In a remarkable medical breakthrough, engineers have developed a light-activated pacemaker so tiny that doctors can inject it into the body through a syringe. Remarkably, the device simply dissolves after it’s no longer needed.&nbsp;



Designed for newborns, the pacemaker could transform temporary heart care after congenital defect surgeries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-controlling-the-heart-with-light">Controlling the heart with light</h2>



The new pacemaker is smaller than a grain of rice. It's wirelessly activated through pulses of light which are delivered by a soft, wearable device mounted on the patient’s chest.



The external controller detects abnormal rhythms and sends light through the body to activate the pacemaker and restore heartbeat. The study demonstrates the device’s effectiveness across animal and human donor hearts.&nbsp;



The development of the pacemaker was led by John A. Rogers, a professor of material science, biomedical engineering, and neurological surgery at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northwestern University</a>.&nbsp;



“We have developed what is, to our knowledge, the world’s smallest pacemaker,” said Professor Rogers.



“There’s a crucial need for temporary pacemakers in the context of pediatric heart surgeries, and that’s a use case where size miniaturization is incredibly important. In terms of the device load on the body - the smaller, the better.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solution-designed-for-newborns">Solution designed for newborns</h2>



Though the light-activated pacemaker can function in patients of all sizes, its miniaturized design was motivated by the needs of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/infant-speech-is-driven-by-heart-rate-activity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">infants</a>. 



Igor Efimov is a co-leader of the study and experimental cardiologist at Northwestern.&nbsp;



“About 1% of children are born with congenital heart defects. The good news is that these children only need temporary pacing after a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-smallest-robot-could-transform-minimally-invasive-surgery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">surgery</a>. In about seven days or so, most patients’ hearts will self-repair. But those seven days are absolutely critical," said Efimov.



Traditional pacemakers require surgery and have wires sticking out of the chest to connect to an external device. When they are no longer needed, the wires are removed - risking bleeding, tissue damage, or even death.



“Wires literally protrude from the body, attached to a pacemaker outside the body,” Efimov explained. “When the pacemaker is no longer needed, a physician pulls it out. The wires can become enveloped in scar tissue. That’s actually how Neil Armstrong died.”



The new injectable pacemaker addresses these risks. All of its components are biocompatible and bioresorbable, meaning they safely dissolve in the body’s fluids without needing surgical removal. Once the device has served its purpose, it simply disappears.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-refining-the-light-activated-pacemaker">Refining the light-activated pacemaker</h2>



This innovation builds on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-021-00948-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">earlier work</a> by Rogers and Efimov, who developed a quarter-sized dissolvable pacemaker in 2021. Surgeons asked for a smaller version to allow easier placement and suit the smallest patients.&nbsp;



The original device used near-field communication (NFC), but its antenna limited how small the device could be made. To overcome this, the team replaced the NFC system with a novel light-based mechanism.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pacemaker_light-activated_worlds-smallest_heart-health_Northwestern_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pacemaker_light-activated_worlds-smallest_heart-health_Northwestern_1s.webp" alt="The tiny pacemaker sits next to a single grain of rice on a fingertip. The device is so small that it can be non-invasively injected into the body via a syringe. Credit: John A. Rogers/Northwestern University" class="wp-image-1964846"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The tiny pacemaker sits next to a single grain of rice on a fingertip. The device is so small that it can be non-invasively injected into the body via a syringe. Click image to enlarge. Credit: John A. Rogers/Northwestern University</figcaption></figure>



“Instead of using the radio frequency scheme for wireless control, we developed a light-based scheme for turning the pacemaker on and delivering stimulation pulses to the surface of the heart. This is one feature that allowed us to dramatically reduce the size,” said Professor Rogers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-powered-by-the-body-s-own-fluids">Powered by the body’s own fluids</h2>



The engineers also reimagined how to power the tiny pacemaker. Rather than requiring a battery or external power source, the device uses a simple galvanic cell - a chemical battery formed by two different metals as electrodes.&nbsp;



When the device is inside the body, surrounding biofluids act as the electrolyte, allowing electrical current to flow and stimulate the heart.



“A very tiny light-activated switch on the opposite side from the battery allows us to turn the device from its ‘off’ state to an ‘on’ state upon delivery of light that passes through the patient’s body from the skin-mounted patch,” explained Professor Rogers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reducing-trauma-and-risk">Reducing trauma and risk</h2>



Using infrared light, which can safely penetrate deep into the body, the wearable controller detects when a patient’s heart rate falls too low. It then triggers a light-emitting diode (LED) to flash on and off at the desired pacing rhythm.&nbsp;



“Infrared light penetrates very well through the body,” Efimov said. “If you put a flashlight against your palm, you will see the light glow through the other side of your hand. It turns out that our bodies are great conductors of light.”



Despite its microscopic size - just 1.8 mm wide, 3.5 mm long, and 1 mm thick - the pacemaker delivers stimulation on par with traditional devices. “The heart requires a tiny amount of electrical stimulation,” Rogers said.&nbsp;



“By minimizing the size, we dramatically simplify the implantation procedures, we reduce trauma and risk to the patient, and, with the dissolvable nature of the device, we eliminate any need for secondary surgical extraction procedures.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-era-of-heart-care">A new era of heart care</h2>



Because these light-activated pacemakers are so small and wireless, doctors could one day deploy multiple units on different parts of the heart to create more advanced pacing systems. 



Each device could be controlled independently using different light wavelengths, enabling personalized and precisely timed stimulation across the heart’s surface.



“We can deploy a number of such small pacemakers onto the outside of the heart and control each one,” Efimov said. “Then we can achieve improved synchronized functional care.”



Professor Rogers noted that because it’s so small, the pacemaker can be integrated with almost any kind of implantable device.



“We also demonstrated integration of collections of these devices across the frameworks that serve as transcatheter aortic valve replacements to address complications that can occur during a patient’s recovery process," said Rogers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-bioelectronic-medicine">Future of bioelectronic medicine</h2>



While this breakthrough has clear implications for pediatric heart care, the technology could pave the way for a new generation of bioelectronic medicine.&nbsp;



These tiny, dissolvable devices could one day be adapted to promote nerve and bone regeneration, manage <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mindfulness-meditation-is-a-powerful-weapon-against-chronic-pain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pain</a>, support wound healing, and more.



Northwestern engineers shrank the device and removed risks by making it dissolve after use. In doing so, they’ve created a tool that could reshape how doctors care for the heart - from the tiniest patients to adults.



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Click here to <a href="https://youtu.be/j_0hZ8cUwgo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">watch a video interview...</a>



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08726-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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World's smallest pacemaker is set to revolutionize heart health

In a remarkable medical breakthrough, engineers have developed a light-activated pacemaker so tiny that doctors can inject it into the body through a syringe. Remarkably, the device simply dissolves after it’s no longer needed.&nbsp; Designed for newborns, the pacemaker could transform temporary heart care after congenital defect surgeries. Controlling the heart with light The new pacemaker is smaller than a grain of rice. It's wirelessly activated through pulses of light which are delivered by a soft, wearable device mounted on the patient’s chest. The external controller detects...

Nature-based activities are showing real promise in improving mental health, with visible benefits reported in as little as 12 weeks. 



In a recent evaluation of a community program for people with mild to moderate mental health conditions, participants experienced better mood and lower anxiety levels after joining weekly outdoor sessions. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reshaping-mental-health-through-nature">Reshaping mental health through nature</h2>



This study is part of the UK government’s larger effort to rethink how mental health care is delivered.



One initiative included setting up seven “test and learn” green social prescribing sites across England. The first site to release its findings comes from Humber and North Yorkshire, where researchers from the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of York</a> led the evaluation.



Green social prescribing works by linking people with community-based nature activities instead of, or alongside, traditional medical treatments. 



Healthcare professionals can refer patients to activities that bring them outdoors and into contact with the natural world. Though still in the testing phase, the evidence is growing stronger that this approach can be a useful tool in mental health support.



More than 220 participants took part in the Humber and North Yorkshire program. The researchers measured their mental health using the Office for National Statistics’ personal well-being metrics and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The participants ranged in age from 18 to 85 and included people of all genders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-longer-activities-deeper-impact">Longer activities, deeper impact</h2>



The results showed consistent improvement across the board, but participants in longer sessions - typically nine to 12 weeks - saw the most progress.



Activities that involved direct interaction with nature, such as horticulture and care farming, had a bigger effect than sports, crafts, or mindfulness sessions alone.



Professor Peter Coventry from the University of York’s Department of Health Sciences elaborated on the findings.



“We have known for some time that nature has a positive impact on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natures-scents-linked-to-improved-health-and-well-being/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">health and wellbeing</a>, but in more recent years, a stronger evidence base has grown that proves this to be true for mental health in particular," he said.



“The fact that activities such as gardening, tending allotments, and care farming had the most impact on the participants in our study, demonstrated that it is not just about being passive in nature, but connecting with it in a meaningful way." 



Professor Coventry added that spending time in nature with others from your community can ease <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-do-fear-and-anxiety-reside-in-the-brain-new-cells-identified/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anxiety</a> and depression by reducing loneliness and fostering connection. Participating in local activities that support the environment can boost mood and promote a sense of belonging.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-accessible-and-enjoyable-nature-activities">Accessible and enjoyable nature activities</h2>



The benefits of the program were seen across different age groups and income levels. Of the participants, 65% came from low socioeconomic backgrounds. 



Horticulture-based sessions had particularly high attendance, suggesting these activities were both accessible and enjoyable for a wide range of people.



“This intervention might not work for everyone, but through an initial exploratory conversation a social prescriber will discuss with a patient or user of the service if nature-based activities would be suited to them," said Trish Darcy, a research associate from the University’s Mental Health and Addiction Research Group. 



"For that choice to happen, we need more investment to support these community-based activities."



“In our study, 65% of participants were from low socioeconomic groups and we now know that not only can it help improve their mental health, but participation was high for horticultural based activities in particular, meaning that not only is it good for the individual, but for the local community environment too."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-green-partner-in-healthcare">A new green partner in healthcare</h2>



The experts conducted the study in partnership with The HEY Smile Foundation and the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. 



The research is part of a national cross-government initiative, with backing from DEFRA and several departments and agencies including the Department of Health and Social Care and Sport England.



Dr Hannah Armitt, clinical lead for the regional program, emphasized the potential to bridge medical care with community programs.



“The research conducted in our region has the potential to enhance service delivery by connecting statutory services with local providers of nature-based and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/outdoor-classes-improve-childrens-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">outdoor activities</a>," said Dr. Armitt.



“It is important to evidence the potential of green space and nature to ensure clinicians and patients alike can harness the benefits of this wonderful free natural resource we have in abundance in Yorkshire and Humber.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-nature-prescriptions">Future of nature prescriptions </h2>



As more of healthcare shifts into the community, the role of local organizations is becoming increasingly important. 



Anthony Hurd is the program manager of the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/mental-health/projects/humber-north-yorkshire-green-social-prescribing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humber and North Yorkshire Green Social Prescribing</a>.



“This work has not only shown the positive outcomes that nature-based activities have on mental health, it has also highlighted the role that community-based organizations play in supporting the health and wellbeing of communities," said Hurd.



“As healthcare begins to move more into the community, and with a focus on prevention, the community-based organizations delivering activities such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gardening-is-beneficial-for-physical-and-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gardening</a>, care farming, and walking groups need to be recognized as key players in our national health service and be resourced appropriately.”



With continued investment, green social prescribing could become a trusted and lasting part of mental health care across the country - offering hope, healing, and a healthy dose of fresh air.



The research is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/hsc/2016261" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Health &amp; Social Care in the Community</a>.



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How nature heals: Outdoor activities greatly improve mental health

Nature-based activities are showing real promise in improving mental health,...

A team of researchers has recently identified the right frontal lobe as a vital part of logical thinking and the ability to tackle new problems.



The study reveals that when the right brain is damaged, people’s capacity for reasoning suffers, implying that this area is central to our day-to-day cognitive functions.



The research was led by experts at <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University College London</a> (UCL) and <a href="https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University College London Hospitals</a> (UCLH).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-damage-to-the-right-frontal-lobe">Damage to the right frontal lobe </h2>



Scientists have long used functional imaging (fMRI) to study cognition in healthy individuals. These studies, however, only show correlations rather than proving which parts of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-specialized-regions-develop-in-the-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brain</a> are essential. 



To pinpoint causation, experts rely on lesion-deficit mapping, a technique that examines how specific types of brain damage affect behavior.



Finding sufficient patients with carefully localized right frontal lobe damage can be challenging. The research team overcame that hurdle by enrolling 247 patients with unilateral focal brain lesions (either in the left or right, frontal or posterior regions).



Another 81 healthy adults served as a baseline for comparison. By systematically observing what happens when parts of the brain are damaged, the team could identify the areas indispensable for particular <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lifestyle-choices-in-young-adulthood-impact-cognitive-ability-in-midlife/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cognitive skills</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-the-brain-s-reasoning-ability">Measuring the brain's reasoning ability</h2>



To measure <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bumblebees-showcase-smart-logical-reasoning-abilities/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">logical reasoning</a>, the researchers created two original tests. One verbal analogical reasoning task asked participants to determine relationships between words. 



A question might read: “If Sarah is smarter than Diana, and Sarah is smarter than Heather, is Diana smarter than Heather?” Such questions test one’s ability to deduce logical conclusions from given statements.



The second was a nonverbal deductive reasoning task that required spotting patterns or similarities among shapes, pictures, or numbers. 



One sample query stated: “Which set of numbers is 1, 2, 3 most similar to 5, 6, 7 or 6, 5, 7?” The goal was to see how patients reason about relationships without relying on language.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-right-brain-is-essential-for-reasoning">Right brain is essential for reasoning </h2>



When the researchers compared test results, one detail stood out: patients with injuries in the right frontal lobe scored significantly worse on both tests than those with lesions in other areas. These patients were about 15% more prone to errors than their counterparts and the healthy controls. 



This outcome supports the idea that the right brain is essential for reasoning. It's especially important when interpreting novel information and drawing logical conclusions.



Lead author Joseph Mole of the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/ucl-queen-square-institute-neurology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Department of Neuropsychology</a> emphasized the importance of these findings in spotting reasoning issues early.



“Our study explores how the front right part of the brain helps people think and solve new problems,” said Mole. “It also shows that our two new tests can help detect reasoning problems in individuals with brain damage, improving diagnosis and treatment.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ties-to-fluid-intelligence"><a></a>Ties to fluid intelligence</h2>



Another important takeaway involves what neuroscientists call fluid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/every-part-of-the-brain-works-together-to-support-intelligence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">intelligence</a> - our capacity to solve problems in new or unfamiliar situations.



Senior author Lisa Cipolotti, a professor in the same institute at UCLH, noted that the study shows a substantial overlap between the brain networks responsible for fluid intelligence and reasoning. Both networks appear to rely heavily on the right frontal lobe.



The experts used advanced lesion mapping techniques developed by Professor Parashkev Nachev and colleagues at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. These tools made it possible to explore precisely which portions of the frontal lobe, when damaged, most affect reasoning.



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



The practical impact is significant. Brain injuries from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stroke-risk-is-elevated-by-air-pollution-and-traffic-noise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strokes</a> or tumors can affect daily life in subtle ways. These injuries require the early identification of cognitive deficits. 



Many neurological assessments miss right frontal lobe dysfunction because standard tests often focus on memory, language, or motor skills. By contrast, the tasks introduced here specifically examine higher-order reasoning.



The researchers hope that once validated further, these tests can be integrated into clinical settings. For patients, that means more thorough evaluations and, potentially, more focused rehabilitation programs.



If doctors know that a person’s right frontal region has sustained damage, they can anticipate potential problems in logical thinking and develop strategies. This type of cognitive training or specialized therapy will help patients manage symptoms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-right-brain-studies-are-needed">More right-brain studies are needed</h2>



Future studies may refine the new tasks to confirm their effectiveness. Additional testing will also detect right-brain deficits across a wider range of patient populations. 



Researchers also aim to examine whether training that targets reasoning skills can bolster recovery, potentially improving quality of life for people with frontal lobe injuries.



As this line of research advances, the main lesson is clear: while multiple parts of the brain support different aspects of cognition, the right frontal lobe’s role in reasoning appears especially vital. 



For anyone dealing with brain damage - or anyone working to help those who are - this knowledge reshapes how we assess, treat, and ultimately understand the very nature of human thought.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/brain/advance-article/doi/10.1093/brain/awaf062/8104772?searchresult=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brain</a>.



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Where logic lives: Brain region responsible for reasoning revealed

A team of researchers has recently identified the right frontal...

A honeybee colony seems like a perfect model of unity. Inside the hive, thousands of individuals work in rhythm. Foragers seek nectar. Water collectors hydrate the group. Ventilators fan their wings to cool the brood. Guard bees monitor the entrance. 



In this coordinated dance, defense is critical - but personality plays a role, and not all bees choose to sting.



What triggers a bee to sting? Why do some launch themselves into action while others hold back? A new study from the <a href="https://www.uni-konstanz.de/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Konstanz</a> has explored these questions.



Researchers discovered that not only do <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-bees-choose-the-same-flowers-again-and-again/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bees</a> differ in their readiness to sting, but their personalities remain consistent across time and context. The hive may move as one, but decisions start within the individual.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bees-choose-to-sting-or-abstain">Bees choose to sting or abstain</h2>



Doctoral student Kavitha Kannan and neurobiologist Morgane Nouvian led the research at the University of Konstanz. To examine stinging behavior, they needed a reliable group. They selected guard <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urban-wildflowers-may-be-harming-bees/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bees</a> - those that are naturally closer to the frontlines.



"Basically, you can expect that, simply by the distribution of tasks, a collector will have a different stinging behaviour than a guard. As we wanted to exclude as many influencing factors as possible, this selection was the first logical step. We were then able to gradually test other influencing factors," explained Kannan.



The bees were exposed to a rotating dummy that simulated a predator. The setup allowed repeated trials without harming the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-honey-bee-day-protecting-our-vital-pollinators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bees</a>. When a bee stings in natural conditions, its stinger is lost and it dies. Here, the bees could engage or abstain multiple times without being harmed. Each action or lack of action was logged.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-alarm-scents-don-t-trigger-all-bees">Alarm scents don’t trigger all bees</h2>



In honeybees, a sting is more than a weapon. It is a call to arms. When a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-diet-offers-hope-for-saving-endangered-honey-bees/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bee</a> stings, it releases a complex scent signal known as the sting alarm pheromone (SAP), which is primarily composed of iso-amyl acetate (IAA).



This alerts others and encourages them to join in the group defense. As more bees respond, the concentration of IAA increases. Eventually, the response declines - a strategy that may ensure not too many casualties occur. 



The study found that SAP does influence bees, but not equally. When exposed to synthetic IAA, bees showed varied reactions. The presence of this signal raised the odds of stinging - but some bees still held back.



"Ultimately, it turned out that although these factors had an influence, they did not impact the predictability of individual stinging behavior," said Nouvian. The bees that chose to sting in one trial often did so again. Others remained passive, regardless of the alarm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bee-personality-and-stinging-behavior">Bee personality and stinging behavior </h2>



To probe deeper, the researchers tracked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-wildlife-day-2025-a-global-call-to-protect-nature/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bee</a> responses over four repeated trials. The results were striking. Stinging behavior stayed consistent in most individuals. Some stung every time, others never stung, and very few wavered between the two choices.



Even more interestingly, the bees showed greater consistency in behavior when the time between trials was less. This suggests that internal states - perhaps neurological or hormonal - affect decisions. A bee wasn’t flipping a coin each time. It was acting from a semi-stable inner condition.



This state dependence was especially clear when patterns like 1−0−1−0 (stinging, not stinging, stinging, not stinging) were rare. Instead, most bees either kept attacking or kept abstaining. These temporal patterns implied that bees make evaluations based on more than stimulus alone - they carry a mood-like persistence.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-peers-aren-t-always-influential">Peers aren't always influential</h2>



Bees are famously social. Still, the presence of another bee had a surprising effect. Rather than encouraging aggression, it reduced it. Pairs of bees were less likely to sting than solo bees, even when faced with the same threat.



This finding challenges currently-held assumptions. Larger groups don’t necessarily mean higher per-bee aggression. In fact, the data aligns with older studies suggesting that larger colonies can show less per-capita defense.



When tested in pairs, real bees stung less than would be predicted by combining data from singles. The effect appeared again, even when both bees could detect IAA. "Pairs as entities did [respond to IAA] (z = −4.327, p &lt; 0.001) … individual bees within pairs (z = −3.68, p &lt; 0.001)," the research paper noted.



Yet, the experts also found that SAP, when released naturally by one bee, could recruit another. The first bee’s sting raised the odds that its partner would follow. But over multiple exposures, this recruitment faded. Responsiveness to IAA dropped, trial by trial. Even social signals have an expiry date.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bees-with-gentle-personalities-sting-less">Bees with gentle personalities sting less</h2>



Another part of the study tested whether bees adjust based on their companions' personalities. After identifying aggressive and gentle bees, the team mixed them in various combinations. Would gentle bees become bolder when placed among aggressive peers?



The answer was no. Bees classified as gentle stayed that way, even in groups full of stingers. Aggressive bees also stayed true to type. The only thing that influenced changes was the SAP level in the arena. More SAP raised the chance of stinging, less reduced it.



These results reveal that honeybees don’t mirror the behavior of those around them. They react to chemical signals, not peer pressure. 



“We propose that [Lecomte’s] results were rather the consequence of the reduced group size,” noted the researchers, questioning earlier claims about social inhibition among bees.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bees-resist-group-influence">Bees resist group influence</h2>



What does this mean for our understanding of bee society? This study breaks the idea of a hive acting as one. Each bee carries an internal threshold. That threshold can be nudged by alarm pheromones or dulled by time. It can be lowered by a sense of threat or raised by the presence of others.



Still, the final decision lies with the bee. Stinging isn’t a hive decision. It’s an individual one, shaped by subtle internal states and stable personality.



"That bees stop responding to the SAP but not to the threat itself might be another example of social information being less valued than personal information," the researchers suggested.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-on-honeybee-behavior">Future research on honeybee behavior </h2>



This study paves the way for deeper research into honeybee behavior. By proving the stability of individual responses, it opens doors for exploring the biological roots of personality. Future work could look into the neurobiology of aggression or the hormonal triggers behind it.



The hive may appear unified, but it is made of diverse minds. Some are ready to die for the colony. Others prefer to wait, even when the alarm is raised. Both types are part of nature’s plan - and together, they balance risk and survival.



The study was published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241295" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Royal Society Open Science</a>.



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Bees have unique personalities that determine whether they sting

A honeybee colony seems like a perfect model of unity....

Warm sunshine, soft sand, rolling dunes, and the scent of saltwater can make it easy to forget that every beach getaway relies on a fragile coastal balance. In many regions, that balance is maintained by barrier islands - narrow offshore landforms that serve as nature’s protective shield for inland communities.



Researchers have been investigating how these islands stand firm against <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/star-dunes-lala-lallia-origin-of-earths-largest-desert-sands-mystery-solved/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">storms</a> and shifting sea levels. 



One such effort has been led by Orencio Duran Vinent, an assistant professor in the <a href="https://engineering.tamu.edu/ocean/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Department of Ocean Engineering</a> at Texas A&amp;M University, who recently studied how an island’s dunes factor into its survival.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dunes-lose-strength-after-storms">Dunes lose strength after storms</h2>



Many coastal communities rely on these islands to slow down erosion and reduce the force of crashing waves. When a major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-arabia-was-once-green-and-lush-with-rivers-lakes-and-grasslands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">storm</a> hits, a robust dune system can keep floodwaters and pounding surf from destroying roads and homes.



These dunes work like natural walls, but they need healthy vegetation and enough elevation to hold their ground. A recent <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01611-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paper</a> co-authored by Professor Duran Vinent highlights how storms and sea-level shifts can strip away that plant cover, leaving behind a sandy expanse that gives no real protection.



Once the dunes vanish, the shoreline can begin to lose land at a rapid pace. Some researchers call the bare expanse a barren state, and see it as marking a low point from which it is difficult to rebound.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tall-dunes-protect-beaches">Tall dunes protect beaches </h2>



Dunes sprout where winds carry sand <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/major-coastal-cities-around-the-world-could-disappear-under-rising-seas-by-2100/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">inland</a>, then vegetation anchors those grains in place. That green cover also helps the dunes grow tall enough to act as a sturdy barricade.



When dunes stand at a comfortable height, they are sometimes called the high state, hinting at their role in keeping storm waters at bay. This state represents more than just a sand pile because it supports plants, habitats for local wildlife, and a measure of safety for property owners.



If strong floods sweep over these dunes, they can break apart and lose the vegetation that once solidified the structure. Recovery is possible if the plant life can take root again, but everything depends on how frequently storms bombard the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-seas-are-already-toppling-coastal-cities/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">island</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-dunes-cannot-recover">When dunes cannot recover</h2>



The recent findings mention a key threshold that separates a healthy dune system from a flattened shoreline. Once the island’s elevation dips below that point, its chances of bouncing back get slimmer with every wave.



If flooding becomes a regular event, the island’s dunes may fail to restore themselves in time. That path leads toward the barren state, in which the dunes lack enough height to safeguard the land behind them.



According to a <a href="https://geonarrative.usgs.gov/cch-bi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USGS</a> overview, these islands often have two fates: they either hold onto dunes or end up with a barren profile. The difference lies in how quickly vegetation can regrow and how much time passes between storm assaults.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-nature-to-rebuild-island-dunes">Using nature to rebuild island dunes</h2>



“Modern coastal engineering aims to use natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sinking-land-will-intensify-the-effects-of-rising-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dynamics</a> rather than concrete constructions, promoting sustainable approaches that include and protect natural systems,” said Professor Duran Vinent.



He and his collaborators see a chance to protect shorelines by working with wind, waves, and plants instead of fighting them head-on.



Interventions could involve planting hardy vegetation or creating gentle slopes that encourage natural sand buildup. Small changes may cut down the frequency of flooding events that push islands toward a barren state.



This approach has gained attention because it costs less in the long run and blends better with local habitats. Some designs even factor in shifting tides and seasonal wind patterns to allow dunes to expand naturally.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dunes-protect-homes-and-tourism">Dunes protect homes and tourism</h2>



From seafood joints to boardwalk shops, many livelihoods sit on the strip of land just behind these protective islands. One big storm could wash away tourism revenue, so local leaders are tuning in to research that highlights these natural defenses.



Whenever dunes flourish, families, restaurants, and entire ecosystems see fewer disruptions from flooding. That stability can help keep roads open, preserve local wildlife, and maintain the scenic charm that folks love.



“A better understanding of the natural dynamics of barrier islands will allow a more timely and effective intervention from coastal engineers, mitigating the risks to coastal infrastructure,” said Duran Vinent.



He noted that this outlook calls for close collaboration among ecologists, geologists, and city planners who share a stake in a stable shoreline.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-planning-for-tomorrow">Planning for tomorrow</h2>



Communities that sit near the water can help by limiting construction in sensitive dune zones. Strong dunes form more easily when the beach isn’t overcrowded with walls or heavy equipment that deflect windblown sand.



Local governments might offer guidelines that restrict development near fragile dune ecosystems, thus ensuring that vegetation can grow where it’s needed most. Scientists suggest that these proactive steps stop small storms from doing big harm.



Such measures can be tough decisions for places that depend on beach tourism, but they are essential for long-term safety. If the barrier island dips below that critical elevation, it may never return to a robust dune profile.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monitoring-and-protecting-island-dunes">Monitoring and protecting island dunes</h2>



<a href="https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/coastal-engineer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coastal engineers</a> are looking beyond sand and concrete by joining forces with ecologists who track plant growth. That teamwork reveals how dunes can flourish or fail under shifting water levels and changing climates.



“A deeper understanding of the connection between the natural environment and coastal engineering is essential. Fresh insights might help everyone predict which spots are most at risk and how to keep vital vegetation alive,” explained Professor Duran Vinent.&nbsp;



Future research could include advanced computer models that pinpoint weak links in these systems. Better data might also guide decisions on restoring islands that have already flattened out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-restoring-dunes-to-save-islands">Restoring dunes to save islands</h2>



Efforts that restore a failing barrier island offer big payoffs for marine life, beach-goers, and folks who worry about eroding coastlines. These efforts can bring back the taller dunes that block storm surge and protect local homes.



It may take patience, but many see no better way to keep beaches safe and welcoming for future generations. Prioritizing natural systems can save money, preserve landscapes, and keep that salty breeze blowing over sandy shores.



Discussions around climate change make the role of barrier islands even more pressing. Some predict stronger storms and higher sea levels, which calls for solutions that nurture dunes in a natural way.



Research continues to offer new ideas that blend ecological wisdom with engineering know-how. Beach lovers everywhere stand to gain if these protective stretches of sand stay healthy in the face of future challenges.



The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01611-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



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Healthy dune systems on barrier islands protect coastal cities

Warm sunshine, soft sand, rolling dunes, and the scent of...

Mars is a planet of dramatic contrasts. Roughly one hemisphere of the globe is rugged and ancient, scarred with craters that indicate its age. The other is smoother, having been shaped by lava flows that have covered the underlying rugged surface.



A recent image from the Mars Express spacecraft offers a vivid glimpse of these two faces in a region known as Acheron Fossae. This area lies between two massive volcanoes - <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-gravity-map-exposes-ancient-structures-and-volcanic-activity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Olympus Mons</a> to the south and Alba Mons to the northeast. 



Scientists from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) studied the new images to understand better how volcanic and tectonic activity once reshaped the Martian surface.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-structures-reveal-tectonic-past">Ancient structures reveal tectonic past</h2>



The right side of the image reveals a network of long, trench-like structures known as grabens. These geological features formed on Mars when the planet's crust was pulled apart by tectonic stress.



Huge blocks of land cracked, sank, and created deep troughs that are separated by ridges. The grabens formed nearly four billion years ago and stretch about 800 kilometers (500 miles) - roughly the length of Germany.



The crustal tension responsible for the grabens likely came from the shifting of Mars’s surface during periods of intense volcanic activity. 



The presence of nearby volcanoes, such as Olympus Mons and Alba Mons, suggests a strong link between volcanic activity and surface deformation in this area.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-glaciers-and-lava-shape-younger-plains">Glaciers and lava shape younger plains</h2>



Just below the center of the image is a smooth region that marks the beginning of younger plains. These plains were likely formed by glacial movement and lava flows. 



Close to the grabens, evidence points to rock glaciers - combinations of ice and rock - that flowed slowly over time. These glaciers appear to have crept away from the cliffs, leaving behind patterns that resemble waves lapping at a shoreline. 



The movement ends in gently sloping piles of debris, known as "debris aprons," that spread away from the cliff bases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-older-features-of-mars">Older features of Mars</h2>



Zoomed-in 3D views highlight the grabens, glacial flow, and areas where lava poured over older features. 



One clear example is a half-visible impact crater, about 28 kilometers (17 miles) wide, that is partially buried beneath a smooth lava field. This suggests the crater existed before the volcanic activity that resurfaced the terrain.



In the upper right of the main image, three cone-shaped peaks rise above the plains. These domes are likely volcanic in origin. 



What’s fascinating is that the grabens slice through some of these features, indicating that the crust continued to stretch and shift even after the volcanic domes formed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-powerful-geological-changes-on-mars">Powerful geological changes on Mars</h2>



Since launching in 2003, ESA’s Mars Express has been <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-captured-in-true-color-like-youve-never-seen-the-red-planet-before/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">photographing Mars in color</a> and 3D with high resolution. For over 20 years, it has offered scientists a window into the Red Planet’s layered history. 



Today, the spacecraft continues to reveal how time, lava, and ice worked together to shape the Martian landscape.



The Acheron Fossae image is just one example of how Mars, though quiet today, was once a planet of powerful geological change.



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



Scientists continue to investigate areas such as Acheron Fossae in order to learn more about the forces that sculpted not just Mars, but rocky planets in general. 



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/odyssey-orbiter-captures-unprecedented-images-of-mars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Red Planet</a> offers a special geological record. Mars does not have plate tectonics and has very little wind or water erosion, unlike Earth, so its surface features have been preserved for billions of years. 



These historic landscapes are snapshots of planetary processes locked in time. By examining the cracks, flows, and plains of Mars, scientists can reconstruct how the planet cooled, stretched, and changed. 



The fact that there are ancient grabens, glacial landforms, and volcanic plains indicates a complicated and energetic past, even though today the planet is geologically calm. 



These findings also assist scientists in constructing improved models of the appearance of other planets in the distant past.



With additional missions in the pipeline, including future sample-return missions and eventual crewed missions, Mars will continue to provide new opportunities to study planetary history, climate evolution, and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-curiosity-rover-finds-sulfur-crystals-martian-rock-hints-at-possible-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">possibility of ancient life</a>.



Information for this article was obtained from an European Space Agency <a href="https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Martian_rock_on_the_move">press release</a>.



Image Credit: ESA



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Split personality of Mars revealed in its striking features

Mars is a planet of dramatic contrasts. Roughly one hemisphere...

Most people imagine crocodiles as relics from the dinosaur era - unchanged, prehistoric predators lurking in murky waters. But their survival story is much more complex.



New research from the <a href="https://www.uco.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Central Oklahoma</a> and the University of Utah shows that these animals aren’t just fossils with teeth. They’ve made it through two mass extinctions, thanks in part to one big advantage: adaptability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-crocodiles-survived">Why crocodiles survived</h2>



Crocodylians - today’s crocodiles, alligators, and gharials - are the last surviving members of a larger group called crocodylomorphs, which goes back 230 million years.



These ancient creatures included many now-extinct species that once lived in a range of environments.



The research is the first to closely examine the diets of these extinct animals to understand how some survived while others did not.



“Lots of groups closely related to crocodylians were more diverse, more abundant, and exhibited different ecologies, yet they all disappeared except these few generalist crocodylians alive today,” said Keegan Melstrom, lead author and assistant professor at UCO. 



“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-extinction-risk-is-heavily-influenced-by-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Extinction</a> and survivorship are two sides of the same coin. Through all mass extinctions, some groups manage to persist and diversify. What can we learn by studying the deeper evolutionary patterns imparted by these events?”



Today, many scientists believe Earth is entering its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-sixth-mass-extinction-is-currently-in-progress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sixth mass extinction</a>, fueled by habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change. Studying past survivors, like crocodylians, may offer clues on how to protect today’s wildlife.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crocodylians-vs-mammals">Crocodylians vs. mammals</h2>



For years, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mammals-ground-dwellers-survived-the-asteroid-impact-that-killed-the-dinosaurs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mammals</a> have been the go-to group for studying extinction and survival. Their flexible diets and ability to live in many habitats seemed to explain their resilience. But crocodylomorphs have long been overlooked in this conversation. This crocodylian study changes that.



“There’s a danger of trying to draw conclusions from millions of years ago and directly apply it to conservation. We have to be cautious,” said co-author Randy Irmis. 



“If people study mammals and reptiles and find the same patterns with respect to extinction survival, then we might predict that species with a generalist diet may do better. That information helps us make predictions, but it’s unlikely we’ll ever be able to pick out which individual species will survive.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shrinking-diversity-of-crocodile-ancestors">Shrinking diversity of crocodile ancestors</h2>



Modern crocodylians are known for living in water and eating just about anything that crosses their path - fish, small mammals, even fellow crocodiles. But this lifestyle is only a narrow snapshot of their past.



In the Late Triassic Period, crocodylomorph ancestors lived mostly on land. They were small-to-medium-sized predators feeding on small animals. Other reptile groups were more dominant at the time, showing off a wide range of sizes and shapes. 



But when the end-Triassic extinction struck, these dominant groups vanished. Only <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-crocodiles-weighed-1000-pounds-and-walked-on-two-legs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">crocodylomorphs</a>, especially those with flexible diets, pulled through.



“After that, it goes bananas,” said Melstrom. “Aquatic hypercarnivores, terrestrial generalists, terrestrial hypercarnivores, terrestrial herbivores - crocodylomorphs evolved a massive number of ecological roles throughout the time of the dinosaurs.”



For a while, crocodylomorphs thrived in every corner of their ecosystems. But during the Late Cretaceous Period, their diversity began to shrink. By the time a meteor ended the age of dinosaurs 66 million years ago, only a few crocodylian lineages survived - most of them semi-aquatic generalists.



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



To understand what these animals ate, the researchers studied the shape of fossilized teeth and skulls. 



Sharp, pointed teeth suggested a meat-heavy diet, while flatter, grinding teeth pointed to a plant-based menu. Skull structure also offered clues about how the animals hunted and fed.



The crocodylian study was massive in scope. The researchers traveled to museum collections in seven countries across four continents. 



The experts examined the skulls of 99 extinct crocodylomorph species and 20 living crocodylian species. To compare, they also analyzed dietary traits in 89 mammals and 47 lizards. This fossil record, stretching over 230 million years, revealed how crocodylians evolved into a variety of forms.



Some were fast-moving land predators. Others grazed like herbivores. Many returned to the water. Today, that wide-ranging history is mostly hidden behind the toothy grin of a croc.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-will-crocodiles-survive-future-changes">Will crocodiles survive future changes?</h2>



While modern crocodylians continue to thrive in rivers and swamps, many face serious threats. The gharial of the Himalayan foothills and the Cuban crocodile in the Zapata Swamp are critically endangered. Their survival may still hinge on one of their oldest traits - a flexible diet.



“When we see living crocodiles and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alligators-birds-hearing-dinosaur/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">alligators</a>, rather than thinking of ferocious beasts or expensive handbags, I hope people appreciate their amazing 200+ million years of evolution, and how they’ve survived so many tumultuous events in Earth history,” said Irmis. 



“Crocodylians are equipped to survive many future changes - if we’re willing to help preserve their habitats.”



The full crocodylian study was published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.70005" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Palaeontology</a>.



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How crocodiles survived Earth's biggest mass extinctions

Most people imagine crocodiles as relics from the dinosaur era...

Comets streak in from the outer solar system, shed streams of dust, and sometimes trigger brief meteor storms on Earth. For years, astronomers blamed the random tug of the planets for the way these meteoroid streams gradually drift in and out of Earth’s path.



However, a new study led by <a href="https://www.seti.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SETI Institute</a> scientists Stuart Pilorz and Peter Jenniskens argues that the real architect is more subtle. The research points to the Sun’s own motion around the solar‑system barycenter, the shared center of mass for all planets and the Sun.



“Contrary to popular conception, everything in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spiral-structure-discovered-at-the-edge-of-our-solar-system-oort-cloud/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">solar system</a> does not orbit the Sun,” explained Pilorz. “Rather, the Sun and planets all orbit their common center of mass, known to scientists as the solar system barycenter.”



That off‑center dance gives long‑period comets - and the dust grains they release - a tiny gravitational nudge each time they dive toward the inner solar system. Over centuries, those nudges unravel a needle‑thin meteoroid ribbon into a broad, wandering sheet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-position-and-velocity-of-the-sun">Position and velocity of the Sun</h2>



Most orbital models anchor the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/see-the-sun-in-exquisite-detail-in-rare-solar-orbiter-video/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sun</a> at the exact center, a convenient simplification because it holds more than 99 percent of the solar system’s mass. But the new work shows that the simplification hides the critical mechanism that disperses long‑period comet streams.



“Long‑period comets spend most of their lives so far away from the solar system that they feel the tug from the barycenter,” Pilorz said. “But every few hundred years they swoop inside Jupiter’s orbit and come under the Sun’s influence.”



During that brief inner‑system swing, solar heating triggers jets of gas that eject dust grains. The grains initially follow the comet’s path, forming a ribbon so narrow that Earth almost never encounters it. 



Yet when each grain nears the Sun again, it experiences a gravitational boost or braking because the Sun has shifted slightly in both position and velocity. This shift is relative to the barycenter since the previous visit.



“That kick is exactly in the same way that we use planetary encounters to speed or slow down spacecraft,” Pilorz stated. If you imagine bouncing a tennis ball off the front or back of a moving train, the analogy fits: the ball’s speed changes only because the train itself is moving.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meteor-showers-and-the-sun-s-wobble">Meteor showers and the Sun's wobble </h2>



Jenniskens first suspected the Sun’s wobble was important in 1995, when he noticed that certain ephemeral meteor showers - sometimes lasting less than an hour - seemed to recur on a 60‑year rhythm. 



That period matched the combined gravitational influence of Jupiter’s 12‑year orbit and Saturn’s 30‑year orbit, which together dictate the Sun’s main oscillation around the barycenter.



“We traveled to Spain in an attempt to record one of these showers and saw what was described in the past as ‘stars fall at midnight.' The whole shower lasted only 40 minutes, but there was a bright meteor every minute at the peak," noted Jenniskens.



The observation validated his prediction method: track where Jupiter and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-energy-imbalance-discovered-on-saturn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saturn</a> will push the Sun, then forecast when a dust stream - nudged by that same motion - will intersect Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-subtle-jumps-reshape-meteoroid-path">Subtle jumps reshape meteoroid path</h2>



Inside <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secrets-of-jupiters-magnetosphere-will-help-us-predict-space-weather/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jupiter</a>’s orbit, a meteoroid abandons the barycenter frame and orbits the Sun directly. When it retreats beyond Jupiter, it switches back to barycentric motion.



“We found that the two jumps in the plane of motion, when the Sun takes control as the comet approaches and then again when it hands control back to the barycenter as the comet heads away, kicked the inclination and node of the orbit by a small amount,” said Pilorz.



Grains at different points in the stream meet the Sun at different barycentric phases, so each accrues a slightly different orbital tweak. 



Over centuries the narrow ribbon diffuses, weaving above and below Earth’s path - sometimes delivering a brief meteor outburst, other times leaving the night sky empty.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reframing-the-random-comet-streams">Reframing the random comet streams</h2>



“We’re used to telling ourselves that a comet’s motion changes randomly due to a series of complex perturbations from the planets,” said Pilorz. “That isn’t wrong, but if we recall that the Sun also orbits the barycenter, the explanation becomes much simpler.”



Planetary tugs still matter: between Jupiter and Saturn, their combined <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-gravity-pulls-earth-closer-to-the-sun-warming-our-climate-scientists-say/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gravity</a> exerts a steady torque that slowly precesses a meteoroid stream’s orbit. 



Yet the study shows that the dominant driver of the short‑term, seemingly erratic spreading is the Sun’s own wander.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meteor-forecasts-and-lost-comets">Meteor forecasts and lost comets</h2>



Understanding how quickly a meteoroid stream disperses helps astronomers trace the dusty breadcrumb trail. Trails are traced back to a parent comet, even if the comet itself has grown faint or disappeared. 



The new framework gives modelers a cleaner way to predict when Earth will next plow through a dense filament - information useful for both sky watchers and satellite operators wary of high‑speed dust impacts.



By recognizing that our star is a fellow traveler around the solar system’s barycenter, astronomers can now see the graceful mechanism behind what once looked like cosmic caprice. 



The Sun’s gentle sway sets the rhythm for meteor showers that occasionally turn the night sky into a fleeting storm of falling stars.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001910352500106X?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Icarus</a>.



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How the wobbling Sun can help us predict meteor showers

Comets streak in from the outer solar system, shed streams...

Recent research points to protein-rich food choices as powerful drivers of health. Many people are now asking whether a meat-heavy approach to protein is truly the best strategy when it comes to living longer.



The recent findings show that countries with higher levels of animal-based protein see lower mortality rates among children under five, yet plant-based protein is linked with longer lifespans for adults.



The study was conducted out by PhD candidate Caitlin Andrews and her team, led by Dr. Alistair Senior at the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sydney</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-plants-to-meat-protein">From plants to meat protein</h2>



Populations worldwide seem to be trading vegetables for meat. Researchers have observed that animal-based protein consumption has climbed across various regions over the past several decades. More societies are gravitating toward protein-dense foods derived from cattle, poultry, and pigs.



These shifts are not uniform, though. In several corners of the globe, chickpeas, beans, and other legumes are still mainstays, along with certain dairy and egg products. In resource-constrained nations, individuals often rely on whatever is the most affordable form of protein.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meat-protein-lowers-child-death-rates">Meat protein lowers child death rates</h2>



“For the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/child-mortality-under-5-years" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">under-fives</a>, a food system that supplies large amounts of animal-based proteins and fats lowered rates of infant mortality,” said Andrews.



In places where young children miss out on ample nutrition, extra amounts of animal-based protein can be tied to better early survival rates.&nbsp;



One explanation involves the nutrients found in eggs, dairy, and meat. These foods contain essential amino acids, iron, zinc, and vitamins that help children grow. They also provide energy-dense fat, which supports early development.



Families who live in impoverished settings, however, often struggle to access such staples.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-protein-helps-adults-live-longer">Plant protein helps adults live longer</h2>



“For adults, plant-based proteins increased overall life expectancy,” said Andrews.



Higher plant-based protein intake appears to bring key advantages. Diets built around legumes, peas, lentils, and nuts are linked with fewer chronic conditions, including <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.924977" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cardiovascular disease</a>.



Adults who rely on beans, lentils, or tofu may also get more dietary fiber. That <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fiber</a> supports normal digestion and can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, too much red or processed meat is often linked with harmful effects that might shorten lifespan.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-fats-early-less-later">Good fats early, less later</h2>



Another interesting aspect involves fat. Research suggests that in infancy and early childhood, certain animal fats might help reduce malnutrition. 



Later in life, though, cutting back on high-fat products can aid weight management, possibly easing issues like <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572145/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">type 2 diabetes</a> and <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4314-hypertension-high-blood-pressure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hypertension</a>.



Foods loaded with saturated fat may disrupt the balance if combined with processed sugars and a sedentary lifestyle. Such combinations might trigger an inflammatory state and higher vulnerability to illnesses. 



This pattern emphasizes how dietary composition can be more important than any single <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-are-suffering-from-declining-plant-quality/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nutrient</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-higher-cost-for-the-planet">A higher cost for the planet</h2>



“Protein is a crucial part of the human diet, but as eating habits change and developed countries look to decarbonize, where we get our protein from has come under greater scrutiny,” noted the research team.



Meat production draws attention for environmental reasons. Livestock farming typically requires more land and water compared to growing legumes or grains.



Those aiming to reduce <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">greenhouse gas emissions</a> often look to pea or chickpea farming as lower-impact methods. This is sparking interest in alternative proteins, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-based-foods-promote-weight-loss-regardless-of-processing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plant-based</a> meat.



But these shifts need to be carefully approached, given how vital animal-sourced protein appears to be for child development.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shifting-protein-needs">Shifting protein needs</h2>



What each person puts on the plate can differ by budget and culture. For families with small children, variety may be the safest bet. Adults seeking to improve their longevity might gain from swapping out meat for beans, peas, or other plant-based sources.



Some individuals find plant protein more economical, while others view meat as a valued tradition. Experts advise that local resources and medical concerns shape the ideal balance. 



The best approach might be a mixed plan, adjusting as people move from childhood into later stages of life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-protein-for-global-well-being">Rethinking protein for global well-being </h2>



These results highlight a pattern: keep an eye on total protein intake first, then prioritize more plant-based sources past childhood. 



Future innovations may focus on improving vegetarian options for children at risk of malnutrition. Researchers also stress the need for more accessible programs, especially in areas with low food security.



Shifting the global menu can pose challenges. It involves policy support, agricultural reforms, and nutrition education. The end goal is to see infants thrive and older people enjoy extra years, while also safeguarding natural resources.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58475-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Meat protein boosts survival, but plants boost longevity

Recent research points to protein-rich food choices as powerful drivers...

California’s Sierra Nevada range is known for its rugged peaks, vast wilderness, and iconic trees. For centuries, botanists and hikers alike have climbed these mountains, encountering the same types of conifers as they ascend in elevation - lodgepole, foxtail, and limber pines staking their claim in the uppermost zones of tree life.



But sometimes, nature throws a curveball. In the fall of last year, a routine hike in Sequoia National Park turned into a rare discovery. Professor Hugh Safford of <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UC Davis</a> was not searching for scientific revelations. 



He was simply out for a walk in the mountains. Yet what Professor Safford found has rewritten the elevation record books and raised urgent questions about how trees are responding to climate change.



His discovery, now published in Madroño, a journal of the California Botanical Society, is a glimpse into the High Sierra’s changing face - and a reminder of the power of simply being present in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trees-are-losing-the-battle-against-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nature</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-tree-where-it-should-not-exist">A tree where it should not exist</h2>



Safford, a forest ecologist in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy, had paused during his hike along the timberline on the south slopes of Mount Kaweah. 



He admired a foxtail pine, then a lodgepole pine - both expected residents of the subalpine zone. But then, something unexpected caught his eye.



“Then I thought, ‘What’s that?’” said Safford. “I walk over, and it’s a Jeffrey pine! It made no sense. What is a Jeffrey pine doing above 11,500 feet?”



Jeffrey pines typically dominate the upper montane <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/slow-and-steady-tree-growth-wins-the-race-for-carbon-capture/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forests</a> of the Sierra Nevada. They’re the common backdrop around Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Lakes. 



But they are not known for living among the rugged, wind-battered zones of traditional subalpine species. What Safford found was extraordinary: a healthy Jeffrey pine growing far above its expected range.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-jeffrey-trees-break-mountain-height-records">Jeffrey trees break mountain height records</h2>



After that first encounter, Professor Safford began looking more closely. Over the course of his hike, he identified 14 Jeffrey pine trees thriving above 11,800 feet. Some were over 20 years old. The highest of them stood at 12,657 feet. That shattered the previous known elevation record for the species by 1,860 feet.



Even more surprising, these pines were growing higher than any of California’s traditional subalpine species, including the foxtail, limber, and lodgepole pines. Until now, none of those <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-trees-might-be-misleading-us-about-climate-change-impact/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">species</a> had been documented above 12,034 feet.



Safford’s field observations suggest that our existing databases, satellite data, and models may be significantly underestimating where certain tree species are managing to survive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trees-grow-higher-up-mountain-slopes">Trees grow higher up mountain slopes</h2>



Why are Jeffrey pines now taking root at elevations once deemed too extreme for their survival? 



The answer, Safford suspects, lies in the warming climate. Rising air temperatures and earlier snowmelts are reshaping the ecological dynamics of the High Sierra.



The high mountain soils, once locked under snow for months, are thawing earlier. This opens short windows of opportunity for seeds to germinate and grow. In this altered climate rhythm, some species are seizing the chance to move upward.



The Jeffrey pine’s tolerance to both cold and drought may be key to its success in these harsh new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-crops-a-path-to-feeding-the-world-and-saving-the-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environments</a>. But trees don’t move on their own. Something - or someone - has helped them get there.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birds-trees-and-mountain-heights">Birds, trees, and mountain heights</h2>



Safford suspects that the Clark’s nutcracker, a high alpine bird with an excellent memory, may be playing an unexpected role in this ecological shift. 



Known for its relationship with the whitebark pine, the bird collects seeds and stores them in high mountain “caches” for future meals. For Jeffrey pines, the bird might be acting as an unintentional gardener.



“Much as this nutcracker does for whitebark pine trees, preliminary evidence suggests the bird carries fleshy Jeffrey pine seeds up the mountain from thousands of feet below, storing them in the High Sierra’s ‘refrigerator’ for an early summer snack.”



Some of those snacks never get eaten. And when the conditions are right - less snow, warmer soil - those seeds take root and start a new population.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trees-aren-t-migrating-slowly">Trees aren’t migrating slowly</h2>



Trees generally move slowly in response to climate change. Their range shifts inch upward over decades. But Safford’s discovery hints at a more chaotic process, influenced by outside forces like birds and sudden environmental windows.



“I’m looking at trees surviving in habitats where they couldn’t before, but they’re also dying in places they used to live before,” Safford said. 



“They’re not just holding hands and walking uphill. This crazy leapfrogging of species challenges what we think we know about these systems reacting as the climate warms.”



This leapfrogging defies the gentle, predictable march that many models assume. It reveals a more fragmented and opportunistic reality, where chance encounters between birds and seeds create new ecological frontiers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mountain-trees-reaching-new-heights">Mountain trees reaching new heights</h2>



Perhaps one of the most telling aspects of Safford’s discovery is how it happened. Not through satellite imagery. Not through remote sensors or AI-driven models. But by someone walking in the mountains and paying attention.



“People aren’t marching to the tops of the mountains to see where the trees really are,” Safford said. "Instead, they are relying on satellite imagery, which can’t see most small trees. What science does is help us understand how the world functions."



”In this case, where you see the impacts of climate change most dramatically are at high elevations and high latitudes. If we want our finger on the pulse of how the climate is warming and what the impacts are, that’s where it will be happening first. We just need to get people out there.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-story-of-resilience">A story of resilience </h2>



Safford and his team of students will return this summer to the southern Sierra Nevada. They’ll hike Mount Kaweah, Mount Whitney, and nearby parks, searching for more of these high-altitude outliers. 



Their work will include identifying seedlings, measuring mountain tree heights, and refining elevation models based on actual ground conditions.



The mission is simple: understand what’s happening before more changes go unnoticed. The Jeffrey pine may not remain the state’s highest tree forever, but for now, it tells a story of change, resilience, and the surprising ways life finds new ground.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://bioone.org/journals/madro%c3%b1o/volume-72/issue-1/0024-9637-72.1.a7/NEW-ELEVATION-RECORDS-FOR-JEFFREY-PINE-PINUS-JEFFREYI-AMURRAY-BIS/10.3120/0024-9637-72.1.a7.short" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Madroño</a>.



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Why trees are reaching new heights in the mountains

California’s Sierra Nevada range is known for its rugged peaks,...

When country music legend Glen Campbell took the stage during his final tour, his memory was fading fast due to Alzheimer’s disease. 



Yet somehow, despite not recognizing his closest loved ones or remembering what day it was, he could still play his guitar and sing every lyric of his greatest hits thanks to the science behind the connection of music and the brain.



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



Rhonda Winegar is a nurse practitioner in neurology and assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. She found Campbell's uncanny ability to be more than just touching - it sparked her scientific curiosity.



“He kept wandering off, and they’d have to push him back on stage,” noted Winegar. “Yet he could still play all those difficult chords and remember the lyrics to his songs.”



This striking example of music’s resilience in the face of neurodegeneration became the foundation for Winegar’s research into the profound <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-therapy-key-features-of-healing-music-identified/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">therapeutic power</a> of music. 



Her findings, recently published with co-author Dustin Hixenbaugh in <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1555415525000327" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Journal for Nurse Practitioners</a>, reinforce what many have intuitively known for centuries: music isn’t just entertainment - it’s medicine.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chemistry-of-the-musical-experience">Chemistry of the musical experience</h2>



“Music delays neurodegeneration in conditions such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-blood-test-can-track-the-progression-of-alzheimers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alzheimer’s</a>,” Winegar explained. “Sometimes, patients with memory issues get anxious and upset, which can start affecting their speech and ability to communicate. But if they’re able to sing, they can express their feelings, which helps reduce anxiety, stress, and depression.”



While Winegar’s work highlights music’s ability to soothe and strengthen neurological function, a recent imaging study from the Turku PET Center in Finland delves even deeper. The study dives into the molecular chemistry of the musical experience. 



Published in the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00259-025-07232-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Journal of Nuclear Medicine</a>, the research has found that listening to favorite music activates the brain’s opioid system, the same reward system that governs pleasure from food, social bonding, and even <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-as-a-pain-reliever-the-power-of-your-playlist/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pain relief</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pleasure-pathways-in-the-brain">Pleasure pathways in the brain</h2>



“These results show for the first time directly that listening to music activates the brain’s opioid system,” said Vesa Putkinen from the <a href="https://www.utu.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Turku</a>. 



“The release of opioids explains why music can produce such strong feelings of pleasure, even though it is not a primary reward necessary for survival or reproduction, like food or sexual pleasure.”



Using positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the Finnish research team measured the release of natural opioids in the brain as participants listened to music that gave them chills. 



The more opioid receptors a person had, the stronger their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-triggers-unique-prediction-zones-in-the-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brain</a> responded to the music - suggesting a biological basis for why some people are deeply moved by a favorite song while others remain unmoved.



“The brain’s opioid system is also involved in pain relief. Based on our findings, the previously observed pain-relieving effects of music may be due to music-induced opioid responses in the brain,” noted Lauri Nummenmaa, a professor at the University of Turku.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-therapy-heals-the-brain">Music therapy heals the brain</h2>



Back in Texas, Winegar describes the ways in which this pleasurable response to music can be practically applied in medicine and caregiving. Active music therapy - where patients sing or play instruments - can help stroke survivors regain language skills.



Music therapy can also be beneficial for people with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dopamine-plays-an-unexpected-role-in-movement-and-parkinsons-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Parkinson’s</a>, as it may improve walking rhythm and motor control. Passive listening also shows benefits, such as reducing heart rate, blood pressure, and seizure activity.



“In neurology, music has been shown to decrease seizure activity by calming abnormal electrical impulses in the brain,” she said. “Research also shows that music can regulate heart rate and blood pressure by reducing over excitation in the nervous system.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-right-song-right-person">Right song, right person</h2>



The power of music therapy isn’t restricted to one genre, either. Winegar’s own research was presented through the lens of country music, which she describes as “a support group in song.” 



However, the emotional and physiological effects vary widely depending on personal preference. Whether someone finds peace in heavy metal or motivation in gospel, the brain’s response is most powerful when the music resonates personally.



“We focused on how country music can be used in a clinical setting,” Winegar said. “It often tells the stories of struggle - my wife left me, I’m an alcoholic, my truck won’t start. We framed our presentation around the idea that music can serve as a support group, helping people connect with others facing similar struggles.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-music-to-heal-the-brain">Using music to heal the brain</h2>



With neuroscience revealing the biological underpinnings of music’s effects and clinicians harnessing its healing potential, the implications for health care are enormous. 



From managing chronic pain and regulating mood to enhancing mobility and preserving memory, music offers an accessible way to heal the brain and treat mental health conditions.



“The most important takeaway from this research is that music has always been there for us. It doesn’t cost anything to turn on the radio, and it can be there for you during rough patches - whether you’re feeling anxious, depressed or in pain. It can motivate you, help you exercise or provide comfort,” said Winegar.



As science continues to explore the symphony between mind and music, it’s becoming increasingly clear that this universal human experience is more than just background noise. It’s a form of therapy written into our biology - a healing harmony available to all.



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Experts reveal how music can heal the brain

When country music legend Glen Campbell took the stage during...

Magnetars are ultra-dense remnants of massive stars, known for possessing the strongest magnetic fields in the universe - trillions of times more powerful than Earth's magnetic field. A magnetar named SGR 0501+4516 is challenging what scientists thought they knew about how these bizarre stars come into being.



In a new study, researchers from Radboud University and the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Warwick</a> used the Hubble Space Telescope to track the magnetar SGR 0501+4516 as it moves across our galaxy. The findings suggest that this object might not have been formed in a traditional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supernova-explosions-could-damage-distant-planets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supernova</a>, as previously believed.



Instead, the mysterious magnetar could have originated from a much rarer and less understood process - one that may even hold answers to the mystery of fast radio bursts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-magnetars-so-unique">What makes magnetars so unique?</h2>



“Magnetars are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neutron-stars-may-hold-the-key-to-understanding-dark-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neutron stars</a> - the dead remnants of stars - composed entirely of neutrons. What makes magnetars unique is their extreme magnetic fields,” said Ashley Chrimes, lead author of the study. 



If a magnetar came within half the distance to the Moon, its magnetism could erase every credit card on Earth. A human within 600 miles would be physically torn apart by the force.



The magnetar in question, SGR 0501+4516, was first spotted in 2008 by NASA’s Swift Observatory, which detected its brief and intense gamma-ray flashes. At the time, scientists assumed it had formed in a supernova explosion. 



After all, it was located near the remnants of a supernova known as HB9. But new data from Hubble and the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft is telling a different story.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-magnetar-with-mysterious-origins">Magnetar with mysterious origins</h2>



With data collected in 2010, 2012, and 2020, the researchers used Hubble’s steady view and infrared imaging to measure the magnetar’s movement over time.



The experts compared its position to a precise stellar map provided by Gaia, which allowed them to trace the magnetar’s slow drift across the sky.



“All of this movement we measure is smaller than a single pixel of a Hubble image,” said co-investigator Joe Lyman. “Being able to robustly perform such measurements really is a testament to the long-term stability of Hubble.”



The results were surprising. The direction and speed of SGR 0501+4516’s journey showed that it likely didn’t originate from the nearby <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shockingly-bright-carbon-monoxide-detected-in-supernova-remnant/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supernova remnant</a>. When scientists traced its path back thousands of years, they found no sign of any known supernova remnants or star clusters that could explain the birth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-explaining-the-magnetar-s-origins">Explaining the magnetar’s origins</h2>



If it wasn’t born from a supernova, what could explain the magnetar’s existence? The researchers suggest it may have formed in a different way entirely - either from the collision of two smaller neutron stars or through something called accretion-induced collapse.



“Normally, this scenario leads to the ignition of nuclear reactions, and the white dwarf exploding, leaving nothing behind. But it has been theorized that under certain conditions, the white dwarf can instead collapse into a neutron star. We think this might be how SGR 0501 was born,” noted study co-author Andrew Levan.



This theory involves a white dwarf in a binary system pulling in too much gas from its companion. If it gets heavy enough, it can collapse under its own weight - not explode - and possibly become a magnetar.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clues-to-fast-radio-bursts">Clues to fast radio bursts</h2>



This discovery might also help explain one of the biggest puzzles in astrophysics: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fast-radio-bursts-are-even-more-mysterious-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fast radio bursts</a> (FRBs). These are brief but powerful bursts of radio waves that have been detected across the universe.



SGR 0501+4516 is now the top candidate in our galaxy for a magnetar that may have formed through an accretion-induced collapse or merger — both of which are scenarios that could generate FRBs. That’s especially significant for bursts that appear in old star populations where no new massive stars (and thus no new supernovae) are expected.



“Magnetar birth rates and formation scenarios are among the most pressing questions in high-energy astrophysics, with implications for many of the universe’s most powerful transient events, such as gamma-ray bursts, super-luminous supernovae, and fast radio bursts,” said study co-author Nanda Rea.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-to-discover-across-our-galaxy">More to discover across our galaxy</h2>



The research team plans to continue using Hubble to study other magnetars across the Milky Way. With new findings, researchers gain more knowledge about the mysterious origins of magnetars like SGR 0501+4516.



Each new observation could bring us closer to understanding how these powerful magnetic stars are born - and what role they might play in some of the universe’s strangest phenomena.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/04/aa53479-24/aa53479-24.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a>.



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Mysterious magnetar has unknown origins

Magnetars are ultra-dense remnants of massive stars, known for possessing...

Plastic waste has a habit of sneaking into every corner of our lives. It’s in packaging, containers, housewares, and even hidden in places we don’t expect. 



Despite growing awareness and recycling efforts, less than ten percent of all plastic manufactured around the world last year was made from previously used materials.



That startling figure comes from an in-depth analysis led by Quanyin Tan from the <a href="https://www.the-ies.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Institution of Environmental Sciences</a>, an international organization with member countries all over the world. 



This research team aimed to crunch fresh data on how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-normal-plastic-turns-into-dangerous-micro-and-nanoplastics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plastic</a> is produced, consumed, and disposed of.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-use-is-outpacing-recycling">Plastic use is outpacing recycling</h2>



Worldwide, manufacturing of plastic goods has exploded, hitting 400 million tons in 2022. That is part of a decades-long rise tied to easy availability of <a href="https://chandra-asri.com/en/blog/what-is-petrochemical" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">petrochemicals</a> and a growing demand for convenience goods.



Most feedstocks, or basic materials used to make <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-is-changing-the-entire-earth-system/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plastics</a>, still come from oil and coal. This reliance continues to cause <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-petrochemicals" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">concern</a> for policymakers who worry about pollution and greenhouse emissions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-plastic-is-burned-or-dumped">Most plastic is burned or dumped</h2>



Even though new plastic goods keep rolling off the conveyor belts, billions of pounds of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alarming-levels-of-microplastics-found-in-every-major-european-river/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">waste</a> pile up in landfills. 



Many communities are trying to move away from tossing items into the ground, so incineration - high-temperature burning of trash - has become normal practice in several regions.



Recycling has not caught up. Only a small slice of global plastic waste heads for proper sorting, and an even tinier portion makes it into fresh products.



Burning <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coca-cola-may-dump-1-3b-pounds-plastic-into-oceans-by-2030/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plastic</a> can reduce landfill buildup. Yet it creates questions about whether harmful byproducts make their way into the environment.



In some places, waste-to-energy plants harness the heat from incineration to generate electricity. But critics argue that this discourages efforts to lower production of throwaway items or boost recycling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-recycling-trends-differ-worldwide">Plastic recycling trends differ worldwide</h2>



In the United States, people use more plastic per person than anywhere else, averaging 216 kilograms annually. Not all of that waste is dealt with locally, as a portion still travels overseas in search of processing facilities.



China, with the biggest overall use, faces a different set of obstacles. The country has seen a shift toward incineration, in an attempt to cut the amount of trash going into dumps.



Consumers often assume throwing a plastic cup in the blue bin solves the problem. The reality is more complicated, because <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2008.0311">mechanical recycling facilities</a> struggle with contaminated or hard-to-sort materials.



“This study provides important data for devising future policies and regulations,” said Tan. The authors highlight another bottleneck: even after plastics are collected for recycling, about half end up in the incinerator anyway. 



One approach relies on boosting demand for items made of reused plastic. When manufacturers see value in secondhand resin, they are more likely to invest in the technology needed to process it.



Governments can step in by drafting standards that require products to contain a certain percent of reclaimed materials. These rules help build a reliable market for suppliers who repurpose waste.



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



Plastics offer convenience and durability. That same toughness means <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-treaty-is-a-historic-opportunity-to-stop-a-human-health-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plastic</a> debris persists for a very long time, often escaping into waterways and farmland as it slowly degrades into smaller fragments.



Tiny particles known as microplastics turn up in soil and even inside living organisms. Such discoveries raise questions about health impacts, and fuel a push to fix <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b01517" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the plastic loop</a> once and for all.



It starts with cutting back on disposable items. Simple decisions like opting for long-lasting goods or switching to refillable containers will reduce overall usage.



Proper sorting is also key. If more families rinse and separate their plastics, it takes less effort at the recycling facility, creating a cleaner stream of usable material.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plastic-recycling-must-improve">Plastic recycling must improve</h2>



Tracking plastic flows helps scientists pinpoint the most serious leaks in the system. They can see which nations and industries are cleaning up their act and which ones still need help.



That big-picture view allows leaders to craft better laws. These regulations might prioritize cutting single-use packaging, boosting recycling plants, or funding incineration upgrades to handle toxic fumes.



As production inches toward 800 million tons per year by 2050, extra plastic could swamp the planet if we keep using the same playbook. 



Cutting reliance on virgin feedstocks can slow the tide, especially if more recycled content edges its way into new manufacturing.



Those shifts demand cooperation across borders and industries. Otherwise, next-generation efforts might fail to tackle a problem that grows bigger and more threatening each year.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02169-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



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Disturbingly small amount of plastic is recycled around the world

Plastic waste has a habit of sneaking into every corner...

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



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



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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