns hidden beneath the dark coloring. 



Scientists believe this adaptation helps black jaguars blend into the dense shadows of rainforests, giving them an edge when stalking prey.



Despite their mysterious appearance, black jaguars share the same powerful build and hunting abilities as their spotted relatives. Their stealth and strength make them apex predators, meaning they sit at the very <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jaguars-offer-a-glimpse-of-survival-in-a-changing-world/">top of the food chain</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jaguars-and-their-mating-patterns">Jaguars and their mating patterns</h2>



Jaguars usually live solitary lives, making them difficult to observe. During an Amazon Biodiversity and Carbon <a href="https://www.abc-expeditions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(ABC) Expedition</a>, researchers recorded a six-minute video showing a melanistic female with a spotted male.



"We hit the proverbial jackpot and captured the first-ever video trap footage of a black jaguar mating with a spotted male in the wild," said Professor Carlos Peres of <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UEA.</a>



"The six-minute sequence reveals courtship and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-intelligence-did-not-evolve-due-to-natural-selection/">copulation</a>, and if they'd moved a few meters we would have missed everything!" 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-first-wild-jaguar-mating">First wild jaguar mating</h2>



The footage provides a look into behavior rarely seen outside captivity. "This is the first time we've captured a melanistic jaguar mating in the wild," said Postdoctoral Researcher Thomas Luypaert from the <a href="https://www.nmbu.no/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Norwegian University of Life Sciences</a>.



Such observations are crucial, since jaguar reproduction is still poorly understood in natural settings. Most previous knowledge comes from zoos, where stress or mate incompatibility can distort natural instincts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jaguars-have-similar-mating-patterns">Jaguars have similar mating patterns</h2>



The recorded event displayed many of the same stages seen in captive jaguars. 



Researchers noted the male’s approach, the female’s crouching, mounting, receptiveness, and pelvic movements - all matching well-documented sequences.



Some behaviors, like tail flicking, growls, and female rolling after mating, added further depth.



Interestingly, the study suggested that even with coat differences, both black and spotted jaguars show similar mating patterns. 



This consistency supports the idea that jaguar courtship is deeply rooted and resilient across conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-and-signals">Timing and signals</h2>



The footage revealed details about timing. The two <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-wild-species-find-forbidden-love-domestic-animals/">mating</a> events occurred in rapid succession, separated by just over three minutes. 



Such short intervals are consistent with female peak fertility, when frequent copulation may help trigger ovulation.



Acoustic cues also played a role. Male vocalizations near the end of mating matched known signals of ejaculation. 



Meanwhile, the female’s rolling after the second copulation suggested successful intromission - a critical detail for assessing reproductive outcomes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-survival-through-deception">Survival through deception</h2>



One intriguing detail was evidence of lactation in the female, hinting she might already have cubs. If so, her mating could represent pseudo-estrus, a behavior where females mate not for conception but for protection.



"If the female was indeed lactating, it could mean she was using a 'hide-and-flirt' strategy, which is mating to confuse paternity and protect her cubs," Luypaert explained. "That's a possibility we can't rule out."



This aligns with other reports of jaguars mating while raising cubs. By confusing males about paternity, females may lower the risk of infanticide.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jaguar-communication-and-behavior">Jaguar communication and behavior </h2>



Melanism, caused by a mutation in the MC1R gene, occurs in about 10 percent of jaguars. It is more common in humid environments, where a dark coat may improve camouflage and thermoregulation.



While some studies suggest melanism might affect behavior through linked genetic traits, the researchers found no obvious difference.



Communication in jaguars relies on more than visual cues, with scent and sound likely ensuring courtship continuity.



This single encounter carries weight far beyond novelty. It validates captive behavioral studies, offers benchmarks for ex situ breeding programs, and provides fresh context for jaguar conservation.



"Understanding how jaguars behave in their natural environment is essential, not just for science, but for improving conservation and breeding programs worldwide," Luypaert said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cameras-changing-science">Cameras changing science</h2>



Beyond jaguars, this work highlights the power of technology. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weasels-are-vanishing-or-are-they-just-too-sneaky-to-spot/">Camera traps</a> allow scientists to capture rare moments without disturbing wildlife.



"Camera traps are revolutionizing how we study animals," Luypaert said. "Without them, this moment would have gone completely unnoticed."



Researchers hope to expand these observations to see if melanism influences reproductive success or social dynamics. "This is just one data point, but it opens the door to asking bigger questions," noted Luypaert.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jaguar-research-in-the-amazon">Jaguar research in the Amazon</h2>



The Amazon Biodiversity and Carbon (ABC) Expeditions, led by NMBU and UEA with Brazilian institutes, combine wildlife surveys and vegetation studies to understand biodiversity and carbon stocks in remote Amazon regions. 



This jaguar encounter is one remarkable story emerging from their fieldwork. It illustrates how dedicated monitoring efforts can uncover extraordinary insights, strengthen <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biodiversity-leaks-conservation-efforts-may-shift-harm-elsewhere/">conservation</a> practices, and reveal behaviors previously hidden within the forest.



<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/pp7LwxUmhao?si=tG66TZAR6MQ3QwsN
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Video Credit: UEA Research</figcaption></figure>



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.71776" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecology and Evolution</a>.



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Rare and elusive black jaguars were captured mating on video for the first time ever

Deep in the Brazilian Amazon, something extraordinary was caught on...

After nearly four decades of stubbornly clinging to life, one of the largest icebergs ever recorded is entering its final act. A23a - the trillion-ton "megaberg," which once sprawled over an area more than twice the size of Greater London - has drifted into the warmer waters of the South Atlantic and has begun to disintegrate rapidly.



In recent weeks, satellite images show vast slabs calving away - some measuring hundreds of square miles - while a blizzard of smaller bergy bits spreads around it, posing hazards to ships as the giant wastes away.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iceberg-freed-after-30-years">Iceberg freed after 30 years</h2>



A23a’s story stretches back to 1986, when it calved from Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf and promptly ran aground in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-is-sea-ice-loss-affecting-biodiversity-in-the-weddell-sea/">Weddell Sea</a>, pinned to the seafloor for more than 30 years.



Freed at last in 2020, it joined “iceberg alley,” the conveyor belt of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-circumpolar-current-speed-increasing-rising-sea-levels/">Antarctic Circumpolar Current</a> that sweeps big bergs toward the South Atlantic.



By early 2025, it had loomed into view near South Georgia, raising fears it could block the island’s penguins and seals from their feeding grounds. The berg briefly grounded on shallow banks, then worked loose in late May and accelerated north.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-warming-seas-speed-its-demise">Warming seas speed its demise</h2>



Heat and waves are now doing what gravity and time could not. According to an analysis of Copernicus satellite data, megaberg A23a is down to roughly 683 square miles, with a maximum width of about 37 miles - less than half its size at the start of the year. 



Its drift speed has jumped too, at times topping 12 miles per day as it rides stronger currents and increasingly rough seas.



“It’s breaking up fairly dramatically,” said Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British Antarctic Survey</a> (BAS). “I’d say it’s very much on its way out - it’s basically rotting underneath." 



"The water is way too warm for it to maintain. It’s constantly melting…It won’t be really identifiable within a few weeks.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-made-megaberg-a23a-so-unusual">What made megaberg A23a so unusual</h2>



Iceberg calving is part of the normal life cycle of polar ice, and giant bergs are not unprecedented. But A23a’s persistence and path are striking.



“Most icebergs don’t make it this far,” Meijers said. “This one’s really big, so it has lasted longer and traveled farther than others.”



When BAS researchers sailed alongside it in late 2023 aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough, the experience was otherworldly.



“It looked like a towering wall emerging from the ocean, stretching from horizon to horizon,” Meijers said. “Some portions were quite pitted and undercut by the action of waves and melt.”



That undercutting is the giveaway. As the berg moves into warmer, saltier water and meets heavier swell, melting hollows its base while cracks propagate through the plate-like ice. Running aground - whether at South Georgia or now on patches of the continental shelf - adds extra stress that hastens the breakup.



“Large bergs have made it a long way north before - one got within 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of Perth, Australia - but they all inevitably break up and melt quickly afterward,” Meijers said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-danger-and-opportunity-collide">Danger and opportunity collide</h2>



Icebergs of this size can reshape local ecosystems as they pass. They can temporarily block straightforward routes from island rookeries to offshore feeding grounds, forcing adult <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/penguins-are-threatened-by-mercury-contamination/">penguins</a> and seals to detour and burn energy while chicks and pups wait ashore.



“Potentially, it could interrupt their pathway to feeding sites and force the adults to expend more energy to travel around it,” Meijers said of the South Georgia colonies, which is why the grounding in March drew concern. The berg’s drift around the island reduced that immediate risk.



There may also be benefits. As megabergs like A23a melt, they stir stratified waters and leak micronutrients such as iron into the sunlit surface layer - fertilizer for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-from-africa-sparked-a-massive-phytoplankton-bloom/">phytoplankton blooms</a> that can feed krill and fish, and ultimately seabirds and mammals.



BAS researchers sampled waters around A23a in December 2023 to gauge its biogeochemical “footprint.” They paired these results with past deployments of robotic ocean gliders around similar bergs. 



Together, the data show how iceberg-borne nutrients and upwelling can boost productivity and even enhance carbon sequestration as organic matter sinks to depth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iceberg-s-collapse-tracked-by-satellites">Iceberg's collapse tracked by satellites</h2>



A23a’s decay has unfolded in near-real time thanks to daily satellite imagery, which captures both its changing outline and the swarms of fragments it sheds.



“It is easily observed from space, and daily visual-spectrum satellite snapshots make it easy to track its progress,” Meijers said. 



Ocean current maps - also derived from satellites - help project its likely path, though the precise route always depends on winds, waves, and where the berg next snags the seafloor.



For shipping, vigilance is everything. A single monster is easy to avoid; a broken field of smaller floes is not. “As it breaks up over time, the smaller bergs are much harder to track,” Meijers said. Fishing operators may temporarily write off entire regions until the ice debris disperses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-icebergs-in-a-warming-world">Icebergs in a warming world</h2>



Scientists are careful to distinguish between calving - a natural release valve for ice shelves - and the broader, climate-driven changes transforming Antarctica.



“Icebergs, including megabergs like this one, are a completely normal part of the lifecycle of the Antarctic (and Greenland) ice sheets,” Meijers said. But the context has shifted.



“Observations show that the ice shelves have lost around 6,000 giga (billion) tons of their mass since the year 2000.” 



It is a loss “roughly matched by an increase in straight-up melt of the ice shelves” and aligned with measured mass loss from grounded Antarctic ice.



That matters for global sea level - because thinning shelves buttress <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-glaciers-are-reshaping-landscapes-and-national-borders-around-the-world/">glaciers</a> less effectively - and for ocean circulation, as freshwater input alters density and flow. Scientists are especially concerned about potential “tipping points” in West Antarctica, where retreat could become self-sustaining.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-days-of-a-giant">Final days of a giant</h2>



No one can say exactly how A23a’s last weeks will play out, only that the megaberg's direction is one-way. Grounding events, wave attacks, and heat from above and below guarantee a cascade of fractures until the berg is a memory and a field of bergy bits.



“Now it’s grounded, it is even more likely to break up due to the increased stresses,” Meijers noted earlier; whether or not it’s currently snagged, the outcome is the same.



For scientists, though, this isn’t just spectacle. It’s a chance to watch, measure, and model how a true giant interacts with the Southern Ocean - how it fertilizes, how it freshens, how it fragments - and to fold those insights into a bigger picture of a warming world.



As Meijers put it, icebergs provide interesting natural laboratories for studying ocean physics, chemistry, and ecosystems. A23a’s long journey is nearly over. The lessons it leaves behind won’t melt away.



Image Credit: MODAPS at NASA/GSFC



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Antarctica’s megaberg faces its final days in the South Atlantic

After nearly four decades of stubbornly clinging to life, one...

Coral reefs are under heavy strain. Heatwaves, pollution, and overfishing chip away at their health year after year. Some hardy corals still hang on, but there’s a catch: survival isn’t the same as thriving.



A new study tracked how a heat-tolerant Red Sea coral copes when warm water sticks around for months. The short answer: it survives. The longer answer: it pays for that survival with slower growth and higher metabolic costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-months-of-heat-exposure">Months of heat exposure</h2>



The research focused on a northern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-reveals-the-value-of-coral-reefs-in-the-red-sea/">Red Sea</a> species, Stylophora pistillata - often seen as resilient during hot spells. The team tested how this coral handles elevated temperatures not for days, but for 26 weeks, then watched what happened after a month back at 77°F.



Ann Marie Hulver is the lead author of the study and a former graduate student and postdoctoral scholar in Earth sciences at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Ohio State University</a>.



“In theory, if corals in the wild at these temperatures are smaller, reefs might not be as diverse and may not be able to support as much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-impacting-marine-life-more-than-we-realized/">marine life</a>,” she said. “This could have adverse effects on people that depend on the reef for tourism, fishing, or food.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-coral-survival-costs">Measuring coral survival costs</h2>



Corals lived at three steady temperatures: 77°F (baseline), 81.5°F, and 86°F - levels expected in many tropical seas by 2050 and 2100. 



The team looked at surface area growth, metabolism, energy reserves, feeding, and the makeup of their algal partners over six months.



Stylophora pistillata survived at both warmer settings, but shrank compared to controls. At 81.5°F, corals were 30 percent smaller.



At 86°F, they were 70 percent smaller. Growth slowed, respiration rose, and energy budgets tightened, even though overall <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-reveal-500-million-years-of-changes-in-ocean-life/">biomass</a> and reserves were maintained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-survival-over-reef-growth">Survival over reef growth</h2>



For the first 11 weeks, warm-water stress barely registered, but by week 26 at 86°F, corals showed higher metabolic demand and reduced growth. 



The symbiotic algae community remained stable, indicating the stress wasn’t caused by swapping partners. Encouragingly, recovery was possible - after four weeks back at 77°F, both metabolic demand and growth rebounded, though previously heated corals stayed darker in color than those that had never been warmed.



The findings suggest a clear threshold: corals can endure extended, sub-bleaching heat, but they sacrifice skeletal accretion in favor of tissue maintenance to survive. 



“Survival is certainly the number one important thing for coral, but when they’re physiologically compromised, they can’t do that forever,” said Andrea Grottoli, study co-author and professor of Earth sciences at Ohio State. 



“So there’s a limit to how long these resilient corals can cope with an ever-increasing warming ocean.”



This trade-off carries real consequences. Reefs support fisheries, tourism, and coasts, but slower coral growth risks flattening structures, disrupting ecosystems, and local economies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-reefs-under-threat">Global reefs under threat</h2>



The challenges these corals face aren’t isolated - they reflect a global pattern. As the planet warms, oceans absorb most of the excess heat, driving more frequent and intense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-are-expanding-their-reach-across-the-globe/">marine heatwaves</a>. What used to be temporary stress events are becoming persistent conditions.



This shift raises the stakes for coral reefs. Long-term exposure to warmer water - even below bleaching thresholds - can weaken reef growth, shrink habitat complexity, and reduce biodiversity. 



Without serious cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, many reefs may survive in name only, stripped of the structure and life they once supported.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conserving-coral-strongholds">Conserving coral strongholds</h2>



“Conservation efforts could focus on areas where resilient coral are present and create protected sanctuaries so that there are some ecosystems that grow as high-probability-success reefs for the future,” Grottoli said.



That matches the study’s takeaway: target protection toward proven strongholds while acknowledging the costs corals pay to endure chronic heat.



Ocean temperatures are expected to climb about 5°F by 2100. The study’s six-month exposure shows that even tough corals survive but do not thrive under elevated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-temperatures-are-rising-faster-than-expected-and-likely-to-accelerate/">temperatures</a>, with growth taking the hit. 



The research also highlights a vital lifeline: a cool-down period can restore metabolic balance and restart growth. For reefs, time at cooler temperatures may make all the difference.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725018741?via%3Dihub">Science of The Total Environment</a>.



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Corals trade growth for survival as oceans warm

Coral reefs are under heavy strain. Heatwaves, pollution, and overfishing...

On a late August night in Chile, the Gemini South telescope swiveled toward a traveler from deep space - a true outsider passing through on a one-time visit. The target was Comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third confirmed interstellar comet ever seen. 



Then, the images rolled in - showing a brighter, puffier coma and a newly lengthened tail streaming away from the Sun.



In astronomical terms, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/comet-3i-atlas-shows-unusual-dust-patterns-as-it-zips-through-our-solar-system/">3I/ATLAS</a> had “switched on,” warming enough for sunlight to lift gas and dust off its surface and turn a dim speck into a classic comet.



The images were captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini South, part of the International Gemini Observatory operated by <a href="https://noirlab.edu/public/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NSF NOIRLab</a>. 



The photos reveal a broad, glowing coma and a tail about 1/120th of a degree wide in the sky. It looks tiny to the eye - yet it’s a clear sign of a comet gaining speed and heat as it cuts inward through the solar system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-watching-the-comet-in-real-time">Watching the comet in real time</h2>



This wasn’t a closed-door observing run. As the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/einstein-telescope-will-revolutionize-cosmic-observations/">telescope</a> gathered photons, students and curious sky watchers logged into the Gemini South control room over Zoom. 



The session, organized by NOIRLab with <a href="https://shadow.ucsc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shadow the Scientists</a>, turned a two-hour block of cutting-edge observing into a live, guided field trip.



Participants from Hawaii, La Serena, and far beyond watched the comet come into focus and filled the chat with questions. They witnessed the messy, exhilarating reality of real-time science: choosing filters, adjusting exposures, and celebrating the first clean spectrum.



Project lead Karen Meech, an astronomer at the <a href="https://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy</a>, established clear goals. The team wanted precise colors - clues to dust sizes and composition in the coma - and, crucially, a spectrum, the rainbow barcode that reveals a comet’s chemistry.



“We were excited to see the growth of the tail, suggesting a change in the particles from the previous Gemini images, and we got our first glimpse of the chemistry from the spectrum,” said Meech.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chasing-color-and-chemistry">Chasing color and chemistry</h2>



Comets are icy, dusty leftovers from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-formation-new-insights-mechanics-physics/">planet formation</a>. When they heat up, ices sublimate, lofting dust and gas that build a hazy atmosphere (the coma) and a tail pushed away by sunlight and the solar wind.



In the new data, 3I/ATLAS’s coma looks broader and brighter than before. Its tail, a neat sliver pointing directly away from the Sun, reveals that the comet is actively shedding material.



Those changes aren’t just pretty; they’re a physical record of what happens as a frozen body from the void gets its first serious blast of sunshine in who knows how long.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-images-reveal-comet-shedding">Images reveal comet shedding</h2>



Alongside the images, the team captured the comet’s spectrum. By breaking light into its component wavelengths, spectra reveal the fingerprints of molecules and the properties of dust grains - information that images alone cannot provide.



Bin Yang, an assistant professor at <a href="https://diegoportalesuniversity.udp.cl/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universidad Diego Portales</a> in Santiago, walked the audience through what to look for. Broad color trends can flag dust size, sharp features can betray gases like CN or C₂, and together they show how everything evolves as the comet brightens.



Early indications are that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cosmic-map-reveals-that-the-milky-ways-dust-has-very-unusual-properties/">dust</a> and ices of 3I/ATLAS look a lot like those in homegrown comets. This hints that planet-forming disks around other stars may cook up comet ingredients in ways familiar to us.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-interstellar-comets-matter">Why interstellar comets matter</h2>



Interstellar objects are the definition of rare. Before 3I/ATLAS, there was 1I/ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.



Unlike solar system comets that return on predictable loops, 3I/ATLAS is on a hyperbolic path: it will flare briefly and then slide back into interstellar space. That makes the timing urgent and the science precious.



The material we see fizzing off its surface formed around another star long ago. Catching and decoding it is one of the few ways to sample the chemistry of faraway planet nurseries without leaving home.



“As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/comet-3i-atlas-shows-unusual-dust-patterns-as-it-zips-through-our-solar-system/">3I/ATLAS</a> speeds back into the depths of interstellar space, this image is both a scientific milestone and a source of wonder,” Meech said.



“It reminds us that our solar system is just one part of a vast and dynamic galaxy - and that even the most fleeting visitors can leave a lasting impact.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hands-on-cosmic-learning">Hands-on cosmic learning</h2>



If you’ve never watched a spectrum appear line by line on a monitor at two in the morning, this session delivered the next best thing.



Viewers saw how astronomers center a faint, moving target in a narrow slit and how they check focus and tracking. They also saw how raw frames - streaked with cosmic rays and dotted with calibration lines - become clean, interpretable data.



The back-and-forth with the team demystified a process that, from the outside, can feel like magic. It’s not magic; it’s patience, practice, and a lot of careful decisions made on the fly.



“These observations provide both a breathtaking view and critical scientific data,” said Bryce Bolin of <a href="https://eurekasci.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eureka Scientific</a>, who joined the run.



“Every interstellar comet is a messenger from another <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vega-star-system-discovery-forces-us-to-rethink-planet-formation/">star system</a>, and by studying their light and color, we can begin to understand the diversity of worlds beyond our own.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preparing-for-comet-s-return">Preparing for comet’s return</h2>



3I/ATLAS was first flagged on July 1, 2025 by the <a href="https://atlas.fallingstar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ATLAS</a> (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey. Since then, it’s been a race to grab photometry and spectroscopy before the comet disappears behind the Sun. The Gemini South data add carefully calibrated colors and a first cut at chemistry.



Come November, when 3I/ATLAS emerges from solar glare, Bolin will host a follow-up session from Gemini North on Maunakea. It will give the public another live window into how scientists chase a fast-moving target.



There’s a reason this effort resonates. It blends the thrill of discovery with a hands-on lesson in how discovery actually happens. 



Programs like this knock down the wall between the control room and the classroom and, in the process, show a new generation that they belong in both. The comet will be gone soon enough. The know-how - and the sense of wonder - stick around.



Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA



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Interstellar comet 'switches on,' gaining speed from a blast of sunlight

On a late August night in Chile, the Gemini South...

Every winter, countless people step onto icy sidewalks and suddenly find themselves sliding. For generations, the explanation was simple: pressure from shoes or skis melted a thin layer of ice, making it slippery. Friction was also thought to play a role. 



This idea, taught for more than a century, seemed convincing enough. But new science shows a very different story.



Researchers at <a href="https://www.uni-saarland.de/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saarland University</a> have uncovered that ice slipperiness is not caused by pressure or friction. Instead, it’s the interaction between molecular dipoles in the ice and those in materials like shoe soles. 



The study challenges a belief rooted in the 19th century, when James Thomson, Lord Kelvin’s brother, first proposed the old theory.



"It turns out that neither pressure nor friction plays a particularly significant part in forming the thin liquid layer on ice," said Professor Martin Müser, who led the research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dipoles-make-ice-slippery">Dipoles make ice slippery</h2>



So what are dipoles? A dipole forms when a molecule has partial positive and negative charges, creating polarity. Water molecules naturally have this polarity, and in ice they align in a crystalline <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-survived-when-earth-was-covered-in-ice-but-how/">lattice</a>. 



When someone steps onto ice, it is not the force of weight but the orientation of dipoles in the shoe sole disrupting the ordered structure of ice molecules. This disturbance causes disorder at the surface.



"In three dimensions, these dipole-dipole interactions become 'frustrated,'" said Müser. 



The result is that the once-orderly lattice breaks down into an amorphous, liquid-like film. This process explains why ice remains treacherously slippery.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-explanations-overturned">Old explanations overturned</h2>



The new theory also challenges long-standing explanations involving pressure melting and frictional heating. For decades, scientists debated whether <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/skiers-are-spreading-pfas-forever-chemicals-around-the-worlds-mountains/">skiers</a> glide because pressure lowers the melting point or because frictional heat generates a thin water film.



But simulations show that ice can liquefy without significant heating or pressure. Instead, displacement-driven amorphization occurs. 



The crystalline surface becomes disordered purely through sliding motion, with molecules shifting from their fixed lattice positions into unstable, fluid-like arrangements that mimic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ice-melt-is-main-driver-of-earths-sea-level-rise-surge-that-is-happening-today-gmsl/">melting</a> yet arise entirely from motion-induced disruptions rather than thermal energy.



In fact, ice at extremely low temperatures can amorphize faster than ice closer to its melting point. This shows that slipperiness does not depend only on thermal effects but on molecular disorder created during sliding. It highlights a deeper physical mechanism that rewrites how scientists understand everyday icy surfaces.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slippery-even-in-extreme-cold">Slippery even in extreme cold</h2>



The research also refutes another long-standing belief. "Until now, it was assumed that skiing below -40°C (-40°F) is impossible because it’s simply too cold for a thin lubricating liquid film to form beneath the skis. That, too, it turns out, is incorrect," Müser said.



"Dipole interactions persist at extremely low temperatures. Remarkably, a liquid film still forms at the interface between ice and ski - even near absolute zero."



At such extremes, the film is thicker than honey, making skiing impractical, but the layer still exists.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surface-materials-matter">Surface materials matter</h2>



The Saarland study highlights how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-polar-bears-get-traction-on-ice/">ice friction</a> depends not only on molecular dipoles but also on surface properties. Hydrophobic surfaces, which repel water, reduce friction more effectively than hydrophilic ones, which attract it.



This suggests that the material of skis, skates, or shoes plays a major role in how slippery ice feels. Even with disorder-induced films, friction remains small only if the surfaces allow water to slip easily. 



As a result, design choices in sporting equipment, footwear, and transportation materials can directly affect performance, safety, and stability on frozen surfaces during winter and beyond everyday human movement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-slippery-ice">Rethinking slippery ice</h2>



For everyday life, whether pressure, friction, or dipoles are responsible may not change much for someone who slips on a sidewalk. But in physics, this distinction matters deeply.



The work of Müser and his colleagues Achraf Atila and Sergey Sukhomlinov overturns nearly two centuries of accepted understanding. 



It reveals that slipperiness comes from disorder, not just melting, and that cold ice can lubricate itself by forming amorphous films, reshaping how scientists think about motion, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ordinary-ice-generates-electricity-when-bent-or-twisted/">energy</a>, and structural changes under stress at the most fundamental molecular scale.



The implications stretch beyond icy sidewalks and ski slopes. They open a new window into how materials deform, how friction works at the molecular level, and why even the coldest ice can still betray our balance, inspiring further research into novel materials and practical safety solutions.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/1plj-7p4z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Physical Review Letters</a>.



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Why ice is slippery: Scientists overturn 200 years of assumptions

Every winter, countless people step onto icy sidewalks and suddenly...

Half a century ago, a government drilling ship poking holes in the seafloor off the northeastern United States stumbled onto something no one expected: fresh water beneath the Atlantic’s brine. 



That anomaly - discovered during a mineral and hydrocarbon survey - has now become the focus of a first-of-its-kind international expedition.&nbsp;



With <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/growing-risk-of-summer-droughts-linked-to-changes-in-river-flow/">drought risk</a> rising, coasts growing saltier, and global demand projected to outstrip freshwater supplies by roughly 40% within just a few years, scientists are casting a wider net for solutions.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ocean-drilling-for-fresh-water">Ocean drilling for fresh water</h2>



This summer’s campaign, Expedition 501, mobilized a liftboat called Robert, a workhorse vessel that lowers three massive legs to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seafloor-relic-uncovers-earths-ancient-mysteries/">seafloor</a> and perches above the waves like a tripod. Normally it services oil platforms and wind farms; this time it became a floating geology lab.&nbsp;



Over three months off Cape Cod, scientists drilled as deep as about 400 meters (1,289 feet) beneath the seabed and extracted thousands of cores and water samples - nearly 50,000 liters in all - to map and test what lies below.



The hunt didn’t come out of nowhere. In 1976, the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Geological Survey</a> drilled a deep test well on Nantucket and pulled up fresh water from surprising depths, hinting at an offshore source.&nbsp;



The same year, the USGS vessel Glomar Conception cored dozens of sites from Georgia to Georges Bank while prospecting for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-trade-is-fueling-a-dangerous-rise-in-methane-emissions/">methane</a> and kept finding “fresh or freshened” water beneath the shelf.&nbsp;



In 2015, researchers from <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> and <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Columbia University</a> used electromagnetic imaging to sketch the contours of a sprawling aquifer under the Atlantic margin - possibly comparable in size to the Ogallala, the Great Plains’ legendary groundwater storehouse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-drills-hit-this-time">What the drills hit this time</h2>



Expedition 501 set out to ground-truth those hints. Backed by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. National Science Foundation</a> and the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, with partners from more than a dozen countries, the $25 million effort targeted an aquifer suspected to stretch from New Jersey to Maine.&nbsp;



Early expectations were already audacious: if the reservoir’s size and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/salinity-is-rising-in-coastal-areas-and-hurting-farmlands/">salinity</a> matched previous estimates, it could, on paper, meet a New York City-sized metro area’s needs for centuries.



What the cores revealed surprised the team all over again. Fresh - and “nearly fresh” - water turned up at both shallower and deeper levels than predicted, suggesting a more extensive system than models had indicated.&nbsp;



Residual water gushed out of the drill string during some operations, a visceral reminder that this isn’t just damp sediment; it’s a pressurized, laterally connected body of water hidden beneath the continental shelf.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-did-the-fresh-water-come-from">Where did the fresh water come from?</h2>



That’s the next big question. The samples now heading to labs around the world will help nail down the water’s age and origin.&nbsp;



One hypothesis points to ancient meltwater: when vast ice sheets smothered North America, sea levels were lower, coastlines farther out, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellites-reveal-a-sudden-drop-in-global-freshwater-levels/">fresh water</a> could have percolated into now-submerged sands.&nbsp;



Another possibility is active connection to onshore aquifers, with modern groundwater slowly migrating offshore through permeable layers. The answer may be both - glacial recharge laying the foundation, topped up (or diluted) over millennia by terrestrial flow.



Untangling these sources isn’t a purely academic endeavor. If the aquifer is largely fossil water left by long-gone glaciers, it’s a finite resource to be used sparingly, if at all. 



If it’s partially fed from land, withdrawals offshore could alter coastal hydrology onshore, changing the calculus for cities already struggling with saltwater intrusion and sinking land.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supporting-a-thirsty-world">Supporting a thirsty world</h2>



The allure is obvious. Cape Town’s near-“Day Zero” in 2018 showed how quickly a modern city can run dry. Great Lakes states have reported localized groundwater stress despite living beside a fifth of the world’s surface fresh water.&nbsp;



In fast-growing tech hubs, data centers have become stealthy water guzzlers; in Virginia, they already consume a quarter of the state’s power and, by some estimates, each midsize facility uses as much water as a thousand households.&nbsp;



Meanwhile, rising seas are pushing salt farther into coastal aquifers worldwide. Against that backdrop, the dreary warning from Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner - “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink” - feels less like poetry and more like policy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-ocean-s-freshwater-potential">The ocean's freshwater potential </h2>



Undersea freshwater isn’t unique to New England. Coastal aquifer systems have been inferred or sampled near South Africa, Canada’s Prince Edward Island, Hawaiʻi, Jakarta, and likely along many other continental margins.&nbsp;



What sets Expedition 501 apart is its mandate: “It’s known that this phenomena exists both here and elsewhere around the world,” said project manager Jez Everest of the <a href="https://www.bgs.ac.uk/">British Geological Survey</a>. “But it’s a subject that’s never been directly investigated by any research project in the past.”&nbsp;



In simple terms: this was the first coordinated, systematic attempt to drill, sample, and map such a reservoir beneath the sea for the explicit purpose of understanding its freshwater potential.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hurdles-to-overcome">Hurdles to overcome</h2>



Even if the aquifer proves vast and relatively fresh, turning a hidden offshore reservoir into a dependable municipal supply is a long road.&nbsp;



Engineers would need to design wells that operate safely beneath the seabed, transport water ashore, and control pumping to avoid drawing in saltwater or collapsing sediments.&nbsp;



There would also be a need for ecologists to assess how extraction might alter pressure gradients, seafloor habitats, and onshore springs.



Lawyers and policymakers would need to answer thorny questions about ownership and rights: Who controls water beneath federal waters? What about state waters? How do indigenous, fishing, and coastal communities fit into the decision-making? And who bears the cost, and the risk?



The scientists on Liftboat Robert aren’t weighing in on those choices yet. Their job is to deliver a definitive map and a clean set of measurements: salinity profiles, chemical fingerprints, isotopic ages, permeability data, and the architecture of the sediments themselves.&nbsp;



Only then can planners decide whether this is a backup for emergencies, a steady complement to surface supplies, or a sensitive reserve best left untouched.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-ocean-s-secret-fresh-water">The ocean's secret fresh water</h2>



There’s a certain irony in using oil-field techniques to search for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nearly-100-million-americans-exposed-to-contaminated-drinking-water/">drinking water</a>. The same jack-up vessel and wireline drills that once chased hydrocarbons are now sampling what may be one of the planet’s most overlooked freshwater stores.&nbsp;



The work is both novel and deeply rooted: it builds on hints gathered in the 1970s and on geophysical surveys a decade ago, yet it reflects a very contemporary urgency.



For now, the team heads back to their labs with barrels of cores and tens of thousands of liters of water - evidence enough to confirm that the “secret fresh water” beneath the Atlantic shelf is real, abundant, and more complex than anyone thought.&nbsp;



Whether it becomes a pillar of coastal water security or a carefully studied curiosity will depend on what those samples reveal - and on how quickly society chooses to act.



As the sun set behind Robert’s tripod silhouette and the Atlantic rolled on beneath, the day’s haul felt both concrete and symbolic: a literal well of possibility tapped in a place most of us never think to look.



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Hidden reservoir of fresh water found miles beneath the ocean floor

Half a century ago, a government drilling ship poking holes...

Fomalhaut has long been the poster child for bright, nearby stars with spectacular debris disks. But even by cosmic standards, its dusty ring has always looked odd.&nbsp;



Now, the sharpest radio images yet from the <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/alma/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array </a>(ALMA) show that the disk’s lopsided shape doesn’t just look off-center - it actually changes shape with distance from the star. 



That quirk, astronomers say, is a smoking gun for an unseen planet sculpting the system from within.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unusually-dynamic-debris-disk">Unusually dynamic debris disk </h2>



Debris disks are the messy aftermath of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-planets-formed-in-the-harsh-early-universe/">planet formation</a>: belts of rock, ice, and dust left over from countless collisions among planetary embryos and comet-like bodies.&nbsp;



In our solar system, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asteroids-found-in-the-main-belt-are-the-smallest-ever-detected/">asteroid</a> belt and Kuiper Belt are small-scale versions of the same idea. Fomalhaut’s belt, however, is vast - and famously eccentric, meaning it’s stretched into an ellipse so that its geometric “center” isn’t where the star sits.



What ALMA’s new 1.3-millimeter images reveal is that the eccentricity itself isn’t a fixed number. The ring is most stretched closer to the star and becomes progressively rounder as you move outward - an effect astronomers call a negative eccentricity gradient. 



Think of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-earth-had-planetary-rings-like-saturn-466-million-years-ago/">Saturn’s rings</a> if Saturn weren’t neatly centered: the inner ring segments would be more offset than the outer ones.



“Our observations show, for the first time, that the disk’s eccentricity isn’t constant,” said Joshua Bennett Lovell from the <a href="https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Center for Astrophysics | Harvard &amp; Smithsonian</a>. “It steadily drops off with distance, a finding that has never before been conclusively demonstrated in any debris disk.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-a-massive-planet-hiding">Is a massive planet hiding?</h2>



High-resolution imagery is only half the story. The team built a new, data-driven model to fit the ALMA images, allowing the ring’s eccentricity to vary with radius while also accounting for its width and subtle asymmetries in brightness.&nbsp;



The best-fitting solution matched what dynamical theory has hinted at for years but no one had cleanly seen in nature: a steep decline in eccentricity with distance from the star.



That shape isn’t just an oddity - it’s a clue. A massive planet orbiting inside the ring can impose a gravitational pattern on the surrounding debris, forcing the inner portions into more elongated paths while exerting a gentler tug farther out.



Over time, that “shepherding” sculpts the entire belt - much like how moons corral the edges of planetary rings - into the gradient ALMA now sees.



The implication is that Fomalhaut’s disk was molded early, when the system still had a gas-rich protoplanetary disk, and has held that imprint for hundreds of millions of years thanks to the steady push-pull of the hidden planet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-older-models-fell-short">Why older models fell short</h2>



A companion paper led by Johns Hopkins graduate student Jay Chittidi and published in the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adfadb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astrophysical Journal Letters</a> put the long-assumed “fixed eccentricity” approach through its paces and found it wanting.&nbsp;



Comparing ALMA’s millimeter images with mid-infrared views from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/firefly-sparkle-webb-telescope-weighs-a-galaxy-for-the-first-time/">James Webb Space Telescope</a> (JWST), the team tracked how brightness shifts around the ring between the warm, starlit pericenter side and the cooler apocenter side. 



Those shifts didn’t line up with any model that kept the ring’s eccentricity constant across its width.



“Simply put: we couldn’t find a model with a fixed eccentricity that could explain these peculiar features in Fomalhaut’s disk,” Chittidi said.&nbsp;



Allowing the eccentricity to taper with distance both explained the brightness pattern and reconciled the ring’s changing width, painting a more consistent picture of a dynamically active system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-planet-you-can-t-see-yet">A planet you can’t see - yet</h2>



No one has directly imaged the putative planet inside <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/james-webb-reveals-the-complexity-of-fomalhauts-dust-belts/">Fomalhaut</a>’s ring. A previous claim of an inner “planet” turned out to be a short-lived dust cloud. But disk architecture often betrays what hides within. 



Gaps, warps, offsets, and now eccentricity gradients are the gravitational fingerprints of large bodies that are otherwise too faint or too close to the star to pick out.



Lovell and colleagues think a hefty planet - perhaps a few times the mass of Neptune or Saturn - could produce the gradient ALMA sees. 



The team has already secured more observing time to test the model further, and they’ve shared their eccentricity-gradient code so others can hunt for the same telltale signature in different systems.



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



Fomalhaut is close, bright, and dust-rich - a perfect natural laboratory for understanding how young planetary systems evolve long after the gas is gone. Its debris belt traces the long-term outcome of countless collisions, while its shape records the gravitational choreography of whatever planets orbit inside.&nbsp;



By combining ALMA’s “cold dust” view with JWST’s infrared sensitivity to warmer grains, astronomers can map not only where the material is, but also how it moves and how big the grains are in different parts of the ring.



That multiwavelength approach is crucial: different grain sizes respond differently to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gravity-could-be-the-definitive-clue-that-the-universe-is-a-computer-storing-information/">gravity</a>, radiation, and gas drag (if any gas remains). 



The brightness contrasts that puzzled older, fixed-eccentricity models make sense once the ring’s shape is allowed to vary with distance and the grain population is allowed to change around the ellipse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-significance-of-formalhaut">Broader significance of Formalhaut</h2>



Fomalhaut’s eccentric ring has been the focus of intense scrutiny for nearly two decades, and it keeps giving astronomers new puzzles to solve. 



The latest ALMA results shift the conversation from “the ring is off-center” to “the ring’s off-centeredness itself is structured” - a far richer constraint on any hidden planet’s mass and orbit.



More ALMA time is coming. JWST will continue to add thermal detail. And with the modeling tools now public, other lopsided rings can be checked for the same gradient signature. If the pattern shows up elsewhere, it could become a powerful, indirect way to weigh and locate planets that are otherwise beyond our reach.



For now, Fomalhaut has reminded us that cosmic “leftovers” are anything but boring. In the right light - and at the right resolution - they can sketch the outlines of entire planetary systems, including the worlds we’ve yet to see.



The study is published in the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/adfadc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astrophysical Journal Letters</a>.



Image Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/B. Saxton



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Star's warped ring may be shaped by a hidden planet

Fomalhaut has long been the poster child for bright, nearby...

Climate change reshapes where people live, altering both the desire and the ability to move. When heat waves, droughts, and floods strike, not everyone responds the same way. A study in&nbsp;Nature Communications&nbsp;shows that age and education strongly influence who migrates and who remains.



The research reveals a complex story: extreme weather pushes some groups to leave while trapping others in place. This challenges the image of mass waves of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-wins-in-2025-came-from-unexpected-places/">climate</a> refugees often evoked in debates.



Study lead author Hélène Benveniste is an assistant professor of environmental social sciences at the <a href="https://sustainability.stanford.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability</a>.



"Weather extremes can both incentivize people to move away and increase the number of people who don't have the ability to migrate," said Professor Benveniste.



"Our research shows that migration in response to weather, just like migration decisions in general, is highly dependent upon demographic characteristics."



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



Earlier research often gave mixed signals on whether women, men, or people with different education levels were more likely to migrate under extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-will-climate-change-hit-hardest-global-index-reveals-vulnerability/">weather</a>. 



By analyzing detailed global migration records, Benveniste and colleagues showed that these contradictions arise because responses vary sharply across demographics and local climates.



The team examined more than 125,000 cross-border cases and nearly half a million within-country moves. They categorized migrants by age, education, and sex, and then connected these groups to weather records like temperature and soil moisture. 



This approach revealed that migration is best understood not by how many move, but by who does.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trapped-and-cannot-migrate">Trapped and cannot migrate</h2>



The new model predicted migration up to 12 times better than previous approaches. Yet weather alone explained only a small fraction of migration, since economics, politics, and social ties also weigh heavily.



Still, striking demographic patterns emerged. Children under 15 were less likely to migrate following extreme heat. Older adults with little education, however, were more likely to leave, while highly educated adults showed little change.



"Our results indicate that many among those most likely to suffer from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-is-just-three-years-away-from-dangerous-carbon-milestone/">climate</a> change impacts will not be able to get out of harm's way," noted the researchers. 



This creates a "double penalty," where people with the fewest resources both struggle to adapt locally and lose migration as an option.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-local-climate-and-migration">Local climate and migration</h2>



Climate zones shape how weather influences moves within countries. In tropical regions, hotter days increased migration among educated adults but had little effect on those with less schooling. 



In arid regions, dry spells spurred moves especially among the least educated, while heavy rains or flooding also triggered departures.



The analysis highlights how vulnerability interacts with opportunity. Those reliant on agriculture, often with little education, may feel a strong push to leave during drought, yet lack the means to relocate across borders. Instead, they may move to nearby towns or cities when conditions deteriorate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-migrates-and-who-doesn-t">Who migrates and who doesn't </h2>



The study emphasizes that climate change will not necessarily unleash waves of migrants. Instead, it will reshape the composition of those who move. 



Projections suggest that by the end of the century, older adults with little education may migrate across borders at higher rates, while the youngest and least educated will migrate less.



This shift means that population averages mask the real story: dramatic differences between groups cancel each other out. Policies that only consider total migration numbers risk overlooking those most affected.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-responses-to-long-term-changes">Responses to long-term changes</h2>



The researchers caution that responses to long-term <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wealthy-elite-responsible-for-majority-of-global-climate-warming/">climate</a> change may differ from reactions to short-term weather. 



Communities may adapt with new crops or technologies, reducing the need to move. Yet if conditions outpace these adaptations, migration pressures could rise again.



Destination conditions also matter. High heat in receiving countries can discourage movement for some groups, while wetter conditions may attract others, especially educated adults. 



Household factors, such as whether people have children, further influence decisions, with parents often less likely to move.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preparing-for-future-climate-shocks">Preparing for future climate shocks</h2>



Policymakers often prepare for large waves of climate refugees. But the evidence points to a subtler reality: climate change will alter who is able to move, while many vulnerable groups remain trapped.



"We hope that policymakers use these results as a basis to more squarely address the needs of different demographic groups," Benveniste said. "We need to answer the needs not just of the people who move, but also those who are moving less."



The science is clear: climate-driven migration is less about numbers and more about people. Understanding who moves, who stays, and why is key to preparing for a warmer, less predictable world.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62969-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Climate shocks: Who migrates and who stays behind?

Climate change reshapes where people live, altering both the desire...

Forests echo with voices that carry both warnings and welcomes. Among these voices are the calls of the proboscis monkey, a primate best known for the exaggerated noses of its adult males. These pendulous features often puzzle visitors who see them for the first time. 



What possible advantage could such a comical appearance bring? Scientists now reveal that these noses are not only ornaments for show but also resonant chambers that shape sound in remarkable ways.



A recent study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface shows how these noses alter vocal signals, strengthening individuality and broadcasting maturity. What once seemed like nature’s joke turns out to be a finely tuned instrument of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/male-proboscis-monkeys-use-big-noses-attract-mates-nasalis-larvatus/">communication</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proboscis-monkey-nose-shapes-sound">Proboscis monkey nose shapes sound</h2>



The large external nose has long been linked to mate choice. Females may see it as a badge of health and strength, while males may use it as a sign of status to avoid unnecessary fights. 



Yet vision alone cannot explain its full significance. Male proboscis <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-can-now-change-animal-behavior-by-transferring-genes/">monkeys</a> produce loud calls known as brays, which travel through dense forests. These calls, filtered through their noses, gain acoustic qualities that deepen their meaning.



The nose exaggerates lower frequencies, making males sound larger than they are. This could discourage rivals while simultaneously attracting mates. 



But the effect does not stop there. Differences in nose size among adults also shift the position of specific formants, turning each call into a kind of vocal fingerprint.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-juveniles-to-maturity">Juveniles to maturity</h2>



To uncover this transformation, researchers studied two males: Jaka, a 13-year-old adult, and Niko, a 3-year-old juvenile. CT scans of their nasal passages were used to create digital models. These models revealed how the nose grows not only longer but also more influential in shaping sound.



In juveniles, higher formants remain far apart. In adults, the third formant slides closer to the second, producing a more distinctive resonance. This subtle acoustic shift signals physical and sexual maturity. Replica models built from the scans confirmed the effect. 



When sound was passed through these replicas, the results matched the simulations, proving that anatomy alone explains the change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proboscis-monkey-calls-mark-identity">Proboscis monkey calls mark identity</h2>



The findings highlight that proboscis monkey noses are not only about body size. Variation in the third formant among adults suggests an added role in individual identification. 



In human speech, individuality often comes from pitch, tone, and patterns of sound. Non-human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-spiders-discovered-on-the-ocean-floor-survive-without-light-eat-methane-gas/">primates</a>, however, rarely produce long strings of varied vocalizations. Instead, individuality is encoded in specific acoustic features.



Because proboscis monkeys live in dense, complex forests, sound carries more reliably than sight. A unique call helps individuals stand out. Each male can be recognized by his resonance, making social interactions clearer. 



In a community where males often overlap, avoiding confusion becomes vital for both survival and reproduction.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monkeys-that-rely-on-individuality">Monkeys that rely on individuality</h2>



Proboscis monkeys live in a society of layers. At the core are one-male, multi-female units, but these units cluster into larger communities that may include bachelor groups. 



This multi-level society means males frequently encounter each other, while females may transfer between units.



In such a structure, individuality matters. Males must be able to recognize rivals and allies without constant confrontation. 



Females, meanwhile, benefit from recognizing the calls of potential partners. The enlarged nose provides the acoustic distinction needed in this crowded setting.



Unlike geladas or mandrills, which manage massive groups with more complex visual signals, proboscis monkeys rely heavily on vocal individuality. Their smaller bands make recognition achievable and worthwhile.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-of-vocal-recognition">Benefits of vocal recognition </h2>



The social system of proboscis monkeys is also patrilineal. Males remain within their natal communities, while females often disperse. This kin-based structure reduces the intensity of competition among related males and encourages cooperation. 



In such settings, vocal recognition has additional benefits. Identifying the calls of relatives aids coordination, whether defending against predators or foraging in thick forest.



Females also take advantage of these signals. When moving between units, they can recognize individual males by voice, allowing them to monitor not only potential mates but also the social positions of others. 



This interplay of biology, behavior, and community reveals why such an unusual feature evolved and persisted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proboscis-monkey-nose-has-dual-roles">Proboscis monkey nose has dual roles</h2>



The enlarged nose operates on two levels. It acts as a visual ornament, signaling health, maturity, and status, while also serving as a vocal amplifier of individuality. 



Together, these signals create a powerful package for communication. In environments where sight is limited and competition is high, such dual functions enhance survival and social cohesion.



"This research, a unique collaboration between a zoo dedicated to rare species conservation, primatologists, and engineers, yielded unexpected results," noted Professor Takeshi Nishimura.



"We are delighted to have uncovered findings that link physical characteristics to vocal communication and social evolution. We are excited about the future prospects of this research."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shaping-sound-and-perception">Shaping sound and perception </h2>



While the evidence is strong, questions remain. Do females actively choose mates based on vocal individuality? Do males respond differently to the calls of familiar rivals compared with strangers? Playback experiments and field observations could provide answers.



For now, the proboscis monkey’s nose stands as a striking example of nature’s creativity. It is both instrument and symbol, shaping sound as much as it shapes perception. 



In the quiet forests of Borneo, the echo of a call carries not only across distance but also across the social bonds that define life in these remarkable primates.



The study is published in the <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2025.0098" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of The Royal Society Interface</a>.



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Proboscis monkeys use their large noses in an unexpected way

Forests echo with voices that carry both warnings and welcomes....

Water defines how people live, from showers to faucets to humidifiers humming in winter. While outdoor watering often gets the spotlight, indoor habits make a huge difference. 



A new study published in the journal Earth’s Future explores how families across the United States consume <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-water-day-2025-preserving-glaciers-protecting-our-future/">water</a> inside their homes, highlighting not just the obvious culprits but also the overlooked ones.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-data-from-26-000-homes">Data from 26,000 homes</h2>



The researchers analyzed more than 26,000 single-family homes across 39 major cities. Unlike previous studies, this one focused purely on indoor use with high-resolution smart meter data.



Landon Marston of <a href="https://www.vt.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Virginia Tech</a> explained the significance of the study. "We didn't have a great understanding of how much water was being used or how it was being used inside homes," said Marston. "So, we kind of relied on these crude estimates to pinpoint that, and it's not that precise."



The smart sensors, developed by Flume, capture <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cutting-super-pollutants-could-quickly-cool-the-planet/">water</a> flow every few seconds and use machine learning to determine which fixture or appliance is responsible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-winter-patterns-in-showers">Winter patterns in showers</h2>



The team studied December and January to avoid confusing outdoor watering with indoor use. Cold months reduce irrigation, making the classification more reliable. 



The researchers noted that focusing on winter minimized seasonal noise, giving them a clearer view of how people use water inside their homes. By removing outdoor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2025-our-power-our-planet/">watering</a> from the picture, the data better captured everyday activities such as toilet flushing, showering, and running appliances.



This seasonal focus also showed how weather influences behavior: colder days often led to longer showers, while drier conditions increased reliance on humidifiers.



Comparing households across regions during the same period created consistent conditions, making the findings more accurate and easier to interpret.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-toilet-and-shower-use">Toilet and shower use</h2>



Cities fell into three groups: high, medium, and low water users. Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Tampa topped the list for high use, while all six of the lowest were in coastal California. 



The researchers linked California’s low usage to strict efficiency regulations and older housing stock. In contrast, high-use cities were often colder and drier, where residents relied more on humidifiers.



"What was really a driving factor was toilet events and showers," said Marston. "We now look at this across the nation and find a similar pattern. That's really a driving force."



Toilets consumed about 40 percent of indoor water. Showers followed closely with around 30 percent. A detailed analysis revealed that high-use cities not only flushed more often but also used more water per flush and had longer, more frequent showers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-factors-influencing-water-use">Other factors influencing water use</h2>



Yunus Naseri, lead author of the study, emphasized where conservation should begin. "Conservation efforts focused on reducing indoor residential water use can be most effective if they target these two end uses," he said.



Yet toilets and showers are not the only contributors. Appliances like humidifiers and reverse osmosis systems increased usage in high-demand cities. Bathtubs and evaporative coolers also added to totals. 



Older homes, surprisingly, were linked to lower <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/discovery-about-earths-bending-rivers-could-help-us-find-water-on-other-planets/">water</a> use than newer ones, possibly due to retrofitted fixtures or smaller household sizes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environment-and-water-use">Environment and water use</h2>



Weather shaped habits too. Colder temperatures correlated with longer showers and more frequent flushing, likely due to increased time spent indoors. 



Wetter climates tended to use less water, while dry conditions encouraged humidifier use. These findings show how behavior adapts to environment, layering onto technology and policy.



The clustering of low-use cities in California highlights the power of state-level rules. Regulations requiring efficient toilets and showerheads, along with rebate programs and public campaigns, appear to have lasting effects.



The study suggests that combining efficiency standards with educational outreach could help other states achieve similar reductions.



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



The researchers caution that the dataset comes from self-selected households who purchased sensors, sometimes with rebates.



These households may already be more conscious of their usage, potentially biasing results. Still, with more than 26,000 homes included, the study provides one of the most comprehensive views yet.



By blending technology, climate data, and behavioral analysis, this research paints a fuller picture of how Americans use water indoors. The clearest lesson is simple: toilets and showers dominate. 



But the surrounding story - about appliances, weather, and policy - shows that conservation requires more than one lever. It demands understanding the complex ways homes, habits, and environments interact.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024EF005467" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's Future</a>.



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What's really draining America's water? A closer look indoors

Water defines how people live, from showers to faucets to...

Across history, human influence is etched into every landscape. It is visible in cleared forests, redirected rivers, and land that has been transformed.



But the most striking changes may be in animals themselves. A new study from the <a href="https://www.umontpellier.fr/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Montpellier</a> shows that wild creatures have steadily shrunk, while domestic animals have gotten larger.



The research team examined more than 225,000 bones from 311 archaeological sites in Mediterranean France. These remains span 8,000 years, giving scientists a rare chance to trace how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-wildlife-day-2025-a-global-call-to-protect-nature/">animal</a> bodies shifted over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animal-sizes-over-time">Animal sizes over time</h2>



The bones came from both wild <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-share-hidden-behavior-patterns-across-continents/">animals</a> - foxes, rabbits, deer - and domestic ones like goats, pigs, cattle, sheep, and chickens. 



The researchers measured every detail: length, width, depth, and even teeth. Then they layered on information about climate, plant life, population size, and land use.



With that mix, the team built models to figure out what forces shaped the animals, carefully linking data across centuries and landscapes. For most of history, wild and domestic species grew or shrank together. When the climate shifted or crops expanded, both groups changed in sync.



But around 1,000 years ago, something new happened, altering their paths forever and reshaping the balance between human activity and nature itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-domestic-animals-grew-wildlife-shrank">Domestic animals grew, wildlife shrank</h2>



During the Middle Ages, domestic and wild <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-may-have-three-million-undiscovered-animal-species/">animals</a> split paths. Domestic species grew larger because people intentionally bred them for more meat, milk, wool, and strength. Farmers selected the biggest animals and repeated the process over generations, turning size into a controlled trait.



Wild animals faced the opposite fate. They shrank as relentless hunting reduced populations and as forests and grasslands disappeared under expanding farmland. With less space to roam and fewer resources to survive, wild species became smaller and weaker.



The scientists highlight this period as a turning point in history. Until then, natural forces like climate shifts and vegetation patterns played the central role in shaping animal size. But once human control intensified, nature no longer held the reins. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-size-changes-in-animals">Size changes in animals</h2>



Human choices - what to hunt, what to protect, and what to breed - became the dominant driver of animal evolution. From that moment on, survival and growth were dictated more by human hands than by the environment itself.



"Our results demonstrate that natural selection prevailed as an evolutionary force on domestic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-ocean-animals-connect-countries-and-continents/">animal</a> morphology until the last millennium," the researchers explained. 



"Body size is a sensitive indicator of systemic change, revealing both resilience and vulnerability within evolving human-animal-environment relationships."



Their point is sharp: bones tell us more than size. They reveal when humans began to dominate the survival story of animals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-humans-rewired-animal-evolution">Humans rewired animal evolution</h2>



This research is not just about ancient remains. It shows a pattern that continues now. We still breed domestic animals for more output. We still cut into wild spaces, pushing species to adapt or disappear. The same forces that began centuries ago now play out on a global scale.



By looking back, scientists gain a long record of how animals respond to us. That knowledge can help shape conservation. If shrinking size once signaled pressure, it can do so again today. 



A smaller body can reveal stress long before a population crashes. It can signal when food is scarce, when habitats are shrinking, or when human activities push species beyond their limits.



These clues matter because they provide early warnings. Conservationists can act before the damage becomes permanent. The past reminds us that human choices already altered the path of countless animals. The future depends on whether we learn from that record and change course while we still can.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-influence-of-human-activity">The influence of human activity</h2>



The study reminds us that animals never evolve in isolation. They grow, shrink, and adapt in response to us. When we change the rules, they change their bodies. The bones of Mediterranean France carry that message clearly.



Wild and domestic creatures once moved together. Then humans pulled them apart. The story is ancient, but its consequences live on in the world we shape every day. What happened a thousand years ago continues now, only faster and with greater intensity. 



Expanding cities push wild species into smaller spaces. Industrial farming reshapes domestic animals for maximum productivity. Hunting, deforestation, and climate change add further pressure.



The lesson is not just about history. These shifts reveal how deeply our choices reach into the lives of other species. They remind us that animals cannot escape the influence of human activity. 



Every decision, from farming to urban growth, leaves its trace on the natural world. The past warns us that these patterns are not new. The future asks us to recognize them and act with more responsibility.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2503428122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Humans have super-sized domestic animals and shrunk wildlife

Across history, human influence is etched into every landscape. It...

Seagrass meadows are more than just coastal greenery. Beneath the waves, they capture carbon and bury it in the seafloor, storing it safely for decades or centuries. This makes seagrass a powerful ally in the fight against climate change



But there’s a catch. When humans flood coastlines with too much nutrient pollution - especially from wastewater - it doesn’t just mess with the water. It messes with the seagrass, too.



Scientists wanted to find out exactly how this works, and they didn’t take shortcuts. Over nine years, researchers observed what happened when they added extra nutrients to seagrass beds. What they found was a balancing act between helping and hurting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-balance-of-seagrass-and-nutrients">The balance of seagrass and nutrients</h2>



In the warm, shallow waters of tropical bays, seagrass grows in sandy beds. Such places are usually poor in nutrients. That may sound bad, but it is one of the reasons why seagrass is good at capturing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-plays-a-major-role-in-global-carbon-storage/">carbon</a>. 



The plants grow slowly and consistently, extending their roots deep into the sediment where carbon is stored and trapped.



But when researchers added <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lack-of-phosphorus-will-limit-growth-of-the-amazon-rainforest/">phosphorus</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kelp-farms-could-help-clean-up-coastal-nitrogen-pollution/">nitrogen</a> to these beds, something interesting happened. The seagrass responded with a burst of growth. 



First, it strengthened its root systems. Then, it put more energy into its blades - the flat, grass-like leaves. As the roots grew quickly, they also died more quickly, sending extra carbon into the sediment. That should be good news, right? 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-shadow-of-too-much-nitrogen">The shadow of too much nitrogen</h2>



Here’s where things got complicated. When nitrogen levels went too high, the team saw a surge in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invisible-forest-of-phytoplankton-thrives-in-a-warming-climate/">phytoplankton</a> - tiny algae that float in the water. These blooms blocked sunlight, putting the seagrass at risk.



“People thought excess nutrients were killing seagrass,” said Jacob Allgeier, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a>. 



“But we show that as long as there are not too many nutrients, which would also increase phytoplankton, the seagrass will just increase growth with excess nutrients.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-experiment-worked">How the experiment worked</h2>



To figure out what was really going on, a team led by recent doctoral graduate Bridget Shayka went hands-on - literally. The team collected seagrass samples from test plots in the Bahamas. 



Shayka and 17 undergraduate students separated each plant into parts: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-meadows-still-thrive-on-floridas-nature-coast/">blades</a>, sheaths, roots, and rhizomes (the stems that grow underground). Next, the parts were freeze-dried, crushed, and tested for nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon.



The researchers found that nutrients from human sources had a bigger effect than those from fish.



“The systems we study are pretty low-nutrient systems, so adding nutrients can increase seagrass production,” said Shayka, now a program officer at Ocean Visions. 



“But we also know that when you go too far and add too many nutrients, it really destroys these systems. It's one of the leading causes of their destruction around the world and in coastal systems.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nitrogen-isn-t-the-only-problem">Nitrogen isn’t the only problem</h2>



In another experiment, the researchers tried 21 varied nutrient ratios in bottles of seawater and phytoplankton. They were curious to know if the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus mattered more than just the amount of each nutrient. The results surprised them.



In this system, phosphorus had a stronger positive effect on seagrass growth. Nitrogen, on the other hand, caused phytoplankton levels to spike. That meant more light-blocking <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-algae-play-an-unexpected-role-in-cooling-the-earth/">algae</a> in the water and more stress for the seagrass beds.



“When you grow tomatoes, you don't just add nitrogen. You add a perfect ratio of nitrogen and phosphorus. That idea is replete in our society,” said Allgeier. “But because we tested the water column and because we tested the seagrass, we're able to say that model doesn't work in our system.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seagrass-and-carbon-storage">Seagrass and carbon storage</h2>



It’s unlikely that we’ll stop nutrient pollution altogether. But these findings suggest we don’t need to. Instead, we need to manage it better.



“We're not stopping nutrient enrichment. It's just not going to stop,” said Allgeier. “But we can manage it. And how do you best manage it? We scrub it for nitrogen.”



If local communities can control nitrogen runoff - especially from sewage and agriculture - they might give seagrass a better chance to grow, store carbon, and stay alive. This matters, not just for marine ecosystems, but for climate action too.



Seagrass may not get the attention coral reefs or rainforests do, but when it comes to carbon storage, it’s one of the most powerful tools in nature.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70401">Global Change Biology</a>.



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Seagrass is a powerful climate weapon - unless we drown it in nutrients

Seagrass meadows are more than just coastal greenery. Beneath the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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