Birdwatching was once a quiet, eccentric pastime. Now, it’s a worldwide phenomenon. Travelers go thousands of miles - even to remote places such as the Andes in Colombia - to catch a glimpse of one species. 



In the process, birdwatchers bond with the natural world, interact with fellow travelers, and spend money - lots of it. 



Now, birdwatching is one of the major engines of ecotourism, particularly in the tropics where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/all-birds-one-tree-complete-evolutionary-map-reveals-hidden-links/">bird</a> populations are rich and varied. But according to new research, not every country with rare birds is cashing in on this trend.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birdwatching-as-a-growing-business">Birdwatching as a growing business</h2>



Over the past decade, birdwatching has gone through the roof. Apps such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/machine-learning-may-solve-the-mystery-of-bird-movements/">eBird</a>, which allow users to record sightings, have made birdwatching a worldwide community. They receive millions of checklists from users who record what birds they have spotted and where.



The data is especially valuable for researchers trying to figure out how birdwatching tourism works - and where it’s growing.



A group of scientists from the <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">University of California, Santa Cruz</a> decided to dig into this question. They analyzed eBird records for 155 nations from 2010 to 2022. 



The goal was to learn why birdwatching tourists are drawn to certain places and why others receive more visits than others.



The team started by determining which app users were likely tourists. If a user mostly posted bird sightings in one country but also submitted checklists from others, those other sightings were counted as tourism. 



Next, the researchers built models to analyze which factors were tied to rising tourist activity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-birds-more-tourists">More birds, more tourists?</h2>



You’d think countries with the most birds would attract the most birders. That’s partly true - but it’s not the whole story.



The researchers looked at four main factors to understand what drives birdwatching tourism. First was the total number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-bird-species-face-extinction-risks-in-the-neotropics/">bird species</a> in a country. They also considered the number of small-range species - birds that are found only in a very specific area. 



Beyond <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-biodiversity-crisis-is-actually-worse-than-we-thought/">biodiversity</a>, the team included the Human Development Index, which measures education, health, and income levels. Lastly, they factored in the Global Peace Index, which reflects a country’s overall safety and stability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-factors-influencing-bird-tourism">Factors influencing bird tourism </h2>



The analysis showed that the most important factor wasn’t birds - it was development. A country’s Human Development Index explained 41.4 percent of the variation in bird tourism. 



Species richness came in second at 22.4 percent. Small-range species mattered too, but not as much. Surprisingly, safety had only a minor influence - just 1.4 percent.



That means tourists care more about basic infrastructure and services than they do about peace rankings. They want to go somewhere that’s easy to travel in, not necessarily somewhere that’s totally safe on paper.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-colombia-takes-the-lead">Colombia takes the lead</h2>



One of the biggest winners in the study was Colombia. Since 2010, birding activity in the country has grown 40 times over. 



The country also saw the biggest growth in tourist birdwatching, specifically. Colombia now holds a much bigger slice of the global birding pie than it did a decade ago.



South Africa ranked second in growth overall. Other countries, like Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru, also scored high in both visitation and biodiversity.



But some tropical countries, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, barely saw any growth - even though they have incredible birds.



The gap is especially striking between Colombia and Venezuela. Both have rich bird life and similar development scores, but their tourism outcomes couldn’t be more different.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-working-and-what-isn-t">What’s working - and what isn’t</h2>



Part of Colombia’s success might come down to smart promotion. The country’s tourism agency launched a major campaign to boost birdwatching. 



Meanwhile, places like Costa Rica have spent years building infrastructure - trails, towers, trained guides - and focusing on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/travelers-are-ready-for-more-affordable-eco-friendly-options/">sustainable travel</a>. That kind of investment pays off.



On the other hand, some countries just haven’t built the conditions needed to welcome tourists, even if they have world-class birds. 



The study also suggests other factors might be in play: ease of getting visas, how affordable flights are, how a country is seen politically, and how well-connected it is to major tourist source countries like the U.S.



“Over the years, we’ve seen Colombia really explode as a birdwatching destination, and we often asked ourselves why more countries aren’t similarly recognized as great places for birdwatching,” said Scott Winton, a UC Santa Cruz ecologist and study coauthor.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birdwatching-as-a-business-opportunity">Birdwatching as a business opportunity</h2>



The researchers say there are ways to grow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birdwatching-boosts-alaskas-economy-by-hundreds-of-millions/">birdwatching tourism</a> - especially for countries in the tropics with untapped potential.



One important takeaway: it’s not all or nothing. A nation doesn’t necessarily have to be completely developed or 100% secure to attract birders. What is more important is whether certain areas are perceived as safe, boast trained local guides, and provide minimal amenities.



To get there, governments can facilitate the growth of birding tourism by providing tax incentives or low-interest loans to facilitate the construction of birding trails, canopy towers, and viewing hides. 



Investing in guide training can also go a long way, particularly if locals are equipped with bird identification and customer service knowledge. Preserving bird habitats is important, as ecotourism relies on maintaining these areas intact. 



Furthermore, investing in small, community-based tourism enterprises with incentives for sustainable activities can help make birding tourism more accessible and inclusive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birdwatching-biodiversity-and-income">Birdwatching, biodiversity, and income</h2>



Birdwatching isn’t a shortcut to success. It requires long-term thinking. Natural habitats take years to recover if they’re destroyed, but tourism built around nature can last for generations. Still, it’s not a decision governments should make alone.



“Just as I’ve seen birding tourism change people’s lives in my native Colombia, I hope other tropical countries can come together to conserve and showcase their amazing bird capital,” said Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, the study’s lead author.



Ultimately, local and Indigenous communities should have the final say. When they lead, and when the land is protected, birdwatching can be more than a hobby - it can be a way to protect biodiversity and build lasting income in places that need it most.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70105">People and Nature</a>.



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Birdwatching is big business, but not all countries benefit

Birdwatching was once a quiet, eccentric pastime. Now, it’s a worldwide phenomenon. Travelers go thousands of miles - even to remote places such as the Andes in Colombia - to catch a glimpse of one species. In the process, birdwatchers bond with the natural world, interact with fellow travelers, and spend money - lots of it. Now, birdwatching is one of the major engines of ecotourism, particularly in the tropics where bird populations are rich and varied. But according to new research, not every country with rare...

Among the many disastrous consequences that could arise if climate change continues at its current rate, a new study from the <a href="https://www.umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> reveals that an especially worrisome impact may be on the horizon; the disappearance of our natural sources of maple syrup.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/plants/hybrid-sugar-maple-acer-leucoderme-saccharum-2/">Sugar maples</a> are known for their beautiful fall foliage, as well as being our main source of maple syrup. They also happen to be the dominant tree species in the northern hardwood forests of eastern North America, including in the Great Lakes region. Researchers have recently found that with the forecasts of warmer temperatures and increased likelihood of summer drought in the Upper Great Lakes region, the sugar maples and other trees in that area will be put under a lot of additional stress.

On the flip side, forests around the world will be exposed to rising levels of nitrogen compounds generated by cars, power plants, factories, agriculture, and other human sources. While it’s considered a pollutant, these nitrogen compounds actually have a fertilizing effect on trees, and help promote growth. For years, climate scientists and forest ecologists have wondered whether the fertilizing effects of human-derived nitrogen would be enough to offset the additional stresses of a warmer, drier climate. Previous studies have produced contradictory results.

This new study, published in the journal <a href="http://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1939-9170/">Ecology</a>, uses 20 years of data from four forest sites in both of Michigan’s peninsulas, and ultimately finds that nitrogen from human activities “will not fully compensate for the negative effects of growing under the drier forecasted climates.” As climate change marches on, the authors state that residents of the state should see a decrease in growth of sugar maples. Additionally, it appears that if the more extreme climate predictions hold true, sugar maples will eventually disappear from Michigan’s Lower Peninsula entirely.

“Under extreme climate scenarios, the increase in nitrogen won’t be able to compensate for decreased growth of sugar maples due to lack of water,” says Inés Ibáñez, an associate professor and forest ecologist at the University of Michigan.

Losing these trees would likely be a positive feedback loop, as the world’s forests remove about one-quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels. Fewer trees means more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, further exacerbating the greenhouse gas problem. 

“That’s why these questions about forest growth are so important,” says Donald Zak, a professor at the University of Michigan. “And the only way to get some of the answers is through the type of long-term ecological research used in this study.”

For their study, the researchers analyzed the combined effects of soil moisture, summer temperature, and nitrogen deposition on the growth of sugar maples from four different sites in Michigan. This encompassed records from more than one thousand trees over a period of roughly 20 years. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Maple trees (and syrup) under threat from climate change

Among the many disastrous consequences that could arise if climate...

Are you guilty of micro-cheating? According to psychologist Martin Graff, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-helping-communities-manage-fires/">social media</a> is changing the nature of relationships, and our actions online can be just as damaging as having a physical affair. 

Micro-cheating is a relatively recent concept and attempts to define the lines between being casual and friendly online and pursuing outside romantic interests while in a relationship. 

Examples of micro-cheating include checking up an ex-partner’s Facebook profile, adding them on Snapchat or Instagram, messaging them without your partner’s knowledge, or showing too much interest on social media.

“In terms of the history of human communication and relationships this is all brand new,” Graff told <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/15/micro-cheating-social-media-tearing-couples-apart-scientists/">The Telegraph.</a> “Social media interactions have an inherent ambiguity. Is sending a heart in a Facebook message being unfaithful? Or is it micro-cheating?”

Connecting through social media has never been easier and with the wide range of dating apps available today, the digital age has had a deep and lasting impact on dating and meeting people. 

Micro-cheating is more about being secretive about your online presence than liking someone’s post, although Graff does mention that liking and commenting could affect your relationship. 

For example, putting someone in your phone under a different name or hiding your communication with someone via social media may fall under micro-cheating. 

“Secrecy or covert communications are often, but not always, a sign of micro-cheating,” Graff told <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/15/micro-cheating-social-media-tearing-couples-apart-scientists/">The Telegraph</a>. 

Critics of the term, however, are not convinced. Twitter has sparked much debate on the subject, with some going as far as to say that being wary of who you connect with online constitutes a controlling relationship rather than secretive flirting. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.xom"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Micro-cheating on social media can damage relationships

Are you guilty of micro-cheating? According to psychologist Martin Graff,...

Do you work better alone or in a group? There has been much debate surrounding whether collaboration actually yields better results, or just ends up being too many cooks in the kitchen.

But now, a new study has found that people answer quiz puzzles and questions more accurately in groups than on by themselves.

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University of College of London</a> and published in the journal Nature Human Behavior. 

The study contradicts the popular and scientifically backed theory that solving problems in a group setting doesn’t effectively find a solution as it can cause “herd think.”

“Many previous studies on the wisdom of crowds found that discussing with others could hinder collective wisdom because social influence leads to imitation and the power of the crowd vanishes,” said Dr. Joaquin Nvajas, lead author of the study. 

The research found that working together was actually more effective for problem-solving as group members share ideas, reasoning, and arguments when coming to a common solution. 

The team tested the general knowledge of 5,180 people, including questions ranging from the height of the Eiffel Tower to the number of elevators in the Empire State Building.

For the first part of the study, individuals were asked to answer questions on their own and had a 20 second time limit. Next, people were put into groups of five and were given 1 minute to answer four out of eight questions. 

When placed in groups, incorrect answers were reduced by almost half, 49.2 percent. Errors and wrong answers were fixed or at least closer to the correct answer when people worked together. 

The results show that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-groupthink-actually-productive/">herd-think</a> and crowd mentality may not be as detrimental to problem-solving as previously thought. 

“Our results are in contrast to an extensive literature on herding and dysfunctional group behavior, which exhorts us to remain as independent as possible,” the authors wrote. “Instead, our findings are consistent with research in collaborative learning showing that 'think–pair– share' strategies and peer discussion can increase the understanding of conceptual problems.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Working together yields more accurate results, study finds

Do you work better alone or in a group? There...

When the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés landed in Mexico in 1519, the native population was about 25 million. Just 100 years later, the population had plunged to around 1 million, as a result of war and a number of epidemics.

In 1576, the outbreak of a mysterious disease is estimated to have killed between 7 and 17 million of the Aztec people, effectively destroying the Aztec empire. It was known to the locals as cocoliztli, and presented as red spots on the skin, as well as vomiting and bleeding from various orifices. This epidemic was one of the most deadly in human history, and now scientists may know what caused it.

In a study from the <a href="http://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a> (MPI-SHH), researchers analyzed ancient teeth and found that the collapse of the Aztec civilization may have been due to an epidemic of salmonella – the food poisoning bacteria. Scientists looked at samples of pulp from inside the teeth of skeletons found in an untouched cemetery in Oaxaca, Mexico. Ten of the skeletons whose burials were dated after the Spanish conquest tested positive for salmonella, but none of the five skeletons buried before the conquest tested positive for the bacteria.

These findings make salmonella “a strong candidate” for the cause of the devastating epidemic that wiped out the Aztecs and other civilizations like the Mixtecs. It did so by leading to a condition called enteric fever, which is still the cause of millions of deaths globally. Spread by poor sanitation – and likely brought by the European travelers – this disease causes high fevers, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-dehydration-climate-change/">dehydration</a>, and gastrointestinal complications.

This study is the first example of scientists finding molecular evidence of this bacterium using ancient material from the New World. 

“A key result of this study is that we were successful in recovering information about a microbial infection that was circulating in this population, and we did not need to specify a particular target in advance,” says Alexander Herbig of the MPI-SHH and co-author of the study. 

Not only have we learned more about the history of the people and civilizations that came before us, but this result was achieved through advancing science and technology in our current world.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Salmonella poisoning wiped out the Aztec Empire

When the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés landed in Mexico in...

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced new goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and making New York a global leader in the battle against <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-removed-websites/">climate change.</a>

According to the mayor, New York City will divest five billion dollars of city pension funds from the fossil fuel industry.

“This city is standing up and saying, ‘We’re going to take our own actions to protect our own people,’” the mayor said.

De Blasio also discussed a city lawsuit against five oil companies: Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell.

The who's who of “big oil” are accused of willingly hiding the fact that fossil fuels are a major contributor of global warming and keeping any scientific findings away from the public. 

The lawsuit, which has been compared to similar lawsuits brought against tobacco companies years ago will take time, and there is concern that it is a largely futile endeavor.

The oil companies themselves say that the lawsuit won’t do anything actually to help solve the climate change crisis, but those in favor are more hopeful that it will strike at the heart of the fossil fuel industry. 

New York City is looking for reparations to the tune of billions meant to repay the money spent on damages caused by climate change, such as the flooding from Hurricane Sandy. 

Time will tell if de Blasio will follow through on his plans for combating climate change and if the lawsuits against oil companies will be successful. If the oil companies are asked to shell out money, it could create new, unprecedented demands for renewable energies in the United States. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New York City announces plans to divest from fossil fuels

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced new...

A new study from the UK shows just how influential junk food commercials are on teenagers. 

Teens who regularly watch more than three hours of commercial TV a day are more likely to eat hundreds more junk food snacks per year than those who don’t watch TV or watch TV without commercial breaks. 

The report was conducted by <a href="https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/">Cancer Research UK</a> and is the largest study of its kind examining the impact of commercial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/watching-tv-diminished-mobility/">TV</a> on diet and food preferences. 

The researchers based their results on a <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/">YouGov </a>survey that included responses from 3,348 people in the UK ages 11 through 19. 

Among those surveyed, the teens who regularly streamed TV with commercials were 139 percent more likely drink sugary carbonated beverages and 65 percent more likely to eat pre-packaged, frozen dinners than those who don’t watch as much TV. 

The researchers also found that watching TV without commercials had no impact on junk food preferences. 

These results are especially concerning because high-calorie junk food increases the risk of obesity, and obesity in the UK is the second most preventable cause of cancer after smoking. 

“This is the strongest evidence yet that junk food adverts could increase how much teens choose to eat,” said Dr.  Jyotsna Vohra, a lead author on the study. “We're not claiming that every teenager who watches commercial TV will gorge on junk food, but this research suggests there is a strong association between advertisements and eating habits.” 

One of the problems, according to Dr. Vohra, is the lack of regulations on TV junk food marketing. Vohra suggests limiting exposure to junk food commercials and removing them from programming with a largely younger demographic. 

Limiting exposure could help teenagers who would normally binge on snacks while watching TV cut back on calories and help reduce the risk of obesity. 

“Obese children are five times more likely to remain obese as adults which can increase their risk of cancer later in life,” said Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK's prevention expert. “The food industry will continue to push their products into the minds of teens if they're allowed to do so. The Government needs to work with Ofcom [the UK’s Office of Communications] to protect the health of the next generation.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Watching commercial TV can induce junk food cravings for teens

A new study from the UK shows just how influential...

The One-Straw Revolution isn’t, at face value, a book about what most would consider environmentalism.  However, The One-Straw Revolution through example shows an almost ideal way of living with the land in an environmentally friendly way. 

If you focus on yourself as an individual within a greater community (not only a community of people but of plants, fungi, other animals, etc.) you naturally tend towards an environmentally friendly way of living.  For example, The One-Straw Revolution talks about ‘do nothing’ farming, and initially it seems like this way of farming is for the ease of the farmer.  Do nothing agriculture may be easier than traditional forms of farming but it’s much more than that.  Do nothing agriculture is admitting that natural systems are closer to harmony and balance within a greater ecological community than an agriculture system of a human unilaterally exerting ‘control’.  This way of thinking and living is the epitome of the high tech ways of living we embrace now and more so are developing.  Crops with a host of pesticides, herbicides, artificial fertilizers and automated watering systems now have even their genes edited by human control.

I say all of this to define at the outset of this article what ‘living small’ means to me. Someone can live on 10,000 acres of land and be living smaller than someone living in a 400 square foot apartment with no lawn.  I define living small as a matter of which resources we use but also how we use them and the extent to which others may also use.  

For instance, living on 10,000 acres of undeveloped land allows use by many other organisms than living in a sterile apartment treated for any sort of ‘pests’.  Likewise, ‘do nothing’ farming allows for more use by other organisms of the same land than does traditional or high tech agriculture.  Doing anything always incurs cost.  If you eat, it costs something to the environment; that cost is paid back through waste which may nourish other organisms and inevitably your own body which through decomposition again becomes parts of other organisms.  Doing anything risks damaging the environment or other organisms, the key to less damage is less doing.  This idea is counter intuitive to many westerners, even or perhaps especially those exposed to the hyperactive Teddy Roosevelt school of doing and taking the mistakes as they come.  There have been many mistakes in mainstream conservation when doing nothing was better than doing something.  Examples that spring immediately to mind are Mariana Crows and Kaibab Deer.  

Kaibab deer of the Kaibab Plateau of Arizona are a unique population, wishing for them to be protected the U.S. government initiated an intense management and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/california-water-conservation-benefits/">conservation</a> plan.  Predators of the deer were killed off and hunting of the deer themselves was outlawed.  For a short time the deer population boomed.  After the boom in deer numbers came a hard crash.  Quickly deer numbers grew too large to be supported by the plant life available and the deer in turn starved in masses.  Predators it turns out can in their own way help a prey species or at least keep them from the slow agonizing death of starvation.

The Hawaiian Crow is another example of hubris on the part of those who would protect a wild animal.  Crows were endangered and to learn more and hopefully implement a conservation plan, monitoring ensued.  Cameras were set up at crow nests to record the bird’s behavior on public land.  There was a local rancher who refused to allow research on her land saying the bird is best left alone.  In the end, the rancher was right.  The cameras scared the crows, causing many to abandon their nests due to the noise of the now antiquated recording devices.  The crows left alone on the ranch fared much better in the long run, being more successful in rearing young.  

I believe the two examples along with others can be applied not only to science or environmentalism but to our daily lives.  The more we do, the more unintended consequences we incur.  Part of the problem is thinking deeply about what doing more or less, living bigger or smaller means.  Doing more for yourself and requiring less from businesses, the government or other organizations means doing less.  Living on a hundred acres that you cultivate is living smaller than living in a hundred square foot apartment where you buy all your food from a grocery store.  Likewise, when you do purchase, purchasing truly local items can help, buying not from a local business but a local producer or grower for instance.  

As a rule of thumb, the simpler your lifestyle, the less extravagant and the more you take personal responsibility for all you use, the better.  It’s about being humble and admitting you are part of a greater community as much as it is about self-sufficiency.  Self-sufficiency is really an illusion, you always depend on others: other plants, fungi, animals, people, bacteria, the sun, etc.  Living simply means working with the seasons, with the environment and surrendering a little, not unilaterally imposing your will on everything around you.  It’s about simple observing and just being a part of a whole instead of consuming the whole to merely feed a part.        

--         

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner,</a> <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

What it really means to be living small

The One-Straw Revolution isn’t, at face value, a book about...

According to a survey from the marketing research group <a href="http://www.comresglobal.com/">ComRes</a>, many people who are not <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/religious-beliefs-linked-upbringing/">religious</a> still pray during difficult times. The study has revealed that one in four atheists and agnostics pray on a regular basis in times of personal crisis.

Atheists and agnostics reported that the most common reason for them to pray is during a tragedy, but 25 percent of these individuals admitted to also praying for comfort or simply out of loneliness.

According to the online poll, which was sponsored by the Christian aid agency <a href="https://www.tearfund.org/">Tearfund</a>, over half of the adults in the UK pray on a regular basis. However, only about one third of participants said that they pray in a church.

A 2014 <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/05/04/5-facts-about-prayer/%3famp=1">Pew Research Center</a> survey found similar results, reporting that 55 percent of Americans pray on a daily basis. Even of those respondents who were religiously unaffiliated, 20 percent said that they prayed daily. Most of the American participants said that they relied on prayer when they were making major decisions in their lives.

In the UK survey, individuals were asked what they pray about. Over 70 percent of the participants reported praying for family members, while 40 percent mentioned their friends to God. 

In addition, 40 percent of the UK respondents asked for healing through prayer. Around one-third of the participants said they pray just before going to sleep or first thing in the morning.

A little less than half of the individuals surveyed thought that God actually hears their prayers, while 40 percent of the participants said they believe that prayer can change the world.

Tearfund representative Ruth Valerio told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk">The Guardian</a>, “While it is often easier to pray for issues closer to home, we want to encourage people to continue to engage with global issues and pray for an end to extreme poverty.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Many who are not religious still turn to prayer when in trouble

According to a survey from the marketing research group ComRes,...

Plague, also known as the Black Death or the Bubonic Plague, is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. There have been several major pandemics and outbreaks of the plague, including the Great Plague of 1665 when reportedly 7,000 people a week died in London. 

The Black Death which hit medieval Europe in 1347 saw such rapid mortality rates, sometimes half of a city’s entire population, that mass graves became a necessary way to bury the dead. 

The impacts of the plague are well known, and when determining the cause of the outbreaks, many scientists blamed rats, which carried fleas infected with Yersinia pestis. This theory is so widely held that most people would say with certainty that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rats-major-cities-monitored/">rats</a> caused the spread of the Black Death. 

However, a new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.uio.no/english/">University of Oslo, Norway</a>, found that rats may have been unfairly blamed all these years, and that infection was likely spread by human fleas and lice. 

Many people were infected with fleas and lice, and thanks to close living quarters and sharing beds, the black death could have quickly spread from human to human. 

Frequent bathing was also not as common an activity during the middle ages, at least not by today’s current standards of hygiene. 

For the study, the researchers ran models using both rats and human fleas and lice to see if rates of infection matched the mortality patterns from nine different European plague outbreaks during the Second Pandemic. 

The rat models, even supposing there was one rat for every human at the time, didn’t come close to matching the real spread of infection during the plague. Instead, the human-parasite model came much closer to matching the mortality records of the time. 

This means that as humans were infected with the plague, their fleas and lice would spread to other humans close by, and with them the disease, rather than rats spreading the disease. 

The study could help inform plague research and shed light on just how the plague spread. The Great Plague and Black Death wiped out millions in Europe and with the plague still causing outbreaks today, it’s important to better understand how it spread and what set it apart from plague today. 

“The plague really transformed human history, so it’s really important to understand how it was spreading and why it was spreading so fast,” Katharine Dean, the study’s lead author, told <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/rats-plague-black-death-humans-lice-health-science/">National Geographic. </a>

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Fleas and lice, not rats, were to blame for the Black Death

Plague, also known as the Black Death or the Bubonic...

The <a href="https://www.rand.org/">RAND Corporation</a> is reporting that an increasing amount of disagreement over facts in America has led to political paralysis and a lack of civil engagements to discuss and better resolve issues. The experts say that this phenomenon, known as “Truth Decay,” is characterized by the blurring of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/battling-climate-change-misinformation/">opinions</a> and facts and by the declining trust in formerly respected sources of factual information.

While this type of shift may have occurred previously in the history of the United States, the Truth Decay over the last two decades is intensified by the ways in which Americans now consume information, such as through cable news and social media. The researchers pointed out that political, economic, and social polarization may also be responsible for worsening the conditions of Truth Decay today.

Michael D. Rich is the president and CEO of the nonprofit RAND Corporation and co-author of the study.

“Although we see some evidence that previous eras also experienced a decline in trust in institutions, this trend seems to be more pronounced now than in the past,” said Rich. “Today we see that lack of trust across many more pillars of society - in government, media and financial institutions - and a far lower absolute level of trust in these institutions than before.”

The study has revealed that Truth Decay has many damaging consequences, such as political paralysis and uncertainty in national policy, which also lead to economic costs. For example, the government shutdown of 2013 lasted 16 days and resulted in a $20 billion loss to the United States economy, according to the researchers.

The research team analyzed past eras in American history when similar periods of Truth Decay took place, focusing on events such as the rapid industrialization and economic inequality during the 1880s and 1890s. The experts found that government transparency backed by policy changes and the renewal of responsible journalism were capable of ending most of these tumultuous times.

The RAND researchers will continue to monitor three trends which are related to Truth Decay, including the shifting balance of opinion and objective reporting in journalism, the decline of public trust in major institutions, and initiatives to improve media literacy in light of “fake news.”

"We urge individuals and organizations to join with us in promoting the need for facts, data and analysis in civic and political discourse - and in American public life,” said Rich. “The challenge posed by Truth Decay is great, but the stakes are too high to permit inaction.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The blurring of fact and opinion in America has big consequences

The RAND Corporation is reporting that an increasing amount of...

Life expectancy and mortality rates are improving in the United States, thanks largely in part to decreases in smoking.

However, new research has found that mortality rates are also heavily impacted by a rise in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-junk-food-tax/">obesity</a> over the past several decades, resulting in a reduced rate of improvement in American mortality.

The study was conducted by a trio of researchers from the <a href="https://www.sas.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> and <a href="https://www.bu.edu/">Boston University</a>.

The study examined mortality rates in conjunction with body mass index (BMI) over a person’s lifetime. BMI is a standard measurement of obesity and defines a healthy mass based on both height and weight. 

The researchers found that looking at a person’s lifetime maximum BMI instead of just using a baseline BMI garnered far more accurate results in predicting mortality. 

Data was gathered from the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.htm">National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey</a> from the years 1998 through 1994 and 1999 through 2010, and any mortality files that were linked to the survey. The last survey year used for the study had a group of 25,269 adults ages 40 to 79. 

Results of the analysis showed that mortality was not declining at a fast enough rate to reflect a major shift to non-smoking in the population and this was directly linked to a rise in obesity. 

“We estimated that the impact of rising obesity was about twice as important for mortality trends as the impact of declining smoking,” said Samuel Preston, a member of the research team. “Smoking is such an important variable in mortality analysis, and U.S. mortality is improving faster than it otherwise would because of reductions in smoking, but it's not improving fast enough to offset the effect of obesity."

The results also showed that if obesity rates hadn’t risen, there would be a half percentage point decrease in mortality, and that rising BMI reduced life expectancy by .9 years at age 40. 

Preston and his fellow researchers note that the study highlights the importance of understanding just how mortality rates are impacted by a rise in obesity, and how reversing the rising trend is vital for raising life expectancy in today’s society. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The rise in obesity is holding back U.S. mortality rates

Life expectancy and mortality rates are improving in the United...

Often when we sneeze – especially in public situations – we do our best to contain the sneeze as much as possible. While some of the more common choreography is to direct the sneeze into your upper arm or elbow, sometimes people will attempt to pinch their nose shut while sneezing with their mouth closed. Now, doctors say that the latter strategy could put you in the hospital. 

In the journal <a href="http://casereports.bmj.com/">BMJ Case Reports</a>, doctors describe the case study of a 34-year-old man who ruptured the back of his throat while using this sneezing technique. Spontaneous rupture of the back of the throat is a rare injury, and is usually caused by trauma, vomiting, retching, or heavy coughing. The doctors were surprised to see a sneeze cause this condition, which left the young <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavy-drinking-affects-men/">man</a> in significant pain and barely able to speak or swallow.

After he tried to contain a forceful sneeze by pinching his nose and clamping his mouth shut, the patient found that he had developed a popping sensation in his neck. Shortly after, he found it very painful to swallow and lost his voice. “Halting sneezing via blocking [the] nostrils and mouth is a dangerous maneuver, and should be avoided,” caution the authors.

Upon examination, the doctors hear popping and crackling sounds – known as crepitus – extending from his neck all the way down to his ribcage. This is a sign that air bubbles had found their way into the deep tissue and muscles of the chest. This theory was confirmed using a computed tomography scan.

Due to the risk of serious complications, the patient was admitted to a hospital, where he was fed through a tube and given IV antibiotics until the swelling and pain had subsided. Seven days later, his condition had improved enough to be discharged.

The next time you feel a sneeze coming on, be sure to leave your nose un-pinched, since keeping this force inside could result in perforating your eardrum or even rupture of a cerebral aneurysm – none of which are worth being overly polite with your sneeze.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Holding your nose while sneezing may put you in the hospital

Often when we sneeze – especially in public situations –...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

[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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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