Retirement is not a one size fits all mental health booster. Some people feel lighter, others feel stuck, and a few feel worse after the early glow fades.



A new analysis maps who benefits and who needs help, and it points to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-with-a-higher-iq-make-smarter-life-decisions/">income</a>, job demands, and timing as the levers that matter most.



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



The study was led by Xuefei Li at the <a href="https://edwebprofiles.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Edinburgh</a>’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences.



The team analyzed 1,538 adults across 17 annual survey waves from the Netherlands to track mental health five and a half years before and after retirement.



The Dutch panel is a probability sample of households, which improves confidence that the results represent typical retirees rather than only volunteers.



The researchers separated the retirement <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eggs-and-cholesterol-a-new-twist-in-an-old-debate/">transition</a> into phases to see who improves and who dips, instead of treating retirement as a single before and after event.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-mental-health">Measuring mental health</h2>



Mental health was measured with an instrument known as the MHI 5, a short five question screen that captures psychological well being, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms.



The team used a piecewise growth curve <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-020-01420-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">model</a>, a method that looks for different slopes across segments of time, to capture short term changes at retirement and longer term patterns afterward.



This approach makes it possible to tell whether a quick lift around the retirement year holds, levels off, or reverses. It also shows whether different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dementia-is-a-growing-global-health-crisis-with-a-staggering-cost/">income</a> groups follow different shapes, not just different average levels.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-income-and-well-being">Income and well-being </h2>



Low-income retirees reported the lowest mental health during retirement, even though they improved right after leaving work.



The pattern curved downward about two and a half years in, suggesting a short honeymoon followed by new pressures that show up later.



Middle-income retirees improved more before retirement and then kept rising, but those who had physically demanding jobs started the transition with lower mental health and stayed lower across the process.



High-income retirees showed little change before or after, yet many experienced a clear jump in the retirement year, and those who retired later improved more slowly in that year.



“Understanding these phases sheds light on the adjustment processes that people undergo when faced with the internal and external challenges,” said Li.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-job-strain-in-retirement">Job strain in retirement</h2>



Among people with average incomes, holding a more physically demanding job was linked to lower mental health across the retirement period.



Related research has found that leaving a physically heavy job is associated with better self rated health compared with staying on, which helps explain this gap.



Mental job demands did not show a clear link with mental health in the Dutch analysis. That distinction lines up with the idea that chronic physical strain can cast a longer shadow into early retirement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-of-retirement-effects">Timing of retirement effects</h2>



A previous <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21341882/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> referred to retirement adjustment as a resource based and multi-phase process, not a single step.



This study’s curves fit that picture, with a short boost in the retirement year and, for some groups, a later fade as new realities, routines, and finances settle in.



Among high-income earners, retiring later in life was tied to a slower improvement during the retirement year.



That does not mean late retirement is harmful, only that the short term lift may be smaller when people work longer.



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



In the Netherlands, the AOW pension <a href="https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/aow-pension-abroad/age" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">age</a> is 67 for most people in 2025, which helps explain why many in the sample retired in their late sixties.



Understanding when dips are most likely allows families and services to time support before problems settle in.



All income groups generally experienced improvements in mental health during the shift to retirement, but there were also phases where declines appeared. These vulnerable periods suggest that targeted support could be especially valuable.



Targeted help could include financial counseling for newly retired low-income adults, peer groups for single women who are retiring with fewer resources, and easier pathways to part time, less physically demanding roles in the years before retirement.



For employers, reducing physical strain in the last working years could pay dividends by protecting mental health into retirement.



For health systems, screening with tools like the MHI 5 can flag risk early so people are not left to struggle alone after the first couple of years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limitations-of-the-study">Limitations of the study</h2>



The MHI 5 has good accuracy for identifying people at high risk of mood and anxiety disorders in population studies, so it fits large longitudinal panels.



Piecewise models make room for rapid changes and slow drifts, and the Dutch probability sample strengthens the case that these patterns are not just artifacts of convenience sampling.



Still, the researchers followed people in one country with a specific pension design, and it did not separate voluntary from involuntary retirement.



The study’s limitations point to a clear next step: testing whether similar multi-phase patterns emerge under different pension rules and across groups with varied jobs and resources.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000829?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SSM - Mental Health</a>.



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Retirement affects mental health in different ways

Retirement is not a one size fits all mental health booster. Some people feel lighter, others feel stuck, and a few feel worse after the early glow fades. A new analysis maps who benefits and who needs help, and it points to income, job demands, and timing as the levers that matter most. Mental health and retirement The study was led by Xuefei Li at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. The team analyzed 1,538 adults across 17 annual survey waves from...

Researchers at the <a href="https://healthcare.utah.edu/">University of Utah Health</a> are aiming to use music as a therapeutic way of easing anxiety in Alzheimer's patients. The experts are focusing their efforts on a network in the brain that is stimulated by music and is largely unaffected by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/twice-americans-alzheimers-2060/">Alzheimer's disease</a>.

“People with dementia are confronted by a world that is unfamiliar to them, which causes disorientation and anxiety,” said study co-author Dr. Jeff Anderson. “We believe music will tap into the salience network of the brain that is still relatively functioning.”


Previous studies have shown that music can improve the mood of dementia patients. The current study investigated a mechanism that is connected to the salience region of the brain.

Dementia patients and their caretakers created a playlist of meaningful songs which were loaded into a portable media player.

“When you put headphones on dementia patients and play familiar music, they come alive,” said study first author Jace King. “Music is like an anchor, grounding the patient back in reality.”


The researchers conducted brain scans to track activity as the patients listened to 20-second clips of music or silence. The participants were presented with eight clips of music from their collections, eight clips of the same tracks played in reverse, and eight intervals of silence.


The study revealed that music stimulated brain activity, causing entire brain regions to communicate. As the patients listened to their personal songs, the salience network showed substantially higher functional connectivity with the visual network, the executive network, and the cerebellar and cortical cerebellar networks.

“This is objective evidence from brain imaging that shows personally meaningful music is an alternative route for communicating with patients who have Alzheimer's disease,” said senior author Dr. Norman Foster.

“Language and visual memory pathways are damaged early as the disease progresses, but personalized music programs can activate the brain, especially for patients who are losing contact with their environment.”

The study authors pointed out that the results of the research are not conclusive and that it is unknown whether the enhancement effects observed in the patients are long-term or short-term.

The research offers a new approach to treating agitation, depression, and anxiety in dementia patients. The activation of neighboring brain regions may also have implications for treatments to delay the progression of cognitive decline.

“In our society, the diagnoses of dementia are snowballing and are taxing resources to the max,” said Dr. Anderson. “No one says playing music will be a cure for Alzheimer's disease, but it might make the symptoms more manageable, decrease the cost of care and improve a patient's quality of life.”

The research is published in <a href="http://www.jpreventionalzheimer.com/">The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Music helps treat anxiety and depression in adults with dementia

Researchers at the University of Utah Health are aiming to...

Horses can sense and remember human facial expressions, emotions. A team of psychologists led by the <a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/">University of Sussex</a> has found that horses remember people's facial expressions, which allows them to identify individuals who may be a threat.

Professor Karen McComb is a specialist in animal behavior and a co-lead author of the study.

She explained, “What we've found is that horses can not only read human facial expressions but they can also remember a person's previous emotional state when they meet them later that day - and, crucially, that they adapt their behavior accordingly. Essentially horses have a memory for emotion.”

For the investigation, the researchers showed images of happy or angry human faces to domestic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/domesticating-wild-horses-genome/">horses</a>. Several hours later, the individuals from the photographs were presented to the horses with a neutral facial expression.

The experts found distinctive differences in how the horses responded to individuals depending on the emotional expression conveyed in the images. The head orientation and gaze direction of the horses showed that individuals who looked angry in the photographs were perceived more negatively.

Previous studies have demonstrated that animals usually view negative events with their left eye. This is due to the fact that threatening stimuli are processed in the corresponding right brain hemisphere.

In order to prevent the humans from behaving a certain way, they were not informed of whether the horse was shown an angry or happy picture of themselves. The researchers also noted that the cautionary reactions observed in the horses were only given in response to the people they had previously seen with angry expressions and not to other individuals.

“We know that horses are socially intelligent animals, but this is the first time any mammal has been shown to have this particular ability,” said co-lead author Dr. Leanne Proops from the <a href="http://www.port.ac.uk/">University of Portsmouth</a>. 

“What's very striking is that this happened after just briefly viewing a photograph of the person with a particular emotional expression - they did not have a strongly positive or negative experience with the person.”

This is the first study to demonstrate that horses have a memory of emotional experiences with specific humans, an ability that may inform their decision to bond with people or to avoid them.

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Horses can sense and remember human facial expressions, emotions

Horses can sense and remember human facial expressions, emotions. A...

Researchers at <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> (WSU) have investigated how smoking <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-app-marijuana-use/">medical marijuana</a> affects symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. The study revealed that small amounts of cannabis were effective in lessening the severity of symptoms. 

The analysis is one of the first of its kind to assess how cannabis with different concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) influenced mental wellness when smoked at home.

“Existing research on the effects of cannabis on depression, anxiety and stress are very rare and have almost exclusively been done with orally administered THC pills in a laboratory,” lead author Carrie Cuttler told the <a href="https://news.wsu.edu/2018/04/19/assessing-cannabis-affects-emotional-well/">WSU Insider</a>. 

“What is unique about our study is that we looked at actual inhaled cannabis by medical marijuana patients who were using it in the comfort of their own homes as opposed to a laboratory.”

The research was based on data in an app called Stainprint, which offers users a way to document their mental and physical responses to different strains and doses of medical marijuana. 

The team analyzed information from 12,000 participants who reported on symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression before and after smoking different types of cannabis.

Overall, symptoms of depression were reduced by 50 percent among the volunteers, while symptoms of anxiety and stress were reduced by 58 percent. The experts also found some evidence to suggest that long-term use of cannabis can make depression worse.

The researchers established that one puff of medical marijuana with high-CBD and low-THC content effectively reduced feelings of depression. The same type of marijuana was found to significantly reduce stress after 10 puffs. Furthermore, two puffs of any type of medical cannabis relieved symptoms of anxiety.

“A lot of consumers seem to be under the false assumption that more THC is always better,” said Cuttler. “Our study shows that CBD is also a very important ingredient in cannabis and may augment some of the positive effects of THC.”

Cuttler explained that this is one of the first studies to identify strains and quantities of medical marijuana that can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.

“Currently, medical and recreational cannabis users rely on the advice of bud tenders whose recommendations are based off of anecdotal not scientific evidence,” said Cuttler.

The research is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-affective-disorders">Journal of Affective Disorders</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Just a small dose of medical marijuana combats stress, depression

Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) have investigated how smoking...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> have found a substantial rise in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among 8-year-olds in the United States. The investigation revealed that the percentage of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/junk-food-advertising-children/">children</a> with autism has increased by an average of 15 percent compared to two years ago.

Across the 11 states included in the study, one out of every 59 children had autism. New Jersey had the highest number and a 19 percent jump compared to two years ago, with one out of every 34 children affected.


The higher rates of autism found in New Jersey are likely due to the efficiency of the state's clinical and educational services, which results in more accurate case finding.

Walter Zahorodny is an associate professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He said the study results are “consistent, broad and startling.” Professor Zahorodny pointed out that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2016 that autism rates in the United States had leveled off.

“It is now clear that what we saw in 2016 was just a pause along the way. It remains to be seen at what point ASD rates will plateau,” he said.

ASD has been found to affect four times as many boys compared to girls. In addition, white children have higher rates of ASD compared to Hispanic or black children. 

As of now, it is unclear why autism is increasing throughout the United States. There are many factors associated with autism risk including parents over the age of 30, illness during pregnancy, and birth before 37 weeks.

“These are true influences that are exerting an effect, but they are not enough to explain the high rate of autism prevalence,” said Professor Zahorodny. 

“There are still undefined environmental risks which contribute to this significant increase, factors that could affect a child in its development in utero or related to birth complications or to the newborn period. We need more research into non-genetic triggers for autism."

The average age of ASD diagnosis is 53 months, which has remained consistent for 15 years. The professor said that children who are diagnosed early tend to respond better to therapy.

“Despite our greater awareness, we are not effective yet in early detection,” he said. “Our goal should be systematic, universal screening that pediatricians and other health providers provide at regular visits starting at 18 months to identify ASD as soon as possible.”

The research was funded by the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Autism rates up 15 percent across the United States

Researchers at Rutgers University have found a substantial rise in...

When more and more claims were made against big tobacco in the 1990s that smoking causes cancer, it led to lawsuits like the one filed against <a href="https://www.justice.gov/civil/case-4">Phillip Morris by the Department of Justice in 1999</a>, and completely changed the way tobacco products were sold and marketed. Now, public health advertisements about the dangers of smoking are frequently seen on TV <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/05/24/479349619/cdc-report-reveals-decline-in-american-smokers">and smoking has been</a> on the decline since the 1990s. 

The results of the lawsuits against tobacco companies show that citing public health problems is a strong motivator for bringing cases to court. In fact, a new study found that presenting public health risks could help shape the way people view <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.gwu.edu/">George Washington University</a> and the <a href="https://publichealth.gwu.edu/">Milken Institute School of Public Health</a> examined judicial decisions relating to climate change in order to see how health concerns factored in climate lawsuits. 

The study was published in the journal American Journal of Public Health.

The researchers found that even though health concerns are cited a minority of the time in climate litigation, claims about health risks have considerable potential for persuading court rulings and protecting communities from the risks of pollutants. 

“Many experts believe that climate change is the biggest threat to public health in the 21st century, and the courts have been and will continue to be a central avenue for the development of climate-related policy in the United States,” said Sabrina McCormick, the study’s lead author. 

For the study, the researchers looked at 873 judicial decisions involving climate change and coal-fired power plants between 1990 and 2016. 

Only 16 percent of the cases referenced health issues, and air pollution cases were most likely to discuss the increased risks of cardiovascular and respiratory disease that CO2 emissions and pollutants cause. 

After analyzing the different cases, the researchers found strong associations between health claims and their potential in climate litigation. 

According to the researchers, health claims may help bring a case to court and certain cases may be better supported by evidence about health issues like energy efficiency and renewables. 

The researchers suggest that for future climate lawsuits, the plaintiff should detail a list of the all the health benefits that would ensue if known aggravators to climate change, like emissions from power-plants, were reduced.  

The courts can again play a central role in protecting public health, just as they have with the cases against tobacco companies. 

“The courts represent a pivotal branch of government in climate policy formation,” said McCormick and her co-authors. “Increasing inclusion of health concerns in emergent areas of litigation could catalyze effective climate policy-making.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Citing health risks in climate lawsuits could sway public opinion

When more and more claims were made against big tobacco...

<a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/the-uk-plastics-pact">The UK Plastics Pact</a> has officially been launched in an effort to transform the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-plastic-pollution-bacteria/">plastics</a> system and reduce unnecessary waste. More than 40 businesses, governments, and organizations have joined the initiative, agreeing to change the way they design, produce, use, and dispose of plastic pollution.

The growing list of businesses participating in the project include Aldi, Coca Cola, P&amp;G, Pizza Hut, and Pepsico. The <a href="http://www.bbc.com/">BBC</a> is reporting that the companies who have aligned with the pact are responsible for over 80 percent of the plastic packaging on products sold in supermarkets across the UK.

Critics of the project say that these companies need to make changes that are enforced by government action, and not just on a voluntary basis.

The organizations that signed the pact have promised to make huge strides by the year 2025. 

The pledges that must be honored by the target date include: 100 percent of all plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable; 70 percent of all plastic packaging will be effectively recycled or composted; all plastic packaging will contain an average of 30 percent recycled content; and unnecessary or problematic single-use packaging will be eliminated.

The UK Plastics Pact website states:

“Our throwaway culture needs to change. We need to move away from a linear plastics economy, where we take, make and dispose of plastic, towards a circular system where we capture the value of plastics material - keeping plastic in the economy and out of the oceans." 

The website cautions that around 5,000 pieces of marine plastic pollution have been found per mile of beach in the UK.

The initiative was launched by The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a nonprofit group that strives toward a sustainable, resource-efficient economy. 

“Creating a circular economy for plastics amounts to a huge opportunity for the economy as well as providing a longer-term benefit for the environment,” said Ellen MacArthur. “Achieving it will require close collaboration and significant commitment from industry, government, and society at large.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Major companies collaborate to reduce plastic pollution in the UK

The UK Plastics Pact has officially been launched in an...

The <a href="https://www.easac.eu/">European Academies’ Science Advisory Council</a> (EASAC) and the InterAcademy Partnership are urging European policymakers to modify their current approach to food, agriculture, the environment, and human health. 

The experts say that more policy coherence is needed to effectively address the issues of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/europe-drought-regions-climate-change/">climate change</a>, nutrition, and food waste. They are recommending a “food systems approach,” which is an integrative system that includes all of the steps involved from growing to consuming food.

Professor Joachim von Braun, is the co-chair of the <a href="https://easac.eu/meetings-events/details/public-launch-of-our-easac-iap-report-on-food-security-in-europe/">EASAC-IAP project on food and agriculture.</a>

“A food systems approach is critical to tackling some of the most pressing issues of our day, such as climate change, sustainable land and water use, food waste, and of course human health,” said Professor von Braun. “This calls for science initiatives that cut across disciplines, tailored to the complexity of food systems by both, EU and Member States.”

The researchers noted that the negative impacts of climate change must be met by the introduction of climate-smart agriculture, such as developing crops that are resistant to drought. The study authors also pointed out that, although agriculture plays a critical role in the change that is needed, the changes must be reflected in consumer behavior as well.

On the other hand, agriculture itself is significantly contributing to climate change, which means that new practices and consumer behaviors must be aimed at lowering agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the consumption of alternative protein sources such as insects or cell-cultured meat would lower the demand for livestock products.

The adjustment of meat consumption patterns should also have targeted health benefits, such as reducing the overconsumption of meat and dairy products in high-income countries while providing more nutritious diets for developing countries. Across Europe, obesity and undernutrition are critical public health issues.

Estimates from the research suggest that adopting the World Health Organization guidance on healthy diets could reduce mortality worldwide by up to 10 percent and reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70 percent over the next three decades.

“As malnutrition remains a huge global problem and in recent years global hunger has increased again, EU science policy on food, nutrition and agriculture needs to take an international view,” said Professor von Braun. “Related innovations in Europe can have large positive impacts elsewhere in the world, if shared in science partnerships. Other themes of promising international collaborative science are food safety and healthy diets.”


Study co-author Professor Volker ter Meulen added, “This report is part of a larger project involving 130 science academies around the globe. Europe's approach to food, agriculture, and the environment is crucial because Europe's actions affect others around the world.”

The EASAC-IAP report, “Opportunities and Challenges for Research on Food and Nutrition Security and Agriculture in Europe,” was launched at the <a href="https://visit.brussels/fr/place/Palais-des-Academies">Palais des Académies</a> in Brussels.

--

By <a href="http://csextom@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Europe faces unsustainable future with food and agriculture

The European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC) and the InterAcademy...

Future summers in Europe could get even hotter due to a partial collapse of the Atlantic Ocean heat transport. The last time this occurred it triggered major weather extremes during the Younger Dryas period 12,000 years ago. 

Much of Europe, particularly Spain, France and Italy dealt with crippling heat waves during the summer of 2017.  Climate change has only worsened drought and increased summer temperatures in some regions and driven weather extremes.

Now, according to a new study, in addition to the impacts of climate change, the record-breaking cold ocean temperatures in the Atlantic is weakening heat transport through the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). 

The study was conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.su.se/english/">Stockholm University</a> and published in the journal Nature Climate Change. 

The results show that the Atlantic heat transport system is at a long-term minimum and could be the weakest it's ever been in the past 1,600 years.

A similar event occurred before the beginning of the Holocene (Earth’s current geological era) and researchers can look at climate records to help predict future temperatures and prepare for the inevitable drastic extremes should the Atlantic heat transport system continue to weaken or even collapse. 

The partial collapse of the AMOC during the Younger Dryas was one of the most rapid cooling events that occurred during the transition from the late glacial climate to the climate we see today in the Holocene.  

Because the rapid cooling happened during a period of rapid warming, the researchers created a climate model that compares the Younger Dryas cold reversal to a potential future cold reversal even with warming due to climate change. 

The climate model showed that the weakened AMOC will cause even warmer European summers and bitterly cold winters. 

The model simulations also shed insight into the mechanisms behind the processes causing the weather extremes. The root cause appears to be atmospheric blocking, a process where high-pressure systems are stationary for a period of time ranging from days to weeks.  

With the high-pressure systems stuck in place, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/risk-wildfires-europe-increase/">Europe</a> is cut off from westerly winds that would promote cooler summers and warmer winters. 

“If the slowdown of the Atlantic overturning proceeds as observed and projected by most climate models for the future, atmospheric blocking might increase in intensity and/or frequency and could lead to even stronger heat waves than we would expect from the gradual warming trend in response to greenhouse gases,” said Frederik Schenk, the lead author of the study. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Key Atlantic Ocean system may trigger hotter summers for Europe

Future summers in Europe could get even hotter due to...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/video/garlic-treat-infections/">Garlic</a> makes food better – that’s just a fact. You would be hard pressed to argue that garlic’s contributions to the culinary world are anything less than stellar. But what about it’s contributions to the medicinal world as well?

For thousands of years, garlic has been used to treat human disease. It’s known to reduce your risk of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes, along with warding off the occasional vampire (just kidding, of course). And how do scientists know that it has these effects? Well, that part is a little more complicated.

A review published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/pharmacological-sciences/home?code=cell-site">Trends in Pharmacological Sciences</a> details the difficulties of explaining exactly how garlic impacts our health. Due to the wide range of compounds garlic produces, achieving consistent results from clinical trials can be rather complicated.

Garlic is part of the allium family, which is a group of plants that absorb sulfate from the soil and incorporate it into amino acids and sulfur storage molecules. Thus, garlic’s distinct flavor comes from the sulfur compounds it contains. These sulfur storage molecules can be broken down into roughly 50 unique sulfur-containing compounds, depending on how the garlic is prepared and ingested. 

“These molecules give the plants an ecological advantage when they’re growing out in the wild,” says Peter Rose, a biochemist at the <a href="https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/">University of Nottingham</a> and senior author of the study. “As it happens, they’re also biologically active within mammalian cells and tissues.”

The preparation of garlic is one of the diversifying aspects of its health effects. Pressing it for oil, chopping or mincing, or fermenting garlic in alcohol all yield different sulfur compounds – each with a potentially different effect on our body’s complex biological systems. The complexities of this research also lie in how these compounds are metabolized within our body, as it’s difficult to pinpoint common mechanisms of action for these molecules. All of these complications help to explain why studies of garlic’s effects on humans have had inconsistent results.

“When it comes to human intervention studies, there’s been quite a lot of disparity,” says Rose. “Sometimes the consumption of and exposure to these compounds has biological effects, and other times, it does nothing. I think it needs reinvestigating, just because of the sheer complexity of the diversity of these sorts of compounds and the different distribution of them between different garlic products.”

For Rose and his colleagues, the most interesting aspect of this food-turned-medicine is how its sulfur compounds could affect gaseous signaling molecules such as nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide, which our body naturally produces. These signaling molecules play a vital role in cell communication and maintaining homeostasis. It has been found that altered levels of the molecules are present in many diseases.

Recent research has found a connection between the types of sulfur compounds found in garlic to increased production of gaseous signaling molecules, which could mean that this is the common mechanism through which different sulfur compounds affect our bodies.

“There is a lot of possibility within this area for finding approaches that could reduce the risk of diseases and improve human health, but it all comes back to those fundamental questions of what actually happens to these compounds when we metabolize them,” Rose explains. “There’s a whole spectrum of human work that still needs to be done to further explore some of these weird and wonderful sulfur compounds that we find within our diets.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The complicated truth about using garlic as medicine

Garlic makes food better – that’s just a fact. You...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.seas.harvard.edu/">Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences</a> (SEAS) are describing the dangerous health impacts that could be caused by rising airborne dust levels in the southwestern United States.

“Our results indicate that future droughts driven by climate change could pose a potentially substantial public health burden in the U.S. Southwest," said study first author Pattanun Achakulwisut. “This is a climate penalty that is not yet widely recognized.”

Although there has been extensive research confirming a link between dust particle exposure and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-smoke-dangerous-seniors/">cardiovascular</a> and respiratory issues, the risk of rising airborne dust levels has barely been addressed.

“The U.S. Southwest has been seeing some of the fastest population growth in the U.S., and the area is projected to experience severe and persistent droughts in coming decades due to human-caused climate change,” said co-lead author Susan Anenberg. 

“We know that droughts are associated with increases in exposure to small dust particles (PM2.5) and minerals. These pollutants can penetrate deeply into the lung and are linked to asthma, respiratory inflammation, and cardiovascular mortality, as well an illness known as Valley Fever that is on the rise in the Southwest.”


The team analyzed airborne dust levels and regional drought conditions over the past sixteen years, and then modeled future changes in dust levels based on various climates scenarios through the end of the century. These projections were used to quantify human health impacts.


According to the study, airborne dust levels could rise by 10 to 30 percent, causing premature deaths to increase by 20 to 130 percent. Furthermore, hospitalizations caused by exposure to fine dust could rise by 60 to 300 percent.

“This research highlights the need to better understand both the potential effects climate change will have on dust levels, as well as the specific health impacts of exposure to fine dust in populated, arid regions that may be vulnerable to climate change,” said co-lead author Loretta Mickley. 

“Our results suggest that drought-driven increases in fine dust would pose a substantial public health burden in the U.S. Southwest, especially under the worst-case climate change scenario.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/erl">Environmental Research Letters</a>.

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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

Dust exposure in southwestern U.S. threatens human health

Experts at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering...

Experts at <a href="http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/">St. Michael's Hospital</a> are reporting that one out of every six fatalities among young adults in Ontario is related to opioids. The most dramatic increase in deaths from opioid use was documented among individuals between the ages of 15 and 24.

The study, which also included researchers from the <a href="https://www.ices.on.ca/">Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences</a> (ICES), revealed that the rate of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/opioid-use-falls-older-adults/">opioid</a>-related fatalities nearly tripled between 2000 and 2015. The team found that one in every 133 deaths in Ontario was caused by opioid use in 2015.

Lead author Dr. Tara Gomes is a scientist in St. Michael's <a href="http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/knowledgeinstitute/">Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute</a>. The current study expands on previous research by Dr. Gomes, which found that one in every 170 deaths in Ontario was opioid-related in 2010.

“It is striking to see that despite the efforts put into harm reduction, proper prescribing practices, and education around opioid use, the number of opioid-related deaths continues to rise,” said Dr. Gomes. “The other alarming fact is how this crisis is increasingly impacting our youth and young adults.”

The research was focused on deaths that were caused by prescribed or illicit opioids between 2000 and 2015. In one out of every nine deaths among 15- to 24-year-olds, opioids were determined to be a contributing factor by 2015, compared to one out of every 15 deaths in 2010.

“These shifting patterns show us that we have to better understand the dynamics of drug use in younger populations who are succumbing to opioid-related deaths,” said Dr. Gomes. “We can only truly understand this by talking directly to affected communities to learn what they need to create a safer environment in which to live.”

The researchers determined that a total of 29,410 years of life were lost prematurely due to opioid-related deaths in 2015. 


The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.lww.com/journaladdictionmedicine/pages/default.aspx">Journal of Addiction Medicine</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: 1 out of every 6 deaths in young adults linked to opioids

Experts at St. Michael's Hospital are reporting that one out...

Researchers have estimated the hidden costs and economic toll of skin cancer caused by workplace sun exposure. The study, which was based on newly diagnosed non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) in Canada in 2011, revealed an economic burden totaling $34.6 million Canadian dollars.

The researchers used official government records and health surveys to calculate the costs of individual cases of NMSCs. These numbers represented the lifelong expense of the illness including out-of-pocket costs, the amount of time missed at work, and healthcare costs.

The team analyzed individual cases of the most common types of non-melanoma <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/firefighters-increased-risk-cancer/">skin cancer</a>, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. Each case of basal cell cancer was found to cost $5,760, while squamous cell carcinoma was found to cost $10,555 per case.

In Canada and many other countries with a large population of fair-skinned residents, the most common form of cancer is skin cancer. One out of every ten Canadians works outdoors, and the majority of these workers are exposed to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation for at least six hours a day.

The jobs which were found to carry the most risk were farming, construction, and landscaping. The researchers hope that the results of this study may lead to better policies that will reduce workplace sun exposure in Canada and elsewhere.

Dr. Emile Tompa is a senior scientist at <a href="https://www.iwh.on.ca/">Canada's Institute for Work &amp; Health</a> and the study's principal investigator. 

“The findings suggest that policymakers might give greater priority to reducing sun exposure at work by allocating occupational cancer prevention resources accordingly,” said Dr. Tompa.

“The results can also raise awareness among policymakers, employers, unions and workers about the significant contribution of workplace sun exposure to skin cancers. These groups can now make a strong cost-benefit argument for inexpensive exposure reduction interventions, such as shade structures, hats and loose clothing, sunscreen, and shift scheduling to reduce the amount of time workers spend in the sun.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uoeh20">Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Skin cancer cases in outdoor workers takes an economic toll

Researchers have estimated the hidden costs and economic toll of...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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