<p>Anxiety seeps into daily life. It disrupts focus at work, strains relationships, and turns even small tasks into stress triggers. Standard treatments are available, but they do not work for everyone. </p>



<p>Many people cannot tolerate antidepressants in the long term, while others see no real relief. This gap has researchers asking a bold question: can psychedelics like LSD help?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lsd-tested-for-anxiety">LSD tested for anxiety</h2>



<p>A research team at <a href="https://mindmed.co/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindMed</a> in New York recently carried out the first modern trial of LSD for generalised anxiety <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbes-have-an-unexpected-link-to-anxiety/">disorder</a>. The goal was to test whether a single dose could reduce symptoms when standard care fails.</p>



<p>LSD is famous for its hallucinogenic effects, but scientists believe it does more. It boosts serotonin, a chemical that influences mood, and may help the brain form new thought patterns that break cycles of fear and worry.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-current-anxiety-care-fails">Why current anxiety care fails</h2>



<p>Generalized anxiety disorder goes far beyond occasional stress. It causes constant, broad worry about money, relationships, health, and even everyday routines. </p>



<p>Current treatment usually combines therapy with drugs such as SSRIs. These options help some people, but many experience only modest improvement or none at all. Others cannot handle side effects like emotional numbness.</p>



<p>The fact that antidepressants only work while taken daily adds another layer of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/practicing-mindfulness-can-quiet-the-noise-of-anxiety/">frustration</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lsd-reduces-anxiety-symptoms">LSD reduces anxiety symptoms</h2>



<p>The study included 198 adults diagnosed with severe anxiety. Participants gradually stopped their medications before entering the trial, though those already in therapy continued.</p>



<p>The individuals rated their symptoms - such as worry, tension, and poor focus - on a standard scale. Average scores were 30 out of 56, well above the threshold that defines severe anxiety.</p>



<p>Participants were randomly split into five groups. Four groups received LSD in doses from 25 to 200 micrograms. One group received <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513296/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">placebo</a> pills. </p>



<p>The results were striking. Those who took 100 or 200 micrograms felt noticeable relief within a day.</p>



<p>A month later, their anxiety scores had dropped by about 20 points, and nearly half reached remission. In contrast, the lower doses offered no more benefit than the placebo.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-placebo-effect">The placebo effect</h2>



<p>Even the placebo group improved somewhat. Their scores dropped by 14 to 17 points, and one in five achieved remission. </p>



<p>This outcome is common in anxiety studies, where the attention, care, and expectation built into a trial provide comfort.</p>



<p>Still, the higher-dose LSD groups clearly outperformed placebo group, showing that the drug itself delivered an additional benefit.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-side-effects-and-complications">Side effects and complications</h2>



<p>The trial also revealed side effects. Some participants reported nausea or headaches within hours of taking the drug. Hallucinations and changes in visual perception were more common at higher doses. </p>



<p>Many participants guessed correctly whether they had received LSD, making it harder to fully separate the psychological impact of knowing from the direct biological effects. </p>



<p>Yet the size of the improvement left researchers confident that LSD was responsible for more than expectation alone.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lsd-for-anxiety-relief">LSD for anxiety relief</h2>



<p>Independent reviewers described the results as a major step forward. They considered the reductions in anxiety both statistically solid and clinically meaningful. </p>



<p>In plain terms, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mdma-lsd-psychedelics-enhance-feelings-of-connection-even-between-strangers/">drug</a> offered relief big enough to make daily life easier, not just a small change on paper.</p>



<p>The experts emphasized that such outcomes matter most when improvements translate into real-world functioning, allowing people to work, connect socially, and manage daily responsibilities with far less distress and uncertainty.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-lies-ahead">What lies ahead</h2>



<p>The findings convinced regulators as well. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted LSD therapy from MindMed a special status that speeds development of drugs with strong potential.</p>



<p>Larger and longer trials are now in progress, designed to track benefits beyond three months and to untangle whether improvements come mainly from brain chemistry or from the psychological weight of the psychedelic experience.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lasting-relief-from-a-single-dose">Lasting relief from a single dose</h2>



<p>LSD is not ready to become a mainstream treatment. Outside of controlled studies, it can be unpredictable and sometimes risky. But this research adds to the growing evidence that psychedelics may hold medical value that was once dismissed.</p>



<p>For people with anxiety who gain little from standard care, the idea of lasting relief from a single dose represents more than hope - it signals a possible shift in how we think about treatment. </p>



<p>Researchers emphasize the need for ongoing trials to confirm safety, clarify long-term effects, and establish appropriate dosing. Still, the growing evidence points to a future where psychiatry could move beyond conventional medications and embrace once-unthinkable psychedelic-based <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-health-may-be-the-key-to-anxiety-relief/">therapies</a>.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2838505" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JAMA</a></em>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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Single dose of LSD may reduce anxiety symptoms for months

Anxiety seeps into daily life. It disrupts focus at work, strains relationships, and turns even small tasks into stress triggers. Standard treatments are available, but they do not work for everyone. Many people cannot tolerate antidepressants in the long term, while others see no real relief. This gap has researchers asking a bold question: can psychedelics like LSD help? LSD tested for anxiety A research team at MindMed in New York recently carried out the first modern trial of LSD for generalised anxiety disorder. The goal was...

<p>In early 2025, something unusual happened in the Gulf of Panama. The deep, cold water that normally rises to the surface each dry season never appeared. According to a new study, this seasonal upwelling failed for the first time in at least four decades.</p>



<p>Researchers recorded warmer surface waters, fewer cool days, and a steep decline in productivity during the months when the system is usually most active.</p>



<p>Lead author Aaron O’Dea of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (<a href="https://stri.si.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">STRI</a>) points out the event disrupted one of the Gulf’s most reliable ocean patterns. </p>



<p>His team’s data show that the region’s cool season shifted in ways that carry real consequences for both marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-upwelling-shapes-ecosystems">Upwelling shapes ecosystems</h2>



<p>Upwelling occurs when winds push surface water aside and allow deeper, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-a-wandering-jet-stream-is-draining-marine-life-in-the-mediterranean-sea/">nutrient-rich water</a> to rise. That nutrient pulse fuels phytoplankton - tiny plant-like drifters that are the base of marine food webs.</p>



<p>The result is a burst of life that supports fisheries and cools nearshore waters. That cooling can reduce coral bleaching, the stress response when corals lose their symbiotic algae under heat.</p>



<p>A long term study of Panama’s Pacific shelf showed how predictable winter winds typically drive this cycle. Year after year, that reliability shaped coastal economies and expectations.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-waters-stay-warmer-longer">Waters stay warmer longer</h2>



<p>The 2025 season broke the pattern in clear ways. Historically, Panama's upwelling began by January 20, lasted about 66 days, and surface temperatures sometimes dipped to 66.2°F, with extremes near 58.8°F.</p>



<p>In 2025, surface temperatures did not fall below the 77°F threshold until March 4 - 42 days later than usual. The cool period persisted for only 12 days, an 82 percent reduction, and the minimum temperature was about 73.9°F.</p>



<p>The wind signal tells a similar story. When northerly winds did blow, their speeds and wind stress matched normal years, but they occurred 74 percent less often and relaxed 25 percent more hours than usual.</p>



<p>Those metrics line up with reduced biological production during the same window. Fewer cold days meant fewer nutrient injections and fewer phytoplankton-fueled food chains.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-weaker-jets-weaker-waters">Weaker jets, weaker waters</h2>



<p>To understand the physics, it helps to define the Intertropical Convergence Zone (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertropical_Convergence_Zone" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ITCZ</a>). </p>



<p>This is a band near the equator where trade winds meet and storms form, and its seasonal shift steers wind patterns across Central America.</p>



<p>In boreal winter, pressure gradients funnel air through mountain gaps to form the Panama Low-Level Jet (PLLJ). </p>



<p>The jet accelerates offshore winds that normally push surface waters away from the coast and set up the classic upwelling response.</p>



<p>The team notes that 2025 featured fewer of those northerly wind events. Fewer bursts meant less cumulative push on the ocean surface, so deeper water did not break the stratified layers and rise.</p>



<p>This change likely interacted with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/winter-of-extremes-how-will-la-nina-affect-weather-in-the-u-s/">La Niña</a>, a climate phase that can nudge the ITCZ north or south and modulate wind frequency. The authors flag this as a plausible driver but stop short of declaring a single cause.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fisheries-and-reefs-on-the-line">Fisheries and reefs on the line</h2>



<p>Upwelling hotspots punch above their size. They produce food and jobs by feeding forage fish that in turn support larger species targeted by coastal fleets.</p>



<p>Warm, stable surface layers can dampen that productivity. Less nutrient delivery means weaker <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plankton-at-risk-global-warming-threatens-the-oceans-lifeline/">plankton</a> blooms and a thinner energy pipeline to the fish that communities depend on.</p>



<p>Reefs feel these swings too. During the 2015 - 2016 El Niño, evidence showed that upwelling in the Gulf of Panama moderated heat and reduced bleaching while nearby areas baked.</p>



<p>The two Pacific gulfs of Panama often move in opposite directions. A 2023 review described how the upwelling Gulf of Panama tends to run cooler and more nutrient-rich than the Gulf of Chiriquí, shaping different coral growth trajectories under today’s warming.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-40-year-record-broken">40-year record broken</h2>



<p>The 40-year record makes the 2025 failure stand out. Average historical onset around January 20 contrasts with a March 4 threshold crossing in 2025.</p>



<p>The cool season shrank from roughly nine weeks to less than two weeks. Minimum <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-are-substantially-changing-the-seasons-of-the-ocean/">sea surface temperature</a> (SST) rose from historical lows near 66.2°F to about 73.9°F.</p>



<p>Northerly wind frequency fell by roughly three-quarters compared with typical seasons. Relaxation periods, when winds slacken and the ocean restratifies, increased by about one-quarter.</p>



<p>Those numbers capture a system that did not get enough wind energy often enough to do its usual work. The headline is not that winds were weak when they blew, but that they did not blow often.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-comes-after-collapse">What comes after collapse</h2>



<p>Three questions now sit at the center of this story: Will the PLLJ return to its usual rhythm next dry season, will it keep sputtering, or will it swing between extremes that complicate planning?</p>



<p>If the failure of Panama's upwelling repeats, fishers may need to adjust timing, gear choices, or target species for leaner seasons. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-suffers-record-coral-loss-after-years-of-growth/">Reef</a> managers may need localized alerts that treat upwelling corridors as temporary refuges that can fade without notice.</p>



<p>Models and moored sensors can close the gap. That means better wind tracking, finer SST mapping, and clearer links between physics, plankton, fish, and reefs across the Gulf.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2512056122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em></a>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Unprecedented collapse: Panama's ocean upwelling fails for the first time in 40 years

In early 2025, something unusual happened in the Gulf of...

<p>For over a century, oil and gas companies have been pulling carbon out of the ground in the form of fossil fuels. Now, researchers are flipping that idea on its head - by putting carbon back underground. And not just anywhere, but into the very same wells that once helped release it.</p>



<p>This new approach doesn’t rely on fancy tech or sci-fi ideas. Instead, it uses leftovers from farms and forests - like corn stalks and tree trimmings - to create a thick liquid called bio-oil. </p>



<p>Packed with carbon pulled from the air by plants, bio-oil can then be pumped into abandoned <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/abandoned-oil-wells-could-revolutionize-energy-storage/">oil wells</a> for permanent storage.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-oil-wells-meet-new-solutions">Old oil wells meet new solutions</h2>



<p>Across the U.S., there are hundreds of thousands of old oil and gas wells sitting empty. Many of these wells weren’t properly sealed and now pose environmental and safety hazards. </p>



<p>Plugging the wells costs about $1 million each. At the same time, tons of plant waste is discarded every year, ranging from corn stover in the Midwest to forest debris in the West. This is where researchers at <a href="https://www.iastate.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Iowa State University</a> saw a match.</p>



<p>“On the one hand, you have these underutilized waste products. On the other hand, you have abandoned oil wells that need to be plugged. It’s an abundant resource meeting an urgent demand,” said Professor Mark Mba-Wright, who led the study.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-oil-wells-for-carbon-capture">Oil wells for carbon capture</h2>



<p>The process at the center of the research is called fast pyrolysis. It sounds complicated, but the idea is simple: you heat dried plant bits to extremely high temperatures (over 1,000°F) in the absence of oxygen. </p>



<p>The result is three products - bio-oil, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-is-biochar-and-how-can-it-help-us-mitigate-climate-change-carbon-storage/">biochar</a>, and gas. The bio-oil captures most of the carbon. The gas helps fuel the system. The biochar can be sold to farmers to improve soil.</p>



<p>“One of the innovations here is that you can do <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-capture-technology-faces-uncertainty-despite-heavy-investment/">carbon capture</a> with units the size of a skid loader or a combine. You can start small,” Mba-Wright said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bio-oil-machines-for-the-job">Bio-oil machines for the job</h2>



<p>The team modeled a network of 200 mobile pyrolysis units that could be moved around rural areas to process plant waste on-site. </p>



<p>Each machine would handle about 10 tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellite-view-of-forest-biomass-reveals-hidden-carbon-trends/">biomass</a> daily, producing bio-oil that could be stored in terminals before being transported to empty well sites for injection.</p>



<p>Each unit would cost around $1.3 million to build. According to the study, the system could sequester carbon for about $152 per ton, which makes it cost-competitive with other carbon capture methods. For wood-based materials, the cost could drop closer to $100 per ton.</p>



<p>Filling a single crude oil well requires more than 216,000 gallons of liquid - plenty of space to lock away carbon for good. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-undocumented-oil-wells">Undocumented oil wells</h2>



<p>The researchers estimate that there could be as many as 800,000 undocumented orphaned wells in the U.S., far beyond the 120,000 wells targeted by a $4.7 billion federal cleanup effort passed in 2021.</p>



<p>“The more units they build, the better they would get at building them,” Mba-Wright said. This is thanks to what’s called a “learning rate,” which means that building more machines over time helps lower both production and operating costs.</p>



<p>This isn’t just theory. A San Francisco startup, Charm Industrial, has already started using this method and signed deals with large companies to help them meet climate goals. These companies want carbon-removal credits, and bio-oil injection is emerging as one of the most promising ways to earn them.</p>



<p>"We hear it time and again: after taking a close look among their options, leading carbon-removal buyers find that bio-oil sequestration represents one of the highest-quality and most cost-effective approaches,” said Peter Reinhardt, CEO and co-founder of Charm Industrial.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-opportunities-for-carbon-removal">Opportunities for carbon removal </h2>



<p>Charm funded part of the Iowa State study to better understand the technology’s full potential.</p>



<p>“While they were confident about the technology itself, they were looking for some validation of how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mountains-both-carbon-sinks-and-carbon-sources/">carbon</a> could be sequestered and how economical the process could be,” Mba-Wright said. “There are a lot of steps involved in getting this to work at scale.”</p>



<p>One important detail is that this method stacks up well against another popular carbon-removal option - direct air capture. That system also removes carbon from the air, but it’s more expensive to build and doesn’t offer the side benefits of using agricultural waste or creating new revenue for rural communities.</p>



<p>“What we’re trying to show here is that carbon removal doesn’t need to be either/or. There are a lot of opportunities,” Mba-Wright said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-win-for-rural-economies">A win for rural economies</h2>



<p>Besides helping the climate, this system could give new life to the rural economy. Farmers could sell their leftover crop waste. Forest managers could get paid to clear wildfire-prone debris. </p>



<p>Furthermore, small towns could host bio-oil terminals and benefit from new jobs and investments.</p>



<p>"Iowa State’s experts showed that bio-oil sequestration using corn stover can deliver a high-value, durable carbon removal product that outcompetes other technologies, while providing new markets for crop residues and delivering new economic value to the rural economy,” Reinhardt said. </p>



<p>“As the carbon-removal sector grows, Charm is grateful to work with farm and forest communities to grow this opportunity."</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0196890425005047">Energy Conversion and Management</a></em>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Old oil wells are getting a new job - storing carbon

For over a century, oil and gas companies have been...

<p>Memory complaints show up in clinics every day. Today, about 57 million people live with dementia worldwide, and Alzheimer’s disease causes most cases.</p>



<p>Doctors rely on interviews, brief cognitive checks, and brain scans when available. A clinically available blood test now offers another option that is simple, fast, and accurate.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flagging-alzheimer-s-in-blood">Flagging Alzheimer's in blood</h2>



<p>The research team was led by Sebastian Palmqvist at <a href="https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lund University</a> in Sweden. Their goal was clear: make an accurate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-blood-test-can-track-the-progression-of-alzheimers/">test</a> that a regular clinic can use to flag Alzheimer’s biology in people with memory concerns.</p>



<p>In a prospective study of 1,213 patients seen in both family practices and specialty memory clinics, a serum panel correctly identified Alzheimer’s pathology about 88 to 92 percent of the time. </p>



<p>That performance was on par with the accuracy seen when samples were analyzed in batches or as they arrived, which matches how clinics actually work.</p>



<p>The test looks for a specific biomarker in plasma called <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10066514/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phosphorylated tau 217</a>, often shortened to p-tau217. It also reads the ratio of amyloid beta 42 to amyloid beta 40, two forms of a protein linked to plaques in Alzheimer’s disease.</p>



<p>These measurements rise or fall in characteristic ways when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/this-simple-nighttime-sleep-habit-could-delay-or-prevent-alzheimers-in-all-adults/">Alzheimer’s</a> pathology is present. By combining them, the test gives a single probability score that tracks the biology behind memory loss, not just the symptoms.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-help-for-primary-care-doctors">Help for primary care doctors</h2>



<p>“Primary care doctors’ accuracy in identifying Alzheimer’s disease was 61 per cent, while specialist physicians were correct 73 per cent of the time,” added <a href="https://portal.research.lu.se/en/persons/sebastian-palmqvist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sebastian Palmqvist</a>, Associate Professor of Neurology at Lund University and consultant at <a href="https://vard.skane.se/psykiatri-skane/mottagningar-och-avdelningar/akutmottagning-barn--och-ungdomspsykiatri/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Skåne</a> University Hospital. </p>



<p>The team compared the test’s performance with doctors’ best clinical judgment before any biomarker results were known and those numbers show why an easy lab test can help the first clinicians who see most patients.</p>



<p>Earlier and more accurate classification steers people to the right next step. It also reduces unnecessary referrals for expensive imaging when the blood test rules out Alzheimer’s biology.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inside-the-aps2-score">Inside the APS2 score</h2>



<p>The lab algorithm, sometimes called APS2, blends the p-tau217 percentage with the amyloid ratio to estimate the chance of amyloid positivity in the brain. Ratios help account for unrelated medical factors that can nudge a single marker up or down.</p>



<p>Independent <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-02869-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> has shown that percent p-tau217 in blood closely matches the clinical performance of Food and Drug Administration (<a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-clears-first-blood-test-used-diagnosing-alzheimers-disease" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FDA</a>) cleared cerebrospinal fluid tests for detecting Alzheimer’s pathology. Accuracy climbs even higher when labs use two cutoff values, one to rule in and one to rule out.</p>



<p>Clinicians will still need other information in some cases. A subgroup will land in an intermediate zone, which is a cue to order a PET scan or repeat testing rather than guess.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-this-fits-with-current-treatments">How this fits with current treatments</h2>



<p>Treatments that target amyloid require proof of amyloid biology before they start. The FDA granted traditional approval for <em>lecanemab</em>, marketed as <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-converts-novel-alzheimers-disease-treatment-traditional-approval" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leqembi</a>, for early symptomatic Alzheimer’s treatment.</p>



<p>The agency also approved <em>donanemab</em>, now sold as <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-treatment-adults-alzheimers-disease" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kisunla</a>, for adults with early symptoms and confirmed amyloid pathology. As access to these drugs grows, fast triage in regular clinics becomes more important.</p>



<p>“The test is already available in the USA and is likely to become available in many other countries soon. Initially, it will mainly be used in specialist memory clinics, and it may take approximately one to two years to implement guidelines and training in primary care,” concluded <a href="https://portal.research.lu.se/en/persons/oskar-hansson" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oskar Hansson</a>, Professor of Neurology at Lund University and senior consultant at Skåne University Hospital. </p>



<p>A blood draw in a familiar clinic setting lowers the barrier for people who cannot travel far or wait long.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-alzheimer-s-blood-and-healthcare">Alzheimer's, blood, and healthcare</h2>



<p>A routine blood test is less invasive than a cerebrospinal fluid tap and easier to schedule than advanced imaging. Results can arrive quickly, which helps families move from uncertainty to a clear plan.</p>



<p>An accurate negative result can spare people from months of worry and unnecessary tests. A positive result, combined with a clinical assessment, helps providers arrange the right counseling, safety steps, and referrals.</p>



<p>This test does not replace a full evaluation. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brains-quiet-moments-may-shape-memory-and-fight-alzheimers/">Memory</a> changes can come from depression, sleep problems, medications, or other neurological diseases, so clinicians still need to take a careful history and examine the patient.</p>



<p>No test is perfect. A small fraction of results will fall between the lower and upper cutoffs, and that gray zone is best handled with follow up testing or specialty referral.</p>



<p>Local policies will shape how primary clinics use the assay alongside cognitive exams and imaging. Training and clear workflows will help teams decide when to test, how to interpret results, and when to refer.</p>



<p>Researchers will keep studying how comorbid conditions, age, and disease stage affect performance. Automated platforms and standardized reporting should make it easier for labs to deliver consistent results.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2821669" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>JAMA</em></a>.</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Scientists developed a blood test that identifies Alzheimer's disease in minutes

Memory complaints show up in clinics every day. Today, about...

<p>Over the next few decades, climate change will test communities in ways that go well beyond storms or heat waves. The pressure point is socioeconomic vulnerability, the conditions that determine whether people can prepare, respond, and recover.</p>



<p>A new global projections <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-025-05732-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">database</a> looks ahead from 2020 to 2100 and tracks how social factors may raise or lower that vulnerability. </p>



<p>The database translates hard to compare realities into a single scale, then follows three different development <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-wins-in-2025-came-from-unexpected-places/">paths</a> to show what changes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-climate-vulnerability-matters">Why climate vulnerability matters</h2>



<p>The study was led by Dr. Janine Huisman, a researcher at Radboud University’s <a href="https://globaldatalab.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Data Lab</a>. Her team worked with Climate Analytics to build a forward looking tool that focuses on people, not just physics.</p>



<p>In climate science, risk arises from the interaction of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability. Hazards are the physical events, exposure is what lies in their path, and vulnerability is the human system’s sensitivity and capacity to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-is-just-three-years-away-from-dangerous-carbon-milestone/">adapt</a>.</p>



<p>This framing matters because cutting risk is not only about predicting the next flood. It is also about strengthening the social systems that keep losses from spiraling.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-index-works">How the index works</h2>



<p>The team published a peer-reviewed paper that turns 11 indicators into a single index and then projects it to 2100. The index includes seven domains: the economy, education, health, gender, infrastructure, governance, and demographics.</p>



<p>Gender inequality is measured with the UNDP’s <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/gender-development-index" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GDI</a>. Governance uses the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators, while education relies on mean years of schooling.</p>



<p>“The GVI quantifies how societies are likely to respond to climate hazards,” said Dr. Huisman. The index emphasizes social conditions that shape readiness and recovery.</p>



<p>Countries with higher education and stronger health tend to anticipate change and adjust faster. Better infrastructure improves evacuation, communication, and emergency <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hot-oceans-weaken-earths-carbon-sink/">response</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-climate-vulnerability-paths">Future climate vulnerability paths</h2>



<p>Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (<a href="https://earth.gov/sealevel/faq/124/what-are-shared-socioeconomic-pathways-or-ssps/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SSPs</a>) are stories that scientists use to think about different possible futures for the world. Each pathway describes how people, governments, and economies might change over the next century.&nbsp;</p>



<p>They include ideas about things like how fast populations grow, how much technology improves, and whether countries work together or stay divided. By comparing these different futures, researchers can see how social and economic choices affect our ability to handle climate change.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-same-climate-hazard-different-outcomes">Same climate hazard, different outcomes </h2>



<p>The projections follow the IIASA SSP <a href="https://data.ece.iiasa.ac.at/ssp/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">database</a>, using three paths that researchers often pair with climate models. SSP1 ("Sustainability") is a green road with gains in health and education and lower inequality.</p>



<p>SSP2 ("Middle of the Road") continues mixed trends and uneven development. SSP3 ("Regional Rivalry") is a rocky road with fragmentation, weaker cooperation, and high challenges for mitigation and adaptation.</p>



<p>Each path reshapes vulnerability not by changing the weather, but by changing social capacity. That is why the same hazard can produce very different outcomes across scenarios.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-projections-show">What the projections show</h2>



<p>Under SSP1, the median vulnerability falls steadily this century, with the largest improvements in today’s most vulnerable countries. Under SSP3, change is slow, and large gaps persist between regions with high and low capacity.</p>



<p>Regional patterns remain visible in the mid-century maps. Northern America, Northern and Western Europe, and Australia and New Zealand sit at the low end of vulnerability by 2050 and 2100, while parts of Africa, Southern Asia, and Pacific Island States remain higher.</p>



<p>The gap is smallest in SSP1, wider in SSP2, and widest in SSP3. That spread reflects the storylines behind each pathway.</p>



<p>The projections also show that countries starting in the highest vulnerability group can, under SSP1, approach today’s low vulnerability levels by century’s end. Starting points still matter, but the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astonishing-global-heat-in-january-2025-defied-climate-expectations/">social</a> trajectory matters more.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-directing-resources-where-they-re-needed">Directing resources where they're needed</h2>



<p>The <a href="https://www.v-20.org/the-voluntary-carbon-markets-integrity-initiative-and-climate-vulnerable-forum-and-its-v20-finance-ministers-partner-to-leverage-carbon-markets-in-support-of-climate-prosperity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vulnerable Twenty</a> (V20) countries are home to over one-fifth of the world’s population but produce only about 5 percent of global emissions. </p>



<p>The researchers called for projections that prioritize human capacity, since funding and policy decisions often hinge on those measures.</p>



<p>“This allows policymakers and scholars to assess whether countries remain vulnerable under traditional energy use patterns, or whether vulnerabilities persist even in a rapid transition to renewable energy,” explained Dr. Rosanne Martyr of Climate Analytics.</p>



<p>The scenarios make it possible to test policy ideas against different social futures. The result is a tool that can support international finance decisions, loss and damage debates, and national planning. </p>



<p>The database provides a clearer rationale for directing resources to places where social drivers keep risk high.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-index-with-a-stable-formula">Global index with a stable formula </h2>



<p>The projections <a href="https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Projections_of_climate_change_vulnerability_along_the_Shared_Socioeconomic_Pathways_2020-2100/28350935" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dataset</a> is openly available and arrives in multiple formats. Researchers and agencies can compute country scores every five years and compare them with hazard and exposure layers.</p>



<p>Because the index uses a stable formula, values are comparable across regions and time. That consistency helps avoid moving goalposts when tracking progress.</p>



<p>The tool can be paired with drought, flood, or heat wave maps to estimate risk where people live and work. It also helps identify social levers that can shift outcomes before hazards strike.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limits-of-climate-vulnerability-index">Limits of climate vulnerability index</h2>



<p>The projections focus on human systems, not on changing hazard patterns. They are designed to complement, not replace, physical climate impact drivers.</p>



<p>Some indicators, like safely-managed drinking water, are not projected, and the authors tested the sensitivity of the index to such gaps. They report very strong correlations between reduced and full indicator sets, suggesting the composite remains stable.</p>



<p>Telephone access and electricity were modeled to saturate at different times across scenarios. That choice reflects real-world adoption curves, with uncertainty acknowledged in robustness checks.</p>



<p>The index is at national scale for now. Within-country differences can be large, and the team notes that a subnational extension is a priority.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next</h2>



<p>The authors plan to extend the index to states and provinces so that planners can target investments where they matter most. That finer lens should make adaptation more practical and less blunt.</p>



<p>The database will live on the Global Data Lab <a href="https://globaldatalab.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">site</a>, with updates and visualizations to support wider use. As methods improve, future versions can incorporate better projections for difficult indicators.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-025-05732-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Scientific Data</em></a>.</p>



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Where will climate change hit hardest? Global index reveals vulnerability

Over the next few decades, climate change will test communities...

<p>Our ability to focus, ignore distractions, and follow through on goals is not fixed. It develops, peaks, and then changes again as we grow older. Scientists call this set of skills cognitive control. It underpins planning, decision making, impulse control, and the steady attention you need to finish hard tasks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-cognitive-control-matters">Why cognitive control matters</h2>



<p>Life brings different mental demands at 15, 35, and 75 years of age. Knowing how cognitive control changes by age helps set realistic expectations and smarter training goals.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2095927325008692?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> at the center of this article maps those changes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/speech-pattern-wfd-that-is-a-clear-indication-a-person-is-in-cognitive-decline/">brain</a> activity, not just behavior. It asks when the underlying control systems work the hardest, and when they ease off.</p>



<p><a href="https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/2845490/overview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Zhenghan Li</a> of Hangzhou Normal University (<a href="https://english.hznu.edu.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HZNU</a>) led the work with collaborators across several institutes. The team focused on conflict tasks that are widely used to measure control in the lab.</p>



<p>They looked for patterns that hold across childhood, adulthood, and later life. They also examined how those patterns differ across key brain regions.</p>



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



<p>The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2095927325008692" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> pooled 139 neuroimaging reports with 3,765 participants aged 5 to 85, charting how conflict-related brain activity shifts with age. It used a standardized approach to combine many small studies into a single, age-by-activity curve.</p>



<p>Researchers relied on <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31840658/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seed-based d mapping</a> to summarize whole-brain activation patterns. </p>



<p>They then fit age curves with a <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-statistics-112723-034249" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">generalized additive model</a> and compared them to simpler functions to see which shape best explained the data.</p>



<p>The aim was straightforward. Identify the shape of change for the brain’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/daydreaming-is-linked-to-improved-brain-health-memory-thinking-creativity-mental-functioning/">control system</a> across the lifespan, and estimate when the peak occurs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-findings-on-cognitive-control">Key findings on cognitive control </h2>



<p>Across core control regions, the lifespan curve forms an inverted U. Activity rises through childhood and adolescence, reaches a maximum in adulthood, then eases in later <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/doctors-say-this-lifestyle-factor-smoking-is-biggest-contributor-to-cognitive-decline/">life</a>.</p>



<p>“The predominant lifespan trajectory is inverted U-shaped, rising from childhood to peak in young adulthood before declining in later adulthood,” wrote Dr. Li. </p>



<p>Peak activity clustered between ages 27 and 36, and a skewed, square root curve fit the data better than a symmetric quadratic curve.</p>



<p>The analysis also tracked how activity is distributed across the two hemispheres. </p>



<p>Adolescents and older adults showed more pronounced <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8300231/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hemispheric laterality</a> than young and middle-aged adults, pointing to shifts in how each side contributes to control.</p>



<p>“Prefrontal activity during cognitive performances tends to be less lateralized in older adults than in younger adults,” wrote <a href="https://psychiatry.duke.edu/profile/roberto-cabeza" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roberto Cabeza</a>. </p>



<p>A classic framework helps make sense of part of that pattern. The <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11931290/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HAROLD</a> model describes reduced prefrontal asymmetry with aging in many tasks. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-conflict-control">Testing conflict control</h2>



<p>Conflict tasks ask you to respond to a target while ignoring conflicting cues. The standard <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.3758/BF03203267.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flanker</a> task does this by placing distracting symbols to the left and right of the central one.</p>



<p>When the flankers point the other way, reaction times slow and errors rise. That interference cost is a clean readout of control because the goal is simple and the distraction is controlled.</p>



<p>Using conflict tasks across many ages helps avoid apples to oranges comparisons. It keeps the core demand the same while the brain systems that meet that demand change with age.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-these-brain-networks-matter">Why these brain networks matter</h2>



<p>Two control <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0704320104" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">networks</a> are central when people resolve conflict in the lab. The frontoparietal network updates and adjusts settings on the fly, while the cingulo-opercular network helps maintain a stable task set.</p>



<p>Young and middle-aged adults tend to engage these networks most strongly during conflict. Children and adolescents show rising engagement as the networks mature, while older adults show a slower draw on the same circuitry.</p>



<p>These differences are not good or bad in themselves. They simply reflect how the system tunes itself across development and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-prepares-the-brain-for-the-future-while-protecting-memories-of-the-past/">aging</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cognitive-control-structure-link">Cognitive control structure link</h2>



<p>Large MRI <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04554-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">charts</a> show gray matter volume peaks earlier in life, while white matter peaks within young adulthood. Those structural arcs provide a backdrop for the functional curves seen in this analysis.</p>



<p>Structure and function do not map one-to-one, but they are related. Myelination, synaptic pruning, and vascular changes affect both the efficiency of neural signaling and the measured Blood Oxygen Level Dependent signals (<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4147398/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BOLD</a>) during tasks.</p>



<p>This is why the best fitting lifespan curve for control activity was not perfectly symmetric. A square root shape captured a faster rise and an earlier peak, followed by a gentler decline.</p>



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



<p>Peak control activity in the late 20s to mid 30s aligns with a phase when many people juggle complex decisions at work and home. </p>



<p>That does not mean control falls off a cliff after 40, it means the neural effort measured during conflict tasks tapers.</p>



<p>Middle adulthood becomes a practical time to reinforce healthy patterns. Consistent sleep, aerobic exercise, and cognitive challenges are simple levers that support attention and planning without overpromising results.</p>



<p>Later life patterns are nuanced, not uniform. Some regions may show lower activation during conflict, while others show selective increases that could reflect compensation rather than decline.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2095927325008692?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Science Bulletin</em></a>.</p>



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Scientists identify very specific ages when human brains lose cognitive control

Our ability to focus, ignore distractions, and follow through on...

<p>Archaeologists working on Sir Bani Yas Island have uncovered a complete plaster cross from about 1,400 years ago - a find that ties a cluster of small houses to a Christian monastic community. </p>



<p>The island sits about 110 miles southwest of Abu Dhabi, and the evidence connects domestic life to worship in a way that had not previously been certain.</p>



<p>The cross, molded in plaster and nearly 1 foot long, turned up in the courtyard of one of the houses first excavated in the early 1990s. Those houses sit near a church and monastery dated to the seventh and eighth centuries.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cross-reshapes-settlement-history">Cross reshapes settlement history</h2>



<p>Lead archaeologist Maria Gajewska works with the <a href="https://dct.gov.ae/en/default.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Department of Culture and Tourism</a> in Abu Dhabi. Her team has been returning to the site to answer questions left unresolved for three decades.</p>



<p>In a video report shared by regional outlets, the team explained how the plaster cross shifts the interpretation of those houses from a loose settlement to a monastic one. </p>



<p>They added that senior monks likely lived in seclusion nearby before joining communal prayer.</p>



<p>“This is a very exciting time for us, because in the past, we have always assumed that these houses were part of a dispersed monastic settlement," said Gajewska. </p>



<p>"We never had concrete proof that they were inhabited by Christians. With this cross, we have now proved these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wealth-inequality-began-shaping-human-societies-10000-years-ago/">houses</a> were part of a Christian settlement."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cross-shows-cultural-openness">Cross shows cultural openness</h2>



<p>The cross is a molded plaque made of stucco, a form of plaster commonly used for sculpture and architectural detail. </p>



<p>Its size and intact condition make it especially useful for interpretation because it can be studied without heavy reconstruction.</p>



<p>Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak is the chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi.</p>



<p>“The discovery of this ancient Christian cross on Sir Bani Yas Island is a powerful testament to the UAE’s profound and enduring values of coexistence and cultural openness,” he said. </p>



<p>Local leaders like Al Mubarak<strong> </strong>emphasized the broader message they see in the discovery. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-courtyard-homes-housed-monks">Courtyard homes housed monks</h2>



<p>Archaeologists think senior <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-meditation-transforms-gut-microbes-for-optimal-health/">monks</a> lived in the houses, practiced prayer and discipline, and then gathered at the church for worship. </p>



<p>That pattern matches what historians expect of monastic life in the region for that era. The arrangement also fits the physical layout on the ground. </p>



<p>Courtyard houses sit north of the church and monastery, and their contents point to small, stable households rather than busy trade spaces.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-this-fits-in-gulf-history">Where this fits in Gulf history</h2>



<p>Christian communities flourished around the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/low-oxygen-zone-is-expanding-in-the-arabian-gulf/">Arabian Gulf</a> during Late Antiquity, and archaeology has confirmed that narrative across multiple sites.</p>



<p>A recent study documented a monastery and settlement on Siniyah Island in Umm al-Quwain, active during the seventh and eighth centuries. The findings show how faith communities connected across sea routes and shorelines.</p>



<p>These data points align with written sources that track the Church of the East and its bishops, traders, and monks moving along the Gulf. Together, they show faith and daily life woven into coastal towns as Islam emerged and expanded.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clues-from-the-cross-itself">Clues from the cross itself</h2>



<p>Stylistic details hint at how far ideas traveled. Officials have said the design shows close ties to crosses found in Iraq and Kuwait. </p>



<p>This clue matches the Church of the East network described in historical records and recent surveys of regional finds, including monasteries and churches spread across the Gulf.</p>



<p>Those links make sense in a maritime world where boats carried people, pottery, glass, and beliefs. A plaque that could be mounted on a wall would have served both as a focus for prayer and a mark of identity inside a private space.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-site-looks-like-today">What the site looks like today</h2>



<p>Archaeologists discovered the church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas in 1992, then stabilized and prepared them for visitors in recent years.</p>



<p>The site is open to the public and presented with protective shelters, walkways, and signs that put the remains in context for nonspecialists, as listed by the Emirate’s visitor platform page.</p>



<p>A visitor center adds short exhibits that help explain how archaeologists identify rooms, date layers, and handle fragile materials. That kind of setup makes the science visible without putting the remains at risk.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evidence-builds-settlement-case">Evidence builds settlement case</h2>



<p>Small clues add up. The position of the plaque, its measurements, the plaster recipe, and the setting in a courtyard all help build a case for quiet domestic devotion linked to a larger worship space.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archaeologists-find-2300-year-old-celtic-swords-adorned-with-gems-and-ancient-symbols/">Archaeologists</a> test these ideas by comparing finds from one site to others that are securely dated. </p>



<p>Patterns across ceramics, glass, and wall plasters can reveal which communities traded with one another. They also show how religious life settled into local routines.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cross-shows-cultural-exchange">Cross shows cultural exchange</h2>



<p>The Sir Bani Yas cross supports a picture of a region where Christians and Muslims interacted and sometimes lived side by side. </p>



<p>That is consistent with evidence from other Gulf sites and with the timing of Islamic expansion into the area.</p>



<p>It also shows how faith practices traveled with people who worked along the coast. </p>



<p>Monks, sailors, and craftspeople carried styles and habits that took root in local soil. They preserved recognizable features that allow scholars to connect them across wide distances.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-connected-gulf-community-takes-shape">A connected Gulf community takes shape</h2>



<p>The houses north of the church and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/remarkable-viking-silver-hoard-discovery-reveals-far-reaching-global-trade-links/">monastery</a> still have open questions. Researchers will focus on how the households were organized and how long they remained occupied.</p>



<p>Archaeologists will also test how the cross relates to other artifacts that point to prayer and communal life. Each additional excavation season brings more context for the layout, diet, trade, and daily routines in a small but well-connected community.</p>



<p>Sir Bani Yas represents one node in a broader regional network that includes sites in Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia, and Iran. </p>



<p>All of these were tied to the Church of the East - a Christian tradition rooted in ancient Mesopotamia that spread widely along trade routes.</p>



<p>This larger picture draws on both texts and artifacts. As researchers record and publish more Gulf sites, the details of dates and daily life in this period become sharper and more concrete.</p>



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Archaeologists find a 1,400-year-old Christian cross found in Abu Dhabi

Archaeologists working on Sir Bani Yas Island have uncovered a...

<p>Parents pass down more than genes. Their everyday choices shape how children see the world. </p>



<p>A new study from São Paulo State University (<a href="https://www.international.unesp.br" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNESP</a>) in Brazil shows how this works with physical activity. Children copy the habits of their parents, whether active or sedentary.</p>



<p>The researchers tracked 182 children and teenagers, aged 6 to 17, along with their parents. They used accelerometers, devices that measure movement with precision. </p>



<p>The results were clear: children with inactive parents spent more time sitting. Children with active <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parent-children-relationships-are-key-to-lifelong-well-being/">parents</a> were less sedentary.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mothers-play-a-bigger-role">Mothers play a bigger role</h2>



<p>The study also revealed something striking. Mothers influenced their children’s activity levels more strongly than fathers. Their effect was more than double. </p>



<p>The exact reason is still uncertain, but daily routines could explain part of it. Mothers often spend more time shaping schedules around meals, homework, and television.</p>



<p>“The results indicate that parents’ level of physical activity can directly influence their children’s habits. In other words, when parents maintain a more active routine, their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/singing-to-babies-is-a-powerful-way-to-boost-their-mood/">children</a> are less likely to remain seated for long periods,” Diego Christofaro noted. </p>



<p>Christofaro is a professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT-UNESP) at the Presidente Prudente campus and the lead author of the article published in the journal Sports Medicine and Health Science.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sedentary-lifestyles-rising">Sedentary lifestyles rising</h2>



<p>The findings matter because inactivity in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/even-before-they-crawl-babies-can-feel-their-own-heartbeat/">childhood</a> is already a public health concern. In Brazil, 11% to 38% of children and adolescents are overweight. Sedentary routines contribute directly to this problem. </p>



<p>The risks go beyond weight gain. Research links too much sitting with heart problems, back pain, poor sleep, anxiety, and depression.</p>



<p>Once these patterns start, they are hard to change. A child who spends long hours sitting is likely to carry those habits into adult life. That makes early action vital.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kids-copy-parents-activity">Kids copy parents’ activity</h2>



<p>The home environment explains much of this. Children often copy their parents’ screen habits. If parents watch hours of television, children usually do too. When limits on screen time are missing, the hours grow longer.</p>



<p>But the opposite is also true. When parents swap sitting for exercise, children follow their lead. </p>



<p>In one Canadian study, every 20 minutes of vigorous parental activity added 5 to 10 minutes of moderate activity in children. Kids don’t just listen to words; they notice actions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-parents-education-shapes-activity">Parents’ education shapes activity</h2>



<p>Education changes the picture as well. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-who-use-humor-have-better-relationships-with-their-children/">Parents</a> with higher education levels tend to set more structured routines. They often balance screen time with sports or outdoor play. </p>



<p>Parents with higher levels of education also recognize the harm of excessive sitting and take steps to prevent it.</p>



<p>Awareness is powerful. A parent who knows the risks of long sedentary hours is more likely to limit television, encourage outdoor play, or join their child in activity. Those choices add up over time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-value-of-support">The value of support</h2>



<p>Support at home makes staying active easier. Equipment, safe spaces, and shared activities all matter. Families who play sports together or go for walks often see children grow up more active. </p>



<p>Shared routines also create memories, tying positive feelings to exercise and movement. </p>



<p>On the other hand, when support is missing, even motivated children face obstacles. A lack of safe places to play or no encouragement from parents can keep them sitting.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-message-for-public-health">A message for public health</h2>



<p>“Sedentary habits are the result of multiple factors, such as lack of access, time, and places where physical activity can be practiced,” noted Christofaro. </p>



<p>“However, our study shows that parents’ habits can affect their children’s health. Therefore, we believe that these results can support public policies and campaigns aimed at promoting a more active lifestyle in the family environment.”</p>



<p>The study showed that parent-child links in sedentary behavior appeared only when parents were insufficiently active. In families where parents stayed active, those links weakened. That means active parents can protect children from inheriting sedentary patterns.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-parents-set-activity-goals">Parents set activity goals</h2>



<p>Brazil’s health guidelines recommend that children and adolescents spend at least 60 minutes a day on moderate to vigorous physical activity. </p>



<p>Parents should aim for 150 minutes of activity each week. These targets are not just numbers. They represent habits that can shape family health across generations.</p>



<p>Children copy what they see. Parents who sit less and move more give their children a model worth repeating. Small daily choices - walking instead of sitting, playing instead of watching - can ripple through a child’s life, reducing risks and building healthier futures.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666337625000691?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sports Medicine and Health Science</a>.</em></p>



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Family fitness: Active parents raise active kids

Parents pass down more than genes. Their everyday choices shape...

<p>At first glance, corals appear as immobile, silent structures beneath the ocean surface. Yet these organisms hold sensory abilities that scientists are only beginning to appreciate. Though they lack eyes, corals can sense light in surprising ways, adapting to their environment with delicate precision.</p>



<p>Researchers at <a href="https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Osaka Metropolitan University</a>’s Graduate School of Science have recently revealed a unique mechanism that allows corals to detect different types of light.</p>



<p>The research shows that light-sensitive proteins called opsins rely on chloride ions to shift between ultraviolet (UV) and visible light sensitivity depending on pH. This finding broadens our understanding of vision beyond creatures with eyes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-corals-sense-light">How corals sense light</h2>



<p>Opsins are proteins central to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-corals-could-help-reefs-survive-a-warming-world/">animal</a> vision. They bind with retinal, a molecule that naturally absorbs only UV light. To detect visible light, retinal forms a bond called a Schiff base with an opsin.</p>



<p>This bond is positively charged and usually stabilized by a negatively charged amino acid. Without that stabilizer, most opsins would not function. </p>



<p>The absence of stability would prevent the pigment from maintaining its configuration, disrupting the conversion of light into biochemical signals, and ultimately halting the process animals rely on to sense and respond to their visual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-coral-collapse-may-help-save-the-great-barrier-reef/">environment</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-special-opsins-found-in-corals">Special opsins found in corals</h2>



<p>Anthozoans, a group that includes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-corals-are-quietly-storing-massive-amounts-of-carbon/">corals</a> and sea anemones, have their own special opsins known as ASO-II. Unlike mammalian opsins, some ASO-II proteins lack the stabilizing amino acids. </p>



<p>“Some ASO-II opsins of reef-building corals lack the usual counterion amino acids found in other animal opsins,” explained Akihisa Terakita, professor at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Science.</p>



<p>The absence of counterion amino acids posed a major question. How could these coral opsins maintain sensitivity to visible light without them?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-molecular-switch-for-light-sensing">A molecular switch for light sensing</h2>



<p>The research team studied ASO-II opsins in the reef-building coral <em>Acropora tenuis</em>. Using spectroscopy, mutational analysis, and simulations, they discovered a novel process. </p>



<p>Instead of amino acids, the opsins employ chloride ions from their surroundings as counterions. This marks the first known case of an opsin using inorganic ions for stabilization.</p>



<p>“We found that chloride ions stabilize the Schiff base more weakly than amino acids do, so the opsin can reversibly switch between visible-light sensitivity and UV sensitivity depending on the pH," said Yusuke Sakai, first author of the study.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-light-sensing-and-ph-levels">Light sensing and pH levels</h2>



<p>The mechanism hinges on pH conditions. At low pH, protons increase, causing the Schiff base to remain positively charged and absorb longer wavelengths, including visible light.</p>



<p>Chloride ions then provide stability. In higher pH conditions, fewer protons lead to deprotonation, and the opsin shifts back to UV sensitivity. This reversible system allows corals to adapt light detection based on cellular chemistry. </p>



<p>By shifting sensitivity depending on proton balance, corals essentially carry a molecular switch that tunes vision-like processes.</p>



<p>This adaptability ensures they respond effectively to microenvironmental changes, such as metabolic activity, photosynthesis, or stress events, enabling a dynamic balance between UV and visible light sensing crucial for survival and growth.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-symbiosis-affects-coral-light-sensing">Symbiosis affects coral light sensing</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-impacts-will-overwhelm-our-oceans-by-the-mid-century/">Corals</a> live closely with algae that generate energy through photosynthesis. The process of photosynthesis changes the internal pH within coral cells, potentially influencing opsin sensitivity. </p>



<p>This suggests corals might tune their light detection to align with the algae’s activity. Such dynamic sensing adds new depth to our knowledge of coral symbiosis.</p>



<p>The study adds further perspective. It highlights how light perception can shape coral responses to both internal and external signals. Opsins do not act in isolation; they interact with cellular pathways involving calcium signaling, gene expression, and metabolic control.</p>



<p>By linking light detection with biochemical responses, corals may adjust processes such as skeletal growth and symbiont regulation. This suggests that vision-like mechanisms contribute to how corals balance energy demands with environmental conditions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pushing-the-boundaries-of-technology">Pushing the boundaries of technology </h2>



<p>Professor Mitsumasa Koyanagi suggests that beyond ecology, this discovery opens technological doors.</p>



<p>"The ASO-II opsin of Acropora tenuis was shown to regulate calcium ions in a light-dependent way, hinting at potential applications as an optogenetic tool whose wavelength sensitivity changes with pH,” said Professor Koyanagi.</p>



<p>The broader theory of opsin diversity presented in the paper supports this potential. By revealing how proteins can rely on unconventional counterions, the researchers have opened the door to designing light-sensitive tools that adapt to shifting chemical environments. </p>



<p>Such advances could one day enable precise regulation of cellular activity, pushing the boundaries of optogenetics in medicine and biotechnology.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/105451" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eLife</a></em>.</p>



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Corals reveal a surprising new way to see light

At first glance, corals appear as immobile, silent structures beneath...

<p>Most of us dread brushing and flossing. But what if your mouth could clean itself? Scientists are working on ways to hack the bacteria in your mouth so they do the dirty work for you - literally.</p>



<p>The idea is simple: help the good bacteria grow strong and push the bad ones out. If it works, it could mean fewer cavities, less scraping at the dentist and, maybe one day, no more brushing or flossing.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bacteria-battle-inside-your-mouth">Bacteria battle inside your mouth</h2>



<p>Your mouth is home to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-in-your-mouth-multiply-in-a-very-unique-way/">hundreds of kinds</a> of bacteria. Some help you, and others hurt you. Right now, they’re all battling it out for space on your teeth.</p>



<p>The sticky film you feel after a long day? That’s a biofilm - a mix of bacteria all building a home together on your enamel. Some of them eat sugar and make acid, which wears away your teeth and causes cavities.</p>



<p>For years, researchers focused on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mouth-microbes-reflect-your-lifestyle-choices/">identifying</a> the bad bacteria - like <em>Streptococcus mutans</em> - and targeting those. But there’s a catch. Even within a single species of bacteria, there are hundreds of strains. That makes things complicated.</p>



<p>So, instead of trying to classify every strain, a research team led by scientists at <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UC Berkeley</a> is zooming in on the bacteria’s DNA - specifically, the parts of it that drive how bacteria act in your <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-says-mouth-bacteria-play-key-role-in-heart-attacks-upending-conventional-wisdom/">mouth</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-molecules-that-help-bacteria-stick">Molecules that help bacteria stick</h2>



<p>By digging into a huge database of bacterial DNA from saliva samples, the researchers found something interesting. </p>



<p>A group of genes - called a gene cluster - showed up in strains that were more often linked to the presence of cavities. This cluster produces two molecules that help bacteria stick to each other and to your teeth.</p>



<p>One molecule makes bacteria clump up like glue. The other enables bacteria to make molecules that join and form chains, like a string. Together, these sticky molecules help bacteria form a strong biofilm - that gunky layer you feel on your teeth when you haven’t brushed.</p>



<p>Not all strains have this cluster. But some of the worst <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bronze-age-teeth-discovery-highlight-the-evolution-of-the-human-diet/">cavity-causing</a> strains do, including the infamous <em>S. mutans</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smarter-bacteria-for-teeth-cleaning">Smarter bacteria for teeth cleaning</h2>



<p>The scientists believe they can take these sticky-making genes and move them into bacteria that are actually good for your mouth.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/streptococcus-salivarius" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Streptococcus salivarius</a></em> already supports a healthy mouth but struggles to stick to your teeth, which makes it a weak probiotic.</p>



<p>By boosting it with the sticky genes, researchers think they can help <em>S. salivarius</em> form a stronger biofilm. That way, the helpful bacteria can push out the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/poor-dental-hygiene-is-directly-linked-to-decrease-in-brain-volume-and-mental-decline/">harmful</a> ones and take over the neighborhood - possibly reducing the need for constant brushing.</p>



<p>"Particular strains belonging to the same species can be a pathogen or a commensal or even probiotic," explained Wenjun Zhang, a chemical and biomolecular engineering professor at UC Berkeley who led the research.</p>



<p>"After we better understand these molecules' activity and how they can promote strong biofilm formation, we can introduce them to the good bacteria so that the good bacteria can now form strong biofilms and outcompete all the bad ones."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-these-molecules-special">What makes these molecules special</h2>



<p>The gene cluster includes about 15 pieces of DNA. These don’t keep the bacteria alive - they’re part of what’s called a "specialized" metabolic pathway. In simple terms, they let bacteria make extra tools to help them compete.</p>



<p>Some bacteria use these extra genes to produce antibiotics. Others use them to grab more nutrients. In this case, the genes make sticky molecules that help bacteria hold on to your teeth better.</p>



<p>These specialized metabolites enhance survival in certain ways, noted McKenna Yao a Berkeley graduate student and co-first author of the study. </p>



<p>"Many, for example, are antibiotics, so they can kill other bugs, or others are involved in metal acquisition - they help the bacteria monopolize the resources in their environmental niche," said Yao.</p>



<p>"Being able to produce these, especially in a microbial community, helps the bacteria boot out the other guy and guard their resources.”</p>



<p>The researchers named the sticky molecules <em>mutanoclumpins</em>. They think that if they can fully understand how these work, they could either stop bad bacteria from making them or help good bacteria use them better.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brushing-teeth-still-matters-for-now">Brushing teeth still matters - for now</h2>



<p>This isn’t the team’s first discovery. A couple of years ago, they found a different gene cluster that produces an unknown antibiotic in oral bacteria. Another one made a different type of sticky molecule. </p>



<p>This new discovery adds a further piece to the puzzle of how bacteria in your mouth work together - or against each other.</p>



<p>"We are looking for something which is correlated with cavities, with disease. If one day we can prove that, under certain conditions, this is really a bad molecule you want to prevent, we might develop genetic or chemical inhibitors to inhibit their production, so hopefully the bacteria will not make them, and you have fewer cavities," Zhang said. </p>



<p>"Meanwhile, we also look at other molecules correlated with health, allowing a simple strategy to directly engineer the microbes to make more of them."</p>



<p>The future goal is to build a full map of all these special molecules - to see what exactly your oral bacteria are up to. That could lead to smarter ways of managing oral health, with engineered probiotics doing most of the work. But for now, brushing still matters.</p>



<p>"The best way you can remove the <a href="https://clinmedjournals.org/articles/ijodh/international-journal-of-oral-and-dental-health-ijodh-7-127.php?jid=ijodh" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biofilm</a> on your teeth is to brush," Yao said. "We believe that there's actually a better way of disrupting that biofilm, but we're just beginning to understand what the complexity is within the mouth."</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2504492122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a></em>.</p>



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Beyond brushing teeth: Can our mouth clean itself?

Most of us dread brushing and flossing. But what if...

<p>Most of what we learn about ancient animals comes from hard parts - shells, bones, and sometimes soft tissues that have been transformed into fossils over eons. How does this happen? The key lies in the chemistry around a carcass. </p>



<p>As microbes move in, they use up oxygen and flip the local conditions from oxidizing to reducing within minutes to days. Those shifts decide whether tissues vanish or get copied by minerals and locked into rock.</p>



<p>A recent experiment asked a clear question with big consequences: if different animals decay in the same water, will they create the same chemistry above their bodies, or does each one build its own microenvironment? </p>



<p>The answers derived from a study led by the University of Lausanne (<a href="https://www.unil.ch/unil/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNIL</a>) points straight to why some animals transform into fossils when they die, but most simply return to dust.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-animals-become-fossils">How animals become fossils</h2>



<p>Researchers placed four aquatic animals - a shrimp, a snail, a starfish, and a planarian flatworm - into sealed jars of gently oxygenated water. For seven days, they measured <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/oxidation-reduction-potential" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">oxidation-reduction potential</a> (ORP) just above each carcass. </p>



<p>ORP, recorded in millivolts, indicates whether conditions favor oxidation (positive values) or reduction (negative values). </p>



<p>As microbes burn oxygen and switch to other electron acceptors, ORP drops. Each animal drove a different chemical path. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shrimp-crisis-alarming-virus-threatens-global-seafood-supplies/">Shrimp</a> pulled ORP down the fastest and deepest, sometimes reaching values linked to methanogenesis. Snails also pushed conditions into strongly reducing ranges, but not as rapidly or as far. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-thats-melting-starfish-alive-has-finally-been-identified/">Starfish</a> moved more slowly and ended near the snails after a week. Planarians barely shifted from the starting conditions, much like control jars without an animal.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-minerals-in-the-ground">Minerals in the ground</h2>



<p>Different redox windows favor different preservation routes. In oxygen-rich water, soft tissues usually break down quickly. </p>



<p>Under reducing conditions, minerals can grow on or within tissues and capture detail before it’s lost. When sulfate reduces to sulfide and iron is present, iron sulfide (<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fools-gold-may-be-a-valuable-source-of-lithium/">pyrite</a>) can form, producing pyritization. </p>



<p>In other reducing ranges, phosphorus released during decay can bind into calcium phosphate, producing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphatization" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phosphatization</a>.</p>



<p>Because shrimp and snails spent time in reducing “sweet spots,” their remains would be more likely to acquire pyrite or calcium phosphate coatings. Planarians, which stayed closer to oxygenated conditions, were less likely to mineralize that way. </p>



<p>A single sediment bed can therefore hold different preservation styles side by side, driven by the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-found-alive-sealed-inside-rock-after-2-billion-years/">microenvironments</a> that different carcasses create.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossils-and-animal-size">Fossils and animal size</h2>



<p>Size helps. Larger bodies feed microbes more and draw down oxygen faster, so they reach reducing conditions sooner. But size wasn’t the whole story. </p>



<p>The team normalized results by body mass and subtracted the weight of mineralized parts, such as shells, that don’t decay. Even after those corrections, the taxa did not line up the same way.</p>



<p>Composition mattered. Bodies richer in protein relative to lipid produced stronger ORP drops on a per-mass basis. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/apple-snails-regrow-their-eyes-and-may-help-humans-do-the-same/">Planarians</a> are small and protein-heavy with little fat, giving them a larger per-mass chemical impact than size alone would predict. </p>



<p>Shrimp carry more lipid, which degrades more slowly and blunts the per-mass effect, even though a whole shrimp still drove ORP very negative due to overall size, surface area, and varied tissues.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-the-lab-into-the-real-world">From the lab into the real world</h2>



<p>Several jars showed an ORP rebound after about five days. Conditions became less reducing. That pattern likely reflects microbial succession. </p>



<p>Early colonizers use easy fuels and drain oxygen quickly. Later arrivals run different reactions that tilt the chemistry back toward less extreme values. The decay path bends as the microbial roster changes.</p>



<p>These trials used freshwater at room temperature in sealed, gently oxygenated jars. Natural settings vary. Salty seawater alters protein behavior while cold mud slows reactions. </p>



<p>Flowing pore water can deliver new oxidants. Starfish are marine animals, and in seawater their decay chemistry can shift. </p>



<p>Sediments also matter. Many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-video-footage-of-an-elusive-deep-sea-predator-pacific-sleeper-shark/">carcasses land in mud</a> that limits oxygen flow and sets up reducing pockets faster than open water.</p>



<p>The specific numbers will change with the setting, but the pattern holds: taxon identity and tissue chemistry steer decay chemistry under the same starting conditions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-all-means">What it all means</h2>



<p>“This means that, in nature, two animals buried side by side could have vastly different fates as fossils, simply because of differences in size or body chemistry,” affirms Nora Corthésy, Ph.D. student at the University of Lausanne and lead author of the study. </p>



<p>“One might vanish entirely, while the other could be immortalized in stone,” adds Farid Saleh, Swiss National Science Foundation (<a href="https://www.snf.ch/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SNSF)</a> Ambizione Fellow at UNIL, and senior author of the paper.</p>



<p>According to this study, animals such as large arthropods are more likely to be preserved than small planarians or other aquatic worms. </p>



<p>“This could explain why fossil communities dating from the <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/cambrian.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambrian</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/ordovician-period" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ordovician</a> periods (around 500 million years ago) are dominated by arthropods,” states Corthésy.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preservation-of-animal-fossils">Preservation of animal fossils</h2>



<p>Geologists often picture redox conditions stacked vertically in sediment - from oxygenated at the top to more reducing with depth. That vertical model explains shifts in preservation with burial depth. This study adds a lateral view. </p>



<p>Two carcasses lying inches apart can generate different chemical zones and end up preserved by different mineral pathways, even when the surrounding mud looks uniform. </p>



<p>That helps explain mixed beds where pyritized and phosphatized fossils sit together and why some groups appear repeatedly while others fade.</p>



<p>The chemistry above a carcass is not one-size-fits-all. It changes with body size and, crucially, with what the body is made of. Those differences decide which minerals, if any, have time to copy soft parts before they disappear. </p>



<p>That is why a shrimp and a snail, decaying close together, can leave very different signatures in stone - and why the fossil record, with all its gaps and surprises, makes more sense when you follow the chemistry.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59372-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communication</a></em>.</p>



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Some animals survive millions of years in stone, but most simply vanish, now we know why

Most of what we learn about ancient animals comes from...

<p>Most of us think of loneliness as an emotional weight, not a medical expense resulting from health problems. But new research shows it also leaves a measurable mark on healthcare systems.</p>



<p>Adults who report feeling lonely often end up costing the U.K.'s National Health Service (<a href="https://www.nhs.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NHS</a>) nearly $1,150 more per year than their peers who feel socially connected.</p>



<p>That figure comes from a large peer-reviewed study that tracked more than 23,000 adults across Britain between 2021 and 2023. </p>



<p>The researchers linked survey responses to estimates of doctor visits, outpatient appointments, and hospital stays, uncovering a clear financial toll alongside the personal one.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-loneliness-and-health">Loneliness and health</h2>



<p>The effect wasn’t evenly spread across life. Loneliness weighed heaviest on young adults aged 16 to 24 and again later in life, suggesting that these are especially vulnerable windows when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/long-periods-of-social-isolation-can-physically-shrink-the-brain/">social isolation</a> hits both health and the health care system hardest.</p>



<p>Led by Nia Morrish of the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>’s Public Health Economics Group, the study also examined how loneliness connects to mental distress, well-being, and overall quality of life. </p>



<p>The World Health Organization calls poor social connection a public health priority in a global report. It estimates that one in six people worldwide <strong>is</strong> affected and that loneliness is linked to roughly 100 deaths every hour.</p>



<p>One national bulletin shows that in early 2025 about 25 percent of adults in Great Britain felt lonely often, always, or some of the time, and about seven percent felt lonely often or always. Younger adults reported higher levels than older adults.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-study-measured">What the study measured</h2>



<p>The researchers drew their data from <a href="https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Understanding Society</a>, a long running U.K. household panel dataset. </p>



<p>That survey follows the same people over time, which lets researchers see patterns that are hard to capture in one off polls.</p>



<p>They measured loneliness with the <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8502233/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCLA 3-item scale</a> and tracked mental distress using the General Health Questionnaire.</p>



<p>They also summarized physical and mental functioning with the Short Form Health Survey (CHIS) and assessed positive mental well-being using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-loneliness-across-britain">Tracking loneliness across Britain</h2>



<p>About 32 percent of participants <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-often-feel-lonely-burnt-out-parenting-demands/">felt lonely</a> some of the time and 8 percent felt lonely often. Those who were lonely showed higher psychological distress, lower positive mental well-being, and lower physical and mental functioning.</p>



<p>People who reported loneliness booked more GP and outpatient visits across 12 months. They also recorded more inpatient days than peers who did not report loneliness.</p>



<p>The cost pattern by age is U shaped. The largest excess costs appeared among 16- to 24-year-olds and again among older adults.</p>



<p>Statistical significance for excess costs was clearest for 16- to 24-year-olds. That suggests early adult years may be a sensitive window for support.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-costs-rise-with-loneliness">Health costs rise with loneliness</h2>



<p>Loneliness does not only increase health care spending. It also cuts into quality of life by raising the risks of depression, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-do-fear-and-anxiety-reside-in-the-brain-new-cells-identified/">anxiety</a>, and even early death, according to a meta-analysis of 148 studies covering 308,849 people. </p>



<p>The researchers in that work concluded that poor social connection is comparable to smoking and obesity in terms of its impact on survival.</p>



<p>Economic models suggest loneliness may ripple through the workforce. Research on job performance has shown links between loneliness and reduced productivity, absenteeism, and higher turnover. </p>



<p>That means the NHS costs capture only part of a larger hidden bill that also hits employers, families, and communities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-could-ease-the-pressure">What could ease the pressure</h2>



<p>Evidence reviews find that some programs can reduce loneliness when they build structured interaction, active participation, and consistent contact.</p>



<p>One such review reported that most evaluated interventions that met those design features reduced loneliness.</p>



<p>Group formats often help, and delivery can be in person or online if it keeps people engaged. The details matter, and person tailored delivery is still important.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-governments-take-loneliness-seriously">Governments take loneliness seriously</h2>



<p>Governments have begun to recognize loneliness as a policy issue. In 2018, the U.K. created a Minister for Loneliness role, and more recent strategies encourage local councils to invest in community programs.</p>



<p>These initiatives aim to expand social prescribing, where health workers link patients with local clubs, volunteer groups, or support networks that can build connection outside of medical care.</p>



<p>Community organizations also play a role. Faith groups, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/watching-live-sporting-events-increases-wellbeing/">sports teams</a>, and neighborhood associations can provide natural places for connection that reduce reliance on clinical services. </p>



<p>Evidence shows that interventions work best when communities embed them in everyday social life rather than treating them as isolated add-ons.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-loneliness-and-the-future">Health, loneliness, and the future</h2>



<p>“We found that people experiencing loneliness, especially in younger adulthood and later life, incur higher NHS costs compared with those who are not lonely,” said Morrish. </p>



<p>She and the team also emphasized links to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/poor-nutrition-leads-to-poor-mental-health/">poorer health</a>, reduced well-being, and lower quality of life.</p>



<p>“Our findings highlight the importance of recognizing loneliness as both a public health issue and an NHS priority,” said Professor Antonieta Medina-Lara of Exeter. She pointed to the personal costs and the wider burden on services.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0327671" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>PLOS ONE</em></a>.</p>



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Loneliness isn't just emotional - it's also harming your health and raising medical costs

Most of us think of loneliness as an emotional weight,...

<p>Honeybees can travel several miles from their hive and still make a straight line back home. Their secret isn’t scent trails or landmarks, but the way they read the sky. By detecting subtle polarization patterns in scattered sunlight, bees turn the heavens into a compass.</p>



<p>A new study shows how a specialized region at the top of the bee's eye sharpens this celestial map. Neighboring light sensors share information, producing a steadier signal that prioritizes reliability over fine detail.</p>



<p>The researchers say this built-in teamwork explains how bees keep their bearings even when clouds or obstacles break up the view. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-built-in-bee-sky-compass">A built-in bee sky compass</h2>



<p>James Foster, a neurobiologist at the <a href="https://www.uni-konstanz.de/en/">University of Konstanz</a>, and his team focused on the dorsal rim area, a narrow strip of sky-facing facets used for detecting polarized light.</p>



<p>Many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/very-little-is-known-about-99-of-all-insects-on-earth/">insects</a> use polarization patterns in the sky as a compass, and honeybees are a classic case. That pattern shifts with the sun across the day and stays readable even when clouds pass by.</p>



<p>The bee's eye is made of thousands of ommatidia that each sample a small patch of the world. A specialized dorsal rim area at the top handles the polarized sky and feeds information into the navigation system.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bee-polarization-detection-in-action">Bee polarization detection in action  </h2>



<p>Within each dorsal rim facet, a pair of UV-tuned photoreceptor cells points at different angles, which makes them sensitive to how skylight is polarized. Together, they report the orientation of the electric field, a signal bees can use for heading.</p>



<p>When researchers cover the dorsal rim area with paint, tethered bees lose clear orientation to a rotating polarization stimulus. That result shows how central this small eye strip is to the compass.</p>



<p>The new paper maps receptive field sizes and sensitivities across the eye. It finds that dorsal rim fields are much wider than those in the main retina, and that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unexpected-find-inside-the-eye-of-a-tiny-wasp-megaphragma-viggianii/">dorsal rim</a> cells are less absolutely sensitive while remaining tuned to polarization.</p>



<p>Earlier work proposed that corneal pore canals scatter light and widen each dorsal rim sampling zone. The new data add a second mechanism at the level of neural wiring.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bees-make-a-blur-that-helps">Bees make a blur that helps</h2>



<p>The recordings reveal that some dorsal rim cells share signals with neighbors, a form of spatial summation that happens right in the retina. Pooling inputs makes a coarser image, but it boosts the stability of the polarization map.</p>



<p>That tradeoff helps when clouds or branches interrupt the view. A robust map matters more than high detail for keeping a straight course.</p>



<p>"But this is exactly what makes this part of the eye particularly good at detecting large-scale polarization patterns in the sky," said Foster. The effect turns a less detailed picture into a more reliable compass readout.</p>



<p>Evidence for cell-to-cell coupling appeared in about six dorsal rim recordings, roughly a quarter of the cases examined. Small timing differences between peaks and slight offsets in preferred polarization angles ruled out simple optical artifacts.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-eye-to-compass-neurons">From eye to compass neurons</h2>



<p>The finding fits with what is known about downstream circuits in other insects. In fruit flies, the medulla carries <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bull-ants-use-moonlight-for-nighttime-navigation/">polarization</a> signals from dorsal rim photoreceptors toward compass neurons in the central complex.</p>



<p>Bees likely use a similar division of labor. The dorsal rim area cleans up the signal early, and later stages compute heading and route choices.</p>



<p>"Cameras pointed at the sky could serve as a kind of backup compass if GPS and magnetic signals are unreliable or fail," said Foster. That idea borrows a page from an eye that solves the compass problem with simple parts.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-bee-eye-responses">Mapping bee eye responses</h2>



<p>The team recorded ultraviolet sensitive cells in 17 honeybees and 31 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honey-bees-spread-viruses-to-bumblebees-in-the-spring/">bumblebees</a>, sampling the main retina, the marginal zone next to the dorsal rim, and the dorsal rim itself. Those measurements let them compare spatial tuning, polarization sensitivity, and response curves.</p>



<p>Dorsal rim fields were the widest, with mean widths near 7 degrees in honeybee and near 6 degrees in bumblebee. Main retina fields sat near 2 to 3 degrees and dropped off much more quickly away from the center.</p>



<p>Main retina and marginal cells were around 10 times more sensitive to light than dorsal rim cells. Even so, dorsal rim cells had steeper response slopes that help encode small changes in a bright sky without saturating.</p>



<p>In a subset of dorsal rim recordings, maps showed two or more islands of high sensitivity separated by low areas. </p>



<p>Millisecond-level delays between islands and small shifts in preferred polarization angles pointed to shared signals from neighboring units rather than a single broad optical lobe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-s-blueprint-for-sensors">Nature’s blueprint for sensors</h2>



<p>Pooling at the photoreceptor level smooths over the patchwork in skylight that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/clouds-have-become-less-reflective-making-global-warming-worse/">clouds</a> can produce. A cleaner polarization pattern in bee's eyes leads to a steadier internal compass that ignores minor distractions above.</p>



<p>Engineers can copy this approach with a simple sensor aimed upward. A polarization channel could serve as a low-cost backup when radio or magnetic cues are weak or noisy. </p>



<p>This strategy may help future autonomous systems keep their bearings even when signals fail.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2025.0234" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Biology Letters</em></a>.</p>



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Hidden eye sensors help bees find their way home

Honeybees can travel several miles from their hive and still...

<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=WXXGGiynIjs
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the opposite.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-contrasting-climate-response">A contrasting climate response</h2>



<p>Most coastal towns are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sinking-land-will-intensify-the-effects-of-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preparing for higher sea levels</a>, but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-no-longer-has-to-worry-about-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greenland presents</a> a different scenario during climate change. The ground there is rising at a remarkable rate. Over the past decade, some areas have lifted about 20 centimeters, which translates to roughly 2 meters per century. This rate significantly exceeds current projections for sea level rise.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geological-rebound-process-through-climate-change">Geological rebound process through climate change</h2>



<p>The mechanism behind this phenomenon is straightforward. As the ice sheet melts, the immense weight is removed from the bedrock, causing the land to rebound upward. This process resembles the way compressed material springs back when pressure is released.</p>



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



<p>Researchers at the <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Technical University of Denmark</a> are documenting this uplift using the GNET network, consisting of 61 GPS stations positioned around Greenland's coast. These sensors can detect movement with millimeter precision, providing detailed measurements of the ongoing changes.</p>



<p>The data reveal that current uplift rates exceed the gradual rebound occurring since the last ice age ended approximately 12,000 years ago. This acceleration corresponds directly with increased ice sheet melting rates.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coastal-transformation">Coastal Transformation</h2>



<p>This uplift is actively reshaping Greenland's coastline. New islands and rocky formations, called "skerries," are emerging as previously submerged land surfaces rise above the water level. This represents a notable contrast to global concerns about rising seas.</p>



<p>The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, demonstrates the varied regional impacts of climate change. While many locations face rising water levels, Greenland's bedrock is literally rising above the surrounding seas.</p>



<p>The full study was recently published in <em><a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023GL104851" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geophysical Research Letters</a></em>.</p>



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Greenland's ground rises while coasts worldwide face higher seas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXXGGiynIjs Greenland is not sinking. In fact, it is the...

<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=DSM3EVeGHJU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to implement the latest AI Agent building platform.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-agent-training-transforms-the-workplace-fear-factor-into-a-competitive-advantage">AI agent training transforms the workplace 'fear factor' into a competitive advantage</h2>



<p>Organizations that offer comprehensive artificial intelligence training to their workers find remarkable value that extends well beyond basic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mind-wandering-might-be-more-productive-than-you-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">productivity improvements</a>. Emerging research demonstrates that carefully crafted AI training programs <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-does-not-replace-human-creativity-but-enhances-it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enhance</a> corporate performance, lower operational costs, and dramatically improve employee psychological well-being by turning workplace uncertainty into professional empowerment.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-the-widespread-ai-anxiety-crisis-among-us">Addressing the widespread 'AI anxiety' crisis among us</h2>



<p>A staggering 53% of employees expressed concern that the use of AI tools to automate work tasks could make them appear disposable to their employers, according to <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Microsoft</a>'s 2024 workplace survey. Such pervasive worry about being substituted by machines has caused what researchers have termed "AI technostress" – a psychological state that can result in occupational burnout and poorer mental well-being.</p>



<p>Data published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a> showed that belief in AI learning ability was a moderator in the link between technology adoption and work pressure, and higher confidence significantly lowered negative psychological responses. Workers provided ample training to become competent with AI software have significantly lower stress.</p>



<p>Companies like <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a> have platforms for building what are known as "AI Agents".  In essence, AI Agents are simply tools that employees can build for themselves or their teams quickly and inexpensively.   MindStudio will even train entire companies, from the CEO on down, at no cost. By letting MindStudio empower employees, companies avoid hiring more IT staff, buying more software, and implementing solutions to problems that do not exist.</p>



<p>MindStudio even has partners locally for companies, like <a href="http://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dominnus</a> with offices in the Carolinas, California, and Denver, to help build AI Agents and support employees as they become resident AI experts for their organization.  The training provided by MindStudio is applicable across other AI Agent building platforms as well.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-productivity-through-focused-learning">Revolutionary productivity through focused learning</h2>



<p>Organizations that implement large-scale AI training programs achieve dramatic outcomes. Employees performed tasks significantly better when they utilized AI support compared to when they didn't, according to <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nielsen Norman Group</a> research findings. Their study documented productivity increases of 66% for a variety of professional tasks.</p>



<p>Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis research finds workers record 33% higher productivity in time working with generative AI tools. The benefit is equivalent to 5.4% of work time savings for AI users – around 2.2 hours per week for full-time workers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-psychological-well-being-benefits-through-ai-competence">Psychological well-being benefits through AI competence</h2>



<p>The emotional transformation when employees are provided with proper technology training is a fundamental transformation from fear to professional confidence. A survey of 600 employees across industries, carried out by ScienceDirect, proved that AI capabilities strengthen work environment commitment and improve job satisfaction.</p>



<p>A <a href="https://www.lut.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LUT University</a> study discovered that AI adoption has no direct effect on workers' well-being but does so indirectly through working conditions like task optimization and safety protocols. Strategically deployed AI that involves correct training can actually increase workplace mental well-being.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-replacement-anxiety-to-partnership-confidence">From 'replacement anxiety' to 'partnership confidence'</h2>



<p>Although 35% of those interviewed in recent McKinsey studies were concerned about workforce displacement, firms with large-scale training initiatives witness such fears dissipate quickly. The World Economic Forum found that two out of three respondents believe AI competencies will enhance their career prospects and job marketability.</p>



<p>This shift from fear to trust has measurable implications for job satisfaction. Applied Sciences research indicates AI can create tailored wellness programs based on individual employee requirements.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-financial-benefits-of-increased-retention">Financial benefits of increased retention</h2>



<p>The mental health advantages of AI learning have a direct impact on organizational bottom lines in the form of a positive feedback cycle with high retention of employees. Recent ROI research validates that artificial intelligence learning has a beneficial impact on employee turnover and satisfaction levels.</p>



<p>PriceWaterhouseCoopers' research documents 20% to 30% improvements in productivity, market speed, and revenue in organizations that attempt systematic AI adoption through comprehensive training.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-advantages-of-ai-enabled-teams">Environmental advantages of AI-enabled teams</h2>



<p>AI training has unforeseen environmental benefits as it makes the work environment more efficient. According to a study in Scientific Reports, the carbon footprint in writing and illustrating work is significantly lower when AI performs it compared to humans. AI software produces 130 to 1,500 times less CO2 equivalent per page of text created than human authors.</p>



<p>In addition, AI-driven remote work functionality significantly reduces environmental impact. Research by Cornell University and Microsoft indicates that remote workers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 54% by not commuting daily to offices. Hybrid workers working remotely two to four days a week can reduce their carbon footprint by 11% to 29%.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cumulative-organizational-advantages">Cumulative organizational advantages</h2>



<p>The compounding gains of better mental well-being, reduced turnover, increased productivity, and environmental benefits flow to enterprises from the pairing. McKinsey analysis estimates the long-term AI potential at $4.4 trillion in incremental productivity growth opportunity from business use cases.</p>



<p>As of now, 75% of knowledge workers globally utilize generative AI, mirroring widespread adoption patterns. Organizations that provide organized training and assistance see the most favorable results in productivity, worker satisfaction, and ecological sustainability.</p>



<p>The research overwhelmingly indicates that companies that invest in proper AI education, like that offered through <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MindStudio</a>, establish win-win scenarios where employees are both more empowered and less stressed, and companies enjoy the gains of increased productivity, reduced turnover, and improved mental health outcomes throughout their workforce.</p>



<p>For more on MindStudio's free AI training for companies, visit the website's of MindStudio and Dominnus from the links below.</p>



<p>The research was published across a variety of peer-reviewed journals, including <a href="https://www.nature.com/palcomms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities and Social Sciences Communications</a>, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/artificial-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence</a>, and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci">Applied Sciences</a>.</p>



<p id="block-9bd989d6-2fd3-4580-957f-6cacce134f08">-----</p>



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<p id="block-1f9a227a-ec37-4140-81b8-ffa4a7cc6689">-----</p>



<p>MindStudio.AI: <a href="https://www.mindstudio.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.mindstudio.ai</a></p>



<p>Dominnus: <a href="https://www.dominnus.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.dominnus.com</a></p>

AI agent training boosts mental health and profits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSM3EVeGHJU Companies like MindStudio help companies train their employees to...

<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=0HDXqTGEmi4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-natural-solution-to-disease-through-crop-modification">A natural solution to disease through crop modification.</h2>



<p>The agricultural industry stands at a crossroads between productivity and environmental responsibility, and crop modification often carries a negative connotation. While chemical pesticides have long been the go-to solution for crop protection, their harmful effects on ecosystems and human health have prompted scientists to seek alternatives. The recent breakthrough by <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Southampton</a> researchers offers a promising path forward through the precise manipulation of plant-associated microbial communities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-science-behind-microbial-partnerships">The science behind microbial partnerships</h2>



<p>Plants naturally harbor diverse ecosystems of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that function as biological allies. These microscopic partners contribute to disease resistance, nutrient absorption, and stress tolerance. However, until now, scientists lacked the tools to deliberately reshape these communities to enhance crop protection.</p>



<p>The Southampton team's approach centered on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/engineered-plant-microbiomes-the-future-of-crop-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modifying lignin biosynthesis genes in rice plants</a>. This strategic intervention altered the plant's metabolic output, creating conditions that favored beneficial bacterial populations while suppressing harmful ones. The result was a living defense system embedded within the plant itself.</p>



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



<p>The successful demonstration against Xanthomonas oryzae, the pathogen responsible for bacterial blight in rice, represents more than a laboratory achievement. Rice feeds nearly half the world's population, and bacterial blight causes devastating crop losses annually. Traditional control methods rely heavily on pesticides that contaminate soil and water systems.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-beyond-disease-resistance">Looking Beyond Disease Resistance</h2>



<p>While disease protection represents the immediate application, the research framework opens doors to broader agricultural improvements. Future developments could engineer microbiomes to enhance nutrient uptake, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers. This dual benefit addresses both crop productivity and environmental sustainability.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-path-forward">The path forward</h2>



<p>As this technology advances from laboratory to field applications, it promises to reshape sustainable agriculture. The ability to program plants with their own biological defense systems could herald a new era where crops protect themselves naturally, reducing chemical inputs while maintaining yields necessary for global food security.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44335-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature Communications</em></a>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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Revolutionizing agriculture through microbiome engineering

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDXqTGEmi4 Scientists give plants superpowers against bacterial disease A natural...

<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=kVywlgRJXsc
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Some children read facial expressions when making food choices.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-people-s-reactions-influence-children-s-eating-habits">Other people's reactions influence children's eating habits</h2>



<p>Many children are finicky eaters, but research explains how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-learned-why-so-many-kids-dislike-vegetables/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watching others eat and social modeling</a> influence the eating habits of children.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Study Methodology Demonstrates Social Learning Impact</h2>



<p>Researchers at <a href="https://www.aston.ac.uk/hls/school-of-psychology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aston University School of Psychology</a> have published findings in Frontiers in Psychology that illuminate the neurobiological foundations of food preference development through observational learning. The investigation employed controlled video stimuli featuring adults consuming raw broccoli while displaying systematically varied facial expressions to measure participant responses.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Asymmetrical Response Patterns Identified</h2>



<p>The research, conducted with 204 female participants, revealed a pronounced asymmetry in social modeling effects. Negative facial expressions during vegetable consumption significantly diminished observer food preference ratings, while positive expressions failed to produce corresponding increases in vegetable appeal. This finding challenges conventional assumptions about the bidirectional nature of social influence in dietary behavior formation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Evolutionary Psychology Framework Applied</h2>



<p>Dr. Katie Edwards and her research team propose that these results reflect adaptive mechanisms developed through evolutionary processes. The heightened sensitivity to disgust expressions likely functions as a protective system, enabling individuals to identify potentially harmful foods through social cues without direct risk exposure.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Clinical and Educational Implications</h2>



<p>These findings carry substantial implications for pediatric nutrition interventions and family meal dynamics. The research suggests that parental expressions of distaste during vegetable consumption may inadvertently reinforce children's existing food aversions through unconscious social transmission pathways.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Future Research Directions</h2>



<p>The study establishes a foundation for expanded investigation into real-time social modeling effects and cross-demographic applicability. Researchers emphasize the necessity for longitudinal studies examining actual consumption behaviors rather than preference ratings alone, particularly within family contexts where social learning occurs most frequently.</p>



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<p></p>

Social modeling affects our food choices

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVywlgRJXsc Some children read facial expressions when making food choices....

<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=JynHpMaNO8A
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chaotic cancer protein finally controlled after decades of mystery</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cancer-causing-protein-bound-and-blocked">Cancer-causing protein bound and blocked</h2>



<p>In a discovery that can one day revolutionize cancer treatment, researchers at the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Riverside</a> have successfully developed a means of controlling MYC, a notoriously slippery protein that causes approximately <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chaotic-protein-that-fuels-75-of-cancers-can-be-controlled/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">75% of all cancers in humans</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-myc-different">What makes MYC different</h2>



<p>MYC presents a unique challenge when studying cancer. Normally, this protein plays a vital role in healthy cells. It carefully controls transcription - the process that converts genetic information from DNA and RNA into proteins.</p>



<p>However, cancer changes everything. In cancer cells, MYC becomes a destructive force. It operates in overdrive mode with no regulation whatsoever.</p>



<p>Professor Min Xue, who led the research team, explains it simply: "MYC is less like food for cancer cells and more like a steroid. It drives cancer's aggressive growth." This superactive behavior makes MYC involved in three out of every four cancer cases.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-myc-is-hard-to-target">Why MYC is hard to target</h2>



<p>Despite its clear role in cancer, targeting MYC has been one of medicine's biggest challenges. The main problem lies in MYC's unusual structure - or rather, its complete lack of structure.</p>



<p>Professor Xue describes the protein as "basically a glob of randomness." This means conventional drug discovery methods don't work. These traditional approaches rely on sharply defined protein structures. MYC simply doesn't have one.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A New Approach to Fighting MYC</h2>



<p>The UCR research team developed a clever solution. They designed a special peptide molecule that could selectively bind to MYC. More importantly, this peptide could block MYC's destructive activity.</p>



<p>The key was fine-tuning two specific features: the peptide's stiffness and its shape. Through careful adjustments, researchers achieved something remarkable. They reached "sub-micro-molar affinity" - meaning their peptide binds as strongly as antibodies do.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breakthrough-results">Breakthrough results</h2>



<p>This accomplishment represents a major leap beyond previous attempts. The researchers enhanced their peptide's binding strength by two orders of magnitude. This dramatic improvement brings the work significantly closer to practical drug development goals.</p>



<p>The research opens new possibilities for treating the vast majority of cancers where MYC plays a destructive role.</p>



<p>The researchers are presently optimizing peptide-delivery systems based on lipid nanoparticles that deliver the peptide effectively into cancer cells. The<a href="https://www.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> National Institutes of Health</a> and the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Department of Defense</a> funded the study, which appeared in the Journal of the <a href="https://www.acs.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Chemical Society</a>.<br>This research offers renewed hope against cancer, and it can potentially open a door to more effective cancer therapies for most cancer patients worldwide.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

The protein that fuels 3 out of 4 cancers has been controlled

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JynHpMaNO8A Chaotic cancer protein finally controlled after decades of mystery...

<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>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

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>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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."</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>The forest was remarkably diverse. Scientists identified <em>Eospermatopteris</em>, 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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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."</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em>Current Biology</em>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

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=Veg4HmmRVZY
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Our bodies hits two 'aging cliffs' at these ages.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientists-map-exact-ages-when-your-body-rapidly-ages">Scientists Map Exact Ages When Your Body Rapidly Ages</h2>



<p>Scientists have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-bodies-begin-breaking-down-two-very-precise-ages/#google_vignette">discovered that aging</a> isn't the gradual, steady process many assume it to be. Instead, researchers from Stanford Medicine have found that our bodies undergo dramatic molecular changes at two specific ages: 44 and 60. This research, published in Nature Aging, reveals that aging happens in sudden bursts rather than smooth transitions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-waves-of-rapid-aging">Two waves of rapid aging</h2>



<p>The Stanford study tracked over 135,000 different molecules and microbes in 108 participants aged 25 to 75 over several years. Results showed that 81% of all molecules studied exhibited non-linear changes, meaning they shifted dramatically at certain ages rather than changing gradually over time.</p>



<p>Michael Snyder, chair of genetics at Stanford School of Medicine and the study's senior author, noted significant findings. "We're not just changing gradually over time; there are some really dramatic changes. It turns out the mid-40s is a time of dramatic change, as is the early 60s. And that's true no matter what class of molecules you look at."</p>



<p>The first wave of changes occurs around age 44, affecting molecules related to alcohol metabolism, caffeine processing, lipid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/age-related-changes-in-metabolism-dont-match-our-expectations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">metabolism</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-disease-remains-the-leading-cause-of-death-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cardiovascular disease</a>, and skin and muscle function. The second wave hits around age 60, involving changes in carbohydrate metabolism, immune regulation, kidney function, and again cardiovascular and muscle health.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-during-these-aging-bursts">What happens during these aging bursts</h2>



<p>During the mid-40s transformation, researchers observed significant changes in how the body processes alcohol and fats. This period often coincides with increased stress levels in many people's lives, potentially contributing to lifestyle factors that accelerate these molecular shifts.</p>



<p>"It's possible some of these changes could be tied to lifestyle or behavioral factors that cluster at these age groups, rather than being driven by biological factors," Snyder explained. For instance, alcohol metabolism dysfunction might result from increased consumption during the typically stressful mid-40s period.</p>



<p>The changes at age 60 are perhaps less surprising, as this is when many age-related diseases begin to manifest more prominently. The molecular shifts affect immune function and kidney health, both critical for maintaining overall wellness as we enter our senior years.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-latest-research-confirms-aging-patterns">Latest research confirms aging patterns</h2>



<p>Recent 2025 studies have validated these findings. Research examining tissue samples from 76 people found similar aging patterns, noting an "inflection point" between ages 45 and 55.</p>



<p>Scientists discovered that blood vessels, particularly the aorta, age fastest among all body tissues. This vascular aging may drive aging in other body parts, highlighting cardiovascular health's central role in the aging process.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cellular-changes-and-microbiome-shifts">Cellular changes and microbiome shifts</h2>



<p>The Stanford research revealed that these aging bursts affect our microbiome – the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi living in and on our bodies. These microbial communities undergo substantial shifts during both aging periods, potentially affecting everything from digestion to immune function.</p>



<p>Additionally, researchers found that protein production and gene expression begin to fall out of sync as we age. This breakdown in cellular communication becomes especially pronounced during the two aging waves, contributing to the accumulation of damaged proteins associated with diseases such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alzheimers-may-not-be-brain-disorder-important-data-was-fabricated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alzheimer's</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-implications-and-longevity-considerations">Health implications and longevity considerations</h2>



<p>Understanding these aging patterns has important implications for healthcare strategies. Research suggests that people should pay particular attention to their health during their 40s and 60s, when these dramatic molecular changes occur.</p>



<p>Snyder emphasized the importance of proactive health measures. "I'm a big believer that we should try to adjust our lifestyles while we're still healthy," he noted. This might include increasing exercise to protect heart health and maintain muscle mass, or reducing alcohol consumption in the 40s as the body's ability to metabolize it declines.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-approaches-to-anti-aging-treatment">New approaches to anti-aging treatment</h2>



<p>Aging research has seen notable advances in 2025. Harvard Medical School scientists developed chemical cocktails that reverse cellular aging without genetic modification. These six combinations restored aged cells to youthfulness in under a week, offering safer alternatives to gene therapy.</p>



<p>Researchers identified new biomarkers like "InflammAge," a saliva-based test measuring chronic inflammation associated with aging. This non-invasive approach could change how we monitor aging and intervention.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-directions-in-aging-research">Future directions in aging research</h2>



<p>Emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, cellular reprogramming, and senolytic therapies, are opening new possibilities for extending healthspan. Companies develop treatments targeting aging's fundamental mechanisms rather than just managing age-related diseases.</p>



<p>The Stanford findings provide a roadmap for implementing preventive measures. Rather than waiting for symptoms, people can prepare for and potentially mitigate these predictable aging waves.</p>



<p>As aging understanding evolves, one thing becomes clear: aging isn't inevitable decline, but specific biological events we may learn to prevent or reverse. The key is recognizing when these transitions occur and taking proactive health steps during vulnerable periods.</p>



<p>The study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/nataging" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Aging</a></em>.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Scientists discover we age in bursts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veg4HmmRVZY Our bodies hits two 'aging cliffs' at these ages....

<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=PqlF0XKzHY4
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The hidden science behind tickling.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientists-discover-the-brain-s-tickling-command-center">Scientists discover the brain's 'tickling command center'</h2>



<p>Researchers have finally solved one of humanity's most enduring mysteries: why we can't <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/after-centuries-of-debate-we-still-dont-know-how-tickling-works/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tickle</a> ourselves and what makes some people incredibly ticklish while others barely react? Recent scientific discoveries are revolutionizing our understanding of this peculiar human behavior.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breakthrough-discovery-in-the-brain">Breakthrough discovery in the brain</h2>



<p>In 2023, Dr. Michael Brecht's team at <a href="https://www.hu-berlin.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humboldt University</a>-<a href="https://www.hu-berlin.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Berlin</a> made a major discovery published in the <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)01991-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">journal <em>Neuron</em></a>. They identified the brain's actual "tickling command center" – specific neurons in a region called the periaqueductal gray that control both tickling responses and play behavior.</p>



<p>When researchers used cutting-edge optogenetic technology to shut down these neurons in laboratory rats, something remarkable happened. The animals completely lost their ability to be tickled or engage in playful behavior.</p>



<p>"We found that global blockade of the rat periaqueductal gray with either muscimol or lidocaine interfered with ticklishness and play," the research team reported in their study.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-types-of-tickling-revealed">Two types of tickling revealed</h2>



<p>What we call "tickling" is two completely different phenomena, according to the latest research. Light tickling – that feathery sensation that makes you want to scratch – is essentially your body's sophisticated bug detection system. This alerts you to potential insects or parasites on your skin.</p>



<p>Deep tickling – the kind that makes you laugh uncontrollably – involves complex brain circuits and is fundamentally social. You literally cannot tickle yourself with this type of stimulation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-self-tickling-is-impossible">Why self-tickling is impossible</h2>



<p>Your cerebellum acts like a prediction machine, recent findings show. When you move your own hand to touch yourself, your brain generates precise predictions about what you will feel and then cancels out the tickling sensation through neural inhibition.</p>



<p>When someone else tickles you, your brain can't predict their movements, so the full tickling response activates. It's like your brain's way of distinguishing between self and others.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-individual-differences-explained">Individual differences explained</h2>



<p>Individual differences in ticklishness depend on genetics, psychology, and even trust. Dr. Xinzhong Dong at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johns Hopkins University</a> notes that people with denser nerve endings tend to be more sensitive.</p>



<p>Psychological factors matter just as much. You respond more strongly when tickled by people you trust, and anxiety completely shuts down tickling responses. This explains why the same physical stimulus can produce completely different reactions depending on who's doing the tickling.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-controlling-your-ticklishness">Controlling your ticklishness</h2>



<p>Science offers answers for controlling your ticklishness. You can reduce tickling sensitivity through systematic desensitization – gradual exposure in controlled settings.</p>



<p>Dr. Konstantina Kilteni's 2025 research, published in <em><a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt0350" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a></em>, reveals another technique: place your hand on the tickler's hand. This allows your brain to partially predict the sensations, reducing the tickling response by up to 90 percent.</p>



<p>"Your brain is essentially learning to override its own reflexes," Kilteni explained in her review of tickling research.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolutionary-purpose-discovered">Evolutionary purpose discovered</h2>



<p>From an evolutionary perspective, tickling serves vital functions according to <a href="https://www.umd.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Maryland</a> researcher Dr. Robert Provine's extensive studies. It trains our defense reflexes for vulnerable body areas and facilitates social bonding between family members.</p>



<p>Tickling-induced laughter is actually one of the first forms of communication between infants and caregivers. "Tickle involves a neurological self/nonself discrimination, providing the most primitive social scenario," Provine noted in his research.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clinical-applications-emerge">Clinical applications emerge</h2>



<p>Research shows people with autism spectrum disorder perceive touches as more ticklish than people without the condition. Investigating this difference could provide insight into brain differences and help advance autism research.</p>



<p>People with schizophrenia tend to experience self-touches similarly to external tickles, allowing them to essentially tickle themselves. This suggests altered sensory prediction mechanisms in the condition.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animal-research-reveals-universal-nature">Animal research reveals universal nature</h2>



<p>Scientists have discovered that many species beyond humans are ticklish. Rats emit ultrasonic "laughs" when tickled, while chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans all respond to tickling stimulation.</p>



<p>This widespread occurrence across species suggests that tickling serves fundamental biological and social functions that evolved long before humans developed complex language and culture.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions</h2>



<p>Dr. Kilteni argues that tickling research deserves more scientific attention. "It is a complex interplay of motor, social, neurological, developmental, and evolutionary aspects," she stated in her recent review.</p>



<p>New haptic technologies and advanced research methodologies now permit scientists to investigate tickle sensation with unprecedented precision. Standardized experimental methods using mechanical tickling devices ensure consistent results across studies.</p>



<p>Recent findings published in <em>Science Advances</em> show that tickling research is opening new doors in neuroscience, potentially leading to a better understanding of social behavior, sensory processing, and neurological conditions.</p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Scientists solve the mystery of tickling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqlF0XKzHY4 The hidden science behind tickling. Scientists discover the brain's...

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elr4948_uOU
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dr. Ronald Mallett from the University of Connecticut reveals secret mission to create working time travel device.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-could-an-equation-truly-bend-time-a-physicist-s-decades-long-quest-to-rewrite-reality">Could an equation truly bend time? A physicist's decades-long quest to rewrite reality</h2>



<p>Imagine the impossible: stepping back through time in a time machine, not in fantasy, but through a scientific endeavor driven by profound personal loss. For <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astrophysicist-says-hes-cracked-the-equation-for-time-travel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Ronald Mallett</a>, a distinguished astrophysicist and professor emeritus at the <a href="https://uconn.edu/">University of Connecticut</a>, this deeply human longing has fueled a lifelong mission. He claims to have discovered the equation that could unlock temporal displacement, pushing boundaries once deemed purely science fiction.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-profound-grief-that-forged-a-vision">A profound grief that forged a vision</h2>



<p>Mallett's extraordinary pursuit began with devastating tragedy in 1955. At merely 10 years old, he endured his father Boyd's sudden death—a television repairman whose passion for science had ignited a similar spark in his young son. Boyd Mallett, only 33, succumbed to a heart attack, leaving behind a grief-stricken child searching for solace.</p>



<p>That solace came through H.G. Wells' <em>The Time Machine</em>. Within its pages, Mallett found a captivating concept: "Time is only a kind of Space." These words transformed from a literary phrase into a guiding principle, becoming the driving force behind his unwavering commitment to unraveling time's fundamental mysteries.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-humble-beginnings-to-academic-heights">From humble beginnings to academic heights</h2>



<p>Mallett's journey was far from straightforward. After serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War era, he utilized the GI Bill for higher education, earning his Ph.D. in physics from Pennsylvania State University in 1973 at the age of 28.</p>



<p>In 1975, he made history as the first African American professor in the University of Connecticut's physics department, achieving full professorship in 1987 before retiring in 2024 as professor emeritus.</p>



<p>Throughout these successful academic years, Mallett harbored his radical ambition as a closely guarded secret. "I kept my time travel goal a secret," he confessed. "I worried people would think I was nuts." His public research centered on black holes, serving as a "cover story" while he quietly developed his revolutionary time travel theory.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-breakthrough-moment">The breakthrough moment</h2>



<p>His pivotal insight arrived while hospitalized for a heart condition—a profound irony given his father's heart attack started this journey. The breakthrough was elegantly simple yet revolutionary: "If gravity can bend time, and light can create gravity, then light can bend time."</p>



<p>"It turns out that black holes can create a gravitational field that could lead to the creation of time loops that could allow us to go back in time," he explained.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-blueprint-for-a-temporal-vortex">The blueprint for a temporal vortex</h2>



<p>Mallett's vision for a functioning time machine replicates spacetime-warping phenomena around black holes. He offers a compelling analogy: "Picture a cup of coffee. Stir it with a spoon, and the coffee swirls. A spinning black hole does the same to spacetime."</p>



<p>In Einstein's general relativity, the universe is a dynamic fabric woven from space and time. Massive objects like black holes warp this fabric—an effect we perceive as gravity. Mallett theorizes that an intense, continuous, circulating beam of light from a ring of powerful lasers could replicate this gravitational torsion, effectively twisting time into a loop.</p>



<p>This "time loop" would theoretically allow information—or perhaps matter—to travel backward in time. He detailed this mathematical concept in his 2006 autobiography, <em>Time Traveler: A Scientist's Personal Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-published-research-and-recognition">Published research and recognition</h2>



<p>His work, published in respected journals including <em><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/physics-letters-a" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Physics Letters A</a></em> and <em><a href="https://link.springer.com/journal/10701" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Foundations of Physics</a></em>, suggests circulating laser light could generate gravitational fields potent enough to create closed timelike curves, enabling time travel for data.</p>



<p>Mallett's research has gained worldwide media attention, featured on <a href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Public Radio's <em>This American Life</em></a>, the <a href="https://www.history.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">History Channel</a>, and <a href="https://www.today.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBC's <em>Today Show</em></a>. The widespread interest reflects both his compelling personal story and rigorous scientific approach.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-galactic-hurdles-and-persistent-skepticism">The galactic hurdles and persistent skepticism</h2>



<p>While Mallett's equations captivate imagination, the path to reality faces immense obstacles. The energy requirement is staggering—Mallett acknowledges needing "galactic amounts of energy," far beyond current technological capabilities.</p>



<p>There's also a poignant limitation: even if realized, his machine could only send information back to when it was first activated, meaning it couldn't transport him to 1955 to prevent his father's death.</p>



<p>The scientific community remains skeptical. Physicists Ken Olum and Allen Everett argue that Mallett's proposed laser ring would need to be larger than the observable universe to achieve the necessary spacetime distortion. They invoke Stephen Hawking's chronology protection conjecture, suggesting physics may prevent macroscopic time travel.</p>



<p>Astrophysicist Paul Sutter has voiced doubts about Mallett's underlying mathematics, while science writer Brian Clegg finds the concept intriguing enough to warrant experimental investigation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-legacy-that-transcends-time">A legacy that transcends time</h2>



<p>Now approaching 80, Dr. Mallett remains steadfast. "I believe my work will show time travel is possible," he asserts. "Future generations will build on it in ways we can't yet imagine."</p>



<p>His equations, though yet to physically bend time, have bent our collective imagination. Ongoing public interest, evidenced by his continued media appearances and Spike Lee's film adaptation of his memoir, underscores his ideas' profound impact.</p>



<p>More than a scientific pursuit, Mallett's story testifies to human resilience, intellectual courage, and hope's enduring power. Whether his theoretical time machine ever materializes, his legacy is immeasurable—inspiring countless individuals to challenge conventional limits and perceive time not as an unyielding barrier, but as a boundless frontier awaiting exploration.</p>



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<p>-----</p>

Retired professor claims he solved time travel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elr4948_uOU Dr. Ronald Mallett from the University of Connecticut reveals...

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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>



<p>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?</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



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



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



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



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



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



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



<p><strong>Sources:</strong> <em>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.</em></p>



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



<p><strong>1. Is acid rain completely gone?</strong> 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.</p>



<p><strong>2. How long did solving take?</strong> 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.</p>



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



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



<p><strong>5. Could acid rain return?</strong> 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.</p>



<p><strong>6. Can you recommend any teaching tools on the subject of "acid rain"?</strong> 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></p>



<p>-----</p>



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<p>-----</p>

The environmental problem we actually solved

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

<p>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. </p>



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



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



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



<p>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. </p>



<p>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).</p>



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



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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>.</p>

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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.</p>



<p>"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.</p>



<p>"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."</p>



<p><em>Video/ Image Credit: ESA</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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<p>Today's <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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.</p>



<p>"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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p><em>Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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;</p>



<p>"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.</p>



<p>"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."</p>



<p>"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."</p>



<p><em>Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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<p>Today's <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p><em>Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.</p>



<p>In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;</p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. </p>



<p>Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.</p>



<p>Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. </p>



<p><em>Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><em>-</em><em>--</em></p>



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



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Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.</p>



<p>“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. </p>



<p>The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.</p>



<p>“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”</p>



<p>The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.</p>



<p><em>Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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?</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p>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;</p>



<p><em>Video Credit: ACS Reactions</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

How does salt makes things taste better?

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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> 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;</p>



<p>'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)."</p>



<p>"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.</p>



<p><em>Video/ Image Credit: ESA</em></p>



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



<p>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.</p>

Santiago, Chile in South America

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