Heart disease, not suicide or overdose, is the leading killer of people living with serious mental health conditions. This is the conclusion of a sweeping review led by Viola Vaccarino of Emory University.



The experts report that adults with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety die, on average, 10 to 20 years earlier than their peers - largely because of cardiovascular disease.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-health-and-life-expectancy">Mental health and life expectancy </h2>



The cardiovascular penalty attached to common psychiatric diagnoses is substantial. Depression raises the risk of heart disease by roughly 72 percent.&nbsp;



For <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/psychedelic-use-linked-to-higher-risk-of-schizophrenia/">schizophrenia</a>, the risk nearly doubles - up to about 95 percent. Bipolar disorder increases cardiovascular risk by 57 percent, PTSD boosts coronary heart disease risk by 61 percent, and anxiety disorders are associated with a 41 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular causes. 



These numbers help explain why <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-life-expectancy-faces-a-triple-threat/">life expectancy</a> shrinks so dramatically for this population.



Despite the elevated risks, people with mental health conditions routinely receive worse heart care than the general public. Screenings are missed and risk factors go unmanaged. Evidence-based treatments are offered less often and followed up less reliably.&nbsp;



The result is a widening survival gap affecting a vast swath of society: roughly one in four people will experience a mental health disorder during their lifetime.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-illness-and-heart-disease">Mental illness and heart disease</h2>



Mood and thought disorders don’t just coincide with heart disease; they help cause it - and cardiovascular events can in turn trigger new psychiatric illness. That feedback loop runs through behavior and biology.&nbsp;



Higher rates of smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet are part of the story. So are the physiological effects of chronic stress: systemic inflammation, elevated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blood-pressure-treatment-efficacy-calculator-revolutionize-measurement-and-treatment/">blood pressure</a>, arrhythmias, and insulin resistance all nudge the cardiovascular system toward failure.



The relationship is equally visible in reverse. About 18 percent of people with cardiovascular disease live with depression; after an acute event such as a heart attack, that figure climbs to roughly 28 percent. 



Nearly one in four stroke survivors develops depression in the aftermath, and around 12 percent of heart attack survivors go on to meet criteria for PTSD. Treating either condition in isolation misses the way each amplifies the other.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-existing-systems-miss-what-matters">Existing systems miss what matters</h2>



The review highlights a pattern of structural neglect. Mental health and cardiology are typically staffed, funded and measured as separate domains, with little coordination between them.&nbsp;



Many cardiology clinics don’t routinely screen for depression, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/witnessing-trauma-may-cause-ptsd-in-a-different-way/">PTSD</a>, or anxiety. Many psychiatric services don’t monitor blood pressure, lipids, or glucose as systematically as cardiovascular teams would.



Access gaps compound the problem. In a 2023 U.S. survey cited by the authors, 54 percent of people who met criteria for a mental health disorder received no treatment at all.



Even in countries with universal coverage, patients with serious mental illness are less likely to receive recommended medications, procedures and follow-up for heart disease. 



Poverty, unstable housing, and social isolation make adherence and clinic attendance harder, turning health inequities into entrenched mortality.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-and-physical-health-gains">Mental and physical health gains</h2>



The good news is that several familiar tools carry cardiovascular benefits alongside mental health gains.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-in-a-pill-is-now-closer-to-reality/">Exercise</a> is one of the most effective treatments for depression and also directly improves blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and endothelial function. The review argues it should sit alongside psychotherapy and antidepressants as core treatment - not an optional add-on.



Mind-body practices such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve some risk factors (for example, heart rate variability and stress biomarkers). Evidence that they prevent heart attacks or strokes remains limited, but early signals are encouraging and warrant larger trials.



Integrated care models - where mental health and cardiovascular teams coordinate around the same patient - consistently improve psychiatric outcomes in clinical studies. The next step is proving that these collaborative approaches also cut hard cardiac endpoints like myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality.&nbsp;



To do that, researchers will need to stop excluding people with mental health disorders from cardiovascular trials, a longstanding practice that has left clinicians without robust, disorder-specific guidelines for high-risk patients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-improving-life-expectancy-outcomes">Improving life expectancy outcomes</h2>



The authors call for changes that are as practical as they are profound. Medical schools and residency programs should train clinicians to recognize and manage the bidirectional links between mental and physical illness.&nbsp;



Health systems and payers need to expand mental health coverage while embedding routine cardiovascular screening and risk management into psychiatric care - and, conversely, embedding mental health screening into cardiology.



Community-level solutions matter, too. Making exercise accessible and safe, addressing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smoking-related-deaths-will-surge-by-2030/">tobacco</a> use with tailored support, improving food access and tackling social isolation are public-health interventions that serve both the heart and the mind.&nbsp;



And because the burden is unequally distributed, equity must be a design principle: culturally competent care, outreach in underserved neighborhoods and policies that reduce financial and logistical barriers will save the most lives.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-treat-the-whole-person">Treat the whole person</h2>



Taken together, the evidence reframes a familiar crisis. Mental health disorders are common. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-century-of-progress-in-the-fight-against-cardiovascular-disease/">Cardiovascular disease</a> is common. When they collide, lives are cut short - not by inevitability, but by gaps we can close.&nbsp;



If roughly a quarter of us will face a mental health condition in our lifetime, preventing the downstream heart damage is not a niche priority; it’s a population-wide imperative.



The path forward is clear enough: measure risk where it’s highest, treat depression and anxiety as cardiac risk factors, deploy exercise and integrated care as first-line tools, and build research and reimbursement structures that reflect how tightly the mind and heart are tied. 



Stop treating mental and cardiovascular health separately, and that 10- to 20-year life-expectancy penalty starts to look less like fate - and more like a fixable failure.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(25)00165-6/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lancet Regional Health - Europe</a>.



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Mental health disorders reduce life expectancy by up to 20 years

Heart disease, not suicide or overdose, is the leading killer of people living with serious mental health conditions. This is the conclusion of a sweeping review led by Viola Vaccarino of Emory University. The experts report that adults with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety die, on average, 10 to 20 years earlier than their peers - largely because of cardiovascular disease.&nbsp; Mental health and life expectancy The cardiovascular penalty attached to common psychiatric diagnoses is substantial. Depression raises the risk of heart...

People with Alzheimer’s disease have been found to have lower lithium levels in their brains. A recent study showed that giving lithium to mice with Alzheimer’s-like symptoms helped restore their memory and thinking skills.



The research suggests that maintaining sufficient lithium levels might be important for healthy brain function and potentially for preventing or treating Alzheimer's. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-previous-studies-were-unclear">Previous studies were unclear</h2>



Past research hinted at this connection. A <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8929585/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2022 study</a> reported that patients who were taking lithium had nearly half the risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to those who were not. Another study linked lithium in drinking water with a lower risk of dementia.



However, the studies faced uncertainty. “The trouble with these studies is that other hidden factors might explain the associations,” said Bruce Yankner of <a href="https://www.harvard.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard University</a>.



Yankner noted that other metals, such as magnesium, could be influencing dementia risk instead.



To investigate further, his team examined brain samples from 285 deceased individuals. Of these, 94 had Alzheimer’s, 58 had mild cognitive impairment, and the rest showed no <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-blood-test-can-track-the-progression-of-alzheimers/">cognitive decline</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lower-lithium-in-alzheimer-s-brains">Lower lithium in Alzheimer’s brains</h2>



The prefrontal cortex, vital for memory and decision-making, showed lithium levels about 36 percent lower in people with Alzheimer’s compared to healthy individuals. For mild cognitive impairment, the drop was about 23 percent. 



“We suspect that’s due to a number of environmental factors: dietary intake, genetics and so forth,” Yankner said.



An unexpected finding emerged. Amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-blood-test-can-help-detect-early-signs-of-alzheimers-disease/">brains</a> contained nearly three times as much lithium as plaque-free regions. 



“Lithium becomes sequestered in these plaques,” noted Yankner. “We have two things going on: impaired uptake of lithium very early on and then, as the disease progresses, the lithium that is in the brain is further diminished by being bound to amyloid.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-memory-loss-tied-to-low-lithium">Memory loss tied to low lithium</h2>



To understand the effects of low lithium, the team fed a lithium-deficient diet to 22 genetically engineered mice prone to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-drug-helps-protect-memory-in-brain-diseases-like-alzheimers/">Alzheimer’s-like symptoms</a>.



After eight months, these mice performed worse on memory tests compared to 16 mice on a normal diet. 



In a water maze, lithium-deficient mice took around 10 seconds longer to find a hidden platform, even after several days of training. Their brains had nearly 2.5 times more amyloid plaques.



Genetic analysis revealed increased activity in genes associated with neurodegeneration. The mice also showed greater brain inflammation and a reduced ability to clear plaques - changes similar to those seen in humans with Alzheimer’s disease.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lithium-aids-brain-performance">Lithium aids brain performance</h2>



The team tested various lithium compounds for their tendency to bind to amyloid. Lithium orotate, a naturally occurring compound in the body, appeared least likely to get trapped in plaques. Nine months of treatment with lithium orotate significantly reduced plaques in Alzheimer’s-like mice.



These treated mice performed as well as healthy mice on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/built-in-memory-janitor-helps-your-brain-forget-some-things-on-purpose/">memory tests</a>, showing marked improvements in learning, spatial navigation, and recall. The compound also preserved synaptic integrity and reduced inflammation in the brain.



The treatment improved myelin maintenance, supported healthier neuronal connections, and enhanced the microglial ability to clear amyloid deposits.



Researchers believe its lower plaque-binding tendency allows more lithium to remain available in brain tissue, enhancing its protective and restorative effects over time and slowing disease progression.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-safe-lithium-awaits-human-trials">Safe lithium awaits human trials</h2>



Lithium is already used in high doses to treat conditions like bipolar disorder, but those doses can harm the kidneys and thyroid. 



“One major limitation of lithium treatment in aging individuals is that, given the high doses that are used, people often run into kidney and thyroid toxicity,” Yankner said. 



The doses in the mice study were about 1,000 times lower than psychiatric treatment doses, and no kidney or thyroid problems were observed during the study. Clinical trials will be essential before any human application. 



"The challenge is, how do you determine whether somebody needs lithium?” said Rudolph Tanzi of Massachusetts General Hospital. “Because you wouldn’t want to overload the body with lithium. That could lead to severe side effects.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preventing-cognitive-decline">Preventing cognitive decline </h2>



A growing body of evidence suggests that lithium plays a critical role in brain health, influencing processes that protect against Alzheimer’s-related damage. Lithium orotate, with its ability to evade plaque sequestration, stands out as a promising low-dose therapeutic option.



By preserving lithium availability in the brain, it may help reduce toxic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleeping-may-lower-levels-of-alzheimers-abnormal-proteins/">protein buildup</a>, curb inflammation, and protect neural connections. 



While these findings in mice are encouraging, translating them into safe, effective treatments for humans will require carefully designed clinical trials.



If successful, this approach could provide a new strategy to slow - or even prevent - the devastating cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09335-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Common drug shows potential to treat Alzheimer’s

People with Alzheimer’s disease have been found to have lower...

Happy,Girls,At,German,Fasching,Carnival,Eating,Doughnut-like,Traditional,Pastry

Modern convenience can carry an unseen price. A new <a href="https://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2025/07/19/thorax-2024-222100" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> of more than 100,000 Americans finds that people who eat the most ultra-processed food (UPF) face a 41 percent higher risk of developing lung cancer than those who eat the least.



Lung cancer remains the world’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33538338/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deadliest</a> malignancy, causing an estimated 2.2 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths in 2020.. Those grim numbers make any avoidable risk factor worth close attention.



“Worse still, over the past two decades, the consumption of UPF has significantly increased worldwide, regardless of development or economic status,” said lead author <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kai-Wang-171" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Kai Wang</a> of <a href="https://en.cqch.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chongqing University Cancer Hospital</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lung-cancer-and-upf">Lung cancer and UPF</h2>



Researchers mined the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (<a href="https://prevention.cancer.gov/research-areas/networks-consortia-programs/plco" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLCO</a>), focusing on 101,732 adults aged 55 to 74. 



Participants logged their diets once at enrollment, then their health was tracked for a dozen years, during which 1,706 lung cancers emerged.



Compared with the lowest quarter of UPF eaters, the top quarter had hazard ratios of 1.41 for all lung cancer, 1.37 for <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6203-non-small-cell-lung-cancer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">non-small cell lung cancer</a> and 1.44 for <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6202-small-cell-lung-cancer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">small cell lung cancer</a>. 



Those figures held after accounting for smoking, overall diet quality, body size and many other variables.



Lunch meat, diet sodas and white bread were the biggest single contributors to UPF intake in this cohort. The median participant still averaged nearly three servings of these packaged <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-microbes-powering-our-entire-food-system-are-under-threat/">products</a> each day.



Study statisticians noted a non linear dose response curve, meaning risk climbed fastest between the first and third daily servings, then rose more slowly. Still, no amount of UPF appeared protective.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-people-eat-way-too-much-upf">Most people eat way too much UPF</h2>



UPF already supply more than half the calories eaten at home in the United States, rising from 51 percent in 2003 to 54 percent in <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/ultraprocessed-foods-account-for-more-than-half-of-calories-consumed-at-home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2018</a>. Globally, market growth echoes that trend as manufacturers push shelf stable snacks into every aisle.



“Greater exposure to ultra processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes,” reported Melissa Lane, lead author of a 2024 umbrella <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38418082/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a>. Her team linked UPF to 32 different problems, from heart disease to depression.



These products are rich in added sugars, salt, saturated fats and chemical additives while lacking dietary fiber and micronutrients. They often replace oatmeal, fruit and vegetables on busy mornings and rushed lunches.



Marketing targets all ages but especially children, creating taste <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/direct-link-confirmed-between-ultra-processed-foods-upf-serious-health-problems/">preferences</a> that can persist for decades. That lifelong exposure may magnify the cancer risk flagged in the new study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-possible-biological-pathways">Possible biological pathways</h2>



Poor nutrient density is only part of the story. Industrial formulation changes the food matrix, altering how nutrients and contaminants interact with human tissue.



Heating and smoking meats can produce <a href="https://www.oncotarget.com/article/19710/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">acrolein</a>, a reactive aldehyde also abundant in cigarette smoke. Laboratory work shows acrolein damages mitochondrial DNA, triggers mitochondrial fission and promotes cell stress in human lung cells.



Package leaching adds another layer of concern. Serum studies have linked elevated <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22729568/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polychlorinated biphenyls</a> to higher lung cancer odds, possibly via estrogen receptor signaling in lung tissue.



Food dyes, emulsifiers and preservatives likewise influence gut bacteria, systemic inflammation and insulin regulation. A 2023 <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38389712/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meta-analysis</a> tied each 10 percent rise in daily UPF calories to an 11 percent jump in cardiovascular events.



Taken together, these mechanisms suggest UPF do more than crowd out wholesome fare. They may foster a biochemical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/many-people-are-willing-to-switch-to-plant-based-food-to-save-the-climate/">environment</a> where rogue cells thrive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-even-non-smokers-at-risk">Even non-smokers at risk</h2>



Smoking still drives most lung tumors, yet one quarter occurs in non smokers. For them, diet, air pollution and occupational exposures loom larger.



Interestingly, Dr. Wang’s subgroup analysis hinted that never smokers experienced a steeper relative risk from heavy UPF intake than current or former smokers. When baseline risk is lower, every harmful exposure carries more weight.



Passive smoke combines with UPF related contaminants such as acrolein, compounding oxidative stress. Add sedentary habits and excess body fat, and non smokers may unknowingly accumulate multiple small hits to lung tissue over time.



The study controlled for body mass index, yet obesity itself may mediate some dietary effects through chronic inflammation. Further work is needed to tease apart these overlapping pathways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cancer-risks-and-upf-habits">Cancer risks and UPF habits</h2>



Because participants reported diet only once, shifts in eating style went unrecorded. People who quit UPF midway, or adopted them later, all looked the same on paper.



Smoking intensity details were unavailable, leaving residual confounding possible. Yet the researchers calculated an <a href="https://www.medhub.com/software/evalue/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eValue</a> of 2.17, meaning only an undiscovered factor with a hazard ratio stronger than heavy smoking could erase the observed link.



The cohort was mostly non-Hispanic White and well educated. Findings may differ in younger, more diverse or lower income settings where UPF represents an even larger calorie share.



Longer follow up could reveal whether risk falls after <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-devastate-global-food-production/">dietary change</a>, but randomized trials are unlikely for ethical reasons. 



Observational evidence, mechanistic data and consistent signals across health outcomes build a persuasive narrative nonetheless.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smart-swaps-for-everyday-meals">Smart swaps for everyday meals</h2>



Swapping one <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bvo-highly-toxic-soda-ingredient-banned-by-the-fda-in-2024-still-being-used-today/">sugary drink</a> for water or unsweetened tea each day eliminates a key UPF source. Replacing lunch meat with roasted chicken or hummus on whole grain bread cuts sodium and nitrate exposure.



Frozen vegetables, plain yogurt and canned beans demonstrate that convenience need not equal heavy processing. Look for ingredient lists shorter than a tweet, and favor foods your grandparents would still recognize.



Meal planning on weekends can reduce midweek reliance on instant noodles and microwave entrées. Community programs that subsidize fresh produce make those choices easier for households on tight budgets.



Public health advocates call for front of pack warnings, advertising restrictions and taxes similar to soda levies. Whether policy shifts or personal habits change first, the Thorax findings add urgency to reducing UPF on our plates.



The study is published in <a href="https://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2025/07/19/thorax-2024-222100" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thorax</a>.



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Scientists confirm direct link between ultra-processed foods and higher cancer rates

Modern convenience can carry an unseen price. A new analysis...

For decades, scientists assumed that as women age, their egg cells collect genetic damage, just like the rest of the body. But new research suggests that human eggs might be playing by their own rules.



In a study spanning women aged 20 to 42, researchers discovered that the tiny power plants inside our cells - <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-map-of-the-brains-mitochondria-may-explain-cognitive-decline/">mitochondria</a> - keep their genetic material remarkably pristine in eggs, even as the years pass. 



These same energy makers in blood and saliva do pick up more damage with age. But in eggs? The mutation rate barely budges.



“When we think about age-related mutations, we think about older people having more mutations than younger people,” said Kateryna Makova at <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State University</a>. “But expectation is not necessarily the truth.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-women-s-eggs-store-clean-dna">Women’s eggs store clean DNA</h2>



Mitochondria pass exclusively from mother to child. Their DNA is short, circular, and essential for making energy. Damage to it can sometimes trigger devastating disorders, especially in tissues with high energy demands like muscles and the brain.



“The oocyte [egg] provides this stockpile,” said Ruth Lehmann, professor of biology at the <a href="https://www.mit.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a>, referring to the generous stash of mitochondria inside each egg cell.



To see how these precious packages fare over time, the team used a cutting-edge method called duplex sequencing. It can spot even the rarest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cellular-cleanup-helps-preserve-eggs-and-fertility/">mutations</a> - changes present in less than one percent of a cell’s mitochondrial copies. 



This was no small undertaking: they sequenced 80 single eggs, plus blood and saliva samples, from 22 women.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eggs-resist-aging-mutations-in-women">Eggs resist aging mutations in women</h2>



The study revealed a clear difference between eggs and other tissues. Blood and saliva from older women contained more mitochondrial mutations than those from younger women, showing the expected age-related increase.



Egg cells, however, showed no such rise. In fact, they consistently had 17 to 24 times fewer mutations than blood or saliva, regardless of the woman’s age.



Within the mitochondrial genome, vulnerability was uneven. In eggs, most mutations appeared in the D-loop, a noncoding control region, while the crucial protein-coding sections remained mostly untouched.



This pattern points to a protective mechanism that directs <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/subtle-dna-changes-shaped-human-brain-evolution/">genetic changes</a> away from regions essential for energy production.



By protecting these critical genes, eggs help preserve the functional integrity of mitochondria, ensuring they can perform their energy-supplying role for decades. This built-in protection could be a key reason eggs maintain reproductive potential well into later stages of a woman’s life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-natural-filter-removes-harmful-dna">Natural filter removes harmful DNA</h2>



A woman may inherit some mitochondrial DNA variants from her mother, which then appear in both her eggs and other tissues. These shared variants, called inherited heteroplasmies, often exist at lower levels in eggs than in blood or saliva.



This difference points to a natural quality-control system within the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/from-humans-to-hens-the-diabetes-drug-that-boosts-fertility/">reproductive</a> process that reduces potentially harmful mitochondrial changes before they are passed to future generations.



Researchers also measured the “germline bottleneck” - the sharp reduction in the number of mitochondrial DNA copies that are actually transmitted during egg development. This bottleneck acts as a filter, determining which variants survive to the next generation. 



For high-frequency variants, the team estimated the bottleneck size to be around 30 mitochondrial DNA units, which is consistent with earlier findings from family-based genetic studies. 



This small number helps explain how reproduction can effectively minimize harmful mutations, protecting offspring from potential mitochondrial disorders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unlocking-fertility-s-genetic-secret">Unlocking fertility’s genetic secret</h2>



The study challenges the long-held assumption that egg cells deteriorate genetically in step with the rest of the body. Instead, they appear to have protective systems that guard their mitochondrial DNA well into a woman’s reproductive years.



“I think that we evolved a mechanism to somehow lower our mutation burden, because we can reproduce later in life,” said Makova.



It’s a finding with big implications. If we can understand - and maybe even mimic - this natural preservation system, we might unlock new ways to improve <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sperm-have-a-heat-activated-switch-that-may-be-key-to-fertility/">fertility treatments</a> and reduce the risk of passing on mitochondrial disorders.



For now, the message is surprisingly optimistic: while the rest of the body’s cells may bear the marks of time, women's eggs seem to have found a way to keep part of their genetic story young.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adw4954" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Women's egg cells shield DNA from the effects of aging

For decades, scientists assumed that as women age, their egg...

Keeping quiet about nagging worries often feels like the polite thing to do. However, new evidence shows that this habit may carry a hidden cost, slowly wearing down the memory centers that help us keep track of names, appointments, and the story of our lives.



Researchers followed 1,528 Chinese Americans aged 60 and older for roughly six years, asking detailed questions about how often they felt hopeless, overloaded, or personally to blame for life’s hassles. 



The study was led by neurologist Michelle Chen of the <a href="https://ifh.rutgers.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rutgers</a> Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bottling-stress-damages-memory">Bottling stress damages memory</h2>



Older Asian Americans are the fastest growing senior group in the United States, projected to reach nearly eight million by 2060. Many came of age believing that enduring hardship in silence is a virtue - a stance that researchers call stress internalization.



In Chen’s study, each standard deviation jump on that scale translated to about 0.024 standard deviations of extra memory loss per year - a pace similar to the impact of a small stroke. 



In other words, people who kept <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-hijacks-the-brain-disrupting-sleep-and-memory/">feelings</a> bottled up lost ground almost four times faster than peers who talked things out.



The research team reports that neither neighborhood friendliness nor outside help from family changed the trajectory, demonstrating that the damage stems from how stress is processed, not how much support is on offer. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-memory-worsens-faster-with-stress">Memory worsens faster with stress</h2>



The study was focused on annual interviews, paper and pencil <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-stress-harms-the-brains-of-low-status-fish/">memory</a> tests, and medical histories completed in Mandarin, Cantonese, or Toisanese. 



By analyzing results from these three waves of data, the investigators could separate ordinary forgetfulness from true cognitive decline, the downhill trend that often precedes dementia. 



The experts found that memory slipped in step with internalized strain, while reasoning speed and attention held steady.



Earlier work in multi ethnic cohorts has linked perceived <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-links-stress-management-ability-with-positive-personality-traits/">stress</a> to faster cognitive losses across age, sex, and income brackets. The new analysis strengthens that link by showing the effect inside one cultural group, ruling out language bias as the main driver.



The team’s statistical model accounted for age, education, income, stroke history, and hearing loss - confirming that the stress effect was not just a by-product of poorer health. 



Even participants with college degrees and active social calendars exhibited the same stress-memory link when worry turned inward.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stereotypes-stop-people-from-sharing">Stereotypes stop people from sharing </h2>



Asian American elders grew up under the model minority stereotype, a belief that their community is uniformly healthy and successful. That label makes it harder to admit hardship, leading many seniors to swallow anxiety rather than seek help.



Chen thinks that constant self pressure may echo a coping style social scientists call John Henryism, first described in Black Americans who work tirelessly to disprove prejudice. 



Pushing hard without the safety valve of open conversation taxes the cardiovascular and hormonal systems that also feed the brain.



“Stress and hopelessness may go unnoticed in aging populations, yet they play a critical role in how the brain ages,” said Chen. She hopes the findings prompt frank discussions about mental strain during routine check ups.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stress-shrinks-brain-parts">Stress shrinks brain parts</h2>



Chronic stress floods the bloodstream with cortisol, a hormone that in high doses shrinks the hippocampus, the brain’s filing cabinet for new memories. Over time, smaller hippocampal volume predicts quicker slippage in everyday recall.



In one classic study, older adults who reported heavy stress showed sharper memory declines over five years than relaxed peers. Chen’s work suggests the same biological path is at play in Chinese American seniors.



By contrast, neighborhood warmth, social visits, and hobby clubs did not slow memory loss in the Rutgers analysis. That surprising null result mirrors mixed <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10034713/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">findings</a> in other racial groups, where social engagement sometimes helps and sometimes fails to budge cognition.



Animal <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5683934/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> show that high cortisol can prune branches off hippocampal neurons, trimming the surface area available for forming new memories. Although rodents are not people, the cellular changes line up with the memory patterns seen in Chen’s volunteers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-families-can-spot-hidden-stress">Families can spot hidden stress</h2>



Chen recommends that families listen for phrases like “it’s hopeless” or “I don’t want to bother you,” which signal inward turned stress. Early counseling or community workshops can teach breathing skills, group storytelling, and brief mindfulness routines.



Randomized trials show that eight weeks of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (<a href="https://palousemindfulness.com/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MBSR</a>) can blunt cortisol related immune changes in adults over 65, hinting at a biological brake on stress damage. Culturally adapted versions of that program are now being piloted in New York, San Francisco, and Honolulu.



Community programs like the On Lok PACE centers in California already weave Cantonese speaking counselors and exercise classes into day long elder care, reporting longer life and lower hospital bills for participants. Similar wrap-around models could offer safe places for seniors to air stress before it settles in.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-ways-to-protect-aging-brains">New ways to protect aging brains</h2>



Chen’s team plans to examine saliva cortisol and brain scans in the PINE cohort to see whether stress linked memory loss shows the same neural fingerprint seen in lab studies. They are also partnering with Chinatown clinics to test five minute breathing breaks that can be taught during check in.



For families, Chen suggests a simple rule: if an elder says “I’m fine” while showing worry lines, ask again, then offer to walk together or share a meal. Those small invitations can open space for feelings before they harden into internal stress.



Policy makers can help by funding bilingual counseling services and dementia screenings in Asian American enclaves. Such steps may prove cheaper than treating advanced Alzheimer’s later, and they reaffirm that emotional pain deserves care no matter how quietly it is carried.



Stress may start in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-stress-makes-us-take-more-risks-in-financial-decisions/">mind</a>, but it ends up in the memory ledger. Letting it out early could keep that ledger balanced well into old age.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.jpreventionalzheimer.com/current-issue.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease</a>.



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Bottling up stress may accelerate memory loss in older adults

Keeping quiet about nagging worries often feels like the polite...

Matcha,Collagen,Powder,Is,Add,To,Glass,Of,Water,With

PFAS - often called “forever chemicals” - show up in food, water, and even the air. An analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CDC</a>) found PFAS in the blood of an estimated 97% of Americans. These chemicals have been linked to cancer, cardiovascular and liver diseases, and immune suppression.



PFAS are persistent because most can take years to leave the body, and while they are there, they can do some serious damage to your health because they constantly recirculate. 



The liver sends PFAS substances <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-bacteria-offer-new-hope-against-forever-chemicals/">into the intestines</a>, and transport proteins pull some back into the bloodstream. A similar recapture can occur in the kidneys.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-it-can-t-be-that-easy">It can't be that easy</h2>



After asking what people can do about PFAS, a team tested a simple option using a very common and readily available <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-enough-fiber-prevents-cancer-in-a-surprising-way/">dietary supplement</a>: soluble, gel-forming fiber taken with meals.



Two recent pilot studies suggest that regularly consuming such fiber can reduce <a href="https://www.epa.gov/wqc/aquatic-life-criteria-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PFOA</a> (perfluorooctanoic acid) and <a href="https://www.epa.gov/wqc/aquatic-life-criteria-perfluorooctane-sulfonate-pfos" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PFOS</a> (perfluorooctane sulfonate) - two of the most studied PFAS in a family of over 15,000 human-made chemicals.



The work involves Professor Dhimiter Bello, associate dean of research in the <a href="https://www.uml.edu/health-sciences/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences</a> at UML, and Professor of Environmental Health Jennifer Schlezinger at <a href="https://www.bu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Boston University</a>. 



“By consuming gel-forming fibers such as psyllium with a meal, we can trap PFAS inside the fiber gel, which can then be removed in feces,” explains Bello, whose lab developed methods for measuring PFAS in human tissues and biological fluids while documenting PFAS exposure sources. 



“Professor Schlezinger and I have complementary expertise, a shared common interest and the same drive to produce impactful research,” says Bello.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-pfas-reacts-with-fiber">How PFAS reacts with fiber</h2>



Researchers used male mice on diets modeled after typical U.S. eating patterns. Some received inulin as a control fiber and others received <a href="https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2012.00189.x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">oat beta-glucan</a>, a soluble dietary fiber found naturally in the cell walls of oats, as the test fiber. 



The mice drank water containing a mix of seven PFAS for six weeks, then switched to clean water for four weeks to see how much PFAS cleared during this washout period.



Because the beta-glucan mice <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forever-chemicals-found-in-tap-and-bottled-water-worldwide/">drank more water</a>, they took in more PFAS. The team adjusted the results to account for that. 



After the adjustment, their blood levels of PFOA and PFOS trended lower (p &lt; 0.1). These mice also had a slightly lower body fat percentage and lower fat in the liver and small intestine. 



PFAS turned on some liver genes that help process chemicals; after the clean-water period, only one of those genes, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/13112" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cyp3a11</a>, moved back toward normal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-fiber-reduces-pfas">Why fiber reduces PFAS</h2>



Some of the better-known PFAS, like PFOA and PFOS, have been linked to higher <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/just-one-handful-of-pecan-nuts-each-day-can-lower-cholesterol-heart-health/">LDL cholesterol</a>, lower vaccine responses, and certain cancers. 



Soluble fibers such as beta-glucan and psyllium form gels in the gut that can bind bile acids. That action is known to help lower LDL cholesterol by pushing the body to make new bile acids instead of reusing old ones. 



Because PFAS share some chemical features with bile acids, trapping them in the same gel is a reasonable approach.



“As a scientist, I had a life-meets-science moment while looking for ways to control bad cholesterol,” says Schlezinger. 



“In published research studies, I found that consuming gel-forming fibers can increase the elimination of bile acids, which in turn reduces cholesterol in the blood."



The liver then pulls cholesterol out of the blood to replace the lost bile acids. 



"It occurred to me that bile acids and PFAS have similar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-strain-identified-that-can-eat-forever-chemicals/">chemical characteristics</a>, and both are recirculated between the liver, the bile and the gut," Schlezinger continued.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-migrating-from-mice-to-people">Migrating from mice to people</h2>



Earlier research linked high-fiber eating patterns with lower PFAS levels. The new pilot work tested fiber supplements with meals, using beta-glucan and psyllium. 



In one pilot study, the researchers documented an 8% decrease in PFOS and PFOA after four weeks among people who took a fiber supplement. The researchers are running additional studies to replicate the results. 



“Increasing fiber intake with a supplement could be a win-win situation, reducing PFAS in the body with a supplement that’s available and economical,” Schlezinger enthused. 



“Before beginning any fiber supplement routine, however, you should consult with your physician.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-it-all-came-together">How it all came together</h2>



The collaboration between the two universities started as part of a larger effort to build research capabilities for PFAS biomonitoring and develop solutions to the PFAS <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-popular-beers-in-the-u-s-contain-forever-chemicals/">contamination problem</a>. 



Funding from a <a href="https://www.uml.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UMass Lowell</a> seed grant allowed Bello to develop laboratory methods for quantifying PFAS in tissues, blood, stool, and urine in support of the pilot studies.



“Within three years, we amended our analytical method twice to expand biomonitoring from an initial list of 15 common targets to about 50 PFAS,” says Bello. 



“Then we built additional expertise to conduct untargeted PFAS analysis and offered in-kind PFAS testing to several research groups to promote initial data generation.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pfas-fiber-and-human-health">PFAS, fiber, and human health</h2>



PFAS are everywhere and stubbornly stick around, but this research points to a practical, low-cost way to nudge them out: take gel-forming soluble fiber like psyllium or beta-glucan with meals to trap PFAS in the gut and send them out of the body.



The researchers are now testing novel and inexpensive PFAS removal and detoxification strategies such as multiple fibers, different diets, and cholestyramine - a medication used to lower cholesterol.



The field of PFAS testing continues to change as labs refine methods and standards. 



“With thousands of PFAS species in use, we as a society have a long way to go before we can claim that we have fully understood the real scope of PFAS exposures to humans and the environment and their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forever-chemicals-in-tap-water-increase-cancer-risk-by-up-to-33/">health impact</a>,” Bello concluded.



It’s early, not a cure-all, and anyone considering supplements should talk to a clinician, but the signal is promising and actionable.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0041008X24003879?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology</a> and <a href="https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01165-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Health</a>.



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Common dietary supplement removes "forever chemicals" from the body

PFAS - often called “forever chemicals” - show up in...

People who work late or binge watch shows often lean on an extra cup of coffee after dark. The new evidence suggests that habit may backfire by nudging behavior toward rash <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-caffeine-slow-down-aging-yeast-may-hold-the-answer/">choices</a>.



About <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24189158/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">85 percent</a> of American adults sip at least one caffeinated drink each day. 



The latest <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225014580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experiments</a> from The University of Texas at El Paso (<a href="https://www.utep.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UTEP</a>), led by Paul <a href="https://hb2504.utep.edu/Home/Profile?username=pbsabandal" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sabandal</a>, Ph.D., Kyung An <a href="https://hb2504.utep.edu/Home/Profile?username=khan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Han</a>, Ph.D., and colleagues, ask what happens when that drink lands after sunset.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-caffeine-at-night-causes-impulsive-acts">Caffeine at night causes impulsive acts</h2>



“Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, with about 85 percent of adults in the U.S. using it regularly,” said Sabandal, research assistant professor in UTEP’s Department of Biological Sciences. 



The researchers slipped <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-helps-bacteria-resist-antibiotics-in-your-gut/">caffeine</a> into the feed of fruit flies and then blasted the insects with a strong airflow to see whether they would hold still or bolt. 



Under normal conditions the insects freeze when wind hits them, a survival trick. After nighttime caffeine, many kept flying, a textbook display of impulsivity that mirrors risky behavior in people who act before thinking.



The team also ran daytime trials with the same caffeine dose. Those flies behaved themselves, underscoring that timing, not dose alone, determines the outcome.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flies-help-show-caffeine-effects">Flies help show caffeine effects</h2>



The species <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/drosophila-melanogaster" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Drosophila melanogaster</a> shares key genes and signaling pathways with humans, including those governing decision making. That genetic overlap lets scientists trace cause and effect far faster than in human volunteers.



Flies also cycle through 24 hour activity patterns much like ours, making them a practical model for shift work questions. 



Their tiny brains respond to psychostimulants in ways that map onto mammalian circuits, so discoveries often scale up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-night-and-day-caffeine-work-differently">Night and day caffeine work differently</h2>



Evening caffeine can shove the human <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4657156/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">circadian</a> clock back by roughly forty minutes, delaying the nightly melatonin surge that signals bedtime. 



The new fly data show a behavioral echo of that clock shift, tying late night stimulation to weaker inhibitory control.



Day drinkers in the study absorbed the same amount of caffeine but stayed cautious, suggesting that the drug’s impact is gated by the biological night rather than blood concentration. 



Chronobiologists see a parallel in people: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-coffee-may-reduce-frailty-in-aging-adults/">caffeine</a> taken near bedtime undermines self control and lengthens reaction times the next day.



The finding matters for nurses, truckers, and other night shift workers who count on coffee to stay sharp. A jolt that keeps eyes open might also loosen the brake on risky moves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-caffeine-triggers-impulsive-acts">How caffeine triggers impulsive acts</h2>



Biochemical tests pointed at dopamine, the neural currency of motivation and reward. When the scientists damped dopamine production or silenced specific dopamine releasing neurons, caffeine no longer spurred reckless flight.



Flies lacking the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28902472/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D1 type</a> dopamine receptor in mushroom body neurons, a decision hub, were similarly protected, while boosting the same receptor amplified the impulse. Earlier <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16005288/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> shows that altering dopamine shifts arousal thresholds in flies.



Together, the results sketch a tidy chain: nighttime caffeine heightens dopamine signaling in select brain cells, those cells dial down inhibition, and the animal acts before it weighs the cost.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-female-flies-hit-the-throttle-harder">Female flies hit the throttle harder</h2>



“Flies don’t have human hormones like estrogen, suggesting that other genetic or physiological factors are driving the heightened sensitivity in females,” said Han, professor of biological sciences. 



One surprise jumped out, females were far more sensitive than males, even though their internal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-coffee-may-help-women-stay-sharp-and-strong-as-they-age/">caffeine</a> levels matched. 



Human <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10052698/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> echo the pattern: women report more negative effects such as anxiety after caffeinated drinks, while men more often describe positives like vigor. The sex gap hints at biology that could inform dosing guidelines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-late-caffeine-can-make-people-impulsive">Late caffeine can make people impulsive</h2>



The work does not prove that a midnight latte will make a human run a red light, yet it flags a plausible hazard. 



Laboratory <a href="https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/view/pdfCoverPage?download=true&amp;filePid=13500349880001921&amp;instCode=01BRAND_INST" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> link high caffeine to bolder risk taking in adolescents and college students, especially under sleep pressure.



Shift work research already shows that sleeplessness saps self control, adding caffeine’s dopamine kick may further erode judgment. 



Employers relying on coffee rather than adjusted schedules or lighting may be courting error.



For individuals, a simple tweak could help: keep the last cup at least six hours before planned sleep, and rely on bright light, movement, or short naps to push through late duties.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-safer-caffeine-use">Testing safer caffeine use</h2>



The UTEP team plans to map the molecular switches that make nighttime neurons so caffeine sensitive, work that could inspire safer stimulants. 



They also want to test whether graded doses, rather than the fly equivalent of a double espresso, carry the same risk.



Meanwhile, the findings offer an easy takeaway: if you must stay alert, try morning brew and evening water. Your inhibitory control may thank you.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225014580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iScience</a>.



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Evening caffeine consumption may lead to more impulsive behavior

People who work late or binge watch shows often lean...

In 2014, a team of neuroscientists stumbled upon a puzzling minority: people who hear music perfectly well but feel nothing when a favorite song comes on. Their discovery - now called specific musical anhedonia - proved that the emotional rush most of us take for granted is not universal.



A new review led by the <a href="https://web.ub.edu/web/ub/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Barcelona</a> revisits the condition after ten years of laboratory tests, brain scans, and surveys, piecing together how a faulty line of communication inside the brain severs melody from reward.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-music-s-reward-link">Testing music’s reward link</h2>



To pinpoint musical anhedonia, the Barcelona team created the <a href="https://www.brainvitge.org/bmrq_eng.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Barcelona Music Reward Questionnaire</a> (BMRQ). 



This short inventory probes five dimensions of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-people-are-born-to-enjoy-music-more-than-others/">musical enjoyment</a>: emotional response; mood regulation; social bonding; movement and dance; and the thrill of novelty or collecting new tracks.



People who are musically anhedonic score very low across all five areas, yet they show normal reactions to other rewarding activities - whether savoring a dessert, laughing with friends, or winning a small cash prize.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-sound-meets-no-reward">When sound meets no reward</h2>



Functional MRI studies soon zeroed in on a wiring problem rather than a global deficit. While listening to music, musically anhedonic participants exhibited normal activation in auditory circuits - the brain regions that decode pitch, rhythm, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-doesnt-just-hear-music-it-becomes-the-rhythm/">harmony</a>. 



However, they showed muted activation in the reward circuit that lights up for food, sex, money, or art. Crucially, the same reward circuit fired just fine when those participants experienced non-musical rewards.



“This lack of pleasure for music is explained by disconnectivity between the reward circuit and the auditory network - not by the functioning of their reward circuit, per se," explained study lead author Josep Marco-Pallarés.



Study co-author Ernest Mas-Herrero added that pleasure depends on linkage, not just circuitry strength. “If the reward circuit is not working well, you get less pleasure from all kinds of rewards."



"Here, what we point out is that it might be not only the engagement of this circuitry that is important but also how it interacts with other brain regions that are relevant for the processing of each reward type."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-nurture-or-both"><a></a>Nature, nurture, or both?</h2>



Why the connection breaks down in roughly three to five percent of listeners remains open. 



Twin studies published this year suggest heritability could explain about 54 percent of musical-pleasure sensitivity.



Environment might supply the rest: early musical exposure, cultural context, or even a single formative experience could shape wiring between auditory and reward hubs. Researchers are now collaborating with geneticists to hunt for alleles linked to the trait.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-just-about-music">Not just about music</h2>



Traditional neuroscience has often treated the reward system as a master switch - either on in people who enjoy life, or dimmed in those with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-adult-depression-linked-to-worse-memory-skills/">depression</a>, addiction, or generalized anhedonia. The new study challenges that simplification.



“A similar mechanism could underlie individual differences in responses to other rewarding stimuli,” Marco-Pallarés said.



If so, there may be undiscovered cousins of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-your-body-moves-to-music-even-if-you-dont-enjoy-it/">musical anhedonia</a>: food anhedonia, social-touch anhedonia, even exercise anhedonia. Each could reflect a different miswired bridge between sensory processors and the same dopamine-rich reward circuit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-touch-taste-and-movement">Testing touch, taste, and movement</h2>



To test that broader theory, scientists will deploy the same playbook: develop stimulus-specific questionnaires, scan people’s brains while they taste, touch, or run, and see whether a subgroup shows selective pleasure deficits.



If found, those patterns could offer fresh insight into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zapping-the-brain-with-ultrasound-waves-may-cure-drug-addiction/">addiction</a> (hyper wiring for certain rewards), eating disorders, or behavioral addictions like compulsive gaming - conditions where one reward dominates at the expense of others.



Back in Barcelona, the team also wants to know whether musical anhedonia is fixed or fluid. Does the disconnect fade with time, training, or neuromodulation?



Could curated playlists, rhythmic movement therapies, or even non-invasive brain stimulation coax the auditory and reward networks to sync? Clinical trials are still on the horizon, but the roadmap is clearer than ever.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-isn-t-pleasure-for-all">Music isn't pleasure for all</h2>



Understanding specific musical anhedonia is not just a curiosity about tone-deaf brains. It highlights the individual mosaics of pleasure that define human experience.



One person may feel a crescendo deeply while another just shrugs - and that difference could stem from identifiable neural pathways. As precision medicine advances, mental health interventions may one day target those pathways, dialing up deficient connections or quieting runaway ones.



For now, the research invites a moment of gratitude the next time a song gives you chills. Somewhere else, a perfectly functioning pair of ears registers every note - yet the heart remains unmoved. 



By charting that silent gap, neuroscientists hope to map the full topography of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/happiness-beyond-wealth-some-communities-find-joy-in-simplicity/">human joy</a>, from booming stereos to empty plates. 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(25)00178-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Trends in Cognitive Sciences</a>



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Music and the mind: New clues about how we experience pleasure

In 2014, a team of neuroscientists stumbled upon a puzzling...

Close,Ups,Of,Wrinkles,And,Skin,Imperfection,On,The,Face

For centuries, people have been searching for ways to reverse the effects of aging. A new study has now revealed that factors present in young human blood can rejuvenate aged skin.&nbsp;



As we age, the cells and tissues lose their ability to function properly, making us more susceptible to disease and, ultimately, death. 



Scientists have been working to understand what drives aging and how to maintain <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">health in old age</a>. They suggest that the secret to youth may not lie in anti-aging products, but rather in our blood. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-blood-and-skin-aging">Young blood and skin aging</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/future-tech-will-track-emotions-through-changes-in-our-skin/">Skin</a>, our largest organ, shows the earliest and most obvious signs of advancing age. This makes it an ideal tissue for studying the mechanisms and effects of aging.



To date, only a handful of approaches have shown promise in reversing the signs of aging. One such approach is a unique method known as <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4072458/#:~:text=Heterochronic%20parabiosis%2C%20the%20parabiotic%20pairing,related%20parameters%20including%20organismal%20longevity." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heterochronic parabiosis</a>.&nbsp;



In this approach, the researchers connected the blood circulation systems of two animals of different ages. 



When the bloodstream of an old mouse was connected to that of a younger one, the tissue function and cellular activity of the old mouse improved. 



In another experiment, scientists intravenously injected <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/exosome" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">exosomes</a>, which are small extracellular vesicles, from the blood plasma of piglets into old rats. Surprisingly, the rats' hearts, livers, and blood showed significantly fewer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/living-in-extreme-heat-can-age-your-body-just-like-smoking-does/">signs of aging</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-human-aging-be-reversed">Can human aging be reversed?</h2>



When we age, our DNA undergoes <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/what-is-epigenetics/">epigenetic changes</a>, which are considered a key hallmark of aging. These reversible changes can now be tracked using DNA methylation-based clocks, also known as epigenetic age clocks.&nbsp;



These are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/true-biological-age-hidden-blood-markers-newly-identified/">biological markers</a> that estimate age based on specific DNA-methylation patterns. Since these models are trained on DNA from individuals of all ages and tissue types, they can predict biological age from unknown samples.&nbsp;



In a recent clinical trial, older adult participants received an intramuscular injection of <a href="https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-025-07637-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">umbilical cord plasma</a> concentrate. 



Blood samples taken afterwards revealed a drop in biological age, suggesting that age reversal might also be possible in humans.



But what about the skin? Scientists still need to determine whether these rejuvenating effects extend to other organs, particularly the skin. 



Moreover, the exact mechanisms behind these age-defying effects remain poorly understood. This is where <a href="https://emulatebio.com/microphysiological-systems-the-future-of-research-and-drug-development/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MPS</a> (microphysiological systems) comes into play.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simulating-aging-skin-in-the-lab">Simulating aging skin in the lab</h2>



Scientists developed organ-on-a-chip platforms, or MPS, to study human biological processes. These are advanced models, created in the lab, that simulate human organs. 



They consist of organoids made of multiple cell types, integrated with a fluid-flowing system that mimics blood circulation.



The first engineered MPS recreated parabiosis in the muscle of mice and rats tissue. However, translating these experiments to human cells has proven more challenging.



In the new study, scientists used MPS to model how juvenile blood affects aging human skin. Importantly, they also incorporated a bone marrow (BM) organoid, a model of the soft tissue found inside bones.



Bone marrow harbors a mix of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blood-stem-cells-grown-in-the-lab-for-first-time-ever-leukemia-treatment/">stem cells</a>, including hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and others destined for a variety of roles.



HSCs are the body's blood factories, producing blood cells throughout life. These cells respond to signals in the blood by secreting different molecules, such as cytokines, growth factors, and chemokines.&nbsp;



These signaling molecules play critical roles in making new blood cells, fighting infections, and healing damaged tissues. 



HSCs and all other BM-derived immune cells do not just stay put. They travel to both wounded and non-wounded skin, supporting regeneration and repair.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-blood-revives-bone-marrow">Young blood revives bone marrow</h2>



Over time, our bone marrow loses efficiency and regenerative capacity. The self-renewal capacity of HSCs declines, immune response weakens, inflammation builds up, and epigenetic changes accumulate.&nbsp;



To test this, scientists created a BM model within the MPS and paired it with a full-thickness skin model. They then introduced it to the serum from young and old human donors.



The results were remarkable. Young serum reprogrammed the marrow cells and restored youthful appearance and function to the skin.



Cytokines and immune cells in the blood are likely involved in mediating these effects. Skin rejuvenation is not just a local event, but is influenced by signals from other organs.&nbsp;



As bone marrow ages, it releases inflammatory cytokines, weakening the immune response and disrupting repair. 



This finding underscores the importance of bone marrow-skin communication and demonstrates the value of MPS platforms in studying systemic rejuvenation in human models.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bone-marrow-and-skin-work-together">Bone marrow and skin work together</h2>



But here is the twist. These effects were only observed when both the skin and BM organoids were connected in the same system.&nbsp;



The finding suggests that the bone marrow does not act alone. It secretes rejuvenating factors in response to blood signals, helping reverse the signs of skin aging.&nbsp;



Specifically, the scientists identified 55 age-associated proteins produced by the BM model when exposed to young blood. Several of these proteins directly improved aging skin in laboratory tests.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-toward-targeted-age-reversal-therapies">Toward targeted age-reversal therapies</h2>



This study is the first proof that young blood can restore youthful skin in a lab-grown system. The effects depend on the communication between the skin cells and the bone marrow.&nbsp;



Seven of the identified proteins stand out as possible key players to reverse aging.. These findings could open the door to targeted therapies to reverse aging in skin.



But more importantly, they reveal that our skin's age is not just written in its cells. It is shaped by signals from our blood and, even more, from the bone marrow that creates it.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.aging-us.com/article/206288/text" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aging-US</a>.



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Molecules found in young human blood shown to reverse signs of aging on skin

For centuries, people have been searching for ways to reverse...

A new federal report reveals that ultra-processed foods now account for more than half of the calories Americans consume. 



According to data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NHANES</a>), conducted between August 2021 and August 2023, 55% of total daily calories for individuals aged 1 and older came from these highly processed products.



Children had even higher numbers - 61.9% compared to 53% for adults. “That’s excessive,” said Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian at the <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cleveland Clinic</a>. “That’s concerning. It’s way too much.



"We don’t have guidelines, because why would we provide guidelines for junk food, but about 10% would be reasonable.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-ultra-processed-foods">Understanding ultra-processed foods</h2>



Ultra-processed foods (UPF) flood our grocery aisles and kitchen cupboards. The packaging is designed in labs to grab our visual attention, and the ingredients are chemically-enhanced to satiate our tastebuds.



Food scientists break down natural ingredients and then rebuild them into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breaking-free-from-ultra-processed-foods-the-surprising-health-benefits/">hyper-palatable snacks</a>, drinks, and ready-to-eat meals using additives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and preservatives. 



You’ll recognize them by long ingredient lists with names you can hardly pronounce - think colorants, flavor enhancers, and texturizers. 



Companies engineer these products to taste irresistible and last longer on shelves, which makes them super convenient but also tricky when you’re trying to make healthy food choices and eat mindfully.



Needless to say, ultra-processed foods are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/direct-link-confirmed-between-ultra-processed-foods-upf-serious-health-problems/">very unhealthy</a>. Research links regular consumption of these items to higher risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and even certain cancers. 



Because they often pack in excess sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, they can drive overeating and leave you feeling unsatisfied. 



On the flip side, whole and minimally processed foods - like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and nuts - deliver the nutrients your body craves without <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-tool-lets-you-check-how-processed-your-food-is-grocerydb/">hidden additives</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-eats-ultra-processed-foods">Who eats ultra-processed foods?</h2>



The survey revealed that children between the ages of one and five consumed fewer ultra-processed calories than older kids and teenagers. 



Among adults, the highest consumption was in the 19–39 age group at 54.4%, with slightly lower rates for those over 40.



There was one encouraging sign - consumption has slightly decreased. Between 2013–2014 and 2021–2023, the percentage of calories from ultra-processed foods fell from 55.8% to 53% in adults, and from 63.8% to 61.9% in children.



“It’s good that we see a decline of the percentage of ultra-processed food in both children and adults,” said Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, a cancer and nutrition epidemiologist at <a href="https://www.tufts.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tufts University</a>. She noted that the drop might be due to reduced intake of sugary beverages.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-calls-for-change-in-homes-and-schools">Calls for change in homes and schools</h2>



According to the experts, reducing exposure starts with parents and schools. 



“If kids get a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ultraprocessed-foods-pose-major-health-risks-especially-for-kids/">packaged</a> snack or a dessert at school lunch every day, they think it’s okay,” Zumpano explained. She believes education for parents and children is crucial.



Zhang agreed, adding that cutting ultra-processed foods in schools and workplaces could have a long-lasting impact on the overall population level health. 



This push coincides with a larger political movement aimed at reshaping the American <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-ultra-processed-foods-makes-your-muscles-weaker-and-more-fragile/">diet</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-america-s-chronic-disease-epidemic">America's chronic disease epidemic </h2>



The White House’s Make America Healthy Again (<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/maha/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MAHA</a>) Commission is led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.



The commission released a 69-page report that blames ultra-processed foods, environmental chemicals, sedentary lifestyles, and excessive screen time for chronic disease rates.



“We will not stop until we defeat the chronic disease epidemic in America,” said President Donald Trump at a MAHA event. He called Kennedy’s work “hot” and promised to challenge corporate lobbyists.



However, the report does not yet include a budget or specific regulations. Kennedy said the commission would develop policy recommendations in the next 100 days, with a goal to implement them over four years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-criticism-of-the-report">Criticism of the report</h2>



The MAHA report’s criticism of pesticides has already sparked tension. While Kennedy and his advisers want tighter scrutiny, officials like Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins emphasized that “the food supply is 100% safe.” 



EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin warned that regulating pesticides too quickly could hurt farmers and raise production costs.



Industry groups like the <a href="https://ncga.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Corn Growers Association</a> rejected the pesticide claims, calling the report “fear-based” and not grounded in science. This signals likely battles ahead between the administration and agricultural interests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-controversy-over-vaccine-statements">Controversy over vaccine statements</h2>



The report also calls for more research into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-trick-immune-system-into-stronger-vaccine-response/">childhood vaccines</a>. While it affirms that vaccines protect against infectious diseases, it suggests more study on their “appropriate use” and “possible role” in chronic diseases.



This has drawn attention, as public health experts maintain that vaccines are safe and effective based on decades of research.



As the MAHA Commission moves forward, the challenge will be balancing public health reforms, industry concerns, and political realities. 



Whether its focus on cutting ultra-processed foods can meaningfully improve America’s health will depend on how these proposals evolve into concrete action.



This article references data from the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db536.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics report</a>,&nbsp;Ultra-processed Food Consumption in Youth and Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023&nbsp;(NCHS Data Brief No. 536, August 2025).



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Shock study: Americans get more than half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods

A new federal report reveals that ultra-processed foods now account...

Ozempic, Wegovy, and their sister drugs have leapt from pharmacy counters to dinner-table conversations in record time. 



These injectable medicines belong to a class called GLP-1 agonists. The drugs were originally designed to control blood sugar in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-identify-a-cellular-switch-mitochondria-that-could-reverse-type-2-diabetes/">type 2 diabetes</a>, but are now more famous for helping users shed significant pounds.



A survey of 8,793 adults conducted by the nonprofit <a href="https://www.rand.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RAND Corporation</a> shows just how far the trend has spread - and who is feeling the side effects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-glp-1-drugs-gain-traction-nationwide">GLP-1 drugs gain traction nationwide</h2>



RAND researchers asked members of their <a href="https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/survey-panels/alp.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Life Panel</a> whether they are currently taking or have ever taken a GLP-1 agonist such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weight-loss-drug-ozempic-may-help-protect-the-brain-from-stroke/">Ozempic</a>, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound.



Exactly 11.8 percent said yes - virtually unchanged from the 12 percent figure KFF found in 2023. Another 14 percent said they were interested in trying the drugs, while about three-quarters reported that they did not plan to take them.



That 11.8 percent translates to roughly 30 million adults, underscoring the meteoric rise of medications approved for diabetes in 2017 and for obesity in 2021. Prescription numbers have tripled since 2020, according to IQVIA sales data quoted by RAND.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gender-and-age-divide-in-prescriptions">Gender and age divide in prescriptions</h2>



Usage differs sharply by age and sex. GLP-1 prescriptions are most common among Americans aged 50 to 64, with 18.5 percent of everyone in that bracket having tried them. Among women in this age group, the share climbs to a striking one in five.



Men between 50 and 64 are not far behind at 16.8 percent, while adults over 65 show similar rates for both sexes at about 13 percent. Young adults lag well behind: only 3.3 percent of people aged 18–29 reported ever using a GLP-1.



In the 30- to 49-year age range, women at 15.1 percent are more than double their male peers at 7.2 percent. This suggests that body-image pressures or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-suggests-menopause-can-be-delayed-or-even-eliminated/">menopause-related</a> weight gain may play a role.



Although overall uptake has plateaued nationwide, curiosity remains high. More than one in seven adults say they were interested in the injections even if they had never taken them.



High demand continues to strain supply chains; sporadic shortages have led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to list several doses of Wegovy and Ozempic as “in limited availability” throughout 2024 and 2025.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-side-effects-of-weight-loss-drugs">Side effects of weight-loss drugs </h2>



GLP-1 drugs mimic a hormone that slows stomach emptying and triggers satiety signals in the brain, but those same mechanisms can cause digestive distress.



The RAND survey asked the 1,262 respondents who had used one of these drugs about four well-known side effects: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and the rapid loss of facial fat popularly called “Ozempic face.”



Roughly half said they had experienced nausea, while a little over a third reported diarrhea. About one in five had suffered vomiting, and fewer than one in ten mentioned facial hollowing.



Most users described their side effects as mild rather than serious, though nearly nine percent of all users labeled their nausea severe and more than seven percent said the same about their diarrhea.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-drugs-remain-expensive-and-restricted">Drugs remain expensive and restricted</h2>



These statistics matter because GLP-1 agonists cost roughly $1,000 per month without insurance and remain subject to insurer restrictions and prior authorization hurdles. 



Knowing who is actually taking them helps forecasters estimate spending for Medicare and private health plans.



Medicare currently covers the drugs for diabetes and, since 2024, to reduce <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/changing-one-thing-about-this-everyday-task-cuts-heart-disease-risk-in-half/">cardiovascular risk</a>, but not explicitly for weight management. Bipartisan bills introduced in Congress could change that and further expand access.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-age-and-body-image-influence-use">Age and body image influence use</h2>



The demographic split also hints at cultural factors. Women in early retirement years may be eager to mitigate health risks associated with midlife weight gain. 



Younger men’s low uptake could reflect lower healthcare engagement or simply fewer prescriptions for weight loss in that cohort.



Although uptake has stabilized for now, the survey indicates sustained interest that could push rates higher if costs fall or coverage broadens.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-use-and-inequities">Tracking use and inequities</h2>



The American Life Panel is a probability-based cohort of roughly 11,000 people aged 12 and up. RAND fielded its GLP-1 questions online and by telephone in April and May 2025, weighting answers to align with U.S. Census benchmarks.



Because the data rely on self-report, some misclassification is inevitable; nevertheless, the large sample size yields the most detailed snapshot yet of this new pharmaceutical landscape. The FDA is reviewing new GLP-1 drugs that may allow longer dosing or cause fewer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vitamin-c-may-reduce-adverse-effects-of-cancer-treatment/">side effects</a>.



Meanwhile, researchers are tracking rare but serious complications such as pancreatitis and intestinal obstruction. 



Public health experts also warn of disparities in access. High prices and limited insurance coverage may keep these medications out of reach for lower-income and rural Americans, even though obesity rates are highest in those communities. RAND’s finding that interest outpaces actual use hints at these barriers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-the-weight-loss-hype">Beyond the weight-loss hype</h2>



Doctors advise patients considering GLP-1 therapy to review cardiovascular history, pancreas issues, and gallbladder disease. They also emphasize that lifestyle changes - particularly diet, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-in-a-pill-is-now-closer-to-reality/">exercise</a>, and adequate sleep - remain crucial for long-term success.



The injections suppress appetite but do not build muscle or improve nutrition on their own.



Just eight years after Ozempic’s debut, GLP-1 agonists have become household names, waistlines have shrunk, and supply chains have grown.



RAND’s new numbers confirm that the medications have reached one in eight adults and one in five middle-aged women, while side effects are common yet generally mild.



As more formulations win approval and insurers reconsider coverage, usage rates could climb or plateau. Either way, the survey offers a valuable baseline for clinicians, policymakers, and consumers navigating America’s rapidly evolving weight-loss drug frontier.



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Nearly 30 million Americans are using weight-loss drugs

Ozempic, Wegovy, and their sister drugs have leapt from pharmacy...

What if evidence of a cultural tradition stretching back 4,000 years was hiding in someone's smile? As it turns out, dental calculus has been concealing traces of an ancient habit - betel nut chewing.



<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK316574/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Betel quid</a> is a mixture of areca nut, betel leaves, slaked lime, and sometimes tobacco. It has played a central role in religious ceremonies and social gatherings in Southeast Asia. People also use it in traditional medicines and curative practices.&nbsp;



Researchers in Thailand have found the earliest evidence of betel nut use. They analyzed chemical traces in ancient <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.1035324/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dental calculus</a>, which is hardened plaque.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-identifying-markers-of-betel-nut-chewing">Identifying markers of betel nut chewing</h2>



To explore whether this ancient habit could be detected in human remains, researchers used a two-phase approach. First, they tested modern samples of betel leaves and areca nut to detect the key compounds.&nbsp;



These included hydroxychavicol from the betel leaf, arecoline from betel nut, and nicotine from tobacco (which is sometimes added). Researchers used <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2643089/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LC-MS</a> (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) to carry out this phase.&nbsp;



In the second phase, the researchers analyzed 36 samples of ancient dental calculus taken from six human burials at the Nong Ratchawat site in Central Thailand. These burials are about 4,000 years old.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evidence-of-betel-nut-chewing">Evidence of betel nut chewing </h2>



Researchers identified arecoline and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16780361/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arecaidine</a> derivatives, compounds found in areca nut, in the modern test samples and in three dental calculus samples collected from a female burial.&nbsp;



This is the first time researchers have identified betel nut residues in dental calculus. This offered a rare molecular glimpse into a 4,000-year-old habit.



The lack of staining on the teeth, an obvious marker of betel nut use, raised interesting questions. 



Multiple factors may explain the discrepancy: the person might have drunk the mixture or cleaned the teeth often, the chewing duration or frequency might have been low, or <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0031018288900879" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">taphonomic processes</a> might have removed the stains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-following-the-trail-of-betel-chewers">Following the trail of betel chewers</h2>



The researchers aimed to determine whether they could detect chemical traces of betel nut and leaf in the teeth, how uniformly those traces were distributed in the mouth, and whether the habit was common across the population.



Since molars and premolars do most of the chewing, the team expected these teeth to show stronger chemical signals. Hence, they expected that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/100-year-old-people-all-share-these-crucial-blood-biomarkers-that-short-lived-people-dont-have/">biomarkers</a> could be detected using LC-MS analysis.



The researchers also hypothesized that all adults, regardless of age, gender, or social status, may have practiced betel nut chewing. The study found chemical traces of areca nut, but none from betel leaf.



In some individuals, tooth decay and gum disease were noticed. Still, researchers did not report any conditions primarily associated with betel nut chewing, such as osteoarthritis of the <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/temporomandibular-disorder-tmd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TMJ</a> (temporomandibular joint) or extreme tooth wear.



Despite this, researchers believed that betel nut chewing could have occurred. Lack of visible clues does not mean it did not happen. It may simply be that the chemical detection methods could not capture it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-archaeological-evidence-in-thailand">Archaeological evidence in Thailand</h2>



Long before this biomolecular discovery, archaeologists had uncovered the remains of areca nuts at Thai sites like Spirit Cave and Ban Chiang. This suggests that chewing betel nuts is an ancient tradition. 



Later studies confirmed that the practice existed in mainland Southeast Asia, dating from 14,000 to 1,500 years ago. 



Researchers previously found indirect archaeological evidence, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/citrus-drink-that-helps-remove-tartar-and-whitens-teeth-helps-bad-breath/">stained teeth</a> and plant fragments, suggesting widespread betel nut use during the prehistoric period, as far back as 14,000 years ago.



Even though rural and minority communities still chew betel nuts, Thai governmental modernization policies since the 1940s have led to their decline. Modern policies emphasize the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/health-risks-of-ultra-processed-foods-revealed-in-30-year-study/">health risks</a> associated with betel nut chewing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dental-calculus-preserves-biomarkers">Dental calculus preserves biomarkers</h2>



However, only a few biomolecular studies have directly confirmed betel nut chewing by identifying the associated chemicals, called alkaloids, in the stained teeth. Only recently have researchers begun exploring hardened dental plaque for traces of betel nut.&nbsp;



New studies have shown that analyzing dental calculus on ancient teeth can reveal information about foodways, nutrition, health, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-human-diets-pose-many-risks-health-environment/">diet</a>, or even milk consumption. It can also provide insights into the use of psychoactive plants and even personalized use patterns.



For instance, researchers previously conducted studies on ancient dental calculus to determine tobacco use in North Americans. 



They found that it preserved both chemical and microscopic clues. This suggests dental calculus could help detect other plant-based psychoactive substances, too. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-potential-for-discoveries">Future potential for discoveries</h2>



By 2020, archaeologists had excavated about 156 burials at the Nong Ratchawat site. Since they have analyzed only six so far, there is significant potential to study dental calculus from the remaining burials.&nbsp;



Future research will examine how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-psychoactive-plants-helped-build-an-ancient-empire/">psychoactive plants</a> were used across different ages and genders, and how these practices shaped ancient Thai and Southeast Asian cultures.



Researchers could apply the chemical techniques used here to other ancient sites across Southeast Asia, opening new windows into how the use of psychoactive plants shaped everyday life, rituals, and even social structures.



The full study was published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-archaeology/articles/10.3389/fearc.2025.1622935/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers</a><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-archaeology/articles/10.3389/fearc.2025.1622935/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> in Environmental Archaeology</a>.



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4,000-year-old teeth reveal the oldest evidence of betel nut chewing

What if evidence of a cultural tradition stretching back 4,000...

Most of us learn to ride bikes as children, then gradually move away from cycling as we get older, choosing other forms of exercise to incorporate into our daily health routines. However, we all may want to reconsider that decision.



A recent study that tracked 82,297 commuters for 18 years found that people who chose pedals over engines were about 50 percent less likely to die from cancer or cerebrovascular disease, a term that covers strokes and other blood-vessel problems in the brain.



The same research linked daily cycling with much better health outcomes across the board - a 47 percent drop in deaths from any cause, and a 24 percent decline in cancer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-molecular-switch-revert-method-turns-cancer-cells-into-normal-cells/">diagnoses</a>. 



Catherine Friel of the <a href="https://www.gla.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Glasgow</a>, who led the project with colleagues from Edinburgh, says the evidence points to cycling as a powerful health habit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commuting-cycling-and-health">Commuting, cycling, and health</h2>



Researchers drew their sample from the <a href="https://sls.lscs.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scottish Longitudinal Study</a>, a census-based record that includes people aged 16 to 74. 



Participants reported their main commute mode in 2001, creating three groups: cyclists, walkers and non-active travelers.



Hospital admissions, prescription records and death certificates were then linked to each person. This approach allowed the team to calculate the hazard ratio, a statistic that compares the likelihood of an event in one group to another over time.



Covariates such as age, income, prior illness and distance to work were adjusted in the models. By controlling these factors, the analysts aimed to isolate the effect of the commute itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cycling-lowers-cancer-boosts-heart-health">Cycling lowers cancer, boosts heart health</h2>



Cyclists showed a hazard ratio of 0.53 for all-cause mortality, meaning a 47 percent lower risk than car or bus riders. 



They also recorded a 30 percent reduction in prescriptions for cardiovascular disease medications, a practical marker of lower <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-tool-that-determines-your-heart-age-as-compared-to-your-actual-age/">heart</a> strain.



Walking to work helped too, but less dramatically. Pedestrians lowered their odds of any hospital stay by 9 percent and their need for heart-related drugs by 10 percent. The smaller edge likely reflects shorter distances and gentler intensity.



“Clearly and consistently lower risks of adverse outcomes were identified among active commuters,” stated Friel. The pattern held across age groups and income brackets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-health-matters-too">Mental health matters too</h2>



Prescription data revealed a 20 percent dip in anxiety and depression medication among cyclists. Walking offered a modest 7 percent benefit. Physical activity stimulates brain chemicals that lift mood, which explains part of this trend.



Commuting under one’s own power can also reduce daily stress by eliminating traffic jams and offering social contact on bike paths. These softer factors, though more difficult to quantify, likely add to the mental boost.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-road-risks-must-be-considered">Road risks must be considered</h2>



The downside is safety. Cyclists in the study were nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized after a traffic crash. Over the full 18 years, 83 serious injuries were recorded among riders.



“Existing studies confirm that the health benefits far outweigh the risk of injury,” said Luis Cereijo Tejedor of the <a href="https://www.uam.es/uam/en/studyabroad" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Autonomous University of Madrid</a>, who was not involved in the work. He called for better bike lanes and lower urban speed limits to narrow the gap.



Even with the injury burden, the mortality advantage persisted. That result echoes earlier U.K. research that tracked 300,000 people for 25 years, and that also showed cycling was protective despite occasional crashes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cycling-beats-walking-for-longevity">Cycling beats walking for longevity</h2>



Cycling <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/active-commuting-cycling-to-work-linked-to-enormous-health-benefits/">typically</a> covers longer distances than walking, pushes the heart rate higher and can replace sedentary car trips entirely. 



A six-mile (9.7-kilometer) ride, common in Scottish cities, meets the 150-minute weekly exercise target in just a few commutes.



Riders also avoid the stop-and-go traffic that limits brisk walking in crowded downtown cores. Consistent moderate effort, rather than short bursts, appears to drive the biggest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/changing-one-thing-about-this-everyday-task-cuts-heart-disease-risk-in-half/">cardiovascular gains</a>.



E-bikes may widen access by flattening hills and reducing sweat. Early <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140522001955" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> suggest electrified cycling still counts as moderate exercise because riders pedal continuously, albeit with assistance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-policy-implications">Policy implications</h2>



Governments seeking to cut medical costs see active travel as a low-budget intervention. The Dutch mileage subsidy of $0.24 per kilometer and the French rebate of up to $930 per year have nudged thousands onto bikes.



Scotland plans to spend about $400 million annually on bike and walking infrastructure by 2026. Friel’s data offer local proof that such investments pay off in health savings as well as carbon cuts.



Remote work complicates the picture. Fewer commutes mean fewer chances to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/just-5-minutes-of-daily-exercise-can-lower-blood-pressure/">exercise</a> in transit, so planners now talk about “everyday mobility,” encouraging errands, school runs and leisure trips by bike.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-small-cycling-shifts-big-health-gains">Small cycling shifts, big health gains</h2>



Not everyone can pedal the full distance to work, but mixing modes helps. Parking the car a mile away or leaving the bus two stops early still adds regular activity.



Shifting even 10 percent of daily trips to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/car-tires-are-a-big-source-of-microplastics-pollution-but-what-about-mountain-bikes/">bicycles</a> could save thousands of lives, according to modeling studies from England and Wales. Each avoided chronic disease means fewer hospital beds and lower insurance premiums.



Urban designers note that safer streets benefit walkers and wheelchair users too. Wider sidewalks, raised crossings and protected lanes create environments where active travel feels normal rather than heroic.



The study is published in <a href="https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e001295" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BMJ Public Health</a>.



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People who ride bikes daily are 50% less likely to die from cancer and heart disease

Most of us learn to ride bikes as children, then...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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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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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

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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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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