Feb 12th, 2026 - Wiped out in its native range by invasive pathogens, the trees may make a comeback. Very few people alive today have seen the Appalachian forests as they existed a century ago. Even as state and national parks preserved ever more of the ecosystem, fungal pathogens from Asia nearly wiped out one of the dominant species of these forests, the American chestnut, killing an estimated 3 billion trees. While new saplings continue to sprout from the stumps of the former trees, the fungus persists, killing them before they can seed a new generation. But thanks in part to trees planted in areas where ... [Read More]

Feb 12th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google The southern right whale was once seen as proof that conservation can work. After heavy hunting pushed this giant close to extinction, protection laws helped the population slowly grow again. Many people called it a success. Now, new research shows a worrying change. Scientists say this whale may be sending an early signal about climate change in the oceans. Researchers at Flinders University and Curtin University , along with international partners in the United States and South Africa, led this new study. Decline in southern right whales Results show that southern ... [Read More]

Feb 12th, 2026 - For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive? A s a seven-year-old, Francisco Estrada-Belli was afraid all of history would have been discovered by the time he was old enough to contribute. The year was 1970 and he and his parents had come from Rome to visit relatives in the Central American country of Guatemala . On the trip, they visited the ancient Maya ruins at Tikal. "I was completely mesmerised," Estrada-Belli told me recently. "It was jungle everywhere, there were animals, and ... [Read More]

Feb 11th, 2026 - Computers that use light instead of circuits to run calculations may sound like a plot point from a Star Trek episode, but researchers have been working on this novel approach to computing for years.  They're called optical computers, and labs around the world have been exploring how they might be useful in everyday life.  On Wednesday, a team of researchers from Penn State published a paper in the journal Science Advances that examines how optical computing could reduce the power consumption of artificial intelligence systems.  Xingjie Ni , an engineering professor at Penn ... [Read More]

Feb 11th, 2026 - A 3-year-old gray wolf may be roaming in Los Angeles County in search of a mate -- a major milestone for a species that was wiped out in California a century ago. The black-coated female was born in Plumas County in 2023 and was fitted with a GPS collar by California Department of Fish and Wildlife teams in May 2025. She traveled with the Yowlumni pack in Tulare County for about eight months in 2025 before heading out on her own. Wildlife officials said the wolf, known as BEY03F, was detected on remote cameras in Tulare County. More recently, GPS tracking data showed the wolf in Los Angeles ... [Read More]

Feb 11th, 2026 - Reading time 3 minutes In Patagonia's dense forests, some trees tower above the rest. The largest have grown as tall as a 20-story building and are nearly as thick as a small school bus is long, surviving everything nature has thrown at them for thousands of years. But now, the world may have to watch them burn. In early January, severe wildfires erupted in Argentina's Patagonia region, tearing through scrubland and forest in Chubut Province. By mid-month, new fires had ignited in southern Chile. As crews struggled to contain the blazes, they spread across northern Patagonia and the Andean ... [Read More]

Feb 11th, 2026 - Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has called it "the most important archaeological finding of the last decade" "The most important archaeological finding of the last decade" is how Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, described a 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb recently found in San Pablo Huitzo in Oaxaca's Etla Valley. Uncovered following an anonymous looting report, Tomb 10 stands out for its preservation, architecture and decoration, including mural paintings and reliefs. The Zapotec practiced complex funerary rituals. "At Monte Albán alone, more than 200 tombs of varying size and ... [Read More]

Feb 11th, 2026 - Guano dramatically boosted the production of maize, and the surplus helped fuel the Chincha Kingdom's economy. The pre-Inca Chincha Kingdom (circa 1000-1400 CE), along Peru's southern coast, was one of the most wealthy and influential of its time before falling to the Inca and Spanish empires. Scientists have long puzzled over the foundation for that prosperity, and it seems one critical factor was bird poop, according to a new paper published in the journal PLoS ONE. "Seabird guano may seem trivial, yet our study suggests this potent resource could have significantly contributed to ... [Read More]