<p>Rising temperatures are reshaping life in ways that go far beyond melting ice or shifting habitats. They are reaching into the most intimate biological process of all - how genes are shuffled and passed to the next generation.</p>



<p>New research shows that heat and cold can alter the genetic machinery that produces sperm and eggs in reptiles, even tilting the odds of embryos developing as one sex or the other. These subtle shifts strike at the foundation of fertility and evolutionary change.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-temperature-tests-reptile-fertility">Temperature tests reptile fertility</h2>



<p>A team from the <a href="https://www.uab.cat/en/ibb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona</a> (UAB) tested the effect in a small Madagascan lizard, the Guibé’s ground gecko. The experts tracked recombination - the exchange of DNA between paired chromosomes that fuels genetic diversity.</p>



<p>To measure this, the researchers analyzed 1,169 sperm cells from 12 male geckos kept at six different temperatures for a week. The results revealed a U-shaped response: recombination events rose at both cooler (68°F) and warmer (86°F) conditions compared to a mid-range 82°F.</p>



<p>"Our findings show the presence of hyper-CO spermatocytes in individuals exposed to both high and low temperatures," said Laura González Rodelas, lead author of the study. </p>



<p>The study also noted shorter chromosome axes and more lingering double-strand breaks at the extremes.</p>



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



<p>Crossover events are needed for chromosomes to separate cleanly during meiosis. Too few, or too many in the wrong places, can reduce fertility or alter which gene combinations survive.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/three-new-gecko-species-discovered-after-eight-years-of-searching/">gecko</a> study found that long chromosomes soaked up most of the extra crossovers at hot and cold settings. </p>



<p>It also detected weaker crossover interference, the spacing rule that normally keeps events apart along the synaptonemal complex.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heat-flips-reptile-chromosomes">Heat flips reptile chromosomes</h2>



<p>Some reptiles go a step further, pairing sex chromosomes with heat and cold cues, which can cause temperature-induced sex reversal under hot incubation.</p>



<p>"This is the first report of reptile sex reversal in the wild," said geneticist Clare Holleley. Her fieldwork on the Australian central bearded dragon reported male to female sex reversal in the wild at high egg temperatures.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Understanding that switch needs high quality genomes that resolve both Z and W sex <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/y-chromosome-is-disappearing-may-already-be-causing-problems-for-men/">chromosomes</a>. One study delivered a near telomere to telomere assembly from a female ZW bearded dragon.</p>



<p>Researchers created a complete, high-quality map of the bearded dragon’s genome, covering both of its sex chromosomes. </p>



<p>The team found that the genome contains about 1.75 billion DNA bases, and they were able to piece together the Z and W chromosomes in full, giving scientists a clearer view of how sex is determined in this species.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-reptile-sex-genes">Mapping reptile sex genes</h2>



<p>Having a full <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genome-mapping-completed-for-dozens-of-common-animals/">genome map</a> lets researchers track genes linked to reproduction, growth, and disease. It also provides a baseline for comparing different reptiles and understanding how sex chromosomes evolve over time. </p>



<p>These insights can help identify which genes respond to environmental stress and which ones remain stable. For conservation, this kind of data can guide breeding programs and population management. </p>



<p>By knowing the genetic makeup of males and females, scientists can predict how changes in temperature might affect sex ratios in the wild, an issue that becomes more urgent as global warming accelerates.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geckos-echo-plant-findings">Geckos echo plant findings</h2>



<p>A plant genetics study showed the same U-shaped recombination response in <em>Arabidopsis</em>, from a low point near 64°F to higher rates at cooler and warmer settings. </p>



<p>The pattern suggests organisms often keep recombination low in comfortable conditions, then shift upward under stress.</p>



<p>Mechanisms are still being worked out. A yeast paper connects temperature, DNA supercoiling, and weaker interference, offering one plausible route for how heat can ripple through meiotic structure.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetics-under-climate-strain">Genetics under climate strain</h2>



<p>These changes land where evolution does its work. When environments move quickly, extra recombination can speed the shuffle of gene combinations that selection can test.</p>



<p>There is a tradeoff. If crossover placement and interference are distorted for long periods, fertility and chromosome stability could suffer in some lineages.</p>



<p>For reptiles that already face <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/top-marine-predators-may-suffer-massive-habitat-loss-by-2100/">habitat loss</a> and pollution, this genetic sensitivity adds a quiet risk.  Protecting reptile nesting sites from extreme heat, shading exposed sand, and buffering water temperatures can safeguard early development.</p>



<p>Captive breeding programs can monitor incubation ranges that avoid persistent sex bias. They can also track genetic health when recombination patterns drift from physiological norms.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genes-maps-and-temperature">Genes, maps, and temperature</h2>



<p>The gecko result is not a vague <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-behavior-productivity-being-directly-impacted-by-climate-change/">climate</a> story. It rests on direct cell counts, such as the increase in crossover markers at 68°F and 86°F relative to 82°F.</p>



<p>The bearded dragon work is not only about embryos. It gives a map of the Z and W regions, including candidate sex genes, which anchors future tests of how temperature interacts with sequence.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1011772" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>PLOS Genetics</em></a>.</p>



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Extreme heat is scrambling reptile reproduction

Rising temperatures are reshaping life in ways that go far beyond melting ice or shifting habitats. They are reaching into the most intimate biological process of all - how genes are shuffled and passed to the next generation. New research shows that heat and cold can alter the genetic machinery that produces sperm and eggs in reptiles, even tilting the odds of embryos developing as one sex or the other. These subtle shifts strike at the foundation of fertility and evolutionary change. Temperature tests reptile fertility A...

<p>Every time we toss out a milk jug, salad dressing bottle, or plastic bag, we add to a recycling problem that most of us don’t even realize exists.</p>



<p>These common plastics - used once, then thrown away - are made from polyolefins. They’re everywhere. And they’re nearly impossible to recycle without a whole lot of effort, sorting, and energy.</p>



<p>But now, a team of chemists may have found a way to solve this recycling problem - and it starts with a little help from nickel.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-trouble-with-plastic-recycling">The trouble with plastic recycling</h2>



<p>Most plastic recycling efforts hit a brick wall the moment different types of plastics mix. Polyolefins - including polyethylene and polypropylene - make up the bulk of our daily <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lasers-may-completely-transform-the-future-of-plastic-recycling/">plastic</a> use such as shampoo bottles, snack wrappers, and juice cartons.</p>



<p>All of that adds up to over 220 million tons every year across the globe. However, less than 10% of polyolefin waste ever gets recycled. Often, it’s closer to one percent. These plastics are built to last, and their chemical structure makes them stubborn. </p>



<p>The carbon-carbon bonds that hold polyolefins together are incredibly tough to break. That’s why they stick around in landfills - and in the environment - for decades, eventually breaking down into harmful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/your-chewing-gum-may-be-full-of-microplastics/">microplastics</a>.</p>



<p>To recycle polyolefins, every single piece must be sorted by type. Even a small mistake - a juice cap in the salad dressing bin - can ruin a whole batch. Food residue, other materials, or even a different type of plastic can send everything straight to the landfill.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-smarter-way-to-break-it-all-down">A smarter way to break it all down</h2>



<p>This is where the new discovery comes in. Researchers at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northwestern University</a> have created a catalyst - a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction - that targets polyolefins and breaks them down cleanly and efficiently.</p>



<p>The catalyst uses nickel - a metal that’s common, cheap, and easily accessible. Until now, many similar processes depended on rare and expensive metals like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magnetar-flares-create-gold-platinum-uranium-in-seconds/">platinum</a> or palladium. But there’s simply not enough of those to handle the plastic problem at the scale we need.</p>



<p>Instead of heating plastics to extreme temperatures (some methods go as high as 1,300°F), this new process uses a single-site nickel catalyst and hydrogen gas to break the plastics down into something useful - like oils, waxes, and fuels.</p>



<p>These byproducts can be turned into lubricants, candles, or other valuable products. So it’s not just about cleaning up waste. It’s about creating something better from it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-recycling-plastic-with-precision">Recycling plastic with precision </h2>



<p>The key to this discovery is precision. While other nickel-based catalysts act like hammers, smashing everything without control, this one works more like a scalpel. It targets specific bonds inside the plastic structure. </p>



<p>In other words, the catalyst can distinguish between different types of polyolefins - even when they’re all mixed together - and break them down selectively.</p>



<p>"Compared to other nickel-based catalysts, our process uses a single-site catalyst that operates at a temperature 100 degrees lower and at half the hydrogen gas pressure,” said Yosi Kratish, one of the researchers. </p>



<p>“We also use 10 times less catalyst loading, and our activity is 10 times greater. So, we are winning across all categories.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-overcoming-the-biggest-obstacles">Overcoming the biggest obstacles </h2>



<p>One of the biggest obstacles in recycling mixed plastics is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-found-in-every-semen-sample-tested/">polyvinyl chloride</a> (PVC). It’s used in pipes, flooring, and medical equipment - and when heated, it releases hydrogen chloride gas. That gas destroys most catalysts and brings recycling to a halt.</p>



<p>But this new catalyst didn’t just survive exposure to PVC. It actually worked better with it.</p>



<p>"Adding PVC to a recycling mixture has always been forbidden,” Kratish said. “But apparently, it makes our process even better. It’s definitely not something anybody expected.”</p>



<p>Even when PVC made up 25% of the plastic mixture, the catalyst kept working - and even improved. That’s a first.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-shortcut-for-plastic-recycling">A shortcut for plastic recycling</h2>



<p>The idea of skipping the sorting stage is huge. If industries can simply dump all their mixed polyolefin waste into one process and get valuable outputs in return - without the sorting, energy waste, or the risk of failure - that could change everything.</p>



<p>“One of the biggest hurdles in plastic recycling has always been the necessity of meticulously sorting plastic waste by type,” said Tobin Marks, the senior author of the study. </p>



<p>“Our new catalyst could bypass this costly and labor-intensive step for common polyolefin plastics, making recycling more efficient, practical and economically viable than current strategies.”</p>



<p>That’s good news for the environment, but also for the people trying to fix the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-is-changing-the-entire-earth-system/">plastic problem</a> at scale.</p>



<p>Basically, this could make the impossible - or at least the brutally inconvenient - a whole lot simpler. And in the world of plastic waste, simple is exactly what we need.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-025-01892-y">Nature Chemistry</a></em>.</p>



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New catalyst could change how we recycle plastic forever

Every time we toss out a milk jug, salad dressing...

<p>The Atlantic waters around Cape Cod are home to two familiar seals, harbor seals and gray seals. Both can contract influenza, but something unusual happens. </p>



<p>Harbor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/leopard-seal-diets-are-reshaping-antarctic-ecosystems/">seals</a> often become sick and may even die, while gray seals appear unaffected. This curious difference has drawn scientists into a deeper investigation.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-gray-seals-differ">Why gray seals differ</h2>



<p>Milton Levin is an associate research professor of pathobiology and veterinary science at the <a href="https://uconn.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Connecticut</a>.</p>



<p>“That’s the big question we’re trying to understand - why is there a difference in the response in two different species that occupy the same space; why is one susceptible to the disease?”</p>



<p>Levin's team began to explore cytokines, small proteins produced by immune cells that regulate inflammation and immune defense. These molecules normally spark an immune reaction and then switch it off once the danger is gone.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-diseases-in-oceans">Diseases in oceans</h2>



<p>Infectious disease naturally shapes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/harbor-seals-rely-on-visual-cues-to-navigate-cloudy-waters/">wildlife</a> populations, but human-driven changes have increased outbreak intensity. Climate change, pollution, and habitat disruption now amplify disease spread in marine ecosystems. </p>



<p>Marine mammals, especially seals, serve as sentinel species. Their long lifespans and high position in food webs make them indicators of ecosystem health. </p>



<p>Influenza A virus has triggered mass deaths in seals before, with harbor seals suffering severe losses. Gray seals, however, appear to act as reservoirs, carrying the virus with little sign of illness.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gray-seals-show-no-response">Gray seals show no response</h2>



<p>The researchers tested whether cytokines played a role in the contrasting responses. Surprisingly, they discovered no difference in cytokine profiles between gray seal pups infected with influenza and those without. </p>



<p>The results suggest that the seals’ immune systems are either ignoring the virus or the virus is muting their responses beyond detection.</p>



<p>“Right now, it seems that the seals are not responding at all to influenza, and that’s probably why we’re not seeing clinical signs and why they don’t die,” said Levin.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-usual-rules-don-t-apply">Usual rules don’t apply</h2>



<p>This outcome challenges expectations. In most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/leopard-seals-compose-songs-similar-to-nursery-rhymes/">animals</a>, viral infection usually alters cytokine activity in measurable ways. To reach their conclusion, Levin’s team collected blood from more than 100 gray seal pups and used a canine-designed kit to test for 13 cytokines. </p>



<p>Previous work confirmed the kit’s effectiveness for seals, given their evolutionary relationship with dogs.</p>



<p>The broader study also examined whether age, molt stage, or overall body condition influenced cytokine levels. None of these factors showed significant effects. </p>



<p>The lack of strong inflammatory signals suggests gray seals may have evolved a different strategy to manage infections.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gray-seals-immune-protection">Gray seals immune protection</h2>



<p>Levin believes the muted cytokine response might actually protect gray <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephant-seals-provide-a-window-into-the-oceans-twilight-zone/">seals</a>. In humans, the opposite sometimes occurs. When the body encounters a pathogen, it can trigger a “cytokine storm,” an overreaction that harms the body more than the virus itself.</p>



<p>“If we can understand why gray seals don’t generate that response, that could tell us more about the immune response in general in marine mammals versus other species,” Levin says.</p>



<p>The study also noted that pro-inflammatory molecules like IL-6 and KC-like were less frequently detected in infected gray seal pups. </p>



<p>These molecules often correlate with severe disease in humans and other animals. Their reduced presence could explain why gray seals avoid the harmful consequences of influenza.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-flu-acts-in-gray-seals">How flu acts in gray seals</h2>



<p>Another explanation could be viral host shutoff, a process where influenza suppresses the host’s gene expression to favor viral replication. </p>



<p>This may incidentally shield gray seals from excessive immune activation. While the virus manipulates cells for its own gain, the host avoids dangerous inflammation.</p>



<p>The next phase involves studying harbor seals. Collecting samples, however, presents challenges. Gray seal pups separate early from their mothers and remain accessible on beaches. </p>



<p>Harbor seal pups, in contrast, stay with their mothers longer, and adult seals are far too large to safely handle.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wider-health-questions">Wider health questions</h2>



<p>For over a decade, Levin and collaborators have sought to understand how viruses circulate in marine populations. Their work extends beyond seals themselves, touching on broader ecological and even human health questions.</p>



<p>“We’re trying to understand how pathogens, viruses, and influenza in particular, are being passed between species and if it is being transmitted to humans or are humans transmitting it to seals,” said Levin.</p>



<p>Understanding gray seals’ resilience could also help predict the effects of climate-driven disease outbreaks. As emerging infections sweep across oceans, knowing why some animals resist illness may guide conservation efforts and public health protections.</p>



<p>The study is published in the <em><a href="https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-wildlife-diseases/volume-61/issue-3/JWD-D-24-00166/GRAY-SEAL-HALICHOERUS-GRYPUS-PUPS-FAIL-TO-MOUNT-AN-INFLAMMATORY/10.7589/JWD-D-24-00166.full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Wildlife Diseases</a>. </em></p>



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

Gray seals have a mysterious resilience to influenza virus

The Atlantic waters around Cape Cod are home to two...

<p>A team in Japan set a new world record in fiber optics, reaching a data speed of 1.02 petabits per second over roughly 1,123 miles with a new kind of optical fiber. The achievement yielded a capacity–distance product of 1.86 exabits per second per mile.</p>



<p>That rate is about four million times higher than the U.S. median fixed broadband download speed of about 285 Mbps.</p>



<p>Lead researcher Hideaki Furukawa of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) in Japan guided the transmission experiments and system work. </p>



<p>A paper presented at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) 2025 reported these results.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inside-the-redesigned-optical-fiber">Inside the redesigned optical fiber</h2>



<p>The cable fits 19 light paths inside a cladding that measures about 0.005 inches, the same size used by most existing lines. This design allows it to slot into current routes without changing the outside diameter.</p>



<p>The cores share a single glass cladding and are engineered to behave the same way, so the light follows a uniform path through each core.</p>



<p>This uniform behavior reduces power swings and lowers loss in both the C band and L band - the primary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/impossible-quantum-effects-observed-atoms-positioned-closely-together/">wavelength</a> ranges for long-distance links.</p>



<p>The design also avoids the spacing penalties of uncoupled multicore layouts, where engineers minimize crosstalk by spacing cores farther apart. </p>



<p>In a coupled layout, the system allows mixing between cores and later corrects it using digital processing at the receiver.</p>



<p>Low fiber loss across wide wavelengths, combined with predictable coupling, made long range and high rate possible at the same time. </p>



<p>Earlier projects achieved fast signals over much shorter spans, but this approach pushes capacity and reach together.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breaking-down-the-jargon">Breaking down the jargon</h2>



<p>A petabit equals one million gigabits, a unit that marks a leap beyond the gigabit tier common to residential plans. </p>



<p>The capacity–distance product multiplies data rate by distance to compare systems that go fast, far, or both.</p>



<p>A multicore fiber places several cores inside one cladding so that many signals travel in parallel. MIMO is a digital filter that separates mixed signals from different cores or modes, allowing the original data streams to emerge cleanly.</p>



<p>Long-haul optical links use the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weather-radar-systems-can-detect-meteorite-falls/">C band</a> and L band as their main wavelength windows because standard amplifiers operate efficiently in those ranges.</p>



<p>The 16-state Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (16QAM) method stores more information per symbol than simpler formats, raising data rates when noise and distortion are controlled.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fiber-speed-experiment">Fiber speed experiment</h2>



<p>The team built 19 synchronized recirculating loops, each fed by one core of a 53.5-mile spool that included splitters, combiners, amplifiers, and a control switch.</p>



<p>A switch sent the signal around the loop 21 times before it reached a bank of receivers, producing the full end-to-end distance.</p>



<p>They lit 180 wavelengths across the C and L bands and modulated each with 16QAM, a higher-order format that increases bits per symbol when conditions are clean enough. </p>



<p>Multiple wavelengths across two bands gave the system a wide runway for total throughput.</p>



<p>At the end, a coherent 19 channel receiver separated spatial channels while a MIMO engine untangled the mixed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-detect-more-than-20-mysterious-radio-signals-from-space/">signals</a> introduced by the coupled cores. </p>



<p>Error correction code finished the job and produced the net payload figure used to report the result.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-distance-impacts-fiber-speed">How distance impacts fiber speed</h2>



<p>Short bursts in a lab are one thing; dependable hauls between cities are another. Long spans expose loss, amplifier noise, nonlinear effects, and chromatic dispersion that often remain hidden on short test beds.</p>



<p>Engineers track progress in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/building-quantum-computers-just-got-easier-with-new-technique/">optical fiber systems</a> with the capacity-distance product, which multiplies rate by distance to summarize both speed and reach in a single number. </p>



<p>A higher product means a system can carry more bits for longer without running out of margin.</p>



<p>This demonstration shows that dense spatial channels inside a standard-sized fiber, combined with broad wavelength use and shared amplification, can lift that product.</p>



<p>It achieves this without changing the outside fiber size - a practical way to scale, since networks care about what fits in ducts, trays, and connectors.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-could-mean-for-networks">What it could mean for networks</h2>



<p>A key choice was keeping the cladding diameter at about 0.005 inches, which matches the size used by most installed fiber and the tools built around it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“For fiber fabrication and deployment, it is highly beneficial to use fibers with a standard cladding diameter,” said Menno van den Hout from the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.</p>



<p>Keeping dimensions and interfaces familiar lowers the barrier to field trials and later deployment if costs align. </p>



<p>It also enables step-by-step rollouts, where multicore spans boost capacity on tough segments while other spans remain single-core.</p>



<p>The idea of space-division multiplexing has been studied for more than a decade, and its value has been demonstrated across many experiments.</p>



<p>“This Review summarizes the simultaneous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-arent-u-s-climate-policies-effective/">transmission</a> of several independent spatial channels of light along optical fibers to expand the data carrying capacity of optical communications,” said Benjamin Puttnam of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology.</p>



<p>The study is published in the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392394646_1_02_Petabits_Transmission_Over_18081_km_in_a_19-Core_Randomly-Coupled_Multicore_Fiber" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>OFC 2025 postdeadline proceedings</em></a>.</p>



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Japan sets new world record for internet speed: 4 million times faster than the US average

A team in Japan set a new world record in...

A,Satellite,Orbits,An,Inhabited,Alien,Planet,Like,Earth.,Sunlight

<p>Life on Earth runs on liquid water. Single-celled organisms appeared almost as soon as our planet could sustain them, but multicellular life took around three billion years to emerge. Humans, in comparison, have existed for only the briefest flicker of time - less than one ten-thousandth of Earth’s age.</p>



<p>That timeline hints at a sobering possibility: watery <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-like-planets-may-be-more-common-than-we-ever-imagined/">worlds</a> may be common, but civilizations capable of studying the cosmos - and traveling through it - might be rare. If we want proof of life elsewhere, we may have to go looking for it ourselves.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stars-that-host-stable-environments">Stars that host stable environments</h2>



<p>Physics sets unforgiving limits. Nothing can outrun light, so messages and machines crawl across interstellar space on human timescales. </p>



<p>Only the closest stars are even plausible targets for robotic probes, and only a subset of those stars are likely to host long-lived, stable environments.</p>



<p>That’s why astronomers focus on roughly 60 Sun-like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planet-forming-disks-surrounding-stars-often-last-much-longer-than-expected/">stars</a> within about 30 light-years. Around such stars, the most promising planets will be Earth-sized and temperate - places where rock, liquid water, and chemistry can mingle for eons.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finding-earth-like-planets-is-hard">Finding Earth-like planets is hard</h2>



<p>Even if an inviting world is there, seeing it is like trying to pick out a firefly beside a searchlight. At the mid-infrared wavelengths where a watery Earth shines most (around 10 microns), its host star is still about a million times brighter. If the planet’s glow blurs together with the star’s, it disappears.</p>



<p>Sharpening the view requires a telescope whose resolving power is set by two things: the wavelength of light and the size of the aperture that gathers it. </p>



<p>At 10 microns, cleanly separating an Earth–Sun pair from 30 light-years away demands a collector spanning about 20 meters - and it has to be in space, because Earth’s atmosphere smears the image.</p>



<p>The problem: our biggest space telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope (<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-telescope-may-have-just-found-its-first-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JWST</a>), is 6.5 meters across. Getting something three times larger into orbit, fully deployed and rock-solid, is beyond today’s launch and engineering playbook.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-workarounds-that-run-into-walls"><a></a>Workarounds that run into walls</h2>



<p>Ingenious alternatives exist on paper, but each hits a brutal practical snag. You can fly multiple small spacecraft in formation and combine their light like a single giant telescope (an interferometer). </p>



<p>However, the distances between them must be controlled and measured with near-molecular precision. We’re not there yet.</p>



<p>You can shift to shorter, visible wavelengths so a smaller telescope has the same resolving power. Unfortunately, in visible light the brightness contrast gets far worse: a Sun-like star can outshine an Earth by factors of ten billion or more. </p>



<p>Current starlight-suppression optics can’t punch that much glare down to reveal the planet.</p>



<p>You can block the star directly with a separate “starshade,” a petal-edged screen tens of meters across that would fly tens of thousands of miles ahead of a space telescope, casting a precise artificial eclipse.</p>



<p> But every time you want to target a different star, the shade must retarget over vast distances, guzzling fuel and time. Worse, you need to build, launch, and choreograph two spacecraft instead of one.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-like-planets-need-sharper-vision">Earth-like planets need sharper vision</h2>



<p>A simpler path may be hiding in plain sight: keep the mid-infrared wavelength where Earth-like planets are brightest, keep the overall collecting area comparable to JWST’s, but stretch the telescope's mirror.</p>



<p>The new proposal argues that a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/35-years-of-hubble-the-telescope-that-changed-our-view-of-the-universe/">space telescope</a> with a rectangular primary - about one meter by twenty meters - could deliver the critical 20-meter resolution in one direction. It would also remain much more launchable than a 20-meter circle.</p>



<p>Here’s the trick. Angular resolution depends on the dimension of the aperture along the direction you’re trying to separate things. </p>



<p>With a long, skinny mirror, you get razor-sharp vision along its long axis. Rotate the telescope and you sweep that sharp axis around the star, catching any planet whose position angle lines up. </p>



<p>Over time, a rotating rectangular mirror samples all directions, turning a geometric compromise into a search strategy.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/telescope_rectangular_concept-illustration_credit-Leaf-Swordy_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/telescope_rectangular_concept-illustration_credit-Leaf-Swordy_1s.webp" alt="Concept design for a rectangular space telescope, modeled after the Diffractive Interfero Coronagraph Exoplanet Resolver (DICER), a notional infrared space observatory, and the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: Leaf Swordy/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute" class="wp-image-1984448"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Concept design for a rectangular space telescope, modeled after the Diffractive Interfero Coronagraph Exoplanet Resolver (DICER), a notional infrared space observatory, and the James Webb Space Telescope. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Leaf Swordy/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</em></figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-telescope-design-meets-planet-search">Telescope design meets planet search</h2>



<p>Run the numbers, and the design is potent. Operating near 10 microns, a one-by-twenty-meter space telescope could, in principle, separate a Sun-like star from an Earth-warm planet out to roughly 30 light-years.</p>



<p>Pointed methodically at the approximately 60 Sun-like stars in that volume and rotating as needed, such an observatory could detect roughly half of the Earth-like planets that actually exist in those systems within three years of observing time.</p>



<p>Crucially, the concept doesn’t hinge on complex formation flying, billion-to-one starlight suppression, or two-spacecraft choreography. It still needs serious engineering and optimization, but it avoids the most daunting leaps other ideas require.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-planet-survey-might-reveal">What this planet survey might reveal</h2>



<p>Assume nature is moderately generous - on average, one Earth-like planet per Sun-like star. A successful survey would hand back on the order of thirty nearby worlds that are the right size and temperature.</p>



<p>With follow-up spectroscopy, we could search their atmospheres for gases that hint at biology, such as oxygen produced faster than geology alone can supply. </p>



<p>We could watch for seasonal swings, cloud patterns, and thermal signatures that reveal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-finds-17-exoplanets-that-have-oceans-and-possibly-alien-life/">oceans</a> and continents.</p>



<p>And a shortlist of true standouts would reshape our ambitions. A world with the strongest biosignatures, close enough and compelling enough, would become the focus of bold planning. </p>



<p>Concepts for fast robotic flybys, long-baseline laser communications, and eventually close-up imaging could move from science fiction toward a century-scale engineering roadmap.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-searching-for-earth-like-planets">Searching for Earth-like planets</h2>



<p>No telescope can shrink the planet-to-planet distances between stars. But a cleverly designed mid-infrared observatory with a long rectangular mirror could finally push us past the contrast and resolution barrier that’s kept “another Earth” just out of reach.</p>



<p>It is, at heart, an argument for pragmatism. Rather than wait for technologies we don’t yet have, build the sharpest, most feasible eye we can at the wavelength where Earth-like planets glow brightest.</p>



<p>If it works, the payoff is profound. We would move from guessing about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/expanding-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life/">life</a> in the universe to checking the neighborhood - system by system, world by world - until one of them answers back in the only language we all share: the faint heat of a small, wet planet under a quiet, yellow sun.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/astronomy-and-space-sciences/articles/10.3389/fspas.2025.1441984/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences</em></a>.</p>



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Astronomers think rectangular telescopes are key to finding Earth-like planets

Life on Earth runs on liquid water. Single-celled organisms appeared...

<p>Your heartbeat is one of the simplest signals your body gives off, but it reveals a lot about your health. It changes with your activity, stress, and even how hydrated you are. </p>



<p>Until recently, though, monitoring your heartrate meant using special devices like hospital monitors or smartwatches.</p>



<p>But now, researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz (<a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCSC</a>), have shown that something as common as Wi-Fi can measure this vital sign with surprising accuracy.</p>



<p>The new system, called Pulse-Fi, transforms ordinary wireless signals into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-tracking-apple-watch-is-helpful-but-not-always-right/">health trackers</a>. </p>



<p>It promises a future where people can monitor their heart health without strapping on devices or relying on costly hospital machinery - all of this can be achieved using Wi-Fi devices that already exist in most homes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-wi-fi-the-basics">Understanding Wi-Fi - the basics</h2>



<p>Wi-Fi works by sending information through the air using radio waves, the same type of waves that carry music to your car radio. The difference is that Wi-Fi uses much <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844024169940" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">higher frequencies</a>, which lets it carry far more data. </p>



<p>Inside your router, a tiny transmitter turns digital information - like a video or a message - into patterns of radio waves. </p>



<p>Your phone or laptop has an antenna and receiver that catch those waves and turn them back into the pictures, sounds, or words you see on your screen.</p>



<p>It’s like tossing a ball back and forth, but instead of a ball, the “catch” is a stream of invisible energy carrying coded information.</p>



<p>Those radio waves don’t travel forever, though. Walls, floors, and even water in the human body can block or weaken them, which is the basic premise behind Pulse-Fi.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turning-wi-fi-into-pulse-fi">Turning Wi-Fi into Pulse-Fi</h2>



<p>The UC Santa Cruz team included Professor Katia Obraczka, Ph.D. student Nayan Bhatia, and visiting high school researcher Pranay Kocheta. </p>



<p>Together, they created a low-cost method that pairs Wi-Fi transmitters and receivers with machine learning algorithms.</p>



<p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9287836/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wi-Fi waves</a> move through space, bouncing and bending around objects. When those waves encounter the human body, tiny signal shifts occur.</p>



<p>Pulse-Fi’s algorithms analyze those faint disturbances to pick out the rhythm of a heartbeat while filtering out unrelated movements or environmental noise.</p>



<p>“The signal is very sensitive to the environment, so we have to select the right filters to remove all the unnecessary noise,” Bhatia said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heartbeats-measured-in-seconds">Heartbeats measured in seconds</h2>



<p>The study involved 118 participants, and the results were impressive. After only five seconds of analysis, </p>



<p>Pulse-Fi measured <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/increased-heart-rate-makes-us-feel-time-passing-faster/">heartrate</a> with an error margin of just half a beat per minute. Longer monitoring improved accuracy even further.</p>



<p>The researchers tested people in varied body positions - sitting, standing, lying down, and even walking. </p>



<p>Regardless of position, the system worked reliably. Hardware placement in the room also made little difference, proving the system’s adaptability.</p>



<p>Low-cost components powered the tests. ESP32 chips, which cost under ten dollars, performed well. </p>



<p>Raspberry Pi devices, though more expensive, achieved even better results. Commercial-grade Wi-Fi hardware could improve performance further.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-distance-doesn-t-break-accuracy">Distance doesn’t break accuracy</h2>



<p>Another breakthrough was range. Pulse-Fi measured heart rate accurately at distances up to three meters, or nearly ten feet. Additional tests suggest it can perform even farther.</p>



<p>“What we found was that because of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/machine-learning-could-revolutionize-drug-discovery/">machine learning model</a>, that distance apart basically had no effect on performance, which was a very big struggle for past models,” Kocheta said. </p>



<p>“The other thing was position - all the different things you encounter in day to day life, we wanted to make sure we were robust to however a person is living.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-creating-pulse-fi-datasets">Creating Pulse-Fi datasets</h2>



<p>To train their system, the team needed data. No existing dataset captured heartbeat effects on Wi-Fi signals from ESP32 devices, so they built their own. In the UC Santa Cruz Science and Engineering Library, they carefully set up ESP32 units alongside standard oximeters to generate parallel data streams.</p>



<p>This pairing provided a dependable “ground truth” for training, ensuring that every <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smartwatches-can-now-detect-cardiac-arrest/">pulse</a> recorded through Wi-Fi could be accurately matched with the medically verified heart rate.</p>



<p>They then trained a neural network to recognize which subtle signal changes represented heartbeats, focusing on even the faintest variations in the wireless data.</p>



<p>Alongside their newly built dataset, they validated Pulse-Fi using a large dataset from Brazil collected with Raspberry Pi hardware - one of the most comprehensive Wi-Fi-based health monitoring datasets available.</p>



<p>That cross-testing confirmed the system’s broad reliability and showed that Pulse-Fi could adapt across device types, room conditions, and participant groups. It demonstrated that a low-cost approach could achieve remarkable accuracy under diverse real-world scenarios.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wi-fi-as-health-guardian">Wi-Fi as health guardian</h2>



<p>Pulse-Fi’s creators are not stopping here. They are now adapting the system to detect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-can-feel-our-emotions-through-our-heart-rate/">breathing</a> rates. Early results show strong potential for diagnosing issues like sleep apnea, where subtle breathing patterns are crucial for detection. </p>



<p>Such a capability could give doctors new insights into sleep quality, respiratory problems, and long-term health risks - without the need for intrusive overnight monitoring.</p>



<p>By combining affordability, accuracy, and non-intrusiveness, Pulse-Fi points to a future where everyday Wi-Fi doubles as a quiet guardian of health. </p>



<p>Smart homes could eventually integrate the system, providing continuous tracking of both heart and lung function.</p>



<p>This advancement would make preventive care more accessible, offering people the chance to detect health issues early and share reliable data with clinicians. </p>



<p>What once required specialized devices might soon be handled by the invisible signals already surrounding us.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal<em> <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11096342" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IEEE Xplore</a>.</em></p>



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Tech breakthrough uses Wi-Fi signals to measure heart rate with no wearable devices needed

Your heartbeat is one of the simplest signals your body...

<p>Alzheimer’s disease remains one of the most feared conditions of our time. For decades, researchers have searched for ways to detect its early signs before memory loss becomes irreversible. </p>



<p>A team from the University of Bath, working with the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bristol</a>, has now shown that a simple brain-wave test could transform this challenge.</p>



<p>The findings reveal that the Fastball EEG test can identify memory impairment linked to Alzheimer’s years before a clinical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-blood-test-identifies-early-stage-alzheimers-with-90-percent-accuracy/">diagnosis</a> is possible. Unlike traditional tools, it works passively and can even be used in people’s homes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fastball-memory-test">Fastball memory test</h2>



<p>Fastball is a three-minute EEG test that tracks <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-blood-test-can-track-the-progression-of-alzheimers/">brain activity</a> while participants view a stream of images. It does not require them to follow instructions or recall details, making it more objective than memory tests used today.</p>



<p>The research team demonstrated that Fastball detects memory issues in people with mild cognitive impairment, a condition that often progresses to Alzheimer’s. </p>



<p>Earlier studies in 2021 already suggested Fastball’s sensitivity, but this new work highlights its potential in real-world settings.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-catching-alzheimer-s-early">Catching Alzheimer’s early</h2>



<p>New Alzheimer’s treatments such as donanemab and lecanemab work best in the early stages. Yet in England, one in three people living with dementia lack a formal diagnosis. </p>



<p>This delay prevents timely treatment, reduces access to support, and limits opportunities for clinical research.</p>



<p>Dr. George Stothart from the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bath</a>, who led the study, stressed the importance of earlier detection.</p>



<p>“We’re missing the first 10 to 20 years of Alzheimer’s with current <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-and-inexpensive-supplement-prebiotic-fructooligosaccharides-protects-your-brain-from-dementia/">diagnostic tools</a>. Fastball offers a way to change that - detecting memory decline far earlier and more objectively, using a quick and passive test,” he said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mild-impairment-higher-risk">Mild impairment, higher risk</h2>



<p>Alzheimer’s disease often begins with silent changes in the brain decades before symptoms. mild cognitive impairment, especially the amnestic form, is considered a key transition stage. </p>



<p>Patients with this condition show pronounced memory problems and face a higher risk of developing dementia compared to those with other types of impairment.</p>



<p>Fastball zeroes in on recognition memory. Unlike attention tests or verbal recall, it captures the brain’s unconscious response to familiar images. </p>



<p>The study confirmed that the tool predicts recognition memory performance but not unrelated functions like sustained attention.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-labs-to-living-rooms">From labs to living rooms</h2>



<p>The study marks the first time Fastball has been successfully used in homes rather than in clinical labs. This shift could enable wider screening and regular monitoring through low-cost equipment.</p>



<p>Researchers envision the test being applied in GP surgeries, memory clinics, and private households. Its simplicity and portability make it attractive for large-scale adoption.</p>



<p>“There’s an urgent need for accurate, practical tools to diagnose Alzheimer’s at scale. Fastball is cheap, portable, and works in real-world settings,” added Dr. Stothart.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fastball-test-is-very-reliable">Fastball test is very reliable</h2>



<p>Traditional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-can-boost-memory-in-a-surprising-way/">memory tests</a> often face cultural, linguistic, and educational biases. They also require effort and communication, which can be stressful for patients. </p>



<p>Fastball avoids these hurdles by passively recording brain activity. It uses steady-state visual stimulation, a method that produces reliable signals in a short time.</p>



<p>In this study, the test showed good reliability over a year when repeated with healthy older adults. </p>



<p>Importantly, patients who later developed dementia displayed weaker responses at baseline - hinting at its predictive potential.</p>



<p>The Academy of Medical Sciences funded the study, while dementia research charity BRACE provided vital backing. BRACE has long championed the project and sees promise in its next stages.</p>



<p>“Fastball is an incredible tool that could offer anyone who, for whatever reason, cannot access a dementia diagnosis in a clinical setting," said Chris Williams, CEO of <a href="https://www.alzheimers-brace.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BRACE Dementia Research</a>. </p>



<p>"BRACE has been supporting the development of Fastball for several years, and we are excited to see what Dr. Stothart’s team will achieve over the next few years with ongoing support from the charity."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hope-for-families-facing-alzheimer-s">Hope for families facing Alzheimer’s</h2>



<p>The potential of Fastball lies not only in its science but in its reach. By providing accurate results in minutes without demanding effort from patients, it could reshape the way memory disorders are tracked and treated. </p>



<p>With ongoing support and refinement, this test might open the door to earlier interventions and new hope for families facing Alzheimer’s, while also offering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-space-agencies-can-help-address-healthcare-challenges/">healthcare systems</a> an affordable, scalable approach to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and timely access to emerging treatments.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/iy1LCQQstyA
</div></figure>



<p>The study is published in the journal <em><a href="https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/7/5/fcaf279/8244619" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brain Communications</a>.</em></p>



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New brainwave test spots Alzheimer's years before symptoms show

Alzheimer’s disease remains one of the most feared conditions of...

<p>A 300-year-old shipwreck off Madagascar is turning a legendary pirate raid into a matter of record. Researchers now say the remains fit with a Portuguese warship that was captured in 1721 during the high tide of Indian Ocean piracy.</p>



<p>The ship, <em>Nossa Senhora do Cabo</em>, sailed from Goa bound for Lisbon, with wealth and officials on board. Its story now steps out of rumor and into evidence, with context that is as human as it is historical.</p>



<p>The <em>Cabo</em> carried diplomatic cargo, religious objects, and elite goods that were to be transported along the Indo-Atlantic trade route. The haul has been valued at about 138 million dollars in today’s money.</p>



<p><a href="https://shipwreckcenter.org/meet-the-remarkable-team-at-the-center-for-historic-shipwreck-preservation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brandon A. Clifford</a> of the Center for Historic Shipwreck Preservation led the multi-year effort to tie this wreck to the historical record. His team worked with archives, hull measurements, and artifacts to build a case.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-history-of-this-pirate-shipwreck">History of this pirate shipwreck</h2>



<p>The wreck lies in a sheltered harbor at Nosy Boraha, an island off Madagascar’s eastern coast. </p>



<p>This small island was previously called Île Sainte-Marie, and pirates were known to steer captured prizes here to refit and split spoils. The <em>Cabo</em> appears to have been one of them.</p>



<p>Historical accounts place the capture near Réunion in April 1721, after storms crippled the ship’s defenses. </p>



<p>Pirates towed the prize roughly 400 miles (645 kilometers) to the west, then dumped the vessel once its cargo was stripped.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pirate-shipwrecks-litter-the-harbor">Pirate shipwrecks litter the harbor</h2>



<p>More than 3,300 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/850-paleolithic-artifacts-discovered-with-the-naked-eye-in-a-desert/">artifacts</a> have been cataloged from the site, and “at least four pirate shipwrecks or their prizes lie in the harbor itself,” said Clifford. </p>



<p>Overlying silt and sand now limit further recovery, so investigators work with what careful seasons have already revealed.</p>



<p>Among the finds are gold coins with Arabic inscriptions, Chinese export porcelain, and Catholic devotional art. </p>



<p>A small ivory plaque inscribed with INRI in gold letters stands out as a direct link to Christian liturgical objects that were carried by church leaders.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-they-identified-the-shipwreck">How they identified the shipwreck</h2>



<p>A new study lays out why this site matches the <em>Cabo</em> rather than any of the neighboring wrecks at the bottom of the harbor.</p>



<p>The list includes the style and spread of the cargo, the timber layout in surviving frames, and a cluster of coin dates that end before the ship’s loss.</p>



<p>The hull elements and fittings align with a Portuguese East Indiaman, built in Asia and strengthened for long ocean legs. </p>



<p>That profile fits the description of a government convoy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ship-anchors-are-doing-great-harm-to-protected-ocean-life-on-the-antarctic-seafloor/">ship</a> departing Goa with high-born passengers and sacred items.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-people-at-the-center-of-the-story">People at the center of the story</h2>



<p>Primary sources record the outgoing Portuguese viceroy aboard, alongside the Archbishop of Goa. </p>



<p>Records also note that about 200 enslaved people from Mozambique were below decks, a hard truth that anchors this history in human cost.</p>



<p>The viceroy was later ransomed, but the fates of the archbishop and the enslaved remain uncertain. Archaeology can name objects and timbers, yet details of some lives remain out of reach.</p>



<p>Historians trace how European pirate settlers and local leaders intertwined along Madagascar’s east coast, especially here. That political crossover shaped the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40206589" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Betsimisaraka</a> kingdom, according to a landmark <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-african-history/article/tom-and-toakafo-the-betsimisaraka-kingdom-and-state-formation-in-madagascar-17151750/173A4D2CB81E0C3B2CA6E00E2680FFC4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>.</p>



<p>Sheltered anchorage, access to shipping lanes, and little colonial oversight made Sainte-Marie practical for illicit trade. That mix also left the seabed layered with overlapping wreck sites that now complicate excavation.</p>



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



<p>The artifact set is consistent with a Goa-to-Lisbon route serving elite patrons. Porcelain from Jingdezhen, Indo-Portuguese religious carvings, and mixed coinage sketch a clear trade footprint.</p>



<p>Hull remains show heavy frames and ocean-ready construction, features that would be expected for a large convoy ship carrying valuables. </p>



<p>Geophysical maps add a site outline that matches a big hull buried under ballast and coral growth.</p>



<p>Teams plan conservation and selective recovery rather than wholesale digging, given the fragile conditions of the shipwreck. </p>



<p>Provenance work on the devotional objects may link them to church inventories in Goa or Réunion.</p>



<p>Field seasons have been careful and incremental, and patience is part of the method. The harbor holds multiple <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/french-navy-discovers-shipwreck-8421-feet-deep-that-breaks-a-record/">wrecks</a>, so separating their stories requires tight mapping and conservative sampling.</p>



<p>This identification ties a global trade network to a specific harbor and moment in time. It shows how colonial wealth, piracy, and faith objects moved together on the same decks.</p>



<p>It also asks readers to face the full passenger list, not just the treasure chests. The enslaved, whose names were not recorded, are part of the site’s record too, even though no documents can attest to any specific details.</p>



<p>The study is published in <a href="https://shipwreckcenter.org/sainte-marie-madagascar/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Wreckwatch</em></a>.</p>



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What they found in this 300-year-old sunken ship left archaeologists speechless

A 300-year-old shipwreck off Madagascar is turning a legendary pirate...

<p>Wildfires leave behind loss and ruin - charred homes, scorched forests, communities upended. Yet even in those blackened remnants, Professor Pei Chiu sees an overlooked resource with climate potential.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In his lab at the<a href="https://www.udel.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> University of Delaware</a>, Professor Chiu studies “char,” the carbon-rich residue produced when biomass burns without much oxygen. His team has probed both naturally produced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-risk-is-rapidly-rising-across-the-southern-u-s/">wildfire</a> char and its artificial cousin, biochar.</p>



<p>The researchers uncovered a surprising role of chars: they can help starve methane-producing microbes and tilt microbial communities toward pathways that generate far less climate damage.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-wildfire-char-is-everywhere">Why wildfire char is everywhere</h2>



<p>Char forms whenever organic matter is heated at high temperatures with limited <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-oxygen-discovery-deep-ocean-rocks-upends-centuries-of-scientific-beliefs/">oxygen</a>. In nature, that’s wildfires; in industry, it’s pyrolysis, the controlled heating of leftover biomass such as wood chips, corn stalks, rice husks, and other agricultural residues.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Commercial “biochar” is already used to improve soils, blend into compost, and filter stormwater. </p>



<p>Wildfire char, by contrast, is scattered by the ton across burned landscapes and gradually worked into soils by wind, rain, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-could-be-key-to-fighting-climate-change/">roots</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chars-that-behave-like-batteries">Chars that behave like batteries</h2>



<p>Several years ago, Chiu’s group noticed something striking: chars made by pyrolysis behaved like tiny rechargeable batteries. They could store and release electrons - a property the team calls electron storage capacity (ESC).&nbsp;</p>



<p>That matters because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-aquificales-discovered-in-hot-springs-breathe-oxygen-and-sulfur-at-same-time/">microbes</a> make a living moving electrons around. In oxygen-rich settings, they “breathe” oxygen to accept electrons as they break down sugars. In oxygen-poor places - think landfills, manure pits, waterlogged soils, rice paddies, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wetlands-are-a-hidden-source-of-rising-methane-emissions/">wetlands</a>, or the guts of anaerobic digesters - other organisms take over.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Among the most consequential are methanogens, microbes that churn out <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microbes-have-emerged-as-major-source-of-methane-emissions/">methane</a>, a heat-trapping gas roughly 85 times more potent than CO₂ over the short term and responsible for about a third of current warming.</p>



<p>Chiu’s team showed that char gives many common soil microbes an alternative “breath.” In essence, char can stand in for oxygen as an electron sink, letting beneficial microbes keep metabolizing without ceding the field to methanogens. When that happens, methane production drops.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-wildfires-have-to-do-with-it">What wildfires have to do with it</h2>



<p>Wildfire char has been part of Earth’s carbon cycle for millions of years. That longevity led Chiu to a simple hypothesis: if char has been embedded in soils for eons, microbes likely evolved ways to use it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Across a range of chars - those born in wildfires and those made in kilns - the team measured substantial ESC, enough to change who thrives in oxygen-limited environments.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-much-charge-are-we-talking-about">How much “charge” are we talking about?</h2>



<p>The numbers are eye-opening. In lab tests, a single gram of char - about a quarter teaspoon - could hold on the order of 10²¹ electrons. Scale that to real-world biomass and the potential grows fast.&nbsp;</p>



<p>U.S. agriculture alone generates roughly 140 million dry tons of crop residues each year (with corn stover and wheat straw leading the way), while forestry adds 60–70 million dry tons more.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Collectively, Chiu noted, chars represent an immense rechargeable, bioavailable reservoir of electrons - he likens it to a “trillion-trillion-trillion” (10³⁶) electrons injected into the global biogeochemical cycle annually.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turning-down-methane-naturally">Turning down methane - naturally</h2>



<p>In controlled experiments, all wildfire chars and plant-based biochars tested suppressed methane formation.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The mechanism is elegant: by giving char-“breathing” microbes a competitive edge, the material helps outcompete methanogens, which still produce more than 50% of global methane today.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Unlike a chemical additive that’s used once and gone, char can be reused by microbes repeatedly, serving as a long-lived electron buffer in soils, sediments, and engineered systems.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cleaner-water-healthier-soils">Cleaner water, healthier soils</h2>



<p>Steering electrons through char doesn’t only curb methane. The same microbial pathways can keep arsenic from mobilizing into drinking water or crops and can remove nitrate and perchlorate from stormwater and groundwater.&nbsp;</p>



<p>That dovetails with biochar’s existing uses in filtration and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planting-diverse-crops-traps-carbon-and-boosts-soil-health/">soil health</a>, suggesting one material can deliver multiple environmental services at once.</p>



<p>None of this minimizes the devastation of wildfires, which destroy ecosystems, businesses, and lives. But Chiu argues there’s value in learning from what’s left behind.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Wildfire char’s electron-trading ability points to a sustainable lever for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-mitigation-strategies-may-be-endangering-biodiversity/">climate mitigation</a> and pollution control - one built on microbes already common in nature and on carbon materials produced at massive scales, whether by accident (fires) or design (pyrolysis).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-urgency-and-the-hope">Why the urgency - and the hope</h2>



<p>CO₂ rightly dominates climate discussions, but it lingers for 50 to 200 years. Methane is different: far stronger in the near term and with an atmospheric lifetime of about 12 years. That makes near-term methane cuts an unusually fast-acting climate lever.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“If we can find ways to reduce methane, we could see the impact within our lifetimes,” said Professor Chiu.</p>



<p>That promise keeps his team pushing on the basic science: How exactly do microbes “breathe” a solid? How do different chars - from different fires, feedstocks, or kiln settings - shift ESC and microbial behavior?&nbsp;</p>



<p>And how can this knowledge be scaled into landfill covers, livestock waste systems, wetlands restoration, or post-fire land management so that nature’s own electron economy helps dial down a powerful greenhouse gas?</p>



<p>Char, in other words, may be the rare wildfire remnant that points forward.</p>



<p>Study co-authors include doctoral student Jiwon Choi and former graduate student Danhui Xin (now at the <a href="https://www.sccwrp.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southern California Coastal Water Research Project</a>).</p>



<p>The research is published in the journal <em><a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c05709" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a></em>.</p>



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From ashes to action: Wildfire char holds a hidden climate solution

Wildfires leave behind loss and ruin - charred homes, scorched...

<p>Most people hear “heart attack” and think of clogged arteries packed with fat and cholesterol. That picture is mostly right, but it may be missing a a key component. </p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096050" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new research</a>, common mouth bacteria that usually stay in their lane may drift into the bloodstream and trigger heart attacks.</p>



<p>The study suggests that mouth microbes don't just float through the bloodstream and disappear, as has always been understood to be the case. </p>



<p>They may take up residence inside <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arteriosclerosis-atherosclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350569" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arterial plaque</a> and help spark the kind of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lifestyle-choices-in-young-adulthood-impact-cognitive-ability-in-midlife/">inflammation</a> that makes a weak spot crack. That is the sort of crack that can set off a clot and cut off blood flow to the heart.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bacteria-and-heart-artery-plaques">Bacteria and heart artery plaques</h2>



<p>Plaques form inside blood vessels over time. They are made of fats, cholesterol, immune cells, and scar-like tissue. Many sit there without causing trouble. </p>



<p>The risk rises when the thin outer layer - the fibrous cap - breaks. Once that cover fails, the plaque’s contents meet the bloodstream; <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/red-blood-cells-found-to-squeeze-clots-tight-using-physical-force/">a clot can form</a>, and a heart attack can follow.</p>



<p>This study focused on whether bacteria from the mouth, especially a group called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/viridans-streptococci" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">viridans streptococci</a>, could be tucked into those plaques. </p>



<p>The central question was: were bacteria hiding out and then helping to drive inflammation right where it hurts most?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-study-was-done">How the study was done</h2>



<p>Researchers analyzed artery plaques from two sources: people who died suddenly and patients having surgery to clear clogged neck arteries. </p>



<p>They did not rely on one test. They used DNA methods to detect bacterial genetic traces, special stains to locate bacteria in tissue, and gene activity analyses to see which immune pathways were active. </p>



<p>They also tested how different bacterial components trigger early warning signals in immune cells. </p>



<p>Pattern recognition receptors - the body’s “burglar alarms” - were a key focus, including a pathway called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/tlr2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TLR2</a> that is well known for spotting bacterial signatures.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biofilm-bacteria-and-the-heart">Biofilm bacteria and the heart</h2>



<p>Inside the deeper parts of many plaques, the team found signs that viridans streptococci were living together as a biofilm. </p>



<p>A biofilm is a community of bacteria embedded in a protective matrix that helps them stick to a surface and shield themselves from stress.</p>



<p>In those plaque cores, immune cells called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-failure-creates-a-lasting-stress-memory-in-the-body/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">macrophages</a> did not appear to react to the biofilm. In other words, the bacteria appeared tucked away where the body’s defenses were not mounting a response.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-bacteria-break-bad">When bacteria break bad</h2>



<p>The picture changed at the edges of plaques that were cracked or appeared unstable. There, the researchers saw scattered bacteria that appeared to have broken free from the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/biofilms" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hidden biofilm</a>.</p>



<p>That shift coincided with activation of immune alarms. Pattern recognition receptors lit up - especially through TLR2 - a classic “we found bacteria” signal. </p>



<p>The alarm did not just activate the rapid innate immune response; it also drew in the slower, more targeted adaptive immune system.</p>



<p>“Bacterial involvement in coronary artery disease has long been suspected, but direct and convincing evidence has been lacking," explained <a href="https://researchportal.tuni.fi/en/persons/pekka-karhunen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Pekka Karhunen</a>, lead author of this research.</p>



<p>"Our study demonstrated the presence of genetic material - DNA - from several oral bacteria inside atherosclerotic plaques."</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heart-disease-and-bacteria-signals">Heart disease and bacteria signals</h2>



<p>Samples that tested positive for viridans streptococci tended to come from plaques that were more advanced and complicated. </p>



<p>In the autopsy series, bacterial signals lined up with deaths due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-disease-kills-differently-now-than-five-decades-ago/">coronary heart disease</a> and heart attacks. </p>



<p>That association does not prove the bacteria caused the deaths, but it strengthens the idea that they may play a role in a dangerous chain of events.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-daily-life-implications">Daily life implications</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brushing-your-teeth-regularly-can-prevent-deadly-liver-disease/">Oral health</a> has long been linked with heart health in population studies. Everyday activities like brushing or chewing can push mouth bacteria into the bloodstream, especially when gums are inflamed. </p>



<p>The new findings point to a path where certain mouth bacteria might colonize plaques, lie low in biofilms, and then shed pieces that trigger inflammation right where the plaque is fragile.</p>



<p>This is not a call for antibiotics to prevent heart attacks. It does not turn brushing into a magic shield against heart disease. </p>



<p>Cholesterol levels, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-from-plastic-bottles-linked-to-high-blood-pressure-and-heart-problems/">high blood pressure</a>, smoking, diabetes, and family history still carry a lot of weight. </p>



<p>The study suggests bacteria - especially in biofilm form - may be another player that nudges risky plaques toward rupture.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-questions-need-answers">More questions need answers</h2>



<p>To sum it all up, this surprising, peer-reviewed study links oral bacteria within arterial plaques to inflammation associated with plaque rupture, highlighting a plausible mouth-heart connection.</p>



<p>The next steps include testing whether targeting biofilms, improving oral health, or dialing down specific immune alarms could make plaques more stable. </p>



<p>Researchers will also need to sort out cause versus correlation and identify which bacterial features matter most inside human arteries.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-you-should-do">What you should do</h2>



<p>In the meantime, continue to follow the basic guidelines urged by the American Heart Association. </p>



<p>Keep <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eggs-and-cholesterol-a-new-twist-in-an-old-debate/">LDL cholesterol</a> in check. Do not smoke or vape. Move your body most days. Sleep well. Eat in a way that supports cardiovascular health. </p>



<p>Keep up with dental basics also - regular brushing, flossing, and routine checkups reduce the chances that mouth bacteria slip into your blood. </p>



<p>None of these habits are cure-alls on their own, but together they lower risk.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the <em><a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.041521" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of the American Heart Association</a></em>.</p>



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Surprising study concludes that mouth germs can play a key role in heart attacks

Most people hear “heart attack” and think of clogged arteries...

<p>Life doesn’t always play by the tidy rules in textbooks. Most organisms use oxygen to produce ATP, which is energy used by cells. Some life forms, especially microbes, tap other chemicals when oxygen is scarce. The usual explanation says it’s one mode or the other.</p>



<p>A team studying a microbe from a Yellowstone hot spring found something different. This bacterium can use oxygen and sulfur at the same time to produce energy. That mixed strategy gives it an edge when oxygen levels fluctuate.</p>



<p>Lisa Keller of <a href="https://www.montana.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Montana State University</a> is the lead author of this research that describes her work with bacterial samples from a group called Aquificales. </p>



<p>Along with her adviser and mentor Eric Boyd, professor in the College of Agriculture’s <a href="https://www.montana.edu/mbi/">Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology</a>, they published their fascinating work in the journal <em>Nature Communications</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbes-that-breathe-oxygen-and-sulfur">Microbes that breathe oxygen and sulfur</h2>



<p>Respiration is how a cell converts food into usable energy (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26882/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ATP</a>). In oxygen-based respiration, cells move electrons through a chain of reactions and pass them to oxygen at the end. </p>



<p>Anaerobic respiration does a similar job but transfers electrons to other acceptors, such as sulfur, nitrate, or iron. Both strategies work; they are just different.</p>



<p>The hot-spring bacterium, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/aquificales" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aquificales</a>, challenged the usual either-or assumption. Under the right conditions, it kept both systems running. </p>



<p>That meant that while the bacteria were producing sulfide - an anaerobic process - they were using oxygen, meaning that both metabolisms were occurring.</p>



<p>“There’s no explanation other than that these cells are breathing oxygen at the same time that they are breathing elemental sulfur,” Keller said.</p>



<p>Keller explained that the bacterium’s ability to conduct both processes at once challenges our understanding of how microbes survive, especially in dynamic, low-oxygen environments such as hot springs. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-oxygen-and-sulfur-in-hot-springs">Oxygen and sulfur in hot springs</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-viruses-found-in-yellowstones-hot-springs-may-be-near-the-root-of-all-life-on-earth/">Hot springs</a> are tough places to live. Temperatures run high. Minerals dissolve into the water. Gases bubble in and out. </p>



<p>Oxygen dissolves less in hot water than in cool water and escapes more easily, so levels change from moment to moment. In that kind of environment, a flexible energy strategy goes a long way.</p>



<p>The bacterium in this study thrives at high temperatures and feeds on simple molecules, including hydrogen gas. It can use oxygen when it’s available and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sulfur-may-have-played-key-role-origin-of-life-on-earth/">elemental sulfur</a> when oxygen dips.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-study-was-done">How the study was done</h2>



<p>Keller and her team isolated the microbe, then grew it in the lab at high temperatures with three ingredients: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fairy-circles-may-point-to-underground-sources-of-clean-energy-from-natural-hydrogen-reserves/">hydrogen gas</a> as the energy source, elemental sulfur, and oxygen. They then tracked the cells’ chemical reactions and which genes were switched on.</p>



<p>Next, the team measured oxygen levels directly using <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/gas-chromatography" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gas chromatography</a>. They also watched for the conversion of sulfur to sulfide, a clear sign of anaerobic sulfur respiration. </p>



<p>Gene expression data aligned with the chemistry: enzymes for both oxygen use and sulfur processing were active simultaneously.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbe-s-oxygen-sulfur-strategy">Microbe's oxygen-sulfur strategy</h2>



<p>Cultures given hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen grew faster and reached higher cell counts than cultures that had to use only oxygen or only sulfur. </p>



<p>That growth boost points to a simple payoff: more net energy when both pathways run together under low or unstable oxygen.</p>



<p>One detail matters for interpreting the results. The sulfide produced doesn’t persist in a mixed setup. Oxygen and certain metal ions in the broth can quickly consume it. </p>



<p>Without careful controls, that can hide the microbe’s dual strategy. This study accounted for that factor, which helps explain why this behavior may have been missed in past experiments.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-widespread-pattern-in-nature">Widespread pattern in nature</h2>



<p>Genes and enzymes similar to those involved here are found in many microbes. </p>



<p>That suggests this hybrid mode could be more common than we realized, especially in places where conditions shift minute to minute. Hot springs and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sea-hydrothermal-vents-provide-clues-about-the-origin-of-life/">deep-sea vents</a> contain fuels and oxidants that rise and fall. </p>



<p>Microbes that can keep multiple electron acceptors available may outgrow neighbors that wait for a single, ideal condition.</p>



<p>Flexibility like this also fits the story of early Earth. Oxygen didn’t flood the oceans all at once. It rose in patchy, inconsistent ways. </p>



<p>Microbes that could sense tiny amounts of oxygen while still relying on older, oxygen-free reactions likely had an advantage. </p>



<p>The results of this study may explain how ancient lifeforms adapted to the progressive oxygenation of Earth that began around 2.8 billion years ago - the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-first-bacteria-used-oxygen-about-one-billion-years-earlier-than-we-thought/">Great Oxidation Event</a>.</p>



<p>“This is really interesting, and it creates so many more questions,” Keller said. “We don't know how widespread this is, but it opens the door for a lot of exploring.”</p>



<p>The Yellowstone bacterium isn’t ancient, but it shows a strategy that would have made sense when oxygen first began to matter.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-oxygen-sulfur-combo-works">How oxygen-sulfur combo works</h2>



<p>Oxygen sits at the top of the energy ladder because it accepts electrons strongly, which usually means more energy per unit of fuel. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astrochemists-think-they-found-where-sulfur-atoms-in-space-has-been-hiding/">Sulfur compounds</a> accept electrons too, though the energy yield is lower. When oxygen is scarce or fluctuating, using sulfur in parallel keeps the energy flowing rather than stalling.</p>



<p>Temperature and chemistry help set the stage. High heat speeds reactions and lowers oxygen solubility. Hydrogen gas, common around hydrothermal systems, supplies a steady stream of electrons. </p>



<p>Elemental sulfur is abundant in many volcanic and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/geothermal-energy-is-cheap-and-clean-and-having-its-moment/">geothermal settings</a>. Together, these conditions make simultaneous oxygen and sulfur respiration advantageous.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-real-world-implications">Real-world implications</h2>



<p>Mixed respiration hints at new ways to run bioreactors and environmental cleanup efforts. </p>



<p>If microbes can be encouraged to keep more than one pathway active, engineers may squeeze extra efficiency from waste-to-energy systems, or keep pollutant breakdown steady when oxygen supply is uneven. </p>



<p>The same thinking applies to managing the sulfur and carbon cycles in complex settings where oxygen isn’t easy to control.</p>



<p>The work also urges careful experimental design. Testing a microbe in a strict “oxygen-only” or “no-oxygen” setup can miss behaviors that only appear when both are present. </p>



<p>Real environments rarely offer neat categories. Lab protocols that match those complex realities reveal strategies that would otherwise stay hidden.</p>



<p>To sum it all up, this heat-loving bacterium, Aquificales, broadens how we think about life’s energy playbook. It's messy, adaptive, and full of clever workarounds that let microbes, and maybe eventually us, survive in a changing world.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56418-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a></em>.</p>



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Microbes discovered in Yellowstone can breathe two different elements to produce energy

Life doesn’t always play by the tidy rules in textbooks....

People,Group,Toasting,Latte,At,Coffee,Bar,Rooftop,-,Friends

<p>Coffee is part of the morning routines for millions of people. But does drinking more coffee align with having more muscle? That’s the question behind a new analysis of Americans’ habits and body composition. </p>



<p>This research doesn’t try to prove cause and effect. It asks whether higher coffee or caffeine intake corresponds to more limb muscle for a given body size.</p>



<p>The answer points in a positive direction for most adults, with an important exception. The details matter, because the way researchers measured muscle and tallied <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-may-help-you-live-longer-if-you-drink-it-this-way/">coffee intake</a> shapes how to read the results.</p>



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



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/studies-learn-the-exact-amount-of-time-you-should-spend-training-to-build-muscle/">Muscle mass</a> isn’t just about strength. Lower muscle mass in arms and legs raises the risk of falls, fractures, and everyday struggles that chip away at independence. </p>



<p>Scientists often track limb muscle adjusted for body size because it flags early losses that can sneak up with age.</p>



<p>A standard yardstick for that job is the appendicular skeletal muscle mass-to-BMI ratio, abbreviated as <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10401528/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ASMBMI</a>. In plain terms: “How much limb muscle do you have for your body size?” </p>



<p>This measurement focuses on muscle quantity, not how quickly you rise from a chair or how steady you feel on stairs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-coffee-s-link-to-muscles">Studying coffee's link to muscles</h2>



<p>Researchers pulled data from a large, ongoing U.S. health survey (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NHANES</a>) spanning 2011-2018. </p>



<p>They started with adults, applied clear rules such as “only include people with full diet interviews and body scans,” and finished with 8,333 participants. Muscle was measured by DXA scans of the arms and legs and then expressed as ASMBMI.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-helps-bacteria-resist-antibiotics-in-your-gut/">Coffee intake</a> came from two 24-hour dietary recalls - structured interviews covering everything people ate and drank on two different days. The team looked at regular coffee, decaf coffee, and total caffeine from all sources. </p>



<p>Their statistical models adjusted for age, sex, race, education, income, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, BMI, medical conditions, total calories, and protein, so they could compare people who were similar on many fronts except for coffee intake.</p>



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



<p>People who drank more coffee tended to have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-grapes-every-day-can-transform-your-muscles/">more limb muscle</a> relative to their body size. After full adjustments, the highest coffee group had about a 13% higher ASMBMI than the non-coffee group. </p>



<p>The highest caffeinated coffee group showed roughly a 12% increase. The top caffeine group showed about an 11% increase. Decaf didn’t show a clear, statistically significant link. </p>



<p>When researchers drew smoothed trend lines, the pattern appeared approximately linear: more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-coffee-may-help-women-stay-sharp-and-strong-as-they-age/">regular coffee</a> or caffeine corresponded to more muscle relative to body size.</p>



<p>There was one major exception. When participants were split by BMI, the positive link disappeared in the group with obesity (BMI ≥ 30). </p>



<p>In that subset, drinking more coffee was not associated with higher ASMBMI. That doesn’t mean coffee lowers muscle there; it means the helpful pattern seen elsewhere wasn’t present.</p>



<p>A likely reason is biological factors tied to obesity, including chronic, low-grade inflammation that speeds muscle breakdown and may overshadow small benefits from caffeine or other coffee compounds.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limitations-in-this-research">Limitations in this research</h2>



<p>This was a cross-sectional snapshot. It can spot links, but it can’t prove that coffee changes muscle. People with more muscle may simply be more active or keep schedules where coffee fits better. </p>



<p>The models adjusted for activity and many other variables, which strengthens confidence, but unmeasured factors can still nudge results.</p>



<p>Diet recalls lean on memory and honesty, and add-ins like sugar or cream can be easy to forget. </p>



<p>ASMBMI captures muscle quantity, not strength or performance, so it can’t tell you how much weight you can move or how good your balance is during daily activities. </p>



<p>Results also come from U.S. adults in specific survey years, so patterns could differ in other populations.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-coffee-is-linked-with-muscles">Why coffee is linked with muscles</h2>



<p>Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and modulates how the body uses fuel during activity. Coffee also contains <a href="https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/krnc/monthly-blog/what-are-polyphenols-another-great-reason-to-eat-fruits-and-veggies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">polyphenols</a> with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. </p>



<p>Lab and animal research suggests these compounds may support healthier muscle by encouraging autophagy - the cell’s cleanup crew for worn-out parts - and by dialing down chronic inflammation over time. </p>



<p>This analysis didn’t test mechanisms, but these ideas fit with the pattern. Decaf’s “no clear link” signal hints that caffeine may be doing more of the heavy lifting in this dataset.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-did-we-learn-from-this">What did we learn from this?</h2>



<p>In U.S. adults, higher <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mood-boost-how-coffee-makes-us-happier-in-the-morning/">regular coffee</a> and total caffeine intake tracked with more limb muscle relative to body size after accounting for many other factors. However, that association did not appear in participants with obesity. </p>



<p>If coffee already fits your day, these results sit comfortably with a muscle-friendly routine. Keep portions sensible, mind the extras, and avoid late cups that cut into sleep because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/irregular-sleep-may-cause-premature-muscle-aging/">poor sleep impairs recovery</a>.</p>



<p>If you’re in the obesity range, the study’s “no clear link” finding suggests coffee isn’t a muscle fix. </p>



<p>The bigger levers are steady resistance training, enough protein spaced through the day, and better sleep, ideally alongside medical care that addresses weight, strength, and metabolic health together. </p>



<p>Coffee can still be part of that plan if it agrees with you, but it’s not the star of the show.</p>



<p>It’s a pattern, not proof. Pair your coffee with protein, training, and sleep if your goal is to build or protect muscle.</p>



<p>The full study was published in the journal <em><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1390309/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Nutrition</a>.</em></p>



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



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

Drinking this every day helps keep muscles tone and strong as you age, preventing frailty

Coffee is part of the morning routines for millions of...

<p>The world’s oceans are our biggest climate ally, soaking up roughly a quarter of the carbon dioxide humanity releases and about 90% of the excess heat we’ve trapped in the atmosphere. In 2023, that ally got pushed to the limit.&nbsp;</p>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-are-substantially-changing-the-seasons-of-the-ocean/">Sea-surface temperatures</a> jumped to unprecedented levels - from a supercharged El Niño in the tropics to blistering warmth across the North Atlantic - raising a pressing question: what happens to the ocean’s carbon sink when the water itself is record hot?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stress-test-for-the-ocean-carbon-sink">Stress test for the ocean carbon sink</h2>



<p>An international team led by <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ETH Zurich</a> dug into ship, buoy, and satellite observations. The researchers used machine learning to stitch those measurements into daily maps of surface CO₂ across most of the global ocean.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The results showed that in 2023, the ocean absorbed nearly one billion tons less CO₂ than recent trends would suggest, a drop of about 10 percent. That shortfall is roughly half the European Union’s annual emissions, or more than 20 times Switzerland’s.</p>



<p>“This sudden warming of the ocean to new record temperatures is challenging for climate research,” said ETH professor Nicolas Gruber. The results, he added, are “not good news,” but the decline was smaller than many feared when temperatures first spiked.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-heat-weakens-the-sink">Why heat weakens the sink</h2>



<p>The basic physics are familiar to anyone who has watched a cold fizzy drink go flat in the sun. Warm water holds less dissolved gas. </p>



<p>In 2023, exceptional heat in the extratropical Northern Hemisphere, especially the North Atlantic, reduced CO₂ solubility and flipped parts of the ocean from absorbing CO₂ to letting it escape. </p>



<p>Study lead author Jens Daniel Müller explained that high temperatures reduced the solubility of CO₂, resulting in abnormal CO₂ outgassing and reducing the strength of the ocean carbon sink.</p>



<p>On paper, that solubility effect alone should have been devastating - large enough to nearly collapse the global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellites-reveal-how-oceans-absorb-carbon-in-unprecedented-detail/">carbon sink</a>. It didn’t, and the reason is the ocean’s built-in capacity to counterpunch.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-forces-that-blunted-the-blow">The forces that blunted the blow</h2>



<p>Three processes helped keep surface waters less saturated with carbon than they otherwise would have been, softening the hit to the sink.&nbsp;</p>



<p>First, as some CO₂ outgassed, it left the surface temporarily depleted, which slightly improved the gradient for uptake elsewhere and later. Second, extreme surface warmth strengthened stratification, limiting the upward supply of CO₂-rich deep water. </p>



<p>Third, the biological pump kept working: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plankton-at-risk-global-warming-threatens-the-oceans-lifeline/">plankton</a> captured CO₂ in sunlit layers and exported carbon to depth as organic matter sank.</p>



<p>Taken together, these mechanisms created a tug-of-war. Temperature pushed CO₂ out of the ocean; stratification, biology, and the drawdown created by outgassing itself pulled the system back toward balance.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As Gruber noted, the 2023 outcome reflects a permanent tug-of-war between temperature-induced outgassing and the concurrent depletion of dissolved CO₂.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-el-nino-helped-just-not-enough">El Niño helped - just not enough</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/el-nino-climate-shifts-date-back-250-million-years/">El Niño</a> usually weakens upwelling of cold, carbon-rich water in the tropical Pacific, which slashes the region’s natural CO₂ emissions and, paradoxically, tends to strengthen the global sink even in a warm year. </p>



<p>That pattern held in 2023: the tropical eastern Pacific, a typical source of outgassing, emitted relatively little.</p>



<p>But the extratropics overwhelmed that gift. The sheer intensity of warming outside the tropics - again, with the North Atlantic as a standout - negated the El Niño boost. In net terms, the global sink still declined.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-team-measured-the-dip">How the team measured the dip</h2>



<p>Unlike many assessments that lean primarily on models, this study is grounded in observations. </p>



<p>The researchers combined decades of CO₂ measurements from research vessels and cargo ships with readings from autonomous buoys and satellite data to build daily global maps of surface CO₂.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Machine-learning tools filled gaps and kept the reconstruction consistent, allowing the team to calculate air-sea CO₂ fluxes and compare 2023 with recent years on an apples-to-apples basis.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-the-ocean-carbon-sink">Future of the ocean carbon sink</h2>



<p>The ocean has cooled little since the 2023 records, and the planet continues to warm. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mapping-marine-heatwaves-to-understand-their-impacts/">Marine heat waves</a> are becoming more frequent and intense, which makes the big unknown painfully clear. Will the compensating mechanisms that steadied the sink last year keep doing so as background temperatures climb?</p>



<p>“We cannot yet say with certainty how this important carbon sink will develop in the future,” Müller cautioned. </p>



<p>Gruber said that it’s unclear whether those counteracting processes will remain effective over the long term and limit temperature-driven outgassing.</p>



<p>The bottom line: the ocean is still helping - don’t make it do all the work. For now at least, the ocean remains a formidable buffer.</p>



<p>“For the time being, however, the global ocean is still absorbing a great deal of CO₂ - fortunately,” Gruber said. But 2023 was a stress test that revealed both vulnerability and resilience. Extreme warmth can dent the sink significantly, even when physics and biology rally to soften the blow.</p>



<p>The practical takeaway is straightforward. Cutting emissions reduces the heat and acidity the ocean must absorb, preserving the sink’s strength. Every tenth of a degree avoided keeps more of the carbon sponge intact and buys time for the planet’s biggest ally to keep doing what it does best.</p>



<p>The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02380-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Nature Climate Change</em></a>.</p>



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



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Hot oceans weaken Earth’s carbon sink

The world’s oceans are our biggest climate ally, soaking up...

<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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<p>—–</p>

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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<p>Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by <a href="https://www.earth.com/author/eralls/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eric Ralls</a> and Earth.com.</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>



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



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



<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...

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



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



<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
</div></figure>



<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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" 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> 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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<p>Today’s <strong>Video of the Day</strong> from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.</p>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



<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>

Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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



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



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



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



<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>

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



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



<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>

Santiago, Chile in South America

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