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...

In the waters of Lake Malawi, a single group of fish has evolved into over 800 different species in just a few million years. This rapid and concentrated evolutionary explosion has long puzzled scientists.



Now, researchers have uncovered a powerful genetic mechanism that may explain how such extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-mitigation-strategies-may-be-endangering-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity</a> can arise so quickly.



A recent study led by scientists from the Universities of <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambridge</a> and <a href="https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antwerp</a> reveals that large chunks of reversed, or “flipped,” DNA in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/curiosity-of-cichlid-fish-boosts-biodiversity-in-lake-tanganyika/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cichlid fish</a> act like evolutionary accelerators.



These chromosomal inversions preserve key genetic traits across generations and help fish adapt swiftly to new habitats - fueling the formation of new species at remarkable speed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-shortcut-in-our-genes">The shortcut in our genes</h2>



“Why are there so many different kinds of animals and plants on Earth?” is a question that has guided evolutionary biology for centuries.



In the case of Malawi’s cichlids, all 800-plus species share a common ancestor. Yet they’ve diversified into everything from algae-grazers to sand-sifters to open-water predators - all within the confines of one lake.



To understand this phenomenon, the researchers examined the genomes of over 1,300 individual cichlids. Some species had flipped DNA sections across five chromosomes - a genetic anomaly called a chromosomal inversion.



“We discovered that, in some species, large chunks of DNA on five chromosomes are flipped - a type of mutation called a chromosomal inversion,” said senior author Hennes Svardal from the University of Antwerp.



Ordinarily, recombination reshuffles <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oldest-human-dna-ever-found-tells-story-of-lost-branch-on-human-neanderthal-family-tree/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DNA</a> each generation by mixing genetic material from both parents.



But inside these chromosomal inversions, the structure blocks recombination. As a result, organisms inherit linked gene sets together, preserving adaptations that function effectively as a group.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-supergenes-lock-in-traits">Fish supergenes lock in traits</h2>



“It’s sort of like a toolbox where all the most useful tools are stuck together, preserving winning genetic combinations that help fish adapt to different environments,” said Moritz Blumer from Cambridge’s Department of Genetics.



These preserved gene clusters, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supergenes-drove-the-rapid-spread-of-common-ragweed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supergenes</a>, help explain how diverse cichlid fish evolve while sharing the same lake. In sandy lake beds, inversions limit gene mixing, helping preserve each species’ unique adaptations despite a lack of barriers.



The supergenes govern traits essential to survival: vision, hearing, feeding behavior, and more. For instance, fish that live in the lake’s deep waters - some as far down as 655 feet (200 meters) - require specialized vision to navigate dim light.



They also need unique diets to survive in the nutrient-poor depths and physiology to withstand high pressure. Their supergenes lock in those abilities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supergenes-in-fish-interbreeding">Supergenes in fish interbreeding</h2>



Another advantage of these DNA inversions is that they can transfer wholesale between species when different cichlids <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/28000-year-old-hybrid-child-confirms-interbreeding-between-humans-and-neanderthals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interbreed</a>. This spreads entire suites of beneficial traits in one stroke.



“When different cichlid species interbred, entire inversions can be passed between them - bringing along key survival traits, like adaptations to specific environments, speeding up the process of evolution,” Blumer said.



This genetic mechanism lets adaptations transfer between species, speeding evolution without needing to evolve traits independently each time.



Researchers found these inversions often act as sex chromosomes, determining whether a fish develops as male or female. Because sex chromosomes drive speciation, this finding adds complexity to how cichlids diversify so rapidly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-going-beyond-fish">Going beyond fish</h2>



“While our study focused on cichlids, chromosomal inversions aren’t unique to them,” said co-senior author Richard Durbin, a professor at Cambridge’s Department of Genetics.



“They’re also found in many other animals - including humans - and are increasingly seen as a key factor in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/evolution-is-not-as-random-as-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evolution</a> and biodiversity.”



These findings reveal new ways to study the genetics of speciation. This applies not just to fish, but across all branches of the tree of life. Supergenes and inversions may be more than just quirks of DNA - they could be among evolution’s most powerful tools for generating new forms and functions.



“We have been studying the process of speciation for a long time,” Svardal said. “By understanding how these supergenes evolve and spread, we’re getting closer to answering one of science’s big questions: how life on Earth becomes so rich and varied.”



The study shows how a DNA twist can speed evolution, offering a key clue to the mystery of biodiversity. It also reveals that sometimes, nature hides its most elegant solutions in its smallest structures.



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Genetic ‘supergenes’ power explosive evolution in some fish

In the waters of Lake Malawi, a single group of...

For many people, the idea of combining a psychedelic substance with organized religion may sound like a stretch. Yet a team of researchers recently <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/psymed.2023.0044" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">investigated</a> the effects of psilocybin on spiritual leaders across several faith traditions, hoping to learn how this compound might influence well-being and religious attitudes.



The experts enrolled clergy from major world religions in a study comparing those who received psilocybin sessions with those who did not. 



The late <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2023/10/roland-griffiths-pioneering-psychedelic-researcher-dies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roland Griffiths</a> from <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johns Hopkins University</a> was one of the scientists at the center of this project, ensuring careful protocols and ethical oversight.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-psilocybin-affects-the-brain">How psilocybin affects the brain</h2>



Psilocybin is the primary compound in certain types of mushrooms. It belongs to a group called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/serotonergic-psychedelic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">serotonergic psychedelics</a>, which means it interacts with a specific set of receptors in the brain. 



A growing body of clinical <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-017-4771-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> has explored its effects on mood, mental health, and personal meaning. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269881116675512" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Research</a> suggests that psilocybin can prompt introspection and feelings of connectedness. 



Some participants in past studies have described enduring changes in perspective. These trials have followed standard safety measures and were typically supervised by professionals trained in guiding the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/psychedelic-ibogaine-can-now-be-produced-without-rare-plants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experience</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-religious-leaders-joined-psilocybin-trial">Religious leaders joined psilocybin trial</h2>



Clergy hold leadership roles in their faith communities. They often counsel congregants and guide spiritual practices. 



The researchers wanted to determine if psilocybin-assisted <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/psychedelic-drug-induces-feelings-of-oceanic-boundlessness/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sessions</a> might shape the perspectives and effectiveness of these leaders in their day-to-day vocations.



According to the study, members of various denominations and faiths took part. Some received two psilocybin sessions spaced about one month apart, while others were placed on a waitlist. 



Afterward, each volunteer answered questions about spiritual awareness, prayer, and attitudes toward their beliefs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-religious-leaders-on-psilocybin">Religious leaders' on psilocybin</h2>



Participants were screened for physical and mental health conditions before the sessions. A comfortable setting was provided on the dosing days, including support from trained facilitators. 



Many of those who ingested psilocybin said it was among the most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-fungus-in-morning-glory-seeds-produces-lsd-like-compounds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spiritually</a> significant experiences of their lives.



“Participants who had received psilocybin reported significantly greater positive changes in their religious practices, attitudes about their religions, and effectiveness as a religious leader,” stated Stephen Ross, from the NYU <a href="https://med.nyu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grossman School of Medicine</a>.



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



According to the study, improvements in daily spiritual practices and a sense of deeper connection with both one’s own faith and other religious traditions were still observed well over a year after the sessions. 



These trends suggest the psilocybin experience could potentially support religious work by offering fresh perspectives on matters of meaning and devotion.



On a non-religious level, many participants noted a positive shift in personal well-being. 



They reported mood improvements that continued as time passed. These outcomes highlight a pattern similar to previous psilocybin trials in different populations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reflecting-on-challenges">Reflecting on challenges</h2>



Not everyone’s journey during a psychedelic session is easy. The report acknowledged that psilocybin can bring about intense moments of worry or confusion. 



Careful screening and supervision seemed to reduce potential risks, with no serious adverse events reported.



Still, the authors cautioned against making sweeping generalizations. They pointed out that the research population was relatively small. 



The researchers also emphasized that self-selection and expectations might have shaped the experiences to some degree.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-long-lasting-changes-in-perspective">Long-lasting changes in perspective </h2>



The researchers noted that the results in clergy were broadly in line with past clinical studies of psilocybin in non-religious participants. 



In both cases, high-dose sessions led to long-lasting changes in behavior, perspective, and emotional health.



What made this trial unique was that the effects showed up in areas directly tied to religious leadership, such as prayer life, perceived vocational effectiveness, and tolerance of other faiths.



Compared to studies involving cancer patients or individuals with depression, the clergy participants tended to rate their sessions as more spiritually meaningful and less therapeutically intense. 



That could be due to the nature of their role or their prior exposure to sacred frameworks.



Still, about 42% described at least one session as among the most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magic-mushrooms-are-the-most-popular-psychedelic-drug/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">psychologically</a> challenging experiences of their lives.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-religious-studies-on-psilocybin">Future religious studies on psilocybin</h2>



This project invites more exploration of psilocybin’s role in religious contexts. Larger samples from diverse spiritual backgrounds may clarify how much culture and preexisting beliefs influence the session’s outcomes. 



Some may wonder whether these insights could inform religious education or help religious professionals facing burnout.



Any upcoming investigations are expected to follow rigorous guidelines. Researchers often stress that psilocybin should only be used in supervised studies or other lawful frameworks to minimize potential harm and misunderstanding.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-approaches-to-spiritual-care">New approaches to spiritual care</h2>



Faith leaders stand at a unique crossroads of tradition and human need. Studies like this one spark discussions about new approaches to spiritual care. 



They also add to the growing literature suggesting psilocybin’s potential for promoting introspection and community well-being.



It remains to be seen how religious organizations respond to these findings. Some may embrace research aimed at enriching spiritual life, while others might remain cautious. 



Either way, the results open a conversation about how substances like psilocybin could interact with centuries of established rituals and beliefs.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/psymed.2023.0044" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Psychedelic Medicine</a>.



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Religious leaders of all faiths ate 'magic mushrooms' in a scientific study, and it changed their lives

For many people, the idea of combining a psychedelic substance...

Mercury levels in Arctic animals keep climbing even though the world has reduced new emissions. A new study shows that mercury already in the ocean is drifting northward on century-long currents and silently refueling pollution.



Researchers from <a href="https://international.au.dk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aarhus University</a> and the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a> analyzed more than 700 samples collected across Greenland.



The experts compared modern tissues from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-polar-bear-day-keeping-moms-and-cubs-safe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polar bears</a>, seals, fish, peat, and even 40-year-old archives, then matched each sample’s six mercury isotopes - slight atomic variants that act like barcodes - to known ocean pathways.



“These isotope signatures act like fingerprints, revealing the sources and transport pathways of mercury,” explained lead author Jens Søndergaard, a senior researcher at Aarhus.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-emissions-ride-ocean-loops">Old emissions ride ocean loops</h2>



When smokestacks or gold mines release mercury, the vapor can circle the globe for a year before it falls out of the air. Once it sinks into seawater, however, the metal can linger for three hundred years.



The new study shows that this “legacy mercury” is now the main supplier to the Arctic. Water entering central West Greenland rides the North Atlantic’s Irminger Current and arrives with a different isotopic stamp than water feeding the north and east coasts, which drifts down from the Arctic Ocean.



In regions swept by the Atlantic branch, animals carry less total mercury but show higher values of the heavy isotope δ202Hg. Farther north and east, concentrations are higher and the isotope mix points to older Arctic stores.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mercury-climbs-in-arctic-predators">Mercury climbs in Arctic predators</h2>



Scientists have tracked Arctic mercury since the late 1970s, hoping to see a decline after many countries ratcheted down pollution.



Instead, concentrations in polar bears and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/newly-discovered-species-of-toothed-whale-is-the-earliest-ancestor-of-modern-dolphins/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">toothed whales</a> are now twenty- to thirtyfold above pre-industrial levels.



“We’ve monitored mercury in Arctic animals for over 40 years. Despite declining global emissions since the 1970s, we see no corresponding decrease in Arctic concentrations - on the contrary,” said senior author Rune Dietz, an ecologist at Aarhus.



The new isotope data show why: mercury carried by currents can take up to a century and a half to reach Greenland.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isotopes-trace-mercury-s-path">Isotopes trace mercury's path</h2>



Mercury atoms come in several naturally occurring forms that differ slightly in mass. Industrial smokestacks, volcanic plumes, rivers, and ocean chemistry each leave a characteristic mix.



By scanning these mixes in muscle, fur, and ancient peat layers, the team drew a map of hidden routes. In central West Greenland the isotope blend matches Atlantic inflow; in north-eastern sites it matches the high-mercury Arctic Basin.



The peat cores also tell a time-lapse story: layers laid down in recent centuries hold heavier isotopes than layers deeper in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/permafrost-thaw-is-a-rising-threat-to-arctic-communities/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">permafrost</a>, confirming that modern pollution is still piling up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-impacts-of-mercury">Health impacts of mercury</h2>



“Mercury affects the immune system, reproduction, and possibly sensory functions in animals, which can impact their survival,” said co-author Christian Sonne, a professor at Aarhus.



Seals, polar bears, and seabirds already harbor levels linked to suppressed immunity and hormonal disruption. 



Indigenous communities that rely on marine mammals for food face the same toxic threat. With mercury reservoirs still drifting north, even the toughest emission cuts may not deliver quick relief.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-arctic-slow-to-reflect-progress">Arctic slow to reflect progress</h2>



The <a href="https://minamataconvention.org/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations Minamata Convention</a> aims to curb new mercury emissions. The Danish team’s work explains why Arctic numbers refuse to fall despite progress elsewhere.



Ocean inventories of legacy mercury - much of it released during the 19th- and 20th-century coal age - are simply too vast and too slow-moving. Any evaluation of the treaty’s success, the authors warn, must account for that time lag.



The group is expanding its isotope surveys through the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbial-awakening-arctic-food-webs-are-transforming-from-green-to-brown/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GreenPaths project</a> and collaborating with international programs such as WhaleAdapt to follow mercury’s course through other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbial-awakening-arctic-food-webs-are-transforming-from-green-to-brown/">Arctic food webs</a>.



By stitching together isotope records from peat, glaciers, rivers, and marine life, they hope to predict hotspots years before the pollutant arrives.



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



Reducing modern mercury still matters; every gram kept out of the water is one less gram entering the conveyor belt.



But policymakers must pair emission goals with long-term monitoring, dietary guidance for northern communities, and studies on how climate-driven shifts in currents could speed or slow the toxic flow.



The lesson is stark: once mercury reaches the sea, it becomes a traveler with no passport expiry. And as the new isotope “fingerprints” show, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forever-chemicals-threaten-arctic-wildlife-and-human-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arctic’s wildlife</a> - and the people who depend on it - will keep feeling the aftershocks of 19th- and 20th-century pollution well into the 22nd.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60356-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Mercury pollution rides ocean currents north, threatening Arctic wildlife

Mercury levels in Arctic animals keep climbing even though the...

Eating more fruit, vegetables, and other complex carbohydrates during the day appears to deliver measurable improvements in sleep that very same night. 



A new study tracking healthy adults shows that a produce-rich menu reduces the overnight tossing and turning that fragments restful sleep.



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Chicago Medicine</a> and <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Columbia University</a> designed the experiment to move beyond earlier surveys and link specific daytime meals to the quality of that evening’s rest.



“Dietary modifications could be a new, natural, and cost-effective approach to achieve better sleep,” said co-senior author Dr. Esra Tasali, director of the UChicago Sleep Center.



“The temporal associations and objectively measured outcomes in this study represent crucial steps toward filling a gap in important public health knowledge.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-what-you-eat">Tracking what you eat</h2>



Most previous work looked at how poor sleep drives people toward sugary, high-fat foods. The new project flipped the question: could consciously better eating shape sleep for the better?



Volunteers logged everything they consumed on a smartphone app and wore wrist monitors that recorded every micro-awakening, using a measure called “sleep fragmentation” to gauge quality.



Those fragmentation readings, calculated in minute-by-minute detail, allowed the team to compare how each individual slept after a produce-rich versus a produce-poor day.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fruit-bowls-pay-off-for-sleep">Fruit bowls pay off for sleep</h2>



The analysis revealed a clear pattern. When participants approached or met the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> guideline of five cups of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fruits-and-plants-are-powerful-allies-for-disease-prevention/">fruits</a> and vegetables, they spent more time in uninterrupted, restorative phases of sleep.



Whole-grain intake had a similar, albeit smaller, association. For someone eating no produce, making the leap to five cups predicted a 16 percent reduction in sleep fragmentation.



“Sixteen percent is a highly significant difference,” said Dr. Tasali. “It’s remarkable that such a meaningful change could be observed within less than 24 hours.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-fruits-and-veggies-help-sleep">Why fruits and veggies help sleep</h2>



Scientists are still untangling the biology behind these rapid gains. Fiber-rich foods slow digestion and stabilize blood sugar, which can limit the nocturnal spikes that jolt the brain into lighter sleep.



Produce also delivers micronutrients that feed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbes-affect-how-we-handle-everyday-stress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gut bacteria</a>; those microbes generate neurotransmitters tied to the body’s circadian timing system.



Anti-inflammatory compounds may calm the cardiovascular system, nudging heart rate and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleeping-less-than-seven-hours-high-blood-pressure-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">blood pressure</a> toward a sleep-friendly set point. 



Future trials will probe hormones, microbiome shifts, and brain-wave patterns to pin down the dominant pathway.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bigger-picture-sleep-lessons">Bigger picture sleep lessons</h2>



Compared with drug therapies, dietary tweaks carry almost no risk and cost little - a critical advantage at a time when chronic sleep loss undermines health, productivity, and mood for millions.



Participants in the experiment were young adults, but the design can be extended to older populations or people with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-extracts-may-help-treat-metabolic-syndrome/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">metabolic disease</a> to see whether benefits scale or shrink.



Because the monitoring was continuous, the authors could see changes night after night, opening the door to clinical trials in which the focus is on specific individuals who test how specific foods influence their own sleep.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-food-as-a-first-line-sleep-aid"><a></a>Food as a first-line sleep aid</h2>



Study co-senior author Dr. Marie-Pierre St-Onge is the director of the Center of Excellence for Sleep &amp; Circadian Research at Columbia University.



“People are always asking me if there are things they can eat that will help them sleep better,” said Dr. St-Onge. "Small changes can impact sleep. That is empowering - better rest is within your control.”



Public health agencies already push Americans toward produce for heart and metabolic health. The new findings give those guidelines a night-time payoff as well.



A 16 percent improvement translates to fewer awakenings, more consolidated deep stages, and a smoother transition into morning alertness - effects as large as some prescription sleep aids but without their side effects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tips-for-better-sleep">Tips for better sleep</h2>



The scientists plan randomized, controlled feeding studies in which subjects eat standardized meals under lab supervision, allowing causal conclusions. They also hope to enlist diverse age groups and cultural diets to confirm that the produce-sleep link holds across cuisines.



In the meantime, the message is straightforward: pack the day’s menu with colorful plants and unrefined grains.



If you normally skip <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-fruits-and-vegetables-improve-heart-health/">vegetables</a> at lunch, add a salad. Replace an evening snack of chips with berries. Substituting even one refined-carb serving with fruit nudged sleep metrics in the right direction during the trial.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-simple-habit-immediate-gains"><a></a>A simple habit, immediate gains</h2>



Modern life often pits sleep against work, screens, and stress - factors that feel out of personal control. Food choices, however, remain largely in our hands.



By aligning dinner plates with daytime energy needs and nighttime recovery, people can harness a basic element of lifestyle to reinforce <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-the-color-of-light-impacts-our-internal-clocks-and-circadian-rhythms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">circadian rhythms</a>.



The experts emphasize that produce will not cure severe insomnia on its own, but it offers an accessible lever that begins to move the needle within a single sunrise-to-sunset cycle.



For anyone struggling to stay asleep, the produce aisle may be as valuable as the pharmacy shelf. A serving of spinach at lunch or a banana before bed could help stitch the night together, turning fragmented dozing into a more continuous, restorative sleep - one colorful cup at a time.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sleephealthjournal.org/article/S2352-7218(25)00089-0/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sleep Health</a>.



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Eating more fruits and vegetables will help you get better sleep

Eating more fruit, vegetables, and other complex carbohydrates during the...

Stress can disrupt normal sleep and muddle how we store new information. Researchers have spent years studying why tense events often leave people tossing and turning at night. 



Experts have also examined how stressful experiences might dull our ability to recall important details the next day.



Recent work on male mice offers hints that a part of the hypothalamus is critical in this process. The investigation was led by Dr. Shinjae Chung at the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Pennsylvania</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-stress-changes-brain-signals">How stress changes brain signals</h2>



Stress is not just an emotional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-prepares-the-brain-for-the-future-while-protecting-memories-of-the-past/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">response</a>. It involves physical changes in the brain that may set off a chain reaction. One target appears to be the paraventricular nucleus (<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2022.858941/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PVN</a>) of the hypothalamus.



This region helps the body cope with threats. It releases certain hormones and signals when we feel under pressure. 



Once the PVN senses stress, researchers suspect it might shorten sleep and block healthy memory formation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-stress-targets-the-brain">When stress targets the brain</h2>



Neuroscientists have been curious about what happens after the PVN is stimulated. One branch connects to the lateral hypothalamus (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/lateral-hypothalamus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LH</a>), a nearby region known for regulating hunger and wakefulness. 



This link drew attention when specialists found that shifting PVN activity resulted in memory changes and altered <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-quality-could-be-the-key-to-better-metabolic-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a> patterns.



Scientists artificially stimulated neurons in the PVN and saw that these mice slept less than usual. They also struggled with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30295349/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spatial object recognition</a>, a common test for memory.&nbsp;



“Activating CRHPVN neurons impairs memory performance and increases wakefulness, whereas inhibiting CRHPVN neurons during stress improves memory and sleep,” said Chung.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stress-reduces-sleep-and-weakens-memory">Stress reduces sleep and weakens memory</h2>



Shorter rest usually follows tense experiences, but that is only part of the issue. Memory deficits also appear when PVN neurons become highly active. 



Trial participants performed poorly when asked to recall certain objects placed in new locations. This drop in accuracy hints that any disruption around the hypothalamus might weaken how the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/teens-who-sleep-early-have-healthier-hearts-as-young-adults/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brain</a> stores details.



The decreased rest may not be the only cause of spotty recall. Even minimal stress can nudge certain molecular pathways into overdrive. 



By controlling the flow of signals from the PVN to the lateral hypothalamus, the brain might be trying to preserve resources for survival. That shift in priorities can leave normal processes like memory taking a back seat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stress-disrupts-normal-sleep-cycles">Stress disrupts normal sleep cycles</h2>



The brain relies on a tight rhythm of sleep-wake cycles and memory consolidation routines. 



When stress activates <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44163-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CRH neurons</a> in the PVN, it appears to interrupt these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-night-of-lost-sleep-can-trigger-hidden-health-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cycles</a> and reroute energy toward more immediate survival priorities.



This shift disrupts normal rest patterns and blocks the brain from processing memories efficiently. Over time, repeated interruptions could leave long-term effects on both mental clarity and emotional balance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-easing-stress-can-improve-sleep">Easing stress can improve sleep</h2>



Blocking or tempering these stress-linked neurons calmed the mice and offered a slight boost in rest. It also improved how well they recognized objects. 



These findings open the door to future research on targeted therapies that aim to ease the impact of pressure on the brain.



Many of these approaches focus on Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/corticotropin-releasing-hormone" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CRH</a>), which triggers a cascade of events linked to the stress response. 



Some investigators wonder if adjusting CRH signals in the <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2682920/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus</a> circuit might restore healthier sleep patterns while keeping memory sharp.



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



Modern life bombards many people with deadlines and worries. Sleepless nights often follow tough days, and simple tasks can start to feel impossible without proper rest. 



Studies in mice are not an exact blueprint for human physiology, but they give researchers a place to start.



These findings may help in efforts to protect the brain from the draining effects of chronic tension. They could also guide the design of new options for those whose work or daily environment pushes them to their limits. 



More systematic research is underway to see if any therapies can safely quiet these crucial neurons.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stress-and-sleep-links-across-genders">Stress and sleep links across genders </h2>



While this study focused on male mice, the question of how these findings apply to females remains open. 



The brain’s stress circuitry can vary based on sex, especially in regions that regulate hormone signaling and emotional processing.



Future research will need to explore whether females show the same paraventricular nucleus (PVN) to lateral hypothalamus (LH) responses under stress. 



It is possible that different neural circuits play a larger role in how stress affects sleep and memory in female subjects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-step-toward-future-therapies">A step toward future therapies</h2>



Scientists are keen on translating these results to help individuals who deal with ongoing stress, especially those with anxiety disorders or memory complaints. 



More work is necessary to figure out how often people’s hypothalamic circuits might become overworked. Timing, dosage, and potential side effects still need thorough investigation.



Short bursts of stress can be useful, but constant strain is another story. This pathway might become a spotlight for therapies aiming to preserve healthy slumber and protect our ability to remember new information.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/05/30/JNEUROSCI.2146-24.2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JNeurosci</a>.



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Stress hijacks the brain, disrupting sleep and memory

Stress can disrupt normal sleep and muddle how we store...

In one of the largest analyses of veteran medical records, experts have uncovered patterns that point to significant differences in dementia risk from one region of the United States to another.



The researchers used long-term data on more than one million older adults to highlight how location may link to memory-related health conditions.



The findings come from a study led by experts at the <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, San Francisco</a>. The team evaluated information spanning over two decades, offering detailed insights on where rates of this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dementia-is-a-growing-global-health-crisis-with-a-staggering-cost/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">condition</a> appear to rise more steeply.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-the-risk-of-dementia">Mapping the risk of dementia </h2>



The researchers compared several key regions to a Mid-Atlantic reference category, analyzing how frequently dementia appeared. There were substantial differences, even when accounting for health factors like cardiovascular disease.



According to the data, the Southeast region showed a 25% higher rate than the Mid-Atlantic. 



The Northwest and Rocky Mountains both measured a 23% increase, followed by the South at 18% higher. The Southwest recorded a 13% rise, and the Northeast posted a 7% growth in dementia cases.&nbsp;



Another striking aspect of the research was its inclusion of both rural and urban communities. 



Many assumed that people in cities might get earlier diagnoses, while those in remote towns might face more barriers to care. The results suggest that the overall regional gap remains, regardless of population density.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-at-the-numbers">Looking at the numbers</h2>



Experts have noted the importance of distinguishing dementia, which involves issues with thinking and daily function, from normal aging. 



Over six million Americans are believed to be living with <a href="https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">memory-related conditions</a>, based on the latest estimates.&nbsp;



“The study underscores the need to understand regional differences in dementia and the importance of region-specific prevention and intervention efforts,” said Dr. Kristin Yaffe, senior author of the research paper. 



The experts plan to delve deeper into the reasons behind these geographic disparities, but this study offers a map of where new cases emerge more often.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-local-factors-may-increase-dementia-risk">Local factors may increase dementia risk</h2>



These findings encourage a careful look at local <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/doctors-say-this-lifestyle-factor-smoking-is-biggest-contributor-to-cognitive-decline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">factors</a> that might increase the risk. A closer examination could involve social conditions, such as education opportunities or consistent access to nutritious foods.



“Quality of education, early life conditions, and environmental exposures may be among those factors,” said Dr. Christina Dintica, lead author of the study. 



Dr. Dintica plans to build on these observations in collaboration with other scientists to clarify what triggers or accelerates cognitive impairment in certain areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strategies-for-early-intervention">Strategies for early intervention </h2>



Some professionals suggest that regional differences might reflect variations in diagnostic practices. 



Since many people rely on the <a href="https://www.va.gov/health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Veterans Health Administration</a>, there is a growing call for uniform screening tools that can identify problems in any setting.&nbsp;



Many focus on cardiovascular health and other physical conditions that impact brain aging. Approaches that integrate preventive care, like good blood pressure control, might reduce the risk.



These strategies could be critical because early intervention has shown promise in lessening the impact of memory-related conditions. 



Community organizations, local clinics, and broader public health campaigns can all work in tandem to educate people about signs of cognitive decline.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-targeted-outreach-to-reduce-dementia-risk">Targeted outreach to reduce dementia risk</h2>



Many families notice the toll that dementia takes on independence. When local healthcare resources lack specialized training, some conditions might slip through the cracks. 



As a result, individuals could miss early support that might preserve their daily functioning. Regional studies, like this one, help put a spotlight on areas that might benefit most from targeted outreach.



Some policy experts point to the wide range of lifestyles across the country. The study offers a framework for pinpointing regions that could strengthen their health services.



States with large rural regions face the challenge of connecting residents to regular checkups. Others with diverse populations may need culturally tailored tools for spotting early cognitive warning signs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supporting-healthier-communities">Supporting healthier communities </h2>



Researchers see these results as a call to coordinate local and national resources. They hope improved data sharing will inform doctors, public officials, and community advocates.&nbsp;



Updated screening efforts may yield earlier detection and help patients avoid complications. By understanding which locales show higher incidence, health professionals can adapt their strategies to serve those neighborhoods more effectively.



Some experts also predict new collaborations across state lines. Groups that have implemented successful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-hijacks-the-brain-disrupting-sleep-and-memory/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brain health</a> programs can show others how to replicate what works. 



Early education campaigns that encourage mental stimulation, balanced diets, and regular exercise may reduce the risk. These factors can support a healthier population and lessen the overall burden on healthcare systems.



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



This project is considered an important step for pinpointing the unique factors that drive memory concerns in different parts of the country. Research teams plan to examine multiple angles, from air quality to job markets, to see how they might influence older adults. 



While some of these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/risk-of-dementia-is-much-higher-than-previously-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">risk factors</a> may overlap, clarifying their individual impact could improve healthcare planning.



The ultimate goal is to use this information to keep more people living independently in their communities. 



Whether through improved diagnosis, better treatment methods, or programs that promote social connectedness, knowledge of risk patterns can shape everything from local clinics to statewide policies.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2834952" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JAMA Neurology</a>.



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Where you live may affect your dementia risk 

In one of the largest analyses of veteran medical records,...

For the first time in nearly 30 years, scientists have detected the heaviest atomic nucleus that undergoes proton emission. The isotope astatine‑188 (188At) contains 85 protons and 103 neutrons. 



It decays by ejecting a proton, a rare type of radioactive decay where the nucleus loses a single proton to move toward stability.



This discovery was made at the Accelerator Laboratory of the <a href="https://www.jyu.fi/fi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Jyväskylä</a>, Finland, using a fusion‑evaporation reaction: a beam of <a href="https://www.buyisotope.com/strontium-84-isotope.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strontium‑84</a> ions hit a silver‑107 target. The RITU recoil separator then isolated the new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hyper-entanglement-achieved-in-atoms-with-mass-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">isotope</a> before detection.



“Proton emission is a rare form of radioactive decay, in which the nucleus emits a proton to take a step toward stability,” explained Henna Kokkonen, a doctoral researcher at Jyväskylä.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heaviest-proton-emitting-nucleus">Heaviest proton-emitting nucleus</h2>



Prior to this, the heaviest known proton emitter was <a href="https://atom.kaeri.re.kr/cgi-bin/nuclide?nuc=Bi185" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bismuth‑185</a>, discovered back in 1996. That nucleus decayed in just 60 microseconds, though later experiments corrected that to around 2.8 μs.



By contrast, the proton‑emission half‑life of 188At was measured to be roughly 190 (−80 +350) microseconds. Detecting and timing just two decay events made it possible to confirm this extremely fleeting process.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proton-theory-led-to-nucleus-discovery">Proton theory led to nucleus discovery</h2>



Proton emission was first observed in the <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.ns.27.120177.002001" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1970s</a>, with early discoveries involving isotopes like <a href="https://periodictable.com/Isotopes/027.53/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cobalt‑53</a> and <a href="https://periodictable.com/Isotopes/071.151/index2.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lutetium‑151</a>. 



These findings confirmed that atomic nuclei can decay by losing individual protons, not just clusters like alpha particles. 



The research also showed that <a href="https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Quantum_Mechanics/02._Fundamental_Concepts_of_Quantum_Mechanics/Tunneling" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum tunneling</a>, the ability of particles to escape barriers they seemingly shouldn’t, applies to single protons in extreme nuclear environments.



Over time, advances in <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prc/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.107.014308" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decay spectroscopy</a> and detector technology allowed researchers to observe proton emission from increasingly heavier and shorter-lived isotopes. 



Each detection involves tracking rare decay events with high precision, often from just a handful of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/images-of-single-atoms-moving-freely-through-space-captured-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">atoms</a> produced in a lab. 



That’s what makes the discovery of 188At so significant - it builds on decades of steady progress in experimental nuclear physics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chasing-rare-isotopes">Chasing rare isotopes</h2>



Producing exotic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-can-map-subtle-shifts-in-earths-gravity-using-atoms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">isotopes</a> like 188At requires intense effort, advanced equipment, and luck. The fusion-evaporation process used in this experiment yields only a few atoms of the desired nucleus among billions of other particles. 



Researchers must then filter, detect, and confirm these fleeting signals before they vanish. To identify 188At, the team at Jyväskylä used the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168583X02021432" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GREAT spectrometer</a> and a silicon strip detector to capture decay events with sub-millisecond precision. 



The rarity of the signal, just two confirmed decays, demonstrates how precise the experimental setup must be for success.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-teamwork-made-it-possible">Global teamwork made it possible</h2>



The discovery of 188At wasn’t the work of a single lab or discipline. It involved a broad collaboration between experimental physicists, nuclear theorists, and engineers across several institutions. 



Each brought specific expertise, from beam production and isotope separation to <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=quantum+modeling+of+the+nucleus&amp;oq=quantum+modeling+of+the+nucleus&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBBzE0NWowajeoAgCwAgA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum modeling</a> of the nucleus.



By pooling resources and methods, the team was able to push beyond prior detection limits. These types of cross-border projects are increasingly necessary to study phenomena at the frontiers of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-if-everything-humans-animals-plants-atoms-has-consciousness-panpsychism/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">physics</a>, where no single institution has all the tools or data to work alone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exotic-shapes-and-unexpected-binding">Exotic shapes and unexpected binding</h2>



Theoretical work helps explain why 188At decays this way. Scientists expanded a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0039602809001046" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">non‑adiabatic quasiparticle model</a> to include very heavy nuclei. 



The model indicates the proton emerges from a nucleus that is strongly prolate, or elongated in shape.



Such low‑angular‑momentum proton states also highlight the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0370269388903437" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thomas‑Ehrman shift</a>, where the <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prc/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevC.73.034315" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">valence proton</a> sits farther from the nucleus and is less repelled by the positive charge. 



Until now, this shift hadn’t been seen in heavy nuclei. But 188At shows its single‑proton separation energy deviates markedly from the expected trend. This is likely the first evidence of the Thomas‑Ehrman effect at high atomic mass.



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



Finding 188At expands our understanding of nuclear stability at the edge of the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/381025a0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proton drip line</a> - the point where adding more protons forces immediate decay. Each new case tests nuclear models and the limits of matter.



“Isotope discoveries are rare worldwide, and this is the second time I have had the opportunity to be part of making history... it feels great to do research that improves understanding of the limits of matter and the structure of atomic nuclei,” said Kokkonen.



“The nucleus was produced in a fusion‑evaporation reaction by irradiating natural silver target with 84Sr ion beam. The new isotope was identified using the detector setup of the RITU recoil separator,” said Kalle Auranen, a research fellow at Jyväskylä.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shaping-nuclear-models">Shaping nuclear models</h2>



Discoveries like 188At aren’t just milestones, they help reshape how scientists model the nucleus itself. 



The behavior of the proton in this isotope required updates to the <a href="https://inspirehep.net/literature/1827642" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">non-adiabatic quasiparticle model</a>, expanding its ability to handle extreme deformation and odd-odd nuclei with mixed spin states.



These findings also offer rare insights into proton-neutron interactions near the proton drip line. The measured separation energy and deformation point to trends that theory didn’t fully anticipate, helping refine predictive tools for other rare isotopes and future discoveries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uses-in-medicine-and-space-science">Uses in medicine and space science</h2>



Understanding how unstable isotopes behave helps researchers refine the models used in <a href="https://www.nibib.nih.gov/science-education/science-topics/nuclear-medicine" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nuclear medicine</a>, where radioactive isotopes are engineered for targeted cancer therapies and diagnostics. 



While 188At itself may not be used clinically, the insights from its structure and decay paths contribute to the general toolkit for predicting isotope behavior.



These findings also support models in astrophysics, particularly those describing how heavy elements are created in stellar explosions. 



Proton-rich nuclei near the drip line can influence rapid proton capture processes (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-023-02034-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rp-processes</a>), which help shape the periodic table in environments like supernovae and neutron star collisions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-for-proton-nucleus-research">What’s next for proton-nucleus research</h2>



This work is one part of Kokkonen’s doctoral research, building on her master's discovery of astatine‑190 in 2023. The team will continue measuring 188At decays to refine its energy and lifetime.



The researchers also hope to produce <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/physics-and-astronomy/astatine" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">astatine‑189</a>, which might also emit protons. Discovering it would probe further into the heaviest proton‑emitter region. 



Future findings could reshape nuclear theories, especially regarding proton‑rich extremes.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60259-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Atomic breakthrough reveals nucleus that loses protons to survive

For the first time in nearly 30 years, scientists have...

A herd of mastodons, rhinoceroses, and giant deer once roamed freely across Earth. Their lives shaped landscapes for tens of millions of years. In a sweeping new study, scientists examined fossil records from more than 3,000 large herbivores to see how their world shifted, and how it didn’t.



An international team of researchers led by Fernando Blanco at the <a href="https://www.gu.se/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Gothenburg</a> discovered that herbivore <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-herbivore-extinctions-drastically-affect-forest-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a> remained surprisingly steady for long stretches. But they also pinpointed two pivotal moments where the balance flipped.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-herbivores-shifted-during-climate-change">Herbivores shifted during climate change</h2>



The first ripple hit around 21 million years ago. A land bridge emerged as the ancient Tethys Sea closed. Suddenly, elephants and relatives could walk from Africa into Eurasia. Other hoofed animals, deer, pigs, rhinos, joined them.&nbsp;



“The environmental pressure was so great that the entire system underwent global reorganization,” noted Blanco. At this point, hoofed communities didn’t collapse, they reassembled. 



Larger brows­ing species with mid‑to‑high crowned molars became dominant. Network analyses of those fossil data reveal a shift to a new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-with-high-body-temperatures-often-become-herbivores/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">system</a> across continents, the first major global transformation in herbivore functional types.



Roughly ten million years later, another reinvention unfolded, this time silently. A cooling, drying climate expanded grasslands worldwide. Forest‑dwelling browsers declined. Grazers equipped with tougher teeth spread.



A functional tipping point followed, reshaping the roles of herbivores again. Grazers and mixed feeders dominated, equipped with both high‑ and low‑crowned teeth. From then on, functional diversity began a long decline, a trend scientists trace onward through the <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/quaternary/ple.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pleistocene</a> and beyond.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-different-species-same-ecosystem-structure">Different species, same ecosystem structure</h2>



“It’s like a football team changing players during a match but still keeping the same formation. Different species came into play but they fulfilled similar ecological roles, so the overall structure remained the same,” explained Ignacio A. Lazagabaster of CENIEH in Spain. 



Despite these transformations, the ecosystem backbone remained intact. Even as mastodons, woolly mammoths, and giant rhinos disappeared in the last 129,000 years, the roles they played weren’t lost. 



The network models show that after these extinctions, community configurations, known as continental functional faunas, remained remarkably consistent.



That consistency holds through the last 4.5 million years, reflecting resilience through ice ages and environmental upheavals. Still, the team warns that modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tricking-animals-with-odor-could-save-plants-from-browsing-damage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity</a> loss is happening much faster - and could trigger a third tipping point before ecosystems can adjust.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-these-transitions-matter-now">Why these transitions matter now</h2>



Functional diversity began declining around 10 million years ago, during the spread of C4 grasses and shrinking forests. As herbivores with specialized teeth rose to dominance, the global count of functional roles dropped by about 65 percent in roughly 5 million years.&nbsp;



The drop intensified around 2.5 million years ago with glacial cycles and major biotic exchanges, like <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2987556/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Great American Interchange</a>.



Still, the overall shape of ecosystems held firm. The continents shared similar functional configurations even as roles vanished. But today, the authors caution, biodiversity is receding much faster. They warn that another irreversible reorganization may soon be triggered.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-herbivores-and-modern-changes">Herbivores and modern changes</h2>



<a href="https://stri.si.edu/story/hungry-megaherbivores" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Megaherbivores</a>, those weighing more than a ton, have largely vanished. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/proboscidean" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proboscideans</a>, which once numbered up to 33 species, now survive as just a handful. Yet scientists estimate that they comprised only about 15-18 percent of functional types in most regions. Their loss reduces ecosystem richness but didn’t break the system.



“We may soon reach a third global tipping point, one that we’re helping to accelerate,” said Juan L. Cantalapiedra of Spain’s <a href="https://www.mncn.csic.es/es" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MNCN</a>.



The study highlights the importance of large herbivores in ecosystem function. Conservation efforts that protect or reintroduce them could help restore key ecological roles lost in recent millennia.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-signals-from-the-fossil-record">Signals from the fossil record</h2>



The fossil record offers a rare, long-term perspective on ecological resilience. By tracking traits like <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1349007922000895" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tooth morphology</a> and body size across thousands of extinct herbivores, the researchers built a detailed picture of how animals responded to shifting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-grazers-secretly-shape-plant-growth-and-survival/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environments</a> over time. 



The team's data-driven approach captured how new species stepped into familiar roles, even after dramatic losses. The research reveals a disconnect between species loss and system collapse. 



While many individual species disappeared, their ecological roles often lived on through new players. That buffering capacity is what kept herbivore ecosystems functionally stable for 60 million years. The question now is whether that same resilience can hold under today’s faster pace of change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-the-roles-of-herbivores">Protecting the roles of herbivores</h2>



Ancient ecosystem changes took thousands to millions of years to unfold. Humans are transforming biodiversity on century scales. This study shows that large herbivore communities can adapt to change - but only up to a point.



If current declines continue, we risk triggering a shift beyond recovery. Protecting the functional diversity of herbivores is as crucial as protecting population numbers. 



Restoring or preserving herbivore populations may help systems stay resilient as conditions continue to change.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59974-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Herbivores survived millions of years of change - but now face a modern crisis

A herd of mastodons, rhinoceroses, and giant deer once roamed...

Most people don’t give much thought to the gases produced in their gut, but these emissions might say more about your health than you think. 



A little-known microbe that lives in the gut and produces methane may help explain why some people seem to get more energy out of the same foods than others.



Not everyone’s gut behaves the same way. In fact, new research from <a href="https://www.asu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arizona State University</a> shows that our gut microbes may influence how efficiently we extract energy from the foods we eat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-going-on-in-the-gut">What's going on in the gut?</h2>



Our gut is home to an entire community of microbes called the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-gut-microbiome-is-shaped-by-what-we-eat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbiome</a>. These microbes help us break down food, especially the fiber that human enzymes can't digest. 



As microbes ferment fiber, they release short-chain fatty acids, which our bodies absorb and use for energy. During this process, they also release hydrogen gas.



However, hydrogen buildup can slow microbial activity. That’s where other microbes come in. Certain microbes, called methanogens, consume the hydrogen and convert it into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-methane-producing-microbe-discovered-in-the-human-gut/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">methane</a>. Methanogens are the only microbes that produce this compound.



Study co-author Rosy Krajmalnik-Brown is the director of the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes at Arizona State University.



“The human body itself doesn’t make methane, only the microbes do. So we suggested it can be a biomarker that signals efficient microbial production of short-chain fatty acids,” said Krajmalnik-Brown.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-diets-methane-and-energy-absorption">Diets, methane, and energy absorption</h2>



To test their ideas, the researchers provided participants with two types of diets. One was a typical Western-style diet full of processed foods and low in fiber. 



The other diet was high in fiber and made up of whole foods. Both diets had the same balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.



Participants didn’t just log their meals - they lived inside a special room known as a whole-room calorimeter for six days at a time. 



The room was designed to monitor how much energy the body uses and how much gas it emits, including both breath and flatulence. This setup offered much more accurate data than single breath tests.



Study co-author Karen D. Corbin is an associate investigator at the AdventHealth Translational Research Institute, which partnered with ASU for the study.



“This work highlights the importance of the collaboration between clinical-translational scientists and microbial ecologists. The combination of precise measures of energy balance through whole-room calorimetry with ASU’s microbial ecology expertise made key innovations possible,” said Corbin. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-gut-gases-affect-calorie-absorption">How gut gases affect calorie absorption</h2>



The results were clear. Everyone absorbed fewer calories on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/boost-your-gut-health-top-five-prebiotic-rich-foods-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">high-fiber diet</a> than on the processed one. But people whose guts produced more methane absorbed more calories from the fiber-rich meals than those who produced less methane.



Data from blood and stool samples also showed that high methane production was linked to more short-chain fatty acids being produced and absorbed. 



This suggests that methanogens help make the digestion process more efficient - at least in terms of energy extraction.



Blake Dirks, lead author of the study, is a PhD student at Arizona State University’s School of Life Sciences.



“That difference has important implications for diet interventions. It shows people on the same diet can respond differently. Part of that is due to the composition of their gut microbiome,” noted Dirks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-step-toward-personalized-diets">A step toward personalized diets</h2>



“The participants in our study were relatively healthy. One thing that I think would be worthy to look at is how other populations respond to these types of diets - people with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-diet-helps-offset-the-health-impacts-of-obesity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">obesity</a>, diabetes or other kinds of health states,” said Dirks.



Interestingly, participants were not expected to lose weight during the experiment. Still, some did lose a little while on the high-fiber diet. The research team is eager to investigate whether methanogens in the microbiome could influence weight-loss diets too.



“You can see how important it is that the microbiome is personalized,” noted Krajmalnik-Brown. 



“Specifically, the diet that we designed so carefully to enhance the microbiome for this experiment had different effects on each person, in part because some people’s microbiomes produced more methane than others.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nutrition-isn-t-one-size-fits-all">Nutrition isn’t one-size-fits-all</h2>



This research highlights the complexity of nutrition. It’s not just about what you eat - it’s also about what your body does with it.



For some people, a high-fiber diet might yield more energy than expected, while others might get less. The key could lie in the invisible community of microbes living in the gut - and particularly in the methane-makers.



As scientists continue to explore the links between gut microbiomes and metabolism, this could be the beginning of more personalized dietary guidance that takes methane - and microbes - into account.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ismej/article/19/1/wraf103/8140948" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The ISME Journal</a>.



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What methane in your gut says about your diet

Most people don’t give much thought to the gases produced...

Sports enthusiasts often notice that athletes in peak condition train intensively and push themselves far beyond everyday limits. Those demanding routines can transform the body, and new observations indicate that women’s hearts adapt in ways that set them apart from men’s.



Recent findings spotlight specific structural differences in how female elite athletes’ hearts respond to challenging exercise regimens. These observations emerged from thorough magnetic resonance imaging scans of women competing at high-performance <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-identify-minimum-amount-of-physical-activity-needed-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">levels</a>.



“Women are still underrepresented in heart research, especially when it comes to sports cardiology,” said Dr. Harald Jørstad, a sports cardiologist at <a href="https://www.amsterdamumc.org/en/organization/amsterdam-umc.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amsterdam University Medical Center</a> (UMC), who has been at the forefront of this exploration.



Researchers assessed heart size, muscle thickness, and other attributes to understand why female athletes might have wider cardiac chambers rather than pronounced thickening.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-female-athletes-have-unique-heart-changes">Female athletes have unique heart changes</h2>



Many experts believe that heavy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-is-far-more-important-than-weight-for-living-a-healthy-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exercise</a> could prompt significant thickening of the heart muscle. But in the case of top-tier female athletes, a different picture often emerges. 



For many women, the primary adaptation involves increased chamber size rather than a dramatic boost in muscle mass. This change still appears healthy, but it does not line up with the pattern seen in most male athletes, whose hearts tend to reveal more mass in addition to expansion.



Several <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25976477/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> examining similar patterns in women’s sports echo these observations. The report found that female athletes showed a balanced rise in their left and right ventricle volumes without substantial wall thickening. Such findings are valuable for distinguishing normal athletic adaptations from possible heart disease.



Medical evaluations for athletes need to consider these sex-based distinctions. Conditions like <a href="https://www.pennmedicine.org/conditions/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hypertrophic cardiomyopathy</a> can mimic structural changes in athletes’ hearts. 



Female competitors might be misdiagnosed if the medical guidelines primarily focus on <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1119766/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">data</a> from men. Knowing typical heart dimensions in women can help ensure more accurate assessments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-athletic-differences-shape-the-heart">Athletic differences shape the heart</h2>



“Female endurance athletes, such as cyclists, had the largest heart chambers and the most heart muscle mass,” said <a href="https://pure.amsterdamumc.nl/en/persons/maarten-van-diepen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Maarten van Diepen</a>, a physician-researcher in sports cardiology at Amsterdam UMC. 



Training style also appears to influence how the heart reshapes itself. Endurance disciplines typically involve sustained cardiovascular activity, so the heart adapts for prolonged pumping of blood at higher volumes.



Power or skill-focused sports that rely on quick bursts of activity may not spur as much overall chamber enlargement. Mixed training programs produce moderate but broad effects on heart structure, combining endurance and power adaptations.



These variations confirm that one-size-fits-all interpretations of an athlete’s cardiac profile can be misleading.



Sports physicians typically evaluate a person’s resting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-focused-medicine-physical-activity-reduces-chronic-disease-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heart</a> rate, blood pressure, and maximum performance data.



<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26196658/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Studies</a> show that tracking these elements, alongside high-resolution imaging, makes it easier to figure out if a woman’s heart changes are exercise-related or indicative of something pathological. This approach can be especially relevant when an athlete’s readings deviate from typical patterns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-athlete-evaluations">Rethinking athlete evaluations</h2>



Misjudging a female athlete’s heart scan can carry serious consequences. If a naturally widened chamber is mistaken for disease, a woman may be told to quit training or stop competing altogether - even if her heart is functioning perfectly well.



On the flip side, doctors could miss signs of true illness if they expect the same wall thickening seen in male athletes.



Adjusting diagnostic standards based on sex-specific data helps avoid these risks and ensures athletes get the right care at the right time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-better-heart-care-for-women">Better heart care for women</h2>



Clarifying female-specific changes is a step toward better outcomes for women who push their limits in training. These insights can reduce the risk of overlooking cardiac problems that might be downplayed because “athletic hearts” are expected to look unusual.



They can also prevent unwarranted career interruptions for those with perfectly normal sports-related adaptations.



Doctors are increasingly recognizing how a woman’s heart may display certain structural features that stand out on imaging scans. As more elite female athletes come under scrutiny, the collected knowledge should support more thorough guidelines on screening, treatment, and follow-up. 



Ensuring that female data is fully accounted for helps maintain a level playing field, both in sports and in healthcare.



These findings benefit not only professionals but also active women who run marathons, compete in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/body-type-influences-athletic-performance-in-different-climates/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">triathlons</a>, or cycle regularly. Many individuals put in countless hours of training without realizing the complexity of how their hearts adapt.



Highlighting these nuances supports decisions about safe and beneficial physical activity while maximizing performance.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ehjcimaging/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ehjci/jeaf111/8126182" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging</a>.



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Women athletes show distinct heart changes under intense training

Sports enthusiasts often notice that athletes in peak condition train...

Bright,Red,Sea,Cucumber,(holothuroidea),,Bali,,Indonesia

Best known for their role in cleaning the ocean floor, sea cucumbers may also hold the key to slowing the progression of cancer.



A new study has found that a sugar compound derived from these marine creatures can block an enzyme linked to cancer growth - without the side effects of current treatments.



The findings come from a research team led by the <a href="https://olemiss.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Mississippi</a> (UM) in collaboration with <a href="https://www.georgetown.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Georgetown University</a>. 



By examining the biochemistry of a specific <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-cucumbers-protect-coral-reefs-from-disease-and-death/">sea cucumber</a> species, scientists uncovered a natural compound that targets Sulf-2, an enzyme known to promote cancer development and spread.



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



Sea cucumbers are soft-bodied marine animals that inhabit ocean floors across the globe, from shallow coastal waters to the deep sea. 



Despite their name, they are not vegetables but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/starfish-are-apparently-one-big-head-crawling-on-seafloor-with-no-body-needed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">echinoderms</a> - relatives of sea stars and sea urchins. 



Their elongated, leathery bodies help them navigate through sand and sediment, where they play a vital ecological role as bottom feeders. 



By ingesting organic matter from the sea floor and excreting cleaner sediment, sea cucumbers contribute significantly to nutrient cycling and the health of marine ecosystems.



In addition to their ecological importance, sea cucumbers have drawn attention for their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/discovery-eating-sea-cucumbers-can-prevent-diabetes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">medicinal and culinary value</a>, particularly in East and Southeast Asia. 



Rich in collagen, vitamins, and bioactive compounds, they have long featured in traditional remedies and gourmet dishes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unique-sugars-with-powerful-effects"><a></a>Unique sugars with powerful effects</h2>



Marwa Farrag is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the UM Department of BioMolecular Sciences.



“Marine life produces compounds with unique structures that are often rare or not found in terrestrial vertebrates,” Farrag explained.



“The sugar compounds in sea cucumbers are unique. They aren’t commonly seen in other organisms. That’s why they’re worth studying.”



Farrag led the cancer study, which focused on a molecule called fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, extracted from Holothuria floridana, a species of sea cucumber. 



Through lab testing and computer modeling, the team showed that this compound can successfully inhibit Sulf-2, the enzyme that cancer cells often manipulate to help them spread.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slowing-the-progression-of-cancer">Slowing the progression of cancer</h2>



Our cells are coated in complex sugar structures called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/researchers-successfully-restore-sugar-in-the-brains-sweet-layer-and-recover-memory/">glycans,</a> which help regulate immunity, communication, and the detection of foreign threats. 



In cancer cells, Sulf-2 enzyme patterns change, creating glycan structures that aid disease progression.



“The cells in our body are essentially covered in ‘forests’ of glycans,” said senior author Vitor Pomin, an associate professor of pharmacognosy at UM. 



“Enzymes change the function of this forest - essentially prunes the leaves of that forest. If we can inhibit that enzyme, theoretically, we are fighting against the spread of cancer.”



The team’s experiments showed that the sea cucumber compound effectively blocks Sulf-2 activity. Notably, these results aligned with what their computer simulations had predicted.



“We were able to compare what we generated experimentally with what the simulation predicted, and they were consistent,” said co-author Robert Doerksen, a professor of medicinal chemistry at UM. “That gives us more confidence in the results.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-safer-cancer-therapy">Safer cancer therapy</h2>



One of the most promising aspects of the sea cucumber compound is its safety. Many existing treatments that inhibit Sulf-2 also interfere with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-sweetener-erythritol-sugar-substitute-linked-to-blood-clots-heart-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">blood clotting</a> - a serious risk for cancer patients.



“If you are treating a patient with a molecule that inhibits blood coagulation, then one of the adverse effects that can be pretty devastating is uncontrolled bleeding,” said co-author Joshua Sharp, a UM associate professor of pharmacology. 



“So, it’s very promising that this particular molecule that we’re working with doesn’t have that effect.”



The research suggests that a marine-based drug like this could be both safer and more feasible to produce than animal-based alternatives.



“Some of these drugs we have been using for 100 years, but we’re still isolating them from pigs because chemically synthesizing it would be very, very difficult and very expensive,” Sharp said. “That’s why a natural source is really a preferred way to get at these carbohydrate-based <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-scientist-discovers-that-common-non-cancer-drugs-when-combined-can-kill-cancer-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">drugs</a>.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clean-efficient-drug-sources">Clean, efficient drug sources</h2>



Harvesting compounds from marine life also carries fewer health risks than obtaining them from land animals, especially when it comes to viral contamination.



“It’s a more beneficial and cleaner resource,” Pomin said. “The marine environment has many advantages compared to more traditional sources.”



Still, some people in parts of Asia consider sea cucumbers a delicacy, so they aren’t a limitless resource. Harvesting large numbers for pharmaceutical use would be impractical and environmentally damaging.



“One of the problems in developing this as a drug would be the low yield, because you can’t get tons and tons of sea cucumbers,” Pomin said. 



“We have to have a chemical route, and when we’ve developed that, we can begin applying this to animal models.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cancer-research-collaboration">Cancer research collaboration</h2>



The study brought together specialists in chemistry, pharmacology, computational biology, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/largest-ever-ocean-dna-study-uncovers-mysteries-of-marine-life/">marine science</a>. It highlights how tackling cancer demands expertise from many different fields.



“This research took multiple expertise - mass spectrometry, biochemistry, enzyme inhibition, computation,” Pomin said. “It’s the effort of the whole team.”



Though still in early stages, this research could pave the way for a new class of cancer therapies derived from the ocean.



These treatments may be both effective and safe. With further development, the strange-looking sea cucumber may soon play an unexpected role in cancer, one of medicine’s biggest battles.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/glycob/article-abstract/35/6/cwaf025/8122264?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Glycobiology</a>.



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Sea cucumbers may help slow the spread of cancer, and without the side effects

Best known for their role in cleaning the ocean floor,...

Ghostly Stellar Tendrils of the Vela Supernova Remnant

Earth’s climate history may need to include a chapter addressing the ramifications of distant supernovae explosions. New research suggests that great bursts of radiation from nearby stellar death events could have nudged Earth into sudden atmospheric shifts, sparking cool spells, wildfires, and even selective extinctions.



The study was conducted by Robert Brakenridge, a senior research associate at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (<a href="https://www.colorado.edu/instaar/">INSTAAR</a>).



Drawing on fresh telescope data and centuries-long natural archives, Brakenridge links at least eleven ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-travels-back-in-time-to-better-understand-supernovae-science/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supernovae</a> to sharp swings recorded in tree rings and other geological markers on Earth.



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



A supernova marks the explosive death of a star, releasing an extraordinary burst of light and energy into the cosmos. 



This phenomenon occurs when a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel and its core <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supernova-dandelion-year-1181-leaves-behind-zombie-star-defying-death/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">collapses under its own gravity</a>. 



In moments, the star's outer layers are blasted into space, outshining entire galaxies for weeks or even months.



Supernovae play a critical role in the universe’s evolution. These explosions forge and disperse heavy elements like iron, gold, and uranium, seeding future stars, planets, and even life. 



In fact, many of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-space-cosmic-rays-from-supernova-sparked-rapid-earth-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">elements in your body</a> were born in a supernova.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supernovae-and-earth-s-climate">Supernovae and Earth's climate</h2>



If a supernova explosion were to happen within roughly 150 light-years, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/geomagnetic-superstorm-caused-major-changes-in-the-atmosphere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth’s upper atmosphere</a> may bear the brunt.



Brakenridge’s updated model shows that an intense pulse of radiation would erode <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-ozone-day-2024-advancing-climate-action/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stratospheric ozone</a> while simultaneously shredding methane, a potent greenhouse gas.



The combined hit would allow more ultraviolet sunlight to reach the surface and cool the planet by dialing down the greenhouse effect.



Running the numbers with telescope measurements of recent stellar blasts, Brakenridge found that even a brief exposure - perhaps lasting a few years - could thin the ozone layer by double-digit percentages.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-methane-emissions-threaten-earths-habitability/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Methane</a> levels aloft would also tumble, dragging surface temperatures lower. 



Cascading impacts might include a spike in fire-prone lightning, stress on sun-sensitive species, and a chain of regional climate anomalies rippling outward for centuries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cosmic-ray-fingerprints-in-tree-trunks">Cosmic ray fingerprints in tree trunks</h2>



Direct testing in the sky must wait for the next nearby supernova, so Brakenridge scoured earthly archives instead.



Trees lock atmospheric carbon into their rings, recording the pulse of radioactive carbon-14 created when cosmic rays strike nitrogen. His survey of 15,000 years of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-tree-rings-help-predict-extreme-solar-storms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tree-ring</a> data reveals eleven pronounced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-glaciers-offer-a-glimpse-of-our-harsh-climate-reality/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon-14 spikes</a>.



“The events that we know of, here on Earth, are at the right time and the right intensity,” Brakenridge said. Each spike aligns in timing and magnitude with a known stellar explosion cataloged by astronomers.



“We have abrupt environmental changes in Earth’s history. That’s solid; we see these changes,” Brakenridge said. “So, what caused them?”



Scientists first aired the supernova-climate idea in the 1980s. However, it lingered in theory until modern instruments began capturing the full spectra of nearby blasts.



By merging those space-based observations with tree rings, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-ice-fossil-discovery-stuns-and-worries-scientists/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ice cores</a>, and marine sediments, the new paper pushes the concept toward an empirical footing that scientists can assess across disciplines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supernovae-and-earth-s-climate-future">Supernovae and Earth's climate future</h2>



“When nearby supernovae occur in the future, the radiation could have a pretty dramatic effect on human society,” Brakenridge said. “We have to find out if indeed they caused environmental changes in the past.”



One obvious candidate is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supergiant-star-betelgeuse-may-have-a-buddy-causing-it-to-flicker/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Betelgeuse</a>, the red supergiant that glows on Orion’s shoulder and is expected to explode sometime in the next 100,000 years - possibly tomorrow.



Astronomers debate its exact distance, but its eventual demise will offer a real-time laboratory for the atmospheric effects Brakenridge models.



“As we learn more about our nearby neighboring stars, the capability for prediction is actually there,” Brakenridge said. “It will take more modeling and observation from astrophysicists to fully understand <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kilonova-explosion-light-years-away-would-devastate-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth’s exposure to such events</a>.”



That predictive power could feed into climate planning. By identifying nearby stars and their explosion rates, researchers may build a timetable of possible atmospheric jolts.



The outlook is probabilistic, not fatalistic. Most supernovae occur far away from Earth, and even a nearby one wouldn’t wipe out life. 



Knowing the odds could help societies prepare for UV spikes or sudden cooling decades before they occur.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-climate-faces-multiple-threats">Earth's climate faces multiple threats</h2>



Brakenridge’s synthesis adds a galactic layer to the jigsaw of forces shaping Earth’s climate. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-giant-volcanic-eruptions-alter-earths-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Volcanic eruptions</a>, orbital cycles, and greenhouse emissions remain dominant drivers, yet supernovae might act as rare but potent wildcards.



If his links between stellar death throes and Earth’s sudden <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-climate-shift-sheds-light-on-future-global-warming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate shifts</a> withstand further scrutiny, the planet’s environmental story could expand beyond its atmosphere. It would extend to the luminous cataclysms of the Milky Way.



That wider view does more than satisfy curiosity. It reminds us that the planet’s thin shell of air is vulnerable to events both underfoot and far above. 



It also shows that the universe can leave fingerprints in the most familiar places. These include a slim tree ring, a patch of ancient soot, or a whisper of extra carbon-14 inside an icy core.



According to Brakenridge, each of those clues might point back to a night sky once brightened by a dying star - and forward to the next.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/539/4/3201/8106599" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</a>.



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Supernovae explosions seem to have altered Earth's climate in the past, and could do so again at any time

Earth’s climate history may need to include a chapter addressing...

<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.



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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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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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
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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

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" 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> 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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

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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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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 the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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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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