Earth Optimism

"Lake of Ice" by Cristiano Vendramin, Italy

A Snowy Scene at Italy's Lake Santa Croce Wins the People's Choice Award in Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

London's Natural History Museum has announced five winners of the 57th annual competition

What a male song sparrow sings in each moment is dependent on what he sang 30 minutes ago and suggests that the birds don't have a 'bird brain,' but incredible memory and recall capacities.  

To Impress Lady Birds, Male Sparrows Sing Their Songs on Shuffle

The singers will memorize a 30-minute playlist and remix the order later to avoid losing their lover's attention

Although Jonathan is now blind and has lost his sense of smell, he continues to engage in his favorite pastimes: sun-bathing, sleeping, eating, and mating.

At 190, Jonathan the Tortoise Is the World's Oldest

He will likely celebrate with some of his favorite activities: sunbathing, sleeping, eating, and mating

Big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus (pictured) are a Yangochiroptera species that uses complex sounds to echolocate. 

A Tiny, Partially Missing Bone Structure in Bat Ears May Have Cleared the Way for Echolocation to Evolve

Nearly 90 percent of the nighttime hunters use sound to find prey

Monarch butterflies cluster together to stay warm.

Monarch Butterfly Numbers Soar in California After Dramatic Losses

The orange-winged insect's population increased from 2,000 in 2020 to nearly 250,000 in 2021

Last November, a team of scientists and photographers spent 200 hours studying the vast reef during a dive expedition supported by UNESCO.

Researchers Find a Pristine Coral Reef Off the Coast of Tahiti

With rose-shaped corals as far as the eye can see, it is one of the largest healthy reefs on record

An adult chimera crab was about the size of a quarter with big eyes that took up about 16 percent of its size. Pictured: An artist's rendition of what the crab may have looked like.

This Tiny, Googly-Eyed Prehistoric Crab Was a Fast-Swimming Predator With Sharp Vision

The 95-million-year-old crab had crystal clear eyesight and oar-like legs that helped it snatch up prey

Betty White poses with a parrot at the Los Angeles Zoo in 2014.

Animal Shelters See an Influx of Donations in Honor of Betty White

Fans donated thousands of dollars to local animal shelters on what would have been her 100th birthday

China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), also known as the Chinese Artifical Sun, has operated since 2006.

China's Artificial Sun Just Broke a Record for Longest Sustained Nuclear Fusion

Superheated plasma reached 126 million degrees Fahrenheit for 17 minutes

The fish's movements, orientation, and location in the tank were translated into instructions for the wheels of the vehicle. The fish moves the car forward, backward, left and right.

Watch This Goldfish Drive an Aquarium on Wheels

The car was designed to move depending on the fish's location in its tank, showing animals can understand how to navigate foreign environments

Danish scientist Kristine Bohmann collects air samples in the Copenhagen Zoo’s tropical rainforest house.

Scientists Pull Animal DNA Out of Thin Air

The new method, tested at two zoos, could revolutionize the study of biodiversity in the wild

Robert Leverett walks through the old-growth forests in Mohawk Trail State Forest.

Old, Primeval Forests May Be a Powerful Tool to Fight Climate Change

Ecologists thought these trees had long been torn down in New England. Then Bob Leverett proved them wrong

The remarkable Hudsonian godwit.

This Wonder Bird Flies Thousands of Miles, Non-Stop, as Part of an Epic Migration

The more scientists learn about the Hudsonian godwit, the more they’re amazed—and worried

Approximately 315 different glaciers between British Columbia and Alaska have the potential to create new salmon habitat.

Melting Glaciers May Create 3,800 Miles of New Salmon Habitat by 2100

As the ice retreats, water could carve new streams in the thawed out land

A region within Mars's Valles Marineris (pictured) called the Candor Chaos had a large amount of hydrogen about a meter below the surface.

Beneath Canyons on Mars, Astronomers Find Potentially 'Water-Rich Area the Size of the Netherlands'

A Martian orbiter located a large reserve of hydrogen in a mountainous area of the Red Planet

In the video, Wheaton, a veterinarian, and his board appear tiny compared to the colossal bony fish. While the sunfish's dimensions are unknown, when comparing it to Wheaton's 14 foot-long board, the sunfish may have been anywhere between nine to ten feet long. (Pictured: Matt Wheaton)

Holy Mola! Watch This Colossal Ocean Sunfish Swim With Paddle Boarders Off the California Coast

Also known as a mola, the fish are harmless to people but are extremely curious and will approach divers

While the nebula can be observed in visible light (as seen in the image above), it gets its name from how brightly it also appears when viewed in infrared wavelengths of light.  

Hidden Within This Wispy, Butterfly Wing–Shaped Nebula, a Star Is Born

The image of a budding celestial body reveals clues as to what happens before it becomes a full-fledged star

In the video, the giant jellyfish's large bell is seen pulsing and glowing a faint orange as it floats in the dark abyss.

Watch This Giant Phantom Jellyfish With 33-Foot-Long Arms Float Through the Deep Ocean

The footage was captured by a remote-operated vehicle about 3,200 feet below the surface in Monterey Bay, California

Sandro Botticelli's La nascita di Venere, or Venus' Birth was painted on canvas with tempera paints.

Egg Yolk Gives Tempera Paint Its Enhanced Coverage and Spreadable Properties

The paint has been used throughout human history and is featured in iconic art pieces, like Michelangelo's 'Manchester Madonna'

While the material is mushroom-based, MycoWorks creates its rigid patented material by engineering mycelium cells as they grow into 3-D structures that intertwine themselves so densely, it makes a tough material, dubbed Fine Mycelium. The material has the strength, durability, and performance as traditional leather.    

This Mushroom-Based Leather Could Be the Next Sustainable Fashion Material

Currently marketed as a luxury fabric, Fine Mycelium is carbon-neutral and can be grown to order

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