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...

When I was very young, I went on a camping trip with my family and some friends.  We visited an expansive prairie filled ranch of an acquaintance.  The ranch was near Badlands National Park, South Dakota.  In my memory there were piles of fossil bones everywhere.  I collected a tooth that was later identified as a mastodon tooth.  I was mesmerized by the smooth enamel surface, worn on the edge by a live animal chewing.  As a child I imagined I could feel the residual energy of the animal’s life force still inside the fossil.  I would brush my fingers along the varnished surface of bone and imagine the life of an ancient creature.  This feeling and the fascination it spawned lead me down a path that landed me a job working at a museum quality fossil replica studio in western Colorado.

Fossil replication is tedious, exacting.  The basic principle is simple: you make a mold by painting a layer of liquid rubber over a fossil, wait for it to harden and peel it off.  Making the fossil replica then involves pouring liquid epoxy into the rubber and waiting for it to harden, then pulling the replica out of the rubber.  The devil is in the details.  

I remember the delicately curved horns arching over the modestly sized frill of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-fossil-racist-nazi-science/">dinosaur</a> skull.  Diabloceratops was aptly named, looking like a horned demon of mythology.  I’ve spent hours trimming the jagged seam lines on casts of ceratopsian skulls from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  Some of the weirdest, alien looking dinosaurs I’ve worked on in about 8 years in the business have been from Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and it’s really no great surprise.  Grand Staircase-Escalante has long been looked at a great ‘science monument’ a kind of giant, natural lab where everything from wildlife to archaeology is looked at.  Some of the world’s most important dinosaur fossils have been found in Grand Staircase-Escalante.

To learn more about paleontology in Grand Staircase-Escalante, I got in contact with Randall Irmis, Chief Curator and Curator of Paleontology at Natural History Museum of Utah.  Dr. Irmis describes himself as a kid who liked dinosaurs and never grew up, right out of grad school for a PhD in Integrative Biology, he got a job at NHMU.  Randall describes the scientific curiosity that lead him and other researchers to Grand Staircase-Escalante,

 “One of my major field-based projects is in Late Cretaceous rocks in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), where we are documenting ancient ecosystems on land between ~90 and 74 million years ago.  My collaborators and I are interested in why we find so many unique species in GSENM - does it relate to physical barriers, climate, sea level, or a combination of those factors?  Also, what does it tell us about ecosystem evolution in a greenhouse world?”    

Under Trump’s reduced monument(s) the Kaiparowits Plateau will be cut from National Monument status.  The plateau is the recent site of the excavation of a Tyrannosaur skeleton.  Dr. Irmis tells me about working in the National Monument and what could be lost, “Working in GSENM is a truly spectacular experience.  I love the high desert, and the landscape is beautiful, striking, and stark.  The fossils are really quite abundant, beautifully preserved, and few other places in the United States afford the chance to regularly discover so many new species of ancient animals and plants!  The many moments of discovery make working in GSENM so exciting.  It is incredible to excavate and study new species never before known to science, but literally every fossil we excavate is a visceral experience - as you uncover the specimen its remarkable to think you are the first human to ever lay eyes on this bone, shell or leaf, and the first living thing of any kind to see it in 75+ million years…The areas removed from the monument contain fossil bearing rocks from the Triassic Period (252-201 million years ago) and part of the Cretaceous Period (particularly those from 95-80 million years ago). These include fossils that document the beginning of the age of dinosaurs (Triassic), those documenting marine ecosystems of the Western Interior Seaway and a climate change event that caused a mini-mass extinction in the ocean called 'Oceanic Anoxic Event 2' during the Late Cretaceous (~94 million years ago), and important Cretaceous fossils of early mammals from 90-80 million years ago.”       

On one wall in the fossil casting business hangs a poster.  On the poster is a photograph of a dinosaur trackway.  Tracks with three toes lead through sandstone but end at the edge of a body of water.  The poster reads, “The Lost Trackway” and below that, “Lake Powell”.  The poster is a sad nod to the realities of the west and how land is treated here.  Lake Powell of course is the damming of Glen Canyon, a place that has been spoken of by old timers with the same reverence used for Zion or Canyonlands or Arches.  When Glen Canyon Dam was built sacred Native American sites were flooded; the town of Hite, Utah was destroyed in the deluge and people were uprooted.  A giant sandstone arch was covered by Lake Powell.  Lake Powell has more miles of shoreline than the West Coast of the US.  Imagine the things we don’t even know of covered by Lake Powell.  This time, there isn’t a flood threatening, just the slow, steady wave of development.

What we may potentially lose is priceless.  Dr. Irmis makes the scientific importance obvious.  The curiosity that would drive one to spend a life pouring over fossils from this area is palpable, 

“The paleontological resources of GSENM are truly unique and spectacular.  It preserves fossils from the Late Permian (~270 million years ago) all the way to the Late Cretaceous (~66 million years ago), and nearly every geological layer has significant fossils in it.  Particularly notable are the Late Cretaceous deposits from 95-74 million years ago, where we and others have discovered dozens upon dozens of new species of fossil organisms not found anywhere else on Earth.  These new species include plants, clams, snails, fish, amphibians, lizards, turtles, crocodilians, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals - basically the entire spectrum.  Because they are unique to GSENM, they document ancient ecosystems not found anywhere else in the world, and as mentioned above, are critical to understanding how life on earth responds to greenhouse conditions (i.e., globally warm temperatures, high atmospheric CO2, high sea levels, and no polar ice caps).  As such, they're an important study system for where our Earth might be going in the future…

Although there are abundant and important dinosaur footprint fossils from the Early and Middle Jurassic sediments in GSENM (~200-165 million years ago), all the named species based on skeletal material come from the Cretaceous sediments that are between 95-74 million years old.  Over two dozen new species of dinosaurs have been discovered from this time interval, but only about half of those have been formally named and scientifically described because we have so many new species, and it takes a lot of time to do the research.  Its worth noting that we also have discovered from these same rocks many new species of turtles, crocodilans, amphibians, lizards, and mammals that are also unique to GSENM.  During this time GSENM was a sub-tropical environment similar to the bayous of Louisiana today - a broad floodplain crisscrossed by rivers and streams with cypress-like conifers and other lush vegetation.” 

The threat to the one-of-a-kind fossils in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument stands in stark contrast to Trump’s declaration.  In reference to the potential loss of protection on fossil sites of Grand Staircase-Escalante Trump proclaims, “The modified monument boundaries take into account this new information and, as described in more detail below, retain the majority of the high-potential areas for locating new fossil resources that have been identified within the area reserved by Proclamation 6920.”  Really in the end it comes down to: do you really believe this president; or is this just another case of ‘Alternate facts’?

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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

What will be lost as Trump slashes the Grand Staircase-Escalante

When I was very young, I went on a camping...

For the first time in over 50 years, life expectancy in the United States has declined for two consecutive years. Experts from the the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/index.htm">National Center for Health Statistics</a> (NCHS) say the lower life expectancy can be partially attributed to drug overdoses, which rose by 21 percent in 2016.

According to the NCHS, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/big-gaps-life-expectancy/">life expectancy</a> for a baby born in 2016 dropped to 78.6 years, a decline of 0.1 percent. Despite the fact that the death rate slightly decreased overall, mortality increased for younger groups of people between 15 and 44, which lowered the estimated life expectancy at birth.

There was a one-year decline in the life expectancy of Americans in 1993 due to substantial loss of life from AIDS. Experts say that the fact the opioid epidemic has impacted death rates so significantly for a second year in a row suggests that this crisis is worse than America's AIDS epidemic at its peak.

The last time the United States experienced a two-year decline in life expectancy was in 1962 and 1963 when a flu outbreak grew out of control.

Bob Anderson is the chief of the Mortality Statistics Branch of the NCHS, which is part of the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control</a>.

“I think we should take it very seriously,” said Anderson. “If you look at the other developed countries in the world, they’re not seeing this kind of thing. Life expectancy is going up.”

Anderson pointed out that the opioid crisis is particularly troubling, and rates of drug overdoses are still on the rise.

"We have data for almost half of 2017 at this point. It's still quite provisional, but it suggests that we're in for another increase,” said Anderson. "If we're not careful, we could end up with declining life expectancy for three years in a row, which we haven't seen since the Spanish flu, 100 years ago."


In 2016 alone, there were 42,000 opioid-related overdoses, which is a 28 percent increase from 2015. Deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids more than doubled in 2016 compared to the previous year, while heroin and prescription opioid overdose deaths also increased.

The NCHS reports that there were a total of 63,600 drug overdose deaths in 2016, a rate that has nearly tripled since 1999. 

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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

Drug overdose rates drive down life expectancy in the U.S.

For the first time in over 50 years, life expectancy...

A new study has found that rising temperatures will nearly triple the number of migrants applying for asylum in the European Union. If carbon emissions are reduced and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/major-coal-company-climate/">climate change</a> is mitigated, the asylum applications are still projected to rise by at least a quarter by 2100.

"Europe is already conflicted about how many refugees to admit," said study senior author Wolfram Schlenker of <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a>. "Though poorer countries in hotter regions are most vulnerable to climate change, our findings highlight the extent to which countries are interlinked, and Europe will see increasing numbers of desperate people fleeing their home countries."

Schlenker collaborated with study co-author Anouch Missirian, comparing asylum applications to the EU filed from 103 countries between 2000 and 2014. They observed temperature variations in the home countries of the applicants. 

The analysis revealed that the more temperatures in each country's agricultural region deviated from 68 degrees Fahrenheit during growing season, the more likely people were to seek refuge.

Once the researchers accounted for future warming, they found that an increase of average global temperatures of 1.8 °C would cause a 28 percent rise in asylum applications by 2100. The current rate of global warming  would cause a 188 percent increase in applications by the end of the century.

The research adds to a growing collection of evidence that extreme weather changes can destabilize societies, escalate conflict, and force people to leave their home countries. 


Solomon Hsiang, an economics professor at UC Berkeley who was not involved in the research, referred to the study as an "incredibly important" alert. 

"We will need to build new institutions and systems to manage this steady flow of asylum seekers," said Hsiang. “As we have seen from recent experience in Europe, there are tremendous costs, both for refugees and their hosts, when we are caught flat footed. We should plan ahead and prepare." 

Colin Kelley is a climate scientist at Columbia's International Research Institute for Climate and Society.

"It's unclear how much more warming will occur between now and the end of the century, but the study clearly demonstrates just how much climate change acts as a threat multiplier,” said Kelley. “Wealthier countries can expect to feel the direct and indirect effects of weather shocks from man made climate change in poorer, less resilient countries."


The research is published today in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Migration to Europe to drastically increase as global temps rise

A new study has found that rising temperatures will nearly...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> have found that children who eat fish at least once a week sleep better and have higher IQ scores. The investigation revealed that children who ate fish had IQ test scores an average of four points higher than children who did not eat fish regularly.

Previous studies have linked omega-3s to improved intelligence and also to better <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genes-body-stays-sleep/">sleep</a>,but never linked all three together. The current study identifies sleep as a possible mediating pathway that may be the missing link between fish and intelligence.

"This area of research is not well-developed. It's emerging," said study lead author Jianghong Liu. "Here we look at omega-3s coming from our food instead of from supplements."

The study was focused on 541 9- to 11-year-olds in China who reported on how often they consumed fish in the previous month. The participants also completed the Chinese version of an IQ test called the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised.

Next, the children's parents answered questions about sleep quality, including  topics such as sleep duration, night waking, and daytime sleepiness.

Analysis of the results showed that children who reported eating fish weekly scored 4.8 points higher on the IQ tests than those who rarely or never ate fish. Participants who reported eating fish sometimes scored 3.3 points higher on the exams. 

Furthermore, increased fish consumption was linked to fewer sleep disturbances, which is a good indication of overall sleep quality.

"Lack of sleep is associated with antisocial behavior; poor cognition is associated with antisocial behavior," said study co-author Adrian Raine. "We have found that omega-3 supplements reduce antisocial behavior, so it's not too surprising that fish is behind this."

Study co-author Jennifer Pinto-Martin pointed out that this study “adds to the growing body of evidence showing that fish consumption has really positive health benefits and should be something more heavily advertised and promoted.”

Pinto-Martin says that children should be introduced to fish by age two. The researchers also recommend serving fish at least once a week to the whole family.

"Doing that could be a lot easier than nudging children about going to bed," said Raine. "If the fish improves sleep, great. If it also improves cognitive performance - like we've seen here - even better. It's a double hit."

The study is published this week in <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Eating fish leads to better sleep and higher intelligence

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have found that children...

Researchers at the <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/">University of Waterloo</a> are reporting that working class people are better at managing interpersonal relationships than people in the middle class. Despite the fact that education and knowledge are associated with a higher social class, working class people demonstrate more wisdom when it comes to dealing with others.

The research team conducted two studies in which they examined the participants’ ability to reason in interpersonal relationships. The individuals reported on conflicts including those at home and in the workplace.

The first study was an online survey focused on unresolved <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/appearing-stressed-avoid-conflict/">conflicts</a>. The participants recalled and described a recent issue, answering 20 questions including “How much did you try to understand the other person’s viewpoint?” The researchers evaluated which types of reasoning were used by the individuals according to their responses.

For the second study, the team presented the participants with three conflicts published in an advice column. The subjects reported on how they would settle the issue, and their responses were scored based on specific types of wise reasoning.

In both experiments, those participants who were in lower social classes consistently scored higher in wise reasoning than individuals in higher social classes.

The findings of the study suggest that economic hardship leads to superior social skills. According to the experts, working class individuals spend more time considering how their decisions will affect others.

“This is not surprising when we consider our cultural emphasis on intelligence such as IQ, competency to accomplish tasks independently and the focus on self as opposed to the considerations of others, in the reach for success,” said lead author Igor Grossman. “As we continue to focus as a society on independence and entitlement among the middle class, we are also inadvertently eroding wisdom and reasoning in favor of a more self-centered population.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Report: Working class people are smarter in their relationships

Researchers at the University of Waterloo are reporting that working...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> have identified a link between premature death and people who retire early. The association was found to be 20 percent stronger in males.

The experts analyzed birth and death records from the U.S. Census Bureau, accounting for the population of the entire country. This data was compared with social security claims, including the gender and age of retirees and the age of subsequent death.

The study revealed that almost one-third of Americans applied for social security benefits at age 62. The researchers found that this group of early retirees had a noticeable jump in mortality rates.

According to the study authors, the findings of this investigation suggest that premature retirement “may have an immediate, negative impact” on health.

Previous studies have suggested that many people <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/retirement-stress/">retiring</a> before age 65, which is considered early retirement, have health issues which cause them to leave the workplace as early as possible.

The Social Security administration <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/workingpapers/wp93.html">reported</a> that men taking retirement at exactly 62 had a higher death rate than those retiring at age 63, 64, or 65. 

Retiring at exactly age 62 was found to increase the odds of death by 24 percent compared to those men who retired at 64. The report stated, “A group with relatively severe health problems waiting for their 62nd birthday to take benefits could create this result.”

On the other hand, a team of researchers from <a href="http://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> led by Chenkai Wu found that even people who considered themselves to be unhealthy lived longer if they continued working. Their study revealed that adults working one year past the retirement age of 65 reduced their risk of death by 11 percent, regardless of lifestyle, demographic, or health issues.

“It may not apply to everybody, but we think work brings people a lot of economic and social benefits that could impact the length of their lives,” explained Wu.

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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

People who retire later actually live longer

Researchers at Cornell University have identified a link between premature...

One of the most important rules for pet owners is keeping chocolate away from dogs. Chocolate has long been known to be toxic to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-understand-humans-better/">dogs</a>, causing vomiting, increased heart rate, seizures, and even death.

The reason chocolate is so harmful to dogs is that it contains theobromine, a caffeine-like substance that is easily metabolized by humans but not dogs. 

Different types of chocolate have varying quantities of theobromine, and typically the darker and less refined the cocoa, the more toxic the product. Baking chocolate is the worst kind of chocolate for dogs to consume. 

A new study, conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/">University of Liverpool</a>, found that the holidays cause an increased risk of chocolate poisoning in dogs because there’s typically much more chocolate left out in the house.

This is the first study to analyze veterinary records to find patterns of heightened cases of toxicity during holidays like Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day and Halloween, when chocolate is readily available. 

The researchers found that Christmas, followed by Easter, were the worst times for dogs regarding the risk of toxicity. 

For the study, the researchers examined records from 229 veterinary practices between 2012 and 2017, specifically focusing on cases that dealt with chocolate poisoning during the common chocolate heavy holidays. 

All in all, the researchers had data from 386 cases involving 375 individual animals. 

One in four of the cases occurred an hour after eating the chocolate, while over 50 percent of the cases were brought to the vet within six hours of chocolate consumption. 

The symptoms reported in the cases were typical with chocolate toxicity, but none of the cases were severely life-threatening. 

The researchers found that access to chocolate was four times more likely for dogs during Christmas and twice as likely during Easter. Interestingly, there were no increased cases during Valentine’s day or Halloween. 

“Here we describe significant peaks of chocolate intoxication, most notably at Christmas and to a lesser extent Easter presumably reflecting the enhanced availability of seasonally-related chocolate such as Easter-eggs, chocolate Santa Claus figurines and Christmas tree decorations, possibly in the hands of younger members of society,” said the authors in their study. 

You should keep chocolate away from your pets all year long, but this study shows that it’s important to be extra aware of chocolate in the house during the December holidays.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dogs are most at risk of chocolate poisoning around Christmas

One of the most important rules for pet owners is...

A new study has found that the optimal time to learn a new skill is between the ages of 17 and 20, due to increased activity in the striatum part of the brain. 

The striatum has also been linked to risk-taking in teens, but the new study also finds that increased activity in this part of the brain also equates to being more responsive to feedback when learning a new task or skillset. 

The research was conducted by scientists from<a href="https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en"> Leiden University</a>, who found that adolescence marks the perfect period for social cognition and brain development, along with an enhanced time for feedback learning. 

For the study, the researchers asked 230 participants, aged 8 to 25, to undergo a feedback-learning task. 

A feedback learning-task means that as the participants completed the task, positive feedback was given to those who performed the task well. 

As the study participants performed the task, they were also being monitored via MRI imaging so the researchers could examine brain activity. 

The MRI scans showed increased activity in the striatum, responding strongly to the positive feedback. This response was at its peak for the participants ages 17-20. 

The researchers also found that the more responsive the striatum was to feedback, the more likely it was the individual would have better learning performances as the years went on. 

“The results presented here show that striatal activity indicating heightened sensitivity to learning signals peaks in late adolescence, and that enhanced striatal activity can predict better current and future learning performance,” the study authors wrote.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-behavior-teens/">Teenagers</a> typically have a bad reputation for being moody and reckless, but as it turns out, if you use those years wisely, they can be among the most productive in your lifetime.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The best time of life to learn a new skill

A new study has found that the optimal time to...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/">Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health</a> have revealed that a diet high in tomatoes and fruit can slow down the natural decline in lung function. This suggests that certain elements of these foods, particularly tomatoes and apples, may promote the restoration of lung damage from smoking.

The investigation is part of the Ageing Lungs in European Cohorts (ALEC) Study, which is funded by the European Commission. Vanessa Garcia-Larsen is an assistant professor in the Bloomberg School's Department of International Health and the study's lead author. 

"This study shows that diet might help repair lung damage in people who have stopped smoking. It also suggests that a diet rich in fruits can slow down the lung's natural aging process even if you have never smoked," said Garcia-Larsen. “The findings support the need for dietary recommendations, especially for people at risk of developing respiratory diseases such as COPD."

The experts found that adults who consumed at least two <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetic-research-tomatoes-production/">tomatoes</a> or three portions of fresh fruit per day showed a slower decline in lung function than individuals who ate less than one tomato or one portion of fruit. The protective effects were only observed in fresh fruits and tomatoes, and not in processed foods such as tomato sauce.

The research team also found a slower decline in lung function among all adults with the highest tomato consumption, including those who didn't smoke.

For their investigation, the researchers analyzed the lung function of over 650 adults in 2002, and repeated the same tests in 2012. The link between stronger lung function and diet was particularly prevalent in former smokers. Ex-smokers who ate a diet high in tomatoes and fruits had around 80 ml slower decline over the ten-year period of observation.

"Lung function starts to decline at around age 30 at variable speed depending on the general and specific health of individuals," said Garcia-Larsen. "Our study suggests that eating more fruits on a regular basis can help attenuate the decline as people age, and might even help repair damage caused by smoking. Diet could become one way of combating rising diagnosis of COPD around the world."

The study is published in the <a href="http://erj.ersjournals.com/">European Respiratory Journal</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tomatoes and fresh fruit help improve lungs of ex-smokers

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health...

Depending on who you ask, marriage can be the best thing that ever happened to you, or a living nightmare, but often, a little bit of both. Recent research has found that millennials are waiting longer to get married, if at all, and the old-fashioned notion of marrying right after college is no longer necessarily the norm.

These days, fewer younger people are getting married as a means of solving their problems. But can marriage help your overall level of contentment later in life?

According to a new study, getting married to your best friend may be an effective method to counter mid-life dissatisfaction. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://economics.ubc.ca/">Vancouver School of Economics</a> found that marriage can increase happiness and even double contentment, and this was especially true for middle-aged couples. 

For the study, the researchers examined data from two surveys, the British Household Panel Survey and the United Kingdom's Annual Population Survey from 2011 to 2013. 

The British Household Panel Survey included 30,000 people from 1991 to 2009, and the Population survey had over 300,000 responders. 

The researchers wanted to measure if marriage affected happiness overall, or if single people reported higher levels of satisfaction and contentment.

According to the results, married people were more satisfied in life than singles, which included couples who were living together but not technically married. 

This new study shows that despite the rates of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/divorce-genetic/">divorce</a>, marriage can increase happiness and contentment, particularly for middle-aged couples with partners they claim are their best friend. 

“The well-being benefits of marriage are much greater for those who also regard their spouse as their best friend,” said John Helliwell. Helliwell is the co-author of the study. 

“These benefits are on average about twice as large for people whose spouse is also their best friend.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Marriage increases happiness later in life, study finds

Depending on who you ask, marriage can be the best...

Although dog treats are the fastest growing segment of the pet food industry, very little is known about their nutritional value and their impact on a dog’s diet, health, and wellness. 

Currently, European regulation states that dog treats should be labeled as “complementary feed” and establishes rules for labeling to give consumers the necessary information. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) guidelines also state the daily treat intake should not be greater than 10% of a dog’s energy needs – known as maintenance energy requirement (MER).

However, recent research published in the <a href="http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/">Vet Record</a> finds that most dog treats on the market contain a wide range of unidentified ingredients – including sugars – and often exceed the recommended daily energy allowance for treats.

For this study, researcher Giada Morelli of the <a href="http://www.unipd.it/en/">University of Padua</a> in Italy looked to compare the nutrient composition of different categories of treats and determine whether daily intake recommendations on their labeling were in accordance with WSAVA guidelines. Taking 32 popular dog treats found in pet shops and supermarkets, Morelli and colleagues analyzed the products for levels of minerals, starch, simple sugars, and the amino acid hydroxyproline. 

The results showed that over three-quarters (76%) of treats contained between four and nine ingredients, and these ingredients were not precisely described on the label. Out of six categories of different treat types, only the instructions for dental sticks remained below 10% MER for every dog size. Biscuits were found to be the most calorically dense treat, while dental sticks were the least.

This study is the first to investigate and categorize dog treats to determine their nutrient profile. Although the authors note some study limitations, like the small number of treats that were analyzed in each category, they maintain that these findings suggest that treat labeling needs to include more information on the ingredients present. If these instructions are more closely followed, it could help prevent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-understand-humans-better/">dogs</a> from becoming overweight and at increased risk of conditions such as diabetes.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Poor labeling on dog treats may put your pet at risk

Although dog treats are the fastest growing segment of the...

It’s becoming more common these days for people to turn to improved nutrition as a way to better their health, rather than relying on simply taking handfuls of pills as they age. A healthier diet can increase your energy as well as help you lose weight, and now scientists say that it could slow the rate of brain aging.

According to a recent study published in <a href="http://www.neurology.org/">Neurology</a>, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, eating roughly one serving per day of green, leafy vegetables may improve your memory and thinking skills.

The study included 960 people with an average age of 81 who did not have dementia and were observed for an average of 4.7 years. The participants had their thinking and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blueberry-vinegar-battle-dementia/">memory</a> skills tested on a yearly basis, and filled out a questionnaire about how often they ate certain foods. The questionnaire asked them how many servings they ate per day of three vegetables: spinach, kale, and collards. 

The participants’ scores on the thinking and memory tests declined over time at a rate of 0.08 standardized units per year. However, the rate of decline for those who ate the most leafy greens was slower by 0.05 standardized units per years compared to those who ate the least. This difference is equivalent to being 11 years younger in age.

These results still hold true when factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, education level, and amount of physical and cognitive activity are taken into account. However, the authors do note that this study does not prove that eating leafy green vegetables slows brain aging, it only shows that there is an association. Nevertheless, unless you’re deathly allergic to spinach, kale, or collards, it won’t hurt to have more of those leafy greens in your diet.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Increasing your salad intake may keep your brain young

It’s becoming more common these days for people to turn...

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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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