Green,Ecoduct,Over,An,Empty,Highway,During,Sunset.

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. 



Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. 



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a>, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. 



Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. 



The study used a before-after-control-impact design and documented more than 5,200 amphibians, highlighting the tunnels’ effectiveness even in nearby buffer zones.



Funded at $342,397 - far cheaper than wildlife crossings for large mammals - the project showcased the power of community-led conservation.



Local groups initiated the effort after observing mass amphibian deaths. Wildlife cameras later captured over 2,200 amphibians using a tunnel in just one spring, along with other species like raccoons and bobcats, indicating wider ecosystem benefits.



This marks the first peer-reviewed, long-term data set in the northeastern U.S. confirming amphibian-specific underpasses work. 



The study urges transportation departments to incorporate these designs into road planning and highlights how community action, thoughtful infrastructure, and persistence can make a real difference for biodiversity.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1617138125000780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal for Nature Conservation</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.



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



-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. Researchers from the University of Vermont, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. The study used...

Aspen trees, long admired for their beauty, may also be powerful allies in wildfire defense. A new study reveals that aspen forests can slow wildfires or even stop them entirely. The researchers looked at 314 wildfires across the Four Corners region between 2001 and 2020.



The team discovered that even small increases in aspen cover reduced fire spread. Daily fire growth dropped from over 1,100 hectares to just 368 hectares where aspen cover exceeded 25 percent. The research shows how aspen stands can work like natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-seasons-are-now-overlapping-worldwide/">firebreaks</a>.



Study co-author Camille Stevens-Rumann is an associate professor of forest and rangeland stewardship at <a href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&amp;ai=DChsSEwiA8d2KmsSOAxV7Ha0GHTydJiAYACICCAEQABoCcHY&amp;ae=2&amp;co=1&amp;ase=3&amp;agsac=WSzQGi9fupA&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwvuLDBhAOEiwAPtF0VvDkxM68atE0hzajpCpwrMe24lEHXOSwVutUvw84cPX2BysJJ2eskhoCUroQAvD_BwE&amp;ei=FxZ5aMjFFsGo0PEPs9jsuA0&amp;ohost=www.google.com&amp;cid=CAESwwHg9kzbdMEryDyc7pk-9MOgOrKHc7cMTIF0G6ZsM0D2PJUpift_Q4S3ecWuFTmhlQXjWRxCVGbRflQ_7EvzOmQUxpksK3XjbJ8LjeVG5ZQkfxcHkPJydOp6-ZJOtCCajsLxWE4SQuqxaiO_DdhAnxFMwdP0qeMH20OxzApcNao_qxEKsuKuSlNylmWnUi5AdKmueQLRNsW4u1sw_PfNXq35SEzNXBphGOCrLGOkToEzUy3z7zSchJ7Ue-Vih746BImLwVc&amp;sig=AOD64_3MAeRUmbBQqepNuOcbnIXyZ96t8Q&amp;q&amp;sqi=2&amp;adurl&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiIrdiKmsSOAxVBFDQIHTMsG9cQ0Qx6BAgTEAE&amp;ms=CoACUlSkG05Cs3Fm4sA9v7CZdXwaUYWgIPZKVjPN0oyvBswcyW9a95LuMEiM7bkdxxgRIFJMZQ66WdZKTZtycckRazNVWDdflJDr-tClbsz3m45gUR3DXKzI9uIGU6fESdVlm41lPifH5SLLv6awmDB-YdMVdJ1jc6kb4TRCdcKgOx9EzZgWgjmgVq3fpag5jQXRDyYmOUwDStf53i2OJdj0e1Ux9gME9tKaqygrPiS5co6oHzOQI-fTCbnqncM4YbzWcbYWSG74tMsS0VPMsMtn04A6jUkiH8LFLJkLNzV0Y91UBGC4zWLpcDmSadS9Ff_mB4Af7ts9re2GEKxUO-1GLwqAAiZJeyMuX0MPh0nKj6nrwQxx5XwQndxpncGphRUQw71wnhflX5pDL6w3n0aWgdIWG_xC_9DdHftnEd65ywZBxO1OWD9bXvIGgkKcslaq14M4ivLUHGaVeDEhwETD771_WromHppfg9vPrr61o5R7YFLnN49428HIHTyY9VzKGhcXKpysNy25tEtb1yKiPakXfsxg0DeXyUaHY9q7e_Oza1s9zeXirHV3GzTBY7vqZ_Z1UhoE5OCbQBPUJHnhEQ4pzdd4w-xDxxn1fjnvMlApJPQ3I5TYkrgc6UuScJvcO2CS-IgXXmN7e-Sd37nYpgQYaf_926zSNVdeNABxi08LTJ0SEG91ZYMjMf5m7jBLDg9Q41o&amp;nis=12&amp;uk=1752765978850&amp;dct=1&amp;suid=48698778863">Colorado State University</a>.



“Where managers can encourage aspen over conifers, they may represent a more desirable fuel treatment in some forest types than traditional thinning or shaded firebreaks because of the aesthetic value and wildlife habitat aspen provide,” said Stevens-Rumann.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-barriers-that-stop-wildfires">Barriers that stop wildfires</h2>



The researchers found that aspen was more abundant at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-are-changing-the-quality-of-our-air/">fire</a> edges than in the interior. The pattern suggests aspen helped form fire boundaries. This makes them a natural shield, especially useful for land managers.



“My hope is that this research can help inform fire and fuels management focused on propagation of aspen through prescribed fire. In some settings, aspen might even be planted around communities to form green fuel breaks for fire protection,” noted study lead author Matt Harris, a recent <a href="https://western.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Western Colorado</a> graduate.



The researchers used satellite data to measure daily fire growth. Fire spread slowed as aspen coverage increased, even under extreme conditions like high winds and low humidity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-aspen-resists-wildfires">Why aspen resists wildfires</h2>



Aspen trees carry unique traits that help them resist burning. Their leaves and understory hold more moisture. Their branches stay high, making crown fires less likely. And their chemical makeup makes them less flammable than conifers.



Daily fire spread dropped from over 2000 meters to under 1350 meters when aspen cover passed 25%. That’s a sharp decline with important implications.



The researchers also found that aspen’s effectiveness did not vary much with weather. While climate factors did affect total fire spread, they didn’t change aspen’s relative performance against conifers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aspen-in-the-late-fire-season">Aspen in the late fire season</h2>



One pattern did emerge with timing. Aspen tended to be more effective wildfire stoppers later in the season. In early spring, fires could still move through before the leaves fully emerged.



During summer, when aspen foliage reaches peak moisture, the trees became more effective buffers. Still, this trend was mild and not uniform across all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-making-wildfire-smoke-more-deadly/">fires</a>.



The study supports using aspen in green fuel breaks. These natural buffers could slow fire in forest landscapes while offering habitat and scenic value.



“This research is a direct result of long-term federal investment in understanding wildfire and forest dynamics," noted study co-author Jonathan Coop. 



"The wildfire challenges we face in the western U.S. continue to grow every year, and we require good science to inform solutions to protect communities and sustain the ecosystem functions we depend on, from water to timber."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aspen-forests-boost-wildfire-resistance">Aspen forests boost wildfire resistance</h2>



Aspen spreads quickly after disturbance. It regenerates through root suckers, seeds, and sprouts on bare ground. As fire activity increases due to climate change, aspen may expand naturally in some places.



However, that is not guaranteed. Land use, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-now-emit-more-carbon-than-they-store-due-to-wildfires/">fire</a> suppression, and conifer growth have reduced aspen in many areas. Interventions like prescribed fire or planting may help restore it.



Aspen forests also bring more than fire resistance. They boost soil moisture and provide habitats for birds and mammals. They offer high aesthetic and ecological value, making them ideal for landscape-scale planning.



Fire managers might now see aspen as more than just a background species. In fire-prone areas, these trees can help slow or stop wildfires. While more research is needed to investigate the costs and effectiveness, this study makes a clear case.



Aspen forests may not replace traditional fire treatments, but they offer a natural option that blends beauty, biodiversity, and fire resistance. In a drier, hotter future, that combination could become invaluable.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.70061" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ecological Applications</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

How aspen forests can help stop wildfires in their tracks

Aspen trees, long admired for their beauty, may also be...

Recognition,Of,Odor,Traces,By,Police,Dog,On,Location

A pair of specially trained dogs has shown that Parkinson’s disease leaves a telltale scent on human skin. This scent is strong enough for a canine nose to detect with remarkable accuracy.



This discovery could open the door to faster, cheaper, and entirely non‑invasive screening for a condition that currently lacks an early diagnostic test.



The study brought together <a href="https://www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk/">Medical Detection Dogs</a> in Milton Keynes with scientists from the Universities of <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/%C3%B9">Bristol</a> and <a href="https://www.manchester.ac.uk/">Manchester</a>.



Over several months, the charity’s trainers conditioned two retriever-type dogs to recognize the odor that clings to sebum. This oily substance, which our skin naturally produces, changes when <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/parkinsons-disease" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Parkinson’s disease</a> (PD) is present.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-training-dogs-to-detect-disease">Training dogs to detect disease</h2>



During training, the canines encountered more than 200 gauze swabs. Some were taken from recently <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-that-dogs-can-alert-humans-to-valley-fever-disease/">diagnosed patients</a>, others from volunteers with no neurological illness, and a few from people living with different conditions.



Each pad was clipped to a stand. When a dog paused and pointed at a positive sample, the handler quietly clicked and offered a reward.



In the final double-blind trial - where neither the dog handler nor the overseeing scientist knew which positions held a patient’s swab - the dogs showed sensitivity of up to 80 percent and specificity of up to 98 percent.



Moreover, they were also able to detect Parkinson’s in swabs from people with multiple health conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-scent-of-parkinson-s">The scent of Parkinson’s</h2>



Dog noses are legendary, but <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cancer-immunotherapy-drug-also-works-to-slow-progression-of-parkinsons-disease/">Parkinson’s</a> researchers turned to them for a very specific reason. Excess sebum and a change in body odor often precede the familiar motor symptoms - shaking, slowed movement, and rigid muscles - by years.



A Scottish nurse named Joy Milne famously noticed a musky shift in her husband’s scent long before his diagnosis. Her observation inspired scientists to hunt for molecular fingerprints in skin oil.



A laboratory method based on mass‑spectrometry is inching forward, yet requires expensive instruments and trained personnel. Canines offer a shortcut.



“We are extremely proud to say that once again, dogs can very accurately detect disease," said Claire Guest, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer at Medical Detection Dogs.



“There is currently no early test for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cancer-immunotherapy-drug-also-works-to-slow-progression-of-parkinsons-disease/">Parkinson’s disease</a> and symptoms may start up to 20 years before they become visible and persistent leading to a confirmed diagnosis."



"Timely diagnosis is key as subsequent treatment could slow down the progression of the disease, and reduce the intensity of symptoms.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-detection-rates-that-rival-medical-tests">Detection rates that rival medical tests</h2>



Even seasoned neurologists can misclassify early Parkinson’s, and imaging scans or spinal fluid assays are costly. By contrast, the gold-coated sensitivity and specificity reported here exceed those of many existing point-of-care tests in medical use.



“Identifying diagnostic biomarkers of PD - particularly those that may predict development or help diagnose disease earlier - is the subject of much ongoing research,” said lead author Nicola Rooney, an animal behavior specialist at the University of Bristol.



Rooney noted that the dogs in the study achieved high sensitivity and specificity and showed there is an olfactory signature distinct to patients with the disease.



“Sensitivity levels of 70 percent and 80 percent are well above chance, and I believe that dogs could help us develop a quick, noninvasive, and cost-effective method to identify patients with Parkinson’s disease.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blinded-trials-confirm-the-results">Blinded trials confirm the results</h2>



To guard against subconscious cues or handler bias, the researchers also presented every testing line in reverse order.



A computer kept track of which sample sat where, and only after the dog’s choice did researchers learn whether to dispense a treat. 



This rigorous protocol mirrors clinical trial standards and boosts confidence that the animals relied on smell alone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dogs-help-build-smell-sensors">Dogs help build smell sensors</h2>



Dogs will never replace neurologists, but the findings give chemists a shortlist of volatile molecules to capture with sensors.



"This study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that simple, noninvasive skin swabs can be used to diagnose Parkinson’s disease," said Perdita Barran, a professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Manchester.



Professor Barran's lab is already dissecting the swab chemistry; the canine results confirm those molecules belong on the diagnostic radar.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dogs-and-other-neurological-diseases">Dogs and other neurological diseases</h2>



Researchers and dog trainers are beginning to explore how these animals can detect other neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and even conditions like migraines or autism-related sensory episodes. 



In the case of Alzheimer’s, for example, people in early stages of the disease may emit subtle changes in body odor - things a human nose would never catch, but a dog’s nose picks up with ease. 



These scent cues could one day help in screening or early detection, well before symptoms become obvious.



There are also stories of dogs acting differently before their owners have a migraine or during MS flare-ups - becoming restless or unusually attentive - as if they sense something’s coming. 



Some families of children with autism even report that service dogs notice sensory overload before it escalates, helping calm things down before a meltdown.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-the-science-of-scent">Expanding the science of scent</h2>



Future trials aim to include people with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-disruptions-could-signal-the-onset-of-alzheimers/">REM sleep behavior disorder</a> - a risk state for Parkinson’s - to see whether dogs can spot the disease before a neurologist could.



Parallel chemical analyses will hunt for the exact compounds responsible for the odor. If those molecules prove consistent worldwide, engineers could embed them in low‑cost sensor chips.



For now the message is hopeful: a straightforward skin swab carries hidden information about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-grounds-could-help-prevent-neurodegenerative-diseases/">neurodegeneration</a>, and a dog’s nose can read it.



That knowledge could accelerate the quest for a rapid, painless test. It would offer one more tool to bring Parkinson’s onto clinicians’ radar while there is still time to slow its march.



The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1877718X251342485" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Parkinson’s Disease</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Dogs can detect some neurological diseases, like Parkinson's, years before symptoms appear

A pair of specially trained dogs has shown that Parkinson’s...

A rocky planet zips around the faint orange star WASP-132 once every 24 hours and 17 minutes. Far beyond it, a frigid gas giant drifts along a path that takes five Earth years to complete.



Lead author <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rMvrPasAAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nolan Grieves</a> of the <a href="https://www.studyinswitzerland.plus/university/unige/">University of Geneva</a> and colleagues uncovered the pair while re‑examining nine years of telescope data. 



Their find shows that <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/resource/hot-jupiter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hot Jupiter</a> systems can shelter nearby small planets rather than always clearing them out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sprinting-around-wasp-132">Sprinting around WASP-132</h2>



The inner world, named super‑Earth <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/wasp-132-c/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WASP‑132 c</a>, skims only about 1.7 million miles from its star, closer than many low‑Earth satellites circle ours.



Despite the proximity, its measured bulk density of 5.5 g/cm³ hints at a largely rocky composition, slightly heavier than <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-earth-toi-1846-b-possible-oceans-discovered-orbiting-red-dwarf-star/">Earth</a> itself.



<a href="https://archive.stsci.edu/missions-and-data/tess" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TESS space‑telescope</a> photometry reveals that each transit lasts just over one hour. Follow‑up spectra show a planetary mass roughly six times that of Earth, confirming its compact size.



“This is the first time we have observed such a configuration,” said <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/armstrong/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. David Armstrong</a>, <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Warwick</a>, referring to a super‑Earth tucked inside a hot‑Jupiter system. 



Armstrong’s team supplied high‑cadence data with the <a href="https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/lasilla/instruments/harps.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HARPS spectrograph</a>, boosting the <a href="https://lco.global/spacebook/exoplanets/radial-velocity-method/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">radial velocity</a> precision enough to isolate the tiny wobble of the 24‑hour world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-icy-giant-in-the-dark">An icy giant in the dark</h2>



<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/wasp-132-d/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WASP‑132 d</a>, the newly announced outer planet, orbits nearly 252 million miles out, about the distance from the Sun to the asteroid belt. 



It tips the scale at 5.2 times Jupiter’s mass and likely sports deep layers of methane‑rich clouds that never see direct starlight.



At such a distance the planet receives less than 1 percent of the light falling on Earth. Temperatures could hover hundreds of degrees below freezing, giving researchers a rare look at a young ice giant still cooling.



Because the orbit spans half a decade, astronomers relied on more than nine years of <a href="https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/lasilla/swiss/coralie/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CORALIE spectrograph</a> data to trace its slow pull. 



The long baseline also revealed a steady velocity trend that hints at yet another, unseen companion further out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-finding-wasp-132">Finding WASP-132</h2>



Space‑based photometry from TESS and <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Cheops" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CHEOPS</a> provided crisp light curves, flagging potential planets. 



Ground‑based spectra from HARPS and CORALIE then measured stellar wobble to pin down masses, a one‑two punch that has become routine for multiplanet hunts.



A multidimensional <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40300-023-00238-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gaussian‑process model</a> filtered out <a href="https://buil.astrosurf.com/chromospheric_activity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chromospheric activity</a> signals from starspots rotating every 31 days. Without that step the planet signatures would have drowned in stellar noise.



For the inner planet, the team measured a radial‑velocity amplitude of just 4.6 ft/s, about walking speed, showcasing the reach of modern spectrographs. 



The outer giant’s tug, in contrast, registers at over 200 ft/s, easy to spot once enough years of data accumulate.



Together the datasets produce a complete family portrait: a small <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rocky-planets-a-new-target-in-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life/">rocky planet</a> at 0.018 AU, a seven‑day hot Jupiter originally found in 2017, and the distant icy behemoth at 2.71 AU. Such architectural detail lets theorists test how planets migrate after formation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-planetary-architects">Lessons for planetary architects</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strange-exoplanet-hip-67522-causes-plasma-explosions-on-its-parent-star/">Hot Jupiters</a> usually travel inward through high‑eccentricity interactions that scatter smaller worlds. Finding a close‑in rocky planet surviving next to one challenges that picture.



The team argues that WASP‑132 b may have drifted quietly through the disk, leaving the inner <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/super-earth-toi-1846-b-possible-oceans-discovered-orbiting-red-dwarf-star/">super‑Earth</a> untouched and preserving a dynamically “cool” history. Its near‑circular orbit and moderate equatorial gravity support that calm evolution.



<a href="https://www.unige.ch/sciences/astro/exoplanets/team/faculty-members/francois-bouchy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">François Bouchy</a> of <a href="https://www.unige.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNIGE</a> called the system “a remarkable laboratory for studying the formation and evolution of multi‑planetary systems.” 



He noted that mixing planet sizes and separations in one place lets models test where solid cores assemble and where gas envelopes inflate.



Interior modeling suggests the ice giant holds at least 17 Earth masses of heavy elements, while the inner planet is nearly bare of volatiles. 



These contrasting chemistries likely reflect where each body accreted before migration reshuffled the deck.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-organic-chemistry-orbiting-wasp-132">Organic chemistry orbiting WASP-132</h2>



The discovery connects with current research in astrochemistry, which investigates how complex organic molecules develop on interstellar ice grains.



These molecules are considered important because they match those found in comets and asteroids.



When objects like these collide with planets, they can deliver both water and organic compounds. A distant ice giant such as WASP‑132 d helps maintain the low temperatures needed for these molecules to survive in space.



By sampling the planet’s atmosphere once it transits, as <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Webb</a> could do if orbital alignments cooperate, scientists hope to detect the chemical fingerprints of that frozen chemistry. 



Spectral clues to methane, ethane, or even more complex organics would connect planetary science with prebiotic chemistry.



Meanwhile, the rocky inner planet lies far too close for life as we know it; its dayside bakes at an estimated 1 750°F. Yet its bulk density offers a laboratory for studying how silicate mantles and iron cores behave under extreme stellar radiation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-astronomers-look-next">Where astronomers look next</h2>



Future Gaia data releases may detect the astrometric wobble of the ice giant, pinning its true mass and orbital tilt. Additional spectra could also reveal whether the outer trend is a brown dwarf or another planet.



The team has already secured <a href="https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/paranal/instruments/espresso.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPRESSO</a> time to measure spin‑orbit alignment during transits. If both planets share the star’s equatorial plane, the quiet‑migration scenario gains weight.



Surveys are now re‑checking hot‑Jupiter hosts for hidden, fast‑orbiting companions like WASP‑132 c. As technology drives radial‑velocity precision below three feet per second, many more “day‑long year” <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-map-twin-stars-to-discover-hidden-planets-with-unprecedented-accuracy/">planets</a> may come to light.



Finding them will refine models of planetary system diversity and, by extension, the odds of habitable worlds. Each well‑characterized system moves the field from speculation toward statistical certainty.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/01/aa48177-23/aa48177-23.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a>.



Image credit: Thibaut Roger, Université de Genève.



-----



Like what you read?<a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/"> Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Fire and ice: Astronomers discover two very different exoplanets orbiting one star

A rocky planet zips around the faint orange star WASP-132...

What if the survival of half a species depended on a gene so small, it barely counts as one? Deep in the early embryonic stages of birds, a powerful microRNA does exactly that. It doesn’t build feathers or shape beaks. Instead, it quietly ensures that male embryos survive in a genetically uneven world. 



Until now, no one knew just how vital this molecule was, or that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-birds-migrate-without-riding-the-wind/">birds</a> had taken such a different evolutionary path from mammals.



A recent study, led by researchers from Heidelberg University and the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Edinburgh</a>, uncovers a hidden mechanism in birds that balances the uneven load of sex chromosome genes.



The study shows that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-of-bird-species-could-vanish-in-the-next-century/">birds</a> didn’t adopt the strategies used by mammals to fix the same problem. Instead, they crafted a unique genetic answer using a microRNA called MIR2954 to rescue their males from potential developmental collapse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gene-balance-of-birds-and-mammals">Gene balance of birds and mammals </h2>



In both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-may-be-using-quantum-physics-for-migration/">birds</a> and mammals, sex is determined by a pair of chromosomes. In mammals, females have two X chromosomes, and males have one X and one Y. In birds, it is the opposite in structure: males are ZZ and females are ZW. 



Over evolutionary time, the Y chromosome in mammals and the W chromosome in birds lost many of their genes. This created a genetic imbalance where one sex had two full chromosome copies, while the other sex had only one.



Mammals solved this by boosting the X chromosome’s activity and then silencing one of the two X chromosomes in females. This careful adjustment equalized gene expression. 



However, birds took a very different approach. Instead of inactivating an entire chromosome, they increased gene activity on the single Z chromosome in females. That solved one side of the problem - but it created another.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-overactive-genes-in-male-birds">Overactive genes in male birds</h2>



In birds, males carry two Z chromosomes. When the genes on these chromosomes are too active, it can cause developmental issues. 



Without a way to reduce this double dose, male embryos are vulnerable. For a long time, scientists weren’t sure how birds avoided this problem.



This mystery led Professor Henrik Kaessmann and Dr. Mike McGrew to study chickens. Prior research hinted that a specific microRNA might be involved. It showed up repeatedly in male tissues and seemed absent in females. 



Known as MIR2954, this tiny RNA didn’t code for proteins but influenced how other genes behaved. It had the markings of a regulatory tool.



“This microRNA is predominantly active in male birds, which led us to assume that it helps balance the activity of the Z chromosome,” explained Professor Kaessmann, who conducts research at the Center for Molecular Biology of <a href="https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heidelberg University</a> (ZMBH).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-crucial-gene-for-male-birds">A crucial gene for male birds</h2>



To test their theory, the team used CRISPR/Cas9 to delete MIR2954 from chicken embryos. What followed confirmed their suspicion. 



Male embryos without this microRNA failed to survive. Females developed normally. On a molecular level, males experienced runaway activity from their Z-linked genes. The balance had been lost.



The paper shows the stark contrast in survival between male embryos with and without the microRNA. In its absence, the males exhibited developmental arrest by embryonic day 5. Females, with only one Z chromosome and no need for suppression, continued unaffected.



According to the researchers, this microRNA is present in all birds studied to date, but absent in other animals. 



“It is the only known microRNA that is essential for the survival of one sex, but not the other,” said Dr. Amir Fallahshahroudi, a researcher at <a href="https://www.uu.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Uppsala University</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dialing-down-gene-activity">Dialing down gene activity</h2>



Dr. Mike McGrew describes the microRNA’s function in simple terms. “The mechanism of the male-specific microRNA works like a dimmer switch, dialing down the overactive genes on the two male Z chromosomes.”



Instead of silencing a chromosome, MIR2954 modulates individual gene activity. This precision tool prevents developmental chaos in male embryos. 



It doesn’t act alone. MIR2954 binds to mRNAs from many Z-linked genes, especially those that would otherwise be expressed at dangerously high levels. These include transcription factors, growth regulators, and metabolic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-are-declining-fastest-where-they-were-once-common/">genes</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolution-of-sex-chromosomes">Evolution of sex chromosomes</h2>



Birds seem to have evolved this system independently. Mammals use different tools. But this raises an interesting question. Is MIR2954 an evolutionary one-off, or are there similar microRNAs at work in other animals?



“We now have to ask whether other animal species also use microRNAs to regulate their sex chromosomes, or whether they rely on different systems entirely,” noted Professor Kaessmann.



This discovery changes how scientists think about sex chromosome evolution. It proves that even the smallest genetic elements can shape the fate of an entire sex. 



While mammals use a global shutdown system, birds opted for selective moderation using a single molecule with laser focus.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tiny-gene-keeps-male-birds-alive">Tiny gene keeps male birds alive</h2>



The study highlights how different evolutionary paths can lead to the same endpoint: survival. 



The research also reminds us that solutions in biology are not one-size-fits-all. Birds didn't copy the mammalian strategy. They created something new, a micro-sized solution with macro-level impact.



What started as a minor RNA fragment turned out to be the key to male bird life. In doing so, it opened new doors for research into sex chromosome regulation across the animal kingdom. And once again, it showed that in biology, size rarely predicts power.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09256-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Male birds depend on a special gene to survive

What if the survival of half a species depended on...

We like to think our shopping decisions come down to personal preference. But then a friend gives a quick nod of approval to a pair of sneakers, and suddenly the choice just feels right - almost without a second thought.



A new project led by Jia Jin at <a href="http://en.sbm.shisu.edu.cn/main.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shanghai International Studies University</a> suggests that this social nudge reaches past surface influence and into coordinated brain activity. 



The researchers tracked more than 100 undergraduates for an entire semester and logged every change in their friendship network. 



In a separate experiment, the team scanned dozens of the student's brains while they watched a series of advertisements together.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-friends-shape-our-shopping-opinions">Friends shape our shopping opinions</h2>



The behavioral part of the study began with 175 students who rated everyday products on price, quality, and appeal. Agreement was strongest for practical gadgets but still showed up for status items such as branded shoes.



Over 16 weeks of campus life, the friendships ebbed and flowed, and the rating data shifted with them. Pairs who grew closer showed steadily shrinking opinion gaps, while pairs who drifted apart edged toward stranger‑level disagreement.



“Friends, compared to nonfriends, exhibit higher similarity in product evaluation,” explained Jin. By week 16, average distance within friend pairs had dropped by an extra eight percent - a subtle but reliable change that mirrored the strengthening ties.



In 2018, <a href="https://bri.ucla.edu/people/carolyn-parkinson/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Carolyn Parkinson</a> observed that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5790806" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neural responses</a> when viewing audiovisual movies are exceptionally similar among friends. The new project extends that insight from entertainment to the daily act of spending money.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shopping-ads-and-syncing-brains">Shopping ads and syncing brains</h2>



The imaging portion of the study placed 47 volunteers into a 3‑tesla scanner and recorded oxygen‑related signals with fMRI while each watched sixty short commercials beside a friend. 



The pair's brain activity revealed cortical areas lighting up in near unison, almost like two stereos tuned to the same station.



The alignment, or <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/integrative-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/neuro.07.017.2009/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neural synchrony</a>, emerged most strongly in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus. These brain regions are known for weighing value, recalling personal associations, and judging social meaning. 



When a shiny logo flashed, friends’ reward circuits rose and fell together, suggesting that the brand carried comparable weight for both people.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-friendship-and-shopping-preferences">Friendship and shopping preferences </h2>



A follow‑up <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00445/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meta‑analysis</a> linked the shared activity to object perception, visual attention, memory consolidation, and reward processing, weaving a tidy bridge from perception to choice. 



Strangers placed in the same room and shown the identical ads displayed weaker, noisier patterns with no consistent overlap across those networks.



Notably, shopping-related brain synchrony shifted with self-reported closeness. Friends who rated their bond a perfect ten showed almost twice the inter-brain correlation seen in weaker pairs, hinting that emotional intimacy tunes friends’ shopping responses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predicting-what-your-buddy-will-buy">Predicting what your buddy will buy</h2>



Jin’s group next trained a ridge regression model on each volunteer’s functional connectivity map, feeding the algorithm patterns from hundreds of brain regions rather than surface‑level behavior. 



The model learned to flag a yes‑or‑no intention to buy every product shown onscreen.



Accuracy reached 63 percent for predicting the participant’s own choice and 59 percent for forecasting a friend’s choice, both comfortably above the 50 percent chance line. 



Because the algorithm needed only the viewer’s brain data, the result serves as a proof of concept for inferring another person’s future action from a third‑party scan.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taking-advantage-of-social-bonds">Taking advantage of social bonds</h2>



Marketers see a goldmine in this possibility - envisioning perfectly timed, personalized ads delivered in key social moments. 



Privacy advocates, on the other hand, see a Trojan horse, cautioning that neuromarketing could shift from tracking group behavior to probing individual minds.



For now, the researchers emphasize that the predictive edge applies only to close ties. The machine guessed the intentions of a randomly paired stranger no better than a coin toss, showing that the social bond is the secret sauce.



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



Social scientists label this pull <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/homophily" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">homophily</a>, the tendency to gravitate toward people who see the world as we do. The current paper suggests the arrow points both ways, because new data show we also come to see the world more similarly after the friendship forms.



A hyperscanning <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51990-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> last year found the opposite trend during open‑ended conversation, in which friends diverged and strangers converged as the chat unfolded. 



The result hints that context decides whether shared history promotes alignment or encourages partners to seek novelty.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shopping-and-friends-the-feedback-loop">Shopping and friends: The feedback loop</h2>



Dartmouth <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36519530/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">researchers</a> have shown that synchronized activity in the posterior cingulate during live storytelling predicts how accurately friends recall the plot the next day. Overlapping signals may mark moments the group deems important.



Taken together, the data portray shopping and friendship as a feedback loop: similar minds become friends, and friendship shapes those minds to stay in sync, especially in shopping choices. This shaping explains how social norms form quickly within tight circles.



Shared brain patterns help explain viral fashion crazes, speculative bubbles, and information cascades on social media. 



A flashy post that resonates with one member of a tight‑knit group can ripple outward through synchronized attention and reward circuits, turning a niche trend into a crowd movement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-of-the-study-0">Broader implications of the study</h2>



Educators designing group projects might harness the same principle. Placing students with strong positive ties together could amplify engagement and recall, while carefully mixing near‑strangers might spark creative friction and prevent echo chambers.



Clinicians are exploring whether disrupted synchrony signals social difficulties in autism and schizophrenia. If so, friendship‑driven alignment could serve as a healthy benchmark, guiding therapies that aim to restore interpersonal attunement.



The present work leaves one puzzle unsolved: Does deeper neural similarity in shopping spark the friendship, or do friends shape that similarity? Only longitudinal scans that begin before two people meet can settle the debate.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/06/12/JNEUROSCI.0073-25.2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Friends affect how our brain responds to shopping

We like to think our shopping decisions come down to...

Forests do more than provide timber and shelter wildlife. They regulate water, stabilize soil, and buffer communities from natural disasters. But when forests are cut, the disruption doesn’t stop at tree stumps. 



A recent study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) reveals the alarming and long-lasting consequences of clear-cutting on flood patterns.



A once-in-70-years flood now hits every nine years. These findings come from one of the longest-running <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smarter-forest-design-can-help-fight-climate-change/">forest</a> hydrology experiments in the world.



“This research challenges conventional thinking about forest management’s impact on flooding,” said senior author Dr. Younes Alila, a hydrologist in the UBC faculty of <a href="https://forestry.ubc.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forestry</a>. 



“We hope the industry and policymakers will take note of the findings, which show that it matters not only how much forest you remove but also where, how and under what conditions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-landscape-factors-and-flood-risk">Landscape factors and flood risk</h2>



The researchers studied two neighboring watersheds in North Carolina. Both were clear-cut in the 1950s but responded very differently. One faced north, retained moisture, and received less sunlight. The other faced south and dried out faster.



"We found seemingly minor landscape factors - like the direction a slope faces - can make or break a watershed's response to treatment," said study first author Henry Pham, a doctoral student in the faculty of forestry.



In the north-facing watershed, floods became four to 18 times more frequent. Some flood volumes more than doubled. In contrast, the south-facing watershed showed almost no changes in flood behavior. 



The same treatment led to wildly different results, emphasizing how orientation and microclimate drive watershed resilience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-outdated-flood-models">Outdated flood models </h2>



Conventional flood models estimate runoff by applying a simple formula: cut X percent of trees, expect Y percent more water. The research team challenged this outdated thinking. They used a probabilistic framework across 70 years of data from the <a href="https://research.fs.usda.gov/srs/forestsandranges/locations/coweeta" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory</a>.



“This experimental evidence validates our longstanding call for better analysis methods,” said Dr. Alila. “When we apply proper probabilistic tools to long-term data, we find much stronger and more variable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-will-struggle-without-winter-snow/">impacts</a> than older models suggest.”



The study showed that forest removal doesn’t just raise flood averages - it changes how floods behave entirely. Rare events become frequent, and peak flood volumes rise unpredictably.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forest-removal-and-flood-patterns">Forest removal and flood patterns</h2>



The team examined how floods behaved over decades after forest removal. The research revealed that altered flood behavior in the north-facing watershed remained extreme for many years. 



This wasn’t a short-term shock but a deep, long-term shift in the watershed’s hydrologic response. Even 40 years after all the trees were cut, floods were still stronger and lasted longer than before. 



Scientists think this happened because cutting the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-provide-different-health-benefits-based-on-their-structure/">trees</a> permanently changed how the soil holds water, how water evaporates through plants, and how soaked the ground stays after rain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-past-forest-loss-led-to-major-floods">Past forest loss led to major floods</h2>



Dr. Alila noted that the findings can be applied to current and future flood disasters. British Columbia has many similar landscapes, including areas affected by the 2021 Sumas Prairie floods. 



The team suggests that their models could be used to assess how clear-cutting contributed to these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-are-lagging-centuries-behind-in-climate-adaptation/">events</a> and to predict future risks.



The researchers concluded that the big Texas floods, which occurred between 2015 and 2023, were intensified by changes in the land and heavy rain caused by climate change. 



Cutting down forests long ago may have made the land weaker, which led to more damage when the floods developed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-forest-policy">Rethinking forest policy</h2>



The evidence is clear: where, how, and when we log matters. The old one-size-fits-all approach no longer holds. Forests are not simple reservoirs. They are complex systems shaped by slope, exposure, soil, and rainfall patterns.



“Our findings highlight how multiple landscape factors interact in complex ways. As climate conditions shift, understanding those dynamics is becoming increasingly important for forest and water management.”



By treating watersheds as living systems with unique personalities, policymakers can make smarter decisions. It’s no longer just about how many trees we cut - but about where and what happens next.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002216942501042X" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Hydrology</a>. 



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Forest removal can turn rare floods into regular disasters

Forests do more than provide timber and shelter wildlife. They...

Dead marine giants do not fade quietly. After scavengers strip away the flesh, their sinking bones become banquet halls for specialized worms. These worms drill through the skeleton and siphon its last reserves of fat and protein.



A new survey of those ancient drill marks has identified seven distinct burrow types, revealing just how long these bone-eaters have shaped life on the seafloor. 



The study was led by Ph.D. student Sarah Jamison-Todd in collaboration with curator Marc Jones and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/">Natural History Museum of London</a>.



By combing through more than 130 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/discovery-of-a-cretaceous-ostrich-mexidracon-longimanus-with-extremely-long-arms/">Cretaceous</a> reptile fossils, the team identified distinctive tunnel patterns in the bones. They then scanned the best examples with micro-CT and linked each pattern to a unique “ichnospecies.” 



This bolsters evidence that the living bone-eating worms known as Osedax descend from a lineage at least 100 million years old.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-worms-feast-on-sunken-bones">Worms feast on sunken bones</h2>



Modern Osedax worms colonize whale falls all the way from polar shallows to abyssal plains. Mouthless and gutless, they rely on symbiotic bacteria to digest bone, feeding through root-like filaments and leaving behind bulbous cavities. 



Similar traces were found in fossil skeletons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/183-million-year-old-plesiosaur-fossil-plesiopterys-wildi-preserved-skin-soft-tissue/">plesiosaurs</a>, ichthyosaurs, turtles, and early whales, hinting at a deep evolutionary history.



“We haven't found anything else that makes a similar burrow to these animals,” Jamison-Todd explained. “As the ancient bores are so similar to modern Osedax species, and we don't have body fossils to contradict us, we assume that they were made by the same or a similar organism.”



“It shows the bone-eating worms are part of a lineage that stretches back at least to the Cretaceous, and further. We can see how the diversity of bone-eating worms changes across millions of years.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-historic-bones-new-insights">Historic bones, new insights</h2>



Pinpointing that history meant first nailing down the ages of century-old specimens. “Some of these were collected in the 1800s, and the information on them can be very brief, so it’s difficult to know exactly where they’re from,” Jones said.



“We focused on specimens from the Chalk of the U.K., as our colleagues have been working on better understanding these Cretaceous ecosystems using museum collections.”



“They're also working to date fossils of an unknown age. By using the remains of small organisms that make up the Chalk itself, we were able to date the fossils to more precise time slices of the Cretaceous Period.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-worm-trails-hidden-in-ancient-bones">Worm trails hidden in ancient bones</h2>



Armed with refined dates, the researchers searched for borehole entrances scarcely wider than a needle.



“We examined over 130 different fossils for signs of bone-eating worm burrows,” Jamison-Todd said. “However, not all fossils which look like they've been bored into by these worms have been - it could have been caused by different animals or environmental <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-rock-weathering-is-a-co2-source-comparable-to-volcanoes/">weathering</a>.”



“The only way to really confirm this is to put the fossils under a CT scanner. This allows us to create 3D reconstructions of the inside of the bone and see the different patterns that have been left behind.”



The scans revealed meandering tubes, lobed pockets, and tree-like chambers hidden beneath the surface. 



Each shape repeated across multiple specimens, convincing the researchers that they marked discrete behavioral blueprints rather than random damage.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-naming-the-ancient-burrow-types">Naming the ancient burrow types</h2>



Six new burrow types from the Chalk and one from Belgium form a seven-member ichnospecies roster. The names draw on both form and inspiration.



Osspecus arboreum branches like a sapling inside shattered ribs. Osspecus morsus gnaws through tooth roots, its Latin epithet recalling a bite. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0320945.g002" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/bone-eating-worm_evolution_ancient-marine-reptiles_credit-plos-one_1s.webp" alt="The evolution of bone-eating worm diversity in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk Group of the United Kingdom" class="wp-image-1978359"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The evolution of bone-eating worm diversity in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk Group of the United Kingdom. Click image to enlarge.</figcaption></figure>



The name Osspecus eunicefootia honors Eunice Newton Foote, the overlooked pioneer who first linked atmospheric carbon dioxide to global warming.



Each label provides a shorthand for paleontologists who stumble on similar traces elsewhere. This lets them slot new data into a growing catalog of deep-sea recyclers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-diversification-of-bone-eating-worms">Diversification of bone-eating worms</h2>



Bone falls create oases on the otherwise sparse ocean floor, feeding entire communities from bacteria to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crabs-lobsters-crustaceans-feel-pain-calls-for-immediate-ban-on-boiling-them-alive/">crabs</a>. Charting how bone-worms diversified illuminates both those ecosystems and the broader carbon cycle.



“There are many more examples of boring that haven't yet been named from both ancient and modern bone-eating worms,” Jamison-Todd said. “In fact, some bores from the Cretaceous appear to be similar to ones that are still made today.”



“Finding out whether these burrows are made by the same species, or are an example of convergent evolution, will give us a much better idea of how these animals have evolved, and how they have shaped <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sand-extraction-is-an-overlooked-threat-to-marine-ecosystems/">marine ecosystems</a> over millions of years.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-window-into-lost-oceans"><a></a>A window into lost oceans</h2>



Because Osedax bores only soft, fatty bone, their presence proves that large carcasses once littered even shallow Cretaceous seas. These remains came first from marine reptiles, and later from early whales.



The worms’ longevity also suggests that whenever vertebrate giants die, life quickly evolves to recycle them.



By giving formal names to the delicate tunnels etched in chalky ribs and teeth, the study turns museum drawers into time-lapse images of ecological succession. 



Each burrow is a snapshot of a feast that ended eons ago yet still whispers of the unseen engineers who keep nutrients moving through the dark ocean floor.



Image credit: Sarah Jamison-Todd



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0320945" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Ancient worms feasted on the bones of giant marine animals

Dead marine giants do not fade quietly. After scavengers strip...

A fossil found on Vancouver Island in 1988 looked like a typical long‑necked marine reptile, yet every expert who studied Traskasaura sandrae left with new questions. 



Scientists have now confirmed that the 39‑foot creature, which lived about 85 million years ago, represents an entirely new species with a hunting style never before documented in its family.



“It has a very odd mix of primitive and derived traits,” said <a href="https://www.marshall.edu/cohp/profile/f-robin-okeefe-phd/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor F. Robin O’Keefe</a> of <a href="https://www.marshall.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marshall University</a>, whose group named the predator Traskasaura sandrae. He led the team that solved the puzzle.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-digging-up-traskasaura-sandrae">Digging up Traskasaura sandrae</h2>



The first bones came from the <a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/sepm/jsedres/article-abstract/52/3/975/97637/The-Haslam-Formation-a-late-Santonian-early?redirectedFrom=PDF" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Haslam Formation</a>, a shale layer laid down when shallow seas covered what is now British Columbia. 



Community volunteers spent three summers freeing the skeleton, which included more than fifty tightly linked neck vertebrae.



Additional material surfaced during highway construction and a separate riverbank dig, bringing the total to three individuals. 



Together they revealed a full neck, torso, limbs, and the crushing teeth that tipped researchers off to an unusual feeding strategy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neck-was-built-for-ambush">Neck was built for ambush</h2>



Most <a href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Elasmosaurus/390035" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">elasmosaurs</a> relied on sideways sweeps to grab fish, but the team noticed that the neck joints of Traskasaura sandrae allow smooth downward flexion. 



That range, paired with robust shoulder muscles, supports the idea that the reptile hovered above prey before plunging like a heron.



Each cervical rib points slightly forward, a feature seen only in a handful of southern-hemisphere relatives. The forward slant stiffened the neck during a rapid dive, preventing whiplash while the head shot toward a target below.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clues-in-the-shoulders-and-teeth">Clues in the shoulders and teeth</h2>



The <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Dinosaur+Paleobiology-p-9780470656587" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">glenoid cavity</a>, where the humerus meets the body, faces partly downward instead of purely sideways. That tilt aimed the paddles to push water straight back and down, giving the animal a quick vertical burst.



“Its teeth were ideal for crushing,” explained O’Keefe. One preserved crown still holds fragments of broken shell. 



Heavy conical teeth, round in cross‑section and ringed by deep grooves, suggest a diet of shelled <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-an-ammonite.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ammonites</a> common in the same rocks. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-life-in-the-late-cretaceous-pacific">Life in the late Cretaceous pacific</h2>



During the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-cretaceous-period.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Late Cretaceous</a>, Vancouver Island sat around the latitude of present‑day Oregon, edged by warm fore‑arc basins teeming with mollusks and early sharks. 



Ammonite fossils from the Pachydiscus group dominate these beds, matching the menu implied by the reptile’s dentition.



The sea also hosted sleek mosasaurs and blade‑toothed birds, yet Traskasaura filled a separate niche: the slow‑motion stalker that attacked from above. 



Its 12‑foot paddles produced short bursts rather than long chases, conserving energy in nutrient‑rich but cooler northern waters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rewriting-the-plesiosaur-family-tree">Rewriting the plesiosaur family tree</h2>



Although classified as a plesiosaur, the newcomer sits near the base of the elasmosaur branch. The phylogenetic work by O’Keefe and colleagues shows it split early from southern cousins such as <a href="https://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/aristonectes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Aristonectes</a> yet later evolved similar shoulder joints, an example of convergent evolution.



That finding warns against sorting species by one standout trait. Neck length alone once grouped nearly every long‑necked reptile together, but limb and girdle details tell a more nuanced story about how different lineages hunted and swam.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-traskasaura-sandrae-anatomy">Traskasaura sandrae anatomy</h2>



The first fossil puzzled paleontologists because it blended features usually found in different branches of the plesiosaur family. 



Its skull and teeth matched primitive species, but its shoulders and forelimbs looked like more specialized animals from the southern hemisphere.



Researchers initially hesitated to call it a new species because many of the bones were fragmented or eroded. It wasn’t until a second, better-preserved skeleton was uncovered that scientists could confidently identify the creature’s unique traits and confirm its identity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-find-means-today">What the find means today</h2>



The <a href="https://www.courtenay.ca/EN/main/community/arts-and-culture/courtenay-district-museum.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Courtenay and District Museum</a> now displays the best skeleton, giving British Columbia a provincial fossil with unmistakable local flavor. 



School groups can stand beside vertebrae longer than their hands and imagine a reptile that prowled the same coastal waters where orcas swim.



“Our new research finally solves this mystery,” added O’Keefe. 



Beyond regional pride, the study highlights how community collectors, careful curation, and modern scans can unlock decades‑old mysteries. The creature’s hybrid anatomy will keep fueling debates about function and evolution for years. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-traskasaura-sandrae-got-its-name">How Traskasaura sandrae got its name</h2>



The genus name Traskasaura honors <a href="https://my.northcoastchurch.com/FindAGroup/316626" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Michael and Heather Trask</a>, the father-daughter team who found the original fossil along the Puntledge River in 1988. The name combines their surname with the Greek word sauros, meaning lizard.



The species name sandrae was chosen in memory of <a href="https://www.bcrf.org/blog/sandra-lee-being-breast-cancer-survivor-activist-and-advocate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sandra Lee O’Keefe</a>, a Pacific Northwest native and advocate for breast cancer awareness. 



This tribute mirrors the legacy of <a href="https://dbpedia.org/page/Elizabeth_Nicholls" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elizabeth Nicholls</a>, a paleontologist who helped identify the fossils in 2002.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2025.2489938" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Systematic Palaeontology</a>.



-----



Like what you read?<a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/"> Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Very rare and predatory marine reptile identified as a completely new species

A fossil found on Vancouver Island in 1988 looked like...

Evolution often follows curious paths, especially when it comes to food. Over the past 100 million years, mammals have explored an incredible range of diets. 



Some mammals graze on grass, others hunt prey, and a few even sip tree sap or dive for krill. But one of the strangest dietary turns comes from species that eat and depend deeply on ants and termites.



This peculiar choice may seem limiting, even risky. Yet, it has driven major transformations in anatomy, behavior and even survival <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-ground-dwellers-survived-the-asteroid-impact-that-killed-the-dinosaurs/">strategies</a>. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dietary-changes-for-mammals">Dietary changes for mammals</h2>



According to new research, mammals evolved ant and termite-only diets at least 12 separate times over 66 million years.



This shift, called myrmecophagy, followed the dinosaur extinction. It allowed ants and termites to thrive and opened a new food niche for mammals.



“There’s not been an investigation into how this dramatic diet evolved across all known mammal species until now,” said Phillip Barden of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (<a href="https://www.njit.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NJIT</a>).



“This work gives us the first real roadmap, and what really stands out is just how powerful a selective force ants and termites have been over the last 50 million years - shaping environments and literally changing the face of entire species.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-mammals-adapted-to-eat-ants">How mammals adapted to eat ants</h2>



Over 200 mammal species consume ants or termites occasionally. But just 20, like pangolins and anteaters, rely on them completely. 



These true myrmecophages evolved long, sticky tongues and powerful claws. Many even lost their teeth.



To track this trend, the researchers collected diet records from 4,099 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-mammals-have-evolved-over-66-million-years/">species</a>. These came from nearly 100 years of scientific papers, field notes and conservation reports.



“Compiling dietary data for nearly every living mammal was daunting, but it really illuminates the sheer diversity of diets and ecologies in the mammalian world,” said Thomas Vida from the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/en/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bonn</a>. 



Small ant-eaters need to eat huge numbers to survive. Numbats eat around 20,000 termites daily. Aardwolves can eat over 300,000 ants in one night.



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



Anteaters belong to the suborder Vermilingua, which literally means “worm tongue” - an apt name, since their tongues can extend up to two feet and flick in and out of their mouths up to 160 times per minute. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-anteater-day-a-tribute-to-natures-unique-foragers/">Modern-day anteaters</a> don’t have teeth, so they rely on their sticky tongues and powerful stomachs to digest the thousands of ants and termites they consume daily. 



Their long, tubular snouts house an excellent sense of smell, which is key to locating insect nests in the wild.



Despite their name, anteaters don’t just eat ants. They also snack on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/termites-play-an-unexpected-role-in-rainforest-revival/">termites</a>, and they’re careful not to destroy an entire colony - they’ll feed for just a minute or two before moving on, ensuring the nest can recover for future visits. 



Giant anteaters, like the one pictured in this article, can grow over 7 feet long from nose to tail. These solitary animals roam grasslands and rainforests across Central and South America. 



With their shaggy coats and slow, deliberate movements, they might seem awkward - but they’re incredibly strong, especially in their forelimbs, which they use to rip open tough termite mounds or defend themselves from predators.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-rise-of-ants-and-termites">The rise of ants and termites </h2>



The team grouped <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-fossil-big-discovery-student-uncovers-a-lost-mammal-species/">species</a> by diet. From ant-only eaters to generalists. Then they mapped these onto a mammal family tree and ran evolutionary models.



The experts found at least 12 independent shifts to strict myrmecophagy. These happened in marsupials, monotremes and placental mammals. But not evenly. Some groups showed more change than others.



The researchers also looked back 145 million years to study the rise of ant and termite colonies. During the Cretaceous, ants and termites were rare. By the Miocene, 23 million years ago, they made up over a third of insect populations.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/anteater_mammal-phylogeny_evolution_NIJT_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/anteater_mammal-phylogeny_evolution_NIJT_1s.webp" alt="A mammal phylogeny with colors depicting the diet of living species and their ancestors; silhouettes of myrmecophagous mammals surround the tree. An inset diagram in the upper right illustrates transitions between dietary states. Credit: Vida, Calamari, &amp; Barden/NJIT" class="wp-image-1978347"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A mammal phylogeny with colors depicting the diet of living species and their ancestors; silhouettes of myrmecophagous mammals surround the tree. An inset diagram in the upper right illustrates transitions between dietary states. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Vida, Calamari, &amp; Barden/NJIT</figcaption></figure>



“It’s not clear exactly why ants and termites both took off around the same time. Some work has implicated the rise of flowering plants, along with some of the planet’s warmest temperatures during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum about 55 million years ago,” said Barden. 



“What is clear is that their sheer biomass set off a cascade of evolutionary responses across plants and animals.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ant-eating-mammals-rarely-change-diets">Ant-eating mammals rarely change diets</h2>



Myrmecophagy arose more often from insect-eating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-tried-different-ways-to-move-before-walking-upright/">ancestors</a> than from carnivores. But surprisingly, carnivores like dogs and bears made the switch several times too.



“That was a surprise,” Barden said. “Making the leap from eating other vertebrates to consuming thousands of tiny insects daily is a major shift.”



Once a mammal becomes a myrmecophage, it rarely reverts. Only one genus, Macroscelides, the elephant shrews, ever switched back to a broader diet after specializing.



Eight of the twelve times mammals evolved to eat only ants or termites, just one species survived each time. 



This limited survival suggests that highly specialized creatures, while successful in their niche, may face a greater risk of extinction due to changing environments, food scarcity, or habitat disruption over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ant-eaters-survive-as-insects-spread">Ant-eaters survive as insects spread</h2>



“In some ways, specializing on ants and termites paints a species into a corner,” Barden said. But for now, these specialists thrive.



Ants and termites now outweigh all wild mammals combined. Climate change favors species with massive colonies. 



This shift may help ant- and termite-eating mammals, known as myrmecophages, survive and thrive. Their specialized diet could become a surprising advantage in a world increasingly ruled by social insects.



“If you can’t beat them, eat them,” Barden said. That idea, repeated across millions of years, has changed the face of mammals again and again.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/evolut/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/evolut/qpaf121/8155241?redirectedFrom=fulltext&amp;login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Evolution</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Mammals have evolved to eat ants and termites 12 different times since the dinosaurs

Evolution often follows curious paths, especially when it comes to...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9c468dd15d2426dfe914/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>

The European Space Agency's Sentinel 2-a satellite captured this false-color image of Yuma, Arizona in the American southwest.

Visible in the image in scattered grays, Yuma, Arizona is home to some 90,000 people. Situated along the Colorado River, the Mexican frontier lies just west of it, and California lies to the north.

The fence forming the border is visible as a fine and perfectly straight line, running from left to right through the image between the irrigation canal and the irrigated fields west of the city. Just north of the canal, a small square marks a water reservoir for irrigating the fields in this highly arid region.

Founded in 1854, Yuma is the center of large irrigation districts that converted parts of the desert into fertile farmland.

It is considered to be the winter vegetable capital of the US because it has some of the most fertile soil in the country, stemming from sediments deposited by the Colorado River over thousands of years. These lay the foundation for making it the third most productive in the entire US for vegetables. It is also known for wheat – two-thirds is exported, mainly to Italy for producing premium pasta.

The false-color bands render the farmed fields shades of browns and red. The circular features are created by center-pivot irrigation, while rectangular areas use different methods which deliver the water along straight lines. The shades of red indicate how sensitive the multispectral instrument on Sentinel-2A is to differences in chlorophyll content, providing essential information on vegetation health.

Also visible in the image is the Yuma International Airport just south of the town, and parts of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to the east, which offers hiking and camping in the rugged wilderness and protects the desert bighorn sheep,

&nbsp;

---

<a href="http://www.esa.int">European Space Agency</a>

Yuma, Arizona

The European Space Agency's Sentinel 2-a satellite captured this false-color...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49">
<script src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
Enjoy this high-definition 4K look at planet Earth Amazing high-definition footage of planet Earth aptured by NASA.

The International Space Station hosts a variety of payloads and experiments supporting climate research, weather predictions, hurricane monitoring, pollution tracking, disaster response and much, much more. Today we are grateful for this wonderful image.

To better understand the formation and composition of Earth, scientists sometimes compare our planet with Venus and Mars. All three of these planets are rocky in nature and are part of the inner solar system, meaning that they are in between the sun and the asteroid belt. Venus' atmosphere is almost entirely composed of carbon dioxide. Usually, the appearance of sky depends on various factors like composition of atmosphere, density of atmosphere, the intensity of light entering, the intensity of scattering of light,etc.

Scientists call them superhabitable planets. They’re worlds that could sustain life more than five times longer than Earth, and while we haven’t found one for sure yet, there might be billions of them lurking in our galaxy alone. Enjoy this high-definition 4K look at planet Earth and how it shows Our planet has a natural environment, known as ‘ecosystem’, which includes all humans, animals, plants, land and water. Human activities have caused much depletion and destruction of this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dog-feces-can-harm-the-environment-and-disrupt-ecosystems/">ecosystem</a>.

---

<a href="http://www.nasa.gov">NASA</a>

Enjoy this high-definition 4K look at planet Earth

Enjoy this high-definition 4K look at planet Earth Amazing high-definition...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a189cb28c2660511136/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>

This satellite image shows the Imja Glacier and an area of the Himalaya mountain range in northeastern Nepal, about 8 km south of Mount Everest.

The Himalayas are home to the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest (about 8850 m), and dozens of other smaller peaks over 7000 m high. These peaks are covered permanently with snow.

The range houses thousands of glaciers, including the Imja glacier in the upper-central part of this image. Studies show an increase in the rate of glacial retreat for Imja and many other glaciers in the region – and in the world.

Glaciers are the largest reservoirs of freshwater on our planet, and their melting or growing is one of the best indicators of climate change. Satellite radar data can help monitor changes in glacier mass and, subsequently, their contribution to rising sea levels.

Glacial runoff from the Himalayas has a direct effect on the nearby rivers such as the Indus and Ganges and is very important for lower-lying regions where there is a very large human population.

At the foot of the Imja glacier is the Imja lake, pictured in the upper-left. Melt-water makes this one of the fastest growing lakes in the Himalayas and a threat to downstream communities.

---

<a href="http://www.esa.int">European Space Agency</a>

Beautiful image of the Imja Glacier, Himalayas

This satellite image shows the Imja Glacier and an area...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a1c5091f01e678257b9/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>

Part of Nepal including its capital city, Kathmandu, and the Himalayan foothills are pictured in this satellite image.

Vegetation appears red in this false-color image, while waterways and buildings are light green and blue.

Surrounded by four mountain ranges, Kathmandu valley at the top of the image is recognized as a <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/">UNESCO</a> World Heritage Site for its temples and monuments. Some of these locations collapsed during the April 2015 earthquake that struck the region, causing widespread damage and claiming thousands of lives throughout the valley.

It's easy to identify the airport and runways of the Tribhuvan International Airport that is clearly visible near the center of the valley.

A ‘ring road’ runs around central Kathmandu city and parts of surrounding cities, and from the southern tip of the airport runways, we can follow the road south before it changes direction northwest and continues around the city.

This image demonstrates just a slice of Nepal’s varied terrain: the mountains to the north and the plains in the south. We can see how water runs off of the mountains, forming large rivers that cut through the forested plain, with some areas of agriculture. The lower part of the image appears hazier than the mountainous areas because humidity is higher in the plains.

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.esa.int">European Space Agency</a>

Satellite image of Kathmandu, Nepal

Part of Nepal including its capital city, Kathmandu, and the...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a1bf5bcb176bb33b1e0/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>

Sentinel-2A takes us overhead and shows us the us over the snowy landscape of the Putorana Plateau in northern Central Siberia.

The video shows part of the Putoransky State Nature Reserve, which is listed as a <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a>. Situated about 100 km north of the Arctic Circle, the site serves as a major reindeer migration route – an increasingly rare natural phenomenon – and is one of the very few centres of plant species richness in the Arctic.

Virtually untouched by human influence, this isolated mountain range includes pristine forests and cold-water lake and river systems. The lakes are characterised by elongated, fjord-like shapes, such as Lake Ayan in the upper-central part of the image.

Zooming in on the lake we can see that it is mostly ice-covered, with small patches of water peeking through around its lower reaches.

Another feature of this area are the flat-topped mountains, formed by a geological process called ‘plume volcanism’: a large body of magma seeped through Earth’s surface and formed a blanket of basalt kilometres thick. Over time, cracks in the rock filled with water and eroded into the rivers and lakes we see today.

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.esa.int">European Space Agency</a>

Birds eye view of Putorana Plateau, Siberia

Sentinel-2A takes us overhead and shows us the us over...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a182ba1881da398df7a/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>
One day science fiction may become science fact as experts have suggested that wastewater treatment plants may be able to turn ordinary sewage into biofuel. New research at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recently made these claims.
A technology called hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) mimics the geological conditions that the Earth uses to create crude oil, using high pressure and temperature to ape in mere minutes a process that takes Mother Nature millions of years.
The resulting product is similar to petroleum that is pumped out of the ground, with a trace amount of water and oxygen mixed in. This biocrude is then purified using conventional petroleum-refining techniques.
Across the U.S. around 34 billion gallons of sewage are treated every day. That amount would produce the equivalent of around 30 million barrels of oil per year. PNNL estimates that just one person’s excretions could generate two to three gallons of biocrude per year.
Sewage sludge has been considered a poor ingredient for producing biofuel because it's wet. This new approach eliminates the need for drying, the part of the process which is expensive and time-consuming. Hydrothermal liquefaction may also be used to make fuel from other types of wet organic material, such as agricultural waste.
Using the new technique, organic matter can be broken down into chemical compounds. The material is pressurized to 3,000 pounds per square inch, then the pressurized sludge goes into a reactor system operating at 660 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat and pressure break the cells into biocrude and an aqueous liquid.
Scientists state that HTL could impact local government expenditure by reducing the need for sewage residuals processing, transport, and disposal.
Meanwhile, an independent assessment for the Water Environment &amp; Reuse Foundation called HTL a highly disruptive technology.

Our future fuel could be made from sewage

One day science fiction may become science fact as experts...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a1a5091f01e678257b7/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>

The Earth is getting greener and it’s all down to increased carbon dioxide production.

Nearly half of Earth’s vegetation has grown more green in color over the last 35 years. A new study claims this is due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

An international team of 32 authors from 24 institutions in eight countries led the effort. They consulted satellite data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer to help determine the leaf area index in areas of vegetation. The data shows an increase in leaves on plants including trees equivalent in area to twice the size of the USA.

Green leaves use energy from sunlight through photosynthesis to chemically combine carbon dioxide drawn in from the air with water and nutrients tapped from the ground to produce sugars, which are the main source of food, fiber and fuel for life on Earth.

Studies demonstrate that increased concentrations of carbon dioxide increase photosynthesis, spurring on plant growth. However, carbon dioxide fertilization isn’t the only cause of these greener areas; nitrogen, land cover change, and climate change have all contributed.

To determine the extent of carbon dioxide’s contribution, researchers ran specific data relating to carbon dioxide in isolation.

Results showed that carbon dioxide fertilization explains 70 percent of the greening effect, said co-author Dr. Ranga Myneni, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University. “The second most important driver is nitrogen, at 9 percent. So we see what an outsized role CO2 plays in this process.”

About 85 percent of Earth’s ice-free lands is covered by vegetation. The area covered by all the green leaves on Earth is equal to, on average, 32 percent of Earth’s total surface area – oceans, lands and permanent ice sheets combined. The extent of the greening over the past 35 years “has the ability to fundamentally change the cycling of water and carbon in the climate system,” said lead author Dr. Zaichun Zhu, a researcher from Peking University, China.

Every year, about half of the 10 billion tons of carbon emitted into the atmosphere from human activities remains temporarily stored, in about equal parts, in the oceans and plants. “While our study did not address the connection between greening and carbon storage in plants, other studies have reported an increasing carbon sink on land since the 1980s, which is entirely consistent with the idea of a greening Earth,” said co-author Shilong Piao of the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences at Peking University.

While these high carbon dioxide concentrations can be great for plants, they’re also the biggest suspect of climate change.

CO2 traps heat in our atmosphere which has been increasing since the industrial revolution, growing to reach concentrations not seen in at least 500,000 years. Climate change has caused global warming, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and sea ice, and severe weather events.

The beneficial impacts seen among plants could also be limited.

Study co-author Dr. Philippe Ciais, associate director of the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences in Gif-sur-Yvette, France said, “Studies have shown that plants acclimatize, or adjust, to rising carbon dioxide concentration and the fertilization effect diminishes over time.”

Carbon dioxide is making the Earth greener

The Earth is getting greener and it’s all down to...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a1a5091f01e678257b7/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>

Thirty years ago, NASA declared war on an elusive global killer: air pollution. In early 2016 it took them to East Asia.

Air pollution is a silent killer. According to the UN air pollution causes around 152,000 deaths a year across the Americas, and more than 2 million deaths in the Western Pacific. Some parts of the world monitor air quality using ground sensor networks and forecast models, but not everyone has access to those tools.

Space research could hold the keys to the solution. If spacecraft orbiting Earth thousands of miles high had instruments to track pollutants, they could help scientists make informed decisions about air pollution. Researchers believe they could better unravel the complex ebb and flow and mixing of pollutants from different sources. With this data, a solid scientific foundation could be built to encourage smart strategies for cutting air pollution.

NASA and other spacefarers want this bright future, but the job isn’t as easy as it sounds.

In the 1970s, NASA took baby steps towards probing the composition of Earth’s atmosphere. The environmental challenge that drove the agency was the thinning of Earth’s protective ozone layer in the stratosphere – but detecting it proved difficult due to very involved data collection.

To address these issues, NASA built an in-house science infrastructure to develop new space sensors, fly airborne field experiments to directly sample the atmosphere, conduct laboratory work and comparisons of data from space- and ground-based instruments, and develop computational models. 

This investment has finally paid off – with new space-based measurements, scientists can now see the first signs of ozone layer healing. But probing air pollution at the bottom of the atmosphere, where people live and breathe, was a tougher challenge. 

Beginning in the 1990s, NASA began producing global air quality data from their new space sensors. They launched their Earth Observing System fleet of satellites and could document regional trends in carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particulates. Pollution plumes from cities and forest fires could also be seen moving downwind for hundreds of miles.

NASA scientists continued to make these space measurements as reliable as possible, sponsoring global networks of ground sensors and elaborate airborne field experiments to verify the new satellite data. Since the early 2000s, NASA has partnered with air quality professionals to put this satellite data to work protecting public health.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency now routinely incorporates satellite estimates of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) at the surface into nationwide air quality maps for areas with sparse ground-based monitoring. State air quality managers are using NASA satellite and airborne data and the insights they yield about local pollution conditions to develop more accurate local air quality forecasts and alerts.

NASA is now adding a trio of science and technology projects to its data sets; the first starts next week in the skies over South Korea. A joint field study by NASA and the Republic of Korea will spend six weeks collecting data from three aircraft, ground sites, ships and satellites to advance the ability to monitor air pollution more accurately from space.

The Korean Peninsula offers a robust natural laboratory with a mix of sources, including the megacity of Seoul, pollution blown across borders, seasonal fires, and desert dust.

Findings from this Korea U.S. Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) study will play a key role in the development of a new international observing system.

The NASA contribution called TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) will collect hour-to-hour air pollution measurements over North America from a fixed position directly over this hemisphere. 

The international constellation of three separate sensors is slated to be in operation by 2022.

Just last month, NASA greenlit a new space mission which will help us understand how airborne particles are harming people in major cities around the world. Known as  the MAIA sensor (Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols), it will analyze air quality. 

Scientists can combine the new information with public health records to make suggestions regarding particulate pollution and specific health impacts. NASA is contributing its expertise in hopes for long-term improvement of public health around the world.

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_118201" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-118201" src="http://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/global-air-quality-map-1big_nasa-150x150.jpg" alt="Global views of the ebb and flow of different types of air pollution" width="150" height="150" /> Global views of the ebb and flow of different types of air pollution[/caption]

&nbsp;

---

Credit: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank">NASA</a>

Studying air pollution from space

Thirty years ago, NASA declared war on an elusive global...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a1b5091f01e678257b8/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>
Situated in the southern Caribbean Sea about 20 km off of mainland Venezuela’s coast, Margarita Island comprises two peninsulas linked by a long, narrow strip of land – called an isthmus.
The eastern part of Margarita island is home to most of the island’s residents, while the Macanao peninsula to the west is dominated by a central mountain range.
Between the peninsulas and cut off from the open sea by the isthmus lies the La Restinga lagoon, a national park that appears as a dark green and blue area in this image.
Recognized as a wetland of international importance by the Ramsar Convention, Margarita Island features picturesque mangroves and is an important feeding ground for birds such as herons and flamingos. 
The shallow waters are home to red snappers, sardines and swordfish – among other types of fish – and oysters grow on the mangrove roots.
Japan's ALOS satellite captured this image on 26 June 2010 with its AVNIR-2 Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer.
---
<a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a>

Amazing aerial video of Margarita Island, Venezuela

Situated in the southern Caribbean Sea about 20 km off...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a1c9cb28c2660511137/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>
Water conservation favored by survey subjects. New study determines conservation is the preferred way to protect drinking water.
A new study reveals that people prefer prevention over cure. The University of Delaware field study showed people would invest in water conservation over water treatment.
The recent Flint, Michigan water crisis put this topic at the forefront of people's minds.
The researchers also found that varying messages relayed in the media and by politicians relating to climate change affect people's willingness to contribute to projects.
The study was led by Dr. Kent Messer, the Unidel Howard Cosgrove Chair for the Environment and director of the Center for Experimental and Applied Economics (CEAE) in the University of Delaware's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR).
"People are much more willing to pay for conservation," Messer said. "They like the idea of permanently protecting the waters from their source and avoiding having to do technological fixes."
They field study worked with 251 adult participants from sites throughout northern Delaware. The participants performed simple paid tasks and were then asked to donate their earnings to an organization that could help in alleviating water quality issues in the future.
"People didn't just show up and automatically receive money. They earned their money. Then, we asked if they wanted to donate it to either a conservation cause (green infrastructure) or to help drinking water utilities (gray infrastructure)," said Messer.
Participants could donate to either the American Water Works Association (AWWA), representing the traditional gray infrastructure, or the Conservation Fund, representing green infrastructure.
The survey also examined how messaging affected people's choices.
"The big surprise was that messages stating that 'storms are increasing in frequency due to extreme weather events,' led to a dramatic decrease in people's willingness to pay for either conservation or gray infrastructure" said Messer. "This has important implications for how politicians and conservation leaders talk about drinking water protection."
"This research suggests the emphasis on large storms like Hurricane Sandy will actually make people less willing to take action as it appears that people perceive these large storms as being out of human control," he said. "If it's just decaying infrastructure, normal storms, or even climate change, then people might feel they can do something about it. But when you start really emphasizing these large magnitude storms, there becomes a sense of hopelessness."
—
Read the whole report over at <a href="http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2016/october/conservation-drinking-water/">Agricultural and Resource Economics Review</a>.

<h1></h1>

Prevention is better than cure when it comes to water conservation

Water conservation favored by survey subjects. New study determines conservation is...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9bdf8dd15d2426dfe8eb/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>
The United Nations weather agency is warning of "fundamental change" afoot in the global climate and continued global warming, accompanied recently by unusually high rainfall in parts of the US and Europe.
The World Meteorological Organization points to data released by NASA showing that this May was the hottest on record, and the Northern Hemisphere spring has been the hottest spring ever.
WMO global climate director Dr. David Carlson said the new data showed 370 straight months of warm or warmer-than-average temperatures worldwide. WMO said the recent El Nino was only partly to blame for the recent temperature rise.
The agency noted that heat has been particularly high in the Arctic, and has caused an early onset of the annual melting of Arctic sea ice.
--
Credit: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank">NASA</a>

Global warming is causing a fundamental change in the world's weather

The United Nations weather agency is warning of "fundamental change"...

<div class="vdb_player vdb_591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49"><script type="text/javascript" src="//delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=591c9e3c9efa894c3c6e150b/vid=592d9a252ba1881da398df82/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js"></script></div>

The birds eye view from the Landsat-8 satellite takes us over Iceland’s southeastern coast and to the Vatnajökull glacier, or Vatna Glacier, in this false-color image from September 6, 2014.

Glaciers cover 11% of Iceland’s landscape, the largest being the Vatnajökull, known as the Vatna Glacier in English which at 8000 sq km is the largest in Europe.

Up to a kilometer thick, the Vatna ice cap has about 30 outlet glaciers – many of which are retreating owing to warming temperatures.

Some volcanoes lie underneath this ice cap, including the infamous Grímsvötn, which caused disruption of northern European air traffic in recent years following eruptions and the spread of ash plumes. This volcano is visible as a black arc on the central left side of the image.

In 1996 an eruption of Grímsvötn caused some of the overlying glacial ice to melt. The water then broke out of the ice cap and flooded the nearby outwash plain, causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage.

In the upper-central part of the image, in an area known as the Holuhraun lava field, we can see a bright orange strip of lava through a crack in the surface. This type of elongated volcanic eruption is known as a fissure vent and usually, occurs without any explosive activity.

--

Credit: <a href="http://www.esa.int">European Space Agency</a>

The Vatna Glacier: Europe's largest

The birds eye view from the Landsat-8 satellite takes us...

News coming your way