A massive new analysis suggests Americans don’t just differ in what they earn or how long they live - they also differ in how they experience wellness. 



Drawing on more than 325,000 survey responses collected over eight years, researchers found clear regional differences in wellness.



People in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions tend to score higher on “traditional” wellness, which includes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-focused-medicine-physical-activity-reduces-chronic-disease-risk/">physical health,</a> finances, and social support.



Many Southern regions, by contrast, rank higher on “existential” wellness, such as purpose, meaning, and a strong sense of community identity. The pattern lines up with centuries-old settlement histories that still shape local norms today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-wellness-two-ways">Measuring wellness two ways</h2>



The team worked with data from the <a href="https://news.gallup.com/topic/well-being-index.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index</a> spanning 2009–2016 and grouped responses into two broader composites.



“Traditional” wellness bundles tangible aspects of life - physical and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mental-health-crisis-half-of-the-worlds-population-will-be-affected-by-age-75/">mental health</a>, financial security, and day-to-day social support. 



“Existential” wellness captures the less tangible side - purpose, personal growth, community belonging, and living in line with one’s values.



Separating the two helps explain why some places thrive on paper (jobs, hospitals, income) yet still report a thinner sense of meaning - or the reverse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-old-map-explains-modern-feelings"><a></a>An old map explains modern feelings</h2>



To test whether regional culture matters in wellness, the researchers turned to the American Nations Model. 



This framework divides the U.S. into historical “nations” based on who settled there first. Think Yankeedom, the Deep South, Greater Appalachia, El Norte, and others.



Each region inherited durable folkways about trust, autonomy, community, and authority. Even after accounting for education and income, these cultural footprints predicted distinctive wellness profiles where people live.



The headline split was clear. Northeastern and Midwestern regions, including Yankeedom, leaned higher on traditional wellness. 



Several Southern and frontier-legacy regions - such as the Deep South, Greater Appalachia, El Norte, and parts of the Far West - leaned higher on existential wellness.



In other words, the balance of “health and money” versus “purpose and belonging” shifts in systematic ways across the cultural map.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wellness-differences-stand-out">Wellness differences stand out</h2>



Statistically, the contrasts weren’t subtle. In within-region comparisons, traditional wellness significantly exceeded existential wellness in Yankeedom.



Existential wellness was higher in the Deep South and especially Greater Appalachia - the largest reversal in the set.



Several other regions showed smaller or no gaps, demonstrating that not every place fits a single mold.



These effects held in mixed-effects models that controlled for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-education-matters-for-healthy-aging-and-longevity/">education</a> and income and accounted for clustering within metropolitan areas.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/existential-wellness_american-nations-settlements_PLOS-One_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/existential-wellness_american-nations-settlements_PLOS-One_1s.webp" alt="Wellbeing across the American Nations: First Settler Effects influence traditional and existential wellness. Credit: David R. Samson, Nathan Oesch, Colin Woodard" class="wp-image-1985865"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wellbeing across the American Nations: First Settler Effects influence traditional and existential wellness. Click image to enlarge. Credit: David R. Samson, Nathan Oesch, Colin Woodard</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-culture-race-and-wellness">Culture, race, and wellness</h2>



The study also looked at Black and Hispanic residents across regions. Patterns generally echoed the broader map. 



Black and Hispanic respondents tended to show higher traditional wellness in Northeastern and Midwestern regions. They also reported higher existential wellness in Southern regions.



Notably, Black respondents showed consistently lower traditional wellness than white respondents across regions. In the Northeast and Midwest, they also fared worse on existential wellness. 



Together, these patterns suggest that material constraints and structural disparities remain powerful drivers.



At the same time, the relatively stronger existential scores in many Southern contexts may reflect the buffering role of community networks and cultural identity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cultural-roots-of-wellness">Cultural roots of wellness</h2>



Culture shapes where institutions flourish (hospitals, schools, civic groups), how people relate to one another (trust, norms of reciprocity), and what counts as a good life (autonomy vs. solidarity, achievement vs. belonging).



Those long-running preferences influence migration, policy choices, and investments that, over time, help set the table for different “flavors” of well-being.



The authors found the pattern persisted even after adjusting for education and income, and they reported model checks to reduce issues like multicollinearity among predictors.



That suggests the American Nations framework isn’t just a clever historical story - it adds real explanatory power to why wellness feels different in different parts of the country.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wellness-policy-must-fit-culture">Wellness policy must fit culture</h2>



If you want to boost <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/simply-looking-at-art-can-improve-your-well-being/">well-being</a>, focusing only on income or clinics may miss what makes people feel whole in a given place.



In regions that already score high on traditional metrics, investing in community identity, public spaces, and opportunities for contribution might move the needle on meaning and purpose.



In places rich in existential wellness but poorer on traditional metrics, policies that improve access to preventive care, stable work, and safety nets could pay outsized dividends.



Put simply, the study argues that wellness strategies work best when they respect the cultural ecologies where people live - strengthening what’s already strong while shoring up what’s thin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limits-and-a-next-step"><a></a>Limits - and a next step</h2>



This is an observational study using self-reported survey data; it can’t prove cause and effect. The American Nations borders blur in real life, people move, and city-level differences within regions can be large.



Still, with more than 325,000 respondents across 110 metro areas and eight years of data, the signal is hard to ignore. 



The authors call for digging into mechanisms: Which specific institutions or community practices best translate cultural inheritance into day-to-day well-being? 



And which levers - health infrastructure, schooling, neighborhood design, civic organizations - offer the highest return in each region?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-place-and-culture-shape-wellness">Place and culture shape wellness</h2>



Where you live doesn’t just shape your paycheck and your hospital bill. It also shapes how you experience a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/creativity-improves-life-satisfaction-and-overall-well-being/">good life</a> - whether that’s feeling financially secure and physically well, or feeling rooted in purpose and community.



The United States’ oldest settlement patterns still echo in those experiences today. 



They remind policymakers that the most effective pathways to human flourishing may look different from Boston to Birmingham to El Paso.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0327972" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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Wellness in America depends on culture and where you live

A massive new analysis suggests Americans don’t just differ in what they earn or how long they live - they also differ in how they experience wellness. Drawing on more than 325,000 survey responses collected over eight years, researchers found clear regional differences in wellness. People in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions tend to score higher on “traditional” wellness, which includes physical health, finances, and social support. Many Southern regions, by contrast, rank higher on “existential” wellness, such as purpose, meaning, and a strong sense of community...

Experts are warning that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sleep-deprivation-intensifies-pain/">sleep deprivation</a> is a public health crisis and must be addressed as such. A growing collection of brain research has demonstrated just how critical that sleep is for cognitive functioning, and a lack of sleep is not only neglectful, but is actually dangerous. 

Sleep is believed to be particularly important for memory consolidation, concentration, and learning. Some studies suggest that poor sleep increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, while others have linked sleep deprivation to anxiety and loneliness.

Orfeu Buxton, a sleep researcher at Pennsylvania State University, told the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/">Washington Post</a>: “We’re competing against moneyed interests, with technology and gaming and all that. It’s so addictive and so hard to compete with. We’ve had this natural experiment with the Internet that swamped everything else.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2016 that one third of adults fail to get the recommended seven hours of sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that preschoolers get 10 to 13 hours of sleep each day, including naps.

Tracy Riggins is a developmental psychologist at the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>. She told the Washington Post: “Why do we know so little about this really critical function? I always think of growth charts at the pediatrician’s office. Physical growth: You study thousands of children. You know exactly that your child is in the 63rd percentile for kids her age. Why do we not have that for the brain?”

Riggins collaborated with Rebecca Spencer, a neuroscientist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, to analyze how naps affect memory in preschoolers. The study revealed that napping helped to strengthen complex emotional memories.

“This is the drive some people have to be the best and the brightest - some of these high-income preschools are trying to cram so much into the day that they’re minimizing nap time,” said Spencer. “The idea is they’re not napping, so they can learn more. But they may lose the attentiveness to be able to learn more.”

Despite a growing interest in sleep among the scientific community, experts are warning that the dangers of sleep deprivation are not being taken seriously enough. 

Matthew Walker, a Psychology professor at the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California at Berkeley</a>, told the Washington Post: “You had a lecture at school that was about safe sex, drinking, drugs. Why didn’t anybody come in and tell you about sleep?”
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sleep deprivation has become a public health crisis, experts warn

Experts are warning that sleep deprivation is a public health...

A recent study from the <a href="https://www.nutfruit.org/">International Nut and Dried Fruit Council</a> (INC) has revealed that daily doses of almonds and other tree nuts improve male fertility and sperm quality. According to the researchers, a diet that includes 60 grams of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nuts-lowers-risk-obesity/">nuts</a> per day can significantly boost the vitality, motility, and morphology of sperm, as well as the overall sperm count. 

The combination of 15 grams of almonds, 15 grams of hazelnuts, and 30 grams of walnuts produced similar sperm quality benefits as walnuts alone, which was demonstrated in a previous study, but with a 16 percent increase in sperm count. The experts noted that a mix of nuts may provide the most benefits and that almonds should be included for their zinc, a mineral that contributes to fertility.

Poor eating habits and environmental factors have been linked to declining sperm counts and sperm quality across developed nations. Around one in seven couples worldwide struggle with fertility issues, and males are responsible for nearly half of these cases, according to the INC.

“Having a healthy diet is an important, but often-overlooked piece of the fertility puzzle,” said dietitian Juliette Kellow. “This study shows that adding tree nuts like almonds offers a potentially easy way to boost male fertility and may help support couples trying to conceive.”

The investigation was focused on 119 healthy males between the ages of 18 and 35. The participants were split into two groups, one of which was instructed to eat the daily mix of 60 grams of nuts in addition to their regular diet. The second group was asked to avoid eating nuts altogether.

After 14 weeks, the researchers collected sperm and blood samples from both groups. The men who had been eating nuts were found to have a 16 percent higher sperm count. The study authors also concluded: “The inclusion of nuts in a Western-style diet significantly improves the total sperm count and the vitality, motility, and morphology of the sperm.”

The research was presented at the 2018 European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting.
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Almonds and other tree nuts improve male fertility and sperm quality

A recent study from the International Nut and Dried Fruit...

New research published February 1st in <a href="https://aem.asm.org/">Applied and Environmental Microbiology</a> reveals that the longer a coffee bean ferments, the better it tastes, thanks to lactic acid bacteria and perhaps various other species of microbes.

“A cup of coffee is the final product of a complex chain of operations: farming, post-harvest processing, roasting, and brewing," said Luc De Vuyst, M.Sc., Ph.D., Professor of Industrial Microbiology and Food Biotechnology at Belgium’s <a href="https://www.vub.ac.be/en/">Vrije Universiteit Brussel</a>, and the study’s principal investigator. "There are several variants of post-harvest processing, among which wet processing [the process of fermentation] and dry processing are the most common.”

Dr. De Vuyst and his team carried out a series of experiments on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wild-coffee-species-disappear/">coffee beans</a> at an Ecuadorian farm. These experiments revolved around microbiological, metabolomics, and sensory analysis.

They found that during extended fermentation of the coffee beans, leuconostocs — a genus of lactic acid found in the fermentation process of cabbage to sauerkraut and in sourdough starters — declined in number while lactobacilli proliferated.

Researchers could not, however, draw a link between microbiota and the volatile compounds in the beans, those being compounds that contribute to the coffee’s smell. This is because many of these compounds could be of microbial, endogenous bean metabolism, or chemical origin.

“However, we did see an impact of the microbial communities, in particular the lactic acid bacteria," Dr. De Vuyst said. He noted that they yielded fruity notes, and may have "had a protective effect toward coffee quality during fermentation because of their acidification of the fermenting mass, providing a stable microbial environment and hence preventing growth of undesirable micro-organisms that often lead to off-flavors.”

“Furthermore, there is a build-up of the fermentation-related metabolites onto the coffee beans, which affects the quality of the green coffee beans and hence the sensory quality of the coffees brewed therefrom,” he added.

Despite knowing this information, Dr. De Vuyst said that much is still unknown about how most bacteria — like “enterobacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, acetic acid bacteria, bacilli, and filamentous fungi” — affects the taste of coffee and influences the fermentation process.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How lactic acid helps to brew the perfect cup of coffee

New research published February 1st in Applied and Environmental Microbiology...

Researchers have discovered that Neanderthals and Denisovans likely co-existed in a cave in Siberia. The experts have been examining stone tools and other artifacts from the Denisova Cave, trying to establish a timeline for when both human species lived there. 

The results of two separate studies suggest that the Denisovans occupied the cave as far back as 287,000 years ago, and may have been there when the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-dna-protect-viruses/">Neanderthals</a> arrived 193,000 years ago. This research could completely change what we know about our ancient human ancestors. 

Little is known about the Denisovans, and their occupation of the cave has only been studied through teeth and bone fragments. To conduct a more thorough analysis of sediments from the Denisova Cave, researchers at the <a href="https://www.uow.edu.au/index.html">University of Wollongong</a> used a technique known as optically stimulated luminescence dating. This enabled the team to create a timeline for the artifacts and fossils by estimating when certain mineral grains were last exposed to sunlight.

[caption id="attachment_1866932" align="aligncenter" width="630"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/neanderthals.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-1866932" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/neanderthals.png" alt="" width="630" height="507" /></a> Image Credit: Katerina Douka[/caption]

The researchers determined that the site was occupied from around 300,000 years ago to 20,000 years ago. They estimated that the Denisovans lived there from around 287,000 years ago up until 55,000 years ago. Neanderthals showed up in the records from around 193,000 years ago until 97,000 years ago.

In the second study, researchers used radiocarbon dating to examine the Denisovan fossils. As a result, they established 50 new dates and discovered three previously unknown Denisovan fossils.

Robin Dennell, an archaeologist at the University of Sheffield, wrote in <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/articles?type=news-and-views">News &amp; Views</a>: “Although there might still be some uncertainty about the detailed ages of the remains - given the nature and complexity of the deposits and the dating methods used - the general picture is now clear.”

The studies are both published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Neanderthals and Denisovans may have co-existed in Siberia

Researchers have discovered that Neanderthals and Denisovans likely co-existed in...

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite, and billions of people worldwide have been infected. Humans can come in contact with T. gondii by eating uncooked meat or cleaning out their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cat-litter-alzheimers-link/">cat’s litter box</a>.

While T. gondii is usually harmless, studies have shown that infection can increase the risk of certain mental disorders and mind-altering behavior, but much of the research done on the parasite has been inconclusive. 

Because infection is so common, it’s important for researchers to fully understand how T. gondii and toxoplasma impacts those infected. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">Copenhagen University</a> recently conducted one of the largest studies of its kind to better understand the link between schizophrenia and T. gondii as well as the impacts of another pathogen, the Cytomegalovirus, which also been shown to increase the risk of psychiatric disorders in those infected. 

The study was published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 

The researchers reviewed and analyzed data from the Danish Blood Donor Study and tested for T. gondii and cytomegalovirus in blood drawn from over 80,000 people. 

Of the records examined in the study, around 2,591 of the individuals had been diagnosed with psychiatric conditions. 

The researchers focused on immunoglobulin antibodies to find any traces of the two pathogens. 25 percent of the individuals carried T. gondii, and 61 percent had the cytomegalovirus (CMV) parasite. 

When the team examined the links between the pathogens and psychiatric disorders, they found that T. gondii increases the risk of schizophrenia by as much as 50 percent.

CMV was also linked to several psychiatric disorders, and the researchers say that CMV infection could increase the risk of self-harm. 

“Our study finds that T. gondii infection might be a contributing causal factor for schizophrenia,” the researchers wrote. “Moreover, T. gondii infection was borderline significantly associated with traffic accidents. CMV infection may be a risk factor for developing any psychiatric disorder, especially neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders, or for experiencing self-violence in the form of attempting or committing suicide.” 

There are several limitations to the study as the researchers did not control for socio-economic factors which are known to impact mental health and wellbeing. 

Still, the results show a strong link between T. gondii and CMV infections and psychiatric disorders, further proving the unusual relationship between the pathogens and cognition. 
--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Parasite spread by cats can increase the risk of schizophrenia

Toxoplasma gondii is a common parasite, and billions of people...

A new study from <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm">Consumer Reports</a> has found arsenic in many brands of fruit juice sold in the United States. Out of 45 different <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/grapefruit-juice-reaction-medications/">juices</a> that were tested, 21 contained dangerous metals including arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium.

Investigators for Consumer Reports have previously discovered arsenic and lead in a variety of other baby foods, which means that children may be exposed to these types of metals often. Children are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of heavy metals. 

“Exposure to these metals early on can affect their whole life trajectory,” said Dr. Jennifer Lowry, chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on Environmental Health. “There is so much development happening in their first years of life.”

The current study revealed that just one half cup per day of the most contaminated juices could lead to unsafe arsenic levels in a child's bloodstream. The experts who conducted the testing have warned that the implications are serious. 

“Each of these metals has shown similar adverse effects on children's developing brains and nervous systems, and there are potential additive effects,” said Tunde Akinleye, a chemist in Consumer Reports’ Food Safety division who led the testing.

Consumer Reports first discovered high levels of metals in fruit juice back in 2011. While the latest investigation found lower levels compared to eight years ago, the levels are still risky. Some of the most hazardous juices included Trader Joe’s Fresh Pressed Apple Juice and 365 Everyday Value Concord Grape Juice from Whole Foods. Several types of Welch’s juice were also flagged by the team.

Arsenic is often present in the air, soil, water, and in pesticides, and it is easy for arsenic to make its way into food and drinks. It is possible to remove arsenic from products, but it is a difficult process. 

“In the course of a lifetime, the average person will come into contact with these metals many times, from many sources,” said Akinleye. “We’re exposed to these metals so frequently during our lives that it’s vital to limit exposures early on.”

Consumer Reports is now urging the FDA to take stronger action against metals in food products, especially those marketed to children. The full report, Arsenic and Lead Are in Your Fruit Juice: What You Need to Know, can be found <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/arsenic-and-lead-are-in-your-fruit-juice-what-you-need-to-know/">here</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Arsenic and other metals found in fruit juices sold across the US

A new study from Consumer Reports has found arsenic in...

Was BPA replaced with something just as bad?. Products from baby bottles to canned soup proudly proclaim that they are BPA-free. This came as a response to mounting evidence that BPA (bisphenol A) mimics human estrogen, causing developmental damage to the brain and reproductive tissues. In 2012, this led to a ban by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on baby bottles containing BPA. 

Today, many plastic products advertise their lack of BPA, however, they make no mention of what replaced this harmful chemical. In most cases, the culprit is bisphenol S (BPS). This compound is less researched and has a shorter history of human consumption. As it’s use continues to increase, research has begun to examine how different BPS really is from its dangerous cousin.
<h2>What is BPA, and why is it used?</h2>
BPA is a chemical that was first discovered in the 1890s. In the 1950s, chemists discovered that it had useful properties as a “plasticizer.” Since then BPA has been used to produce the plastics found in <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-bpa">water bottles, medical equipment, epoxy resins and much more</a>. This chemical is mostly consumed in the plasticizing process. The remaining BPA, however, makes it into consumer products where it leaches into food, water, and the environment. These chemicals are essential to producing polycarbonate plastics, however, BPA is not the only option. 

BPA comes from a group of chemicals called bisphenols. Related compounds can be used in place of BPA for the plasticizing process. These alternatives are structurally similar to BPA, which makes them useful for manufacturing plastics. However, this similarity also may carry the same risks associated with BPA.
<h2>What health risks have been linked to bisphenol compounds?</h2>
Though BPA went through traditional toxicology screening without concern, independent research revealed a different story. 

The core problem with BPA is that it mimics the hormone estrogen in humans. Though estrogen is generally known as the female sex hormone, it is essential for both men and women. Estrogen plays an essential role in reproductive development <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4854098/">both in the sex organs and in the brain</a>. 

The role of bisphenol compounds in disrupting these delicate processes has been well documented. BPA has been shown to cause developmental changes to the <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-free-plastic-containers-may-be-just-as-hazardous/">brain, prostate and reproductive development.</a> Bisphenols cause genetic changes that <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/09/bpa-substitutes-may-be-just-bad-popular-consumer-plastic">persist for generations in mice</a>. This is a particularly dangerous risk for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bpa-exposure-premature-birth/">pregnant women</a>, babies and children. 

Unfortunately, due to the prevalence of polycarbonate plastics, it has become nearly impossible to avoid exposure to both BPA and BPS. A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study found that <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/ehp.10753">93% of a 2517 person sample had detectable levels of BPA in their urine</a>. BPS has been detected in <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-free-plastic-containers-may-be-just-as-hazardous/">nearly 81% of Americans urine</a>.

Though BPA exists only in very small amounts in most foods and drinks, this may not provide the protection you would imagine. BPA and other endocrine disruptors are often <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-free-plastic-containers-may-be-just-as-hazardous/">most effective at extremely low and extremely high doses</a>.Studies have indicated that concentrations below <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-free-plastic-containers-may-be-just-as-hazardous/">1 part per trillion of BPS can disrupt the functioning of cells.</a>

These concentrations of BPA aren’t only a concern for humans. BPA can have even worse effects in the environment. Since BPA is used in many plastics other than food packaging, it can leach from many sources into rivers and lakes. Aquatic animals such as fish, salamanders <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bpa-can-induce-behavioral-changes-in-turtles/">and turtles</a> are particularly sensitive to these compounds.
<h2>How do BPA alternatives compare?</h2>
Though there are other bisphenol compounds that could replace BPA so far BPS has been the chosen solution. Because BPS has only been a concern recently, <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/09/bpa-substitutes-may-be-just-bad-popular-consumer-plastic">far less is known about how this compound affects humans and the environment</a>. 

Research has shown effects that are <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/alternatives-to-a-common-household-chemical-may-cause-the-same-health-issues">very similar to those of BPA</a>. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/are-bpa-substitutes-any-safer-bpa">According to the EPA</a>, BPA alternatives may actually be more potent than BPA itself. Much like BPA, they impair the development of the brain and reproductive tissues.
<h2>What can be done to combat bisphenol pollution?</h2>
Though BPA has made it into most corners of the earth, it is not time to give up hope just yet. 
<h3>Awareness and understanding</h3>
The biggest protection against these chemicals is greater awareness and more research. To protect human life and our environment, research needs to continue into the long term impacts of these chemicals. Understanding the implications of these chemicals to human health and the environment will allow us to take steps to prepare for and remediate the damage. 

Plastics have become an essential material in every-day life for most people. This reality means that we must reduce our use of disposable plastics and find safer alternatives to our current plastics. It is also important that exhaustive research is done into the effects of these substances before they are released to the public. 
<h3>Remediation</h3>
Estrogenic chemicals including BPA have made their way into the environment and are no longer easy to avoid. Even completely avoiding plastics is no longer enough to prevent exposure. Because of this, it is important that we begin to develop techniques to remove these compounds from drinking water and the environment. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-inexpensive-treatment-can-quickly-remove-bpa-water/">Chemist Terrance J. Collins has developed a technique using catalysts called TAML activators</a> that can eliminate 99% of the BPA in water in just 30 minutes.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
The replacement of BPA with BPS shows a major lack of regulation and protection of consumers. It is essential that products are tested thoroughly for safety before being released. The fact that the effects of BPS are still poorly understood despite being common is a concerning reality.

--

By <a href="mailto:casey.hofford@gmail.com">Casey Hofford</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Was BPA replaced with something just as bad?

Was BPA replaced with something just as bad?. Products from...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.med.upenn.edu/">Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania</a> have located the gene that increases our need for sleep when we’re sick. The gene, called nemuri, is secreted by cells in the brain in an effort to promote deep, prolonged <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sleep-deprivation-intensifies-pain/">sleep</a> to better inherently fight germs with its antimicrobial activity.

"While it's a common notion that sleep and healing are tightly related, our study directly links sleep to the immune system and provides a potential explanation for how sleep increases during sickness," said Amita Sehgal, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience and director of <a href="https://www.med.upenn.edu/chronobiology/">Penn's Chronobiology Program</a> and the study’s senior author.

The study, published January 31st in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science,</a> found the nemuri gene by analyzing 12,000 lines of fruit flies. When the nemuri gene was removed, flies were more apt to wake during daily sleep and their need for sleep, induced by sleep deprivation or sickness, was reduced.

However, in different scenarios, sleep deprivation also stimulated nemuri in a set of neurons located within a sleep-promoting portion of the flies’ brains. In bacteria-infected flies, overexpression of nemuri increased their sleep and chance of survival compared to non-infected flies.

Nemuri seemingly kills off microbes and increases sleep in order to effectively fight infection. Although other molecules have similar infection-fighting roles, nemuri’s sleep-inducing property may be one of the most important to the host’s survival. Furthermore, researchers believe nemuri is a solid link between one’s immune system function and sleep.

"The NEMURI protein is a genuine driver of keeping sleep on track under conditions of high sleep need like when we're sick," said Hirofumi Toda, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Sehgal's lab and the study’s first author. "In the next phase of our work, we plan to investigate the mechanism by which NEMURI drives sleep."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How our bodies know to sleep more when we’re sick

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.yorku.ca/">York University</a> has revealed that growing up in a bilingual home comes along with advantages that can start as early as six months of age. The researchers found that infants who are exposed to more than one language demonstrated better attentional control compared to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-impact-babies-born/">babies</a> from homes with just one language.

According to the experts, bilingual environments should be considered a significant factor in the early development of attention and may even set the stage for lifelong cognitive benefits.

For their investigation, the researchers measured the eye movements of infants to assess attention and learning. Half of the infants who were examined for the research were from bilingual homes, while the other half were not.

“By studying infants - a population that does not yet speak any language - we discovered that the real difference between monolingual and bilingual individuals later in life is not in the language itself, but rather, in the attention system used to focus on language,” said co-senior study author Ellen Bialystok. 

“This study tells us that from the very earliest stage of development, the networks that are the basis for developing attention are forming differently in infants who are being raised in a bilingual environment. Why is that important? It's because attention is the basis for all cognition.”

As the babies laid in a crib, their eye movements were tracked and recorded as images appeared on different areas of a screen above them. This process was conducted 60 times for each infant.


The images, along with their positions on the screen, were repeated at first so that the infants could learn the pattern. A second phase of the experiment began in the same way, but the pattern was abruptly changed about halfway through the presentation. 

By tracking the babies' eye movements, the experts found that infants from bilingual homes were better at learning the new pattern and anticipating where the target image would appear. This was challenging because it required the infants to learn a new association.

“Infants only know which way to look if they can discriminate between the two pictures that appear in the centre,” said co-senior author Scott Adler. “They will eventually anticipate the picture appearing on the right, for example, by making an eye movement even before that picture appears on the right. What we found was that the infants who were raised in bilingual environments were able to do this better after the rule is switched than those raised in a monolingual environment.”

Previous studies have shown that bilingual children and adults perform better on some cognitive tasks that require them to switch responses or deal with conflict, and this advantage was attributed to the constant need for bilinguals to select which language to speak. However, the new study dates back to a time before individuals are actively using languages and switching between them.

“What is so groundbreaking about these results, is that they look at infants who are not bilingual yet and who are only hearing the bilingual environment. This is what's having the impact on cognitive performance,” said Adler.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14677687">Developmental Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Growing up in a bilingual home gives babies cognitive advantages

A new study led by York University has revealed that...

Scientists at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> have discovered that endangered sharks are being sold as food in the UK. The experts tested samples from fishmongers and chip shops and found that hammerhead sharks are among the endangered species that are being served.

The majority of chip shop samples, which were sold under generic names like huss, rock salmon, and rock eel, were actually an endangered species of sharks known as spiny dogfish. Samples of shark fins collected from an Asian food wholesaler in the UK included scalloped hammerheads, which are threatened globally.

The researchers are calling for more accurate food labeling so people know what species they are actually eating.

“The discovery of endangered hammerhead sharks highlights how widespread the sale of declining species really is - even reaching Europe and the UK,” said Dr Andrew Griffiths. 

“Separate investigations focusing on Asia have commonly identified scalloped hammerhead in fin processing. Scalloped hammerhead can be imported under strict conditions, but the wholesaler had no idea what species the fin belonged to.”

The fins from the UK wholesaler, which were being distributed to Asian restaurants and supermarkets, also included other <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/endangered-whale-sharks-starvation/">threatened sharks</a> such as smalleye hammerheads.

“It's almost impossible for consumers to know what they are buying,” said study first author Catherine Hobbs. “People might think they're getting a sustainably sourced product when they're actually buying a threatened species.”

“There are also health issues. Knowing what species you are buying could be important in terms of allergies, toxins, mercury content and the growing concern over microplastics in the marine food chain. Our findings demonstrate the need for more informative and accurate seafood labelling.”

The team used “DNA barcoding” to analyze 78 samples from chip shops and 39 from fishmongers, mostly in southern England.

“Knowledge of shark species consumption in the UK, especially those of prohibited species and those of high conservation concern, enhances our ability to address the decline in shark populations,” said Hobbs.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

People are unknowingly eating endangered sharks in the UK

Scientists at the University of Exeter have discovered that endangered...

Schools across three districts in northwestern Alaska have received a major technological upgrade thanks to a multi-million dollar fiber-optic cable that was planted in the Arctic Ocean. The project,which was launched by an Anchorage-based company called Quintillion, was made possible by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-weather-patterns/">global warming</a>.

The ultimate goal of the Quintillion project is to establish underwater pathways between global commerce centers, connecting an Alaska branch to Asia and the United Kingdom. In Alaska, the lowest ranking state in the nation for meeting the minimum internet-speed targets set by the Federal Communications Commission, some schools are now reaping the benefits. 

Nome Public Schools became the first school district to connect to the cable in March, followed by two neighboring school districts over the summer. Many of Alaska's students are in schools located in remote areas that are disconnected from the rest of the state. Slow internet speeds and district-wide outages are common and have “really limited what teachers could do,” according to Jacob Phillips, the director of technology in Nome schools.

The fiber-optic route exists because Arctic sea ice keeps pushing away from the Alaska coast each year. Phillips explained that by switching to the fiber connection, the district got a 25 percent increase in bandwidth for about 20 percent of the previous cost.

“Our goal is to hopefully broaden (students’) view of the world,” said Phillips. “If they do go to school outside of Nome, or go to work outside of Nome, they’ve had some exposure to different cultures, different places.”

According to officials, the faster bandwidth is already setting the stage for academic improvement. For example, Lisa Leeper said she was finally able to introduce a digital writing program that allows her fifth- through eighth-grade students to progress through the course at their own pace.

“I can almost guarantee we’re going to improve our writing scores this year … because I’m able to reach everyone in the areas they need help,” she said. “That’s possible because of these new technologies.”

The full story from <a href="https://hechingerreport.org/">The Hechinger Report</a>, a nonprofit news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, is available <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/alaska-schools-get-faster-internet-partly-thanks-global-warming/">here</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global warming leads to faster internet for Alaska schools

Schools across three districts in northwestern Alaska have received a...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx">University of Birmingham UK</a> have pinpointed exactly how sperm move their tails to swim, according to a report from <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>. The discovery could help explain why some men struggle with fertility issues and may ultimately lead to improved testing for <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/heat-waves-male-fertility/">infertility</a>. 

Sperm wiggle their long tails to propel forward, and the journey from the vagina through the womb to an egg takes several hours. When sperm become hyperactivated, they use a high amplitude, asymmetrical beating pattern that makes them swim faster and more erratically. 

Sperm were thought to only hyperactivate after they zeroed in on an egg, using the extra force to successfully burrow through the egg’s outer wall. But now, a research team led by sperm physiology expert Dr. Stephen Publicover has discovered that sperm continuously alternate between normal swimming and hyperactivity.

“Rather than starting off in one stroke and ending up in another, they’re switching back and forwards all the time,” said the researchers.

The experts captured videos of individual sperm in a dish for three minutes at a time. Their observations revealed that most of the sperm abruptly shifted between motility styles about every ten seconds. 

According to Dr. Publicover, this indicates that hyperactivation is not just used for pushing into the wall of an egg. However, it is not yet clear what other purpose this behavior may serve.

Susan Suarez of Cornell University told New Scientist that hyperactivated sperm in mice seem to move better in the fallopian tube. “We have never understood well how human sperm travel through the reproductive tract. It’s crazy we don’t understand exactly how they get to the egg yet,” said Suarez.

The research was presented at The Fertility 2019 Conference in Birmingham in the UK earlier this month.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New discovery in how sperm swim could explain some infertility cases

Researchers at the University of Birmingham UK have pinpointed exactly...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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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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