The genome of life is vanishing faster than we can understand it. Species are going extinct, ecosystems are breaking down, and climate change is making everything more unstable. 



At the same time, science is finally catching up with a bold idea: if we can read the DNA of life - every plant, animal, fungus, and more - we can help protect it. 



That’s the massive mission behind the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/butterfly-genome-has-barely-changed-after-250-million-years-of-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth BioGenome Project</a> (EBP), a global effort to sequence the DNA of every known eukaryotic species on the planet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-reference-for-life-itself">A reference for life itself</h2>



In simple terms, eukaryotes are the organisms that have complex cells, like humans, trees, and mushrooms. 



There are about 1.67 million named species, and EBP wants to map the genome of each one. That means building a massive, digital <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cracking-the-code-of-life-the-secret-language-of-dna/">DNA</a> library - a reference for life itself. 



This isn’t just for the sake of curiosity. Knowing the genetic makeup of different species can help with medicine, food security, environmental protection, and even pandemic prevention.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-powering-up-the-genome-project">Powering up the genome project</h2>



The EBP started sequencing genomes in 2020. Since then, it’s picked up speed. Today, the project is moving 10 times faster than when it began, thanks to better technology and new tools like portable “pop-up” labs that can work even in remote regions.



“As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-biodiversity-crisis-is-actually-worse-than-we-thought/">biodiversity</a> loss gathers pace, so must our work,” said Professor Harris Lewin at <a href="https://www.asu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arizona State University</a>. “Our growing digital ‘genome ark’ is shifting what’s possible in genomics from isolated, expensive sequencing efforts to a global, scalable, and inclusive enterprise.”



The project isn’t just about science - it’s also about making sure the work benefits everyone, especially communities in biodiversity-rich but often overlooked areas, like parts of South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. 



That includes giving local and Indigenous researchers the tools they need to do world-class genomic science right where they live.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-a-digital-tree-of-life">Building a digital tree of life</h2>



By the end of 2024, researchers in the network had published 1,667 genomes, representing over 500 eukaryotic families. Another 1,798 genomes were submitted that meet EBP’s standards. That brings the total to 3,465 species already sequenced and cataloged.



These genomes have helped explain how some <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genomics-can-help-farm-animals-adapt-to-climate-change/">animals adapt</a> to extreme environments, like the Svalbard reindeer in the Arctic. They’ve also shown how chromosomes have changed over time in butterflies and moths. 



Furthermore, the genomes are helping to improve tools like environmental DNA, or eDNA, which can identify species just from the traces they leave behind in water, soil, or air.



“We have laid the roots to build our digital ‘tree of life’ - and our early outputs are already reshaping what we know about evolution, ecosystem function, and biodiversity,” said Professor Mark Blaxter at the UK’s Wellcome Sanger Institute.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-next-big-challenge">The next big challenge</h2>



Now, EBP is entering the second of three phases. Phase II is much more ambitious. The goal is to sequence 150,000 species over the next four years. That’s half of all known genera. 



The focus of this phase will be on species that matter most for ecosystems, food, disease prevention, and cultural and community needs.



That also means collecting 300,000 biological samples. To hit these targets, the project will need to sequence 3,000 genomes a month. That’s more than 10 times the current rate. But the tech is getting better - and cheaper. Genome sequencing costs have dropped eightfold in just a few years.



“It’s a biological moonshot in terms of the scale of ambition. As species vanish and ecosystems degrade, we aim to capture and preserve the biological blueprint of life on Earth for future generations,” said Professor Blaxter. 



“Understanding the origins and evolution of life on Earth is a human pursuit equivalent to understanding the origins and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/evolution-is-not-as-random-as-we-thought/">evolution</a> of the universe.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genome-labs-in-a-box">Genome labs in a box</h2>



One of the biggest challenges is getting high-quality samples from hard-to-reach places. The EBP wants to solve that with a simple idea: genome labs in a box. 



These pop-up sequencing labs, called gBoxes, fit inside shipping containers and can go almost anywhere. Once there, they give local scientists the power to process and analyze DNA on site - without having to ship samples around the world.



“Chile is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots with many endemic species, but these are under threat,” said Professor Juliana Vianna from the <a href="https://www.internationalgenome.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1,000 Genomes Project</a>. 



“In addition, our species are often studied only after samples are exported. With gBoxes, we can change that. Local teams can generate the data here, in context, and immediately connect it to the conservation and sustainable management challenges we face on the ground.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-developing-novel-solutions">Developing novel solutions</h2>



“Biodiversity scientists in low and lower middle-income countries confront daily the great irony of our species and our planet: that the lion’s share of funding and infrastructure for genomics is located at higher latitudes while the great bulk of biodiversity is found in the tropics,” said Dr. Andrew J Crawford from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. 



He noted that the gBox would allow any nation on the globe to make its own choices, empower the next generation of researchers in biotech and computational biology, and impact national economies by asking novel questions and developing creative solutions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-huge-genome-project-mission">A huge genome project mission</h2>



Since it started, EBP has built a strong foundation. It created international standards, set up a network of affiliated projects, and reached many of its Phase I goals. Now it’s aiming even higher.



The price tag for Phase II is $1.1 billion. That includes $0.5 billion for a Foundational Impact Fund to support training, infrastructure, and applied research in the Global South.



Sequencing the full 1.67 million named eukaryotic species over 10 years would cost around $4.42 billion. For perspective, that’s less than what it cost to sequence the first human genome or to build the James Webb Space Telescope.



The scientists behind the project say that’s a fair price for what it could deliver - a complete digital record of Earth’s genetic diversity.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/science/articles/10.3389/fsci.2025.1514835/full">Frontiers in Science</a>.



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Preserving Earth’s genetic future before it’s too late

The genome of life is vanishing faster than we can understand it. Species are going extinct, ecosystems are breaking down, and climate change is making everything more unstable. At the same time, science is finally catching up with a bold idea: if we can read the DNA of life - every plant, animal, fungus, and more - we can help protect it. That’s the massive mission behind the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), a global effort to sequence the DNA of every known eukaryotic species on the planet....

According to a new study, shallow lakes and ponds are potential hotspots for increased methane emissions that could contribute to global warming.

Shallow waters contain pockets of methane, typically absorbed by the plants in the water’s ecosystem. However, as lakes warm and more plants die off, the trapped pockets of methane will bubble up in a process called ebullition. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/clams-worms-high-methane/">Methane</a> has 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, so as more methane bubbles up and is emitted into the atmosphere, the greater the greenhouse effect will be. 

The new study, conducted by researchers from <a href="http://www.au.dk/en/">Aarhus University</a> in Denmark, describes the “synergistic” relationship between methane bubbles in lakes, warming temperatures, and eutrophication. 

Eutrophication occurs when a large number of nutrients, often from fertilizer runoff, enrich bodies of water and increase phytoplankton while starving out other plants.

The results of the study show how important it is to implement strategies to mitigate methane emissions from shallow waters. 

The researchers used a mesocosm experiment to examine the impact that warming and eutrophication would have on methane bubbling. A mesocosm is any controlled outdoor experiment that studies how climate and other conditions affect water and natural environments. 

Both an increase in nutrients and warming temperatures were found to be the main drivers of methane bubbling and methane emissions. 

The researchers also found that warming temperatures alone increased methane emissions by 50 percent in shallow lakes, but combined with eutrophication, emissions rose to 95 percent. 

Plants had a significant effect on keeping methane emissions in check, which was canceled out by the biodiversity loss that happens with eutrophication. 

The study shows how vital plants are in mitigating methane emissions in lakes and ponds, and the research could help pave the way for management strategies that reduce nutrient runoff from fertilizer to keep biodiversity intact. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Ben Goldsmith

Warmer temps and nutrients could increase lake methane emissions

According to a new study, shallow lakes and ponds are...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/">Howard Hughes Medical Institute</a> have developed a synthetic version of the plant hormone auxin that could reveal a lot about the growth and development of plants. The tool may also have revolutionary agricultural applications, such as helping to find faster ways to ripen fruit.

Auxin performs an incredibly wide range of jobs in plants, such as helping roots grow downward. Furthermore, every cell in a plant can both produce and detect auxin, which makes it a challenge to identify all of the roles that this hormone plays.

“It's been a huge mystery as to how such a simple molecule can do so many different things,” said lead author Keiko Torii.

The research team set out to find a new way of examining plant response to auxin by developing a lab-made version of the hormone that they could control. The researchers added hydrocarbon rings to the structure of auxin and modified the auxin receptor in plants. Testing showed that the synthetic auxin and synthetic receptor worked just as well together as a natural pair.

Using their system, the team set out to identify the exact receptor in germinating seedlings that detects auxin and allows for rapid growth. The researchers developed a plant that lacked an auxin receptor called TIR1 and was equipped with a synthetic receptor substitute. 

When the seedlings were exposed to artificial auxin, they behaved exactly as if the hormone was the natural version, suggesting that the TIR1 receptor is responsible for seed elongation.

Torii explained that other essential plant biology questions can be answered using this system, such as the role auxin plays in opening a plant's stomata and in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prehistoric-people-southwest-corn/">corn</a> ripening.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nchembio">Nature Chemical Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hormone made in the lab could unlock mysteries of how plants grow

Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have developed a...

<a href="http://journeynorth.org/">Journey North</a> – a powerful tool for wildlife biologists, climate scientists, teachers and volunteers – grew out of one woman’s exploration of how the internet could be used to collect and store data.

The citizen science program has been helping researchers and volunteers of all ages track seasonal migration since it was founded by Elizabeth Howard in 1994. But while Howard expected the project to be popular, she never thought it would take off the way it has in the 25 years since.

“Because it was such an early project, there was no vision to see where it might go, because there was nothing out there to compare it to,” she said in a phone interview.

Back then, the web was in its infancy, but Journey North took advantage of the new technology. It’s grown as that tech has, too, with each successive website renovation making it easier for scientists, educators and volunteers to enter and access data.

Journey North was always intended to be accessible to the public. 

“It’s a very easy entry point,” Howard said. “It’s designed to be simple, with easy-to-recognize species and a minimum investment of time.”

The project tracks several different migratory wildlife species along with plant growth, ice melt and other signs of spring. By bringing in citizen scientists and classrooms all over the world, it creates a huge pool of data for professionals. 

At the same time, the volunteers who enter their own data can see how it fits into the bigger picture.

Journey North leads several projects that rely on citizen science:
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Each spring and fall, volunteers report sightings of monarch butterflies, larvae, eggs, and the growth of the milkweed the delicate insects feed on.</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Citizen scientists also follow hummingbird migrations, reporting on where the tiny avians appear and which local plants they feed on. American robins, orioles, barn swallows, bald eagles and other birds are the subjects of additional tracking projects.</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Classrooms and gardeners all over the world create tulip test gardens each winter, waiting each spring for green sprouts and bright red flowers to appear, along with carefully monitoring the weather. The project lets participants and scientists track the onset of spring.</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Volunteers can also choose to record sunrise, sunset and signs of seasonal change on the 20th of each month. </li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">For the Leaf-Out project, citizen scientists “adopt” a local tree from a list of specific species, then report when leaves reach a certain size each spring.</li>
</ul>
The projects are designed so that budding scientists of all ages – even those with no scientific background – can participate and help professional scientists track the changing of the seasons. 

And that’s one of the major goals of Journey North. 
<h3>Fitting into the classroom</h3>
Some collaborative scientific projects can require a lot of background knowledge and effort, Howard said. That can make them seem overwhelming or even exclusive to people who want to help, but aren’t sure how. 

Journey North aims to make room for everyone who wants to be involved – from kindergarten classrooms to working adults or retirees who just want to contribute. 

“That’s something that we really put a lot of effort into,” Howard said.

It shows, in that a lot of volunteers with Journey North go on to join more complex projects.

There’s a special focus on classroom education, and that’s by design, too. Journey North is funded by <a href="https://www.learner.org/">Annenberg Learner</a>, a division of the <a href="https://www.annenberg.org/">Annenberg Foundation</a> that encourages teacher development and classroom excellence. 

Journey North’s projects give students a hands-on look at how science works in the world around them. Students learn to observe the natural world – drawing tulips and leaves, recording temperature measurements, looking for and counting birds and butterflies, and other basics of scientific observation. 

Then, when they’ve entered their data, they can see how it connects to their local ecosystem. The patterns they spot in the worldwide data can show them how their neighborhood fits into the bigger picture.

“It’s real-time, it’s real-life, it’s real science. You’ve got things that are happening that are literally outside your back door, yet you can see how you’re connected to the larger ecosystem,” Howard said.

The reporting standards for each project are deliberately kept simple. 

For example, Leaf-Out asks citizen scientists to observe and record buds on their chosen tree, and to report to the website once those leaves have reached the size of a U.S. or Canadian quarter. 

The springtime Monarch Butterflies project has volunteers record the first adult butterfly, first egg, first caterpillar and first milkweed sprout they see that season. (The project also operates in the fall.)

The website provides access to all that submitted data, with tools that help teachers interpret it, such as interactive maps or printable journal pages to keep track of lessons.

While these contributions seem simple, Howard said, in reality they create a massive collection of data that professional scientists couldn’t gather on their own.

The monarch project is a great example. Because of how the butterflies migrate, their feeding and breeding habits, and their short lifespan, they provide a unique glimpse into how environmental changes can affect an entire species.

“For about four weeks in the spring, monarchs have only got about four weeks to live,” Howard said.

During this four-week migration, even small changes have have a massive effect on the butterflies’ population.  

One example came in 2012, when the monarch migration period was unseasonably warm. Milkweed grew 600 miles farther north than it usually does, and the butterflies followed it. With the sightings mapped, scientists could look at weather data to see how the warmer temperatures drew the monarchs so far afield.

Other weather patterns have affected the butterflies, but sometimes there’s no one to record them, and data is lost. Citizen scientists help to fill in those gaps, saving the professionals time and gathering data they would otherwise miss out on. All this data is used by scientists to help guide conservation priorities.

And that’s another way teachers can use the projects to teach their students about the real-world applications of science. 

Kids can see how the data they’ve helped to collect goes into guiding local and state regulations, or efforts by scientific and conservation organizations to protect and restore wildlife habitat.
<h3>How Journey North helps professional scientists</h3>
“Much of what has been learned about the monarch butterfly and its migration is the result of citizen science projects,” the <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/Monarch_Butterfly/citizenscience/">U.S. Forest Service</a> writes on its website, citing Journey North and several other monarch-watching projects. 

The research conducted by Journey North’s enormous team of citizen scientists on monarch butterflies has been cited by the <a href="https://weather.com/science/nature/news/2017-10-28-monarch-butterflies-migration-south-canada">Weather Channel</a>, the <a href="http://blogs.edf.org/growingreturns/2017/08/04/midwest-farmers-ranchers-monarch-butterfly/">Environmental Defense Fund</a> and newspapers all over the U.S. and beyond.

The program works with other citizen science groups as well as professional biologists, climatologists and other researchers.

Over 25 years, Journey North has collected a wealth of scientific data that serves as a piece of a much larger puzzle, along with data collected by other volunteer groups and professional research teams. 

Of course, all of that data doesn’t provide easy answers. It still has to be interpreted and analyzed by scientists, and looked at alongside other datasets for a larger picture.

Because the site focuses on spring and fall migrations, spotting patterns becomes a little tricky. Spring is a dynamic time of year when unexpected things can happen, Howard said.

“It’s always so hard to tease out what is a long-term climate change, versus what is a seasonal change,” she said.

Sometimes, population changes in the species Journey North tracks can be traced to a loss of habitat or food sources. Other times, it’s not so simple. A few years ago, a storm during their migration apparently wiped out a huge chunk of the monarch population, but it was one of those events that wasn’t recorded in the data.

Still, over more than two decades, some patterns begin to emerge.

“We see very clearly how a warm spring or a cold spring effects these migration,” Howard said. 

While the program hasn’t been collecting data long enough to confirm changing climate trends, the maps and numbers collected by citizen scientists can provide insight into how a trend of warmer or colder springs could affect migratory species.

So will Journey North be adding new projects in the future? Probably not anytime soon, Howard said.

“I think we’re good for right now. It’s important to focus on the ones that we [have],” she said. “We’ve done a lot of trial and error over the past 25 years and we kind of know what works.”

They’d rather provide a rich, excellent source of data on a few innovative projects than lose focus and sacrifice quality. 

“Plus it’s really fun to compare one year to the next. That’s where half the interest comes from,” she said.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: Elizabeth Howard, Journey North

Journey North turns everyday people of all ages into citizen scientists

Journey North – a powerful tool for wildlife biologists, climate...

Researchers from <a href="http://www.sfsu.edu/">San Francisco State University</a> set out to determine how flowering plants have evolved to become the most dominant plants on the planet. They found that smaller genetic material is what has allowed angiosperm populations to explode.

The study authors wrote: “The angiosperms, commonly referred to as flowering plants, are the dominant plants in most terrestrial ecosystems, but how they came to be so successful is considered one of the most profound mysteries in evolutionary biology.”

Prior to 150 million years ago, Earth was covered with ferns and conifers. When flowering plants appeared, they emerged with bright colors and quickly spread across the globe. Angiosperms are now the most diverse plant in existence, with hundreds of thousands of species.

The researchers focused their analysis on data from the Royal Botanic Gardens to determine if the size of a plants’ genome may have some influence on its progress. They compared the genome sizes of hundreds of plants, and then compared these sizes with other biological features.

The study revealed that the rapid advancement of angiosperms is most likely due to something that the experts referred to as “genome downsizing.” When the size of the genetic material contained within the nucleus of the cells is shrunk down, plants can build smaller cells. 

As a result, the plants can take in more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/robots-phytoplankton-absorb-co2/">carbon dioxide</a> from photosynthesis and increase the amount of pores and veins in their leaves, making them more productive.

“Genome downsizing occurred only among the angiosperms, and we propose that it was a necessary prerequisite for rapid growth rates among land plants,” said the researchers.

“The flowering plants are the most important group of plants on Earth and now we finally know why they have been so successful.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLOS Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How flowering plants became so dominant on Earth

Researchers from San Francisco State University set out to determine...

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

Maple trees (and syrup) under threat from climate change

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

Researchers have found that climate change not only affects the biodiversity of plants, but also alters the way that plants grow. The team has identified a mechanism that controls plant growth at high temperatures, a discovery which may help to breed plants capable of withstanding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-widespread-aridification/">global warming</a>.


Plants are very sensitive to changes in their environment such as fluctuating temperatures, and they cannot simply relocate when faced with these challenges. Professor Marcel Quint is an agricultural scientist at <a href="http://www.uni-halle.de/?lang=en">Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg</a> and co-author of the study.

“When temperatures rise, plants grow taller in order to cool themselves off,” said Professor Quint. “Their stalks become taller and their leaves become narrower and grow farther apart. Yet this makes the plant more unstable overall.”

During grain harvesting, for example, unstable plants bend faster in the rain and generally produce less biomass. Furthermore, the plants lose key substances, such as proteins.

“While the correlation between temperature and plant growth at the macro level is relatively well understood, there are still many open questions at the molecular level,” explained Professor Quint. “We are just starting to understand how plants detect the changes in temperature and translate this into specific reactions.”

Previous research has demonstrated that the protein PIF4 directly controls plant growth and that this protein is also dependent on temperature. PIF4 is less active when it is cold and the plant does not grow. When the temperatures are warmer, PIF4 activates growth-promoting genes and the plant grows taller. 

“Up until now it had been unclear how the plant knows when to activate PIF4 and how much should be released,” said Professor Quint. “There were large gaps in our knowledge about the exact signalling pathway of temperature-controlled growth.”

While investigating the growth behavior of seedlings of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the scientists identified plants with a gene defect which only formed short stems even at 82.4 degrees. The team searched for possible reasons for this lack of growth.

The experts discovered a hormone that activates the PIF4 gene at high temperatures, thus producing the protein. 

“We have now discovered the role of this special hormone in the signalling pathway and have found a mechanism through which the growth process is positively regulated at higher temperatures,” explained Professor Quint. 

The findings of the study, which is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>, may lead to the creation of plants that can remain stable despite global warming and will still produce sufficient yields.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global warming is changing the way plants grow

Researchers have found that climate change not only affects the...

A team of Nobel-Prize-winning researchers previously demonstrated that fruit flies have an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biological-clock-fight-cancer/">internal clock</a> built by a set of cellular proteins with levels that fluctuate in 24-hour cycles. These oscillations explain how organisms have adapted their biological rhythms so that they sync with the Earth’s revolutions.

The first evidence of a circadian rhythm in living organisms was observed in plants hundreds of years ago. In 1729, the French astronomer Jean Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan noted that the leaves of mimosa plants closed at night and opened during the day even when they were placed in the dark with no light to signal them.

Today, molecular biologists often use the Arabidopsis thaliana as a model, which lengthens its stem just before dawn during the shorter days of wintertime. 

Recent studies have shown that this lengthening of the stem is controlled by PIF proteins in young plants. While light promotes the deterioration of PIF proteins during the day, nighttime conditions promote the accumulation of PIF proteins inside the cell and stimulate the plant stem growth just before dawn.

A research team led by Elena Monte at the <a href="https://www.cragenomica.es/">Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics</a> set out to determine why the young plant grows only before dawn and not throughout the entire night. The results of the study showed that an internal clock protein acts as a gate during the night, allowing PIF proteins to only act as the night draws to an end.

The team ultimately demonstrated that other components of the same internal clock protein family act sequentially during the day and most of the night to suppress the action of the PIF proteins.

Just as another team of scientists had previously explained, cellular proteins fluctuate in 24-hour cycles. In this case, the total amount of PRR proteins in the cell reaches its minimum at end of the night, allowing the PIF proteins to spring into action.

“Thanks to this study, we have learned how the plant circadian clock affects the plant growth, which is an important process at the agronomic level,” said first author Guiomar Martín. 

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/earth/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Even plants have biological clocks that determine when they grow

A team of Nobel-Prize-winning researchers previously demonstrated that fruit flies...

There are millions of species on Earth, ranging from large elephants to single-celled organisms. But according to new research, no matter the size, geographic location, or lifespan, all species are given the same chance for survival. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom and published in the journal Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution. 

The report describes how all species are “fit” for survival with no species having an absolute advantage over the other. 

Each species transmits the same amount of energy to the next generation when reproducing. In other words, gram for gram, blue whales and bacteria give the same amount of energy to their offspring. 

“We found, rather astonishingly, by examining the production rate and the generation time of thousands of plants, animals, and microbes that each would pass on, on average, the same amount of energy to the next generation per gram of parent, regardless of size,” said  Charles A.S. Hall, one of the co-authors of the study.  

The research team built an energy allocation model using data that included rates of energy investment, growth and reproduction, generation times, and body sizes of hundreds of plants and animals.

The model showed an “equal fitness paradigm,” where no matter how opposite the relationship between growth rate and generation time, they all expelled the same amount of energy during reproduction. 

Smaller species like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-algae-food-shortages/">algae</a> have short lifespans and reproduce quickly, while larger species with longer life spans can have gestation periods that take years.

The results show that there is no real evolutionary advantage among the world’s species and that no matter how diverse the range of plants, animals, and organisms, each has the same chance of life and reproduction as the next. 

“There is no single way of living and using energy that is best," said Hall and his co-author James H. Brown. “Given the array of environmental conditions on the planet, one kind of organism might gain a temporary advantage, but such gains will soon be countered by other, competing organisms.” 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

All species have an equal chance of life, study finds

There are millions of species on Earth, ranging from large...

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.unimelb.edu.au/">University of Melbourne</a> recently reviewed phytotherapy medical studies to determine which herbs were beneficial in treating <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/sleep-risk-depression-anxiety/">anxiety</a>. 

Phytotherapy is a science-based approach to treatments using plants and herbs, and the Melbourne team focused on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is a key component of easing anxiety and the main target of most medications. 

According to the researchers, phytomedicines like chamomile or Indian ginseng could provide a desirable alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals that have unpleasant side effects. 

The study was published in the journal Phytotherapy Research and outlines the most effective plants and herbs scientifically proven to help with anxiety. 

The researchers reviewed studies involving the use of phytomedicines as a treatment for anxiety in both human and animal trials. 

The studies were compiled from several major online medical library databases, and the researchers only analyzed studies that showed evidence of GABA-modulating activity. 

The results showed several phytomedicines that could be effective treatments for anxiety and reducing stress levels including kava, valerian, chamomile, Ginkgo biloba, and passionflower. 

Kava, a plant grown in the Pacific Islands, was ruled as the most effective plant for reducing stress, and has been used as a mood enhancer for centuries on the South Pacific Islands.

Today, kava can be found in pills and teas but has been banned in some countries because of its link to liver damage. 

In the United States, any products with kava come with an <a href="https://www.fda.gov/">FDA </a>consumer advisory and researchers are unsure if the plant itself causes liver damage, or if in conjunction with liver medications or alcohol, the kava becomes dangerous. 

The study shows that several herbs are scientifically proven to help ease anxiety and stress, and provides a wider body of research for those looking to pursue the most effective anxiety treatments without negative side effects. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

These herbs are scientifically proven to help treat anxiety

Researchers from the University of Melbourne recently reviewed phytotherapy medical...

The risk of becoming dinner for herbivores has built up some sturdy plants over the millennia – but this hasn’t led to the most digestible grasses and foliage. 

Robust cell walls help protect the calorie-heavy tissues, making plants hardier and less appetizing, and ensuring a few survive long enough to produce the next generation.

This evolutionary advantage for plants is a disadvantage both to the animals that graze on them and the scientists trying to produce cleaner biofuel to power vehicles and other machines.

So biologists are working to create more digestible grasses that can help both cows and cars. An international team of scientists has now pinpointed a gene that stiffens cell walls. When they suppressed it, the plant’s sugar release increased by 60 percent.

"In Brazil alone, the potential markets for this technology were valued last year at [$400 million U.S.] for biofuels and [$18.9 million] for forage cattle," said Dr. Hugo Molinari of the Laboratory of Genetics and Biotechnology at <a href="https://www.embrapa.br/busca-de-publicacoes/-/publicacao/1007496/embrapa-agroenergy">Embrapa Agroenergy</a>, who co-led the study.

Stiffer cell walls make plants less digestible to both animals and in biofuel processing. Learning to suppress genes that encourage stiffer cell walls means more of the plant in question can be used for food or fuel.

The team's more digestible grasses could be especially helpful in countries like Brazil, where cattle is a major part of the agricultural economy. Brazil also has a growing biofuel industry that uses leftover non-food leftovers from grass and sugarcane crops. Suppressing the stiff cell wall gene will mean food that is easier to digest for the cattle, and more usable leftovers for the biofuel industry. 

"The impact is potentially global as every country uses grass crops to feed animals and several biofuel plants around the world use this feedstock," said co-leader Dr. Rowan Mitchell, a plant biologist at <a href="https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/">Rothamsted Research</a>.

The research team has published their findings in the journal <a href="http://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1469-8137/">New Phytologist</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

More digestible grasses could help cows and cars alike

The risk of becoming dinner for herbivores has built up...

RIPE field trials at the IGB BioEnergy Farm

Global food demand is a major concern for many researchers, farmers, and governments. The current global population is close to 7.6 billion, but by 2050, that number could increase to 9.7 billion. 

As the population increases, so will the global demand for food, which is already a problem in some countries that have limited resources and deal with dry, hot seasons and prolonged drought.

By 2050, along with a population of nearly 10 billion, food demand is projected to increase anywhere between 50 and 90 percent, according to <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/agec.12089/abstract">one study</a>. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-humidity/">Climate change</a> will only further complicate matters, as temperature increases and extreme weather events will create shortages in suitable land for farming and could affect harvests and crops. 

Researchers are working hard to create hardy crops that can withstand harsh conditions and increase output to keep up with the growing demand. 

In a new study published in the journal Plant Physiology, researchers were able to reduce the chlorophyll content in soybean leaves, lightening their color and increasing overall growth and yield.

Reducing chlorophyll content by 20 percent resulted in the soybean plant conserving nine percent of its nitrogen use but didn’t impede photosynthesis. The extra nitrogen could, in time, result in an increase in soybeans. 

Researchers reviewed field measurements of almost 70 soybean plant varieties using a model of soybean plants developed by Darren Drewry from <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. </a>

Drewery was a co-author of the study, and the researchers were led by Donald Ort of the <a href="http://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois</a> and Berkley Walker from the <a href="https://www.uni-duesseldorf.de/home/en/">University of Düsseldorf</a>. 

The model allowed the team to experiment with different variations in the amount of chlorophyll and the effect it would have on photosynthesis. 

“Our study demonstrates that soybean fields can have reduced chlorophyll while still maintaining high levels of photosynthesis,” said Drewry. 

The study is yet another in the important research being done to create crops that could someday solve global food shortages. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Image Credit: UIUC/Claire Benjamin

Lightening the color of soybean leaves could supply more food

Global food demand is a major concern for many researchers,...

A study from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> has found that winemakers may have to start using lesser-known varieties of grapes in response to climate change. The researchers say there is growing need for a better understanding of the wide diversity of grapes and how they adapt to changing environments.

“It's going to be very hard, given the amount of warming we've already committed to...for many regions to continue growing the exact varieties they've grown in the past,” said study co-author Elizabeth Wolkovich. “But what we're interested in talking about is how much more diversity of grape varieties do we have, and could we potentially be using that diversity to adapt to climate change.”

Wolkovich pointed out that Africa, Europe, and Asia have a huge assortment of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wine-glasses-bigger-drinking/">wine</a> grapes available, with over 1,000 varieties. The professor explained that some of these grapes are “better adapted to hotter climates and have higher drought tolerance than the 12 varieties now making up over 80 percent of the wine market in many countries.”

Despite the fact that the resilient varieties of grapes should be explored in preparation for climate change, Wolkovich said that most wine producers are unwilling to change the grapes they use. The professor said that the reason for this lies in the concept of terroir, which is the belief that a wine's flavor is a reflection of which grapes were used, where they were planted, and how they were grown. 

“There's a real issue in the premier wine-growing regions that historical terroir is what makes great wine, and if you acknowledge in any way that you have climate change, you acknowledge that your terroir is changing,” said Wolkovich. “So in many of those regions there is not much of an appetite to talk about changing varieties.”

Even if winemakers are willing to try new grapes, there is not yet enough conclusive evidence to show which particular varieties would thrive despite climate change.

“Part of what this paper sets up is the question of how much more do we need to know if we want to understand whether there is enough diversity in this crop to adapt wine regions to climate change in place,” said study co-author Ignacio Morales-Castilla. “Right now we know we have this diversity, but we have little information on how to use it. One of our other suggestions is for growers to start setting aside parts of vineyards to grow some other varieties to see which ones are working.”

Wolkovich said that proactively testing out new grapes could help to offset the negative consequences of climate change.

“With continued climate change, certain varieties in certain regions will start to fail - that's my expectation,” said Wolkovich. “The solution we're offering is how do you start thinking of varietal diversity. Maybe the grapes grown widely today were the ones that are easiest to grow and tasted the best in historical climates, but I think we're missing a lot of great grapes better suited for the future.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate">Nature Climate Change</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Winemakers might need to switch grapes in a changing climate

A study from Harvard University has found that winemakers may...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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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