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A new health-assessment method, called the Health Octo Tool, uses eight measures drawn from physical exams and routine lab tests to calculate a person’s biological age. 



The tool may predict an individual’s risk of disability and death more accurately than existing health predictors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-tool-to-measure-aging">New tool to measure aging </h2>



The research team, led by Shabnam Salimi from the <a href="https://www.uwmedicine.org/school-of-medicine" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington School of Medicine</a>, believes the tool could uncover new factors that shape the aging <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/defying-time-three-ways-to-slow-biological-aging/">process</a> and help design interventions to extend lifespan. Salimi is a physician-scientist and acting instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology &amp; Pain Medicine. 



According to Salimi, existing health-assessment methods focus on the effects of individual diseases. However, they fail to take into consideration the interactions among diseases and how minor disorders affect overall health.



“An aging-based framework offers a new path to discover <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alzheimers-disease-earliest-biomarker-protein-psd-95-identified/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biomarkers</a> and therapeutics that target organ-specific or whole-body aging, rather than individual diseases,” she explained.



The tool is built around the concept of “health entropy,” which refers to the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage over time and its impact on how well the body’s organs and systems function. 



In short, health entropy can be viewed as an indicator of a person’s general physical condition and can be translated into a measure of how quickly or slowly someone is aging.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-data-from-major-aging-studies"><a></a>Data from major aging studies</h2>



To develop and test the Health Octo Tool, the researchers analyzed data from the <a href="https://www.blsa.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging</a>, one of the world’s longest-running aging studies. They used participants’ medical histories, physical exam results, and lab test outcomes. 



To confirm their findings, they then tested the method on two additional large datasets covering over 45,000 adults. The team first created what they called a Body Organ Disease Number. 



This score reflects how many organ systems - such as the cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems - are affected by disease and whether a person has had <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-is-the-next-frontier-in-cancer-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cancer</a> or a stroke. The score ranges from 1 to 14, depending on the extent of organ system involvement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-detailed-picture-of-biological-age">A detailed picture of biological age </h2>



“Our findings demonstrated that organ systems age at different rates, prompting us to develop a Bodily System-Specific Age metric to reflect the aging rate of each organ system and the Bodily-Specific Clock to represent each organ system’s intrinsic biological age,” Salimi said.



“Extending this concept to the whole body, we define the Body Clock as a composite measure of overall intrinsic age and Body Age as the corresponding rate of aging.”



Since not all people of the same biological age experience the same level of physical decline, the team also created additional metrics. These include the Speed-Body Clock and Speed-Body Age, which describe how biological age affects walking speed - often used as a simple test of older adults’ <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biological-age-or-chronological-age-which-is-more-important/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">functional capacity</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-disability-risks">Measuring disability risks</h2>



The team also introduced the Disability-Body Clock and Disability-Body Age, designed to estimate how aging influences the risk of developing cognitive or physical disabilities.



“Collectively, these eight metrics - Body Clock, Body Age, system-specific clocks and rates, Speed- and Disability-based clocks - offer a way to view an individual’s aging process with information gathered from their medical history, physical exam, and test results alone,” Salimi said.



One key takeaway from the study is that even relatively minor health conditions, if left untreated early in life, can significantly influence biological aging later on. 



For example, untreated high blood pressure during youth may greatly accelerate aging down the line. This suggests that early treatment of such conditions could have a meaningful impact on lifelong health.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-ahead-a-digital-aging-tracker"><a></a>Looking ahead: A digital aging tracker</h2>



The research team is now working on a digital app that will allow individuals and their healthcare providers to calculate their body’s and organs’ biological ages. The tool will let people track how quickly they are aging and measure the effects of lifestyle changes or treatments.



“Whether someone is adopting a new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dietary-restriction-slows-brain-aging-and-increases-lifespan/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">diet</a>, exercise routine or taking longevity-targeting drugs, they will be able to visualize how their body - and each organ system - is responding,” Salimi explained.



By combining clinical data with detailed biological models, the Health Octo Tool offers a promising new way to track aging, tailor treatments, and potentially improve long-term health outcomes.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58819-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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How old are you, really? New tool measures aging from the inside out

A new health-assessment method, called the Health Octo Tool, uses...

Healthy smiles often require more than simply brushing and flossing. People can develop stubborn buildup on their teeth that leads to discoloration and unpleasant odors.



One approach involves using a citrus drink that some believe can help remove this buildup. This method is supported by <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Sealomita-Rizka-Apritama-2295981427" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Sealomita Rizka Apritama</a>, who is affiliated with the Department of Public Health at the Institute for Advanced Health Science and Technology in Indonesia.



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



Tartar is a hardened layer that forms when plaque stays on tooth surfaces for too long. It can appear yellowish or brownish and might lead to serious problems if ignored.



This buildup can cause <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557422/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gingivitis</a>, a form of gum inflammation, and it can also pave the way for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554590/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">periodontitis</a>, which may damage deeper tissues. It often contributes to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534859/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">halitosis</a> by creating a cozy environment for odor-causing bacteria.



Some people notice that tartar makes their teeth look dull. Others experience gum bleeding or sensitivity if they neglect proper cleaning.



Professional cleanings are the most reliable way to remove large amounts of buildup. Regular checkups help address early signs and reduce the need for complicated procedures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-lemon-stands-out">Why lemon stands out</h2>



Researchers have observed that lemon contains citric acid, which seems to discourage bacterial growth on teeth. They note that even moderate amounts may help reduce plaque deposits on tooth surfaces.



Lemon’s acidity can assist in removing surface stains, and making enamel brighter. It also leaves a refreshing scent that helps with bad breath.



Some people find this home remedy appealing because it is easy to prepare. Others like that it may address multiple concerns with minimal effort.



Dentists suggest being careful about using any highly acidic substance on teeth. Overuse can lead to enamel erosion and sensitivity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-easy-steps-to-get-started">Easy steps to get started</h2>



A basic citrus drink involves mixing half a squeezed lemon with about eight ounces (240 milliliters) of water. People often swish it around their mouths for around half a minute, though a few prefer gentle brushing with the solution.



Experts recommend rinsing with plain water right after to reduce <a href="https://www.ada.org/resources/ada-library/oral-health-topics/dental-erosion" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">acidity</a>. This practice helps protect the enamel from weakening.



Most individuals limit this step to once or twice a week. Excessive repetition might strain tooth surfaces, so moderation is key.



Combining this approach with daily brushing and flossing preserves a healthy foundation. Nobody wants to trade tartar problems for enamel issues.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extra-details-to-remember">Extra details to remember</h2>



Healthcare providers discourage replacing standard oral hygiene with lemon alone. They view this drink as a small addition rather than a full substitute.



It is wise to talk with a dentist if you have sensitive teeth before trying acidic gargles. For some, mild enamel flaws can worsen under frequent contact with strong acids.



Special caution is also advised when combining lemon with other products like baking soda. That mixture can make your teeth feel gritty or lead to further irritation.



Anyone who notices continued discoloration or sore gums should seek professional guidance. Timely dental advice can prevent bigger issues down the road.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-a-balanced-routine">Keeping a balanced routine</h2>



The researchers noted that oral health is often considered to be on par with physical wellness. This perspective motivates many to brush and floss carefully, aiming to mitigate the effects of harmful bacteria.



Sugary snacks can speed up plaque formation because they feed those bacteria. Rinsing with water after sweet treats may help decrease leftover residues in the mouth.



High water intake helps keep the mouth moist and washes away stray particles. Dryness can lead to faster bacterial buildup, making it crucial to stay hydrated.



Tobacco use also worsens oral problems by discoloring teeth and increasing gum-related risks. Many smokers end up with more frequent tartar and unwanted stains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smart-additions-for-better-results">Smart additions for better results</h2>



People might consider drinking water throughout the day to keep debris from clinging to teeth. Fruit and vegetable snacks can also stimulate saliva flow, which contributes to cleaning.



Some find that using fluoride toothpaste guards against decay and boosts enamel strength. Others benefit from mouthwash with antibacterial agents that can target hidden spots.



Routine cleanings by an oral hygienist can spot early warning signs that home methods cannot address. Dentists can detect whether a particular lemon rinse or other technique is suitable.



Balanced diets and regular checkups remain fundamental steps toward a strong smile. Lemon water might enhance results, but it works best alongside proven strategies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-final-thoughts">Final thoughts</h2>



A lemon-based rinse may help remove light stains and reduce certain odor-causing bacteria. It fits into a broader plan of brushing, flossing, and paying attention to diet.



This approach should not replace professional care. Dentists remain the best resource when stubborn tartar calls for a deeper cleaning.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.ijahst.org/index.php/ijahst/article/view/402" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International Journal of Advanced Health Science and Technology</a>.



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Say goodbye to stains and bad breath: the citrus drink that helps remove tartar and whitens teeth

Healthy smiles often require more than simply brushing and flossing....

Young,Amazed,Male,Kid,School,Boy,5-6,Years,Old,In

New research reveals that children as young as five already have the brain systems in place to support map-based navigation. For years, it’s been assumed that children don’t develop the brain systems for navigating large spaces - like towns or neighborhoods - until they’re around 12 years old.



But that idea may need some serious rethinking after this surprising discover from <a href="https://www.emory.edu/home/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Emory University</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-mental-maps-in-children">Studying mental maps in children</h2>



Using brain scans and a fun, virtual environment called “Tiny Town,” the scientists designed experiments to see whether young kids could mentally map a town and navigate its streets. 



The results showed that even five-year-olds were able to use the retrosplenial complex (RSC), a brain region involved in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-our-brains-build-mental-maps-of-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spatial navigation</a>, to get around a virtual world.



“While large-scale navigation abilities certainly continue to develop throughout childhood, our findings show that the underlying neural system is established remarkably early,” said Yaelan Jung, first author and postdoctoral fellow in Emory’s Department of Psychology.



“Rather than taking a decade or more, map-based navigation is underway in half that time,” noted Daniel Dilks, associate professor of psychology and senior author of the study.



“Five-year-olds have the brain system enabling them to find their way around a tiny, virtual town. They not only know that the ice cream store in the mountain region is different than the ice cream store in the lake region, they know how to navigate the streets to get to each of them.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-maps-in-the-brain">Building maps in the brain</h2>



Understanding how the brain helps us recognize places and navigate the world is a key focus for researchers. One major tool for exploring these questions is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-imaging-method-will-unravel-mysteries-of-neural-processes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">functional magnetic resonance imaging</a> (fMRI). This noninvasive technique tracks changes in blood flow in the brain to identify which regions are active during different tasks.



Previous research had shown that three areas in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-the-human-brain-processes-visual-information/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">visual cortex</a> specialize in handling scenes and navigation. The parahippocampal place area, or PPA, helps us recognize and categorize places. 



The retrosplenial complex, or RSC, allows us to map places within a larger space and figure out how to travel from one location to another. Meanwhile, the occipital place area, or OPA, helps us move through spaces without bumping into obstacles.



“Two fundamental questions in neuroscience are how knowledge is organized in the brain and the origins of that knowledge,” said Dilks. “In other words, what knowledge are you born with and how does knowledge develop as you grow?”



“We can’t fix most neurological problems right now. But by continuing to learn more about how the brain develops and functions normally, we keep moving closer to being able to repair it when something goes wrong.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-walking-is-harder-than-mapping">When walking is harder than mapping</h2>



Interestingly, the same research team previously found that the brain system responsible for helping kids walk around and avoid obstacles doesn’t mature until age 8.



“It seems counterintuitive,” says Dilks. “Most children can walk before the age of two. And yet the brain system helping you walk around your immediate surroundings doesn’t start appearing adultlike until relatively late.”



That puzzling timeline led the researchers to wonder if the brain might support more advanced map-like navigation skills in children earlier than previously thought. 



After all, children often experience the world through strollers, car rides, or being carried, helping them form <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mental-maps-help-the-brain-remember-places-and-paths/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mental maps</a> even before they’re mobile themselves. To test this idea, the team designed a special experiment for five-year-olds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-welcome-to-tiny-town">Welcome to Tiny Town</h2>



The experiment began with a virtual environment called Neuralville, which featured eight buildings and a town square. However, the team soon realized it was too complex for young children. 



So, they simplified it, creating a triangular map called Tiny Town for the children to explore. Each corner of Tiny Town had a unique setting - a mountain, a tree, or a lake - to help kids orient themselves. 



The town had six buildings in total, including two each of fire stations, playgrounds, and ice cream stores. The goal was to make science approachable and fun for the kids.



“We want to get at the scientific questions that we’re trying to answer,” explained Jung, “but it’s also important that a child who participates in a study has a good time. We want them to leave with a good impression of science.”



The kids first explored Tiny Town on a computer, using arrow keys to “walk” through the streets. Then came the tests. Researchers showed them still images of buildings and asked if they had seen them before, or whether they were located in specific areas of the town.



Most of the children passed with ease. They then advanced to the next stage: learning how to stay still inside a brain scanner.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turning-brain-scans-into-a-game">Turning brain scans into a game</h2>



To prepare the kids for the scanner, the research team turned the training into a playful challenge. An adult would yell “Freeze!” and the child had to stay perfectly still - just like in the real scanner.



“The kids loved it! They especially liked to freeze the adults in the room,” said Jung. “They’d point at one of us and say, ‘It’s your turn now!’”



The children were told that the scanner was like a camera, and that staying still was necessary to get a clear photo while they performed tasks inside. To make it cozy, they were given a pillow and blanket and told they’d be watching a movie in their own private theater.



Inside the scanner, kids were shown images from Tiny Town and asked to push a button if certain combinations were accurate - for example, matching a fire station with the correct landscape setting. They practiced this task beforehand in a mock scanner to feel comfortable.



The brain scans revealed something remarkable: the five-year-olds were using their RSC to navigate, just like adults do. The children were building maps in their minds and using them to figure out where things were located.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moving-forward-children-building-maps">Moving forward: Children building maps</h2>



Beyond the scientific insight, the experiment was a joy for everyone involved. “It was really fun to work with the children,” noted Jung. “I learned that the age of five is a magical time to scan a child. They don’t tend to be afraid of new things.”



The research team is now planning a new project involving toddlers. That’s proven to be a bit trickier.



“Between the ages of two and three, children basically don’t listen to you,” said Jung, who is also the mother of a three-year-old.



To help the toddlers feel comfortable, the researchers are experimenting with cardboard scanners, cartoons, and Cheerios. The ultimate goal is to understand how the brain’s navigation system grows from infancy to adulthood - and how it might differ in children with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/virtual-reality-will-unlock-mysteries-of-developmental-disorders/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">developmental conditions</a>.



“It’s fascinating to explore how humans use different parts of the brain for complex behaviors and how that changes with age and experiences,” said Jung. “We’re laying the groundwork for clinical applications, including getting a better understanding of typical versus atypical neural development.”



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2503569122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Children have the brainpower to navigate maps at a very young age

New research reveals that children as young as five already...

Colorful,Parrotfish,Feeding,On,A,Tropical,Coral,Reef

Coral reefs are among the most dazzling ecosystems on Earth. When viewed from above, they display intricate structures and colors. But many reefs also show curious rings of bare sand encircling them. These circles, called grazing halos, appear in satellite images as pale outlines around patches of coral.



The origin of grazing halos has long puzzled scientists. Why do they form in some places and not others? Why do they vary in size? And most importantly - do they reveal something about the health of the reef?



A new study published in The American Naturalist suggests a surprising answer. It’s not just fear that creates these halos - it’s also the way <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breaks-in-ancient-coral-growth-reveal-earths-climate-past/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coral</a> shelter is arranged.



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



One widely accepted theory to explain grazing halos involves fear. Fish like parrotfish and other herbivores leave the safety of coral reefs to feed on algae or seagrass.



However, they do not venture far because predators like sharks lurk in the open. To avoid becoming prey, these fish tend to graze close to shelter.



Their grazing creates visible halos - barren rings where the vegetation has been eaten. The behavior aligns with what ecologists call the “landscape of fear.”



According to this idea, prey animals avoid open areas and concentrate activity near shelter, which alters the way that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-may-be-more-resilient-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems</a> look.



But this explanation has gaps. Some reefs that are full of predators lack halos. Others, where predator populations have collapsed due to overfishing, still show clear halos. 



Something else must be shaping these patterns - something embedded in the landscape itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reef-shelter-layout-and-halo-formation">Reef shelter layout and halo formation</h2>



The new study points to the layout of coral shelters as a missing piece of the puzzle. The researchers examined how the spatial distribution of reef <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-may-not-adapt-quickly-enough-to-survive-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">structures</a> influences halo formation. Do halos behave differently when coral is clustered tightly versus scattered widely?



The team used Heron Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to test their ideas. This site is a hub for reef science and faces ongoing threats from climate change, including coral bleaching, storm damage, and ocean acidification.



The study explored how coral shelter layout affects where herbivores graze. Some corals are clustered closely together and provide tightly packed shelter, while others are more dispersed. 



The scattered corals create more distance between safe zones. The team predicted that these differences would shape how halos appear - or disappear - across the seascape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-models-predict-halo-shapes-on-reefs">Models predict halo shapes on reefs</h2>



To explore this, the researchers built two mathematical models. The first was geometric. It examined how simple circular shapes - representing coral patches - overlap on the seafloor. This helped predict how much vegetation should remain in areas around the patches, depending on how the shelters are arranged.



Study lead author Theresa Ong is an assistant professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth.



“If the shelter <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-could-vanish-if-temperatures-continue-to-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">habitat</a> is tightly packed in one space, then there’s not much room for nervous prey to explore and less vegetation to eat. But if shelter is more evenly distributed, the halos carve out more empty space in the landscape and their distinctive patterns disappear into one another as they overlap," noted Professor Ong.



The geometric model revealed that clustered coral leads to clearer, more distinct halos. Scattered coral causes the rings to overlap and blur, making them harder to detect. This may explain why halos vary across reefs - even when predator presence remains constant.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-grazing-patterns-change-over-time">Grazing patterns change over time</h2>



Geometry only tells part of the story. Grazing patterns change over time as vegetation regrows and fish populations fluctuate. So, the team developed a second model - one that added time and movement into the equation.



The dynamic model showed two scenarios. When coral patches are dispersed, fish must travel further to feed. This can lead to overgrazing - vegetation disappears, fish numbers drop, vegetation returns, and the cycle begins again. Halos may vanish and reappear in a rhythmic pattern.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/coral-reef_grazing-halos_great-barrier-reef_credit-Google-Earth_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/coral-reef_grazing-halos_great-barrier-reef_credit-Google-Earth_1s.webp" alt="Overview view of Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and close-up view of a selected reef region (box in overview) where macroalgae cover is dense and coral halos (vegetation-free space surrounding coral patch reefs) are prevalent. Example 1X-scale plots (47 × 47 m) are indicated by arrows to illustrate increasing dispersion in coral patch distributions. Credit: Google Earth Pro" class="wp-image-1968578"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Overview of Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and close-up view of a selected reef region (box in overview) where macroalgae cover is dense and coral halos (vegetation-free space surrounding coral patch reefs) are prevalent. Example 1X-scale plots (47 × 47 m) are indicated by arrows to illustrate increasing dispersion in coral patch distributions. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Google Earth Pro</figcaption></figure>



When coral is clustered, grazing remains more localized and consistent. This leads to more stable halo patterns. 



The models suggest that both stable and cyclic halos can exist on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/restored-coral-reefs-can-bounce-back-in-just-four-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">healthy reefs</a> - and both tell stories about how the ecosystem is functioning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-all-changes-are-alarming">Not all changes are alarming</h2>



A major insight from the study is that halo patterns - whether stable or oscillating - are not in themselves signs of reef health or decline. What matters more is how those patterns change over time.



“Oscillating halos are not necessarily a sign of overfishing or poor reef health,” said Ong. “What’s more concerning is if static halos suddenly start cycling or if cyclic halos suddenly become static, which could indicate a major shift in system health and resilience.”



In other words – it’s not the presence or size of the halo that reveals the truth, but whether its behavior shifts in ways that suggest underlying ecological change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-satellites-for-reef-surveillance">Using satellites for reef surveillance</h2>



Studying coral reefs directly is expensive and difficult. That’s where satellite imagery offers a powerful advantage. Researchers can quickly scan large areas and assess general patterns - even from space.



“There are a lot of endemic species on reefs, especially on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-is-on-the-brink-of-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Great Barrier Reef</a>, which we could easily lose due to the compounding effects of climate change and overfishing,” noted Professor Ong.



“So gaining a better understanding of how halo patterns reflect reef community dynamics may be useful in reef conservation efforts.”



Halos might become an early warning system. Their changes could alert scientists to shifts in predator numbers, herbivore behavior, or coral shelter integrity - all of which influence reef resilience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-halo-dynamics-beyond-reefs">Halo dynamics beyond reefs</h2>



The models developed by the team aren’t limited to coral reefs. They apply to any system where grazing happens near shelter. 



Think of cattle grazing near trees, or deer feeding near forest edges. The same logic - of safety shaping movement - plays out across many ecosystems.



Still, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-could-vanish-if-temperatures-continue-to-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coral reefs</a> are especially fragile. Climate change is heating the oceans, acidifying waters, and disrupting food webs. Even subtle changes in reef structure can lead to major ecological shifts.



From overlapping rings of sand to predictive models and satellite imagery - this work reveals that coral reefs are writing their own story in patterns we can now begin to understand. We just have to learn how to read the halos.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/735688" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The American Naturalist</a>.



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What 'grazing halos' and parrotfish reveal about coral reef health

Coral reefs are among the most dazzling ecosystems on Earth....

The Step Pyramid rises taller than a 20‑story building on the edge of Egypt’s desert plateau, about 15 miles south of the modern sprawl of Giza. Built roughly 4,650 years ago, it was the first gigantic structure ever assembled entirely from carved stone blocks. 



Yet for all its fame, scholars have long puzzled over how its builders coaxed more than 11 million cubic feet of limestone into perfectly symmetrical positions with the tools of their day.



A fresh study now hints that the secret may have flowed through channels and pools rather than up crumbling earthen ramps. 



By tracing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/egypts-pyramids-were-built-along-a-buried-branch-of-the-nile-river/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ancient watercourses</a> visible in satellite radar images and matching them with clues cut into bedrock, researchers suggest that water power - a type of hydraulic elevator - did most of the work of raising the pyramid, tier by tier.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-king-djoser-s-step-pyramid">King Djoser's Step Pyramid</h2>



Half a century before the better‑known pyramids at Giza, Pharaoh Djoser ordered his chief architect, Imhotep, to design a tomb like no other -- The Step Pyramid of Djoser.



The result was a six‑stepped monument that still stands between 197 ft and 203 ft tall. 



Instead of a single-level structure, Imhotep stacked six <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/3800-year-old-hexagonal-pyramid-discovered-possibly-a-royal-tomb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">layers of stone</a>, creating a striking staircase to the heavens. For the first time, Egyptian builders used large, carved limestone blocks.



In the decades that followed, the know‑how refined at Saqqara sparked a construction sprint in the region. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/great-pyramids_Djoser_Saqqara-plateau_water-course_Volcano-hydraulic-lift_Paleotechnic_PLOS-One_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/great-pyramids_Djoser_Saqqara-plateau_water-course_Volcano-hydraulic-lift_Paleotechnic_PLOS-One_1s.webp" alt="Map of the Saqqara plateau showing the water course from the Gisr el-Mudir dam to the water treatment facility near Djoser pyramid. The water is then transferred to the pyramid's network of pipes to power the hydraulic elevator. Credit: Paleotechnic of Paris, France" class="wp-image-1968267"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Map of the Saqqara plateau showing the water course from the Gisr el-Mudir dam to the water treatment facility near Djoser pyramid. The water is then transferred to the pyramid's network of pipes to power the hydraulic elevator. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Paleotechnic of Paris, France</figcaption></figure>



Stones ballooned in size from 660 pounds apiece to more than 5,000 pounds, and roughly 28 million tons of masonry went into building just seven royal pyramids.



Surrounding the pyramid was an elaborate complex of courtyards, temples, and ceremonial spaces, all designed to serve the pharaoh in the afterlife. 



These spaces weren’t just symbolic - they were functional parts of a belief system that saw the king as a god on Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finding-clues-etched-in-stone">Finding clues etched in stone</h2>



Leading the latest push towards unraveling this mystery is Dr. Xavier Landreau of the <a href="https://www.cea.fr/english/Pages/Welcome.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CEA Paleotechnic Institute</a>. 



His French team combed through decades of excavation notes and paired them with high‑resolution radar scenes. 



“Satellite imagery clearly shows that a rectangular stone enclosure known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisr_el-Mudir" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gisr el‑Mudir</a>, located west of the Saqqara necropolis, has all the technical characteristics of a check dam," explains Dr. Landreau. 



"This feature would have been used to control the flow of flash floods and capture heavy objects coming from upriver.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vanished-lake-purpose-built-moat">Vanished lake, purpose‑built moat</h2>



On the lee side of the dam, the landscape bows into a shallow basin. Soil chemistry there hints at a lake that swelled during seasonal Nile surges. 



When the water dropped, channels funneled the remaining flow into a rock‑cut trench now nicknamed the Dry Moat ringing the pyramid precinct. 



Its southern arm contains a line of chambers whose stepped floors resemble today’s sedimentation basins at municipal water plants.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/great-pyramids_Djoser-complex_North-Saqqara_water-course-map_credit-Airbus_PLOS-ONE_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/great-pyramids_Djoser-complex_North-Saqqara_water-course-map_credit-Airbus_PLOS-ONE_1s.webp" alt="North Saqqara map showing the relation between the Abusir water course and the Step Pyramid construction process (Inset). The arrows figuring the flow directions are approximate and given for illustrative purposes based on the Franco-Egyptian SFS/IGN survey. Satellite image: Airbus Pléiades" class="wp-image-1968271"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">North Saqqara map showing the relation between the Abusir water course and the Step Pyramid construction process (Inset). The arrows figuring the flow directions are approximate and given for illustrative purposes based on the Franco-Egyptian SFS/IGN survey. Click image to enlarge. Satellite image: Airbus Pléiades</figcaption></figure>



“Together, the Gisr el‑Mudir and the Dry Moat’s inner south section work as a unified hydraulics system that improves water quality and regulates flow for practical purposes and human needs,” the authors write. 



The cleaned runoff, they argue, arrived just in time to solve a pressing construction headache.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-water-and-the-step-pyramid-stones">Water and the Step Pyramid stones</h2>



Inside the pyramid, stone corridors angle upward from a central shaft. Their shape and wear patterns nudge the imagination toward a liquid‑powered lift. 



“The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-buildings-used-passive-cooling-methods-to-reduce-heat-with-out-air-conditioning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ancient architects</a> likely raised the stones from the pyramid center in a volcano fashion using the sediment‑free water from the Dry Moat’s south section,” the authors write. 



Picture buoyant barges - or perhaps sealed sleds - nudged ever higher as fresh water flowed beneath them.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/great-pyramids_Djoser-complex_subterranean-layout_credit-PLOS-One_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/great-pyramids_Djoser-complex_subterranean-layout_credit-PLOS-One_1s.webp" alt="Overview of Djoser’s complex subterranean layout, focusing on the Latvian mission’s discoveries (orange parts)–courtesy of Monnier. Credit: PLOS One" class="wp-image-1968273"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Overview of Djoser’s complex subterranean layout, focusing on the Latvian mission’s discoveries (orange parts)–courtesy of Monnier. Click image to enlarge. Credit: PLOS One</figcaption></figure>



Numbers support the idea. With a column of water roughly 30 ft deep, upward pressure could cancel out two‑thirds of a limestone block’s weight, leaving workers on terraced ledges to guide the payload into place. 



Such a system would sidestep the need for massive ramps long thought to encircle early pyramids yet never found in situ.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-floods-first-droughts-later">Floods first, droughts later</h2>



“Before the Fourth Dynasty, there were more problems with floods than with a lack of water,” Dr. Landreau noted, highlighting why the Saqqara workforce might have embraced hydraulic engineering. 



Annual inundations could swallow work sites, rot timber, and strand supplies. Turning surplus water into a construction ally would have converted a hazard into free labor.



The shift paid off quickly. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-eclipse-may-have-changed-the-architecture-of-ancient-egypt-forever/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stone sizes doubled</a> within a generation, and by the time Khufu’s Great Pyramid went up around 2550 B.C., individual blocks tipped the scales at more than 5 tons. 



Specialists calculate that hauling such loads up a mile‑long ramp would have required at least 4,000 men at any given moment. A water‑driven elevator could slash that headcount and keep quarry teams ahead of schedule.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-all-of-that-work-for-what">All of that work for what?</h2>



Yet the Step Pyramid keeps one trick buried deep: its burial chamber is empty. No royal mummy, no treasure, no wall texts. 



Where is Pharaoh Djoser?



Some archaeologists have floated the idea that the hollow core acted less as a tomb and more as a pressure vessel, a technical heart that made the water lift possible. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/great-pyramids_Djoser-complex_rock-cut-trench_workers_credit-PLOS-One_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/great-pyramids_Djoser-complex_rock-cut-trench_workers_credit-PLOS-One_1s.webp" alt="View of compartment-1 of the rock-cut deep trench (1943), 27m deep, 3m wide. a: View from the west; b: View from the east. The workers in the background provide a sense of the structure’s immense scale and technicity. Credit: PLOS One" class="wp-image-1968277"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">View of compartment-1 of the rock-cut deep trench (1943), 27m deep, 3m wide. a: View from the west; b: View from the east. The workers in the background provide a sense of the structure’s immense scale and technicity. Click image to enlarge. Credit: PLOS One</figcaption></figure>



The maze of tunnels, hinged stone doors, and drop‑block traps hint at mechanical ingenuity as sophisticated as any irrigation canal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-step-pyramid-and-modern-engineers">Step Pyramid and modern engineers</h2>



Today, Saqqara’s mastery of fluid dynamics may sound eerily familiar to civil engineers who harness controlled floods to build delta land in Louisiana or raise entire houses atop pneumatic lifts. 



If ancient builders truly manipulated water columns to float stones skyward, they pulled off a feat that resonates with modern efforts to work with natural forces rather than fight them.



The findings don't close every gap in the long saga of Egypt’s pyramids, but they do open an inviting corridor for future digs. 



Drill cores from the Dry Moat’s silt layers could confirm lake deposits; mineral stains on interior shafts might betray repeated wet cycles. 



Either way, the Step Pyramid is an engineering marvel that continues to teach us that even in antiquity, people were willing to tackle colossal challenges with solutions as fluid as the Nile itself.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0306690" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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Ancient high-tech machinery was used to build Egypt's pyramids, study claims

The Step Pyramid rises taller than a 20‑story building on...

Quantum computers promise faster solutions to certain problems, but proving those advantages has been tricky. A new study now points to a more concrete win in the area of approximate optimization.



Daniel Lidar from the University of Southern California (<a href="https://www.usc.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USC</a>) led the project. 



The team focused on showing how quantum hardware offers better scaling as problem sizes grow, especially when perfect solutions aren’t required.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quantum-annealing-breakthrough">Quantum annealing breakthrough</h2>



Scientists have long theorized that quantum <a href="https://docs.dwavequantum.com/en/latest/quantum_research/quantum_annealing_intro.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">annealing</a> could boost the search for near-optimal answers in difficult tasks. 



They define quantum annealing as a process where a specialized computer explores many possibilities at once by using qubits, the fundamental units of quantum <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/google-claims-commercial-quantum-computing-is-just-five-years-away/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">information</a>.



This study aimed to verify whether such an approach truly beats top classical techniques, especially for solving bigger problems. 



It involved complex spin-based challenges, which are often used to measure the performance of advanced computing methods.



Many jobs in finance, logistics, and science do not demand a perfect outcome, but they do need good answers within a certain margin. 



Traditional supercomputers or large-scale servers often handle these tasks by relying on approximate algorithms.



Quantum teams suggest that if a specialized device can reach near-optimal solutions with less total time, it might save both money and computational resources.



That’s why the demonstration of a quantum setup that handles these approximate optimization tasks faster than classical methods caught many experts by surprise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quantum-power-grows-with-spins">Quantum power grows with spins</h2>



One example involves <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2302.04842" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spin-glass systems</a>, which arise in physics when magnetic spins clash in ways that don’t stabilize easily. These setups represent real-world problems filled with conflicting interactions.



Researchers used a family of spin-glass instances to test whether quantum annealing could find workable solutions faster. They specifically examined problems arranged in two dimensions, which creates a highly entangled network of spins.



Although some early quantum <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/baffling-quantum-entanglement-statistics-puzzle-finally-solved-advanced-technologies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">demonstrations</a> struggled to maintain consistent improvements as the problem size grew, this work showed promising scaling gains. 



The researchers targeted situations where the solution energy rested within a given range of the best answer.



By focusing on near solutions, the device found answers more quickly and consistently. This led to a scaling advantage once tasks became large enough to highlight the difference.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fixing-errors-with-quantum-annealing">Fixing errors with quantum annealing</h2>



These results hinged on another technique called quantum annealing <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1507.02658" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">correction</a>, which is designed to reduce errors. 



Noise can disrupt the fragile quantum states in a machine, so this procedure stabilizes important information by grouping qubits in special configurations.



The study showed that this protective layer helped the quantum hardware maintain a clear edge over classical algorithms. The improvements remained even as the size of the spin-glass grid expanded into the thousands of qubits.



The team relied on a <a href="https://www.dwavequantum.com/solutions-and-products/systems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">D-Wave Advantage</a> quantum annealer housed at USC’s Information Sciences Institute. This machine is built with superconducting circuits that implement the quantum interactions needed for annealing.



Other quantum computers take a gate-model approach, but specialized annealing devices often focus on optimization alone, using carefully designed hardware links.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quantum-computers-may-help-business">Quantum computers may help business</h2>



Workers in supply chain management, portfolio design, and scheduling might someday prefer a quantum system if it consistently hits good-enough targets in less time. 



Many large corporations already use advanced algorithms, but classical methods can require a huge amount of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-quantum-states-found-in-crystal-layers-could-boost-computing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">processing</a> as problems grow.



Finding a flexible, hardware-based improvement could reduce operational bottlenecks. Even a marginal speedup at scale can lead to significant financial or resource savings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-quantum-revolution-will-impact-all-aspects-of-society/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Quantum computers</a> still face practical hurdles, including cost and hardware reliability. Researchers are optimistic, though, that future refinements will further close the gap between labs and factories. 



They note that the D-Wave machine already handles complex inputs and quickly explores millions of potential solutions. The bigger question is how soon it will slot neatly into existing operations.



The paper’s authors hope to explore tougher scenarios, including more densely connected challenges. They suggest that expanding the dimensionality of these tasks may uncover even greater computational boosts.



It also raises the possibility of testing other quantum error-correction schemes. Those might produce even steadier results for a wide array of optimization tasks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-quantum-s-reach">Expanding quantum’s reach</h2>



Beyond the specialized setting of spin-glass problems, scientists anticipate a growing menu of real-world uses for quantum annealing. 



Some industries need only approximate solutions to multi-variable tasks, making them good matches for this style of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microsoft-announces-giant-leap-in-quantum-computing-majorana-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">computing</a>.



“The way quantum annealing works is by finding low-energy states in quantum systems, which correspond to optimal or near-optimal solutions to the problems being solved,” said Lidar. 



He explained that quantum annealers excel when the search space is huge but the requirement is to stay within a small error margin.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-generation-optimization-programs">Next-generation optimization programs</h2>



While hype often surrounds new computing claims, the team behind this project stressed measured excitement. They believe the real significance lies in consistent scaling gains, not just momentary jumps on small problems.



Their data show that quantum annealing’s advantage grows as complexities increase. That runs counter to older critiques that quantum improvements disappear for sizable tasks.



As hardware improves, it may handle more variables without losing accuracy. That opens doors to next-generation optimization programs.



Many see near-optimal solutions as a huge resource saver. They argue that the quest for absolute perfection can be too expensive or time-consuming in many fields.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-industry-eyes-quantum-annealing-tools">Industry eyes quantum annealing tools</h2>



Several leading firms keep an eye on quantum annealing developments. For them, even a moderate performance gain could boost daily operations.



Success in one niche might transfer to broader industrial and academic use, especially if the cost of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/google-claims-commercial-quantum-computing-is-just-five-years-away/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum machines</a> drops. Meanwhile, classical algorithms continue to improve, so the race won’t end soon.



Merging ideas from academia, government labs, and industry has sparked new forms of experimentation. The synergy in this study united specialized hardware with advanced theory.



Now that quantum annealing has shown a scaling advantage, more investigators will likely test it on other tough cases. Each new demonstration sheds light on how quantum logic can tackle deeply entangled puzzles.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.160601" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Physical Review Letters</a>.



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Quantum computer defeats a supercomputer in a very crucial task for the first time

Quantum computers promise faster solutions to certain problems, but proving...

The icy fringe of our planet is sprouting new growth. Fast warming in the Arctic - now running at roughly four times the global average - is reshaping tundra landscapes and affecting shrubs and meadows that have looked the same since the last ice age.



A vast forty‑year experiment, spread across more than 2,000 research plots, shows that almost every facet of Arctic plant life is in flux. Scientists say the changes are an early sign that the wider <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-fjords-show-signs-of-struggle-in-a-warming-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arctic</a> system, from wildlife to water supplies, will also shift.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-summers-lengthen-arctic-shrubs-thrive">Summers lengthen, Arctic shrubs thrive</h2>



Researchers have spent decades tracking the low carpets of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planting-moss-helps-restore-land-damaged-by-oil-and-gas-exploration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mosses</a>, grasses, and dwarf shrubs that dominate mountains and polar plains. They found that almost six in ten plots have already lost some long‑standing species or gained new arrivals.



No single winner or loser stands out everywhere. Local soil moisture, shelter from wind, and the number of frost‑free days all tip the balance in different directions. Yet the pattern is unmistakable: taller, woodier <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shrubs-play-a-dual-role-in-forest-recovery-following-wildfires/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shrubs</a> thrive when summers lengthen, shading out species that hug the ground.



“Changes in vegetation are an early warning signal that the entire ecosystem will change, with consequential effects on wildlife, humanity, and Earth's natural ability to store <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon</a>,” said co-author Anne Bjorkman, a researcher in plant ecology at the <a href="https://www.gu.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Gothenburg</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shrubs-stretch-higher-meadows-shrink"><a></a>Shrubs stretch higher, meadows shrink</h2>



Investigators see the biggest gains among evergreen stragglers such as lingonberry and crowberry, along with fast‑growing willow bushes that keep their leaves only for the warm season. These plants once clung to the Arctic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warming-climate-turns-tundra-from-carbon-sink-to-source/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tundra</a> only where snow melted early.



Now they push onto windswept ridges because snow lies for fewer days each year. Where they thicken, their leaves intercept sunlight that formerly bounced off pale lichens or was absorbed by low moss mats. Tall stems also sling snow into drifts that insulate soils, letting roots stay active later in autumn.



“The change in what grows on a site is extensive, with new species appearing and/or existing species disappearing on almost 60% of the experimental plots. There are many factors that determine how plant life changes at a particular Arctic site, such as how wet the soil is, or how windy it is. This affects the microclimate that plants experience,” said Robert Bjork, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg.



“In general, we see that shrubs benefit from a longer growing season, they simply steal the sunlight from species with a low growth habit.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impacts-of-arctic-shrubs">Impacts of Arctic shrubs </h2>



On open ridges where dwarf birch and willow take hold, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-plant-diversity-can-help-combat-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plant diversity</a> often drops. The low‑lying herbs and sedges that fuel summer pollinators can no longer compete.



South of the tree line, mountain birch saplings work upslope, nibbling away at alpine meadows soaked in brief bursts of meltwater. Once those meadows vanish, the displaced flora has no colder niche to retreat to.



“But where the shrubs take over, biodiversity will decrease, and then the question is where the outcompeted species will go. There are no colder regions than the Arctic, and some species may disappear completely from large areas,” Bjorkman said.



Shrub lines affect more than flowers. Dark leaves absorb solar energy, warming surface layers and melting permafrost ice that holds ancient carbon. 



When that carbon leaks as methane or carbon dioxide, regional warming accelerates. Taller plants also trap snow that would otherwise reflect sunlight and delay spring thaw, another feedback that adds heat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ripples-through-animals-people-and-water"><a></a>Ripples through animals, people, and water</h2>



“Changes in vegetation obviously also affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-biodiversity-benefits-from-large-herbivores-like-elephants-and-moose/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">herbivorous animals</a>. Reindeer husbandry cannot have the same grazing areas in the valleys as today, perhaps they can find new ones on the bare mountains,” Bjork explained.



“Then tourism will be affected when mountain birches and shrubs take over on the mountains and the alpine meadows with beautiful wildflowers disappear. And it will be difficult to get hold of drinkable water when the glaciers and the late snowfields melt away.”



Reindeer and caribou herds already follow thinner green waves in sprinting summers. The loss of valley forage may force animals higher, straining age‑old herding routes. 



Visitors who come for wide carpets of summer color may find thickets instead. Local communities could face water stress as shrinking glaciers feed fewer melt streams during late summer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-radical-changes-ahead">Radical changes ahead</h2>



Scientists at the Latnjajaure field camp near Abisko, Sweden, witness these shifts in real time. Birches creep onto formerly barren slopes. 



Moss mats turn patchy under rising shrubs. Streams surge earlier in spring and dwindle sooner in August. Yet no one can plot the exact timetable for the next leap.



“We are in the midst of climate change and will reach certain thresholds where the flora will change radically, but we don't know when it will happen. Or how it will happen,”  Bjorkman warned.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-arctic-shrubs">The future of Arctic shrubs</h2>



More data will refine forecasts, but the direction is set. Open alpine meadows will contract as shrub lands will expand. Carbon and energy flows between ground and sky will alter, pushing feedback loops that amplify <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/frequent-heatwaves-have-become-the-norm-in-the-arctic-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arctic heat</a>.



For conservationists, the lesson is urgent: protect refuges where cold‑loving plants might survive and plan for landscapes that will not stay as they were such as the Arctic. For everyone else, the message is simpler.



The quiet creep of shrubs in the far north is one more sign that climate change is coming. It is here, and it is rewriting the map from the top downward.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08946-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Arctic plant alert: Rising shrubs and vanishing meadows

The icy fringe of our planet is sprouting new growth....

The rise of AI writing tools like ChatGPT has stirred up a mix of curiosity and concern in classrooms around the world. With a few clicks, anyone can generate an essay that sounds polished, coherent, and academically on-point. 



But as students, teachers, and institutions grapple with the implications, a key question emerges: can machines truly replicate the nuance of human thought on the page?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-ai-write-better-than-a-student">Can AI write better than a student?</h2>



A new study from the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of East Anglia</a>, with a collaborator from <a href="https://www.jlu.edu.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jilin University</a>, dives into that very question, comparing hundreds of essays written by students with ones produced by AI. 



They judged 145 student essays and the same number created by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chatgpts-carbon-footprint-is-astronomical-and-not-sustainable/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ChatGPT</a>, scanning each for cues that invite a reader to engage.



The scientists hope the results will aid teachers and exam boards worldwide in flagging suspicious assignments. Software detectors still generate false positives, so human judgment remains vital.



By learning the discourse habits most students use, markers can notice when a script drops the personal edge that usually colors undergraduate prose. 



This knowledge supports fair grading and helps preserve academic integrity in classrooms already flooded with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gen-ai-and-social-media-divert-peoples-attention-from-climate-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">generative AI tools</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-generative-ai-the-basics">Understanding generative AI - the basics</h2>



Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content - like text, images, music, or even video based on the data it’s trained on. 



Instead of just analyzing existing information, it actually produces fresh, and often unique, content by spotting patterns and mimicking how humans communicate or create. 



Tools like ChatGPT, <a href="https://www.claude.ai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Claude</a>, and <a href="https://www.midjourney.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Midjourney</a> are popular examples. They take your input (like a prompt or question) and whip up something new in response, almost like collaborating with a super-speedy creative partner.



People use generative AI for all sorts of things - writing articles, generating code, designing logos, or brainstorming ideas. 



It’s shaking up academics and industries because it helps kids and adults alike work faster and explore more possibilities without starting from scratch every time. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-students-and-the-rise-of-ai">Students and the rise of AI</h2>



Professor Ken Hyland of UEA’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning voiced the worry driving the project. 



“Since its public release, ChatGPT has created considerable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbes-have-an-unexpected-link-to-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anxiety</a> among teachers worried that students will use it to write their assignments,” said Hyland, who warned of wider harm. 



“The fear is that ChatGPT and other AI writing tools potentially facilitate cheating and may weaken core <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/handwriting-practice-leads-to-better-literacy-development/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">literacy</a> and critical thinking skills. This is especially the case as we don't yet have tools to reliably detect AI-created texts.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-writing-is-less-engaging">AI writing is less engaging </h2>



The researchers searched for questions, personal asides, direct appeals, and other “engagement markers.” 



“We were particularly interested in looking at what we called 'engagement markers' like questions and personal commentary,” Hyland said.



“We found that the essays written by real students consistently featured a rich array of engagement strategies, making them more interactive and persuasive.” 



Human writers sprinkled their work with moments that addressed the reader, building a sense of dialogue.



“They were full of rhetorical questions, personal asides, and direct appeals to the reader - all techniques that enhance clarity, connection, and produce a strong argument.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-lacks-the-personal-touch">AI lacks the personal touch</h2>



“The ChatGPT essays, on the other hand, while linguistically fluent, were more impersonal. The AI essays mimicked academic writing conventions but they were unable to inject text with a personal touch or to demonstrate a clear stance,” Hayland explained. 



Without questions or vivid commentary, the machine output felt flat. “They tended to avoid questions and limited personal commentary. Overall, they were less engaging, less persuasive, and there was no strong perspective on a topic.”



“This reflects the nature of its training data and statistical learning methods, which prioritize coherence over conversational nuance,” noted Hyland.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-classroom-uses-not-shortcuts">Classroom uses, not shortcuts</h2>



Even so, the authors do not reject AI tools. They see them as potential tutors when used openly. 



“When students come to school, college or university, we're not just teaching them how to write, we're teaching them how to think - and that's something no <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-algorithms-can-increase-ocean-plastic-cleanup-efficiency/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">algorithm</a> can replicate,” said Hyland.



The researchers urge teachers to design process‑based tasks that require drafts and reflection - steps no chatbot can provide. Training students to spot engagement markers, they add, will sharpen both writing and detection skills.



The study lands as detection software races to catch up with generative models. Commercial tools still stumble on hybrid texts that mix human and machine sentences. 



For now, stylistic clues give teachers a slim but useful edge, though the target may shift as AI absorbs more conversational cues.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preserving-honest-student-voices">Preserving honest student voices</h2>



Coursework must remain proof of independent thought. If essays lose that role to AI, qualification systems wobble. 



By showing where AI still falters, the study offers data to shape new safeguards while keeping space for honest, imaginative student voices.



The authors place the project within a wider push for digital literacy. Students meet machine text in news feeds, search results, and chat apps long before they step into lecture halls. 



Teaching them to ask who wrote a sentence and why it was written is now central to education. Writing with a visible stance trains that habit. It also makes learners less willing to accept anonymous prose at face value.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/97952/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Written Communication</a>.



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Man vs. machine: Students competed against AI in a writing competition, the results may surprise you

The rise of AI writing tools like ChatGPT has stirred...

Close-up,Of,A,Young,Woman,Blowing,Nose,With,Tissue,Paper

A new artificial intelligence (AI) system can now separately identify fir, spruce, and pine pollen in seconds. The achievement promises cleaner city design, sharper allergy alerts, and deeper insight into ecological change.



The project was led by experts at the <a href="https://www.uta.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Texas at Arlington</a>, the University of Nevada, and Virginia Tech. Working together, the scientists trained nine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/machine-learning-could-revolutionize-drug-discovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">machine learning</a> models on microscope images held at the University of Nevada’s <a href="https://www.unr.edu/natural-history" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Museum of Natural History</a>. 



The best algorithm outpaced human specialists in both speed and precision. It did so while still relying on expert‑prepared slides and careful ecological context.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-provides-sharp-data-on-pollen">AI provides sharp data on pollen</h2>



“With more detailed data on which tree species are most allergenic and when they release <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollen-alters-cloud-formation-and-changes-weather-patterns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollen</a>, urban planners can make smarter decisions about what to plant and where,” said study co‑author Behnaz Balmaki, an assistant professor of research in biology at UTA.



Better planting choices can lower the pollen burden near schoolyards, hospital entrances, playgrounds, and high‑density housing. The same data can feed real‑time dashboards that warn residents ahead of high‑pollen days.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-offers-timely-pollen-health-alerts">AI offers timely pollen health alerts</h2>



“This is especially important in high‑traffic areas like schools, hospitals, parks and neighborhoods. Health services could also use this information to better time <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-making-allergy-season-worse-and-longer-lasting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">allergy</a> alerts, public health messaging, and treatment recommendations during peak pollen seasons,” Balmaki said.



Many current forecasts lump all tree pollen together. The new model can flag which species spike on which day. That detail lets doctors adjust advice and lets patients fine‑tune medication schedules.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-windows-into-past-climates"><a></a>Windows into past climates</h2>



Pollen grains preserved in lake mud and peat bogs provide a time‑stamped record of earlier landscapes. By identifying each grain, researchers track how forests moved as rainfall and temperature shifted. Until now, the work was often slow and limited to broad plant families. AI can cut that bottleneck and it begins with pollen.



“Even with high‑resolution microscopes, the differences between pollens are very subtle,” Balmaki noted. That subtlety forced specialists to spend hours at the eyepiece. In large sediment cores, millions of grains wait for classification.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-deep-learning-speeds-the-count"><a></a>Deep learning speeds the count</h2>



“Our study shows deep‑learning tools can significantly enhance the speed and accuracy of pollen classification,” Balmaki said.



“That opens the door to large‑scale environmental monitoring and more detailed reconstructions of ecological change. It also holds promise for improving allergen tracking by identifying exactly which species are releasing pollen and when.”



Automated pipelines could soon scan thousands of slides and upload results to open databases. That will give climatologists a sharper map of past <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/droughts-and-extreme-weather-events-are-escalating/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">droughts</a>, heat waves, and recovery phases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-for-farm-and-field"><a></a>Benefits for farm and field</h2>



“Pollen is a strong indicator of ecosystem health,” Balmaki said. Plants that drop less pollen than normal may signal water stress or soil decline. Farmers who watch those shifts gain an early warning about crop risk years before yields drop.



“Shifts in pollen composition can signal changes in vegetation, moisture levels, and even past fire activity. Farmers could use this information to track long‑term environmental trends that affect crop viability, soil conditions, or regional climate patterns.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-pollinators-with-technology">Protecting pollinators with technology </h2>



Healthy meadows rely on bees, butterflies, and other insects that depend on exact bloom times. As Balmaki put it, “many animals, including insects like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bees-do-not-learn-to-be-cooperative-it-is-in-their-genes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bees</a> and butterflies, rely on specific plants for food and habitat.” 



If certain pollen types disappear, conservation teams know which wildflower patches need rescue due to the latest AI technology.



“By identifying which plant species are present or declining in an area, we can better understand how these changes impact the entire food web and take steps to protect critical relationships between plants and pollinators.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-pollen-with-ai-models">Testing pollen with AI models</h2>



The researchers scanned vintage fir, spruce, and pine grains dating back decades. Each algorithm learned minute ridge patterns and pore counts that mark one conifer from another. The top model flagged correct IDs at rates that rival seasoned palynologists.



“This shows that deep learning can successfully support and even exceed traditional identification methods in both speed and accuracy,” Balmaki said.



Still, glass slides must be spotless, and labels must remain clear. The team stresses that people and machines work best together.



“But it also confirms how essential human expertise still is. You need well‑prepared samples and a strong understanding of ecological context. This isn’t just about machines - it’s a collaboration between technology and science,” he added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-resilient-cities-and-landscapes">More resilient cities and landscapes</h2>



The group will now feed images from oaks, maples, grasses, and weeds into the network. With AI, a national atlas of species‑specific pollen bursts could emerge within a few years. Scientists could chart vegetation shifts after <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-hurricanes-help-oceans-fight-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hurricanes</a>, track drought damage, or study warming trends that push southern trees northward.



The fusion of AI and classical botany offers more than scientific speed. It equips city planners with plant lists that cut respiratory distress. It hands growers a living gauge of soil and climate change. It gives ecologists a microscope that never tires.



As pollen seasons lengthen in a warming world, such precision tools will matter. The research marks a step toward a future where every grain of pollen tells its story quickly and clearly, helping people breathe easier and guiding smarter stewardship of plants and the land.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/big-data/articles/10.3389/fdata.2025.1507036/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Big Data</a>.



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AI is transforming pollen science and health planning

A new artificial intelligence (AI) system can now separately identify...

Bats in the dense tropical forests stretching from Panama to Brazil don’t hunt by sight - they listen.



One species, the fringe-lipped bat, doesn’t fly aimlessly in search of food. Instead, it tunes into the love songs of frogs and toads. But here’s the twist: not every song leads to a safe or tasty meal.



Some frogs are too big. Others are toxic. So how do these bats know which calls are worth following? It turns out, they learn through experience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-what-s-edible-takes-time">Learning what’s edible takes time</h2>



Researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (<a href="https://stri.si.edu/">STRI</a>), together with scientists from Purdue University, found that fringe-lipped bats aren’t born knowing which calls to trust. Instead, they learn as they grow. This study offers the first clear evidence that predators who eavesdrop on other species' signals sharpen their skills over time.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hunting-habits-of-fringe-lipped-bats-revealed-in-their-poop/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fringe-lipped bats</a> are among nature’s most skilled eavesdroppers. They key in on the mating calls of more than a dozen frog and toad species in their habitats. 



As soon as they hear the right call, they swoop in within seconds. But not every call promises a safe bite. Some <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/frogs-have-a-third-eye-for-direct-light-sensing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">frogs</a> defend themselves with toxins. Others are just too large to handle.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-bats-avoid-bad-frogs">How bats avoid bad frogs</h2>



To avoid a bad meal, adult bats have developed a keen ability to filter out the wrong calls - like a spam filter for frog croaks. What scientists didn’t know was whether this ability was instinctual or learned. That question sparked this new study.



"It's truly remarkable that these bats hunt using the calls of an entirely different group of animals in the first place, and we have wondered for a long time how these bats acquire this unusual skill," said Logan James, STRI postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wild-bats-face-frog-audio-test">Wild bats face frog audio test</h2>



To figure it out, the research team captured both adult and juvenile fringe-lipped bats from the wild. They then played recordings of 15 different frog and toad <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-frogs-rely-on-illusions-to-deceive-their-enemies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mating calls</a> - some from palatable species, others from toxic or oversized ones.



As expected, the adult bats were picky. They clearly responded more often to calls from edible frogs. The younger bats, however, weren’t as selective. On average, juveniles reacted similarly to all the calls, regardless of the frog’s palatability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-danger-detection-takes-practice">Danger detection takes practice</h2>



The one thing they could do was recognize larger prey by sound, just like the adults. But they hadn’t yet learned to identify which species were <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mystery-solved-how-poison-frogs-store-their-toxins-without-harming-themselves/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">toxic</a>. This finding suggests that young bats rely on size cues early on, while their ability to detect danger develops with time and experience.



"We knew from previous research that these bats are very clever and can learn during experiments, but we had not tested whether their aptitude for learning had a role in fine-tuning their responses to sound cues from their natural prey," said James.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-juvenile-bats-still-learning-the-ropes">Juvenile bats still learning the ropes</h2>



This research is the first to compare how predators of different ages respond to the same eavesdropping cues. And the results are surprisingly relatable. Like many young animals - and even human kids - these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wind-turbines-kill-more-female-and-juvenile-bats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">juvenile bats</a> need time to build up their decision-making skills.



"We have studied this fascinating species for years, and in many aspects, we understand its behavior very well," said Rachel Page, staff scientist at STRI and one of the study's senior authors.



"But this was the first time we had ever tested juvenile bats. It was so interesting to see that, like human children, young bats needed time and experience to hone their discrimination skills."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-widespread-predator-pattern">A widespread predator pattern</h2>



The findings point to a much broader pattern in nature. Fringe-lipped bats may not be the only predators who learn this way. Many animals might be sharpening their hunting instincts through trial and error.



Ximena Bernal, a research associate at STRI and professor at Purdue University, is one of the study's senior authors. 



"This study highlights the power of development and learning to shape eavesdropping behavior, an insight that may extend far beyond bats to other predators also navigating complex sensory environments," said Professor Bernal.



"We hope it will inspire other scientists to examine how early experience modulates predator-foraging decisions."



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2025.0450" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</a>.



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Bats learn which frogs are safe to eat by eavesdropping

Bats in the dense tropical forests stretching from Panama to...

When we think of climate heroes, fish might not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet many of the species we commonly eat are doing more than just swimming around - they’re busy reshaping the ocean floor.



This quiet activity, known as bioturbation, turns out to be a major player in the process of storing carbon beneath the seabed.



In a recent study from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Exeter</a>, scientists examined how fish contribute to bioturbation in shallow waters around the U.K.



The research focused on the critical role fish play in mixing ocean sediments and what that means for both the health of marine ecosystems and our changing climate.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-fish-slow-climate-change">How fish slow climate change </h2>



The researchers found that 185 fish species actively help churn and rework the seabed. Of those, 120 are regularly caught by commercial fisheries. 



Some of the most active species include Atlantic cod, Atlantic hagfish, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eel-trade-is-pushing-another-species-to-the-brink/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European eel</a>, which are all well-known names in fish markets and kitchens. These fish aren’t just food. They’re key to maintaining the seabed's ability to store organic carbon.



“Ocean sediments are the world’s largest reservoir of organic carbon - so what happens on the seabed matters for our climate,” said <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Exeter</a> Ph.D. student Mara Fischer, who led the study.



“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/burrowing-crabs-bring-beneficial-bacteria-to-mangrove-forests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bioturbation</a> is very important for how the seabed takes up and stores organic carbon, so the process is vital to our understanding of how the ocean absorbs greenhouse gases to slow the rate of climate change," she added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-modify-ecosystems">Fish modify ecosystems</h2>



The process of churning and mixing the seabed sediments results in changes to the physical and chemical characteristics of the substrate. It is essentially a form of modifying the ecosystem through burrowing, feeding, digging and disturbing the deposits on the bottom. 



Bioturbation is important for the wider ocean ecosystems, as well as for the sediments on the sea floor.



“We have a good understanding of how invertebrates contribute to global bioturbation - but until now, we have been missing half the story," explained Fischer. “Our study is the first to attempt to quantify the bioturbation impact of fish, and it shows they play a significant, widespread role.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-overfishing-threatens-key-fish-species">Overfishing threatens key fish species</h2>



Many of the fish that do the heaviest lifting on the seabed are facing serious threats because they are popular eating fish.



Professor Callum Roberts is an expert in the Center for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.



“Many of the largest and most powerful diggers and disturbers of seabed sediments, like giant skates, halibut and cod, have been so overfished they have all but vanished from our seas,” said Professor Roberts.



“These losses translate into big, but still uncertain, changes in the way seabed ecosystems work.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-the-contribution-of-fish">Measuring the contribution of fish</h2>



To measure each fish’s contribution, the team looked at three factors: how the fish rework sediment (called their bioturbation mode), how often they do it, and their body size. This helped them calculate a "bioturbation impact score" for each species.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-european-eel">European eel</h3>



The European eel is a burrower, with a bioturbation score of 100 out of 125. It is listed as critically endangered. It is mainly fished using traps and nets and is considered a delicacy in many places. 



However, it faces several threats, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastic-pollution-found-in-every-aquatic-species-tested/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollution</a>, habitat loss, diseases, parasites, and climate change.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-atlantic-cod">Atlantic cod</h3>



The Atlantic cod, which excavates vertically, also scored 100. It is listed as vulnerable and is caught primarily through trawling and longlining. It is widely consumed in dishes such as fish-and-chips, salted cod, and fresh filets. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-stocks-are-collapsing-globally-as-overfishing-continues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Overfishing</a>, climate change, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/overfishing-and-habitat-degradation-have-devastated-marine-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">habitat degradation</a> have led to significant population declines, especially in the North Sea and West Atlantic.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-common-skate">Common skate</h3>



The common skate is classified as a lateral excavator and has a bioturbation score of 50. It is critically endangered. Although now protected in some areas, it is often caught accidentally as bycatch. 



Common skate numbers have plummeted due to overfishing. The species is particularly vulnerable because of its large size, slow growth, and low reproductive rate - each female lays about 40 eggs every other year, and it takes 11 years to reach maturity.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-black-seabram">Black seabram</h3>



The black seabream is a nest builder with a bioturbation score of 36. It is listed as a species of least concern. It is primarily caught using bottom trawling, gillnets, and hook-and-line. Fishing during the spawning season in April and May can disrupt nest building and reduce population growth. Bottom trawling at this time can destroy nests and remove both fish and eggs.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gurnard-fish-species">Gurnard fish species</h3>



The red gurnard, a sediment sifter, scored 16. It is also listed as being of least concern. While historically not a major target for commercial fisheries, the red gurnard has become more commonly fished in recent years, including in Cornwall. It is mainly caught by trawlers. 



There are currently no fishing regulations for gurnard species in the E.U. - no minimum landing size, no quota - raising concerns about sustainability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-support-seabed-health">Fish support seabed health</h2>



It’s surprising how long this important role of fish has gone unnoticed. "Anyone who has spent time underwater, whether snorkeling or diving, knows that fish are constantly digging up the seabed,” said study co-author Julie Hawkins.



“It’s hard to believe that such an obvious and important activity has been largely overlooked when it comes to understanding ocean carbon burial.”



The research was part of the Convex Seascape Survey, a five-year global project led by the University of Exeter, Blue Marine Foundation, and Convex Group Limited. 



The survey is the largest of its kind aimed at learning how oceans and continental shelves fit into Earth’s carbon puzzle.



Understanding how fish support seabed health could help shape future conservation and fishing policies. As climate change accelerates, every part of the system matters - and fish may be doing more for us than we ever imagined.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113625002156?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marine Environmental Research</a>.



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Fish are quietly battling climate change on the seabed

When we think of climate heroes, fish might not be...

Humans have reshaped the planet’s green corners into highways, buildings, and sprawling neighborhoods. These developments are now reaching farther into ancient tropical habitats, prompting questions about how wildlife like rats and shrews cope with the shifting environment.



A recent project reveals that small mammals in parts of Borneo’s rainforest are not just adjusting to human-altered landscapes; they may also be exchanging gut bacteria. 



Alessandra Giacomini of <a href="https://www.swansea.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Swansea University</a> helped direct this work, shining a spotlight on how native and invasive species can end up sharing microscopic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-bacteria-have-very-clever-ways-of-supporting-human-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">companions</a> in ways that might surprise people who think of rats and shrews as entirely separate creatures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rats-and-shrews-are-adaptable">Rats and shrews are adaptable</h2>



Urban boundaries in northern Borneo sit next to aging forests. This zone contains four small mammal species, including three rats and one shrew called <a href="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Suncus_murinus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Suncus murinus</a>, which is known to dine on insects and scurry through residential corners.



<a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/44575-Rattus-rattus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rattus rattus</a> and <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/44576-Rattus-norvegicus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rattus norvegicus</a> are the best-known invasive rodents worldwide, with the former often seen in <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257670909_The_secret_life_of_the_city_rat_A_review_of_the_ecology_of_urban_Norway_and_black_rats_Rattus_norvegicus_and_Rattus_rattus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">varied settings</a> across Asia. The native Sundamys muelleri appears more comfortable in lush habitats but has somehow found a way to persist near people.



The researchers looked at the <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/science/microbiome" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbiomes</a> of these animals across different sections of the urban-rural boundary. Each species has its own natural feeding style and distinct digestion <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-fat-diets-cause-high-anxiety-through-changes-in-gut-bacteria/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">processes</a>, yet certain rodents shared bacterial groups when they occupied similar terrain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rats-and-shrews-share-gut-bacteria">Rats and shrews share gut bacteria</h2>



“Our findings suggest that shared environmental use can drive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbes-have-an-unexpected-link-to-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbiome</a> similarity as much or even more than the genetic relatedness of host species,” said Giacomini. This reveals a pattern where animals living in similar conditions may acquire overlapping sets of gut bacteria.



The scientists noticed that Rattus rattus and the native Sundamys muelleri had particularly close microbiome profiles when found in the same suburban zones.



Habitat appears to be a factor that might nudge bacteria to flow between species, especially when they rummage for food in overlapping patches of vegetation or navigate the same drainage areas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-differences-in-a-changing-habitat">Differences in a changing habitat</h2>



“This raises important questions about the role of gut <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-methane-producing-microbe-discovered-in-the-human-gut/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbiomes</a> in helping animals adapt to new and changing environments,” stated Dr. Konstans Wells, an expert in Swansea University’s animal health research group.



Environment-driven changes appeared strongest in Norway rats, which showed contrasting microbial patterns between city and suburban locations.



Shrews, on the other hand, have diets heavier in insects and do not share digestive traits with rats. Shrew samples had the lowest variety of bacteria in their guts. They still showed some bacterial strains that popped up in the rodents, but in much smaller numbers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-potential-health-implications">Potential health implications</h2>



Rats are known carriers of certain pathogens linked to human illnesses, such as <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/leptospirosis/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">leptospirosis</a>. 



When invasive rats and local species like shrews trade bacteria, there might be pathways for zoonotic microbes to shift from wildlife to people. This highlights the delicate balance between animals adapting to city life and the unseen microbes that tag along.



Researchers plan to see whether future shifts in land use could place more species in prolonged contact. Gathering evidence about bacterial transfers could inform decisions on limiting potential disease risks. 



There is growing interest in whether animals like rats and shrews, with flexible appetites or broad tolerance for disturbed spaces, are better at adapting microbiomes to new diets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-more-microbial-exchanges">Tracking more microbial exchanges</h2>



Dr. Tamsyn Uren Webster and Dr. Wells are expanding these efforts. They want to examine whether other communities of creatures exhibit a similar overlap of microscopic life.



Borneo’s rainforests remain a frontier for biodiversity, yet people continue to occupy these spaces with shops, farms, and new homes.



It is possible that native wildlife, including certain rodents, will keep settling near people as the push for housing spreads. Researchers wonder if these animals will pick up even more bacteria from one another, creating scenarios where local and foreign species unknowingly blend their gut microbes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predicting-which-rodents-will-thrive">Predicting which rodents will thrive</h2>



Seeing rats and shrews in a city might seem normal, but their exchanges of gut bacteria could have wide-ranging consequences.



These hidden microbes can shape how creatures digest food and defend themselves against infections. They can also carry disease-causing agents that might slip into human populations if left unchecked.



Scientists believe that understanding each animal’s unique gut flora helps predict which species are poised to thrive. Over time, these data might become a key ingredient for policymakers who aim to manage invasive rodents in newly built neighborhoods. 



The hope is to balance development with safeguards against the unforeseen effects of living alongside opportunistic animals.



The study is published in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.17782" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Molecular Ecology</a>.



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Rats and shrews living close together trade gut bacteria

Humans have reshaped the planet’s green corners into highways, buildings,...

Reservoirs,With,Hydrogen.,Eco,Fuel,Storage,Tanks.,H2,Gas,For

Folschviller, a quiet town in France’s Moselle region, just handed the energy world a surprise it didn’t see coming. Beneath land once dotted with coal pits lies an estimated 46 million tons of natural hydrogen, a cache large enough to stir fresh conversations about how the planet powers itself. 



The figure tops half of today’s yearly gray hydrogen output, yet it carries none of the pollution burden that shadows the industry’s status quo.



The discovery lands at a moment when clean fuels are in high demand, but often too pricey or too dirty to use at scale. Here, nature has done the hard work. 



Instead of relying on factories or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-warnings-fossil-fuels-are-causing-climate-health-and-biodiversity-crises/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fossil fuels</a>, this hydrogen has sat untouched until recent drilling exposed it - and the timing could not be more convenient for a world bent on cutting emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finding-the-natural-hydrogen-motherlode">Finding the natural hydrogen motherlode</h2>



A research team hunting for methane struck a different kind of treasure at a depth of 4,101 feet. The drill core showed pockets of colorless gas, soon confirmed as hydrogen. 



Only after that eureka moment did word spread that the deposit belonged to the GeoRessources laboratory and France’s National Center for Scientific Research, or <a href="https://www.cnrs.fr/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CNRS</a>.



The scientists were looking for clues to ancient hydrocarbons when the readings changed. They realized the reservoir might reshape regional energy plans, prompting fresh tests and economic modeling. 



Early estimates calculate the value of the find at roughly $184 billion, based on a conservative $4.00 per kilogram, or $4,000 per ton.



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



Industry labels hydrogen by color to signal how it is produced. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-hydrogen-energy-production-just-got-a-lot-easier/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Green hydrogen</a> splits water with renewable electricity, a clean method but one that still costs more than most companies can swallow. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shape-shifting-membrane-could-be-the-key-to-cleaner-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gray hydrogen</a> strips the element from natural gas, leaving behind carbon dioxide. White hydrogen skips both paths; it forms naturally underground and carries no direct carbon penalty.



That built‑in advantage tackles two headaches at once. It avoids the power‑hungry electrolysis required for green hydrogen and sidesteps the emissions from gray hydrogen’s fossil‑fuel origin. 



If engineers can lift the gas to the surface without leaks, factories could switch to a cleaner feedstock overnight.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simple-chemistry-at-work">Simple chemistry at work</h2>



White hydrogen begins when water seeps into iron‑rich rocks deep below ground. A chemical reaction splits the water molecules, releasing hydrogen gas that drifts into cracks and traps. 



Over thousands of years, those pockets grow. In some parts of the world - Mali, Russia, and isolated U.S. basins - gas even seeps to the surface, lighting small bush fires or fueling village stoves.



The French deposit likely formed the same way. Because it already sits in a pure state, producers can bypass the energy‑intensive clean‑up steps that plague other hydrogen sources. The gas emerges ready for pipelines, fuel cells, or industrial burners.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-counting-dollars-and-emissions">Counting dollars and emissions</h2>



Hydrogen priced at $4.00 per kilogram could make low‑carbon steel, ammonia, and long‑haul trucking far cheaper than current green hydrogen models allow. 



With a price tag of $184 billion, the Moselle reserve reads like an open invitation to investors. Unlike oil or coal, its combustion releases only water vapor, trimming the environmental tab to nearly zero.



Yet money alone does not sway climate math. 



Replacing gray hydrogen with natural hydrogen at this scale would cancel about 130 million tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-co2-emissions-rise-as-nations-tackle-fossil-fuel-dependence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon dioxide</a> each year - the amount those gray plants now emit. That single swap could equal the annual emissions of a midsize European country.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-local-benefits-for-france">Local benefits for France</h2>



Lorraine’s history is steeped in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/u-s-coal-ash-holds-tons-of-rare-earth-elements-worth-8-4-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coal</a> and steel. Many mines closed decades ago, leaving empty shafts and economic scars. 



Tapping white hydrogen offers a chance to revive the region with new jobs in drilling, pipeline work, and gas processing. Local officials already talk about training programs to shift miners to cleaner tasks.



Energy security matters, too. France imports much of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-gas-isnt-as-clean-as-we-think/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">natural gas</a> that feeds its industries. A domestic supply of hydrogen would shield buyers from price swings and geopolitical shocks, giving planners a dependable baseline fuel.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-abundance-of-natural-hydrogen">Abundance of natural hydrogen</h2>



About midway through the project, lead scientist Dr. Jacques Pironon put the discovery into plain terms for Interesting Engineering.



“Our research suggests that natural hydrogen could be far more abundant than previously thought. If we can find efficient ways to extract and use it, we may have a powerful new tool in the fight against climate change," Dr. Pironon enthused.



“We need to understand the full potential of these hydrogen reservoirs and develop safe, efficient methods to extract them.” 



His caution reflects the field’s youth; few commercial wells exist, and regulators still draft rules to prevent leaks or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nearly-100-million-americans-exposed-to-contaminated-drinking-water/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">groundwater problems</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-race-for-natural-hydrogen-begins">Global race for natural hydrogen begins</h2>



Other countries have noticed. Australia’s government earmarked funds to map its iron‑rich crust, while U.S. explorers study gas seeps in Kansas and Nebraska. 



Some researchers even ask whether white hydrogen replenishes continuously, like an underground fountain. If future tests show steady recharge, the fuel could edge closer to the definition of renewable.



Tech startups are also watching. Companies that design hydrogen turbines, storage tanks, and refueling stations see a chance to leapfrog the cost barriers that hold back wider adoption. 



Lower feedstock prices could make hydrogen trucks and ships more attractive than their diesel rivals.



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



France has a long way to go with this jackpot, and the next move is a big one. Pilot wells will test flow rates, pressure behavior, and safety gear. 



Should those numbers hold, commercial extraction could start within a few years, turning Folschviller into a living laboratory for natural hydrogen. 



Success might prompt copycat surveys worldwide, nudging the energy mix toward a gas that arrives carbon‑free straight from the ground.



Learn more about natural hydrogen extraction in this full study by the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55773-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Jackpot! Largest 'natural hydrogen' discovery could help solve Earth's energy crisis

Folschviller, a quiet town in France’s Moselle region, just handed...

We often celebrate social friendship as a pillar of health, longevity, and happiness. Across species, from humans to gorillas and other animals, social bonds appear to enrich lives. Yet, what if these connections don’t always help? What if social behavior sometimes drains more than it gives?



A recent study from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, in collaboration with the universities of Exeter and Zurich, uncovers this hidden complexity. 



By tracking 164 wild mountain gorillas over 21 years in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, researchers revealed a nuanced picture of how friendship and social <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gorillas-are-digging-for-a-surprising-food-in-the-jungle-soil/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">roles</a> influence survival and reproduction.



This research doesn’t just apply to gorillas. It reflects the deeper currents of our own evolutionary past. It forces us to rethink whether more friendship always means better health or longer life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-bonds-don-t-always-help-gorillas">Social bonds don’t always help gorillas</h2>



In humans, the social environment ranks among the strongest predictors of health and lifespan. Similar patterns emerge in other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/male-infertility-humans-linked-same-genes-gorilla-small-penises/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social mammals</a>, suggesting ancient evolutionary links. 



But even with the known benefits of connection, individuals often vary in how social they are. Some display behaviors that seem, at first glance, to defy evolutionary logic.



The mountain gorillas in this study helped clarify that contradiction. Scientists looked at both individual social traits and broader group characteristics to explore how these elements influence fitness. 



The findings reveal a pattern of highly context-dependent outcomes. The costs and benefits of sociality change with sex, group size, and the nature of relationships.



Despite strong fitness benefits tied to social bonds, not everyone gains equally. A female gorilla’s experience of friendship might be very different from a male’s - and what works in one group may not work in another.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-shifting-equation-of-friendship">The shifting equation of friendship</h2>



The research uncovered a striking set of contrasts. Female gorillas in smaller <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-gorillas-self-aware-new-research-challenges-old-assumptions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">groups</a> who maintained strong bonds were less likely to fall ill. 



However, these same females had fewer offspring. On the other hand, females in larger groups who had strong ties were more likely to get sick but also had higher birth rates. Health and reproduction pulled in opposite directions.



For males, the trade-offs played out differently. Those with strong, stable bonds had fewer injuries - perhaps because allies provided safety - but experienced higher rates of illness. These findings shake the assumption that sociality always leads to better outcomes.



“Having a lot of strong social relationships is often really good - but sometimes it isn’t,” said Dr. Robin Morrison, lead author and senior researcher at the <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Zurich</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-stress-makes-male-gorillas-sick">Social stress makes male gorillas sick</h2>



Why would strong <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-friendships-social-bonds-evolve-over-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">relationships</a> lead to more illness in males? The answer may lie in the costs of bonding itself. 



“It’s possible that males expend more energy by having close social ties, as they have to defend females and offspring, and the stress of this may reduce their immune function,” explained Dr. Morrison.



In other words, it isn’t always the risk of disease transmission that causes illness. The emotional and physical toll of guarding others, staying vigilant, and maintaining dominance might chip away at the immune system. 



This insight links emotional labor with biological consequences - a concept that resonates far beyond the gorilla world.



The gorillas remind us that relationships, while powerful, demand energy. Sometimes, the social load can overwhelm the very systems meant to protect us.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-group-traits-shift-the-balance">Group traits shift the balance</h2>



The study didn’t stop at individual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pets-increase-life-satisfaction-as-much-as-marriage-or-close-friendships/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">behavior</a>. The researchers looked closely at the traits of entire gorilla groups - size, cohesion, conflict, and stability - and how they altered the effects of personal social styles. 



What they found was a dynamic interaction. Group context shaped whether a gorilla’s social strategies helped or harmed.



In small groups, friendly females enjoyed low illness rates but had fewer babies. In large groups, the same friendly behavior led to more sickness but also higher reproduction. These trends show that social advantages are not fixed - they shift depending on who surrounds you.



“With these forces pushing in different directions, the ‘optimal’ social type will depend on an individual’s sex, age, offspring and wider social group,” said Dr. Sam Ellis from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Exeter</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-all-social-traits-help-gorillas">Not all social traits help gorillas</h2>



The implications stretch beyond the animal kingdom. In humans and other social mammals, researchers often treat connection as inherently good. But the gorilla study highlights a deeper complexity. In some cases, behaviors once considered maladaptive - like avoiding others - can yield unexpected benefits.



“In some situations social traits that we’ve previously thought of as maladaptive can have important benefits,” said Dr. Ellis.



The paper’s title, “Group traits moderate the relationship between individual social traits and fitness in gorillas,” captures this balance. It shows that both personal and social group characteristics shape the path to survival and reproductive success.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-long-term-look-into-gorilla-life">A long-term look into gorilla life</h2>



This research would not have been possible without long-term observation. For over two decades, scientists tracked interactions among gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. The study paints a detailed portrait of lives marked by leadership, loyalty, loss, and resilience.



“This paper highlights the incredible value of long-term studies to furthering our understanding of the evolution of sociality and how the benefits or costs of sociality can vary considerably across different environments,” said Dr. Tara Stoinski, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of the <a href="https://gorillafund.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund</a>.



Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (<a href="https://www.snf.ch/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SNSF</a>) and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the project demonstrates how essential sustained research is in revealing the deeper workings of social evolution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-gorillas-behind-the-research">The gorillas behind the research</h2>



The study includes unforgettable case studies that bring the numbers to life. Gutangara, a successful mother, lives in one of the park’s largest groups. Though she forms many friendships, Gutangara spends most of her time with her offspring, both young and grown. She holds the record among the observed gorillas with eight surviving children.



Maggie, once the top-ranking female in the Bwenge group, was both fierce and nurturing. She often initiated grooming but could also be aggressive. After the dominant male’s sudden death, she led the group. However, after merging with a neighboring group, she could not adjust and chose to leave. She vanished into Congo, her fate unknown.



Titus, a silverback male, lost his parents early to poaching. Despite this, he became the dominant male at just 15. Known for his gentleness, he had deep bonds with the females in his group. 



They often stayed in physical contact with him - an unusual trait among gorillas. His soft leadership helped him maintain dominance for 20 years.



Cantsbee, another silverback, ruled his group for 22 years and fathered at least 28 children. Known for his peaceful authority, he rarely fought but always protected others. He shared a deep bond with his son Gicurasi, who took over as leader later. When Cantsbee grew ill, he left the group, returning only once before passing away in solitude.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-diversity-in-social-strategies">Diversity in social strategies </h2>



What this study reveals is the delicate, ever-shifting calculus of social behavior. Fitness doesn’t rely solely on closeness. It emerges from how an individual fits into their specific group, under particular conditions, during specific life stages.



By revealing how personal and group traits interact, this research offers a new view of evolution. It suggests that diversity in social strategies isn’t just tolerated - it may be necessary. In gorillas, as in humans, there is no one right way to connect. 



Sometimes, stepping back is just as important as reaching out.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2421539122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Some gorillas get sick from being 'too social'

We often celebrate social friendship as a pillar of health,...

Modern life keeps most of us moving fast but exercising less. While we hustle between screens, meetings, and chores, our bodies slow down - and our brains might be doing the same. 



In recent years, researchers have explored how small changes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-in-a-pill-is-now-closer-to-reality/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">daily movement</a> could produce large shifts in overall health. And now, evidence is building that even modest physical activity might shield our most important organ: the brain.



The idea that fitness and cognitive well-being are deeply connected is not new. But how little effort it takes to unlock those benefits might surprise you.



In Norway, this concept has sparked national interest thanks to a team of researchers who made headlines with a fresh approach to exercise - and now, a powerful case for its brain-boosting potential.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-workouts-boost-body-and-brain">Tiny workouts boost body and brain</h2>



Earlier this year, Ulrik Wisløff and Atefe R. Tari of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (<a href="https://www.ntnu.edu">NTNU</a>) published a book titled Microtraining – 7 weeks to boost fitness and strength. 



Its release drew attention to a simple, research-backed idea: even small bursts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-reduces-the-risk-of-brain-diseases-by-up-to-54-percent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">physical activity</a> can create substantial gains in strength and endurance.



The same researchers, collaborating with the <a href="https://qbi.uq.edu.au">Queensland Brain Institute</a> in Australia, have now expanded their scope. Their new study, published in The Lancet, focuses on brain health. It asks a compelling question - how does being physically active affect the aging brain?



The answer is promising: it doesn’t take much movement to help your brain age more gracefully.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-intense-exercises-improve-brain-health">Intense exercises improve brain health</h2>



The study reveals that even short bouts of high-intensity exercise can influence brain health positively. These findings support growing calls for public health policies that place more emphasis on movement, regardless of duration.



“Exercise is not only important for the heart, but also for the brain. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-significantly-lowers-heart-disease-risk-by-reducing-stress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Physical activity</a> appears to be one of the most promising measures we have to prevent cognitive decline and dementia,” Tari said.



The review highlights how fitness, especially endurance training, may delay or reduce the risk of dementia. For an aging population with rising rates of cognitive disease, this insight is not just useful - it’s urgent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-exercise-affects-the-brain">How exercise affects the brain</h2>



The team reviewed data from both animal and human studies to uncover how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-doses-of-exercise-can-greatly-reduce-dementia-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">physical activity</a> influences biological processes in the brain. 



As we age, inflammation increases, blood flow slows, immune functions weaken, and brain plasticity declines. These changes make the brain more vulnerable to neurodegenerative conditions like dementia.



“These are mechanisms that play an important role in the development of dementia and cognitive decline,” Tari explained.



The good news? Exercise seems to slow or even reverse many of these age-related changes. 



The body releases protective molecules during physical activity that enhance brain repair and communication. This is particularly important as aging cells lose their natural ability to maintain cognitive function.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microtraining-as-a-health-strategy">Microtraining as a health strategy</h2>



Wisløff and Tari belong to the Cardiac Exercise Research Group (<a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg">CERG</a>) at NTNU. They have long advocated for microtraining, a practice that involves brief but intense periods of movement. 



Instead of long sessions at the gym, microtraining weaves exercise into daily life. For example, walking briskly up stairs or doing short sprints at home.



This approach could make fitness more accessible. Current public <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-focused-medicine-physical-activity-reduces-chronic-disease-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">health</a> guidelines suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of high-intensity effort each week. But many people struggle to meet those targets.



“Fully 50 to 70 percent of the population does not manage today’s activity recommendations,” Wisløff said.



The researchers argue that it’s time to rethink these benchmarks. The real barrier may not be ability or awareness - it’s how the message is framed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-time-more-intensity">Less time, more intensity</h2>



The review makes it clear: the key lies not in how long you move, but how hard. Even small doses of high-intensity movement offer measurable brain benefits.



“We believe it’s time for health authorities to provide clearer advice on how important exercise is for the brain. Our review shows that even small doses of high-intensity activity - equivalent to brisk walking where you can’t sing - can reduce the risk of dementia by up to 40 percent,” Wisløff said.



This redefinition of what counts as exercise could transform the way individuals and policymakers think about fitness. It doesn’t require a gym membership or hours of free time. Just commitment - and perhaps a bit of breathlessness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exercise-and-brain-health">Exercise and brain health</h2>



The Norwegian findings are not alone. In a January commentary in Nature Medicine, American researchers echoed the call for updated guidelines. 



They, too, emphasized the value of even brief, intense activities. Together, these voices challenge the idea that fitness must be time-consuming to be worthwhile.



“Today’s recommendations emphasize total activity, but we show that even small amounts of high intensity exercise have an effect on the brain. This should be communicated more clearly - it may be what motivates people to get started. A little is better than nothing - and it’s never too late to start,” said Tari.



Public messaging around health often focuses on long-term, high-effort goals. But this research suggests that the road to better brain health might begin with much smaller steps.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-the-brain-with-exercise">Protecting the brain with exercise </h2>



As populations live longer, dementia and cognitive decline are becoming some of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. With no effective cure yet available, prevention stands as the strongest defense. That’s where movement comes in.



“Exercise is cheap, accessible and has no side effects. It should be considered a first-line measure to preserve brain health,” Tari said.



The simplicity of this solution makes it powerful. By replacing inactivity with brief but regular bursts of movement, individuals can protect not just their bodies - but their minds.



And in doing so, they embrace a form of healthcare that begins with the smallest of steps.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00184-9/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lancet</a>.



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Small bursts of intense exercise can slow brain aging

Modern life keeps most of us moving fast but exercising...

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Native Organic Cotton Napkins Set of 4

Native Organic cotton napkins are the perfect pairing for your...

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Natural Beeswax Tapers - Set of 2

These natural tapers are hand dipped in 100% pure beeswax,...