Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



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



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



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



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



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



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits. https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3 Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination. Researchers Smriti Gaur...

Anthropomorphism, or seeing animals as human-like, has long helped shape conservation efforts. From cartoons to fundraising campaigns, giving animals human emotions and faces makes them more relatable. But this seemingly harmless trick has deeper consequences. 



A new study in the journal iScience explores how cultural, personal, and social factors shape our willingness to see animals like ourselves. This impacts which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-and-possibly-even-insects-have-emotions/">species</a> we choose to protect.



“Unfortunately, anthropomorphism significantly influences conservation efforts... Species that appear more human-like or exhibit human-like behaviors usually tend to receive more attention, funding, and public support,” said Federica Amici of <a href="https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leipzig University</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-emotional-responses-to-animals">Emotional responses to animals</h2>



The research team surveyed 741 adults from Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and Spain. Each participant rated how much they agreed with statements about animals’ emotions, minds, intentions, and even their ability to distinguish good from evil. 



Respondents also reported their religious beliefs, education level, social networks, and personal experiences with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-emotions-can-be-decoded-through-voice-recognition/">animals</a>.



Participants with less education tended to assign more human-like free will to animals. In contrast, those with more structured scientific learning were more cautious. 



Interestingly, urban experiences like owning pets or seeing animals in media predicted more emotional connections. These people were more likely to believe <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chick-emotions-shed-new-light-on-animal-welfare/">animals</a> had minds, emotions, and intent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lonely-humans-humanize-animals">Lonely humans humanize animals</h2>



Social isolation played a powerful role. People with weaker social ties were more likely to see animals as emotionally complex and similar to humans. 



This tendency was even more pronounced in allocentric individuals, who see themselves as part of a group rather than independent. These individuals often attributed more free will and emotions to animals, perhaps to meet their own need for companionship



“People who feel lonely or aren’t well connected to others often try to meet their need for social <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-emotions-evoke-different-responses-in-dogs-and-pigs/">connection</a> by seeing human-like qualities in animals or other non-human things,” noted Amici. This helps explain why pet owners or animal lovers may assign deeper personalities to their pets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-religion-shapes-human-view-of-animals">Religion shapes human view of animals</h2>



Religious belief had a noticeable effect. Participants from monotheistic traditions like Islam and Christianity were less likely to attribute free will, emotions, and pain to animals. 



In contrast, those from non-monotheistic faiths such as Hinduism and Buddhism were more open to the idea that animals could feel, think, and even deceive.



“Non-monotheistic religions appear to contribute more strongly to envisioning a space of coexistence between humans and other species,” said Amici. This supports the idea that religions emphasizing interconnection nurture deeper empathy toward non-human life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seeing-monkeys-as-moral-agents">Seeing monkeys as moral agents</h2>



The study included special focus on monkeys. People with greater exposure to monkeys were more likely to believe monkeys could deceive, plan, or act with intent but paradoxically, less likely to think monkeys felt pain.



Why the contradiction? The researchers suggest a possible reason. When animals are seen as threats, such as crop raiding monkeys, humans may still judge their behavior but downplay their suffering. 



This type of moral distancing may help humans justify their actions when conflicts arise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-feeling-and-understanding-emotions">Feeling and understanding emotions</h2>



The survey measured traits like the ability to feel primary emotions such as anger or fear, secondary emotions like guilt or shame, and understand others’ intentions. 



Most people saw monkeys as capable of feeling basic emotions and having minds of their own.



However, beliefs about more complex traits like distinguishing good from evil were more variable. These attributions often reflected a blend of religion, social closeness, and urban experience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-assigning-human-traits-to-animals">Assigning human traits to animals</h2>



Assigning human traits to animals can help conservation efforts. It can boost empathy, raise funds, and build support. But it can also skew public concern toward cute or familiar species. That may leave less attractive yet ecologically vital creatures out of focus.



“I think anthropomorphizing species can be an effective approach, but it should be used with caution,” said Amici.



This study shows that conservationists must consider social context. Campaigns that resonate in one culture may fall flat in another. Customizing messaging based on local beliefs, education, and exposure to animals can make programs more effective.



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



This research uncovers how deeply our personal lives shape what we see in animals. By recognizing those patterns, conservation can become more inclusive and impactful. 



Instead of relying only on emotion or charisma, strategies can balance human connection with ecological urgency. When we see animals clearly, through both empathy and science, we might finally protect them wisely.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(25)00954-X" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iScience</a>.



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Why we see some animals as more human than others

Anthropomorphism, or seeing animals as human-like, has long helped shape...

3d,Rendering,Golden,Quantum,Computer,Machine,Close,Up

Quantum computers promise to solve puzzles that overwhelm the fastest super‑computers, yet training many of today’s flagship algorithms often feels like pedaling in sand. Researchers call the trap a "barren plateau." 



These barren plateaus are stretches of the quantum algorithm <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-clock-revolution-could-change-how-we-measure-time/">optimization</a> landscape so unnervingly flat that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/gradient-based-algorithm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gradient‑based methods</a> cannot tell uphill from downhill.



Early theory proved that the average gradient of a <a href="https://pennylane.ai/qml/glossary/variational_circuit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">variational quantum circuit</a> drops off exponentially with the number of qubits, so every extra qubit makes learning dramatically harder. 



That scaling dooms large circuits to silence long before they grow big enough to outperform classical rivals.



Los Alamos physicist <a href="https://cnls.lanl.gov/External/people/Marco_CerezodelaRoca.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marco Cerezo</a> and collaborators have spent six years dissecting the plateau’s causes and have now <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42254-025-00813-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> the most complete map of the hazard.



“Barren plateaus are not the only issue facing variational quantum <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-quantum-gravity-discovery-leaps-one-step-closer-to-unified-theory-of-everything/">computing</a>, but it is the main issue at the moment,” said <a href="https://cnls.lanl.gov/external/people/Martin_Larocca.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Martin Larocca</a> of Los Alamos National Laboratory (<a href="https://www.lanl.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LANL</a>).



Their article classifies plateaus by origin, from random circuit depth to hardware noise, and supplies the first analytic test for predicting when a fresh design will go flat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-barren-plateau-impacts-on-education">Barren plateau impacts on education</h2>



As more universities and companies build <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/do-humans-truly-have-free-will-new-quantum-experiment-will-find-the-definitive-answer/">quantum</a> programs, understanding barren plateaus is becoming essential knowledge, not just a specialist topic. New students entering the field need to grasp why some <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07090-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">algorithms fail</a> before they ever succeed.



This is especially important for those working on <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.09265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">variational quantum algorithms</a>, since poor initial choices can waste months of work. 



Larocca’s team hopes their paper will help guide the next generation of researchers toward better design principles from the start.



Solving the barren plateau problem isn’t just a job for quantum physicists. It requires input from experts in <a href="https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/machine-learning" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">machine learning</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/optimization-theory" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">optimization theory</a>, and <a href="https://www.asist.org/student-resources/what-is-information-science/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">information science</a> to rethink how learning happens in high-dimensional quantum spaces.



This cross-disciplinary approach has already led to fresh insights, including hybrid strategies that blend quantum circuits with classical feedback loops. 



Continued progress will likely depend on how well these fields work together to tackle problems none of them can solve alone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dimensionality-weakens-quantum-algorithms">Dimensionality weakens quantum algorithms</h2>



The team links the plateau to the familiar <a href="https://www.datacamp.com/blog/curse-of-dimensionality-machine-learning" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">curse of dimensionality</a>, the statistical nightmare that strikes whenever data or parameters balloon into huge vector spaces.



In quantum circuits every extra qubit doubles <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/dimensional-hilbert-space" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hilbert‑space dimension</a>, so naïve <a href="https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Parameterization.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parameterizations</a> wander aimlessly across a near‑featureless desert.



Physical noise adds a second blow. A 2021 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27045-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> proved that even shallow circuits can inherit a noise‑induced barren plateau, because decoherence erases the very information the optimizer needs.



Entanglement can hurt as well: too much entanglement between circuit layers spreads information so thin that gradients wash out, a phenomenon dubbed <a href="https://journals.aps.org/prxquantum/abstract/10.1103/PRXQuantum.2.040316" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">entanglement‑induced plateaus</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-spot-barren-plateaus-early">How to spot barren plateaus early</h2>



Cerezo’s group derived an equation that flags plateau‑prone <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-form-of-quantum-entanglement-discovered-will-transform-next-gen-technology/">architectures</a> before anyone wastes lab time. Shallow, problem‑inspired ansätze tend to pass; deep, hardware‑efficient ones usually fail.



The same test shows that when a design escapes the plateau it often becomes classically simulable, hinting at a trade‑off between trainability and quantum advantage.



“We can’t continue to copy and paste methods from classical computing into the quantum world,” said Cerezo. Copy‑and‑paste tactics from classical machine learning, deeper networks, random starts, and broad parameter sweeps, rarely help.&nbsp;



Instead, researchers experiment with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0361768823100080" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">layer‑by‑layer training</a>, correlated parameter initializations, and cost functions that focus on local observables, all aimed at preserving gradient signal without giving up quantum power.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-variational-methods-still-hold-promise">Variational methods still hold promise</h2>



Despite the training challenges, variational methods remain one of the most practical approaches for today’s noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.08448" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">devices</a>. They require fewer qubits and shallower circuits compared to more error-sensitive quantum algorithms.



That makes them a strong candidate for near-term applications, provided the training bottlenecks like barren plateaus can be managed. 



Researchers are still optimistic that with the right architectures and better hardware, these methods can unlock useful quantum solutions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-barren-plateaus-matter">Why barren plateaus matter</h2>



The barren plateau problem isn’t just a technical nuisance, it determines whether quantum computing will ever beat classical computing on meaningful tasks. 



If algorithms can’t train efficiently as problem sizes grow, then even the most advanced hardware won’t deliver practical results.



This matters for industries betting on quantum to solve optimization, chemistry, and cryptography problems. 



From drug design to logistics, progress depends on building algorithms that not only function in theory, but also learn efficiently on real hardware.



Larocca’s review urges builders to co‑design hardware and algorithms so that qubits, gates, and objective functions reinforce one another rather than conspire against training.



Future machines with longer coherence times and mid‑circuit measurements could unlock new <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.09265" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">variational quantum computing</a> strategies that bypass the plateau rather than merely tiptoe around it.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42254-025-00813-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Reviews Physics</a>.



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Escaping dead zones in the 'barren plateau' of quantum computing

Quantum computers promise to solve puzzles that overwhelm the fastest...

Every parent remembers the first cry of their newborn - a sound that seems to carry both the spark of life and a hint of distress. Does this cry reflect pain? And if so, is that pain anything like what an adult feels?



Pain is not simply a physical sensation. It also involves emotional distress and cognitive evaluation. To feel pain in the way adults understand it, the brain must process it through multiple networks.



A recent study by <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCL</a> and <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">King’s College London</a> maps how babies’ brains develop the ability to sense and interpret pain. The work reveals that these abilities do not all appear at once. 



The experts scanned 372 preterm and term <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-infants-connect-with-the-world-it-all-starts-with-the-feet/">infants</a> between 26 and 42 weeks postmenstrual age. The brain activity of the babies was compared to adults using MRI data from two massive neuroimaging databases.



“Pain is a complex experience with physical, emotional, and cognitive elements - each part responsible for different aspects of it,” explained lead researcher Professor Lorenzo Fabrizi.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pain-networks-develop-at-different-times">Pain networks develop at different times</h2>



Pain involves three networks: sensory-discriminative, affective-motivational, and cognitive-evaluative. These networks connect different brain regions that identify, respond to, and interpret pain. 



The research shows that these networks mature at different rates. The sensory-discriminative network develops first; by 34 to 36 weeks, infants can detect the location and intensity of pain. 



The affective-motivational network matures between 36 to 38 weeks, enabling emotional responses to painful stimuli. 



The cognitive-evaluative network develops last, only after 42 weeks, meaning that even full-term infants lack a complete understanding of pain.



According to the study, sensory connections rapidly strengthen from 34 weeks, affective ones follow, while cognitive links remain sparse even at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/singing-to-babies-is-a-powerful-way-to-boost-their-mood/">term</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pain-sensitivity-grows-fast">Pain sensitivity grows fast</h2>



The research also&nbsp;shows a strong increase in both the number and strength of brain connections from 26 to 42 weeks. Still, only the oldest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/caffeine-offers-new-hope-for-preventing-sudden-infant-deaths/">infants</a> reached adult-like proportions in any network.



By 38 to 40 weeks, sensory pathways exceeded adult connection strength. Affective pathways also strengthened sharply. 



However, cognitive pathways - those tied to conscious thought - were weaker than adult levels in 40 percent of cases. This confirms that infants may feel pain but struggle to understand it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preterm-babies-respond-more-to-pain">Preterm babies respond more to pain</h2>



A 2023 study had shown that preterm infants do not habituate to repeated painful procedures. The new study explains this with brain development. Preterm babies may lack the cognitive tools to make sense of pain or modulate it.



“Preterm babies may be particularly vulnerable to painful medical procedures during critical stages of brain development... including the role of tailored pain management,” noted Professor Fabrizi.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-pain-networks-form-in-a-baby-s-brain">How pain networks form in a baby's brain</h2>



The sensory network matures earlier due to early development of spinal nociceptive circuits. These help babies sense noxious input quickly. 



According to the authors, axonal growth, synaptogenesis, and myelination start in sensory areas before spreading to others.



The affective network, which processes emotional pain, matures later. Connections involving the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex appear only after 32 weeks.



Cognitive networks, involving the prefrontal cortex, are the last to mature. These support conscious awareness and memory of pain. Some frontal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/even-before-they-crawl-babies-can-feel-their-own-heartbeat/">connections</a> are still missing at birth, especially in preterm babies.



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



This study makes it clear: term infants are not mini-adults in how they feel pain. Their brains are still forming essential networks. 



The researchers show that even full-term babies have weaker cognitive pain processing than adults. That means clinical teams must time procedures carefully. 



For preterm infants especially, poorly timed painful interventions can have lasting consequences.



The brain’s pain-processing systems continue developing after birth. Full maturation, especially in the cognitive domain, may take months or even years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-babies-feel-pain-differently-from-adults">Babies feel pain differently from adults</h2>



This research shifts how we understand infant pain. Newborns feel it, but they experience it differently. Recognizing this gap between sensory input and cognitive processing is vital.



Caregivers and clinicians must act with this knowledge, protecting newborns during this delicate stage of neural development.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.lww.com/pain/fulltext/9900/differential_maturation_of_the_brain_networks.919.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pain</a>.



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Babies can feel pain before they know what it means

Every parent remembers the first cry of their newborn -...

The universe keeps hiding most of its mass, yet it leaves telltale fingerprints. Astronomers are about to read them with NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, slated to launch in 2027. 



Roman’s survey camera will sweep the sky for more than 160,000 distorted galaxy images, which act as natural zoom lenses forged by gravity. 



Lead author <a href="https://physics.wustl.edu/people/bryce-wedig" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bryce Wedig</a> of Washington University in St. Louis said the haul will “let us measure the small‑scale structure of the cosmos in ways that were impossible before.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-dark-matter-the-basics">Understanding dark matter - the basics</h2>



According to commonly accepted theory, dark matter is an invisible form of matter that does not emit, absorb, or reflect light, making it undetectable through conventional electromagnetic observations. Yet, it exerts a significant gravitational influence on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/visible-matter-dark-matter-evolved-together-big-bang/">visible matter</a> in the universe. 



Scientists first inferred its existence by noticing discrepancies in the rotation speeds of galaxies. Stars at the outer edges of galaxies move much faster than expected based on the observable mass alone. 



To account for this anomaly, astronomers proposed the presence of an unseen mass - dark matter - that makes up approximately 85% of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/theory-gravity-exists-without-mass-so-dark-matter-does-not-exist/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">total matter</a> in the universe.



Despite its abundance, dark matter remains one of the most elusive components in cosmology. Astronomers hope that the Roman Space Telescope will put an end to the search.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bending-light-unmasks-dark-matter">Bending light unmasks dark matter</h2>



The first trick for the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/roman-space-telescope/nasas-roman-to-peer-into-cosmic-lenses-to-better-define-dark-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roman telescope</a> involves <a href="https://esawebb.org/wordbank/gravitational-lensing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gravitational lensing</a>. This is Einstein’s idea that mass curves space so much that it warps passing light. 



When a hefty foreground galaxy lines up with a more distant, fainter one, the background glow stretches into arcs, crescents, or even full rings.



Physicists already know that visible stars and gas account for only about one‑sixth of a galaxy’s pull. 



The missing piece is dark <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11214-024-01087-w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">matter</a>, an unseen substance with a gravitational pull that corrals galaxies and keeps <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-dark-matter-does-not-exist-and-the-universe-is-27-billion-years-old/">clusters</a> intact.



Roman’s lenses act like laboratory scales. By comparing the brightness and positions of multiple images of the same galaxy, astronomers can infer how much invisible mass is sprinkled through the foreground system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-roman-will-detect-tiny-dark-matter-clumps">Roman will detect tiny dark matter clumps</h2>



Dark <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/533/2/1687/7721636" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">matter</a> is not expected to sit smoothly. Simulations predict countless clumps - some as light as a million Suns, orbiting larger halos like cosmic goose bumps.



Tiny <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-did-dark-matter-come-from-the-answer-may-be-surprisingly-simple/">clumps</a> create milliarcsecond kinks in the stretched background arcs, a pattern called substructure. 



Spotting enough of those kinks across Roman’s sample lets researchers test whether dark matter is made of sluggish “cold” particles or warmer, faster ones that would erase the smallest clumps.



Wedig’s team estimates that Roman will deliver roughly 500 “gold‑standard” lenses that are bright and sharp enough to weigh individual clumps down to about 108 solar masses. 



That is an order of magnitude <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.13881?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">finer</a> than what the Hubble Space Telescope managed with a few dozen prime systems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wide-views-with-sharp-resolution">Wide views with sharp resolution</h2>



Each Roman frame covers 0.28 square degrees, about 200 Hubble fields stitched together, yet keeps Hubble‑class resolution. The wide‑field instrument achieves this by packing 18 infrared detectors into a honeycomb the size of a door.



During its High‑Latitude Wide‑Area <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/high-latitude-wide-area-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Survey</a>, Roman will take single 146‑second snapshots through four infrared filters. 



Simulations show an average of 27 strong lenses hiding in every exposure, enough to amass the 160,000‑lens trove in under two years of sky time.



Wedig’s team also notes that hundreds of the lenses will be perfect for deep follow‑up: stronger distortions, cleaner arcs, and higher signal‑to‑noise. 



These choice targets will let scientists trace clumps at even smaller mass scales, tightening the leash on competing dark‑<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-matter-if-it-exists-has-a-strictly-limited-lifetime-new-study-says/">matter</a> models.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-past-surveys-found-fewer-and-blurrier-lenses">Past surveys found fewer and blurrier lenses</h2>



Hubble and ground‑based surveys such as <a href="https://web.physics.utah.edu/~bolton/slacs/What_is_SLACS.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SLACS</a> and BOSS Emission-Line Lens Survey (<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012ApJ...744...41B/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BELLS</a>) uncovered about 1,500 strong lenses over two decades. 



Those programs proved the method but lacked volume: only a handful of systems were pristine enough to reveal a lone subhalo.



“Roman will not only significantly increase our sample size, its sharp, high‑resolution images will also allow us to discover gravitational lenses that appear smaller on the sky,” said <a href="https://physics.wustl.edu/people/tansu-daylan" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tansu Daylan</a>, a co‑author of the new study and faculty fellow at <a href="https://washu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Washington University</a>. 



Better statistics mean astronomers can move from anecdotal detections to population studies, comparing the number of subhalos with the predictions of various particle candidates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teaming-up-with-other-telescopes">Teaming up with other telescopes</h2>



Europe’s <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Euclid</a> mission, launched in 2023, is already mapping dark matter over a third of the sky at optical wavelengths. 



Roman’s deeper infrared reach will pair with Euclid’s breadth, giving each lens a color baseline that sharpens distance estimates for both source and lens.



Closer to home, the <a href="https://rubinobservatory.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vera C. Rubin Observatory</a> will add nightly optical alerts from the ground, flagging any variable sources like supernovae that pop up inside the arcs. 



Those time‑delay measurements can pin down Hubble’s constant while also checking mass models derived from lensing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-roman-must-tame">Challenges Roman must tame</h2>



Roman’s huge <a href="https://news.yale.edu/2025/06/12/study-roman-telescope-may-be-transformative-better-defining-dark-matter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">focal plane</a> comes with quirks. Wave‑front errors, detector sensitivity shifts, and varying point‑spread functions can masquerade as, or mask, the faint substructure signal.



Wedig’s group built a new pipeline, <a href="https://github.com/AstroMusers/mejiro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MEJIRO</a>, to inject realistic telescope noise into synthetic images and test detection algorithms. 



They found that ignoring field‑dependent blurring could sway the inferred mass of the smallest clumps by 5 %, which is small but critical when chasing subtle <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-matter-does-not-exist-universe-27-billion-years-old-study/">physics</a>. 



Another hurdle is <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10133563" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">line‑of‑sight clutter</a>: unrelated galaxies between lens and Earth also bend light. 



Accounting for those extra tugs requires combining Roman infrared data with ground‑based redshift surveys to map intervening structures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-dark-matter-clues-will-show">What dark matter clues will show</h2>



If Roman counts as many low‑mass clumps as cold‑dark‑matter theory expects, the prevailing model gains a decisive win. 



Should the census come up short, physicists might favor warmer particles or even entirely new forces acting in the dark sector.



Either way, every curved smudge that Roman records is a new piece of evidence. “We won’t see dark matter in the images - it’s invisible - but we can measure its effects,” Wedig noted.



The study is published in <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/adc24f" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Astrophysical Journal</a>.



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NASA's Roman telescope hopes to solve the dark matter mystery

The universe keeps hiding most of its mass, yet it...

Text,Message,-,Prime,Numbers.,Written,With,A,Vintage,Typewriter.

Prime numbers captivate number theory lovers because these basic blocks influence so many areas of mathematics. Even though their distribution might look unpredictable, these special numbers follow patterns that are still coming to light.



In 300 BCE, <a href="https://classicalliberalarts.com/resources/EUCLID_ENGLISH_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Euclid</a> proved there are infinitely many <a href="https://www.cuemath.com/numbers/prime-numbers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">primes</a>. He revealed that no matter how far you go along the number line, you will stumble upon another prime. 



Now, two mathematicians, <a href="https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/greenbj/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ben Green</a> of the University of Oxford and <a href="https://www.math.columbia.edu/~msawhney/cv.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mehtaab Sawhney</a> of Columbia University, have taken a new path. 



They are using a different counting technique to expanding our view of where primes might exist.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-history-of-prime-numbers">History of prime numbers </h2>



Mathematicians like <a href="https://euler.euclid.int/about-leonhard-euler/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leonhard Euler</a> carried <a href="https://sites.math.rutgers.edu/~cherlin/History/Papers2000/pellegrino.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pierre de Fermat</a>’s insights forward, setting the stage for centuries of prime number studies. 



Attempts to isolate prime number patterns led to ideas such as the <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-is-the-langlands-program-20220601/">Langlands program</a>, which has inspired work linking number theory and other math fields.



Researchers like <a href="https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/cms/john-friedlander" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">John Friedlander</a> of the University of Toronto and <a href="https://math.rutgers.edu/people/department-directory/detail/344-department-directory/1759-iwaniec-henryk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Henryk Iwaniec</a> of Rutgers University explored primes arising from special forms. 



Some of their work found primes in expressions like x² + 4y², showing that strict prime conditions can still be met in structured ways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unexpected-synergy-in-researching-prime-numbers">Unexpected synergy in researching prime numbers </h2>



“There are not many results like that out there,” said Finnish mathematician <a href="https://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/person/jt945" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joni Teräväinen</a> of the <a href="https://www.utu.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Turku</a>. 



He pointed out the challenges of showing that infinitely many primes fit demanding equations. One of the new statements about prime number location involves the form p² + 4q², with p and q both prime.



Green and Sawhney joined forces to tackle this. They discovered their work benefited from <a href="https://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/greenbj/papers/additive-combinatorics.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">additive combinatorics tools</a> introduced by <a href="https://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~wtg10/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Timothy Gowers</a> of the University of Cambridge. 



Gowers norms gauge how structured or random a set of numbers is, and they proved unexpectedly fruitful when adapted to prime number counting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-on-the-horizon">Challenges on the horizon</h2>



Even though the discovery opens fresh avenues, challenges remain. Green and Sawhney’s techniques still rely on stringent mathematical assumptions that require careful scrutiny. 



Some mathematicians argue that extending these combinatorial tools to more general prime forms might encounter hurdles due to inherent limitations in current <a href="https://www.math.brown.edu/johsilve/frintch1ch6.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">number theory</a> frameworks. 



Overcoming these obstacles will require innovative breakthroughs and perhaps entirely new mathematical concepts.



Nevertheless, this initial success provides optimism that continued collaboration and cross-pollination between combinatorics, analysis, and number theory can reveal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prime-numbers-discovery-upends-millennia-old-math-beliefs-security-issues/">deeper truths</a> about the distribution and structure of prime numbers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prime-numbers-from-different-perspectives">Prime numbers from different perspectives</h2>



Special families of primes have traditionally guided major breakthroughs. Past mathematicians tested whether primes remain infinite if extra demands, such as spacing or digit constraints, are imposed. 



Ben Green and Mehtaab Sawhney took a related but distinct route by combining advanced counting methods with classical prime checking.



John Friedlander expressed surprise that these combinatorial ideas applied so far in prime counting. This outcome bridges direct prime constraints with advanced norms from modern number theory, linking them in ways once believed improbable.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-charting-what-s-next">Charting what’s next</h2>



Their new proof, leans on a synergy of counting tricks and older theorems. It confirms infinitely many prime numbers fit the shape p² + 4q², taking what used to be a sidelined math puzzle and placing it in a more general landscape. 



It also suggests that Gowers norms, amplified by ideas from <a href="https://www.math.ucla.edu/~tao/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Terence Tao</a> of UCLA and <a href="https://www.europeanwomeninmaths.org/tamar-ziegler/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tamar Ziegler</a> of the <a href="https://en.huji.ac.il/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hebrew University</a>, may help crack other prime riddles.



Formulas that approximate where prime numbers lie have existed for ages, but no single method pins down their exact spots. 



The new approach shows that broadening the toolkit, even if it comes from another mathematical area, can deepen our understanding of primes in “thin” sets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-practical-takeaways">Practical takeaways</h2>



Counting primes that also satisfy a specialized property is difficult. Basic forms like x² + y² were tackled by Fermat and later proven by Euler, while more rigid constraints have historically resisted proofs. 



By pushing prime number studies into advanced combinatorial territory, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mathematicians-may-have-solved-a-125-year-old-problem-linking-the-laws-of-physics/">mathematicians</a> broaden prime number analysis without losing clarity.



The discovery that prime families can hide inside complicated algebraic expressions has real value. It helps us see how prime behavior under constraints impacts cryptography and other number-based fields. 



Such synergy shows that bridging classical theorems with modern norms holds promise for future inquiries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-prime-numbers-matter-beyond-math">Why prime numbers matter beyond math</h2>



Understanding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/micro-led-quantum-number-generator-sparks-next-level-data-encryption/">prime</a> numbers isn’t just a theoretical pursuit. 



Primes form the backbone of modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unbreakable-encryption-brings-quantum-internet-communication-closer-to-reality/">encryption systems</a>, including those used in banking, messaging apps, and digital security. 



Finding new ways to identify and group them could eventually influence how we build secure systems or assess their vulnerabilities.



Breakthroughs like this also serve as a reminder that deep, abstract math often has long-term consequences. 



Ideas that seem purely academic, like combining structure analysis with old number problems, can ripple outward, affecting computation, engineering, and even quantum theory in ways we don’t always expect.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-closing-thoughts">Closing thoughts</h2>



Green and Sawhney’s technique underscores how older unsolved questions might respond to multifaceted approaches. 



Instead of focusing on direct prime searches, they used fresh combinatorial machinery to gain traction.



They are optimistic these cross-area methods could transfer to other prime families. They also hope more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-many-ants-live-on-earth-at-any-point-in-time-total-number-is-astounding/">number</a> theorists will notice the potential of Gowers norms, proving that synergy between additive combinatorics and classic prime number research is an encouraging route.



The study is published in <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.04189" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arXiv</a>.



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Two mathematicians discover a new way to count prime numbers

Prime numbers captivate number theory lovers because these basic blocks...

Many people worry about their online privacy and try to protect it by deleting cookies - but new research reveals this method is no longer effective.



A study led by <a href="https://www.tamu.edu/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Texas A&amp;M University</a> exposes how modern websites quietly track users with a technique called browser fingerprinting.



Unlike cookies, fingerprinting doesn’t leave traces you can erase. It works silently, building a detailed profile based on how your <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-pressure-is-straining-teen-friendships/">browser</a> behaves and what kind of device you use. 



Most users don’t even know this type of surveillance exists. Even more troubling, some companies may be doing it without consent - ignoring privacy laws completely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-websites-track-you-even-after-deleting-cookies">Websites track you even after deleting cookies</h2>



Every time you open a website, your browser leaks <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gen-ai-and-social-media-divert-peoples-attention-from-climate-crisis/">information</a>. It shares your time zone, screen size, operating system, and device type. These details might seem harmless. But combined, they create a unique fingerprint that identifies you, even if you don’t log in or accept cookies.



Dr. Nitesh Saxena is a cybersecurity researcher, a professor of computer science and engineering, and associate director of the Global Cyber Research Institute at Texas A&amp;M.



“Fingerprinting has always been a concern in the privacy community, but until now, we had no hard proof that it was actually being used to track users,” said Dr. Saxena. “Our work helps close that gap.”



This fingerprint acts like a digital signature. It silently follows you from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-is-helping-save-wild-animals-like-caracals/">site</a> to site. And unlike cookies, which you can remove or block, fingerprints are almost impossible to avoid. Even privacy-focused browsers like Tor or Brave struggle to fully mask them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-devices-leave-behind-a-digital-trail">Devices leave behind a digital trail</h2>



Most people assume that browsing in incognito mode or using privacy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-use-increases-smoking-vaping-risks-among-youth/">tools</a> keeps them safe. But the Texas A&amp;M study shows that assumption is flawed. You might feel hidden, but your device keeps leaving tracks behind.



“Think of it as a digital signature you didn’t know you were leaving behind,” explained co-author Zengrui Liu, a former doctoral student in Saxena’s lab. “You may look anonymous, but your device or browser gives you away.”



That silent trail means advertisers and websites can continue identifying you. And because you never directly share your name or login information, you’re unlikely to know it’s happening.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-connecting-fingerprints-to-advertising">Connecting fingerprints to advertising</h2>



What makes this research different from past work is its real-world approach. It doesn’t just look at whether fingerprinting exists. It examines how fingerprinting connects to digital advertising and user tracking.



Study co-author Dr. Yinzhi Cao is an associate professor of computer science and technical director of the Information Security Institute at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johns Hopkins University</a>.



“While prior works have studied browser fingerprinting and its usage on different websites, ours is the first to correlate browser fingerprints and ad behaviors, essentially establishing the relationship between web tracking and fingerprinting,” said Dr. Cao.



To test this, the researchers developed a measurement system called FPTrace. It assesses whether advertising systems respond to changes in a browser’s fingerprint. By altering the fingerprint and observing how ads behave, the researchers uncovered the role fingerprinting plays in digital surveillance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-website-tracking-to-target-users">Website tracking to target users</h2>



With FPTrace, the research team went beyond surface-level code. They analyzed how ad systems changed their behavior in response to fingerprint alterations. The idea was simple: if fingerprinting truly influences ad tracking, changing the fingerprint should affect how advertisers bid for space.



“This kind of analysis lets us go beyond the surface,” said co-author Jimmy Dani, Saxena’s doctoral student. “We were able to detect not just the presence of fingerprinting, but whether it was being used to identify and target users - which is much harder to prove.”



The team found that changing the fingerprint reduced syncing events and affected the value advertisers were willing to pay. This meant advertisers were using fingerprint data in real time to determine how valuable a user was.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-stealthy-system-of-website-tracking">A stealthy system of website tracking</h2>



One of the study’s most surprising findings was how fingerprinting worked even after users deleted cookies. This is important because it shows fingerprinting does not rely on traditional tracking tools. It survives across sessions and devices.



The team noted shifts in HTTP records and bidding behavior when fingerprints changed, meaning users were being re-identified without their consent. This suggests a new method of tracking that’s stealthier and more durable than anything cookies could offer.



Even more, fingerprint-based data may be passed along during backend ad bidding. This process happens in milliseconds and can share your browser fingerprint with third parties without your knowledge.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-limits-of-privacy-laws">The limits of privacy laws</h2>



One of the most alarming aspects of the research is how fingerprinting bypasses privacy laws. Even when users opt out under strict laws like Europe’s GDPR or California’s CCPA, fingerprinting continues silently.



The law requires companies to respect a user’s decision not to be tracked. But fingerprinting falls into a gray zone. It happens in the background, with no visible alert or consent prompt. That makes enforcement difficult and user awareness nearly impossible.



This kind of invisible tracking undermines the very laws created to protect consumers. The researchers warn that current regulations need to expand to address fingerprinting directly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-for-stronger-privacy-protections">Time for stronger privacy protections</h2>



The study doesn’t just expose a problem. It also points toward solutions. The team believes browsers need to take a stronger stance against fingerprinting. Current anti-tracking tools don’t go far enough.



The experts also hope FPTrace can help regulators audit companies and websites that use fingerprinting without permission. With the right tools, oversight agencies could start identifying violations more clearly and taking action.



Based on their results, the researchers call for a deeper look at how fingerprinting is used, especially in the ad tech industry. They argue that privacy protections must evolve to keep up with these new forms of tracking.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-your-browser-s-digital-fingerprint">Your browser's digital fingerprint </h2>



This breakthrough research, presented at the ACM Web Conference (<a href="https://www2025.thewebconf.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WWW</a>) 2025, shows how far online tracking has come - and how little most users know about it.



Clearing cookies used to feel like enough. But browser fingerprinting proves that companies have developed new ways to follow you, even when you try to disappear.



As companies find creative ways to bypass privacy protections, new tools and updated laws must respond. Until then, the digital fingerprint your browser leaves behind will continue to tell more about you than you ever intended to share.



This research was a collaboration between Texas A&amp;M University and Johns Hopkins University. Funding came from the Texas A&amp;M Engineering Experiment Station (<a href="https://tees.tamu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TEES</a>).



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3696410.3714548" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACM digital library</a>.



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Websites are secretly tracking you using your browser’s 'fingerprint'

Many people worry about their online privacy and try to...

Reefs are usually pictured as underwater rainforests crammed with species, yet the planet’s first large animal‑built reefs tell a quieter story. New work on fossils from Nevada shows that early Cambrian seas looked nothing like the bustling coral gardens we know today.



Graduate researcher Casey Bennett of the <a href="https://missouri.edu/">University of Missouri</a> and colleagues spent weeks among dusty outcrops, chipping out blocks packed with shells no bigger than grains of sand.



The analysis reveals surprising patterns of life around those ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-reef-awareness-day-2025-bringing-corals-back-to-life/">structures</a>, offering a fresh window onto evolution half a billion years ago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animal-reefs-spanned-ancient-nevada">Animal reefs spanned ancient Nevada</h2>



More than 514 million years ago, sponge‑like <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/porifera/archaeo.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">archaeocyathids</a> built the planet's earliest animal <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3514525.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reefs</a> in shallow seas stretching from Siberia to what is now Nevada.



The Harkless Formation near modern Death Valley hosts dozens of these patch reefs, some only a few yards across yet stacked through hundreds of feet of limestone.



Packed between the stone cups of the sponges are fragments of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342184591_Small_shelly_fossils_and_carbon_isotopes_from_the_early_Cambrian_Stages_3-4_Mural_Formation_of_western_Laurentia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">small shelly fauna</a>, the quirky menagerie of early mineralized animals that heralded the Cambrian explosion. These fossils, most under a tenth of an inch long, include baby <a href="https://home.wgnhs.wisc.edu/wisconsin-geology/fossils/brachiopods/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brachiopods</a>, snail‑like mollusks, and bristly <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016699524000214" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chancelloriids</a>.



Bennett’s team measured fossil assemblages in multiple vertical sections and compared them to the distance from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-cant-survive-rising-sea-urchin-numbers/">reef</a> walls.



The researchers logged grain size and chemistry of nearby layers to study how sediment influenced fossil preservation. The approach marries classic field mapping with CT scanning that can spot skeletal bits hidden in uncut rock.



That toolbox let the team count tiny creatures that earlier surveys missed, pushing sample sizes into the thousands.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-fossils-trace-ancient-reefs">Tiny fossils trace ancient reefs</h2>



Small shelly fauna crop up worldwide in rocks dating to the first 25 million years after animals evolved skeletons, making them key markers for global correlation. 



Because many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wild-temperature-swings-boost-coral-reef-resilience/">species</a> lived fast and died young, their remains provide fine‑scale time stamps that help synchronize distant stratigraphic sections.



The specimens also capture evolutionary experiments that never made it into the later fossil record, such as slug‑like <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.1995.0029" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">halkieriids</a> that wore chain‑mail armor of overlapping plates. Linking these animals to specific habitats can explain why some lineages thrived while others fizzled.



Modern coral reefs often harbor dense banks of filter feeders and crustaceans whose larvae settle preferentially on hard walls. If early reefs played a similar ecological role, small shelly species should cluster close to archaeocyathid mounds. 



That prediction has floated in textbooks for decades but rested on scant quantitative data. Bennett’s dataset provided the first rigorous test at meter‑scale resolution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-reefs-didn-t-increase-nearby-species">Ancient reefs didn’t increase nearby species</h2>



“With modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-coral-collapse-may-help-save-the-great-barrier-reef/">reefs</a>, biodiversity is expected to decrease as you move away from the reef structure due to reduced shelter and food access,” said Bennett. Yet her counts showed no clear pattern - some distant fossil layers were as species-poor as those near the mounds.



Instead, a few hardy taxa dominate whole <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336585971_Palaeoecology_of_the_archaeocyathan_reefs_from_the_lower_Cambrian_Harkless_Formation_southern_Nevada_western_United_States_and_carbon_isotopic_evidence_for_their_demise" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">layers</a>, suggesting that early oceans sorted communities by environmental filters rather than by proximity to the reef.



That pattern echoes observations from later Cambrian sections in Mongolia and Labrador, where reefs also failed to boost local diversity.



“Potentially, this happened by preferentially removing or keeping certain faunas, rather than the reef serving as a major food source for surrounding organisms,” added Assistant Professor Sarah Jacquet.



The remark points fingers at <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/hydrodynamics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hydrodynamics</a> - the way water flow scours or blankets parts of the seafloor. Models show gentle currents around low-relief reefs can form eddies that trap shells or carry them away. Those physics could produce patchy fossil carpets without invoking biological competition.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sediment-dictated-fossil-survival">Sediment dictated fossil survival</h2>



The team noticed that changes in <a href="https://nautiluslive.org/blog/2023/08/18/science-lithology-dating-seafloors-movements-over-time" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lithology</a>, whether the rock was a grainy packstone or a micritic mud-governed which shells survived. Coarse beds preserved robust hyoliths, while fine muds favored delicate sponge spicules.



Taphonomic quirks can therefore mask true ecological signals, a warning for paleontologists who chase diversity curves through deep time. By pairing sedimentology with fossil tallies, Bennett shows how to tease apart the preservational filter.



The study also strengthens a growing view that archaeocyath reefs were short‑lived “experiments” rather than foundational keystones. 



Similar conclusions emerged from carbon‑isotope <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390526423_Small_shelly_fauna_biodiversity_from_reef-adjacent_facies_of_the_lower_Cambrian_Harkless_formation_Nevada" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> that tracked the rise and crash of reef communities through Cambrian Stage 4.



Those geochemical shifts hint that global changes in seawater chemistry, perhaps tied to oxygen pulses, played a bigger role than local reef architecture. If true, the early oceans were less a patchwork of hotspots and more a landscape ruled by large‑scale physical drivers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-reefs-warn-us-about-today">Ancient reefs warn us about today</h2>



Coral ecologists <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225405507_Rapid_phase-shift_reversal_on_a_Jamaican_coral_reef">note</a> that today’s reefs often act as biodiversity magnets, with fish and invertebrate richness peaking on the reef and falling away into open sand. But those gradients may depend on the vertical relief and nutrient flow that Cambrian reefs lacked.



Understanding that difference matters because climate change is flattening many living reefs, slicing away the very architecture that supports complex food webs. 



Ancient analogues show that low-relief carbonate banks can persist without the riot of life we associate with reefs. This hints at future ocean floors that remain structurally intact but are ecologically simplified.



“Just because we know how the world works today doesn’t mean it worked the same way back then,” noted Professor Jacquet. Recognizing that flex in nature’s playbook can help scientists design conservation targets that account for multiple evolutionary baselines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossils-show-reef-loss-risk">Fossils show reef loss risk</h2>



Bennett plans to sample neighboring formations to see whether diversity patterns change in deeper water or in reefs built by different <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-sponges-play-a-critical-role-in-the-ocean-and-they-are-rapidly-vanishing/">sponge</a> species. 



Coupling those data with fluid‑dynamic models could finally pin down how current speed and direction sculpted early animal neighborhoods.



The Nevada hills still hold miles of limestone from ancient animal reefs, awaiting fresh eyes and new technology. Every chip of shale reminds us that even the smallest fossils can rewrite big chapters in Earth history.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S003101822500207X?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology</a>.



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Ancient reefs were surprisingly empty compared to today

Reefs are usually pictured as underwater rainforests crammed with species,...

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The fossil of Ferruaspis brocksi lay unnoticed inside a small slab of rust‑colored rock from a newly discovered exceptional fossil site in central New South Wales, Australia until a curious researcher split the stone in early March. 



“It was a complete fluke,” exclaimed <a href="https://earthsciences.anu.edu.au/people/professor-jochen-j-brocks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prof. Jochen Brocks</a> of the <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Australian National University</a> after realizing what he had found. 



That single break exposed a two‑inch fish so complete that even its stomach contents and color cells were still visible.



During the <a href="https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/tertiary/miocene.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Miocene epoch</a>, central New South Wales was covered by temperate rainforest and freshwater oxbow lakes rather than today’s dusty paddocks. 



The new species belongs to the <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49887-Osmeriformes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Osmeriformes order</a>, a group better known for modern graylings and smelts but never before recorded in Australia’s fossil record.



Researchers led by <a href="https://australian.museum/get-involved/staff-profiles/matthew-mccurry/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Matthew McCurry</a> at the Australian Museum and <a href="https://researchprofiles.canberra.edu.au/en/persons/michael-frese" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Michael Frese</a> at the University of Canberra compared dozens of specimens ranging from 2.1 to 3 inches long, confirming a healthy resident population rather than scattered migrants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rainforest-lake-that-turned-to-rust">Rainforest lake that turned to rust</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-like-rainbow-trout-suffer-extreme-pain-when-killed-by-air/">fish</a> and many plants and insects were entombed in <a href="https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Goethite" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">goethite</a>, an <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3866414/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iron‑oxide</a> mineral that precipitated rapidly in the stagnant lake water. 



Iron’s ability to lock soft tissue in place is now recognized as a key factor in deep‑time preservation of cells and proteins. 



Geochemists <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825223000569" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">note</a> that goethite’s fine crystals can replicate sub‑micron features before decay destroys the originals, explaining why pigment cells survived here while bones often did not.



McGraths Flat is classed as a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/paleobiology/article/abs/konservatlagerstatten-cause-and-classification/40A5D354B2DB79EFB6D654BC77421A33" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Konservat‑Lagerstätte</a>, a sedimentary deposit famous for extraordinary detail, and its ferric layers sit just three feet below the surface near Gulgong. 



The discovery encourages field crews to re‑examine iron‑rich outcrops worldwide that were once dismissed as fossil‑poor.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fish-fossil-was-a-two-inch-hunter">Fish fossil was a two‑inch hunter</h2>



Under a scanning electron microscope, the team identified packed groups of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms1819" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">melanosomes</a> that once sat inside pigment cells called melanophores. 



Their distribution shows a dark back, pale belly, and two lateral racing stripes, classic countershading that helps living fish blend into sunlit water.



“It pushed the boundaries of what can be preserved,” noted Dr. Frese. Similar spherical and rod‑shaped melanosomes had been recorded earlier in an Eocene fish eye from Denmark, providing a useful comparison for the Australian material. 



The stripes also hint at schooling behavior, because bold horizontal bands are common in small modern smelts that rely on group camouflage.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-a-final-snack-reveals">What a final snack reveals</h2>



Each fossil gut contained antennae from <a href="https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.4319/lo.1990.35.7.1631" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chaoborus larvae</a>, better known as phantom midge young, along with fragments of insect wings and an occasional bivalve shell. 



Modern Chaoborus sink into mud by day and rise at night to avoid fish, a strategy documented in laboratory and field studies.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/fossilized-fish-15-million-years-ago-last-meal-intact-stomach_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/fossilized-fish-15-million-years-ago-last-meal-intact-stomach_1s.webp" alt="Chromatophores and melanosomes in F. brocksi. Light microscopy photographs (A–F, AM F.155048) and scanning electron micrographs (G–L, AM F.146748). A, overview image showing the distribution pattern of melanophores in the fish’s skin. B–F, melanophores in the flank and the anal fin showing variation in size, form, and color. G–I, melanosomes in melanophores in an area of skin near the pectoral fin; single melanophore (G); edge of a single melanophore (H); center of a single melanophore (I). J–L, melanosomes in retinal pigment epithelial cells of the eye. Dashed lines mark areas that are depicted at higher magnifications in other panels. Credit: Australian National University" class="wp-image-1974319"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Chromatophores and melanosomes in F. brocksi. Light microscopy photographs (A–F, AM F.155048) and scanning electron micrographs (G–L, AM F.146748). A, overview image showing the distribution pattern of melanophores in the fish’s skin. B–F, melanophores in the flank and the anal fin showing variation in size, form, and color. G–I, melanosomes in melanophores in an area of skin near the pectoral fin; single melanophore (G); edge of a single melanophore (H); center of a single melanophore (I). J–L, melanosomes in retinal pigment epithelial cells of the eye. Dashed lines mark areas that are depicted at higher magnifications in other panels. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Australian National University</figcaption></figure>



The heavy reliance on pelagic prey suggests F. brocksi hunted in open water after dusk rather than picking along the bottom. 



Because several size classes died together, scientists infer the lake provided year‑round habitat, unlike many living smelts that migrate between rivers and the sea.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-parasite-hitchhiker">A parasite hitchhiker</h2>



One specimen shows a juvenile freshwater mussel, or glochidium, clamped to its tail fin. This is the oldest direct <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-some-animals-become-fossils-while-others-just-disappear/">fossil record</a> of such parasitism and implies the lake was periodically connected to a river where adult unionid mussels spawned.



Another <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-fish-provide-climate-resilient-nutrition-for-a-warming-world/">fish</a> swallowed a similar mussel, meaning it likely ventured near the river mouth shortly before dying. 



These clues help reconstruct seasonal flooding patterns in Miocene Australia without relying solely on sedimentology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-iron-fish-fossils-matter">Why iron fish fossils matter</h2>



Palaeontologist <a href="https://staffportal.curtin.edu.au/staff/profile/view/kate-trinajstic-f0dcf6b1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kate Trinajstic</a>, Curtin University, observed that iron deposits “open up a new area for people to investigate.” 



Her point is underscored by experimental decay work showing that early iron infiltration can arrest bacterial breakdown within days.



Goethite <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-euarthropod-youti-yuanshi-lived-520-million-years-ago-insect-evolution/">fossils</a> therefore extend the window for studying fragile tissues like eyes, muscles, and even viral particles that normally vanish. 



They also capture ecological interactions, predation, parasitism, pigmentation, that skeletons alone cannot.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-australia-s-fossil-record">Rethinking Australia's fossil record</h2>



The discovery of Ferruaspis brocksi challenges the long-held notion that Australia’s freshwater fish fossil record is too sparse for meaningful evolutionary study. 



Until now, no complete body fossils of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/osmeriformes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Osmeriformes</a> had been found on the continent, leaving major gaps in understanding their arrival and development.



With dozens of specimens at a single site, paleontologists now have a rare opportunity to study not just anatomy, but behavior, ecology, and population structure. 



This level of detail is nearly unheard of in Miocene freshwater <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-are-quietly-battling-climate-change-on-the-seabed/">fish</a> fossils from the Southern Hemisphere.



The team’s phylogenetic analysis places F. brocksi near the base of the southern Osmeriformes radiation, pushing the group’s Australian arrival to at least 15 million years ago. 



That timeline aligns with molecular studies indicating a mid‑Miocene split between Australian and New Zealand graylings. Fieldwork will resume next dry season, targeting deeper layers that may hold older relatives or their predators.&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2024.2445684" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology</a>.



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Fossilized fish that lived 15 million years ago still has preserved food in its stomach

The fossil of Ferruaspis brocksi lay unnoticed inside a small...

New research reveals how the brain assigns emotional value to smells - and why it matters for health and happiness.



If you've ever recoiled from the smell of microwaved fish or smiled at the scent of fresh bread, you’ve experienced just how powerfully odors can stir emotions. But what makes our brains decide that a smell is pleasant - or downright awful?



A new study from researchers at the <a href="https://ufhealth.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Florida Health</a> reveals the neural pathways that give odors their emotional charge.



The findings provide the first detailed insight into how the brain categorizes smells as good or bad. This sheds light on why certain odors evoke such visceral reactions - and how that knowledge could eventually improve health outcomes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-smell-s-path-to-the-brain">Smell's path to the brain</h2>



Dan Wesson is senior author of the study and a professor of pharmacology and therapeutics. He's also the interim director of the <a href="https://fcs.institute.ufl.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida Chemical Senses Institute</a>.



“Odors are powerful at driving <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-emotions-build-in-the-brain-and-why-they-linger/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">emotions</a>," he said. "It’s long been thought that the sense of smell is just as powerful, if not more powerful, at driving an emotional response as a picture, a song, or any other sensory stimulus.” 



The research focused on the amygdala - the brain’s emotional command center - which interacts with all of our senses. It has especially close ties to smell. In fact, the olfactory system has a more direct route to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lizard-brain-shapes-social-abilities-in-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amygdala</a> than any other sense.



“This is, in part, what we mean when we say your sense of smell is your most emotional sense,” said first author Sarah Sniffen, a graduate research fellow.



“Yes, smells evoke strong, emotional memories, but the brain’s smell centers are more closely connected with emotional centers like the amygdala.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-vs-bad-smells">Good vs. bad smells</h2>



To understand how this connection works, researchers studied <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mice-use-scent-to-determine-whos-the-boss/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mice</a> - animals whose brains share many neurochemical similarities with humans. Like us, mice can learn to associate smells with positive or negative experiences.



By analyzing the mice’s brain activity, the researchers identified two genetically distinct types of brain cells in the amygdala that play a key role in determining the emotional value of a smell.



Surprisingly, they found that both cell types could be involved in generating either positive or negative responses. It all depended on where those cells were sending signals.



“It can make an odor positive or negative to you,” Wesson said. “And it all depends upon where that cell type projects in your brain and how it engages with structures in your brain.”



In other words, the same type of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-cell-origins-traced-to-creatures-that-lived-800-million-years-ago/">brain cell</a> could contribute to opposite emotional outcomes depending on its connections.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-odors-shape-daily-experience">Odors shape daily experience</h2>



Understanding smell responses may seem niche, but it has big implications - especially for those with heightened sensory sensitivity.



“We’re constantly breathing in and out and that means that we’re constantly receiving olfactory input,” Sniffen said.



“For some people that’s fine, and it doesn’t impact their day-to-day life. They might even think, ‘Oh, odors don’t matter that much.’ But for people who have a heightened response to sensory stimuli, like those with PTSD or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbes-have-an-unexpected-link-to-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anxiety</a> or autism, it’s a really important factor for their day-to-day life.”



Scents associated with trauma, illness, or discomfort can trigger disproportionately strong responses in certain individuals. These reactions can sometimes interfere with routine activities or medical treatment.



Wesson noted how a patient’s negative association with the smell of a clinic - tied to previous transfusions - could cause intense distress.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-scent-based-therapies">Future scent-based therapies</h2>



Understanding the specific brain circuits behind these reactions may open the door to targeted therapies. According to the researchers, it may one day be possible to modulate the activity of these odor-processing pathways with medications.



This could either dampen distressing responses or help restore emotional enjoyment in cases like appetite loss.



“Emotions in part dictate our quality of life, and we’re learning more about how they arise in our brain,” Wesson said. “Understanding more about how our surroundings can impact our feelings can help us become happier, healthier humans.”



By demystifying the deep link between scent and emotion, this research not only advances neuroscience - it also offers a potential path toward better mental and physical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-environment-day-the-critical-role-of-nature-in-human-well-being/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">well-being</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-025-03075-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature: Molecular Psychiatry</a>.



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How your brain decides what smells good or bad

New research reveals how the brain assigns emotional value to...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



Video Credit: ESA



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



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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Saturn,-,High,Resolution,3d,Images,Presents,Planets,Of,The

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> features images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The photographs capture the start of the mysterious "spoke season" on Saturn - when unexplained features appear on its rings. 



According to NASA, both the cause of the spokes and their seasonal variability have yet to be fully explained by planetary scientists.



"Like Earth, Saturn is tilted on its axis and therefore has four seasons, though because of Saturn's much larger orbit, each season lasts approximately seven Earth years. Equinox occurs when the rings are tilted edge-on to the Sun," explains NASA.



"The spokes disappear when it is near summer or winter solstice on Saturn. (When the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest latitude in the northern or southern hemisphere of a planet.) As the autumnal equinox of Saturn's northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, draws near, the spokes are expected to become increasingly prominent and observable."



Experts believe that the spokes may be a product of the planet's variable magnetic field. When magnetic fields interact with solar wind, an electrically charged environment is created. This phenomenon is visible on Earth as the northern lights.&nbsp;



"Scientists think that the smallest, dust-sized icy ring particles can become charged as well, which temporarily levitates those particles above the rest of the larger icy particles and boulders in the rings," says NASA.



The spokes were first observed in the early 1980s by NASA's Voyager mission. Depending on the angle of the rings, the spokes can appear dark or light.



"Thanks to Hubble's OPAL program, which is building an archive of data on the outer solar system planets, we will have longer dedicated time to study Saturn’s spokes this season than ever before," said NASA senior planetary scientist Amy Simon, head of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program.



"Despite years of excellent observations by the Cassini mission, the precise beginning and duration of the spoke season is still unpredictable, rather like predicting the first storm during hurricane season."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

[sendtonews key="Ccjk8KEMzv-2550719-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

Closeup,Of,Fresh,Green,The,Napier,Bush,Grass,As,Animal

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

[sendtonews key="6SdlLLbt0t-1988946-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NTU...

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