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...

Phytoplankton power countless ocean ecosystems, yet many people hardly notice these microscopic organisms. They shape the ocean’s energy flow by fueling a cascade of food sources and helping regulate global carbon cycles.



Over the last six decades, biomass for these minuscule communities in the North Atlantic haa declined by up to 2% per year in many parts of the open <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plankton-change-their-cell-chemistry-to-survive-warming-oceans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ocean</a>. This is the conclusion of a recent study led by Dr. Crispin M. Mutshinda at <a href="https://www.dal.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dalhousie University</a> in Canada.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-phytoplankton-do-in-the-ocean">What phytoplankton do in the ocean</h2>



<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.281.5374.200" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Diatoms</a> belong to a group of algae with glass-like cell walls made of silica. Researchers attribute nearly 40% of global marine primary production to these prolific cells.



Dinoflagellates are more diverse and include photosynthetic, mixotrophic, and heterotrophic members. Their carbon-rich walls and unique cellular features set them apart, although they often appear in coastal blooms and can outcompete other species in certain conditions.



Diatoms and dinoflagellates both influence nutrient cycling and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracking-tiny-life-new-tools-for-phytoplankton-research/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine</a> food webs. Their abundance and proportion can shift when temperature or nutrient levels change.



Some species of dinoflagellates can release toxins that occasionally affect fisheries and aquaculture. Scientists worry that shifting environmental patterns might tilt the balance of these phytoplankton in ways that disrupt the ocean’s usual rhythm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-decades-of-change">Tracking decades of change</h2>



The research team applied the <a href="https://www.cprsurvey.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Continuous Plankton Recorder</a> tool to track these phytoplankton groups, stitching together a data series from 1960 to 2017. The sea surface temperature <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-sea-surface-temperature" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">records</a> offered additional details on potential connections between warming waters and phytoplankton behavior.



The researchers noted dips in total biomass in the sub-Arctic and central Atlantic, alongside growth on some continental shelves. One region showed different trends from another, revealing that local forces can alter broader patterns.



The project offered an impressive look at the North Atlantic’s shifting mosaic. Each location told its own story, yet certain themes held strong across provinces.



“Predicting the effects of climate change likely requires consideration of the consequences for the whole community,” said Dr. Mutshinda. He and his team examined how these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invisible-forest-of-phytoplankton-thrives-in-a-warming-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plankton</a> forms might react to warming on short timescales compared to gradual adaptive responses spanning decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-regional-trends-in-phytoplankton">Regional trends in phytoplankton</h2>



Large areas in the sub-Arctic and parts of the high-latitude waters showed declining numbers of diatoms. In contrast, several shelf regions displayed rising diatom counts over time.



Dinoflagellates trended upward in one sector yet declined in another. The experts noted that temperature spikes, nutrient supply, and local hydrographic conditions could all favor one group over the other.



The Atlantic Arctic region revealed less dinoflagellate growth than southern zones, likely tied to cooler conditions and potential ice coverage. Warmer spots closer to the eastern coast, on the other hand, saw a shift toward these flagellated species when short-term temperature anomalies arose.



The researchers see parallels with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0043135424000502" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> linking diatom-to-dinoflagellate swings to stronger stratification and reduced silicon availability. Local wind patterns and water mixing further influence how each plankton group fares.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-poleward-migration-and-genetic-adaptation">Poleward migration and genetic adaptation</h2>



Evolving temperatures may push tropical and subtropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plankton-help-predict-ocean-biodiversity-losses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine</a> species to expand poleward. Plankton communities could adapt genetically if changes persist for many generations.



Northerly areas remain understudied for how extreme shifts in climate might alter diatom populations. Observers suspect that ongoing warming could spur even more unexpected patterns in places like the Arctic frontier.



These findings may have implications for fish stocks, carbon export, and broader ocean health. Alterations in primary producers often cascade to the rest of the marine food web.



Certain dinoflagellate blooms can affect local fisheries, tourism, and even international seafood markets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-importance-of-long-term-monitoring">Importance of long-term monitoring</h2>



The researchers emphasize that ocean surveys and long-term sampling networks deserve greater support. Records spanning multiple decades help clarify how marine ecosystems respond to the complex tapestry of natural fluctuations and anthropogenic stress.



A short surge in water temperature tends to favor dinoflagellates. Over several decades, though, some diatom groups managed to increase in specific shelf regions despite overall warming.



Balancing the direct effect of hotter waters against the capacity for plankton to adapt remains a central question. That tension might shape outcomes for diatoms and dinoflagellates for generations to come.



Some communities are already feeling the strain of these changing patterns. Fisheries reliant on consistent plankton blooms could face more unpredictable yields.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-phytoplankton-in-a-changing-ocean">Phytoplankton in a changing ocean</h2>



Questions linger about how far these trends will continue or whether new tipping points lie ahead. Experts suggest that renewed focus on integrated models, better technology, and cooperative research efforts may help untangle these scenarios.



Researchers see these signals as evidence that ocean systems rarely follow a single path. Large-scale changes often merge with regional quirks, leading to unique stories in each part of the basin.



Policymakers and industry stakeholders may benefit from following these detailed outcomes. Understanding the distinctive dynamics of diatoms and dinoflagellates might help craft stronger conservation and resource strategies.



Ocean science stands at a crossroads. Each study refines our grasp of how fragile, yet adaptable, marine life can be.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0323675" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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Tiny phytoplankton that feed ocean life are rapidly disappearing

Phytoplankton power countless ocean ecosystems, yet many people hardly notice...

Each year on June 11, the world turns its attention to a quiet predator. International Lynx Day celebrates the mysterious and solitary lynx, one of the forest’s most skilled hunters. 



In 2025, the event serves as both a tribute and a call to action. The lynx may seem invisible in the wild, but their presence shapes entire ecosystems.



This day reminds us of the delicate balance between nature and human development. It invites reflection, education, and renewed commitment to preserving the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protecting-lynx-habitat-in-a-shifting-landscape/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>. As pressures on forests intensify, the lynx remains a symbol of resilience, solitude, and environmental health. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-closer-look-at-the-lynx-family">A closer look at the lynx family</h2>



The lynx belongs to a small but mighty group within the cat family. There are four distinct species: the Eurasian lynx, the Canada lynx, the Iberian lynx, and the bobcat. 



All share tufted ears, large paws, and a taste for stealth. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saving-the-iberian-lynx-how-humans-rescued-this-rare-feline-from-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a> live across varied landscapes, from snowy boreal forests to rugged Mediterranean terrain.



The Eurasian lynx is the largest, thriving in pockets across Europe and Asia. The Canada lynx, adapted for deep snow, follows the snowshoe hare's cycle. 



The Iberian lynx, once the most endangered feline in the world, roams the Iberian Peninsula. The bobcat, North America’s smallest lynx species, is widespread but often misunderstood.



Each lynx plays a vital ecological role. They keep prey populations in check, maintain healthy forests, and support biodiversity. However, despite their adaptability, these animals face rising threats that challenge their survival across the globe.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dramatic-recovery-of-the-iberian-lynx">Dramatic recovery of the Iberian lynx</h2>



Of all the lynx <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/canada-lynxs-historic-range-points-to-a-promising-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a>, the Iberian lynx’s comeback is the most dramatic. In the early 2000s, fewer than 100 individuals remained in the wild. Conservationists feared extinction. Then came a surge of action: breeding programs, habitat protection, and public awareness campaigns.



Today, there are over 2,000 Iberian lynx roaming free. The species has moved from "Critically Endangered" to "Endangered" on the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IUCN Red List</a>. “This is one of the greatest conservation success stories of the 21st century,” said Miguel Ángel Simón, a leading lynx conservationist in Spain.



Despite this progress, dangers persist. Lynx often fall victim to vehicle collisions. Encroaching development fragments their habitat. 



Conservation groups warn that if momentum slows, the population could stall or reverse. Continued protection, monitoring, and expansion of territory remain critical for the Iberian lynx to thrive long term.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-habitat-fragmentation-a-shared-threat">Habitat fragmentation: A shared threat</h2>



All lynx <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/canada-lynx-survival-linked-to-life-cycle-of-snowshoe-hares/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> depend on large, connected forests. When these habitats become isolated, their survival grows uncertain. Roads, farms, and fences block their natural movement. This not only leads to accidents but also weakens genetic diversity through inbreeding.



In Europe, rewilding efforts have reintroduced lynx to places like the Alps, Jura Mountains, and parts of the Balkans. These animals show strong adaptability when given the space. Yet gaps remain. Connectivity between territories is often poor.



In North America, especially Canada, logging and climate change impact the snowshoe hare. With their main prey in decline, lynx populations also suffer. Meanwhile, bobcats, though more resilient, struggle with suburban expansion and reduced prey.



Conservationists argue that saving lynx means more than protecting forest patches. It requires landscape-scale planning and collaboration across borders and communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-honoring-international-lynx-day">Honoring International Lynx Day </h2>



This year’s International Lynx Day pushes for deeper thinking about conservation. It emphasizes both physical and emotional ties. Forests must be reconnected through wildlife corridors. But people also need to reconnect with nature and with each other.



Wildlife crossings such as green bridges and tunnels are gaining popularity. These help lynx cross busy roads without risk. Forest buffers between farms and wild zones also create safe paths. Some regions in Germany and Switzerland have already seen benefits from such solutions.



Public engagement forms the heart of these efforts. Many communities hold nature walks, host talks, and run school programs during International Lynx Day. Young people, in particular, are seen as crucial allies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-perception-and-coexistence">Public perception and coexistence </h2>



Living alongside lynx is not always easy. In some regions, livestock predation fuels resentment. Hunters sometimes see lynx as competition. But research shows that these conflicts often come from misunderstanding.



Lynx are shy and rarely seen. They prefer deer or hares to sheep or goats. Many attacks on livestock are wrongly blamed on them. 



Education and compensation schemes have helped reduce these tensions. In Portugal and Spain, coexistence training has made local farmers more willing to support lynx programs.



Art, film, and storytelling also help reshape public perception. The cultural approaches, when combined with scientific ones, create lasting change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-take-action-on-international-lynx-day">Take action on International Lynx Day </h2>



The lynx does not demand loud attention. It walks quietly, blends in, and keeps to itself. But its survival depends on our willingness to act. International Lynx Day challenges individuals and governments alike.



You do not need to see a lynx in the wild to help. By protecting forests, supporting conservation groups, and spreading awareness, you contribute to their survival. Every tree preserved, every corridor built, and every child educated brings the lynx closer to safety



Let this year’s celebration be more than symbolic. Let it be a turning point where connection becomes action and the silent footsteps of the lynx continue to echo through the forests for generations to come.



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International Lynx Day 2025: Protecting the silent hunters of the forest

Each year on June 11, the world turns its attention...

Each year, the summer solstice marks the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. For most people, it brings warmth, festivals, and late sunsets. But for plants, it may mean something far more important. 



New research led by scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) suggests that this annual milestone could be a vital signal for growth and reproduction.



Yet, as the planet warms, this natural cue may be losing its reliability. The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, explores how plants use the solstice as a possible trigger. 



However, with rising temperatures and increasing climate unpredictability, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-learn-what-makes-plants-roots-grow-faster-and-stronger-autophagy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a> may now need to look elsewhere for guidance.



“Plants are known to use temperature to time things like leaf growth and flowering,” said Dr. Victor Van der Meersch, postdoctoral researcher at <a href="https://www.ubc.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UBC</a>’s faculty of forestry. “This study shows that the solstice is an optimal growth period and could also be an important trigger for reproduction.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solstice-helps-plants-time-their-growth">Solstice helps plants time their growth</h2>



Historically, researchers believed daylength in general helped plants schedule <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-future-climate-conditions-will-transform-plant-growth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">growth</a>. This study goes further. It suggests the summer solstice - around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere - marks a key thermal optimum. 



Across both Europe and North America, it offers a balance of accumulated warmth and enough time left in the season to finish development.



According to the authors, this timing represents a trade-off. Plants need to accumulate enough warmth to anticipate future climate conditions, but they also need time to grow organs, set flowers, and prepare for reproduction. The solstice may offer the best bet to strike that balance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solstice-aligns-with-optimal-plant-growth">Solstice aligns with optimal plant growth </h2>



Using historical and projected climate data, the researchers studied temperature patterns over many years. They measured this through “growing degree days” (GDD) - a way to track heat accumulation important for plant metabolism. 



The goal was to find the day when plants could most confidently predict how warm the rest of the season would be and still have time to grow. 



This trade-off, visible in the models and graphs of the paper, shows the solstice often sits near the point of best combined predictability and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predicting-how-climate-change-will-alter-plant-growth-cycles/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">growth</a> potential.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-local-climates-tell-a-different-story">Local climates tell a different story</h2>



Despite this average, local conditions tell a more complex story. In warmer parts of southern Europe, plants peak earlier. In cooler northern regions, the best time for growth arrives well after the solstice. 



The paper’s map on page 2 highlights this clearly. Sites in red, purple, and green mark where optimal growth timing occurs before, near, or after the solstice.



That means the solstice is not a reliable cue everywhere. “Daylength doesn’t change from year to year. But with temperatures fluctuating more, plants may be having trouble adjusting to both signals,” said Dr. Elizabeth Wolkovich, co-author and plant ecologist at UBC.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fixed-signals-limit-how-plants-respond">Fixed signals limit how plants respond</h2>



The study notes that relying on a fixed signal like the solstice could limit how plants adapt to changing environments. Instead, the authors argue that temperature - because it reflects real-time conditions - may now be more useful than photoperiod cues.



Given the variation across climates, it may be better for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-changing-skies-alter-plant-growth-patterns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a> to track temperature directly. “That’s because it’s directly tied to the actual climate conditions plants are experiencing,” said Van der Meersch.



Tracking solstice involves not just sensing light but calculating how fast the light is changing - a process that may be more complex and costly for plants than sensing heat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mistiming-growth-harms-plants">Mistiming growth harms plants</h2>



Mistimed growth carries big risks. Crops might flower too early, risking frost. Pollinators may miss blooms. Forests may grow less, weakening carbon capture. 



"These timing problems can affect food security and biodiversity,” said Dr. Wolkovich. “We need to understand the signals plants use for key events like flowering and fruit ripening.”



The authors acknowledge another possibility: maybe the solstice isn’t a true biological signal for plant growth. It may just coincide with a thermal peak due to climate patterns. 



To answer this, future research must test whether plants actively respond to solstice or if the alignment is a coincidence. The experts suggest decoupling temperature and light in experiments to test how plants really make decisions.



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



As drought and warming reshape global climates, understanding when and how plants grow becomes critical. This affects everything from crop planning to forest management. 



Models that ignore the complexity of climate cues could lead to poor predictions and missed interventions.



The study, published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2506796122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, argues that the solstice may no longer serve as the dependable signal it once was. 



The work opens a new window into how plants might adapt - or fail to - in a world where stability is fading.



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Summer solstice guides plant growth - but climate change is interfering

Each year, the summer solstice marks the longest day in...

Beautiful,Black-browed,Albatross,,Falkland,Islands,,South,Atlantic,Ocean

Marion Island, a speck of volcanic rock about 1,243 miles southeast of Cape Town, hardly looks like the setting for a horror story. Yet on this windy, treeless outpost, an invasion of house mice is turning a haven for seabirds into a crime scene. 



Night after night, the rodents swarm across the nests of wandering albatrosses and other ocean-roaming birds, gnawing at eggs - and, more recently, at the birds themselves.



The attacks are easy to miss if you picture mice as timid scavengers. On Marion, milder winters have stretched their breeding season, ballooning their numbers. 



With plants and insects picked clean, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modern-day-plague-rodents-fleas-and-their-impact-on-wildlife/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rodents</a> have discovered an easier, protein-rich target that can’t flee: birds that never evolved defenses against land predators.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invasive-mice-wreaking-havoc">Invasive mice wreaking havoc</h2>



House mice first arrived on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/205064b0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marion Island</a> in the early 1800s, stowed away on sealing vessels. For most of the next century, they nibbled seeds and invertebrates. 



Warming temperatures, though, gave them extra breeding cycles each year. The population boom pushed the mice to experiment, and birds - stationary, trusting, and plentiful - proved irresistible.



Visitors now report grisly scenes at dawn. Adult <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strong-winds-make-it-difficult-for-albatrosses-to-feed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">albatrosses</a> sit tight on nests, unblinking, while scores of mice chew away at feathers, skin, and muscle. 



Lacking any instinct to fight back, the birds endure the assault until sheer blood loss or infection finishes the job.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-mice-can-displace-seabirds">How mice can displace seabirds</h2>



Marion shelters roughly one-quarter of the world’s wandering albatrosses, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/albatrosses-use-infrasound-for-long-distance-navigation-study-reveals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">legendary fliers</a> whose wings can stretch 11 feet tip to tip. In all, 29 seabird species breed on the island, yet 19 now face local extinction. 



Climate change adds another layer of trouble: warmer seas push fish farther south or deeper, forcing parent birds to travel longer for food and return to nests depleted.



Chicks miss meals; adults miss breeding windows. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seabirds-have-different-strategies-to-survive-storms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Extreme storms</a>, whipped up by hotter oceans, wash away nest sites perched on exposed tussock slopes. Combined with the mouse attacks, these pressures make every breeding season a roll of the dice.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kill-the-mice-save-the-seabirds">Kill the mice, save the seabirds</h2>



“These mice, for the first time last year, were found to be feeding on adult Wandering Albatrosses,” stated Anderson, who also serves as the CEO of <a href="https://www.birdlife.org.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BirdLife South Africa</a>. His team’s camera traps record the slow-motion assaults in heartbreaking detail.



“Mice just climb onto them and slowly eat them until they succumb,” said Anderson. The sad, slow process of dying can take days for a bird. “We are losing hundreds of thousands of seabirds every year through the mice.”



Enter the <a href="https://mousefreemarion.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mouse-Free Marion Project</a>, an operation every bit as ambitious as it sounds. 



The blueprint involves loading helicopters with 600 tons of cereal pellets laced with rodenticide and spreading them across the island’s 15.5-mile length and 10.6-mile width. 



Of the $29 million price tag, about a quarter is already in the bank.



“We have to get rid of every last mouse,” emphasized Anderson. “If there were a male and female remaining, they could breed and eventually get back to where we are now.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-from-a-previous-fiasco">Lessons from a previous fiasco</h2>



Conservationists have tried drastic fixes here before. In the 1940s, cats were introduced to curb the rodents; instead, the felines multiplied and devoured roughly 450,000 birds each year. 



A massive trapping campaign finally removed the last cat in 1991, but the mice inherited an island free of natural enemies.



That cautionary tale hangs over today’s planning sessions. Project leaders stress that baiting must be swift and island-wide - no gaps, no second chances. 



Precision GPS flight lines and winter timing, when most summer-nesting birds are offshore, aim to protect non-target wildlife.



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



Winter 2027 is the chosen window, when food is scarce for mice yet most seabirds have migrated north. Helicopters, weather permitting, will crisscross Marion in overlapping swaths to rain down pellets. 



Comparable missions on <a href="https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/south-georgia-mainland-islands-islets-and-stacks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">South Georgia</a> and New Zealand’s <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/southland/places/subantarctic-islands/antipodes-islands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antipodes Islands</a> wiped out rats and mice in recent years, showing the blueprint can work even in harsh sub-Antarctic weather.



Logisticians still face headaches: sudden katabatic winds, hidden lava domes, and thick coastal fog that can ground aircraft for days. Even so, a successful first pass is cheaper and kinder than chasing survivors for decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seabirds-mice-and-invasive-species">Seabirds, mice, and invasive species</h2>



The Marion saga isn’t an isolated oddity. Islands make up barely two percent of Earth’s land, yet they hold an outsize share of endangered species. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-have-become-one-of-the-worlds-most-invasive-predators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Invasive predators</a> - rats, cats, pigs, and now even mice - have driven 75 percent of recorded bird, mammal, and reptile extinctions on islands worldwide. 



Climate change intensifies that pressure, allowing hardy generalists to outcompete specialists already living on the edge.



Protecting seabird strongholds pays off far beyond the shoreline. Albatrosses and petrels fertilize oceans with guano rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-plankton-are-key-players-in-carbon-cycle-regulation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">boosting plankton</a> and fish that feed coastal communities. 



Lose the birds, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-viruses-hijack-ocean-plants-to-control-marine-food-webs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marine food webs</a> feel the pinch.



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



Funding gaps still loom, and the clock keeps ticking. Yet every dollar pledged brings the Mouse-Free Marion Project closer to takeoff. 



If helicopters lift off in 2027 and every pellet lands where it should, Marion could echo with healthy albatross calls again within a decade. That would free the conservationists to tackle other invaded islands before more birds vanish.



For now, researchers keep watch through wind-lashed winters, counting nests and documenting each fresh wound. 



The task is grim, but the payoff - restoring one of the world’s greatest seabird nurseries - would be well worth the sleepless nights. 



Should the plan succeed, Marion Island might one day be known not for its tragedy, but for showing how persistence, good science, and a bit of grit can tip the balance back in favor of the wild.



<a href="https://www.birdlife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Visit BirdLife International</a> for more information on this and other topics.



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Officials plan to literally “bomb” invasive mice that are eating seabirds alive

Marion Island, a speck of volcanic rock about 1,243 miles...

When ships travel to the ends of the Earth, their anchors leave more than temporary marks - they create lasting scars on fragile marine life and ecosystems. 



From tourism vessels to research ships, maritime traffic is growing even in the far reaches of Antarctica. And with every anchor dropped, the seafloor is at risk.



Undersea cables, pipelines, and sensitive wildlife habitats can all be damaged by this simple act. Yet, anchoring remains almost completely unregulated in polar waters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anchors-leave-their-mark-in-antarctica">Anchors leave their mark in Antarctica</h2>



Scientists have recorded new underwater footage that reveals the impact of ship anchoring in Antarctica’s remote marine environments. Their findings offer a rare look into an underreported environmental issue that’s hidden from view.



“This is the first time the impacts of ship anchoring and chain damage are documented in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-antarctic-waters-are-cooling-in-a-warming-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic waters</a>," explained Matthew Mulrennan, a marine scientist and founder of KOLOSSAL, an ocean exploration and conservation nonprofit in California.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_undisturbed_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_undisturbed_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1s.webp" alt="Directly adjacent to the anchoring sites, marine life flourished. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL." class="wp-image-1973330"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Directly adjacent to the anchoring sites, marine life flourished. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL.</figcaption></figure>



"Activities in Antarctica have a lot of strict rules around conservation, yet ship anchoring is almost completely unregulated."



Study co-author Dr. Sally Watson, a marine geophysicist from New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, emphasized the urgency of the situation.



"Documentation is way overdue, given the importance of these ecosystems and the protections we place on them. Anchoring impacts are understudied and underestimated globally. It’s so important to recognize and mitigate the impacts across all industries and limit planned anchoring,” said Dr. Watson.



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



During the austral summer of 2022-23, researchers recorded underwater footage across 36 sites near the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heat-in-tasman-sea-is-melting-the-antarctic-peninsula/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic Peninsula</a> and South Georgia Island. 



Cameras were positioned at various depths - close to the surface, midwater, and just one meter above the seabed. What they captured was alarming.



In areas where ships had dropped anchor, the ocean floor was visibly disturbed. Grooves and striations crisscrossed the seabed, and patches of mud covered the habitat. 



At these sites, marine life was sparse or entirely absent. Sponge colonies were crushed, and overall benthic biomass was nearly nonexistent. Yet, just meters away, life thrived - showing that the destruction was highly localized and recent.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_crushed-stars-sponges_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_crushed-stars-sponges_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1s.webp" alt="Striations, grooves, and mud deposits from anchor retrieval were visible in the substrate of the ocean floor. The researchers observed crushed sponge colonies. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL" class="wp-image-1973333"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Striations, grooves, and mud deposits from anchor retrieval were visible in the substrate of the ocean floor. The researchers observed crushed sponge colonies. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL</figcaption></figure>



“The observed damage was a near miss to three giant volcano <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sponges-are-mysteriously-moving-across-the-arctic-seafloor/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sponges</a>, believed to be the oldest animals on the planet, which may live up to 15,000 years,” said Mulrennan.



The team also observed other species at risk, including Antarctic sun stars, giant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-identify-cold-adaptations-in-nervous-system-of-antarctic-octopus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic octopuses</a>, sea spiders, and various fish, all of which dwell at depths that make them vulnerable to anchoring.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chain-reaction-across-ecosystems">Chain reaction across ecosystems</h2>



According to the researchers, the impacts of ship anchors to marine life extend beyond individual species.



“The weird and wonderful animals that are impacted, like sponges, are important for filtering water, carbon sequestration, and providing shelter, food, and complex habitats which benefit the whole marine ecosystem, including penguins and seals - the animals tourists come to see,” noted Mulrennan.



This ripple effect could alter the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-ice-loss-is-transforming-the-marine-food-web/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food web</a>, and affect iconic Antarctic wildlife that draws attention and resources for conservation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slow-recovery-in-cold-waters">Slow recovery in cold waters</h2>



Life in Antarctica is tough, slow, and highly adapted. That makes it especially vulnerable to disruption. Many organisms in anchor zones are slow-growing and can’t relocate. Recovery could take decades - or more.



“We know that anchor impacts in tropical reefs can last a decade. In muddy sediment the scours can still be visible over a decade later,” said Dr. Watson.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_Antarctic-sun-stars_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Antarctic-seabed_Antarctic-sun-stars_anchor-damage-ships_credit-KOLOSSAL_1s.webp" alt="The researchers recorded giant volcano sponges, Antarctic sun stars, giant Antarctic octopus, sea spiders, and a variety of fish at anchorable depths. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL" class="wp-image-1973328"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The researchers recorded giant volcano sponges, Antarctic sun stars, giant Antarctic octopus, sea spiders, and a variety of fish at anchorable depths. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Matt Mulrennan / KOLOSSAL</figcaption></figure>



“Ecological recovery is really site specific. Things in cold waters are much slower growing than in warmer temperatures so I expect that recovery would take longer the higher the latitude.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-anchor-impacts-on-marine-life">Anchor impacts on marine life</h2>



The researchers say more work is needed. Studies should examine both short- and long-term effects of anchoring, recovery timelines, and how broader ecological functions are disrupted. 



But a major hurdle remains: there is no global database tracking where and how often ships anchor in polar regions.



“Anchoring is likely the most overlooked ocean conservation issue in terms of global seafloor disruption; it is on par with the damages from bottom trawling,” Mulrennan concluded. “It’s a pressing environmental issue, but it’s out of sight, out of mind.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2025.1500652/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Conservation Science</a>.



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Ship anchors are doing great harm to protected ocean life on the Antarctic seafloor

When ships travel to the ends of the Earth, their...

Heavy screen use appears to pull many children into a loop where emotional or behavioral problems rise, and those very problems draw them back to their devices. A worldwide review of current research now shows the pattern is measurable across continents, ages, and types of media.



The meta-analysis, carried out by psychologists at the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Queensland</a>, the <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of New South Wales</a>, and other institutions, pooled 117 longitudinal studies that tracked more than 292,000 youngsters under ten.



This study is one of the biggest efforts yet to chart how digital habits and mental health interact over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-screen-time-is-a-vicious-loop">Screen time is a vicious loop</h2>



In the combined data set, extra hours spent gaming, scrolling, streaming, or doing online homework predicted later spikes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/too-much-screen-time-is-making-teens-anxious/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anxiety</a>, depression, aggression, or hyperactivity. Anxious, angry, or sad children tended to increase screen time over the following six months.



Michael Noetel is one of the senior authors of the study and an associate professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland. 



“Children are spending more and more time on screens, for everything from entertainment to homework to messaging friends,” said Professor Noetel. 



“We found that increased screen time can lead to emotional and behavioral problems, and kids with those problems often turn to screens to cope.”



The bidirectional nature of the link, the authors argue, means that simply cutting access will not solve the problem unless the feelings that send kids <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childrens-screen-time-shapes-their-mental-health-as-teens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">online</a> are also addressed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-age-gender-and-content-matter">Age, gender, and content matter</h2>



The risks rose with age, at least across the early years. Six- to ten-year-olds showed stronger links between high exposure and later socio-emotional trouble than preschoolers.



Girls were more likely than boys to see anxiety or low confidence rise with extra screen time. Boys, on the other hand, were more prone to boost their usage when they were already struggling - evidence that tailor-made interventions may be needed.



 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-violent-video-games-impact-the-human-mind/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Interactive gaming</a>, especially fast-paced or competitive ones, correlated with bigger spikes in externalizing behaviors such as restlessness and aggression.



Educational viewing or classroom assignments showed milder effects, although any additional hours nudged risk upward. Most studies relied on self-reports, so the authors suggest objective app logs could refine future estimates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-screen-time-needs-a-balance">Screen time needs a balance</h2>



Parents often react by tightening time limits, yet the review suggests restriction alone can backfire if a child’s distress goes unaddressed.



Roberta Vasconcellos is the lead author of the study and a lecturer at the University of New South Wales. She conducted the research while a doctoral student at the <a href="https://www.acu.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australian Catholic University</a>.



“This comprehensive study highlights the need for a nuanced approach to managing children's screen time,” Vasconcellos said. 



“By understanding the relationship between screen use and socio-emotional problems, parents, educators, and policymakers can better support children's healthy development in an increasingly digital world.”



Programs that teach caregivers emotion-coaching skills alongside digital literacy, the authors add, may cut both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/internet-addiction-impairs-brain-function-in-teenagers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">screen dependence</a> and the distress that fuels it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-really-causing-this">What's really causing this?</h2>



Because every study in the meta-analysis followed participants for at least half a year, the new paper edges nearer to causal evidence than the usual one-time snapshots.



“It’s about as close as we can get to causal evidence without randomly cutting screens for thousands of kids,” Noetel said. “But still, we can’t completely rule out other factors - like parenting style - that could influence both screen use and emotional problems.”



Future work could combine automatic usage logs, wearable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/best-measure-of-sleep-quality-is-how-you-feel-not-what-your-tracker-says/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mood trackers</a>, and family observations to map how digital exposure intersects with sleep, exercise, and social support.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-healthier-screen-time-for-kids">Healthier screen time for kids</h2>



Screens are now woven into schooling, friendships, and entertainment - making zero-tolerance policies unrealistic.



The authors instead urge a public-health approach akin to nutrition guidelines with clear daily limits and product standards that discourage features aimed at keeping under-tens online. They also recommend lessons that teach children to question persuasive app design.



Policymakers could bolster those measures by supporting school counselors and nudging tech firms toward stronger child-safety accountability.



While tablets and phones are unlikely to disappear from childhood, the new evidence suggests their influence is neither harmless nor inevitable.



Recognizing that emotional hardship can be both a consequence and a driver of screen time among kids gives caregivers and communities a chance to break the loop. The researchers emphasize that the goal isn’t to ban devices - but to support healthy, mindful screen use among children.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2026-24348-001.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Psychological Bulletin</a>.



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Screen time and mental health: A vicious cycle for kids

Heavy screen use appears to pull many children into a...

Fossilized plant fragments preserved inside the belly of an Australian sauropod dinosaur have given researchers the first complete snapshot of what these long-necked giants actually ate. The evidence firmly backs the long-held view that they were voracious herbivores.



The findings are based on a subadult specimen of Diamantinasaurus matildae that roamed what is now Queensland between 94 and 101 million years ago. Its last meals reveal a mixed, unchewed salad of conifer foliage, seed-fern fruiting bodies, and flowering-plant leaves.



The dinosaur broke off these plant fragments instead of chewing them, leaving the gut microbes to do the hard work of digestion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unique-dinosaur-discovery">Unique dinosaur discovery</h2>



“No genuine sauropod gut contents had ever been found anywhere before, despite sauropods being known from fossils found on every continent” said lead author Stephen Poropat, a paleontologist at <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Curtin University</a>.



Until now, scientists pieced together sauropod menus indirectly - examining tooth scratches, jaw mechanics, and neck reach. 



The new discovery provides something more definitive: a preserved cololite, or fossil gut content. Scientists can analyze this down to the species of plant it contains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-discovery-in-australia">Big discovery in Australia</h2>



The breakthrough came during the 2017 field season at the <a href="https://www.australianageofdinosaurs.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum</a>. Volunteers preparing the Diamantinasaurus skeleton noticed a fractured, oddly packed slab of sediment lodged among the ribs.



Careful extraction revealed dozens of delicate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-reveals-how-plants-use-winged-seeds-to-expand-their-habitats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plant fossils</a>: scales from conifer needles, seed-fern pods. The researchers also found tender angiosperm leaves and even tiny shoots and bracts.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sauropod-guts_fossilized_australia_credit-Stephen-Poropat_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sauropod-guts_fossilized_australia_credit-Stephen-Poropat_1s.webp" alt="Australian Age of Dinosaurs Collection Manager Mackenzie Enchelmaier holds up sauropod gut content fossil. Credit: Stephen Poropat" class="wp-image-1973337"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Australian Age of Dinosaurs Collection Manager Mackenzie Enchelmaier holds up sauropod gut content fossil. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Stephen Poropat</figcaption></figure>



Chemical analyses later detected biomarkers of both angiosperms and gymnosperms, confirming the findings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-insights-into-sauropod-feeding">New insights into sauropod feeding</h2>



Microscopic inspection revealed that the sauropod had snapped, not shredded, most plant fragments.



“The plants within show evidence of having been severed, possibly bitten, but have not been chewed, supporting the hypothesis of bulk feeding in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-species-of-sauropod-dinosaur-discovered/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sauropods</a>,” noted Poropat.



The conclusion matches anatomical expectations: sauropod teeth evolved for nipping vegetation rather than grinding it. 



Instead, these dinosaurs likely swallowed mouthfuls whole, letting fermentation chambers and resident microbes break down the cellulose.



Chemical signatures in the cololite point to an “eat what’s within reach” strategy rather than selective browsing.



“This implies that at least some sauropods were not selective feeders, instead eating whatever plants they could reach and safely process,” Poropat explained.



That indiscriminate appetite would have amplified the ecological influence of sauropods. It allowed their vast bodies to recycle nutrients across entire landscapes during the Jurassic and Cretaceous.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-surprise-serving-of-flowers">A surprise serving of flowers</h2>



The team expected to find conifer and seed-fern remains, but the presence of flowering-plant foliage caught them off-guard.



“Angiosperms became approximately as diverse as conifers in Australia around 100 to 95 million years ago, when this sauropod was alive,” Poropat said.



“This suggests that sauropods had successfully adapted to eat <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flowering-plants-appeared-two-million-years-earlier-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flowering plants</a> within 40 million years of the first evidence of the presence of these plants in the fossil record.”



The finding suggests these dinosaurs quickly incorporated new plant types as they emerged in Mesozoic ecosystems.



Because the specimen was a subadult, the researchers infer it could graze both low and mid-story vegetation. Hatchlings grazed only on groundcover, while fully-grown adults could strip branches from treetops.



The abundance of soft shoots and seed pods suggests that younger Diamantinasaurus individuals targeted nutrient-rich new growth, which ferments more easily than woody tissue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-stomach-many-questions"><a></a>One stomach, many questions</h2>



Poropat stresses that the study offers “a single data point.” The snapshot captures only the last few meals of one individual and may not represent typical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossilized-poop-reveals-the-diet-of-dinosaurs-200-million-years-ago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diets</a>, seasonal shifts, or adult feeding habits.



Even a single case shows that gut-content fossils, though rare, can confirm hypotheses and refine our view of dinosaur ecology.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sauropod-dinosaur_Diamantinasaurus-matildae_illustration_credit-Travis-Tischler_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/sauropod-dinosaur_Diamantinasaurus-matildae_illustration_credit-Travis-Tischler_1s.webp" alt="Artist impression of Diamantinasaurus matildae feeding. Credit: Travis Tischler" class="wp-image-1973335"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Artist impression of Diamantinasaurus matildae feeding. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Travis Tischler</figcaption></figure>



The team hopes further excavations in the Winton Formation and other Cretaceous sites will yield additional cololites to broaden the picture.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-feeding-for-giants">Feeding for giants</h2>



Taken together, the findings bolster the idea that “indiscriminate bulk feeding” underpinned sauropod dominance for roughly 130 million years.



By gulping vast quantities of whatever greenery was available and outsourcing digestion to microbial partners, these giants could fuel bodies the size of whales on land.



As Poropat and colleagues point out, understanding that strategy not only illuminates dinosaur biology but also helps reconstruct the plant communities and nutrient cycles of ancient Earth.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960982225005500" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a>.



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Fossilized guts reveal the eating habits of sauropod dinosaurs

Fossilized plant fragments preserved inside the belly of an Australian...

Neanderthal PLOSONE 2025 PNG

New computer modeling shows that Neanderthals completed a vast east-west migration across northern Eurasia. They did this in well under two millennia, traveling roughly 2,020 miles (3,250 km), using river valleys as natural highways.



The work suggests their second great migration - from today’s Caucasus region to Siberia - was faster and more predictable than once believed.



The research was led by Emily Coco and Radu Iovita, working with <a href="https://wp.nyu.edu/csho/">New York University’s Center for the Study of Human Origins</a> and Portugal’s <a href="https://www.ualg.pt/en">University of Algarve</a>. 



The team's simulations add fresh geographic context to previous genetic hints of a late-Pleistocene Neanderthal migration.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simulating-a-2-000-year-journey">Simulating a 2,000-year journey</h2>



The researchers fed a 1 km-resolution map of Late Pleistocene Eurasia - complete with reconstructed rivers, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-glaciers-unleashed-floods-that-reshaped-the-planet/">glaciers</a>, deserts, and elevation - into an agent-based least-cost path (AB-LCP) model.



This model simulates human movement across a landscape by mimicking how individuals find routes that minimize travel cost using only local information and incomplete knowledge.



Each virtual “traveler” performed roughly 400,000 Lévy-walk decisions per run - meaning that the choice of the next step or action is not uniformly distributed but is biased towards longer distances or larger changes.



On average, the simulated traveler took 830,000 individual steps while seeking the lowest-energy square in its immediate view. This approach avoids presuming any prior knowledge of the landscape or a fixed destination.



Successful travelers left either the northern or southern flanks of the Caucasus and reached the Siberian Altai in as few as 925,000 to 1.1 million steps. That's equivalent to about 620,000 miles (one million kilometers) of wandering. This translates to less than 2,000 calendar years of real movement at hunter-gatherer speeds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neanderthals-followed-rivers">Neanderthals followed rivers</h2>



Across dozens of runs, paths clustered along the broad Volga-Kama corridor, slipped through passes in the Ural Mountains, and then funneled eastward along the Ob-Irtysh and Turgai valleys toward the Altai.



Straight-line segments five steps or longer appeared most often inside these river corridors. This confirms that flowing water channels would have drawn mobile bands forward and minimized costly elevation changes.



“Our findings show that, despite obstacles like mountains and large <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-river-landscape-lies-beneath-the-east-antarctic-ice-sheet/">rivers</a>, Neanderthals could have crossed northern Eurasia surprisingly quickly,” Coco explained.



“These findings provide important insights into the paths of ancient migrations that cannot be studied from the archaeological record and reveal how computer simulations can help uncover clues about ancient migrations that shaped human history.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-warm-windows-of-opportunity"><a></a>Warm windows of opportunity</h2>



The model succeeded only during two relatively mild climatic windows: Marine Isotope Stage 5e, beginning approximately 125,000 years ago, and Marine Isotope Stage 3, beginning approximately 60,000 years ago.



Warmer temperatures kept glaciers in retreat and vegetation more continuous across the steppe, raising habitat suitability and opening safe crossings of once-impassable rivers.



“Neanderthals could have migrated thousands of kilometers from the Caucasus Mountains to Siberia in just 2,000 years by following river corridors,” Iovita said.



“Others have speculated on the possibility of this kind of fast, long-distance migration based on genetic data, but this has been difficult to substantiate due to limited archaeological evidence in the region."



“Based on detailed computer simulations, it appears this migration was a near-inevitable outcome of landscape conditions during past warm climatic periods.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scattered-traces-of-neanderthal-migration">Scattered traces of Neanderthal migration</h2>



The preferred northern route runs straight into zones where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mysterious-denisovan-species-humans-lived-undisturbed-tibetan-plateau-160000-years/">Denisovans</a> are thought to have lived during the same warm stages. 



This lends spatial support to genetic evidence for repeated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/28000-year-old-hybrid-child-confirms-interbreeding-between-humans-and-neanderthals/">interbreeding</a> events between the two archaic groups.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Neanderthal-dispersal-map_credit-Emily-Coco_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Neanderthal-dispersal-map_credit-Emily-Coco_1s.webp" alt="Computer simulated paths of Neanderthal dispersals demonstrate they could have reached the Altai Mountains in Siberia within 2,000 years during warm climatic conditions in one of two ancient time periods—MIS 5e (approximately 125,000 years ago) or MIS 3 (approximately 60,000 years ago)—as demonstrated by the three different possible paths shown here. These paths follow a northern route through the Ural Mountains and southern Siberia, often intersecting with known archaeological sites from the same time periods. Credit: Emily Coco" class="wp-image-1973340"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Computer simulated paths of Neanderthal dispersals demonstrate they could have reached the Altai Mountains in Siberia within 2,000 years during warm climatic conditions in one of two ancient time periods—MIS 5e (approximately 125,000 years ago) or MIS 3 (approximately 60,000 years ago)—as demonstrated by the three different possible paths shown here. These paths follow a northern route through the Ural Mountains and southern Siberia, often intersecting with known archaeological sites from the same time periods. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Emily Coco</figcaption></figure>



Because virtual migrants spent little time in any place they reached, the study suggests why so few Middle Paleolithic sites lie between Eastern Europe and the Altai: rapid movement would leave only scattered, shallow archaeological traces.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-no-viable-southern-route">No viable southern route</h2>



No simulation produced a viable southern detour around the Caspian Sea, challenging earlier hypotheses of a southern Caspian corridor and implying that future surveys should target riverine corridors north of the desert belt.



The authors note that their cost surfaces are static snapshots; adding dynamic vegetation, seasonal ice, or resource gradients could refine future paths.



Still, the close match between modeled routes and the sparse archaeological and genetic record underscores the power of AB-LCP modeling for illuminating the travels of vanished peoples.



Short, fast, and guided by water, the virtual journeys show that Neanderthal migration did not require sophisticated navigation or even a clear goal to traverse half a continent.



Geography - especially the sweep of Eurasia’s great rivers - did much of the guiding for them, turning what once looked like an improbable odyssey into a plausible, almost inevitable trek.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0325693">PLOS One</a>.

Neanderthal superhighways through Eurasia recreated with supercomputers

New computer modeling shows that Neanderthals completed a vast east-west...

Springtime in the Arctic is a spectacular show of life, as millions of birds gather to nest and raise their young under the midnight sun. Remarkably, this annual ritual traces its roots back much further than previously believed - 73 million years ago. 



That’s the conclusion of a recently published study that identifies the oldest known evidence of birds nesting in the polar regions.



The discovery was made in northern Alaska’s Prince Creek Formation. It reveals that several types of birds were already breeding in the Arctic during the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/late-cretaceous-dinosaur-was-sluggish-and-nearly-deaf/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Late Cretaceous</a> period, when dinosaurs still ruled the land.



These findings challenge previous assumptions about where and when ancient birds reproduced - and expand the timeline of avian life in Earth’s most extreme environments by more than 25 million years.



“For half of the time they have existed, they have been nesting in the Arctic,” said Lauren Wilson, the study’s lead author and a doctoral student at <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Princeton University</a>. Wilson completed her master’s degree at the <a href="https://www.uaf.edu/uaf/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Alaska Fairbanks</a> (UAF), where the research began.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bird-fossils-rewrite-history">Bird fossils rewrite history</h2>



Using a collection of over 50 fossilized bird bones and teeth excavated from Alaska’s North Slope, Wilson and her team made an important discovery. They identified several species of birds that appear to have nested in the region.



These included diving birds similar to modern loons, gull-like species, and various duck- and goose-like waterfowl. 



The bones representing juveniles - some likely still nest-bound - offer strong evidence that these birds were not merely passing through but breeding in the Arctic.



“Finding bird bones from the Cretaceous is already a very rare thing,” Wilson said. “To find baby bird bones is almost unheard of. That is why these fossils are significant.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-saving-fragile-fossil-evidence">Saving fragile fossil evidence</h2>



The mere existence of such delicate remains is extraordinary. Bird bones are lightweight and fragile by design, and juvenile bones are even more prone to destruction over time.



Yet, thanks to meticulous excavation efforts, researchers were able to recover and identify these fossilized traces of ancient avian life.



The fossils were found in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018218306667" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prince Creek Formation</a>, a remote site along the Colville River renowned for its Cretaceous dinosaur remains.



Until recently, the area was not known for yielding fossil birds. This changed recently, thanks in part to the excavation strategy used by the UAF Museum of the North’s research team.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-bones-from-arctic-bird-fossils">Tiny bones from Arctic bird fossils</h2>



Traditional vertebrate paleontology often focuses on recovering large, visible bones - those of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/organic-molecules-collagen-discovered-in-66-million-year-old-dinosaur-bones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dinosaurs</a>, for example. But the team working at Prince Creek takes a more comprehensive approach.



Alongside the big finds, they also gather large volumes of sediment and screen them for microscopic remains. Researchers then carefully examine these samples under microscopes back at the lab, revealing a world of small, often-overlooked fossils.



“We put Alaska on the map for fossil birds,” said Pat Druckenmiller, the paper’s senior author and director of the <a href="https://www.uaf.edu/museum/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Alaska Museum of the North</a>. “It wasn’t on anyone’s radar.”



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/birds_arctic-nesting_bird-beak-fossil_credit-Pat-Druckenmiller_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/birds_arctic-nesting_bird-beak-fossil_credit-Pat-Druckenmiller_1s.webp" alt="The tip of a hatchling bird beak sits on the end of a finger. Credit: Pat Druckenmiller" class="wp-image-1973308"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The tip of a hatchling bird beak sits on the end of a finger. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Pat Druckenmiller</figcaption></figure>



Druckenmiller credits the fine-grained approach with revealing new insights into Cretaceous Arctic ecosystems. The same methods have also led to the discovery of new dinosaur and mammal species in the region.



“In terms of information content, these little bones and teeth are fascinating and provide an incredible depth of understanding of the animals of this time,” Druckenmiller said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-arctic-bird-nursery">Ancient Arctic bird nursery</h2>



The findings show that birds have been using the Arctic as a breeding ground far longer than previously thought.



Earlier evidence of polar bird <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tangled-twigs-the-secrets-of-sturdy-bird-nests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nesting</a> dated to around 47 million years ago - well after the mass extinction event that wiped out most of Earth’s species, including the non-avian dinosaurs. 



The new discovery pushes that timeline back by 25 to 30 million years, deep into the age of dinosaurs.



“The Arctic is considered the nursery for modern birds,” Druckenmiller said. “It’s kind of cool when you go to Creamer’s Field [a well-known stopover for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-migratory-birds-navigate-with-such-accuracy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">migratory birds</a> in Fairbanks], to know that they have been doing this for 73 million years.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-origins-of-modern-birds">The origins of modern birds</h2>



Beyond expanding the record of avian life in the polar regions, the fossils raise intriguing questions about the origins of modern birds.



Some of the bones appear to belong to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-and-why-tropical-birds-are-so-strikingly-colorful-and-iridescent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neornithes</a> - the group that includes all living birds. These fossils show skeletal traits exclusive to modern birds. Some even lacked teeth, a feature seen in today’s avian species.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/birds_arctic-nesting_with-dinosaurs_illustration_credit-Gabriel-Ugueto_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/birds_arctic-nesting_with-dinosaurs_illustration_credit-Gabriel-Ugueto_1s.webp" alt="An illustration of Cretaceous Period birds with other dinosaurs from the same time period in the background. A paper in the journal Science documents the earliest-known example of birds nesting in the polar regions. Credit: Gabriel Ugueto" class="wp-image-1973310"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An illustration of Cretaceous Period birds with other dinosaurs from the same time period in the background. A paper in the journal Science documents the earliest-known example of birds nesting in the polar regions. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Gabriel Ugueto</figcaption></figure>



“If they are part of the modern bird group, they would be the oldest such fossils ever found,” Druckenmiller said. 



At present, the oldest known Neornithes fossils date to around 69 million years ago. “But it would take us finding a partial or full skeleton to say for sure.”



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



The implications of the study go beyond the Arctic. They suggest that ancient birds - despite their small size and delicate physiology - were able to thrive in high-latitude environments long before the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-polar-regions-changing-fundamental-alarming-ways/">polar climates</a> we know today fully developed.



During the Cretaceous, the Arctic was warmer but still experienced seasonal extremes of light and darkness, posing significant challenges for any nesting animals.



That these birds not only survived but reproduced successfully hints at a more complex evolutionary history than previously assumed. It also suggests modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-geese-adapt-by-finding-a-new-migratory-route/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">migratory waterfowl</a> echo ancient patterns by returning to northern wetlands each spring to raise their young.



As researchers continue to study the Colville River fossils, they hope to uncover additional material that can confirm the identity and relationships of these Arctic avian pioneers.



For now, the Prince Creek Formation stands as one of the world’s most important sites for understanding the early history of birds. It shows what can be found when scientists search for both big and small bones.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt5189" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



Image Credit: &nbsp;Gabriel Ugueto



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Scientists find proof that birds nested in the Arctic alongside dinosaurs

Springtime in the Arctic is a spectacular show of life,...

We often think of carbon dioxide as nothing more than pollution. It’s a byproduct of factories, cars, and power plants - and one of the main drivers of climate change. But what if we could take this waste gas and transform it into something useful?



That’s exactly what scientists at the <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a>, along with collaborators from UC Davis and UCLA, have been working on. 



The team has developed a method to convert carbon dioxide into metal oxalates, which can be used as building blocks in cement manufacturing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-putting-carbon-dioxide-to-good-use">Putting carbon dioxide to good use</h2>



“This research shows how we can take carbon dioxide, which everyone knows is a waste product that is of little-to-zero value, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/upcycling-plastic-waste-into-valuable-products/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">upcycle</a> it into something that's valuable,” said Charles McCrory, associate professor of chemistry and macromolecular science and engineering. 



“We're not just taking carbon dioxide and burying it; we're taking it from different point sources and repurposing it for something useful.”



The work grew out of a project called the Center for Closing the Carbon Cycle (4C), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. One of the center’s goals is to find practical ways to capture and reuse carbon dioxide, rather than simply releasing it into the air.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cement-with-a-smaller-footprint">Cement with a smaller footprint</h2>



The most common type of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-crack-resistant-cement-material-inspired-by-nature/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cement</a>, known as Portland cement, is made by heating limestone and other minerals. This process requires a lot of energy and creates a significant amount of carbon dioxide. 



The researchers wanted to flip the script by using CO₂ to create materials that could take the place of traditional cement ingredients.



The team focused on metal oxalates. These are simple salt compounds that can serve as alternative cement precursors. 



Scientists have long known that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/151-million-americans-have-mental-health-disorders-linked-to-leaded-gasoline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lead</a> could act as a catalyst to help convert carbon dioxide into metal oxalates. The problem? It typically takes a lot of lead to make the process work, and that brings serious environmental and health risks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-trace-amount-makes-a-big-difference">A trace amount makes a big difference</h2>



That’s where the 4C team made a breakthrough. They used <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/everyday-polymers-that-are-considered-safe-release-harmful-toxins/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polymers</a> to control the chemical surroundings of the lead catalyst. 



This control allowed the experts to cut the amount of lead required down to parts per billion - a level so low it’s comparable to common impurities already found in commercial materials.



“Those metal ions are combining with the oxalate to make a solid, and that solid crashes out of the solution,” explained Mcrory. “That's the product that we collect and that can be mixed in as part of the cement-making process.”



By adjusting the microenvironment - the chemical makeup around the catalyst - the researchers were able to boost the efficiency of the reaction while using only tiny amounts of lead.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-cement-from-co₂">Building cement from CO₂</h2>



The process works using a pair of electrodes. One converts carbon dioxide into dissolved oxalate ions. The other, made from metal, releases ions that latch onto the oxalate and form solid metal oxalates. These solids can then be collected and used in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/making-concrete-more-environmentally-friendly/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cement production</a>.



“Metal oxalates represent an underexplored frontier - serving as alternative cementitious materials, synthesis precursors and even carbon dioxide storage solutions,” said Jesus Velasquez, a co-lead author from UC Davis.



Study co-lead author Anastassia Alexandrova confirmed the science behind the idea using computer modeling.



“Catalysts are often discovered by accident, and successful industrial formulations are often very complicated. These cocktail catalysts are discovered empirically through trial and error,” said Alexandrova. 



“In this work, we have an example of a trace lead impurity actually being a catalyst. I believe there are many more such examples in practice catalysis, and also that this is an underexplored opportunity for catalyst discovery.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-cement-to-store-co₂">Using cement to store CO₂</h2>



Once carbon dioxide is locked into metal oxalates, it’s unlikely to return to the atmosphere under normal conditions. That makes the process not just a method of recycling carbon dioxide - but also a way to store it securely.



“It's a true capture process because you're making a solid from it,” said Mcrory. “But it's also a useful capture process because you're making a useful and valuable material that has downstream applications.”



The team believes their method could eventually be scaled up for industrial use. Much work remains to optimize the production of the final solid product, but the low level of lead required is a key step toward making the process environmentally responsible.



“We are a ways away, but I think it's a scalable process,” Mcrory added. “Part of the reason we wanted to reduce the lead catalyst to parts per billion is the challenges of scaling up a catalyst with massive amounts of lead. It wouldn’t be environmentally reasonable, otherwise.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aenm.202501286" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Advanced Materials</a>.



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Turning CO₂ into cement: A new path to greener construction

We often think of carbon dioxide as nothing more than...

Tucked into the humid wetlands of the American Southeast, the bald cypress rises with quiet determination. These towering trees, known for their knobby knees and flared bases, don’t just dominate the swamps - they define them. 



Many bald cypress trees have been standing for thousands of years, enduring floods, poor soil, and relentless humidity. But their survival story is not without challenges, as bald cypress trees are now facing a barrage of threats. 



While animals age and die, trees tend to live until their environment wears them down. The story of the bald cypress is one of endurance - but also one of vulnerability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-buried-cypress-trees-tell-an-old-story">Buried cypress trees tell an old story</h2>



Scientists from <a href="https://www.fau.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida Atlantic University</a>, in collaboration with Lynn University, the University of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Georgia Museum of Natural History, recently uncovered an ancient timeline buried at the mouth of Georgia’s Altamaha River. 



There, the team found subfossil bald cypress trees - remnants of a once-thriving forest that time had preserved in mud and sediment.



To understand how these trees responded to past climate changes, researchers used <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/radiocarbon-could-be-key-in-predicting-earths-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">radiocarbon dating</a> and analyzed the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-rings-reveal-the-carbon-storage-capacity-of-a-forest/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tree rings</a> - measuring their size and number. 



Each ring captured a snapshot of that tree’s life in a given year, offering a long, unbroken record of environmental conditions. What the trees revealed was startling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sudden-shift-around-500-a-d">Sudden shift around 500 A.D.</h2>



Before 500 A.D., bald cypress trees at this site routinely lived over 470 years. But after that time, their lifespans fell dramatically - to just 186 years on average. 



At the same time, the trees started growing faster. That may sound like a good thing, but quick growth often means less structural strength and increased stress.



This timing aligns with a dramatic climate event known as the Vandal Minimum - a global cooling period caused by volcanic eruptions and possibly a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prehistoric-comet-impact-triggered-the-invention-of-agriculture/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">comet impact</a>. 



These upheavals altered the atmosphere and, in turn, the ecosystems below. As the planet cooled, the once-resilient bald cypress began living shorter, more fragile lives.



“The last of the long-lived trees found in the deposit died during another major climatic event, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-cooling-event-caused-extinction-of-first-early-humans-in-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Little Ice Age</a>,” said Katharine G. Napora, Ph.D., the study’s senior author. 



“Our findings underscore how long-lasting the localized effects of major climate shifts can be, especially for coastal forests that are already vulnerable to wind damage, saltwater intrusion and rising seas.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-impacts-on-cypress-trees">Climate impacts on cypress trees</h2>



Despite the abrupt change in tree lifespans, researchers found no signs of fire, human activity, or logging at the site. There’s no clear smoking gun - no single event or threat that explains the decline. 



What’s clear, however, is that the cypress trees never bounced back. Even centuries later, they failed to reach their former lifespans.



“This shift wasn’t a brief disruption. Even centuries later, the trees never regained their former longevity. In fact, their lifespans continued to decline over time,” Napora explained.



Scientists believe several factors could be responsible. Coastal conditions may have become more unstable - with more frequent storms, salinity spikes, and inconsistent flooding patterns. 



During dry periods, pests like mites likely thrived and added more stress. Together, these shifts may have created an environment where longevity was no longer possible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cypress-trees-as-climate-timekeepers">Cypress trees as climate timekeepers</h2>



The researchers studied 95 subfossil bald cypress trees from the Altamaha Wildlife Management Area. These trees had been buried for centuries and were unearthed during regular land maintenance work. 



The well-preserved condition of the trees gave scientists an ideal record for examining past growth without interference from modern preservation differences.



“These ancient giants not only inspire awe but also serve as natural archives, helping scientists understand how trees have weathered <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-needed-millions-of-years-to-recover-from-past-climate-warming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">past climate events</a> - and how they might fare in the face of modern climate change,” Napora said.



And these are not the only cypress trees with climate stories to tell. In parts of the Southeast, living bald cypress trees between 800 and 2,600 years old still stand today. They’ve survived massive environmental shifts and now live as rare survivors in old-growth swamp forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-story-of-the-earth-written-in-wood">The story of the Earth, written in wood</h2>



While the Vandal Minimum was not a global freeze in the way we often imagine, it was felt in many corners of the world. The bald cypress offers a unique look into how such broad changes ripple through ecosystems - and linger for centuries.



“The rings of the bald cypress are like nature’s journal entries, written year by year and season by season, showing how even slow changes can shape the course of life," said Napora.



"In their quiet persistence, these trees offer both a warning and a lesson: that the world is more interconnected than we often realize, and that the story of the Earth isn’t only told through written history - it’s etched into wood, embedded in landscapes and carried forward by living organisms."



"The past lives on in the trunks of these ancient trees, reminding us that environmental shifts - whether natural or human-caused - reverberate through time in ways we are only beginning to understand.”



In a time of rising uncertainty, these trees are more than survivors. They are storytellers, and we’re just learning how to listen.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2421181122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Bald cypress trees reveal long-term impact of climate change

Tucked into the humid wetlands of the American Southeast, the...

Beneath the forest floor lies a vast and vital network of life - underground fungi that help regulate Earth’s climate and sustain ecosystems by transporting nutrients to plants and locking carbon deep in the soil.



Among these are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-distribute-enormous-amounts-of-co2-to-mycorrhizal-fungi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mycorrhizal fungi</a>, especially ectomycorrhizal species, which form intricate symbiotic relationships with trees and plants. But as scientists try to understand and protect these essential organisms, they’re running into a surprising obstacle: the majority of these fungi remain unknown.



A new study reveals that up to 83% of ectomycorrhizal fungi belong to “dark taxa” - species that have never been formally named or described. Scientists only know these organisms through fragments of their DNA, and their anonymity poses a significant challenge for conservation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invisible-fungal-diversity">Invisible fungal diversity</h2>



Only about 155,000 fungal species have been officially documented, while scientists estimate that between two and three million exist. In recent years, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/airborne-dna-can-track-wildlife-diseases-and-even-drugs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environmental DNA</a> (eDNA) sampling - extracting genetic material directly from soil and roots - has helped researchers detect many more species. 



However, for most of these mysterious fungi, there’s no existing match in the scientific record.



Laura van Galen is lead author of the study and a microbial ecologist working with the <a href="https://www.spun.earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Society for the Protection of Underground Networks</a> (SPUN) and <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ETH Zurich</a>.



“We are a long way out from getting all fungal DNA sequences linked to named species,” she said. "Environmental DNA has enormous potential as a research tool to detect fungal species, but we can’t include unnamed species in conservation initiatives. How can you protect something that hasn’t yet been named?”



Traditionally, scientists assign described species Latin binomials - names that help them track and study these organisms. Without these identifiers, dark taxa remain excluded from conservation frameworks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fungi-drive-forest-health">Fungi drive forest health</h2>



Ectomycorrhizal fungi are more than obscure soil residents - they’re powerhouses of planetary health. 



These fungi partner with roughly a quarter of all plant life and play an outsized role in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-plankton-play-a-big-role-in-the-global-carbon-cycle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth’s carbon cycle</a>, drawing down over nine billion tons of carbon dioxide each year.



That’s more than 25% of the CO2 released annually by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-warnings-fossil-fuels-are-causing-climate-health-and-biodiversity-crises/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fossil fuels</a>. They also help regulate nutrient flows in forests, support plant resilience, and even break down pollutants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tropics-hold-untapped-fungi">Tropics hold untapped fungi</h2>



Despite their importance, most ectomycorrhizal research focuses on the Global North, leaving tropical fungal communities overlooked.



According to the study, hotspots for dark taxa are especially concentrated in tropical forests and shrublands in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and parts of Africa. They also occur in montane forests above Mongolia.



“Mid-latitude and southern-hemisphere regions show signs of being home to many unknown species," said van Galen. 



“This means there is a mismatch in resources and funding. We need to facilitate more tropical researchers and those from southern-hemisphere regions to focus on identifying these super-important fungi.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-naming-the-nameless"><a></a>Naming the nameless</h2>



To bring these fungi into the scientific spotlight, the researchers suggest two main strategies: fieldwork and museum science. Collecting and sequencing new fungal samples is vital, but revisiting existing collections is equally important.



 Camille Truong is co-author of the study and a mycorrhizal ecologist at SPUN and the <a href="https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Australia</a>.



“One way to reduce the dark taxa problem is to collect, study and sequence mushrooms and other fungi,” said Truong. 



“Conversely, there are mushrooms that have been sitting for decades in collections of botanical gardens. These should be urgently sequenced so that we can, hopefully, start matching them up with some of these dark taxa.”



The stakes are high. Many of these unknown fungi are linked to plant species that are themselves endangered. If those <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-and-fungi-communicate-using-a-silent-language/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a> disappear, their fungal partners - possibly with vital ecological functions - could vanish without ever being documented.



“We're at risk here,” van Galen warned. “If we lose these host plants, we might also be losing really important fungal communities that we don’t know anything about yet.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prioritizing-underground-fungal-species">Prioritizing underground fungal species</h2>



The tools to explore fungal diversity already exist. What’s missing is widespread recognition of the fungi’s role in climate and biodiversity, and a coordinated push to study and protect them.



“We really need to pay so much more attention to fungi in the soil so that we can understand the species and protect them and conserve them before we lose them,” van Galen said.



The authors hope their research will help steer conservation organizations toward prioritizing regions rich in underground fungal diversity - even if the species found there are still nameless.



After all, in the quiet depths of the soil, scientists may discover the foundations of forests, climate stability, and even our future.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00426-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a>.



Image Credit: Adriana Corrales/SPUN



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Why millions of fungal species still remain unknown

Beneath the forest floor lies a vast and vital network...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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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

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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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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