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...

A series of steep toxin taxes which could affect millions of commercial and private diesel engine owners in cities and towns throughout the United Kingdom will kick in over time, according to <a href="http://thetimes.co.uk/">The Sunday Times</a>, Britain’s largest national newspaper. The tax of as much as £20, or about $25, per day will target trucks, buses, taxis and other commercial vehicles, and will also affect potentially millions of private owners of diesel-driven vehicles. The proposed laws vary in the 35 cities and town that will be involved.

This is in addition to stiff tax penalties already being levied against <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dieselgate-settlement-vw-bosch/">diesel</a> drivers (and, in some areas, drivers of all kinds of vehicles) in parts of traffic-congested and heavily polluted London.

Details and timelines of the various toxin taxes will be issued next week by the nation’s Environment Secretary, Andrea Leadsom.

In the UK, at issue is the high levels of air particulate spewed by diesel-driven vehicles, particularly models manufactured before 2015. Diesel engines release nitrogen gases such as nitrogen oxide in four times the quantity of gasoline engines.

Certain highly populated or industrialized areas of the UK already exceed nitrogen dioxide limits, including greater London, the West Midlands urban area, Greater Manchester, the West Yorkshire urban area, Teesside, The Potteries, Kingston upon Hull and Southampton.

UK government agencies call the current level of air pollution in many cities throughout the UK a public health emergency that causes 40,000 early deaths and costs the economy £27.5 billion annually.

While the toxin taxes should help clean the air in the most affected cities, and presumably slump diesel sales, the UK says it’s not a long-range answer to the health crisis. That would be the ‘zero emissions’ standard the nation is working toward by 2024, when the hope is that the only new vehicles taking to the nation’s streets and highways will be electrically powered.

--

Written by David Searls, Earth.com staff writer

Source:<a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/20-daily-toxin-tax-for-diesel-drivers-mhkzggdn3"> The Sunday Times</a>

New toxin taxes will hit UK diesel drivers

A series of steep toxin taxes which could affect millions...

In the face of President Donald Trump’s recently announced first step toward <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-executive-order/">dismantling</a> the Clean Power Plan, a carbon reduction plan of former President Barack Obama, the governors of California and New York released a joint statement yesterday. It outlined their commitment toward enacting policies to counteract climate change independent of the federal government.

"With or without Washington, we will work with our partners throughout the world to aggressively fight climate change and protect our future," governors Jerry Brown of California and Andrew Cuomo of New York wrote.

The two states announced ambitious carbon reduction targets that go even well beyond goals set by federal policies under Obama. Brown and Cuomo said that their states would both reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80 percent below that 1990 mark by 2050. In addition, they mandated that electricity in each of their states must be fully generated from renewable sources by 2030.

“Climate change is real and will not be wished away by rhetoric or denial,” the governors wrote. “We stand together with a majority of the American people in supporting bold actions to protect our communities from the dire consequences of climate change.”

Brown and Cuomo also pointed out that their two states were homes to about one in five Americans and totaled 20 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

--

Written by David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2017-Announcements/2017-03-28-Governor-Cuomo-and-Brown-Reaffirm-Commitment-to-Exceeding-Targets-of-Clean-Power-Plan"> NYSERDA</a>

California and New York team up against Trump climate policy

In the face of President Donald Trump’s recently announced first...

Former President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan had already been sidelined by the U.S. Supreme Court while its provisions were being legally challenged. But today, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to begin to undo the act altogether. The order will also substantially reduce the federal government's role in climate regulation by eliminating six other Obama-era executive orders aimed at curbing climate change. According to the Trump administration, the changes are all in the interest of helping the American economy.

"It is an issue that deserves attention," a White House official told <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/politics/trump-climate-change-executive-order/index.html?adkey=bn">CNN</a> regarding climate change. "But I think the President has been very clear that he is not going to pursue climate change policies that put the US economy at risk. It is very simple."

The sidelined Obama plan established metrics for individual states to meet to reduce carbon pollution from coal-fired and natural gas power plants and encouraged faster transitions to renewable energy sources. In his former position, as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oklahoma-is-latest-state-to-prevent-oil-fracking-bans/">Oklahoma</a> attorney general, Pruitt was one of many states attorney general suing the Obama administration to block the initiative from going into effect.

The idea behind the Clean Power Plan was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel power plants by as much as 32 percent by the year 2030. By doing so, it signified the U.S. commitment to meeting carbon dioxide reduction standards established as part of the Paris Accord of 2015.

“We've made tremendous progress on our environment, and we can be both pro-jobs and pro-environment," Pruitt told <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/">ABC News’s</a> This Week host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “And the executive order's going to address the past administration's effort to kill jobs across this country through the Clean Power Plan.”

Among other objections, environmental groups say that by backing out of Paris Accord commitments, the U.S. will set a bad example in front of other nations in compliance.

Pruitt said that rejection of the Clean Power Plan is not a violation of the Accord and that the administration isn’t worried about legal obstructions.

-- 

By Earth.com Staff Writer David Searls

Source:<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek"> This Week</a>, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a>

&nbsp;

Trump signs executive order to drastically cut climate regulation

Former President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan had already been...

Not only is the existence of the rusty patched bumblebee threatened, but for a while so was the directive to add it to the endangered species list.

Among his last acts in office, President Barack Obama had directed that the rusty patched bumblebee be added, but the temporary freeze that the Trump administration had ordered on all federal regulations had intervened. However, on Tuesday the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> announced that the administration had relented and the bumblebee had been added to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-species-act-endangered/">endangered</a> species list. This makes it the first bee from the continental U.S. to be gain inclusion, although Obama had designated seven Hawaiian bee species as endangered earlier in his term.

“The Trump administration reversed course and listed the rusty patched bumblebee as an endangered species just in the nick of time,” said Rebecca Riley, senior attorney with the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC). “Federal protections may be the only thing standing between the bumblebee and extinction.”

The NRDC had filed a lawsuit in federal court in February to carry out the Obama order.

The news should be good for food growers. This particular species used to be abundant in 28 states, but it has suffered an 87 percent population decline over the last 20 years and the species can now only be sporadically found in pockets within thirteen states. Like other bee species, the rusty patched bumblebee (named for the marking on its back) pollinates critical fruit, seed and nut crops.

With the designation, the federal government will protect the endangered bumblebee and its grounds as part of the federally enacted Endangered Species Act.

--

Written by David Searls, Earth.com staff writer

Source:<a href="https://www.fws.gov/"> U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a>

Bumblebee declared endangered after all

Not only is the existence of the rusty patched bumblebee...

Upon reacting to the release of the annual report of the World Meteorological Organization, Dr. Phil Williamson, associate fellow at the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> in England had some harsh words for climate change doubters in an interview with the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html">Daily Mail</a>. He was addressing the release of the annual report from the <a href="https://www.wmo.int/">World Meteorological Organization</a>, a specialized agency of the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/">United Nations</a>.

“Human-driven climate change is now an empirically-verifiable fact,” he said. “Those who dispute that link are not sceptics, but anti-science deniers.”

The <a href="https://www.wmo.int/">WMO</a> report released earlier this week stated that, once again, last year was the warmest since measurements had been made in 1880.

 Other “lowlights” of the report were that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-sea-louisiana-coast/">sea levels</a> continued to rise due to melting polar ice and Arctic and Antarctic ice levels were far below average.

“With levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere consistently breaking new records, the influence of human activities on the climate system has become more and more evident,” WMO chief Petteri Taalas wrote.

The report shows that the effect of greenhouse gases can be felt in a number of ways. For instance, warming in the Arctic and melting sea ice were leading to a shift in wider oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns. That, in turn, created confusing weather conditions all over the globe, and including unexpected highs in the U.S. and Canada last year and chilly temperatures in the Arabian peninsula and North Africa.

Worst of all, the WMO report indicated that we’re making few gains in defense of the planet.

“Provisional data also indicates that there has been no easing in the rate of increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations,” it stated.

--

By <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer David Searls

Source:  <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html">Daily Mail</a>,<a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/about-us/who-we-are"> World Meteorological Organization</a>

Climate change evidence grows with UN report

Upon reacting to the release of the annual report of...

According to an article published yesterday in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a>, the Trump administration is about to start the process of rolling back former President Barack Obama’s set of environmental regulations knowns as the Clean Power Plan – but it won’t be easy. It will be a long and arduous process, and one fraught with lawsuits that will probably end up before the U.S. Supreme Court in years to come. In the meantime, however, there are smaller steps the president is taking to change Obama-era policies, rules and regulations.

The Clean Power Plan is a set of regulations that, in part, shut down hundreds of high-polluting coal-fired power plants and froze the construction of new plants. Trump signaled that he was about to challenge those regulations when he told a Kentucky audience earlier in the week that he was preparing a plan to “save our wonderful coal miners from continuing to be put out of work.”

Most economists have concluded that the coal mining industry was on life support even before the election and that most of the lost jobs won’t be coming back because energy technology has moved beyond <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/obama-protect-streams-forests-coal-mining/">coal</a>.

Despite the long road ahead of the Trump administration in killing the Clean Power Plan, the president has also taken several quicker steps to weaken or roll back Obama-era initiatives to address climate change by:
<ul>
 	<li>    Proposing to reduce the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by 31 percent, the steepest cut    to any federal agency, and eliminate funding for climate change research</li>
 	<li>    Lifting the former president’s moratorium on new coal mining leases on public lands</li>
 	<li>    Announcing last week that he’d ordered EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to revise the agency’s standards on vehicle tailpipe pollution</li>
</ul>
The administration is also expected to eliminate an Obama budgeting metric that assigned a carbon a social cost of $36 per ton when issuing regulations that could hurt industries such as coal mining, and rescind an executive order by Obama mandating that federal agencies take climate control into consideration when issuing environmental permits.

In addition, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">EPA</a> Administrator Scott Pruitt butted heads with most climate scientists in announcing earlier this month that he didn’t believe carbon dioxide was the main driver of climate change. And Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, said in regards to budget cuts to environmental agencies and programs, “As to climate change, I think the president was fairly straightforward. We’re not spending money on that anymore.”

--

By Earth.com Staff Writer David Searls

Source:<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/"> New York Times</a>

Trump begins dismantling Obama-era environmental policies

According to an article published yesterday in the New York...

The breathtakingly blue corals that made up one <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/brazilian-coral-reef-found/">reef</a> of the tropical Maldives island nation in Southeast Asia are dead. They’re gone, as are about half of the global coral populations worldwide, lost over just the last 30 years. The phenomenon is a present-day sign of climate change, but it can also be blamed for natural climate conditions such as the warming caused by the El Nino of 2015-2016.

Scientists say things will only get worse. It’s predicted that, even if we “cured” climate change today, 90 percent of the world’s coral will be gone by 2050.

Coral consists of thousands of tiny invertebrate animals, some of which are the size of a pinhead. In addition to serving as a protective habitat to a quarter of marine populations, coral produces oxygen and provides a valuable source of much-needed tourism dollars to many oceanic regions. Furthermore, the coral reefs form a coastline barrier against storm damage and erosion and have been used in medical research to treat cancer, arthritis and various bacterial and viral infections.

Rising sea temperatures are the direct culprit of the die-off. Coral gets its coloration from the existence of tiny algae that live within the organisms and provides nourishment in a symbiotic relationship. The temperature rise brought about by climate change expels the algae from the coral, causing the coral to bleach white. It can sometimes be brought back if temperatures fall before the coral totally bleaches. Severely bleached coral, however, can’t be saved. In the Maldives, 73 percent of coral reefs have sustained at least some bleaching damage.

“This isn't something that's going to happen 100 years from now,” said Julia Baum, marine biologist at the <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/">University of Victoria in Canada</a>. “We’re losing them right now. We’re losing them really quickly, much more quickly than I think any of us ever could have imagined.”

One piece of hopeful news is that a consortium of business, technology and government interests has funded a project called 50 Reefs to attempt to save a much of this delicate marine ecosystem as possible.  

--

By <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer David Searls

Source: Daily Mail,<a href="http://www.mrc.gov.mv/"> Maldives Marine Research Center,</a> <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/">University of Victoria in Canada</a>

Half of the world's coral is now dead

The breathtakingly blue corals that made up one reef of...

Last week, a white rhinoceros named Vince was killed by poachers at a wildlife park near Paris. The assailants broke in overnight and shot Vince three times in the head and then removed his eight-inch horn using a chainsaw. 

Demand for the rhinoceros horn has recently skyrocketed in Asia and Africa, currently valued at nearly triple the price of gold. The horn is made of keratin and is ground down into a powder and used for medicinal purposes. Urban myths say it can cure anything from cancer to a hangover.

According <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/10/high-price-of-rhino-horn-leaves-bloody-trail-across-the-globe">The Guardian</a>, more than three rhinos are killed every day in southern Africa. While rhinoceros horn trade is illegal, continued poaching has put the species at risk of extinction.

According to Dan Ashe, President and Chief Executive of the <a href="https://www.aza.org/">Association of Zoos and Aquariums</a>, over 90 zoos in the United States follow strict security requirements for the housing of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-rhinos-nearing-extinction/">rhinos</a>. But he admitted that the danger of poaching still poses a strong threat to the well being of every rhinoceros.

"Nobody is insulated from this potential; we have made sure our members are aware of what occurred in Paris and they are quite vigilant,” said Ashe. “Everybody is sobered.”

Ashe says that the rhino horns can be sold on the black market for as much as $500,000 to $1 million. 

"Imagine an animal running around with a big gold horn,” he said, “The value is extraordinary, and unfortunately there are criminals out there that will take a risk."

Others have argued for an increase in security protocols as a result of the attack and strong demand for the rhinoceros horn.

"If there is a change of criminal strategy and a swing from robbery in museums to crude crime of animals, it will also imply a change of means of protection for the zoos and African reserves which are in Europe," said Jacques-Olivier Barthes, spokesman for the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/">World Wildlife Fund</a> in France.

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_RHINOCEROS_ATTACK_ZOOS?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2017-03-11-06-45-24">AP</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/10/high-price-of-rhino-horn-leaves-bloody-trail-across-the-globe">The Guardian </a>

Rhinoceros poaching in Paris puts zoos worldwide on high alert

Last week, a white rhinoceros named Vince was killed by...

<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/">Greenpeace</a> and its supporters can rest at least a little easier. According to a letter released by the <a href="https://www.state.gov/">U.S. State Department</a> to the environmental organization, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will not be involved with issues involving TransCanada Corporation’s application for a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Greenpeace had written the day before to the State Department and the Office of Government Ethics, demanding that Tillerson recuse himself on the basis of having served as former CEO of ExxonMobil, which has investments in Canadian oil sands.

“ExxonMobil could benefit from the approval of the pipeline if it has specific contracts or agreements with TransCanada either to transport their Canadian tar sands production, or to receive such shipments at their US refineries,” the Greenpeace letter read, in part.

The multibillion-dollar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oil-pipeline-safety-uncertain-future/">pipeline</a> is being built to deliver crude oil from Alberta, Canada and North Dakota to refineries in Illinois along a 1,179-mile land route. The project was shelved by former President Barack Obama, but approved when President Donald Trump took office.

In response to the Greenpeace letter, Katherine McManus, the state department’s deputy legal adviser, stated that Tillerson had already recused himself from involvement in early February.

Tillerson had issued an earlier letter to his deputy legal adviser stating that he would “not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter involving specific parties in which I know that ExxonMobil is a party or represents a party, unless I am first authorized to participate.”

The secretary of state still has a strong financial position in his previous place of employment. According to a CNN Money news report in January, Tillerson is “due to receive more than 2 million Exxon shares –more than $181 million at current prices – over the next decade” as part of a retirement package. But he said that he’d put these funds into a blind trust with orders to not reinvest them in the oil company.

That’s in addition to the 600,000 company shares Tillerson already owned and agreed to sell upon taking office – and also not invest in ExxonMobil.

 --

By Earth.com Staff Writer David Searls

Source:<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/09/rex-tillerson-keystone-xl-pipeline-exxonmobil-state-department"> The Guardian</a>,<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/04/investing/rex-tillerson-exxon-mobil-stock-donald-trump/"> CNN Money</a>

Secretary of State Tillerson to stay out of pipeline issues

Greenpeace and its supporters can rest at least a little...

Last week, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trumps-budget-epa-programs/">we reported</a> on the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) programs likely to be cut under the Trump administration. Now, Trump-appointed EPA head Scott Pruitt has caused an uproar after saying in an interview that he does not believe that carbon dioxide is a major cause of global warming. 

"I would not agree that [CO2] is a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," Scott Pruitt told CNBC’s Joe Kernen in an <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html">interview</a> today.

"I believe that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do, and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact," said Pruitt.

It is an unprecedented move for the leader of an organization responsible for preserving the environment to question what the scientific community has already proven as <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/CO2-and-global-warming-faq.html#.WMHGamX9P7E">fact</a>: that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-carbon-dioxide-levels-reach-another-all-time-high/">carbon dioxide</a> is a heat trapping gas and that humans are causing the climate to warm by releasing mass amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Pruitt’s statements even contradict the very stance of the organization he oversees, as stated on the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-change-science/causes-climate-change">EPA website</a>.

Former EPA Chief Gina McCarthy said in a statement, “The world of science is about empirical evidence, not beliefs. When it comes to climate change, the evidence is robust and overwhelmingly clear that the cost of inaction is unacceptably high."

Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, co-chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, had strong words for Pruitt. "Anyone who denies over a century's worth of established science and basic facts is unqualified to be the administrator of the EPA. Now more than ever, the Senate needs to stand up to Scott Pruitt and his dangerous views," Schatz said in a statement.

According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/us/politics/scott-pruitt-environmental-protection-agency.html?_r=0">The New York Times</a>, Pruitt is expected to appoint additional climate change skeptics to high posts at EPA. Many of his appointees are likely to come from the office of Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, Pruitt’s longtime friend and a Republican senator known for his skepticism of climate change.

Interestingly enough, Pruitt’s remarks on global warming follow what the <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/">NOAA</a> has reported was the second-warmest February in the past 123 years.

--

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html">CNBC</a>

EPA Head Scott Pruitt doubts scientific facts of global warming

Last week, we reported on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

According to two new reports by the <a href="http://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a>, 1.7 million children under the age of 5 die each year as a result of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollution-plagues-perus-lake-titicaca/">pollution</a>. Indoor and outdoor pollution, unsafe water, and second-hand smoke collectively contribute to more than 1 in 4 deaths of young children.

The first report, titled Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment, says that many of the most common causes of death in children under 5, including diarrhoea, pneumonia, and malaria, are environmentally triggered but preventable. Interventionists who provide access to clean drinking water and safe cooking tools can significantly reduce these numbers.

According to the second report, titled Don’t pollute my future: The impact of the environment on children’s health, 570,000 children under the age of 5 die from respiratory infections that are directly caused by indoor and outdoor air pollution. An additional 361,000 children under 5 die from diarrhoea caused by polluted water. Another 270,000 children die within a month after birth from other conditions caused by dirty water.

“A polluted environment is a deadly one—particularly for young children. Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water,” said <a href="http://www.who.int/">WHO</a> director-general Margaret Chan.

The reports also state that exposure to polluted environments often begins in the womb, which increases the risk of premature birth.

“When infants and pre-schoolers are exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand smoke, they have an increased risk of pneumonia in childhood, and a lifelong increased risk of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma,” the report said. “Exposure to air pollution may also increase their lifelong risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.”

“A polluted environment results in a heavy toll on the health of our children. Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits,” added Maria Neira, <a href="http://www.who.int/">WHO</a> director of the Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health.

--

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a>

1.7 million children die each year due to pollution

According to two new reports by the World Health Organization,...

A supersolid has been a theoretical possibility in quantum physics – until now. Scientists at <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">MIT</a> combined superfluid elements with solid matter to give birth to this new matter, according to research written up in this week’s issue of Nature.

A superfluid is a fluid with no viscosity, or thickness, to it, so it flows without any loss of kinetic energy. What that means is that, if you were to put a superfluid in motion, it would rotate indefinitely.

Now combine that attribute with a solid element and you have curious new matter containing both attributes created by researchers: a supersolid.

As study team leader Wolfgang Ketterle, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Physics at <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">MIT</a>, said reflecting on the uniqueness of their findings, “It is counterintuitive to have a material which combines superfluidity and solidity. If your <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/robot-barista-coffee-run/">coffee</a> was superfluid and you stirred it, it would continue to spin around forever.”

The <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">MIT</a> team proceeded by cooling a superfluid gas to near absolute zero, resulting in a state called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). They then used an array of laser beams to manipulate the motion of the atoms of the BEC and create a second condensate in an ultrahigh-vacuum chamber. Additional lasers were then used to get atoms of these two condensates to spin together. The result was a quantum phase of matter with a rigid structure like a solid that can flow without viscosity, like a superfluid. New matter.

So where does this quirky and admittedly ‘counterintuitive’ field of study take science? Leading areas of future development could be in superconducting magnets and sensors, and in efficient energy transport systems, said the team.

--

By David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/public-health"> Frontiers in Public Health</a>

MIT scientists create new form of matter

A supersolid has been a theoretical possibility in quantum physics...

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



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.

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



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.

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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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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



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 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

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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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"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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