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Wildfires in the western U.S. have become a growing crisis. They’re lasting longer, burning hotter, and spreading into areas that rarely burned in the past. 



But another danger is rising, beyond heatwaves and droughts. Lightning - sudden, fierce, and incredibly powerful - is becoming one of the biggest wildfire risks.



In the coming decades, scientists warn that lightning will become an increasingly dominant spark for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-making-wildfire-smoke-more-deadly/">wildfires</a>, adding to the already mounting risks across the West.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lightning-is-fueling-more-wildfires">Lightning is fueling more wildfires</h2>



Wildfires need a few things to get going: dry fuel, hot temperatures, low humidity, and a spark. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lightning-is-changing-the-atmosphere-in-surprising-ways/">Lightning</a> is one of the most powerful natural igniters.



In the western U.S., lightning already causes more than two-thirds of the area burned by wildfires. And now, new research shows that number is going to rise sharply due to climate change. 



Warmer air holds more moisture, which means more unstable weather patterns. Those patterns, in turn, set the stage for more lightning.



A recent study has revealed that virtually all of the western U.S. - 98 percent of the region - will have more days with a greater likelihood of lightning-ignited wildfires starting as early as the 2030s. 



For regions already accustomed to such fires, such as Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, the risk is even greater. As early as 2060, those states may have as many as 12 additional lightning-filled days per summer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-model-to-forecast-lightning">A model to forecast lightning</h2>



Traditional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-models-underestimate-sea-ice-melt-and-global-warming/">climate models</a> don’t really track lightning. That’s why a team of researchers led by Dmitri Kalashnikov built their own system to fill in the gaps.



“The first step was to project lightning,” said Kalashnikov, a research scientist at the <a href="https://www.ucmerced.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California Merced</a>. “The typical climate models don’t directly simulate lightning. It’s too small a process.”



The researchers applied machine learning to forecast where lightning would hit based on variables that we can quantify - such as temperature, humidity, and the level of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/moisture-in-the-atmosphere-causes-extreme-weather-to-last-longer/">moisture in the air</a>. 



The team merged those results with the Fire Weather Index (FWI), a mechanism that was developed back in 1968 to monitor how probable wildfire initiation and spread is from local weather.



The result is a forecast model tailored to the western U.S., designed to project conditions from 2030 to 2060 - decades earlier than most studies, which typically look only to the end of the century.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-lightning-in-the-northwest">More lightning in the Northwest</h2>



The northwestern states of Idaho, Oregon, and Montana are projected to experience the greatest growth in lightning days. But strangely, they may not experience the most rapid expansion in wildfires. 



Although lightning will grow, the conditions favoring fires (such as extreme heat or dryness) are not expected to worsen as quickly in the Northwest compared to other regions.



That doesn’t mean northwestern states are off the hook. Cloud-to-ground lightning, the kind that hits trees or grass directly, is still expected to rise significantly in those areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-lightning-greater-wildfire-risk">Less lightning, greater wildfire risk</h2>



In contrast, the Southwest - including Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico - won’t see as much of a jump in lightning strikes. But the fire risk will still climb. 



This is because even a small spark becomes a big threat when the land is extra dry, the heat is intense, and there’s little rain to cool things off.



The researchers found that these southern states are likely to experience the biggest increases in wildfires caused by lightning, despite the smaller bump in lightning activity. That’s because climate change is pushing up the number of fire-prone days overall.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dry-and-wet-lightning">Dry and wet lightning</h2>



Kalashnikov said the next steps could involve separating the kinds of lightning events. “You can’t help but wonder what the future will look like, especially if you dig in and you realize that there’s actually a lot that we don’t understand,” he said.



One key factor will be figuring out how to distinguish between "dry lightning" and "wet lightning." Dry lightning happens without much rain, making it a fire hazard. 



Wet lightning brings <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavy-rainfall-poses-extreme-risks-in-the-western-us/">heavy rain</a>, which can reduce fire risk but increase flood danger. Understanding that difference could help emergency services respond more precisely to fire threats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wildfire-risks-are-rising-fast">Wildfire risks are rising fast</h2>



As climate patterns shift, the West isn’t just getting warmer and drier - it’s getting stormier in a dangerous way. Lightning is expected to spark more fires, and fires are expected to find more dry fuel waiting. It’s a feedback loop that could reshape fire seasons in the U.S.



This isn’t about something that might happen a hundred years from now. The changes are coming within the next few decades - some may already be happening. 



And for the people living in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/double-hazard-wildfire-zones-identified-in-the-american-west/">high-risk areas</a>, that means more heat, more smoke, and a greater need for preparation.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025EF006108" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's Future</a>.



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Lightning will ignite even more wildfires as the climate heats up

Wildfires in the western U.S. have become a growing crisis....

Plants protect themselves. They often produce chemicals that discourage animals from feeding on them. For herbivores, survival means eating enough food while avoiding dangerous toxins. This delicate balance shapes how animals forage and adapt to their environment.



The challenge is not only about survival in the present moment. It is also about long-term adaptation. Animals that fail to strike this balance risk starvation or poisoning, while successful ones pass on their strategies to future generations. 



This ongoing evolutionary tug-of-war between plants and herbivores defines much of the natural world.



<a href="https://www.usu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Utah State University</a> ecologist Sara Weinstein believes these choices reveal much about survival. “Understanding how these animals navigate these choices is fundamental to understanding what these creatures need to survive and how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/woodrats-duplicated-their-genes-to-survive-eating-poisonous-plants/">species</a> respond to changing conditions."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-woodrats-and-toxic-plants">Woodrats and toxic plants</h2>



Among the many plant eaters, woodrats offer a surprising case study. Native to North America, these rodents consume a wide range of plants.



“Woodrats are remarkable in their ability to eat truly awful, toxic plants,” said Weinstein. “If there are no other options, woodrats can consume plants like creosote bush, mesquite and juniper, which are full of disagreeable compounds like alkaloids and terpenes.”



Weinstein and colleagues from several universities recently published findings from an eight-year survey of woodrat populations across North America.



“Woodrats are a phenomenal model organism for understanding how wild <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-have-super-sized-domestic-animals-and-shrunk-wildlife/">animals</a> make choices about what to eat,” Weinstein explains. Their habitats provide varied food choices, allowing researchers to study how animals decide among safer or riskier plants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-analyzing-the-diets-of-woodrats">Analyzing the diets of woodrats </h2>



Unlike city-dwelling rats, woodrats avoid people. "Woodrats are very distant cousins of the better known, and omnivorous, New York pizza rat,” Weinstein noted. “You are unlikely to see woodrats, unless you’re in relatively undeveloped habitat.”



Despite their shy nature, woodrats are widespread across the United States. Their abundance makes them excellent research subjects, especially since multiple <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-survivors-dragonflies-face-their-toughest-test/">species</a> often share the same environment.



“Compared to large herbivores like deer, moose or elephants, woodrats are much easier to capture and handle,” said Weinstein. “They also readily provide us with material for diet analyses, because they tend to defecate in traps.”



These droppings become data-rich samples. Weinstein noted that each sample combines about a day of food choices. This allows scientists to capture a snapshot of their diets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-patterns-in-herbivore-diets">Patterns in herbivore diets</h2>



Advancements in DNA metabarcoding, using next-generation sequencing, have transformed diet research. 



“It’s a very powerful and accessible technique to characterize the unseen,” Weinstein said. This method has helped reveal important patterns in how herbivores eat.



Despite progress, dietary niche breadth remains poorly understood. The research shows that both specialization and generalization carry costs for herbivores.



“A longstanding notion is that if you’re highly specific in what you eat - you only eat one thing - then, if you lose access to that plant - say, it disappears because the ecosystem changes or an invasive species pushes it out - you’re going to be in trouble,” said Weinstein.



Generalists adapt more easily, shifting diets when needed. Yet the story is more complex. Most woodrat populations are generalists, but at the individual level, these generalists’ diets may not be as broad as we previously assumed, explained Weinstein.



“We tend to think of generalists as being a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. However, it looks like most generalists are more aptly described as jacks-of-all trades, master of some.”



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



Individuals often select consistent subsets of plants, helping them manage risks from toxins. These findings matter beyond woodrats.



“Ultimately, these constraints on animal diets have important implications for our understanding of food webs, species interactions and which populations are more likely to persist in changing ecosystems,” said Weinstein.



The study highlights how much we still have to learn about herbivores. By tracing dietary strategies across individuals, populations, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/not-just-birds-and-beetles-iridescence-found-in-unexpected-animals/">species</a>, scientists gain insight into resilience and vulnerability in a changing climate. 



In the end, the secret lives of woodrats remind us that even the smallest animals can unlock big lessons about survival.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2413556122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



Image Credit: Sara Weinstein



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Woodrats reveal how herbivores survive eating toxic plants

Plants protect themselves. They often produce chemicals that discourage animals...

PFAS - short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances - are so common that they’ve earned the nickname “forever chemicals.” They’re in rain jackets, dental floss, and even the sticky side of a bandage. Too often, they’re also in drinking water.



For years, U.S. contamination maps showed clusters of problem spots in places like California, Michigan, and New England. But those dots didn’t necessarily reveal where PFAS actually are - they only marked where testing had happened.



Now, researchers at Northeastern University’s <a href="https://pfasproject.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PFAS Project Lab</a> have redrawn the picture. Their new analysis suggests that while roughly 2,200 sites have confirmed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-that-eat-forever-chemicals-discovered-in-contaminated-soil/">contamination</a>, as many as 80,000 more are likely polluted but untested.



The result is what the team calls the most complete snapshot yet - a tool designed to help regulators and communities figure out where to look next.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-presumptive-pfas-sites-fill-the-map">Presumptive PFAS sites fill the map</h2>



Because PFAS testing in the U.S. is spotty and often driven by state programs or local advocacy, the “known” map has always been incomplete. 



To bridge that gap, the team built a model that flags “presumptive” contamination sites based on what those facilities do. If a type of place is well documented as a PFAS emitter, similar facilities elsewhere likely pose the same risk.



The approach flips the script: instead of waiting for sampling to reveal bad news one neighborhood at a time, it directs investigators toward the most probable sources before problems spread further.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-groundwater-reveals-contamination">Groundwater reveals contamination</h2>



When the researchers looked closely at the 2,200 verified sites, the picture was grim. Ninety-four percent of the locations with groundwater data had average PFAS concentrations above accepted regulatory levels.



Kimberly Garrett is the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the PFAS Project Lab.



“We did find that, overall, all of the sites that we knew about had elevated PFAS concentrations that were above health-based guidelines,” said Garrett. "Some were associated with really high values, but they were all associated with unacceptable values.”



That matters for more than just the communities adjacent to those dots. PFAS contamination moves - through <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reed-beds-a-sustainable-revolution-in-wastewater-management/">industrial waste</a> streams, municipal wastewater systems, biosolids applied to fields, and rivers that cross county and state lines. Knowing where it likely starts is the key to cutting it off.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-foam-linked-to-high-pfas">Foam linked to high PFAS</h2>



To make the presumptive map, the team sorted potential sources into categories. These included airports, military installations, industrial facilities, municipal fire activities, and wastewater treatment plants. They then compared how often and how strongly PFAS turned up.



Three stood out again and again: airports, military sites, and municipal fire activities. The common thread is aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a firefighting foam historically loaded with PFAS. Foam used in training and emergency response can soak into soil and groundwater or run off into nearby waterways.



“AFFF was consistently connected to the highest average PFAS concentrations,” Garrett said - a pattern researchers and regulators have suspected for years, now mapped at a national scale.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-factories-tied-to-pfas-leaks">Factories tied to PFAS leaks</h2>



Beyond firefighting, the lab’s latest updates begin to tease out which industrial operations are most associated with PFAS releases. Metal manufacturing and electronics manufacturing emerged as frequent suspects.



“Metal manufacturers and electronic manufacturers could use a little more scrutiny in that area, especially as we think about making investments in semiconductor manufacturing and things like that,” Garrett said.



The point isn’t to halt innovation; it’s to ensure new industrial growth doesn’t lock in another generation of contamination.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fixing-pfas-starts-upstream">Fixing PFAS starts upstream</h2>



Public conversation around PFAS often zeroes in on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nearly-100-million-americans-exposed-to-contaminated-drinking-water/">drinking water</a> and wastewater utilities - logical endpoints where contamination becomes visible. But those facilities are downstream. 



They inherit what industries and other emitters send them. Treating the problem at the end of the pipe is far harder and more expensive than preventing it in the first place.



“Turning off the tap of PFAS starts at the source,” said Garrett. “We can’t discount the industrial contributions to PFAS contamination.”



Phil Brown, the lab’s co-director, frames it as following the waste stream: identify the treatment plant, then look upstream for likely users and manufacturers.



“We can then tell them that they have to cut down their emissions before it gets into our plants,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-triage-plan-for-limited-budgets"><a></a>A triage plan for limited budgets</h2>



Testing is costly, and agencies and utilities have finite staff and funds. The new map is designed with that reality in mind. 



By highlighting presumptive hotspots, it helps decision-makers prioritize where sampling will have the biggest payoff. It also indicates where interim protections might be warranted. In some cases, this could mean providing alternative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pfas-forever-chemicals-in-tap-water-linked-to-33-percent-increase-in-cancer-rates/">water</a> sources while testing ramps up.



“We know that resources for testing bodies and regulatory bodies and municipal utilities are very limited,” said Garrett.



“So we hope that our tools can serve as a guide for if a municipality or a state has so much money for testing and they say, what would be the most impactful way to use this? We think that this paper can contribute to those decisions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-scattered-dots-to-a-strategy"><a></a>From scattered dots to a strategy</h2>



PFAS are called forever chemicals because their carbon-fluorine bonds don’t readily break down. That persistence has made them useful - in nonstick coatings, waterproof gear, and industrial processes - and a nightmare to clean up once they escape into the environment.



The Northeastern team’s work doesn’t solve PFAS pollution, but it does something essential: it replaces a misleading patchwork of test results with a forward-looking map of risk.



The takeaway is not simply that PFAS sites are widespread; it’s that the problem has a pattern. Airports, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preparing-u-s-military-bases-for-sea-level-rise/">military bases</a>, and firefighting sites are likely hotspots. Certain industries deserve closer scrutiny. And the most efficient path to safer water starts upstream, before PFAS reach the taps.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c14474%C3%B9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a>.



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Toxic ‘forever chemical' sites severely underestimated in the U.S.

PFAS - short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances - are...

Parents often ask the same question: what should I feed my baby first? Cereal, bananas, sweet potatoes, or something else? For years, advice has been vague. Scientists now suggest that blueberries may deserve a place on that list.



Blueberries are packed with color-rich compounds, fiber, and vitamins. Adults eat them for heart and brain health. 



Until now, though, no one had rigorously tested them in infants. A team at the <a href="https://www.cuanschutz.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Colorado Anschutz</a> decided to change that.



The researchers designed a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Sixty-one babies between five and twelve months joined. Some received blueberry powder each day.



Others received a powder without blueberries. Parents mixed the powder into normal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unstable-gut-microbes-can-worsen-child-malnutrition/">meals</a>. Nothing else in the routine had to change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-linking-blueberries-and-allergies">Linking blueberries and allergies</h2>



By the end of the study, the blueberry group showed fewer allergy symptoms, especially respiratory ones. Inflammation markers also shifted. IL-13, a molecule tied to asthma and allergies, dropped. 



IL-10, known for calming the immune system, nudged upward. These results suggest blueberries encourage balance, not overreaction.



“For parents beginning to wean their infants, it’s incredibly difficult to find solid, research-backed advice on what <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/key-to-cutting-food-waste-is-in-our-daily-routines/">foods</a> to introduce,” said senior author Minghua Tang, PhD, adjoint associate professor of pediatrics at <a href="https://www.cuanschutz.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CU Anschutz</a>. 



“This study is a critical first step in filling that gap by offering real data on how a specific food like blueberries can improve your infant’s health.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-blueberries-protect-babies">How blueberries protect babies</h2>



Blueberries owe much of their power to anthocyanins, the pigments that give them a dark blue color. These compounds protect the gut lining, reduce inflammation, and discourage harmful bacteria. 



They also influence immune cells by turning down allergy-driving signals and boosting tolerance-building ones. In plain words, they help the immune system learn when to stay calm.



Infant gut bacteria shifted too. Beneficial groups such as Lactobacillus linked with more IL-10. Less friendly microbes like Citrobacter showed ties to IL-13. These shifts reveal how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/everyday-kitchen-tool-that-could-be-leaching-toxins-into-your-food-polypropylene-cutting-board/">diet</a> influences microbes.



The pattern suggests blueberries push gut communities in directions that support calmer immune activity, reducing unnecessary inflammation, encouraging tolerance, and possibly lowering the chance of early allergy development in infants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blueberries-support-long-term-health">Blueberries support long-term health</h2>



Not every improvement lined up neatly. Some babies improved without clear biomarker changes, and some biomarker shifts didn’t translate directly into fewer symptoms. 



That mismatch highlights the complexity of the gut–immune connection. Diet seems to nudge the system, but it doesn’t act through one simple pathway.



“This research supports the idea that blueberries are not only safe for infants but also offer meaningful health benefits,” said Minghua Tang, who is also a researcher at the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and <a href="https://www.colostate.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Colorado State University</a>.



“Just a few blueberries a day could make a difference in supporting long-term health. We view infancy as a critical window of opportunity and what we introduce during this time can have lasting effects as children grow.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-diet-and-allergy-risks">Early diet and allergy risks</h2>



Allergic conditions are on the rise worldwide. Eczema, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/simple-way-to-remove-microplastics-from-tap-water-home-faucet/">food</a> allergies, and asthma often appear in childhood and can persist into adulthood. Scientists increasingly believe that early diet plays a role in either fueling or calming these risks. 



Breastfeeding remains the gold standard, but once solids start, the choice of foods may also matter more than once thought. 



Blueberries now join a list of foods being tested for their ability to train the immune system during this vulnerable window.



Health agencies encourage introducing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains around six months. Yet parents often hesitate, especially with foods they fear might trigger allergies. 



Research like this helps reduce uncertainty. It suggests that some foods not only avoid harm but may actively help protect against allergies when offered early in life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-introducing-babies-to-blueberries">Introducing babies to blueberries </h2>



The team stresses this was an early trial. More infants, longer follow-ups, and fresh blueberries instead of powder are next on the agenda. Other foods rich in similar compounds may also help, but those studies still lie ahead.



For now, families can introduce blueberries safely once babies begin solids. Puree them for the youngest. Mash or slice them for older babies and toddlers to avoid choking. 



A handful here and there may help more than just nutrition - it could shape long-term health.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/17/2795" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nutrients</a>.



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Feeding blueberries to babies is a great idea for many reasons, according to a new study

Parents often ask the same question: what should I feed...

Humans often consider tool use a mark of intelligence. Yet many animals find creative ways to solve problems. A new study reveals how carrion crows - which seldom use tools in the wild - can learn to master them when trained.



Their performance suggests that with only small evolutionary changes, they might one day adopt tools as part of their natural behavior.



Researchers from the <a href="https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Tübingen</a> trained three carrion crows to handle sticks and retrieve food pellets placed inside a transparent Plexiglas box. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-beaks-to-borrowed-sticks">From beaks to borrowed sticks</h2>



The birds could not access the pellets with their beaks, so they had to explore with sticks. Success depended on careful manipulation: moving the pellet too quickly risked losing it from the platform.



"Tool use is very rare in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crows-hold-grudges-for-up-to-17-years/">animal kingdom</a>, but relatively common in dexterous generalists such as primates, parrots, and corvids," said lead author Felix&nbsp;Moll.



Only two crow species - the New Caledonian and Hawaiian crow - use tools regularly. This experiment tested whether carrion crows could, with training, refine similar skills.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crows-master-deliberate-tool-actions">Crows master deliberate tool actions</h2>



The crows did more than just copy actions. They aligned sticks carefully with their beaks and guided food into reach.



"The crows first picked up the stick from a holder and adjusted it until they were grasping it so that it was precisely aligned with their beak. Then they used it to guide the pellet within reach," said Moll. They even returned the stick to the holder before eating.



Recordings showed early awkwardness: sticks shoved pellets back and forth with little success. Over time, movements became refined, efficient, and highly repeatable.



"By comparison, recordings of later training sessions showed extremely precise movement patterns. The movements of the stick varied little in standard situations; the crows determinedly guided the food pellet to one side of the box and fished it out," said co-author Julius Würzler.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-practice-reveals-hidden-intelligence">Practice reveals hidden intelligence</h2>



The study used pose estimation to analyze thousands of trials. It found that the crows improved through reinforcement learning, a trial-and-error process where variability early on helped them discover effective strategies. 



This variability mirrors processes seen in human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dopamine-fuels-learning-in-young-songbirds/">motor learning</a>, where exploration refines skill. 



Such parallels remind us that intelligence does not always require a complex evolutionary leap. Sometimes, it is about applying existing flexibility to new challenges.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crows-show-flexible-problem-solving">Crows show flexible problem-solving</h2>



Each crow developed its own style - some preferred sliding pellets out to one side, while others adjusted depending on pellet position. 



These strategies were consistent and efficient, highlighting not just learned precision but also individuality in problem-solving. The presence of personal approaches suggests that tool use is not a rigid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crows-can-recognize-geometric-patterns-in-shapes/">behavior</a> but a dynamic process shaped by learning and constant feedback. 



Mistakes added another layer of insight: when a pellet slipped from control, the crows reacted within fractions of a second, adjusting stick movements to regain control. 



Such rapid corrections revealed continuous monitoring and flexibility, showing a level of awareness that goes beyond instinct and hinted at truly adaptive cognition.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tool-grip-reveals-hidden-intelligence">Tool grip reveals hidden intelligence</h2>



Another striking behavior was how they adjusted stick orientation before use. Often, the stick was misaligned when pulled from the dispenser. 



The crows tossed and re-gripped it until alignment was perfect. This fine motor adjustment revealed an advanced capacity to prepare tools for effective use.



"Animal tool use is supported by a number of enabling factors: motivation, conceptual knowledge and advanced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ravens-develop-sophisticated-cognitive-skills-by-the-age-of-four-months/">cognitive skills</a>, as well as fine motor control," said co-author Andreas&nbsp;Nieder.



The carrion crows displayed all of these, suggesting their brains integrate the stick as part of their own body. Similar processes occur in primates, where neurons adapt to represent the working end of tools.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crows-hint-at-evolution">Crows hint at evolution</h2>



The findings show that non-habitual tool users can still reach high levels of dexterity. This supports the idea of “tooling,” where animals treat body and object as one system. 



Such results deepen our understanding of cognition in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crows-count-out-loud-just-like-toddlers/">birds</a> and may guide future research into neural mechanisms.



"If woodpeckers didn't already - with their highly-specialized long tongues - fish beetle larvae out of their burrows in dead wood, this nutritious source of protein might one day be exploited by carrion crows using tools," Moll adds. 



These experiments suggest that with only small evolutionary nudges, carrion crows could naturally evolve into regular tool users. 



The work also invites reflection on intelligence across species: when given the right opportunities, animals may reveal skills that once seemed uniquely human.



Click here to <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)01100-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watch videos of carrion crows using precision tools...</a>



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)01100-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a>.



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Carrion crows can create, prepare, and use tools with great precision

Humans often consider tool use a mark of intelligence. Yet...

BHframe25

A black hole collision sent something strange to Earth in 2015 - not light, not sound, but a ripple in space itself. That ripple had been traveling for 1.3 billion years before reaching two detectors in the U.S. 



On September 14, 2015, humans picked up gravitational waves for the very first time. It wasn’t just a scientific milestone. For the first time, we were able to listen to the universe by feeling its motion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-than-just-light-and-particles">More than just light and particles</h2>



Until that moment, the universe had only spoken to us through light - visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, radio - and through particles like cosmic rays and neutrinos. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-particles-solution-gravitational-wave-mystery-bose-einstein-condensate/">Gravitational waves</a> gave us a brand-new way to listen in. It’s like adding a new sense.



The detectors that picked up the signal are part of <a href="https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LIGO</a>, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. LIGO has two stations - one in Washington state and the other in Louisiana.



Together with Virgo in Italy and KAGRA in Japan, these instruments now form a global network of gravitational wave detectors known as <a href="https://gcn.nasa.gov/missions/lvk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LVK</a>.



The detectors don’t look into space. They feel it. And they’re incredibly sensitive - able to detect changes in distance smaller than one ten-thousandth the width of a proton. That’s about 700 trillion times thinner than a human hair.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clearer-voice-from-deep-space">Clearer voice from deep space</h2>



Over the last decade, this network has captured more than 300 black hole mergers. At the current rate, LVK sees about one of these cosmic collisions every three days.



The latest signal, named GW250114, arrived on January 14, 2025. It came from another pair of black holes that collided about 1.3 billion light-years away. What made this one special wasn’t what happened - but how clearly the signal came through.



"We can hear it loud and clear, and that lets us test the fundamental laws of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mathematicians-may-have-solved-a-125-year-old-problem-linking-the-laws-of-physics/">physics</a>," said Katerina Chatziioannou, leading author of the new study.



Thanks to upgrades in technology and better noise reduction, the team was able to get the most detailed look yet at a process that <a href="https://news.mit.edu/2021/hawkings-black-hole-theorem-confirm-0701" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stephen Hawking</a> predicted back in 1971.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hawking-s-black-hole-theory-finally-proven">Hawking’s black hole theory finally proven</h2>



Hawking’s idea, called the <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.06788" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">black hole area theorem</a>, says the total surface <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-the-universe-remains-predictable-insights-from-quantum-mechanics/">area of black holes</a> should never shrink. Even though black holes lose energy as gravitational waves and spin faster after merging, their overall area should still grow.



In this new event, the surface area of the two black holes before merging was around 240,000 square kilometers (92,600 square miles) - about the size of the United Kingdom. 



After the collision, the final black hole had an area of about 400,000 square kilometers (154,000 square miles) - roughly the size of Sweden.



This marks the second time that scientists have tested the area theorem using gravitational waves. The first test, back in 2021, used data from the original 2015 signal and had a confidence level of 95 percent. This new one hit 99.999 percent.



Kip Thorne from <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caltech</a>, one of LIGO’s original founders, remembered getting a phone call from Stephen Hawking right after the first detection. 



Hawking wanted to know if LIGO could test his theorem. He passed away in 2018 and never saw it proven.



"If Hawking were alive, he would have reveled in seeing the area of the merged black holes increase," Thorne said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-listening-to-the-black-hole-s-final-echo">Listening to the black hole’s final echo</h2>



One of the toughest parts of this kind of analysis is measuring what happens after the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-matter-might-be-driving-force-behind-black-hole-mergers/">black holes merge</a>. 



As the new black hole settles down, it vibrates like a struck bell in what’s called the ringdown phase. Those vibrations, or modes, fade quickly and are hard to separate.



But the clarity of the GW250114 signal let scientists, for the first time, identify two distinct modes during the ringdown. 



That helped them figure out the mass and spin of the final black hole - and confirm that the math behind these predictions holds up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-black-hole-collision-sounds">Black hole collision sounds</h2>



Another study, based on the same signal, searched for a possible third, higher-pitched tone. It didn’t find it, but the test pushed the limits of how well general relativity describes black holes.



“Analyzing strain data from the detectors to detect transient astrophysical signals, send out alerts to trigger follow-up observations from telescopes or publish physics results gathering information from up to hundreds of events is quite a long journey," said Nicolas Arnaud, <a href="https://www.cnrs.fr/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CNRS</a> researcher in France and Virgo coordinator of the current science run.



"Out of the many skilled steps that such a complex framework requires, I see the humans behind all these data, in particular those who are on duty at any time, watching over our instruments. There are LVK scientists in all regions, pursuing a common goal: literally, the Sun never goes down above our collaborations!”



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/black-holes-ringing_clear-signal_infographic_Simons-Foundation_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/black-holes-ringing_clear-signal_infographic_Simons-Foundation_1s.webp" alt="Black holes ringing clear signals infographic. Credit: Lucy Reading-Ikkanda/Simons Foundation" class="wp-image-1986130"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Black holes ringing clear signals infographic. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Lucy Reading-Ikkanda/Simons Foundation</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-black-hole-collisions">Beyond black hole collisions</h2>



Black holes aren’t the only stars of the show. <a href="https://gcn.nasa.gov/missions/lvk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LVK detectors</a> have also picked up <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neutron-star-collisions-push-the-limits-of-extreme-physics/">neutron star collisions</a>. 



These are the super-dense remains of stars that went <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-true-nature-of-dark-matter-may-be-revealed-in-a-supernova/">supernova</a>. In 2017, a neutron star merger sent gravitational waves and light flying across space.



That event, called a kilonova, helped scientists figure out where gold and other heavy elements come from. 



It also marked the first time that both gravitational waves and light were captured from the same event - something called “multi-messenger astronomy.”



LVK now sends out alerts to astronomers around the world every time they think another neutron star collision might be happening. Telescopes then race to spot the light from these violent events.



"The global LVK network is essential to gravitational-wave astronomy," said Gianluca Gemme, Virgo spokesperson and director of research at <a href="https://www.infn.it/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">INFN</a>.



"With three or more detectors operating in unison, we can pinpoint cosmic events with greater accuracy, extract richer astrophysical information, and enable rapid alerts for multi-messenger follow-up. Virgo is proud to contribute to this worldwide scientific endeavor."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bigger-detectors-deeper-space">Bigger detectors, deeper space</h2>



In the coming years, the LVK network plans to keep improving its instruments, making them even more sensitive. They also aim to build new detectors - including one in India called LIGO India.



Longer term, scientists are planning even larger observatories. The <a href="https://www.et-gw.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Einstein Telescope</a> would be built underground with arms of more than six miles (9.7 kilometers) long. 



In the U.S., a detector called <a href="https://cosmicexplorer.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cosmic Explorer</a> would stretch its arms to about 25 miles (40 kilometers).



These giant instruments could let us hear the earliest black hole mergers ever - and maybe even the faint tremors from the very first moments of the universe.



Massimo Carpinelli is a professor at the <a href="https://en.unimib.it/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Milano Bicocca</a> and director of the European Gravitational Observatory in Cascina.



“This is an amazing time for gravitational wave research: thanks to instruments such as Virgo, LIGO and KAGRA, we can explore a dark universe that was previously completely inaccessible," Carpinelli concluded.



The scientific achievements of these 10 years are triggering a real revolution in our view of the Universe.



"We are already preparing a new generation of detectors such as the Einstein Telescope in Europe and Cosmic Explorer in the US, as well as the LISA space interferometer, which will take us even further into space and back in time."



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/kw5g-d732" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Physical Review Letters</a>.



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Gravitational waves from a black hole collision finally prove Hawking's theory

A black hole collision sent something strange to Earth in...

Insects are everywhere - flying, crawling, buzzing, and doing far more for the Earth than most of us realize. They help plants grow by spreading pollen, recycle dead material, and keep ecosystems running smoothly.



Recently, however, scientists have noticed something troubling: insect populations are declining. This trend could become a serious problem.



What remains unclear is whether this is a new phenomenon or part of a longer pattern. A recent study explored this question using a surprising tool: ants from museum collections.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ants-unlock-insect-history">Ants unlock insect history</h2>



To determine how insects have changed over time, scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (<a href="https://www.oist.jp/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OIST</a>) looked to ants that inhabit <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-republic-of-fiji-in-the-south-pacific/">Fiji</a>, a cluster of tropical islands in the South Pacific.



The islands are remote and host unique species found nowhere else, making them ideal for researching long-term patterns of insect populations.



Instead of merely counting ants in the field, the team used a technique called “community genomics.” They analyzed old ant specimens from museum collections and sequenced their DNA. Although DNA degrades over time, scientists can extract enough from small, damaged fragments to reveal important information.



The goal was to reconstruct the ants’ family trees and track their population sizes over hundreds to thousands of years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ant-dna-reveals-hidden-insect-decline">Ant DNA reveals hidden insect decline</h2>



The results were troubling. Out of all the ant species that are native to Fiji, 79 percent are shrinking in population. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-quiet-engineers-what-happens-when-common-ant-species-disappear/">ant species</a> have existed on the islands for thousands or even millions of years. 



Yet in the last few centuries - particularly since European contact and the advent of world commerce -their populations have drastically declined.



Meanwhile, ant species that have been <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biotic-homogenization-human-impacts-diminish-biodiversity/">transported by humans</a>, either intentionally or inadvertently, are flourishing. These newcomers are spreading fast and outcompeting the native ants. Many of the worst declines seem to have happened in just the last few hundred years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-islands-face-decline-first">Islands face decline first</h2>



Fiji isn’t just a pretty group of islands - it’s a warning sign. Islands tend to be hit harder and faster when environmental disasters strike. 



They’re small, isolated, and their species often evolve in ways that make them more vulnerable. When something comes along - such as a predator, disease, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shipping-traffic-invasive-species/">invasive species</a> - it will produce an unbalancing effect on everything.



"Being closed, isolated ecosystems, islands are expected to feel the effects of human impact faster, so they are kind of a canary in the coal mine," said Dr. Cong Liu, the study’s lead author.



Getting the data wasn’t easy. Fieldwork on tropical islands is tough, and long-term monitoring isn’t always possible. So instead, the researchers turned to decades' worth of museum specimens - collected by their team and other scientists over many years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-the-ant-invasions">Tracking the ant invasions</h2>



Using a method known as “museumomics,” the scientists sequenced thousands of ants from more than 100 different insect species. This analysis allowed them to identify 65 separate colonization events in Fiji. 



Some species arrived naturally millions of years ago, while others were clearly introduced by humans more recently.



By comparing DNA from these samples, the team could determine which populations were growing and which were shrinking.



Native ants were declining. Invasive ants were on the rise. “Most recorded extinctions have historically been from island systems,” said Dr. Liu.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-global-insect-warning-sign">A global insect warning sign</h2>



This study wasn’t just about ants - or even just about Fiji. It’s about understanding what’s happening to insects worldwide, and using every tool available to figure that out.



“It can be difficult to estimate historical changes to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-populations-dramatically-declining-around-the-world-rising-temperatures/">insect populations</a>, because with few exceptions, we haven’t been directly monitoring populations over time,” said Dr. Evan Economo, a senior author of the study. 



The researchers used museum specimens to analyze multiple species’ genomes in parallel, revealing whether populations were growing or shrinking and enabling community-wide reconstructions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insects-reveal-hidden-biodiversity">Insects reveal hidden biodiversity</h2>



Conservation groups usually focus on big, charismatic animals like pandas, tigers, or elephants. But insects are just as important - and they’re harder to keep track of. 



That’s why this research matters. It shows that museum collections, some more than a century old, can be turned into data gold mines.



“This study also highlights the importance of biodiversity and museum collections,” said Professor Alexander Mikheyev. 



“As our scientific toolbox expands, we can capture more and more information from these collections, so it is essential that we continue investing in and maintaining these vital resources.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insects-aren-t-vanishing-silently">Insects aren’t vanishing silently </h2>



The same research team is also studying insects in Okinawa, Japan. There, they’re using real-time monitoring like sound sensors and traps to learn more about how insect populations change day by day.



“Insects are essential for the environment,” said Economo. “As scientists, we need to play our part in their protection, and provide and analyze the relevant data to ensure the long-term integrity of our ecosystems.”



The crash in insect populations isn’t just a scary headline. It’s a real shift happening across the globe, often out of sight. By turning to ants - and the museums that stored them - the researchers have found one way to see what’s been happening all along.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads3004" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



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Fiji’s ants reveal new clues about global insect collapse

Insects are everywhere - flying, crawling, buzzing, and doing far...

Stellar Jet in Sh2-284

A young and giant star that is forming on the outer edge of our Milky Way just made itself known in spectacular fashion - by beaming a huge jet of gas across 8 light-years of interstellar space. That’s almost twice the distance from our Sun to Alpha Centauri, the next closest star system.



NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JWST</a>) happened to catch the event in action, and what it saw has scientists buzzing.



The eruption, which tears through space at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour, looks like something out of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/may-the-4th-be-with-you-chemistry-of-star-wars-revealed/">Star Wars</a> - a double-bladed lightsaber made of pure plasma. 



But this isn’t science fiction. This is a real, powerful stream of gas being flung out from a forming star that already weighs ten times as much as our Sun.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-massive-jet-from-a-giant-star">Massive jet from a giant star</h2>



This wasn’t something astronomers planned to find. The discovery happened during unrelated observations, and it took even the experts by surprise. 



The outflow - technically called a “jet” - is extremely rare for a star this massive. Most similar jets come from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-tiny-stars-orbit-each-other-in-just-125-minutes-and-emit-unknown-radio-signals/">small stars</a>.



“We didn’t really know there was a massive star with this kind of super-jet out there before the observation. Such a spectacular outflow of molecular hydrogen from a massive star is rare in other regions of our galaxy,” said Yu Cheng of the <a href="https://www.nao.ac.jp/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Astronomical Observatory</a> of Japan.



“I was really surprised at the order, symmetry, and size of the jet when we first looked at it,” said Jonathan Tan of the <a href="https://www.virginia.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Virginia</a> and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-mechanics-behind-a-stellar-eruption">The mechanics behind a stellar eruption</h2>



So what’s actually happening here? When stars form, they pull in huge amounts of gas and dust from their surroundings. 



But not all that material makes it to the surface. Some of it gets shot back out, blasting away along the poles of the spinning star, likely driven by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-holes-capture-magnetic-fields-from-collapsing-stars/">magnetic fields</a>.



These supercharged jets are like the star’s version of a birth cry - an announcement that something big has arrived.



The jets don’t just happen randomly - they carry traces of the star’s entire growth history. As the forming star gathers mass, the surrounding material channels into a disk that rotates rapidly. 



Along the poles of this spinning system, the jet shoots outward in both directions. Over time, the oldest parts of the jet stretch farthest into space, while newer bursts stay closer to the source.



“Originally the material was close into the star, but over 100,000 years the tips were propagating out, and then the stuff behind is a younger outflow,” said Tan.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stellar-nursery-on-the-edge">Stellar nursery on the edge</h2>



This jet isn’t happening anywhere near Earth. It’s coming from a star cluster called Sharpless 2-284, located 15,000 light-years away. 



That’s about twice as far from the center of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/milky-ways-black-hole-unleashes-mysterious-flares/">Milky Way</a> as our Sun is. It’s out on the fringes, in a quiet, less-developed corner of the galaxy.



That part of space has fewer heavy elements - things like carbon, oxygen, and iron - than areas closer to the galactic center, and it’s a big deal because the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-planets-formed-in-the-harsh-early-universe/">early universe</a> was also low in these elements.



“Massive stars, like the one found inside this cluster, have very important influences on the evolution of galaxies," said Cheng. 



"Our discovery is shedding light on the formation mechanism of massive stars in low metallicity environments, so we can use this massive star as a laboratory to study what was going on in earlier cosmic history,” Cheng explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-debate-about-giant-star-jets">Old debate about giant star jets</h2>



For decades, astronomers have argued over how giant stars form. There are two leading <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1402.0919" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">theories</a>. One says they grow in a steady, stable way, through a process called core accretion. 



The other says it’s more chaotic, with gas falling in from different directions in a competition between stars.



Now, new observations from Webb offer strong support for the more stable model.



“Webb’s new images are telling us that the formation of massive stars in such environments could proceed via a relatively stable disk around the star that is expected in theoretical models of star formation known as core accretion,” said Tan.



“However, what we’ve seen here, because we’ve got the whole history – a tapestry of the story – is that the opposite sides of the jets are nearly 180 degrees apart from each other. That tells us that this central disk is held steady and validates a prediction of the core accretion theory,” he added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-waiting-to-see-what-s-next">Waiting to see what's next</h2>



The star behind the jet is still growing. The Webb team used new theoretical models to match what they saw and figure out what kind of star could be launching the jet. 



Everything points to a massive, still-forming star that’s busy pulling in more material and blasting out excess energy.



Other stars in the same area might not be far behind. Data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Chile has already found another dense core nearby - one that could give birth to another massive star soon.



The discovery shows that the outer edges of our galaxy, while often overlooked, may be full of surprises. And thanks to Webb’s sharp eyes, we’re finally seeing them.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/addf4b" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Astrophysical Journal</a>.



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Webb captures a massive cosmic jet from a young star growing in deep space

A young and giant star that is forming on the...

For years, scientists believed they had a decent handle on what was melting the ice in West Antarctica. Warmer oceans and stronger winds blowing in from the west - that was the popular theory.



But now, after running climate simulations using local data, researchers have discovered that we might have been looking the wrong way entirely. It’s not the westerly winds causing the biggest trouble - it’s the northerly winds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ice-loss-means-rising-seas">Ice loss means rising seas</h2>



Antarctica holds most of the planet’s freshwater, frozen in a massive sheet of ice that covers an area bigger than the U.S. and Mexico combined. 



That ice isn’t just sitting still. Some of it flows slowly into the ocean, held back by giant floating extensions called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarcticas-melting-ice-shelves-threaten-global-sea-levels/">ice shelves</a>. If the ice sheet in West Antarctica collapses, sea levels around the world could rise by as much as 20 feet.



Even small changes in how fast that ice melts can have huge consequences for coastal cities, global currents, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-prediction-model-is-a-major-breakthrough-in-weather-forecasting/">weather systems</a>. 



That’s why scientists have spent decades trying to understand what’s causing the West Antarctic ice sheet to shrink. It’s been getting smaller since at least the 1940s. But not all the pieces of the puzzle were adding up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-antarctica-s-hidden-winds">Tracking Antarctica’s hidden winds</h2>



The new study was led by researchers at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a> (UW). They weren’t satisfied with the usual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-models-underestimate-sea-ice-melt-and-global-warming/">climate models</a>, which often rely on global data and struggle with the lack of weather stations in Antarctica. So they decided to build something better.



They pulled in proxy data - long-term records preserved in things like ice cores, tree rings, and coral. These natural sources can give clues about past wind and weather patterns, helping fill in the gaps left by satellite data and on-the-ground observations.



“We thought that we were going to support what the climate models showed, which was that the westerly winds were getting stronger near the coast of Antarctica,” said Gemma O’Connor, lead author and a UW postdoctoral researcher. 



“But there was no evidence of westerly winds strengthening in this part of Antarctica.” That finding was odd. If westerly winds weren’t to blame, what was?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-northerly-winds-drive-the-ice-melt">Northerly winds drive the ice melt</h2>



The team used high-resolution simulations to test 30 different wind scenarios. Each run of the model applied a different wind pattern to see what happened to the ice over a five-year stretch. They repeated the process again and again.



One pattern kept showing up: when winds came from the north, ice loss accelerated. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-westerly-winds-are-changing-and-the-consequences-are-unknown/">Westerly winds</a> didn’t do much.



Northerly winds shifted sea ice, closing small open areas in the ice cover known as polynyas. These are basically patches where heat can escape from the ocean into the atmosphere. When the winds closed them off, the ocean held onto more of its heat.



“Sea ice is a really good insulator, it keeps the ocean relatively warm compared to the air,” said Kyle Armour, a UW professor. “When northerly winds close the polynyas, it reduces ocean heat loss, which means warmer waters and more melting of ice shelves below the surface.”



This hidden heating creates a chain reaction. As the warmer water melts the ice shelves from below, freshwater enters the salty sea. That mix causes a difference in density, which pulls even more warm ocean water into the region - speeding up the melt further.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-climate-connection-we-didn-t-expect">A climate connection we didn’t expect</h2>



The big question is: what’s making those northerly winds stronger? Early signs point to climate change. 



Emissions of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenhouse-gas-emissions-reach-another-all-time-high/">greenhouse gases</a> are likely decreasing air pressure over the Amundsen Sea, a region that shapes many of Antarctica’s weather patterns. Lower pressure strengthens the northerly winds - the same ones that are making the melt worse.



“This mechanism provides a connection between West Antarctic ice loss and human-induced climate change, albeit a different mechanism than we previously suspected,” O’Connor said.



This isn’t just a scientific curiosity. It’s a real link between our actions and the future of the world’s ice. If our emissions are playing a role in these winds, then reducing those emissions could slow the melting.



“We know the Earth is warming up on average, but that alone doesn’t explain ice loss in Antarctica,” said Eric Steig, professor of Earth and space sciences at UW. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-northerly-winds-change-the-story">Northerly winds change the story</h2>



For decades, the focus has been on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-westerly-winds-are-changing-and-the-consequences-are-unknown/">westerly winds</a> - the ones that blow from west to east across the Southern Hemisphere. 



Scientists thought they were pushing warm ocean water toward Antarctica and driving the ice to melt faster. But they missed something important.



“I think what Gemma has done is going to lead to a complete revolution in the understanding of what drives Antarctic ice loss,” Armour said. “We had all sorts of theories about the winds that blow from west to east, but the northerly winds weren’t even on our radar. We were off by 90 degrees.”



The lesson here is clear. Climate science is constantly evolving, and even long-standing ideas can be turned on their head. In this case, or rather, on their side.



Understanding which way the wind is blowing - literally - might be one of the keys to protecting the future of Earth’s ice.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01757-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Geoscience</a>.



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Antarctic ice melt traced to an overlooked source

For years, scientists believed they had a decent handle on...

Some cats in central Finland show a rare coat that fades from dark at the base of each hair to white at the tip. Locals noticed it in 2007, and the look later picked up the nickname salmiak, a nod to a salty licorice candy popular there.



Scientists set out to learn whether this look was just a quirky fluke or a trait tied to a specific change in DNA. They ended up finding a clear genetic sign and a story that connects pet cats to basic biology.



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



In 2024, a peer reviewed study traced the salmiak pattern to a missing stretch of DNA about 95,000 bases long located roughly 65,000 bases beyond the <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/kit/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KIT</a> gene. 



The work was led by <a href="https://www.wisdompanel.com/en-us/blog/contributor/heidi-anderson-phd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Heidi Anderson</a> of <a href="https://www.wisdompanel.com/en-us" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wisdom Panel</a> in collaboration with researchers at the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Helsinki</a>.



The pattern does not behave like the common tuxedo or white spotting most people know. Each hair in colored areas starts pigmented at the base and becomes unpigmented at the tip, and the tail often ends in near white.



It shows up on several background colors, including black, blue, brown tabby, and tortoiseshell. The look is present at birth and stays consistent as the cat grows.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-the-gene-clue-points">Where the gene clue points</h2>



KIT helps guide the development and survival of pigment cells called melanocytes, which supply melanin to hair and skin. Changes that alter KIT activity can change where melanocytes end up or how well they function.



In many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-are-some-cats-orange-scientists-have-finally-found-the-answer/">cats</a>, white or spotted coats are linked to insertions from a feline endogenous retrovirus (<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4199695/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FERV1</a>) that sits inside KIT and disrupts normal pigment distribution. 



Those insertions help explain both dominant white coats and the classic white spotting pattern.



The white paws seen in <a href="https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/gloves-birman" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Birman</a> cats come from a different change in the KIT gene that breeders can identify with a genetic test. 



Salmiak cats do not have any of those known changes, which is why the pattern remained a mystery to researchers for so long.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-salmiak-cats-and-genetics">Salmiak cats and genetics</h2>



The team first genotyped salmiak cats for all known coat variants and saw nothing that explained the unusual white tipping. 



They then sequenced the whole genomes of two salmiak cats and spotted the 95 kb deletion downstream of KIT described above.



To check the match, they genotyped 183 Finnish domestic cats.



The team found the deletion was present in all five salmiak cats as two copies, present as a single copy in three non-salmiak cats, and absent in the other 175. 



That tight match points to a strong association between the deletion and the salmiak look.



The variant follows <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/genetics-dictionary/def/autosomal-recessive-inheritance" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">autosomal recessive inheritance</a>, so a kitten must receive the salmiak allele from both parents to show the coat. Cats with just one copy are carriers and usually look normal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-inheritance-means-for-owners">What inheritance means for owners</h2>



A recessive trait can persist quietly in a population because carriers are hard to spot. That makes the salmiak allele rare, and the study did not find it outside the Finnish domestic cat sample tested.



White spotting in other settings can be linked to hearing issues, especially when large areas lack pigment in the inner ear. 



A comprehensive review notes that pigment related deafness is most common in animals with solid white coats and blue eyes, and it is confirmed with a <a href="https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/tests/baer-brainstem-auditory-evoked-response" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BAER</a> test that measures brain responses to sound.



The salmiak <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-prefer-sleeping-on-their-left-side-for-faster-threat-response/">cats</a> in the study did not show signs of deafness, but the authors recommended BAER testing to be sure. That is a sensible step any time a new white pattern is involved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-salmiak-cats-vs-other-patterns">Salmiak cats vs. other patterns</h2>



Two cats from Romania and the United Kingdom showed a similar coat pattern known as karpati, but genetic testing confirmed it was not linked to the salmiak gene. 



The karpati look has since been used to create the Transylvanian breed, though the exact genetic cause of the pattern is still unknown.



Salmiak and karpati both look similar to roan coloring seen in other animals, where white and colored hairs are mixed together. 



In farm animals like goats, changes near the KIT gene are also known to influence these kinds of patterns, with one <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1008536" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> linking them to solid white coats in one breed and white spotting in another.



That cross species echo matters because it points to a regulatory neighborhood near KIT that controls when and where pigment forms. Salmiak adds a feline example to that shared genetic map.



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



Patterns like salmiak help biologists see how small changes in noncoding DNA can shift gene expression without altering the protein itself. 



Here, the deletion sits outside the coding part of KIT, yet the effect on hair pigmentation is obvious in the mirror.



They also help vets and breeders make informed choices. As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cat-declawing-causes-permanent-nerve-damage/">cats</a> with salmiak are noticed and documented, testing can confirm carriers and avoid accidental loss of a rare variant.



“The discovery of the salmiak variant enriches our understanding of feline coat color genetics. This knowledge could also be valuable for breeding efforts, potentially contributing to the preservation of this trait in our feline companions in existing cat breeds,” Dr. Anderson concluded. 



The study is published in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/age.13438" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Animal Genetics</a>.



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Genetic mutation in cats has given rise to a new coat color similar to salted licorice

Some cats in central Finland show a rare coat that...

Portrait,Of,A,Wild,Octopus,Under,Water.

The octopus is a creature that continues to surprise scientists and inspire engineers. With eight arms that move in ways no human limb can, it demonstrates flexibility and control that seem almost otherworldly. 



Each arm bends, twists, elongates, and shortens with unmatched precision, enabling these animals to hunt, hide, and explore with ease. 



Researchers hope that unlocking the secrets of these movements may guide the design of flexible robotic arms capable of lifesaving missions.



Imagine a robotic arm slipping through rubble after a building collapse, delivering food or medicine to someone trapped below. 



This vision has motivated scientists to study octopus arms in detail - both in the laboratory and in their natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-dumbo-octopus-species-carnarvon-flapjack-discovered-in-very-deep-ocean-waters/">environment</a>.



Until recently, most studies were limited to tanks, where behaviors may not reflect the complexity of life in the wild. That gap is now being addressed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-octopus-intelligence">Understanding octopus intelligence</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/octopuses-could-dominate-earth-if-humans-vanish/">Octopuses</a> are some of the most intelligent invertebrates on Earth. Unlike most animals without backbones, they can solve puzzles, open jars, and even escape from aquariums by remembering routes back to the ocean. 



Their brains are incredibly complex, with about 500 million neurons - similar to a dog. What makes them even more fascinating is that two-thirds of those neurons are in their arms. 



This means each arm can sense, move, and even make decisions on its own while still communicating with the central brain. It’s like having eight mini-brains working together with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/octopuses-are-tricked-by-the-rubber-hand-illusion-like-humans-suggesting-self-awareness/">one big brain</a>.



Their intelligence also shows up in how they hunt and survive. Octopuses use tools, like carrying coconut shells to hide inside when threatened, and they can change color and texture in an instant to camouflage perfectly against rocks or coral. 



They’ve been observed watching other animals and learning from them, which is rare in the animal kingdom.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flexible-octopus-arms-inspire-robotics">Flexible octopus arms inspire robotics</h2>



A new study from the <a href="https://www.mbl.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marine Biological Laboratory</a> in Woods Hole and Florida Atlantic University has provided the most comprehensive analysis of octopus arm movements in natural habitats. 



Researchers recorded 25 wild octopuses in six locations, ranging from the Caribbean to Spain. The footage captured thousands of arm movements across a variety of behaviors, including foraging, locomotion, and even defense.



“I’ve been trying for a long time to work out the natural behavior of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sea-octopus-footage-could-revolutionize-flexible-robot-design-eyeris/">cephalopods</a> in their natural habitat,” said MBL Senior Scientist Roger Hanlon, who led the project. 



“Studying and recording octopus behavior from wild octopuses in the field gave us the opportunity to analyze a larger behavioral repertoire and further understand how they use their arms to achieve such complex behaviors,” added Chelsea Bennice, research fellow at <a href="https://www.fau.eu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FAU</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-guided-by-touch-not-sight">Guided by touch, not sight</h2>



Octopuses rely heavily on touch, guided by sensory organs in their arm suckers. “The octopus is a very tactile animal - it’s more tactile than visual,” said Hanlon. 



Each of their nearly 100 suckers per arm contains chemosensory-tactile receptors, combining functions similar to the human nose, lips, and tongue.



Finding octopuses to observe was not simple. Their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-squid-power-their-amazing-camouflage-abilities/">camouflage</a> skills make them almost invisible in coral reefs or sandy seabeds. Divers often relied on clues like discarded shells and food debris near their dens.



Once located, octopuses emerged briefly from hiding, offering precious opportunities to record their natural actions.



These moments revealed unique hunting strategies, arm movements, and subtle interactions with their environment otherwise impossible to witness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complex-arm-mechanics-of-octopuses">Complex arm mechanics of octopuses</h2>



The researchers identified 12 distinct arm actions across 15 behaviors, built from four fundamental deformations: shortening, elongating, bending, and torsion. They discovered a pattern of specialization within each arm. 



For instance, elongation and shortening were most common near the base, while bending occurred more at the tips. 



This functional partitioning allows octopuses to combine motions across arms for tasks like crawling, probing reef crevices, or launching sudden prey attacks.



“These are the actions that make up the whole complex of octopus <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/octopuses-and-squids-defy-the-slow-pace-of-evolution/">behaviors</a>,” said study co-author Kendra Buresch. 



In the wild, researchers observed octopuses using different combinations of arm actions - sometimes relying on a single arm for tasks like grabbing food, and other times coordinating multiple arms for behaviors such as crawling or launching a parachute attack.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-behavior-that-guides-technology">Behavior that guides technology</h2>



The findings go beyond understanding animal behavior. With nearly 7,000 observed arm deformations, the study highlights an extraordinary degree of control and flexibility. 



This knowledge may inform robotics research, where engineers seek to design soft, adaptable arms capable of both precise and exploratory tasks.



“Understanding these natural behaviors not only deepens our knowledge of octopus biology but also opens exciting new avenues in fields like neuroscience, animal behavior, and even soft robotics inspired by these remarkable creatures,” Bennice said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-in-flexibility-and-change">Lessons in flexibility and change</h2>



From the ocean floor to robotics labs, octopuses continue to inspire, offering lessons in both biology and technology. 



Their flexible arms not only influence the design of machines that could navigate disaster zones or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-deep-sea-crustacean-species-discovered-in-the-bahamas/">deep-sea environments</a>, but also remind us how problem-solving in nature often leads to solutions with real-world applications.



Beyond robotics, their adaptability symbolizes the broader principle that survival depends on innovation and change, a message equally relevant to ecosystems, human health, and future technologies.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-10674-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



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Octopus arms are probably the most complex and flexible structures in nature

The octopus is a creature that continues to surprise scientists...

In 2019, a Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) dive turned up something no one recognized: a small, bubblegum–pink snailfish cruising just above the seafloor more than two miles down.



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.geneseo.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">State University of New York at Geneseo</a> has confirmed that the mystery fish is a new species to science and has given it a name as memorable as its look: the bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi).



<a href="https://www.mbari.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MBARI</a> Senior Scientist Steven Haddock, who led the expedition that filmed and collected the fish, sees this as exactly why sharing deep-sea data matters.



“We welcomed the opportunity to expand our understanding of life in the deep ocean, especially since documenting deep-sea <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-ocean-day-a-unified-approach-to-protect-biodiversity/">biodiversity</a> is critical to detecting any changes that may be occurring in this environment,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adapted-to-the-deep-sea">Adapted to the deep sea</h2>



Snailfishes (family Liparidae) are shape-shifters of the oceans, with more than 400 known species living everywhere from tidepools to trenches.



Many carry a suction disk on their bellies - handy for clinging to rocks, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-seaweed-day-2025-saving-the-oceans-sustainable-powerhouse/">seaweed</a>, or even hitching rides on larger animals. At depth, their bodies tend toward jelly-soft and loosely skinned, an anatomy built for cold, crushing pressure and perpetual night. A snailfish, in fact, holds the record for the deepest-dwelling fish ever seen.



Those extremes are what fascinate SUNY Geneseo biologist Mackenzie Gerringer, who studies how deep-sea fishes make a living under conditions that would crush almost anything else.



“The deep sea is home to an incredible diversity of organisms and a truly beautiful array of adaptations,” she said. “Our discovery of not one, but three, new species of snailfishes is a reminder of how much we have yet to learn about life on Earth and of the power of curiosity and exploration.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-dive-three-new-snailfish-species">One dive, three new snailfish species</h2>



Haddock and colleagues spotted the bumpy snailfish during a cruise aboard MBARI’s retired research vessel Western Flyer. They used the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts to explore the outer reaches of Monterey Canyon about 62 miles off central California.



At 10,722 feet, a small pink fish swept past the cameras. The team collected the adult female - 3.6 inches long - for careful study back on shore.



That specimen joined two other puzzling finds from 2019. Researchers collected a pair of unusual snailfishes using the submersible Alvin. The dive took place near Station M, MBARI’s long-running abyssal study site around 13,100 feet down.



Together, the trio became the centerpiece of a taxonomic investigation by scientists from SUNY Geneseo, the <a href="https://www.umt.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Montana</a>, and the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa</a>.



The result is a three-for-one. Alongside Careproctus colliculi, the team formally describes the dark snailfish (Careproctus yanceyi) and the sleek snailfish (Paraliparis em). Each carries a distinct set of traits.



The bumpy snailfish is unmistakably pink, with a rounded head and prominent eyes. It also has broad <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bizarre-fish-can-walk-and-thrive-on-land/">pectoral fins</a> with elongated upper rays and textured skin that inspired its common name.



The dark snailfish is, as advertised, jet black, with a rounded head and horizontal mouth. The sleek snailfish lacks a suction disk. Its body tapers into a long, laterally compressed, black form capped by a sharply angled jaw.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-naming-life-from-the-deep">Naming life from the deep</h2>



Proving a species is new takes more than a striking color. The team combined high-resolution imaging and genetics to make its case. They used microscopy and micro-CT (micro–computed tomography) scans to map bones and soft tissues, and DNA sequencing to place each fish on the Liparidae family tree.



Subtle measurements - fin ray counts, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-jaws-twist-to-feed-more-effectively-on-coral-reefs/">jaw</a> angles, body proportions - stacked up with genetic differences to separate the newcomers from lookalikes.



In a nod to place, the species name Paraliparis em honors Station M and the community of programs and people behind it. Their 30-year record has reshaped how scientists understand abyssal ecosystems and their links to climate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-a-deep-sea-snailfish-mystery">Tracking a deep-sea snailfish mystery</h2>



So far, Haddock’s 2019 encounter remains the only confirmed sighting of the bumpy snailfish, leaving its true range a mystery. But MBARI’s vast video archive may hold more clues.



A 2009 dive off Oregon shows a pink snailfish that could be C. colliculi - a clip previously logged as the related bigtail snailfish (Osteodiscus cascadiae). Re-examining older footage with fresh eyes is a quiet superpower of long-term ocean observatories.



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



New species descriptions can sound esoteric, but they are the scaffolding of conservation and climate science. 



Without a name and a diagnostic description, a species effectively doesn’t exist on paper. This absence makes it difficult to track shifts in distribution or declines in abundance. It also hinders recognition of changes in life history as deep-sea environments warm and acidify.



They also spotlight the tools that make discovery possible. ROVs like Doc Ricketts, deep-diving submersibles like Alvin, and time-series sites like Station M give researchers the repeated, close-up looks that the deep sea has long resisted.



The bumpy snailfish exists in the literature because a camera happened to be rolling in the right place at the right time. A specimen was also collected gently enough to survive the trip to the lab.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-partnership-fuels-ocean-science">Partnership fuels ocean science</h2>



MBARI’s approach - openly sharing dives, specimens, and know-how - helped turn a curious pink <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-are-quietly-battling-climate-change-on-the-seabed/">fish</a> into a formal snailfish species. 



That pipeline, from video archive to taxonomic paper, is becoming more important as interest grows in activities like deep-sea mining. Knowing who lives on the abyssal plain is the first step toward protecting it.



This encounter is the only confirmed observation of the bumpy snailfish. It’s a reminder that even in well-studied waters, one pass of an ROV can change what we think we know. 



With every dive and every partnership, the map of deep-sea life gains another dot - and another story worth telling.



<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/hwsl-ebVVoU?si=Ns9onwl4yAMksJzv
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">MBARI's advanced underwater robot reveals a new species of deep-sea snailfish</figcaption></figure>



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://asih.kglmeridian.com/view/journals/cope/113/3/article-p487.xml" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ichthyology &amp; Herpetology</a>.



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Three new species of snailfish discovered in the deep Pacific Ocean

In 2019, a Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) dive...

Walking does not require a membership or fancy equipment, and the returns on the time and effort invested in walking are immediately reflected in better heart health. 



A steady, daily walk at a purposeful pace can trim real health risks without turning your life upside down.



A meta-analysis of 160,519 adults showed that those who walked at the fastest pace had a 46 percent lower risk of coronary artery disease events than those who walked the slowest. 



The study was led by<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Zcvtm5wAAAAJ&amp;hl=id" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Yusuf Aji S. Nurrobi</a> of the Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine at <a href="https://rspb.ihc.id/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pertamina Hospital</a> in Balikpapan, Indonesia.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-walking-heart-health-and-longevity">Walking, heart health, and longevity</h2>



Genetics did not cancel out the effect of walking pace. In a large study, researchers found that people who moved at a slower pace and also carried a high polygenic risk score faced the greatest likelihood of developing coronary disease. 



The combination of sluggish gait and unfavorable genetic profile produced the highest risk levels, showing that these two factors reinforce each other rather than replace one another. 



At the same time, the results confirmed that both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/walking-each-day-at-any-speed-lowers-the-risk-of-cancer/">walking pace</a> and genetic predisposition made independent contributions to risk prediction, which improves when walking pace is counted. 



This research highlights that lifestyle choices and inherited traits each matter when it comes to heart health.



A UK Biobank <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/publications/walking-pace-improves-all-cause-and-cardiovascular-mortality-risk-prediction-a-uk-biobank-prognostic-study/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> reported that walking pace improves heart and other early mortality risk predictions beyond common measures, which helps clinicians sort risk better.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-much-is-enough-for-real-life">How much is enough for real life</h2>



“Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week, such as 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week,” stated the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CDC</a> guidelines. A 20 to 30 minute brisk walk most days gets you there without scheduling gymnastics.



Moderate intensity means your breathing and heart rate are clearly up, but you can sustain the effort. Short on time, you can split walking into two 10 to 15 minute bouts and still check the box.



Daily routines are easier to keep than heroic goals. Pick a start time you can guard, like after lunch or before dinner, and make that slot non negotiable.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-walking-pace-and-heart-health">Walking pace and heart health</h2>



A systematic review of randomized trials in healthy adults found that exercise training increases heart rate variability, a marker of flexible autonomic control that is linked with better cardiac outcomes. 



Brisk <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/to-get-fit-and-stay-healthy-walk-this-exact-distance-every-day/">walking</a> is an aerobic stimulus that can nudge the heart and cardiovascular system in the right direction when practiced regularly.



A 2022 review found that physical activity serves as an effective strategy for lowering cortisol levels. Reduced cortisol is associated with steadier mood, improved sleep, and less strain on the body systems that manage stress.



Pace also shapes how your blood vessels behave and helps your muscles pull more sugar and fat out of the bloodstream. 



Over weeks, those changes support healthier <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/standing-still-exercises-beat-running-for-blood-pressure-control/">blood pressure</a> and cholesterol profiles, which is one reason walking shows up in prevention and recovery plans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-risk-drop-is-plausible">Why the risk drop is plausible</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dog-walking-improves-mobility-and-prevents-falls-in-older-adults/">Walking</a> taps large muscle groups in a rhythmic way, so circulation becomes more efficient with practice. That consistency trains the vessels to relax more easily and the heart to do the same job with less strain.



Energy use rises during and after the walk. Over time, that improves insulin sensitivity, and better insulin signaling supports stable blood sugar and less inflammatory activity tied to artery damage.



The nervous system matters too. When heart rate variability improves, it signals a stronger parasympathetic brake and a calmer response to daily stress, which lowers strain on the heart.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-pace-without-gadgets">How to pace without gadgets</h2>



Use landmarks and a clock. If you are covering about a mile in 15 to 20 minutes and can hold that pace for your whole walk, you are in a useful zone.



Keep your stride relaxed and your arms moving naturally. If you notice your pace slipping near the end, shorten the stride a bit and stay smooth rather than pushing into a sprint.



Hills, stairs, and wind will change effort. Adjust your pace to keep effort steady across terrain, and let the tougher parts build fitness without forcing breathless bursts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-the-habit-when-life-is-messy">Keeping the habit when life is messy</h2>



Anchor the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/walk-20-minutes-daily-to-boost-your-brain-power/">walk</a> to a daily cue, like finishing a morning coffee or closing your laptop at a set time. Habits tied to a cue survive busy days because you do not have to renegotiate them.



Have a bad weather plan. Indoor corridors, covered malls, or a safe loop near home keep the chain unbroken when the sky does not cooperate.



If you have chest pain, unexplained shortness of breath, or dizziness during exertion, talk with a clinician before pushing pace. The goal is steady practice, not heroics.



Pace and regularity are the levers you control. A brisk 20 to 30 minute walk most days can shift your odds in a meaningful way.



“Promoting a faster <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/squats-vs-walking-the-definitive-winner-for-reducing-blood-sugar/">walking</a> pace as a daily activity may effectively mitigate the burden of CAD,” wrote Nurrobi. The signal appears consistently across different groups and remains strong even after accounting for genetic risk.



The study is published in <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11043612/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cureus</a>.



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Cardiologist explains the easiest way to take care of your heart and live longer

Walking does not require a membership or fancy equipment, and...

In Florida, Burmese pythons swallow large animals whole, including deer and alligators. Scientists have now made a breakthrough discovery in their understanding of exactly how specialized cells in the guts of pythons are able to digest bones down to nothing.



The answer is a previously unknown intestinal cell that gathers calcium and phosphorus and helps push the excess out safely. That finding clarifies why bones never appear in python feces after a big meal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-python-gut-cells">Studying python gut cells</h2>



The work comes from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jehan-Herve-Lignot" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jehan-Hervé Lignot</a> of the <a href="https://www.umontpellier.fr/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Montpellier</a>, with collaborators in France and the United States. 



The study on captive juvenile Burmese pythons compared meals with and without bones to track how the intestine responded.



The team used light and electron microscopy along the gut and measured blood levels of calcium and key hormones. 



When bones or calcium were present, a specialized cell produced particles rich in calcium, phosphorus, and iron.



These particles formed inside a small pocket within the intestinal lining. In fasting snakes or those fed boneless prey, the pockets stayed mostly empty.



The authors also identified the same type of cell in other snake species that feed on vertebrates. 



This finding points to a broader digestive strategy among reptiles that consume their prey whole, suggesting it may be more widespread in nature than previously recognized.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bones-disappear-without-a-trace">Bones disappear without a trace</h2>



The intestine completely dissolved bone so no fragments passed out in feces. The specialized cell then packaged extra minerals and moved them toward excretion.



In the experiments, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-snake-day-2025-protecting-natures-silent-guardians/">snakes</a> fed boneless prey did not produce the mineral particles. That pattern links the cell’s activity directly to dietary calcium and phosphorus.



“We wanted to identify how they were able to process and limit this huge absorption of calcium through the intestinal wall,” said Lignot summarizing the goal of the project.&nbsp;



He also noted that the discovery raises questions about other animals. Marine predators that consume bony fish or aquatic mammals are likely to encounter the same challenge, according to Lignot.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cells-in-python-intestines">Cells in python intestines</h2>



The new cell sits among enterocytes, the cells that normally absorb nutrients. Unlike typical enterocytes, it is slender with short microvilli and holds a central mineral core inside the crypt.



When calcium supplements were added to boneless prey, large particles filled the intestinal pockets. In snakes on low calcium diets, hormone levels also shifted as the body tried to adjust.



Those signals fit the body’s checks and balances for calcium handling. They also help explain how snakes avoid calcium overload after bone heavy meals.



The study outlines a clean path for excess mineral waste that keeps blood chemistry stable. That is essential for nerve and muscle function after a large meal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-mouths-bigger-meals">Big mouths, bigger meals</h2>



A 2024 <a href="https://journals.ku.edu/reptilesandamphibians/article/view/21867" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paper</a> measured maximal gape at 26 centimeters, about 10.2 inches, in huge pythons captured in Florida. It also documented a 35 kilogram white tailed deer that was 93 percent of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/34-million-year-old-snake-fossil-hibernophis-breithaupti-changes-our-understanding-of-evolution/">snake</a>’s maximal gape area.



In the field, biologists filmed a 14.8 foot, 115 pound female python consuming a 77 pound deer in the Everglades. That single observation helps anchor the upper limits of what a python can swallow.



Florida’s wildlife agency notes that Burmese pythons are an invasive predator and can consume meals equal to 100 percent of their body mass. Adults in the state often reach 6 to 9 feet, and some exceed 18 feet.



These numbers frame the demand that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-long-necked-dinosaurs-struggled-with-fatal-bone-disease/">bone</a> heavy meals place on the gut. Without a mineral handling system, the animals would risk dangerous spikes in blood calcium.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invasive-pythons-in-florida">Invasive pythons in Florida</h2>



Burmese pythons are firmly established across the Florida Everglades and in the wetlands and marshes that surround the area. 



They feed on wild mammals, many kinds of birds, and different reptiles, including some species that are legally protected.



Removal programs continue to expand. In 2025, the <a href="https://conservancy.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Conservancy of Southwest Florida</a> reported a significant <a href="https://conservancy.org/conservancy-surpasses-20-ton-milestone-in-burmese-python-removal-sets-new-record-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">milestone</a> of more than 20 tons of captured snakes since 2013.



Biology drives policy. Knowing that these snakes can absorb skeletons and return excess calcium safely explains why large prey remains off the landscape after a predation event.



It also clarifies why control teams often find little trace of what was eaten. Bones do not linger to flag a kill site.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-scientists-want-to-learn-next">What scientists want to learn next</h2>



Researchers are asking how widespread the cell is across reptiles and birds that eat bone rich diets. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/34-inch-creature-with-mustache-found-in-brazil-new-snake-species-leptophis/">Species</a> such as bearded vultures would be informative tests.



They also want to trace how the particles exit the body and whether any end up in feces as stable crystals. Answers could guide new ways to detect heavy predation.



Another open question sits at the gene level. The team is exploring what turns the crypt cell on and off when calcium levels change.



Comparative work may map how the cell evolved in different lineages. That could show whether the trait arose once or many times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-findings-were-tested">How the findings were tested</h2>



The team fed whole rodents, boneless rodents, and boneless rodents injected with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-bacillus-megaterium-turns-co2-gas-into-calcium-carbonate-limestone/">calcium carbonate</a>. They mapped where particles formed along the small intestine and how fast they appeared.



Blood samples tracked calcium alongside hormones that regulate bone and mineral balance. The results fit the pattern of a system tuned to intercept and neutralize mineral surges from skeletal meals.



The work used juvenile snakes raised in controlled conditions. That choice removed confounding factors like prior diet and variable health.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gut-cells-and-invasive-pythons">Gut cells and invasive pythons</h2>



Similar cells may exist in animals that consume bony fish or whole vertebrates. Pinpointing them could change how we read fecal mineral signatures in the wild.



If birds that rely on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oldest-bone-tools-suggest-early-humans-were-smarter-than-we-thought/">bone</a> heavy diets show the same mechanism, ecologists could gain a noninvasive marker of diet. It may also inform how captive animals should be fed to avoid calcium stress.



The cell could even shape how toxins bound to bone are handled after a meal. That is a practical question for wildlife managers working in polluted wetlands.



The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/228/14/jeb249620/368391/Diet-dependent-production-of-calcium-and" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.



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Unknown cell type explains the 'supernatural' digestive power of invasive pythons

In Florida, Burmese pythons swallow large animals whole, including deer...

A new national map spotlights the locations where PFAS toxic chemicals, which have been tied to cancer, have turned up in the water sources that feed public taps. 



The chemicals sit under a big umbrella called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (<a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PFAS</a>), and scientists have not given them a clean bill of health.



One key correction matters here. Only some PFAS earn the Group 1 carcinogen label, which means they are carcinogenic to humans. 



The current consensus puts perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in that box, while perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is classified as possibly carcinogenic, and not proven in people,.



This is according to a summary by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (<a href="https://www.iarc.who.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IARC</a>) and a companion article in <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12183505/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lancet Oncology</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-map-tracks-pfas-in-drinking-water">Map tracks PFAS in drinking water</h2>



Graham F. Peaslee of the <a href="https://www.nd.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Notre Dame</a> has tracked PFAS in real world settings for years. 



“For a lifetime of exposure at these concentrations in our drinking water, the risk of disease was unacceptably high,” Peaslee explains.



A new Waterkeeper Alliance <a href="https://waterkeeper.org/news/new-analysis-finds-pfas-in-98-of-tested-u-s-waterways-across-19-states/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> collected PFAS samples upstream and downstream of suspected sources in 19 states. 



It detected one or more PFAS in 98 percent of waterways tested, and it documented hotspots where levels of PFOA or PFOS exceeded federal limits.



Several cases stand out in the public data set. A Michigan waterway showed PFOA at 44 parts per trillion, and a South Carolina site measured PFOS at 30 parts per trillion. 



One North Carolina river reach posted PFOS at 23 parts per trillion with PFOA at 10 parts per trillion.



Sampling focused on places most likely to funnel <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pfas-forever-chemicals-in-tap-water-linked-to-33-percent-increase-in-cancer-rates/">PFAS</a> into rivers and creeks. That means reaches near a wastewater treatment plant and downstream fields where biosolids are applied as soil amendments. 



In these areas, PFAS can ride along in treated effluent and in sludge spread on land.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limits-on-pfas-levels-in-water">Limits on PFAS levels in water</h2>



In April 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/26/2024-07773/pfas-national-primary-drinking-water-regulation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EPA</a>) finalized a national drinking water rule that sets legally enforceable maximum contaminant level limits for several PFAS. 



For PFOA and PFOS, the limit is 4 parts per trillion, and utilities originally had until 2029 to comply.



Those are tiny numbers, but they matter in risk terms. If a surface water source feeding a public system sits above those limits for PFOA or PFOS, the utility must monitor and, if needed, add treatment so that finished water meets the standard.



On May 14, 2025, the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-it-will-keep-maximum-contaminant-levels-pfoa-pfos" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EPA</a> announced it would retain the PFOA and PFOS limits and give systems more time to meet them. 



At the same time, it would reconsidering standards for several other PFAS. The agency’s announcement also signaled an intent to extend compliance for PFOA and PFOS to 2031.



That decision drew strong reactions because it leaves many communities managing mixtures with less federal guardrail for the shorter chain compounds. 



It also means states and cities may need to decide how far to go on their own, and which technologies to buy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exposure-adds-up">Exposure adds up</h2>



PFAS do not readily degrade in the environment, and they can move from household goods to landfills to wastewater plants, then back into surface water used for drinking supplies. 



Even when concentrations are low, steady intake can increase body burdens over time.



“Ideally, we need to strengthen drinking water monitoring and treatment to reduce PFAS exposure through this route,” said Jennifer L. Freeman, a professor of toxicology at <a href="https://www.purdue.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Purdue University</a>. 



She added that the standards set in 2024 were a step in the right direction and should not be weakened.



A part per trillion is a measurement used for trace pollutants. It helps regulators set enforceable lines, at very low doses, for those contaminants that have health concerns. It also pushes laboratories and utilities to rely on highly sensitive methods to see what is present.



EPA Method 1633, which Waterkeeper’s lab used, reflects that push toward sensitive and standardized testing. It aims to give comparable results across states so a reading in one watershed means the same thing in another.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-local-water-utilities">Local water utilities</h2>



If your city relies on a river, reservoir, or well field flagged by the map, your water utility will be testing on a set schedule and reporting results to the public. 



You will see whether finished tap water meets federal limits, and what steps the utility is taking if it does not.



Treatment options exist, but they vary in cost and fit. Granular activated carbon, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis all remove <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-that-eat-forever-chemicals-discovered-in-contaminated-soil/">PFAS</a> to differing degrees. 



Utilities will need to match the options to source water chemistry, budget, and system scale.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pfas-water-and-local-governments">PFAS, water, and local governments</h2>



Treating one pollutant at a time can miss a major opportunity to reduce overall cancer risk. A peer reviewed <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40541903/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> estimates that tackling multiple co-occurring contaminants together could prevent more than 50,000 lifetime cancer cases in the United States.



The logic is simple. Many water systems face several pollutants at once, and integrated treatment can reduce exposures more efficiently than piecemeal fixes.



Expect more state level rules and funding as federal timelines stretch and communities press for action. 



Some states have already set their own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-dietary-fiber-supplement-could-remove-pfas-forever-chemicals-from-the-body/">PFAS</a> limits or passed laws to curb the use of PFAS in consumer products, which reduces what ends up in wastewater and land.



Public water systems will continue the cycle of monitoring, reporting, and upgrading as needed. The best outcome is steady, measurable drops in PFAS at the tap, along with clear communication about progress.



The study is published in <a href="https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6968b3fd79054a48b164f62c1e21a124" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Environmental Research</a>.



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Map marks cities in the US where PFAS toxins were detected in drinking water

A new national map spotlights the locations where PFAS toxic...

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The "All-American" is the best among home pressure canners. With proper care it will last a lifetime. Made in the USA since 1930. Read more Overview Only All-American Pressure Cookers/Canner feature an exclusive, precision machined "metal-to-metal" sealing system. Positive action clamping locks align the cover to the base, forming a steam-tight seal. At the same time, this metal-to-metal seal automatically permits venting under unusual pressure conditions, providing an extra margin of safety over conventional rubber or composition gasket cookers. The All-American Pressure Cooker/Canner is, first and foremost, a canner. It is large and heavy-cast for processing larger quantities of food per load. The USDA recommends pressure canning as the only safe way to can meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. "Pressure cookers" are not recommended for canning because a fully loaded canner takes a longer time for heating and cooling. This time is taken into account when determining processing times in standard canning timetables. Features & Benefits: Crafted of the finest hand cast aluminum Stay-cool bakelite top handle Geared steam gauge Pressure regulator weight with settings of 5, 10 and 15 psi Smooth, easy to clean satin finish Exclusive metal-to-metal seal - no gaskets to crack, burn, replace or clean Double thickness edges for additional protection on points of heaviest wear Automatic overpressure release Includes canning rack, instructions & recipe book Available in 6 sizes Made in the USA since 1930 Specifications for Model 910: Capacity - 10.5 Quarts (Liquid), 4 Quart Jars, 7 Pint Jars* Inside diameter - 10 1/4 inches Inside Height - 7 3/4 inches Overall Height - 12 inches Weight - 11.5 pounds Includes 1 rack *Jar capacities based on standard Mason jar sizes All-American Pressure Cooker/Canners are intended for home use applications. Models 910, 915, 921 and 925 are suitable for use on newer glass/flat top ranges. We recommend verifying weight restrictions with your stove manufacturer. Larger models 930 and 941 are heavy and not suitable for glass top ranges. "We bought an All-American Pressure Canner (Model 921) over 30 years ago, and have used it exclusively for all our canning. It is still as good as new." Greg Seaman, Founder, Eartheasy.com

All-American Pressure Canner/Cooker - 10.5 quart

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The "All-American" is the best among home food production pressure canners. With proper care it will last a lifetime. Made in the USA since 1930. Read more Overview Only All-American Pressure Cookers/Canner feature an exclusive, precision machined "metal-to-metal" sealing system. Positive action clamping locks align the cover to the base, forming a steam-tight seal. At the same time, this metal-to-metal seal automatically permits venting under unusual pressure conditions, providing an extra margin of safety over conventional rubber or composition gasket cookers. The All-American Pressure Cooker/Canner is, first and foremost, a canner. It is large and heavy-cast for processing larger quantities of food per load. The USDA recommends pressure canning as the only safe way to can meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. "Pressure cookers" are not recommended for canning because a fully loaded canner takes a longer time for heating and cooling. This time is taken into account when determining processing times in standard canning timetables. Features & Benefits: Crafted of the finest hand cast aluminum Stay-cool bakelite top handle Geared steam gauge Pressure regulator weight with settings of 5, 10 and 15 psi Smooth, easy to clean satin finish Exclusive metal-to-metal seal - no gaskets to crack, burn, replace or clean Double thickness edges for additional protection on points of heaviest wear Automatic overpressure release Includes canning rack and instructions Available in 6 sizes Made in the USA since 1930 Specifications for Model 915: Capacity - 15 1/2 Quarts (Liquid), 7 Quart Jars, 10 Pint Jars* Inside diameter - 12 5/8 inches Inside Height - 7 3/4 inches Overall Height - 12.5 inches Weight - 15 pounds Includes 1 rack *Jar capacities based on standard Mason jar sizes. All-American Pressure Cooker/Canners are intended for home use applications. Models 910, 915, 921 and 925 are suitable for use on newer glass/flat top ranges. We recommend verifying weight restrictions with your stove manufacturer. Larger models 930 and 941 are heavy and not suitable for glass top ranges. "We bought an All-American Pressure Canner (Model 921) over 30 years ago, and have used it exclusively for all our canning. It is still as good as new." Greg Seaman, Founder, Eartheasy.com

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The "All-American" is the best among home food production pressure canners. With proper care it will last a lifetime, which is why we recommend getting the best. Made in the USA since 1930. Read more Overview Only All-American Pressure Cookers/Canner feature an exclusive, precision machined "metal-to-metal" sealing system. Positive action clamping locks align the cover to the base, forming a steam-tight seal. At the same time, this metal-to-metal seal automatically permits venting under unusual pressure conditions, providing an extra margin of safety over conventional rubber or composition gasket cookers. The All-American Pressure Cooker/Canner is, first and foremost, a canner. It is large and heavy-cast for processing larger quantities of food per load. The USDA recommends pressure canning as the only safe way to can meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. "Pressure cookers" are not recommended for canning because a fully loaded canner takes a longer time for heating and cooling. This time is taken into account when determining processing times in standard canning timetables. Features & Benefits: Crafted of the finest hand cast aluminum Stay-cool bakelite top handle Geared steam gauge Pressure regulator weight with settings of 5, 10 and 15 psi Smooth, easy to clean satin finish Exclusive metal-to-metal seal - no gaskets to crack, burn, replace or clean Double thickness edges for additional protection on points of heaviest wear Automatic overpressure release Includes canning racks and instructions Available in 6 sizes Made in the USA since 1930 Specifications for Model 921: Capacity - 21 1/2 Quarts (Liquid), 7 Quart Jars, 19 Pint Jars Inside diameter - 12 5/8 inches Inside Height - 10 1/2 inches Overall Height - 16 inches Weight - 17.75 pounds Includes 2 racks *Jar capacities based on standard Mason jar sizes. All-American Pressure Cooker/Canners are intended for home use applications. Models 910, 915, 921 and 925 are suitable for use on newer glass/flat top ranges. We recommend verifying weight restrictions with your stove manufacturer. Larger models 930 and 941 are heavy and not suitable for glass top ranges. "We bought an All-American Pressure Canner (Model 921) over 30 years ago, and have used it exclusively for all our canning. It is still as good as new." Greg Seaman, Founder, Eartheasy.com

All-American Pressure Canner/Cooker - 21.5 quart

The "All-American" is the best among home food production pressure canners. With proper care it will last a lifetime. Made in the USA since 1930. Read more Overview Only All-American Pressure Cookers/Canner feature an exclusive, precision machined "metal-to-metal" sealing system. Positive action clamping locks align the cover to the base, forming a steam-tight seal. At the same time, this metal-to-metal seal automatically permits venting under unusual pressure conditions, providing an extra margin of safety over conventional rubber or composition gasket cookers. The All-American Pressure Cooker/Canner is, first and foremost, a canner. It is large and heavy-cast for processing larger quantities of food per load. The USDA recommends pressure canning as the only safe way to can meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. "Pressure cookers" are not recommended for canning because a fully loaded canner takes a longer time for heating and cooling. This time is taken into account when determining processing times in standard canning timetables. Features & Benefits: Crafted of the finest hand cast aluminum Stay-cool bakelite top handle Geared steam gauge Pressure regulator weight with settings of 5, 10 and 15 psi Smooth, easy to clean satin finish Exclusive metal-to-metal seal - no gaskets to crack, burn, replace or clean Double thickness edges for additional protection on points of heaviest wear Automatic overpressure release Includes canning racks and instructions Available in 6 sizes Made in the USA since 1930 Specifications for Model 925: Capacity - 25 Quarts (Liquid), 7 Quart Jars, 19 Pint Jars Inside diameter - 12 5/8 inches Inside Height - 12 1/4 inches Overall Height - 16 3/4 inches Weight - 18.25 pounds Includes 2 racks *Jar capacities based on standard Mason jar sizes. All-American Pressure Cooker/Canners are intended for home use applications. Models 910, 915, 921 and 925 are suitable for use on newer glass/flat top ranges. We recommend verifying weight restrictions with your stove manufacturer. Larger models 930 and 941 are heavy and not suitable for glass top ranges. "We bought an All-American Pressure Canner (Model 921) over 30 years ago, and have used it exclusively for all our canning. It is still as good as new." Greg Seaman, Founder, Eartheasy.com