Earth Optimism

Other biodegradable bioplastics from algae, cornstarch, sawdust have lower emissions over their lifetime than regular oil-based plastics but still, need the energy provided by the fossil-fuel energy grid to manufacture.

Scientists Made an Eco-Friendly Plastic Using DNA From Salmon Sperm

The material requires 97 percent less carbon emissions to make than petroleum-based plastics

Ankylosaurs were herbivores that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. 

New Species of Ankylosaur Unearthed in Chile Had a Flat, Weapon-Like Tail

About 80 percent of the skeleton was found intact and the specimen may reveal an early evolutionary split in the species

The dinosaur remains of Parrosaurus missouriensis took a total of four years to excavate from an undisclosed area in Southern Missouri.  

Fossil Hotbed Uncovered in Missouri Confirms New Species of Duck-Billed Dinosaur

After years of excavating, the team found a tail, two arms and a skull belonging to a dino that would have been 35 feet long

To identify what bacteria lives in the stomachs of vulture bees and how it compares to other bee species, researchers set up 16 bait stations with roughly two ounces of raw chicken hung from branches 4.9 feet off the ground.

Why Vulture Bees Prefer Rotting Flesh Over Pollen

The insects' gut microbiomes contained acid-loving bacteria that help digest meat

A growing body of work shows that marine animals are attracted to the sounds of healthy environments.

Playing Recordings of a Healthy Ocean Can Help Restore Marine Ecosystems

Scientists are using a 'fake it til you make it' approach to attract animals to coral reefs and other degraded habitats

Not much is known about mysterious quasisatellites because of their small dimensions, distance, and ability to conceal themselves in the shadows. Kamoʻoalewa is the first quasisatellite to move within observing range of large telescopes.

A Chip Off the Moon May Be Tailing Earth on Its Orbit Around the Sun

Researchers suspect the fragment may have been debris from a cratering event on the lunar surface

Astronomers and planetary scientists interested in understanding how often or when the weather patterns occur use past and present images to compare how the planets change over time.

Say Cheese, Outer Planets! Hubble Captures New Images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

New images of the solar system's giants give astronomers insight into atmospheric activity on other worlds

Aside from discovering the fascinating geology of the Gulf’s floor, the team also found diverse sea life thriving on or near the vents and their mineral structures. Researchers photographed tubeworms living on or near the vents seen here.

Kaleidoscope of Deep-Sea Life Found Near Hydrothermal Vents Off Mexican Coast

Some of these unique features reached temperatures up to 549 degrees Fahrenheit

For the Deep Space Food Challenge, teams were asked to design food production technology that would support a crew of four astronauts during long-term space missions without resupplying and achieve the most outstanding amount of food output with minimal inputs and virtually no waste. (Pictured: NASA Astronaut Megan McArthur aboard the ISS)  

From an Electric Cow to Space Bread, NASA Announces First-Round Winners of Deep Space Food Challenge

The competition aims to solve nutrition and food security issues in outer space and on Earth

While pursuing her undergraduate and graduate studies Watkins interned for NASA at the Ames Research Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins Becomes the First Black Woman to Join International Space Station Crew

She will be the SpaceX Crew-4 team's mission specialist

While only partial, the eclipse will still have 97 percent of the Moon cast with Earth’s shadow during the phenomenon’s peak. A tiny sliver of the Moon will glow while the rest of it will appear a dim-reddish brown color characteristic of a lunar eclipse.  

November's Full Moon Lunar Eclipse Is a Once-in-a-Thousand-Years Event

For those in North America, the six-hour-long phenomenon will take place in the early hours of the morning on November 19

Researchers predict the Last Ice Area will survive the longest in a warming world—but how long the ice will last is unclear. Some estimates suggest the ice will be gone entirely by 2100.

The 'Last Ice Area' May Provide a Final Refuge for Arctic Life in a Warming World

The Arctic Ocean region may provide a sanctuary to animals who need the summertime frozen habitat for survival

As bald eagle populations shoot up, disputes between the birds of prey do, too, especially near nesting territory.  

Watch Bald Eagles Tussle in the Middle of a Minnesota Street

The raptors may have gotten entangled during a territorial fight or courtship dance

A Magdalena River turtle hatchling

Inside the Local Movement to Recover Colombia’s River Turtles

In river basins across the country, communities are working to protect the endangered and endemic reptiles

Mollusks maintain the symmetry of their pearls by adjusting the thickness of each layer of shimmering nacre. If one layer of the pearl’s nacre is thinner, the next layer is thicker and will balance out irregularities over time to create a smooth, uniform pearl that isn’t lopsided.

How Pearls Obtain Their Remarkable Symmetry

A concept called 'pink noise' brings order to seemingly disorderly patterns seen in classical music, seismic activity, economic markets and even pearls

Pictured: Richard's pipits (Anthus richardi) are migrating on an east to west axis instead of heading south towards warmer latitudes.

Bird Migration Patterns Are Changing—and Climate Change May Be to Blame

As winter months approach, some feathered friends have started migrating east to west instead of north to south

Aside from making the eerie noise, the signal causes more bees to gather at the hive's entrance and begin other defense actions against the hornets. Like smearing dung around the hive and forming "bee balls " swarm and kill incoming hornets.  

Listen to Asian Honeybees 'Shriek' When Murder Hornets Are Nearby

The bees will sound the alarm against invaders by vibrating their wings to make a noise akin to high-pitched scream

The sea eagle, native to Asia—specifically China, Japan, Korea, and Eastern Russia—has been spotted thousands of miles away from its range in places as far south as Texas and as far North as Alaska.

Thousands of Miles Away From Home, This Steller's Sea Eagle Couldn't Be Any More Lost

Now in Nova Scotia, the Asian raptor has been spotted several times in North America in the past year and a half

Cervical cancer rates in women who received the vaccine when they were between 14 and 16 were reduced by 62 percent. Women who received the vaccine in their late teens between 16 to 18 had a 34 percent reduction in cervical cancer rates.

U.K. Study Finds HPV Vaccine Reduced Cervical Cancer Rates by 87%

When children are inoculated between 12 and 13 years old, the vaccine is most effective

Labyrinths of stones form in cold landscapes when water freezes into ice needles that push pebbles to one side. Overtime, the rising and falling of ice needles move the pebbles into intricate shapes—like the ones pictured here in Svalbard, Norway.    

How Ice 'Needles' Sculpt Stone Patterns in Frigid Landscapes

The self-organized natural patterns appear gradually as the ground freezes and thaws in a cycle

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