<p>Male mice can learn to be aggressive just by watching. The twist is that the effect shows up after they see familiar cage mates fight, not strangers, and it appears to run through a specific hub in the brain.</p>



<p>This work adds a new layer to the classic <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/bystander-effect.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bystander effect</a>, shifting the focus from helping behavior to the spread of hostile actions. It also highlights observational <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-oil-omega-3-capsules-have-been-found-to-help-control-aggression/">learning</a>, the process of picking up behavior by seeing others do it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aggression-in-male-mice">Aggression in male mice </h2>



<p>Jacob C. Nordman of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (<a href="https://www.siumed.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SIU</a>) and his team designed a simple setup. Mice watched either known peers or unfamiliar mice attack intruders for 10 minutes, then were tested 30 minutes later in their own resident territory.</p>



<p>In a new <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/08/18/JNEUROSCI.1018-25.2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paper</a>, the researchers report that only male witnesses who had observed familiar fighters showed a later uptick in attacking. Females did not show the effect, and observing strangers did not change later behavior.</p>



<p>The group chose this design to separate mere exposure to violence from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/geese-guide-the-flock-with-boldness-not-aggression/">social</a> context of the model. Familiarity turned out to be the on switch for later aggression in males.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-circuit-of-aggression">Brain circuit of aggression</h2>



<p>The experiments point to the amygdala, a region important for emotion and social signals. Within it, the medial amygdala contains a posterior ventral subdivision that previous work ties to aggression priming.</p>



<p>Prior <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/40/25/4858" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> showed that repeated attacks strengthen connections from this MeApv node to downstream targets that control how often and how long mice attack. That background helped in framing the new results.</p>



<p>The team recorded neural activity in this area during the witnessing phase using fiber photometry, a population recording method that reads calcium-linked fluorescence in defined cells. A recent <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11582208/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> describes how this approach lets scientists monitor activity in freely moving animals.</p>



<p>Signals in excitatory MeApv neurons rose when males watched familiar peers attack, but not when they watched unfamiliar fighters. The pattern fits a model where recognized peers engage circuitry that prepares, or primes, an aggressive state.</p>



<p>“We previously found that these neurons are involved in an ‘aggression priming’ <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dopamines-role-in-male-aggression-fades-with-fighting-experience/">effect</a>,” said Nordman. The new study tested whether simply seeing known peers act aggressively would recruit the same circuit.</p>



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



<p>Social identity shapes imitation in many species. In humans, a long term longitudinal <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12661882/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> shows that heavier exposure to violent media in childhood predicts more aggressive behavior in young adulthood, even after accounting for important confounders.</p>



<p>A <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/204790" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meta-analysis</a> from 2006 revealed consistent short-term and long-term links between violent media exposure and aggressive behavior, thoughts, and arousal. That literature helps explain why repeated observation can change later actions.</p>



<p>In mice, familiarity may heighten relevance, salience, or identification with the model. The selective MeApv activation during familiar observations hints that the brain tags familiar peers differently, which can bias later choices toward attack.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-confirming-the-role-of-neurons">Confirming the role of neurons </h2>



<p>To move beyond correlation, the team manipulated the MeApv neurons during observation. Chemogenetic silencing cuts the later aggression that usually follows watching familiar fighters, which argues the activity is necessary.</p>



<p>The reverse effect was also observed. Activating the same neuron population while males watched strangers, who normally do not trigger the effect, made later attacks more likely.</p>



<p>Related animal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2024.1433993/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence</a> indicates that acute social defeat in adolescence drives long lasting aggression by recruiting MeApv neurons. Putting the findings together, MeApv emerges as a convergence point for both direct experience and observational routes to aggression.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tools-for-tracking-aggression">Tools for tracking aggression</h2>



<p>Terms like chemogenetics and optogenetics describe ways to control defined neurons. Chemogenetics uses engineered receptors that respond to a designer drug to turn cells down or up for minutes to hours.</p>



<p>Optogenetics uses light sensitive ion channels to switch activity with millisecond timing. In this study, chemogenetics handled inhibition and activation during the viewing window, while photometry tracked the activity patterns that predicted later <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gorillas-adjust-their-aggression-based-on-risk-and-reward/">behavior</a>.</p>



<p>These tools let scientists pose causal questions about circuit nodes. If turning down a node prevents the learned behavior, and turning it up installs the behavior when it would not otherwise appear, that node likely sits on a necessary pathway.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-study-limitations-and-next-steps">Study limitations and next steps</h2>



<p>The work uses mice, so direct translation to people needs care. Sex differences showed up clearly here, and the effect depended on social familiarity, which may play out differently in human groups.</p>



<p>Time scales also matter. The observation lasted 10 minutes and the test came 30 minutes later, so the results speak to short term acquisition expressed soon after witnessing.</p>



<p>Future studies can ask how long the familiarity gated effect lasts and whether repeated observing builds stronger, longer lived priming. Experts can also examine whether adolescence, stress history, or social rank change how the MeApv encodes familiar aggression.</p>



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



<p>Social environments can nudge biology in ways that push behavior. The results suggest that who you watch may matter as much as what you watch when it comes to aggressive scripts.</p>



<p>Public health and education strategies often target exposure volume. Adding social identity and relationship context to that conversation could make prevention efforts more precise.</p>



<p>Circuit level insights can also guide ideas for intervention. If a specific node reads social familiarity and primes later attack, targeted behavioral training or neuromodulation approaches could aim to disrupt that readout before it turns into action.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/08/18/JNEUROSCI.1018-25.2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>JNeurosci</em></a>.</p>



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Male aggression may be triggered by the influence of friends

Male mice can learn to be aggressive just by watching. The twist is that the effect shows up after they see familiar cage mates fight, not strangers, and it appears to run through a specific hub in the brain. This work adds a new layer to the classic bystander effect, shifting the focus from helping behavior to the spread of hostile actions. It also highlights observational learning, the process of picking up behavior by seeing others do it. Aggression in male mice Jacob C. Nordman of Southern...

<p>Securing the world's water supply is among the most pressing global challenges today. Researchers at Stockholm University have introduced an innovative method to better quantify the global risk of water scarcity.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The findings suggest that the risks to the world's water supply may be more significant than previously estimated when environmental conditions and governance in regions where rain-producing moisture originates are taken into account.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-global-water-supply-nbsp">Understanding the global water supply&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Traditionally, the global water supply is understood as rain falling on the Earth's surface, subsequently stored in aquifers, lakes, and rivers. This conventional understanding is often used to evaluate water security and the potential for water scarcity.&nbsp;</p>



<p>However, a new study published in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44221-024-00291-w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature Water</em></a> challenges this perspective by highlighting the importance of governance and environmental conditions in regions upwind - where the moisture that eventually falls as rain is generated.</p>



<p>“Water supply really originates beforehand, with moisture evaporated from land or in the ocean traveling in the atmosphere before falling as rain. This upwind moisture is commonly overlooked when assessing water availability,” explained senior author Fernando Jaramillo, an associate professor in physical geography at <a href="https://www.su.se/cmlink/stockholm-university" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stockholm University</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-origins-of-rainfall">Origins of rainfall</h2>



<p>Typically, when a lake or river is shared between different countries or authorities, water assessments and regulations focus on upstream factors - considering the conditions upriver from the water body.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The new study, however, adopts an upwind perspective, which takes into account the areas where evaporated water is transported before it precipitates as rain. This area, known as a “precipitationshed,” can span vast regions of the Earth's surface.</p>



<p>“For instance, in tropical South America, most of the Amazon basin is downstream of the Andes mountain range, whereas large areas of the Andes are in themselves downwind of the Amazon rainforest and depend on it. This interdependency makes these two regions reliant on each other for water supply,” Jaramillo said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-higher-risks-of-water-scarcity-nbsp">Higher risks of water scarcity&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The researchers analyzed 379 hydrological basins globally, revealing that water security risks are considerably higher when the upwind origins of water are factored into the equation.</p>



<p>“With this approach, we see that 32,900 km³/year of water requirements worldwide face very high risk, a near 50 percent increase compared to the 20,500 km³/year resulting from the more traditional upstream focus,” said lead author José Posada, a former doctoral student at Stockholm University.</p>



<p>Political control and land use changes in upwind regions can have profound effects on downwind water availability. For example, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deforestation-has-darkened-coastal-waters-off-belize/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deforestation</a> and agricultural development in these areas can reduce the moisture provided by vegetation, subsequently decreasing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rainfall-is-becoming-more-intense-in-the-united-states/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rainfall</a> downwind and heightening water security risks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-water-security-across-different-regions">Water security across different regions</h2>



<p>“For coastal countries such as the Philippines, most of the rain comes from the sea, so land-use changes pose minimal risk to their water security. Conversely, for inland countries like Niger, where rainfall is largely sourced from moisture that evaporates in neighboring countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, land-use changes in these upwind regions can significantly impact water security,” Jaramillo explained.</p>



<p>This implies that political factors, such as environmental management and regulatory policies in areas where moisture first evaporates, can greatly influence water safety in distant regions.</p>



<p>“The Congo River basin, for example, heavily relies on moisture from neighboring countries with low environmental performance and governance according to global indicators. This makes the basin vulnerable to risks from potential deforestation and unregulated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/land-use-changes-expose-the-amazon-to-environmental-threats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">land use changes</a> in those neighboring areas,” said co-author Lan Wang-Erlandsson, a researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Center at Stockholm University.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-all-water-is-connected">All water is connected</h2>



<p>The study underscores the importance of considering upwind perspectives in environmental regulation and governance. It highlights the interdependence between countries situated upstream/downwind and downstream/upwind.</p>



<p>“It is not possible to ignore the interdependence between countries. In the end, all water is connected, so we should not only mind how we manage our water resources within a region or country but also how our neighboring countries do,” Wang-Erlandsson said.</p>



<p>The researchers hope their findings will help identify key areas and stakeholders for cooperation strategies aimed at mitigating the causes of water-related tensions. This includes considering atmospheric water flows in transboundary decision-making and water governance frameworks.</p>



<p>“We stress the need for international cooperation to effectively manage upwind moisture sources,” Jaramillo concluded.</p>



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Global water security relies on the origins of rainfall

Securing the world's water supply is among the most pressing...

<p>Researchers have revealed new details about the fascinating connection between cardiovascular fitness and brain health.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Previous studies indicated that maintaining good cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) played an important role in preserving the integrity of the brain's white matter, yet this theory had not been fully investigated.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-white-matter-during-aging">The role of white matter during aging</h2>



<p>The brain's white matter consists of areas of the central nervous system made up of myelinated axons. The name “white matter” originates from the pale appearance of the lipids comprising myelin - a segmented sheath that insulates axons and thus ensures the conduction of neural signals.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Myelin loss occurs in various neurodegenerative diseases, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/medical-breakthrough-new-vaccine-may-prevent-alzheimers-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alzheimer's</a> and Parkinson's, and most notably, multiple sclerosis. As people age, the risk of demyelination increases.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cardiorespiratory-fitness-and-white-matter-integrity-nbsp">Cardiorespiratory fitness and white matter integrity&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Scientists have long suspected a connection between cardiorespiratory fitness and the integrity of the brain's white matter during the aging process. However, the lack of specific evidence prompted a team of researchers at the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Institutes of Health</a> (NIH) to conduct a study examining the strength of this correlation.</p>



<p>To investigate these issues, the experts recruited 125 participants aged 22-94, and quantified their cardiovascular fitness as the maximum rate of oxygen consumption, known as VO2max. The myelin content was defined as the myelin water fraction, which the scientists estimated through an advanced multicomponent relaxometry MRI method.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isolating-myelin-from-other-brain-matter-nbsp">Isolating myelin from other brain matter&nbsp;</h2>



<p>“Research suggests that maintaining good <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cardiorespiratory-fitness-cuts-early-death-risks-by-53-percent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cardiorespiratory fitness</a> plays a role in preserving white matter integrity. However, there is scarcity of clinical studies examining the relationship between CRF and myelin integrity,” noted the study authors. </p>



<p>“Here, we investigated the association between CRF, as measured by the maximum rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max), and myelin content, as defined by the myelin water fraction (MWF) MRI, throughout the adult lifespan.”</p>



<p>While previous analyses relying on conventional techniques did not succeed in isolating myelin from other brain matter, this new MRI method is more sensitive and specific to measuring myelin content in vivo.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cerebral-blood-flow-and-motor-function">Cerebral blood flow and motor function</h2>



<p>Recent studies using multicomponent relaxometry MRI found important correlations between local myelin water fraction and cerebral blood flow and motor function, which are both influenced by cardiorespiratory fitness. This motivated the NIH researchers to conduct the current study using the same technology.</p>



<p>The investigations revealed that greater cardiorespiratory fitness correlated strongly with higher cerebral myelination. In addition, greater cardiorespiratory fitness was found to be associated with better myelin integrity, particularly in middle-aged and older participants.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-sensitive-brain-regions-nbsp">Protecting sensitive brain regions&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Most importantly, the experts discovered significant positive correlations between the two measures in the frontal lobes and white matter tracts, which are the regions most susceptible to early degeneration caused by neurological disorders at the onset of old age.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These findings suggest that cardiorespiratory fitness is likely to be protective for these sensitive brain regions, especially among the participants with lifelong fitness.</p>



<p>However, this study cannot establish a direct causal link between higher cardiorespiratory fitness and improved myelin integrity, its results showing just a correlation between the two.</p>



<p>“Nevertheless, our findings suggest that cardiorespiratory fitness is likely to be a valuable indicator of overall health and a potential target for interventions aimed at promoting brain health,” the authors wrote.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-physical-fitness-and-brain-health">Physical fitness and brain health</h2>



<p>The experts also discovered an association between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aerobic-exercise-boosts-cognitive-ability/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aerobic exercise</a> and neuroprotective adaptations in the brain, along with the upregulation of neurotrophins and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which helps increase brain mitochondrial function. Declines in this function have been linked by previous studies to diseases resulting from demyelination.</p>



<p>Future research could use this work to examine the relationship between physical fitness, brain health and myelin integrity to find ways of supporting brain aging and preventing neurological disorders.</p>



<p>“This original study provides compelling evidence of the crucial role of CRF in the preservation of myelin integrity with advancing age, expanding our understanding of the intricate relationship between cardiovascular health and white matter microstructure,” noted the researchers.</p>



<p>“Additionally, this work lays the foundation for further investigations into the potential therapeutic applications of improving CRF or myelination to promote healthy brain aging and combat age-related neurodegeneration, including in Alzheimer’s disease.”</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2402813121" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</em></a>.</p>



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Physical fitness protects the health of sensitive brain regions

Researchers have revealed new details about the fascinating connection between...

<p>Imagine an epic prehistoric saga, unfolding in what is now northwestern Venezuela, featuring a sea cow as our unfortunate protagonist and a crocodile and a shark as the antagonists. </p>



<p>This tale is not a figment of our imagination, but a fascinating reality woven by scientists from several esteemed institutions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unearthing-the-prehistoric-tale">Unearthing the prehistoric tale</h2>



<p>The events of this story took place during the Early to Middle Miocene epoch, a period dating from 23 million to 11.6 million years ago. A sea cow, belonging to the extinct genus Culebratherium, found itself at the mercy of a crocodile's attack.</p>



<p>Evidence of this saga is etched on the sea cow's skull. Deep tooth impacts suggest that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crocodile-evolution-was-influenced-by-environmental-factors/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">crocodile</a> launched the first attack, attempting to grasp the sea cow's snout, likely intending to suffocate it.</p>



<p>Further large incisions indicate the crocodile dragged and tore at the sea cow, executing a "death roll" - a behavior observed in modern crocodiles.</p>



<p>As if being preyed upon by an ancient crocodile wasn't enough, the sea cow's remains were later scavenged by a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiger-shark-genomes-reveal-two-distinct-populations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tiger shark</a>. The discovery of a shark tooth in the sea cow's neck, along with various shark bite marks across the skeleton, solidify this part of the story.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predation-events-in-the-fossil-record">Predation events in the fossil record </h2>



<p>This prehistoric narrative was pieced together by experts from the <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Zurich</a> and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, along with researchers from Venezuelan institutes Museo Paleontológico de Urumaco and the Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda.</p>



<p>The findings offer valuable insights into prehistoric predation patterns and the ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-seafloor-nutrients-support-the-entire-food-chain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food chain</a>. Aldo Benites-Palomino, the study's lead author from the Department of Paleontology at Zurich, explained that the research highlights the pivotal role of sea cows in the food chain.</p>



<p>"Our findings constitute one of the few records documenting multiple predators over a single prey, and as such provide a glimpse of food chain networks in this region during the Miocene," said Benites-Palomino.</p>



<p>Verifying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fear-of-predators-can-damage-prey-as-much-as-predation-itself/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predation</a> events in the fossil record can be challenging. “While evidence of food chain interactions are not scarce in the fossil record, they are mostly represented by fragmentary fossils exhibiting marks of ambiguous significance," explained Benites-Palomino.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-peculiar-sea-cow-remains">Peculiar sea cow remains</h2>



<p>The fossils were uncovered in outcrops of the Early to Middle Miocene Agua Clara Formation, south of the city of Coro, Venezuela. Among the remains, experts discovered a partial skull and eighteen associated vertebrae.</p>



<p>The fossil site is intriguing due to its location - just 100 kilometers away from previous fossil finds. Professor Marcelo R Sanchez-Villagra described the discovery as “remarkable.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/sea-cow_ancient_crocodile-attack_illustration_credit-Jaime-Bran-Sarmiento_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/sea-cow_ancient_crocodile-attack_illustration_credit-Jaime-Bran-Sarmiento_1s.jpg" alt="Illustration of a sea cow being attacked by a crocodile. Credit to Jaime Bran Sarmiento" class="wp-image-1943435"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Illustration of a sea cow being attacked by a crocodile. Credit to Jaime Bran Sarmiento</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>Upon hearing rumors of unusual "rocks" from a local farmer, Sanchez-Villagra and his team decided to investigate. The researchers unearthed sea cow remains that were incredibly unusual in appearance.</p>



<p>“Initially, we were unfamiliar with the site’s geology, and the first fossils we unearthed were parts of skulls," said Sanchez-Villagra.</p>



<p>“It took us some time to determine what they were - sea cow skulls, which are quite peculiar in appearance. By consulting geological maps and examining the sediments at the new locality, we were able to determine the age of the rocks in which the fossils were found.”</p>



<p>The meticulous work of preparing and restoring the cranial elements took several months, further solidifying the significance of this exciting find.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insights-into-prehistoric-marine-ecosystems">Insights into prehistoric marine ecosystems</h2>



<p>The discovery of this prehistoric interaction not only sheds light on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/danger-zones-climate-change-is-altering-predator-prey-dynamics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">predator-prey dynamics</a> but also provides crucial insights into the marine ecosystems of the Miocene epoch. </p>



<p>During this period, the region that is now northwestern Venezuela was submerged under shallow seas, creating a vibrant habitat teeming with diverse marine life. </p>



<p>These waters supported a rich tapestry of organisms, ranging from small invertebrates to large marine mammals like the sea cow.</p>



<p>By studying the fossilized remains and the environmental context in which they were found, scientists can reconstruct ancient ecosystems and better understand the ecological roles of different species. </p>



<p>The behaviors observed, such as the crocodile's death roll and the shark scavenging, highlight the complex interactions that occurred in these prehistoric seas. </p>



<p>The research emphasizes the importance of apex predators in shaping the structure and dynamics of marine food webs, a concept that remains relevant in studying modern ecosystems.</p>



<p>The study is published in the <em><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2024.2381505" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology</a></em>.</p>



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Prehistoric sea cow fossils show it was dinner for a crocodile and a shark

Imagine an epic prehistoric saga, unfolding in what is now...

<p>Did you know that every bird nest you spot in a tree is a unique form of artwork? And imagine this, the creators of these delicate constructions are our very own feathered friends. </p>



<p>The nests are a manifestation of the birds' ingenuity and survival instincts, and proof of nature's boundless creativity. </p>



<p>Recent research has focused on one fascinating species - the white-browed sparrow weavers - and their distinctive nest-building practices.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unique-nests-of-sparrow-weavers">Unique nests of sparrow weavers</h2>



<p>In the sweeping vistas of the Kalahari Desert, where the air is dry, and conditions harsh, thrives a species of bird known for their distinctive nest building abilities. Enter the white-browed sparrow weavers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A team of biologists from the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of St Andrews</a>&nbsp;set out on a two-year expedition to observe the nest-building behaviors of these hardy birds.</p>



<p>Birds, like humans, have their unique styles, whether it's singing or foraging. But the sparrow weavers stand out because they have an exclusive nest-building style. The research team captured hours of footage of these birds, collectively creating over 450 nests.</p>



<p>The nests were painstakingly built using grass and were all single-occupancy, making the observational opportunities plentiful.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-nest-passed-down-through-generations">A nest passed down through generations</h2>



<p>All the groups that the researchers observed lived in the same general area with similar&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rebellious-birds-use-anti-bird-spikes-to-build-their-nests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">habitat conditions</a>&nbsp;and had identical genetic makeup.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Yet, the nests they built were strikingly different from each other. Some groups built short and thick nests with minimal embellishment, while others chose long, complicated entrance and exit pathways.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These differences couldn't be chalked up to natural variables such as wind or temperature, leading the researchers to believe that these styles were passed down across generations.</p>



<p>Moreover, with no change in habitat or environmental conditions, the sparrow weaver groups retained their unique styles over the years.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This remarkable consistency suggests a behavior that's transmitted across generations but isn't genetically encoded. It's a thread that ties the past to the future, a story told from one generation to the next.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nest-building-behavior-of-sparrow-weavers">Nest-building behavior of sparrow weavers </h2>



<p>An intriguing aspect of the white-browed sparrow weavers' nest-building behavior is the influence of their social structures. </p>



<p>Unlike many bird species that exhibit solitary nesting habits, sparrow weavers often collaborate in groups, which significantly impacts their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/termites-are-natures-architects-building-well-ventilated-nests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">architectural choices</a>. </p>



<p>The research indicated that within these cooperative groups, the roles in nest building were not only shared but also varied by individual proficiency. Certain birds, for instance, might excel at weaving while others were adept at gathering materials.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This collaboration creates a dynamic learning environment, whereby younger birds observe and emulate their more experienced counterparts, leading to an informal education in nest construction techniques that adds to the distinct styles observed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-environmental-challenges-faced-by-weavers">Environmental challenges faced by weavers</h2>



<p>The design and structure of nests also reflect the environmental challenges the sparrow weavers face in the Kalahari. These birds must contend with not only the scarcity of materials but also ongoing threats from predators and the harsh elements.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As a result, their nesting strategies are not only artistic but also practical and adaptive. The researchers noted that nests with elaborate entrances and exits often correlated with higher survival rates, as these designs provided birds with immediate camouflage and evasion opportunities.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This adaptability to their environment underscores an essential principle of natural selection: the need for efficiency in survival intricately woven into the very fabric of their creative expression.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-avian-behavior">Understanding avian behavior </h2>



<p>The intrigue surrounding the white-browed sparrow weavers extends beyond their remarkable nest-building practices; it also highlights the importance of human observation in understanding avian behavior.</p>



<p>The meticulous research highlights how dedicated observation can yield insights into the complexities of avian life. Through the lens of modern technology, such as high-definition cameras and drones, researchers are able to capture behaviors that may go unnoticed in casual observation.</p>



<p>This technology not only enhances our understanding of these birds but also promotes a deeper appreciation for biodiversity and the intricate web of life that surrounds us. </p>



<p>By promoting a connection between scientists and the natural world, the research advocates for conservation efforts and encourages citizen science participation, ultimately benefiting both the sparrow weavers and the ecosystems they inhabit.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-dynamics-of-sparrow-weavers">Social dynamics of sparrow weavers </h2>



<p>The study paints a vivid picture of avian life in the wild. It sheds light on the incredibly sophisticated group dynamics among birds and opens up fascinating questions about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-are-fishing-cats-raiding-bird-nests-in-the-treetops/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animal behavior</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Is it possible that these little birds have their own culture? Can we call these nest-building styles an avian "tradition"?</p>



<p>The white-browed sparrow weavers, with their unique nest-building styles, show us that nature is full of surprises if we just take the time to observe. What other secrets do these little architects hide? Only time, and further exploration will tell.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adn2573" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Science</em></a>.</p>



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



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Weaver birds build strikingly unique nests

Did you know that every bird nest you spot in...

<p>In the chilly waters off the western Antarctic Peninsula, scientists have made a thrilling discovery: a new species of Antarctic dragonfish, <em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em>.</p>



<p>The discovery of this "Banded Dragonfish" highlights both the hidden depths of biodiversity and the fragile state of the Antarctic ecosystem. The species was identified by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at William &amp; Mary.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-akarotaxis-gouldae"><em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em></h2>



<p>The discovery of <em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em> began when larval specimens, initially assumed to be <em>Akarotaxis nudiceps</em>, were collected during <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zooplankton-are-rapidly-escalating-the-threat-of-nanoplastics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">zooplankton</a> trawling missions off the Antarctic coast.</p>



<p>Upon comparing their DNA with <em>Akarotaxis nudiceps</em> specimens from collections at institutions like VIMS, <a href="https://www.yale.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yale University</a>, and the <a href="https://www.mnhn.fr/fr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle</a> in Paris, significant genetic differences became apparent. </p>



<p>The experts were able to confirm that these specimens belonged to a <a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Akarotaxis-gouldae_antarctic-dragonfish_new-species_specimens_credit-andrew-corso_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously unrecognized species</a>.</p>



<p>Study lead author Andrew Corso conducted the research during his PhD studies at VIMS under the guidance of advisors Eric Hilton and Deborah Steinberg. Corso emphasized the importance of genetic testing in modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/experts-in-insect-taxonomy-threatened-by-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">taxonomy</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Akarotaxis-gouldae_antarctic-dragonfish_new-species_science-boat_credit-andrew-corso_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Akarotaxis-gouldae_antarctic-dragonfish_new-species_science-boat_credit-andrew-corso_1s.jpg" alt="Akarotaxis gouldae, a newly discovered species of Antarctic dragonfish, was named in honor of the recently decomissioned Antarctic research supply vessel Laurence M. Gould. Credit: Andrew Corso" class="wp-image-1943441"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Akarotaxis gouldae, a newly discovered species of Antarctic dragonfish, was named in honor of the recently decomissioned Antarctic research supply vessel Laurence M. Gould. Credit: Andrew Corso</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>“In the world of fish taxonomy, it’s becoming common to distinguish species with genetics alone. Genetic testing is an extremely valuable tool, but our discovery highlights the importance of early life stage morphology and natural history collections like those at <a href="https://www.vims.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VIMS</a> and other institutions,” said Corso.</p>



<p>Subsequent morphological analysis of adult Akarotaxis gouldae samples from ichthyology collections worldwide confirmed these genetic findings. </p>



<p>“There are two distinct bands on the sides of adult <em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em> that are not present on <em>Akarotaxis nudiceps</em>, so we were surprised that the species already existed in collections but had been previously overlooked,” noted Corso.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-empowering-insights-from-genetic-testing">Empowering insights from genetic testing</h2>



<p>Through time-calibrated phylogeny, Corso and his colleague Thomas Desvignes from the University of Oregon’s <a href="https://ion.uoregon.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Institute of Neuroscience</a> estimated that <em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em> diverged as a separate species approximately 780,000 years ago, when the Southern Ocean was predominantly covered in glaciers.</p>



<p>“We hypothesize that a population of dragonfishes may have become isolated within deep trenches under glaciers, surviving on food pushed in by the moving ice," Corso explained.</p>



<p>Once the glaciers retreated, this subpopulation had become distinct enough to be reproductively incompatible with <em>Akarotaxis nudiceps</em>."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ecology-of-antarctic-dragonfish">Ecology of Antarctic dragonfish</h2>



<p>Despite their crucial ecological role, much remains unknown about Antarctic dragonfish. These species, including <em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em>, inhabit the deep, remote waters of the Southern Ocean.</p>



<p>The dragonfish species exhibit unique behaviors like nest guarding in shallower coastal waters, and their offspring remain closer to the surface during the larval stage.</p>



<p>Examination of female dragonfish ovaries has shown limited reproductive capacity, and larval sampling suggests that <em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em> is confined to the waters around the western Antarctic Peninsula.</p>



<p>“<em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em> appear to have one of the smallest ranges of any fish endemic to the Southern Ocean,” said Corso. </p>



<p>“This limited range combined with their low reproductive capacity and the presence of early life stages in shallower waters suggest that this is a vulnerable species that could be impacted by the krill fishery.”</p>



<p>These dragonfish serve as a vital food source for many Antarctic species, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emperor-penguins-will-not-survive-the-current-rate-of-sea-ice-decline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">penguins</a>, whose populations are already under threat from changing environmental conditions.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-akarotaxis-gouldae-honors-a-scientific-legacy"><em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em> honors a scientific legacy</h2>



<p>The naming of <em>Akarotaxis gouldae</em> honors the legacy of the ARSV Laurence M. Gould, a vessel that significantly contributed to Antarctic research for over two decades.</p>



<p>The vessel’s decommissioning marked a shift in the U.S. Antarctic Program's priorities, highlighting the ongoing need for support and resources to continue studying the region's unique <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-ocean-day-a-unified-approach-to-protect-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity</a>. </p>



<p>“To me, the loss of the ARSV Laurence M. Gould marks a setback in the scientific study of the Antarctic region. Antarctica is warming faster than anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere, and there is untold biodiversity in the region that we’re only beginning to understand," Corso concluded.</p>



<p>"By naming this fish after the ship, we hope to honor its scientific contributions while also bringing attention to the need for additional resources to study this unique <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/overfishing-and-habitat-degradation-have-devastated-marine-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystem</a>."</p>



<p>This discovery emphasizes the urgent need to protect fragile ecosystems and the invaluable biodiversity they support.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5501.2.3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zootaxa</a></em>.</p>



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



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New dragonfish species reveals the fragility of the Antarctic ecosystem

In the chilly waters off the western Antarctic Peninsula, scientists...

<p>Scientists have long argued that familiar, beloved music -- which is considered predictable and safe -- can help enhance our focus and learning. </p>



<p>According to two new studies led by Yiren Ren, a PhD student at Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Psychology, different types of music can do more than just aid concentration; they can also influence our emotions and even reshape old memories.</p>



<p>“These studies are connected because they both explore innovative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-triggers-unique-prediction-zones-in-the-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">applications of music</a> in memory modulation, offering insights for both everyday and clinical use,” Ren explained.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-of-music-on-human-emotions">Impact of music on human emotions</h2>



<p>Music acts as a profound conduit to our emotions, forging connections that go far beyond mere background noise. When a song resonates, it engages deep-seated feelings, reflecting our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/playing-instrument-lifelong-music-engagement-better-brain-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brains' innate response to music</a>. </p>



<p>As neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Levitin highlights, "Music is a universal language that engages our emotional brain."</p>



<p>A catchy beat can elevate our mood, while a soulful melody may bring forth tears, exemplifying music's remarkable capacity to amplify joy, relieve stress, or evoke nostalgia. </p>



<p>Consider how a specific song can transport you to a memorable moment; this phenomenon illustrates how our brains retrieve emotions and memories, much like selecting a cherished book from a shelf.</p>



<p>Moreover, music can actively <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-gives-rise-to-unique-physical-sensations-in-the-body/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shape our emotional states</a>. For instance, high-energy tracks can significantly boost motivation before a workout, while soothing melodies can help calm the mind after a demanding day. </p>



<p>This dynamic interplay between music and our internal and external environments establishes a powerful feedback loop, capable of uplifting or comforting us.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-emotions-and-memories-nbsp">Music, emotions, and memories&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Though similar in methodology, the studies approach the impact of music from different angles, according to Ren’s faculty advisor and co-author, Thackery Brown.</p>



<p>“One paper looks at how music changes the quality of your memory when you’re first forming it -- it’s about learning,” said Brown, a cognitive neuroscientist who runs the <a href="https://maplab.gatech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Memory, Affect, and Planning (MAP) Lab</a> at Georgia Tech. </p>



<p>“But the other study focuses on memories we already have and asks if we can change the emotions attached to them using music.”</p>



<p>When we watch a film accompanied by an evocative score, the music guides our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/live-music-evokes-stronger-emotions-than-streamed-music/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emotions</a>, steering us where the composer intends.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13415-024-01200-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In their study</a> published in the journal <em>Cognitive, Affective, &amp; Behavioral Neuroscience</em> (CABN), Ren, Brown, and their collaborators from the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Colorado</a>, including former <a href="https://www.gatech.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Georgia Tech</a> Assistant Professor Grace Leslie, explored how this “mood music” can also influence our recollections of the past.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-s-influence-on-memories-nbsp">Music’s influence on memories&nbsp;</h2>



<p>The study involved 44 Georgia Tech students who listened to film soundtracks while recalling a difficult memory. Ren noted that this was not a clinical trial; the participants were not selected based on mood disorders.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We wanted to start off with a random group of people and see if music has the power to modulate the emotional level of their memories,” she said.</p>



<p>The findings were clear: music does have that power. As participants listened to movie soundtracks, they began to incorporate new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-causes-similar-emotional-experiences-and-sensations-in-all-cultures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emotions</a> into their memories, aligning the emotional tone of their recollections with the mood of the music.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Remarkably, this effect persisted. When the participants recalled these memories a day later -- this time without any music -- the emotional tone remained altered, reflecting the music’s influence from the previous day.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-changes-in-brain-activity-nbsp">Changes in brain activity&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers observed these changes in brain activity, noting increased connectivity between the amygdala, which processes emotions, and other brain regions associated with memory and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-the-brain-connect-meaningful-memories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">information integration</a>.</p>



<p>“This sheds light on the malleability of memory in response to music, and the powerful role music can play in altering our existing memories,” Ren said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reshaping-the-emotional-tone-of-memories-nbsp">Reshaping the emotional tone of memories&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Ren, who is a multi-instrumentalist with a background in film production, sound design, and psychology, originally planned to become a professional musician. </p>



<p>Ren's passion for music and neuroscience has now converged in her research, with a focus on how music therapy could be tailored to help individuals with mood disorders such as PTSD or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/getting-high-quality-sleep-helps-prevent-depression-and-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">depression</a>, particularly in cases where negative memories are exaggerated.</p>



<p>Brown noted that while we can’t go back in time to insert uplifting music into our worst experiences, we can retrieve old memories while listening to affective music. </p>



<p>“And perhaps we can help people shift their feelings and reshape the emotional tone attached to certain memories.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-and-information-retention-nbsp">Music and information retention&nbsp;</h2>



<p><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0306271" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The second study</a>, published in the journal <em>PLOS ONE</em>, asked whether music can enhance our ability to work or study -- and if so, what types of music are most beneficial. </p>



<p>The answer, it seems, is tied to personal taste. But even then, there are boundaries.</p>



<p>In this study, Ren combined her musical talents with her research interests to explore whether music could aid in the learning and retention of new information. </p>



<p>“We wanted to probe music’s potential as a mnemonic device that helps us remember information more easily,” she explained.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-boosts-learning">Music boosts learning</h2>



<p>The study involved 48 participants who were asked to learn sequences of abstract shapes while listening to different types of music. </p>



<p>Ren played a piece of music that followed a traditional, familiar pattern of tone, rhythm, and melody. Then, she played the same notes out of order, creating an atonal structure.</p>



<p>When participants listened to familiar, predictable music, they learned and remembered the sequences more quickly, as their brains created a structured framework for the new information. Conversely, irregular or unfamiliar music made learning more difficult.</p>



<p>“Depending on its familiarity and structure, music can help or hinder our memory,” Ren said. She is keen to delve deeper into the neural mechanisms through which music influences human behavior.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-based-interventions-for-mental-health-nbsp">Music-based interventions for mental health&nbsp;</h2>



<p>As Ren nears the completion of her PhD, she is seeking postdoctoral research opportunities to continue her work at Georgia Tech. </p>



<p>Her future goals include developing music-based therapies for conditions like depression or PTSD and exploring rehabilitation strategies for aging populations and individuals with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/certain-personality-traits-lower-the-risk-of-dementia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dementia</a>.</p>



<p>“These early studies reveal that music can both help and hinder our memory, depending on its familiarity and structure. I’m excited to bring together my lifelong love of music with my interest in human memory," Ren enthused. </p>



<p>"Because I think the next phase of my research could provide valuable evidence to support the development of music-based interventions for mental health and cognitive function."</p>



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



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Music has the power to reshape the 'mood' of our old memories

Scientists have long argued that familiar, beloved music -- which...

<p>Butterfly wings are to the eye what symphonies are to the ear. Now, an international research team has uncovered an intriguing, genetic mechanism contributing to the vibrant and intricate patterns we see on butterfly wings. </p>



<p>Their discovery? It is an RNA molecule that plays a key role in determining the distribution of black pigment on butterfly wings. And here's the surprise twist - it's not a protein, as we previously thought.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-code-of-butterfly-wings">Genetic code of butterfly wings</h2>



<p>The study was led by Luca Livraghi, a postdoctoral scientist at George Washington University and the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a>.</p>



<p>Researchers have been intrigued for centuries by how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-learn-about-butterflies-day-an-enchanting-world-awaits/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">butterflies</a> can generate the breathtakingly beautiful patterns and colors on their wings.</p>



<p>The genetic code in the cells of developing butterfly wings actually dictates the specific arrangement of color on the wing's scales - like the arrangement of colored pixels to form a digital image. Decoding this could pave the way to understanding how our genes construct our anatomy.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proteins-are-not-the-only-players">Proteins are not the only players</h2>



<p>Scientists have long known that protein-coding genes are pivotal in these processes. But when it comes to black pigments, this research paints a different landscape altogether. </p>



<p>The team discovered that a gene producing an RNA molecule - not a protein - controlled where dark pigments were made during <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-butterfly-migration-sparked-by-a-surge-in-vegetation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">butterfly</a> metamorphosis.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rna-influence-on-butterfly-wing-patterns">RNA influence on butterfly wing patterns</h2>



<p>"What we found was astonishing," said Livraghi. "This RNA molecule directly influences where the black pigment appears on the wings, shaping the butterfly's color patterns in a way we hadn't anticipated." </p>



<p>Through examining the RNA molecule's activity, researchers found a perfect correlation between where the RNA was expressed and where the black scales formed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-evolutionary-paintbrush">An evolutionary paintbrush</h2>



<p>"It is truly an evolutionary paintbrush in this sense, and a creative one, judging by its effects in several species," said Arnaud Martin, associate professor of biology at <a href="https://www.gwu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">George Washington University</a>. </p>



<p>The team, in their curious endeavors, examined the newly discovered RNA in several other butterflies, diverging in evolutionary history around 80 million years ago. The result? The RNA had evolved to control new placements in the patterns of dark pigments.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-role-of-rna-in-butterfly-wing-diversity">Role of RNA in butterfly wing diversity</h2>



<p>"The consistent results obtained from CRISPR mutants in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-love-pretty-butterflies-and-that-complicates-data-for-scientists/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">several species</a> really demonstrate that this RNA gene is not a recent invention, but a key ancestral mechanism to control wing pattern diversity," noted Riccardo Papa, professor of biology at the <a href="https://www.uprrp.edu/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Puerto Rico</a>.</p>



<p>"This RNA molecule evidently plays a crucial role in the evolution of wing patterns. Who knows what other phenomena biologists might've missed because they weren't paying attention to the genome's dark matter?" concluded Joe Hanly, a postdoctoral scientist and visiting fellow at GW.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-assumptions-about-genetic-regulation">Assumptions about genetic regulation</h2>



<p>The research fundamentally challenges our long-standing assumptions about genetic regulation. It throws open new avenues of exploration in studying how visible traits evolve in animals.</p>



<p>The genetic mechanism of butterfly wing patterns might seem like a specific niche in the scientific sphere, but its implications reach far and wide in the realm of biology.</p>



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



<p>The revelations stemming from this study not only illuminate the enigmatic processes behind butterfly coloration but also pave the way for a broader understanding of genetics in other species. </p>



<p>As researchers continue to investigate the role of RNA in butterfly wing patterns, it is likely that similar genetic mechanisms exist across the animal kingdom. </p>



<p>Future inquiries may focus on the possibility of RNA's influence in other phenotypic traits, providing fresh insights into evolutionary biology and genetics. </p>



<p>This newfound appreciation for RNA as a functional player in developmental processes of butterflies compels scientists to reconsider their methodologies and assumptions, potentially leading to transformative discoveries across diverse biological fields.</p>



<p>So, the next time you admire a butterfly's wings, remember there's more than meets the eye. There's an intriguing genetic mechanism at play, dominated by an RNA molecule that's defining patterns of dark pigment. Talk about nature having a sense of sublime artistry!</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2403326121" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a></em>.</p>



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How do butterfly wings acquire their breathtaking colors?

Butterfly wings are to the eye what symphonies are to...

<p>A team of researchers from multiple universities, including the University of Virginia, has recently developed a system that identifies genetic markers of autism in brain images. The ingenious part? This system does so with an impressive accuracy between 89 and 95 percent.</p>



<p>The findings create ripples in the world of medicine. They signal a future where medical professionals can potentially identify, classify, and treat autism and related neurological conditions without waiting for behavioral cues. </p>



<p>The implications of such a development are profound. The research could ultimately facilitate earlier interventions, drastically altering the experiences of those affected by autism.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-autism-and-genetics">Autism and genetics</h2>



<p>"Autism is traditionally diagnosed behaviorally but has a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-dna-is-more-common-in-people-with-autism/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strong genetic basis</a>. A genetics-first approach could transform understanding and treatment of autism," the researchers noted in their paper.</p>



<p>The research was led by Gustavo K. Rohde, a professor at the <a href="https://www.virginia.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Virginia</a> who is an expert in biomedical and electrical and computer engineering, </p>



<p>Professor Rohde has collaborated with distinguished researchers from the University of California San Franscisco (<a href="https://www.ucsf.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCSF</a>) and the Johns Hopkins University <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of Medicine</a>. Among them is Shinjini Kundu, Rohde’s former PhD student and first author of the paper.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-variations-linked-to-autism">Genetic variations linked to autism </h2>



<p>Kundu, currently a physician at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, played a key role in shaping this initiative. In collaboration with Professor Rohde, Kundu developed an inventive computer modeling technique called Transport-Based Morphometry (TBM). This method sits at the heart of their approach, forming a critical piece of the puzzle.</p>



<p>Unlike other machine learning image analysis models, TBM operates on the principle of mass transport. It refers to the movement of molecules such as proteins, nutrients, and gases in and out of cells and tissues. Essential to various biological processes, these movements fashion the physical forms that TBM seeks to measure and quantify.</p>



<p>What makes TBM special is its ability to reveal patterns in brain structure that predict variations in certain regions of an individual’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/revolutionary-gene-therapy-shows-promise-in-treating-autism/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">genetic code</a>. This phenomenon, known as “copy number variations” (CNVs), refers to segments of the genetic code that are duplicated or deleted. It’s these variations that are linked to autism.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-morphology-and-autism">Brain morphology and autism</h2>



<p>A problem that researchers often encounter is distinguishing normal biological variations in brain structure from those associated with deletions or duplications.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This distinction is vital to understanding the link between CNVs and brain morphology - essentially, the arrangement of different types of brain tissues such as grey or white matter in our brain.</p>



<p>"Finding out how CNV relates to brain tissue morphology is an important first step in understanding autism’s biological basis," explained Professor Rohde. TBM can successfully make that distinction, a feat that puts it leagues ahead of other machine learning methods.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-effective-autism-interventions">More effective autism interventions </h2>



<p>The clinical implications of this research extend beyond diagnostic capabilities. With a better understanding of the genetic underpinnings of autism through brain images, medical professionals could tailor interventions that are not only earlier but also more effective for each individual. </p>



<p>This personalized approach could involve targeted therapies designed to address specific genetic markers identified in a patient. </p>



<p>Moreover, as research continues to uncover the intricate relationships between genetics, brain morphology, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toddler-screen-time-linked-to-atypical-sensory-behaviors/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">behavioural manifestations</a>, we may witness the emergence of holistic treatment frameworks that integrate genetic insights alongside traditional therapeutic modalities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-of-the-research">Broader implications of the research </h2>



<p>The exploration of genetic markers in autism via advanced imaging techniques has broader implications for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-health-may-literally-be-a-state-of-mind/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mental health</a> research as a whole.</p>



<p>Findings from this study could serve as a blueprint for investigating other neurological and developmental conditions, potentially revealing shared biological mechanisms among them. </p>



<p>Such pathways could enhance our understanding of conditions like schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), thereby expanding the toolkit available to clinicians and researchers. </p>



<p>Ultimately, this research emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in unraveling the complexities of mental health, offering hope for a more nuanced understanding of the biological foundations that inform effective treatments in the future.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unlocking-the-potential-of-brain-imaging">Unlocking the potential of brain imaging</h2>



<p>According to Forbes magazine, 90% of biomedical data exists in the form of imaging. Unfortunately, our current tools don't allow us to fully unlock the wealth of information contained within these images. </p>



<p>Professor Rohde believes that TBM is the key to tapping into this untapped repository of knowledge.</p>



<p>“As such, major discoveries from such vast amounts of data may lie ahead if we utilize more appropriate mathematical models to extract such information,” said Professor Rohde.</p>



<p>“We hope that the findings, the ability to identify localized changes in brain morphology linked to copy number variations, could point to brain regions and eventually mechanisms that can be leveraged for therapies."</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adl5307" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Science Advances</em></a><em>.</em></p>



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



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

Scientists make history by cracking the Autism code

A team of researchers from multiple universities, including the University...

Fungi fusion: Turning food waste into culinary delights

Chef-turned-chemist Vayu Hill-Maini has a unique passion: transforming food waste...

<p>New Horizons is offering a fresh perspective on one of the universe's greatest mysteries: the depth and darkness of space, revealing hidden insights into the cosmic light that permeates our universe.</p>



<p>Thanks to the advanced instruments aboard this pioneering spacecraft, astronomers have conducted the most accurate and direct measurements of the total amount of light that the universe produces. </p>



<p>The findings bring us closer to answering the age-old question about the true nature of cosmic darkness.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-horizons-spacecraft">New Horizons spacecraft</h2>



<p>New Horizons, which is at a whopping distance of more than 7.3 billion kilometers from our planet, is situated in an area of the solar system that’s far enough from the Sun to offer the darkest skies available to any existing telescope. </p>



<p>This provides a particularly unique vantage point to measure the overall brightness of the distant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-brilliant-image-of-the-universe-ever-taken-shows-cosmic-collision-macs0416/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">universe</a>.</p>



<p>"One of the interesting questions we sought to answer was: 'If you hold up your hand in deep space, how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-may-soon-observe-the-earliest-light-in-our-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">light</a> does the universe shine on it?'" said Marc Postman, an astronomer at the <a href="https://www.stsci.edu/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Space Telescope Science Institute</a> in Baltimore and lead author of a&nbsp;new paper&nbsp;detailing the research.</p>



<p>"The results show that the great majority of visible light we receive from the universe was generated in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/james-webb-captures-galaxies-that-are-too-old-to-exist/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxies</a>. Importantly, we also found that there is no evidence for significant levels of light produced by sources not presently known to astronomers."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-the-total-light-output-of-the-universe">Measuring the total light output of the universe </h2>



<p>Astronomers have been grappling with a cosmic conundrum since the 1960s when it was discovered that space is permeated by strong microwave radiation predicted to be leftover from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shapes-of-one-million-galaxies-hint-at-the-universes-origins/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">universe's creation</a>.</p>



<p>Later, evidence was discovered of background light from X-rays, gamma rays, and infrared radiation. However, measuring the total light output of the universe is extremely challenging, especially from Earth or anywhere within the inner solar system.</p>



<p>The efforts to measure the strength of the cosmic optical background (COB), the "ordinary" or visible light, have been fraught with large uncertainties. </p>



<p>What's intriguing is that the cosmic optical background provides a way to add up all the light generated by galaxies over the lifetime of the universe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-imaging-the-universe-with-new-horizons">Imaging the universe with New Horizons</h2>



<p>This is where New Horizons, billions of miles into its journey beyond the planets, comes into play. </p>



<p>Protected from the Sun by the spacecraft’s main body, the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) scanned the universe and collected distinct imaging fields that were positioned away from the bright disk and core of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mysterious-features-found-in-the-heart-of-milky-way-galaxy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milky Way</a> and nearby bright stars.</p>



<p>Data from the European Space Agency's Planck mission was also used in fields with a range in dust density to calibrate the level of those far-infrared emissions to the level of ordinary visible light. This helped in predicting and correcting for the presence of dust-scattered Milky Way light in the COB images.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-light-produced-by-all-the-galaxies">Light produced by all the galaxies</h2>



<p>After accounting for all known sources of light like background stars and light scattered by thin clouds of dust within the Milky Way galaxy, the researchers discovered that the remaining level of visible light was precisely in line with the intensity of light produced by all galaxies over the past 12.6 billion years.</p>



<p>"The simplest interpretation is that the COB is completely due to galaxies. Looking outside the galaxies, we find darkness there and nothing more," noted Tod Lauer, a New Horizons co-investigator and astronomer at the National Science Foundation NOIRLab.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncharted-territories-in-space">Uncharted territories in space</h2>



<p>This breakthrough research has greatly contributed to our understanding of fundamental cosmology. The extended mission of New Horizons is providing crucial insights, expanding far beyond its original mission to explore Pluto and Kuiper Belt objects.</p>



<p>The New Horizons spacecraft is managed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the mission is directed by the Southwest Research Institute. It is a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. </p>



<p>As New Horizons continues its journey into the uncharted territories of the solar system, it promises to deliver even more exciting insight into the awe-inspiring universe we live in.</p>



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Deep space is even darker than we imagined

New Horizons is offering a fresh perspective on one of...

<p>In our quest to understand the intrepid and often overlooked secrets of the animate wonderland we inhabit, we occasionally stumble upon a wonder that brings a new perspective to life. Enter the globular springtail, scientifically known as Dicyrtomina minuta, a tiny creature that is outdoing everyone in the field of jumps.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-springtail-s-acrobatic-jumps">The springtail’s acrobatic jumps</h2>



<p>Globular springtails are, at most, a couple millimeters in length. They do not possess the ability to fly, bite, or sting. But, they can jump. </p>



<p>Surprising as it may sound, the sprightly springtail is an expert at avoiding predators, merely by jumping. By the time you blink, they are airborne and out of sight.</p>



<p>So, how do <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-are-springtails-and-why-would-humans-not-exist-without-them/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">springtails</a> do it? They don't just bob up and down, like a bouncing basketball; instead, they flip through the air, executing the fastest known backflips on Earth.</p>



<p>Dr. Adrian Smith is a professor of biology at <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Carolina State University</a> and head of the Evolutionary Biology and Behavior Research Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Describing the spectacle, Dr. Smith compared the springtails' jump to the iconic spin of Sonic the Hedgehog.</p>



<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="cD9gRN8hS6-3828870-12187" type="single"]</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-hunt-for-the-globular-springtail">The hunt for the globular springtail</h2>



<p>The process of studying these little jumping virtuosos was a rewarding adventure in itself. Dr. Smith's expedition to find globular springtails was relatively straightforward – he single-handedly located and recruited his research subjects by sifting through leaf litter in his own backyard. The main challenge lay in capturing their lightning-fast jumps on camera.</p>



<p>“Globular springtails jump so fast that you can’t see it in real time,” noted Dr. Smith. “If you try to film the jump with a regular camera, the springtail will appear in one frame, then vanish. When you look at the picture closely, you can see faint vapor trail curlicues left behind where it flipped through the one frame.”</p>



<p>Overcoming this challenge required the use of cameras capable of shooting a staggering 40,000 frames per second. Dr. Smith then stimulated the springtails into jumping by either shining a light on them or lightly prodding them with an artist's paintbrush.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-mechanics-of-the-jumping-springtail">The mechanics of the jumping springtail</h2>



<p>Interestingly, globular springtails don't rely on their legs to jump; instead, they use an appendage called a furca that folds up underneath their abdomen. </p>



<p>The furca is tipped with a tiny, forked structure. When the springtails jump, the furca flips down, pushing against the ground, and catapults them into a sequence of breathtakingly rapid backflips.</p>



<p>The springtails can launch themselves over 60 millimeters into the air - more than 60 times their own body length - and they typically travel up and backward instead of forward.</p>



<p>Jacob Harrison, a postdoctoral researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, pointed out that this lack of forward movement suggests jumping is mainly an escape tactic, not a form of general locomotion.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mastering-a-rough-landing">Mastering a rough landing</h2>



<p>The landing strategies of the globular springtail further provide insight into their unique <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-flight-is-powered-by-an-extraordinary-structure/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">locomotion</a>. A common way of landing is by tumbling chaotically, very much like bouncing to a stop. </p>



<p>Alternatively, they use a sticky forked tube, known as a collophore, which they can push out of their bodies to grapple a surface or halt their momentum. These findings offer a clear perspective on the flight and landing dynamics of the remarkable globular springtail.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impossibly-spectacular-performance">Impossibly spectacular performance </h2>



<p>“This is the first time anyone has done a complete description of the globular springtail’s jumping performance measures, and what they do is almost impossibly spectacular,” said Dr. Smith. “This is a great example of how we can find incredible, and largely undescribed, organisms living all around us.”</p>



<p>The study shows us that our world still harbors many unsung heroes and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-leaf-eating-insects-have-a-huge-impact-on-forests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fascinating phenomena</a> waiting to be discovered.</p>



<p>In essence, the globular springtail's extraordinary performances, unique behaviors, and understudied status make it a promising candidate for further research. </p>



<p>So, the next time you take a casual stroll in your garden or park, remember, there might be tiny creatures around you, ready to backflip their way into the record books.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://academic.oup.com/iob/article/6/1/obae029/7742965" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Integrative Organismal Biology</a>.</em></p>



<p>Video Credit: Ant Lab</p>



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Tiny backyard bugs perform the fastest backflips on the planet

In our quest to understand the intrepid and often overlooked...

<p>It's ironic how climate change, which is partially fueled by deforestation, is now pushing food production northward and threatening the very lands traditionally reserved for timber.</p>



<p>This encroachment poses a serious challenge for our food and timber supply, often considered two fundamental pillars of modern-day life. </p>



<p>As these vital sectors increasingly compete for the same space, the delicate balance between maintaining forest ecosystems and meeting the growing demands for agriculture becomes ever more precarious.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-rising-temperatures">The role of rising temperatures </h2>



<p>Rising temperatures, notorious for making parts of the globe inhospitable, are also inadvertently making colder regions far more conducive for agriculture.</p>



<p>The sight of vineyards in Britain, once an anomaly, has today transformed into a visual demonstration of how climate change is redefining the world's agricultural landscape. However, the consequences of this shift are grim.</p>



<p>An extensive study led by researchers from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a> brings to light a looming issue. As climate change makes the northern regions more suitable for farming, it threatens to edge out timber production - a critical resource for our civilization.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conflicting-demands-for-food-and-timber">Conflicting demands for food and timber</h2>



<p>Used for creating everything from paper and cardboard, to furniture and buildings, the importance of timber cannot be overstated. </p>



<p>This brewing conflict between the demands for food and timber finds its roots in the unanticipated consequences of climate change.</p>



<p>Until recently, this indirect fallout of rising global temperatures had been largely overlooked. The study warns that ignoring this issue any longer could have dire consequences as our demand for both food and wood continues to rise.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-planning-for-the-future-of-timber">Planning for the future of timber </h2>



<p>If we fail to decarbonize society, the study projects a worst-case scenario where over a quarter of existing forestry land could become more suitable for farming by the end of the century. This translates to about 320 million hectares, an area equivalent to the size of India.</p>



<p>Currently, prime forestry lands are concentrated in the northern hemisphere, particularly in the US, Canada, China, and Russia. </p>



<p>The study warns that 90% of these lands could become agriculturally productive by 2100. Russia would be the hardest hit, with huge swathes of its timberlands turning more suitable for agriculture, especially for potato, soy, and wheat farming.</p>



<p>"We've got to be thinking fifty years ahead because if we want timber in the future, we need to be planting it now. The trees that will be logged by the end of this century are already in the ground - they’re on much slower cycles than food crops," warned Dr. Chris Bousfield of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-demands-of-a-growing-population">Demands of a growing population</h2>



<p>By 2050, both food and wood demand are projected to double as the global population continues to grow and affluence increases. The climate change-induced push for agricultural land threatens to deepen the food and wood crisis.</p>



<p>A common response to rising timber demands has been to extend forestry into untouched boreal or tropical forests. </p>



<p>However, these regions have stood pristine for millennia, and logging here would release colossal amounts of carbon, jeopardizing biodiversity.</p>



<p>These areas are the last strongholds of the global wilderness, and untouched tropical forests are among the Earth's most biodiverse regions. "Preventing further expansion is critical," said Professor David Edwards.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-change-is-reshaping-our-world">Climate change is reshaping our world</h2>



<p>Even if the world meets net zero targets, the researchers argue that significant changes in regions suitable for timber and crop production are inevitable.</p>



<p>Timber production contributes over US $1.5 trillion per year to national economies globally. However, it is already threatened by climate change, which fuels heatwaves, wildfires, and pest infestations.</p>



<p>Add to this the mounting pressure from encroaching agriculture, and we find ourselves in the midst of a perfect storm.</p>



<p>"Securing our future wood supply might not seem as pressing as securing the food we need to eat and survive," said Dr. Oscar Morton. "But wood is just as integrated within our daily lives and we need to develop strategies to ensure both food and wood security into the future."</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-024-02113-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Climate Change</a></em>.</p>



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Food and timber production clash as temperatures rise

It's ironic how climate change, which is partially fueled by...

<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=lHHxOej4QfE
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Researchers found a correlation between Alzheimer's disease and traffic pollution.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invisible-threat-in-urban-air"><strong>Invisible threat in urban air</strong></h2>



<p>City dwellers face an unseen danger with every breath. New findings from Emory University researchers suggest that fine particulate matter from <a href="http://earth.com/news/traffic-related-air-pollution-might-increase-alzheimers-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vehicle emissions may significantly elevate the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease</a>. The study examined brain tissue samples from 224 individuals who had confirmed diagnoses and volunteered their brains for scientific research.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-disturbing-connections-emerge"><strong>Disturbing connections emerge</strong></h2>



<p>Scientists analyzed neuritic plaques — protein clusters that characterize Alzheimer's — while mapping each participant's exposure to PM2.5 particles based on residential location and surrounding traffic density. The correlation proved more alarming than anticipated. Individuals experiencing higher pollution exposure showed nearly double the likelihood of elevated plaque accumulation in brain tissue.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-timing-matters"><strong>Timing matters</strong></h2>



<p>The research team discovered that pollution exposure during the final year before death demonstrated the strongest association with brain changes. This timeline suggests relatively rapid impacts from environmental toxins on neural health. The connection remained robust even after accounting for various demographic and health factors.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-vulnerability-patterns"><strong>Genetic vulnerability patterns</strong></h2>



<p>Perhaps most concerning, people lacking the APOE gene—which naturally predisposes individuals to Alzheimer's — exhibited more than twice the susceptibility to pollution-related brain damage. Study author Dr. Anke Huels noted this indicates environmental elements like air contamination could trigger the disease in cases where hereditary factors don't explain.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-health-implications"><strong>Public health implications</strong></h2>



<p>These findings, published in <em><a href="https://www.neurology.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neurology</a></em>, underscore the critical importance of air quality regulations in urban planning. The research suggests that implementing stricter emission controls and promoting alternative transportation could serve as powerful tools in Alzheimer's prevention.</p>



<p>As cities worldwide grapple with growing traffic congestion and aging populations, this study highlights an urgent need for comprehensive approaches to environmental health that protect both our lungs and our minds.</p>



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Traffic fumes may trigger Alzheimer's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHHxOej4QfE Researchers found a correlation between Alzheimer's disease and traffic...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that scientists never expected.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-waters-beneath-ancient-craters">Hidden waters beneath ancient craters</h2>



<p>Scientists have made a startling discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saturn-moon-mimas-has-remarkably-young-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saturn's moon Mimas</a>. Beneath the heavily cratered surface that earned it the nickname "Death Star" lies a global ocean that formed just 5 to 15 million years ago—a remarkably young age by cosmic standards.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cassini-data-reveals-orbital-secrets">Cassini data reveals orbital secrets</h2>



<p>The discovery, led by Dr. Valéry Lainey of the <a href="https://observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Observatoire de Paris</a>, emerged from careful analysis of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a>'s Cassini spacecraft data. By studying subtle irregularities in Mimas's orbit around Saturn, researchers detected the gravitational signature of liquid water hidden 20 to 30 kilometers beneath the moon's icy shell.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-unlikely-ocean-world">An unlikely ocean world</h2>



<p>At only 400 kilometers in diameter, Mimas seemed like the least likely candidate to harbor a subsurface ocean. Unlike other ocean moons such as Europa and Enceladus, which show clear surface signs of internal activity, Mimas displays no obvious hints of the liquid water beneath its ancient, crater-scarred exterior.</p>



<p>"Mimas is a small moon, and its heavily cratered surface gave no hint of the hidden ocean beneath," explained Dr. Nick Cooper from <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queen Mary University of London</a>, a study co-author.</p>



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



<p>The ocean's recent formation makes Mimas a prime target for studying how oceans develop and potentially support life. This discovery adds another member to the exclusive club of ocean worlds in our solar system, each offering unique insights into the conditions necessary for habitability.</p>



<p>The research, published in <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a></em> journal, demonstrates how advanced orbital analysis can reveal hidden features of celestial bodies, opening new possibilities for understanding ocean formation throughout the cosmos.</p>



<p>—–</p>



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Scientists discover unexpected young ocean on Saturn's cratered moon Mimas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ 'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0DuSr87SHY
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">57 million-year ice age mystery solved by Australian scientists.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-earth-became-a-frozen-wasteland">When Earth became a frozen wasteland</h2>



<p>Imagine Earth as a giant snowball, frozen solid from the North Pole to the equator. This wasn't the plot of a science fiction movie – it was our planet's reality 700 million years ago during an extreme ice age that has puzzled scientists for decades.</p>



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



<p>Australian researchers from the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sydney</a> have finally cracked one of geology's greatest mysteries: what caused the Sturtian glaciation and why it persisted for an unprecedented 57 million years. This period occurred long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, when no complex plants or multicellular animals existed.</p>



<p>Dr. Adriana Dutkiewicz, the study's lead author, describes a world completely unlike today's climate. "Imagine the Earth almost completely frozen over," she explained. "The planet was blanketed in ice from poles to equator, and temperatures plunged."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-combination-of-climate-factors">The combination of climate factors</h2>



<p>The research team discovered that this massive freeze resulted from a "double whammy" of geological events. First, plate tectonic activity reduced volcanic carbon dioxide emissions to historically low levels. Volcanic activity typically releases CO2 into the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect that keeps Earth warm.</p>



<p>Simultaneously, weathering of volcanic rocks in what is now Canada actively absorbed atmospheric CO2, further reducing greenhouse gas concentrations. When atmospheric carbon dioxide levels dropped below 200 parts per million – less than half of today's levels – glaciation engulfed the entire planet.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-climate-implications">Modern climate implications</h2>



<p>Published in the journal <em><a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/geology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geology</a></em>, this research provides crucial insights into Earth's climate system. While geological climate changes occur over millions of years, the study emphasizes that human-induced climate change is happening at a pace ten times faster than previously observed natural changes, highlighting the urgent need to understand our planet's delicate climate balance.</p>



<p>—–</p>



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What caused the planet's longest ice age

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0DuSr87SHY 57 million-year ice age mystery solved by Australian scientists....

<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>



<p>—–</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>



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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...

<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=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>



<p></p>



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

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

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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

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

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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>



<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>

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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