Green & indigenous News

A new study from Bar-Ilan University shows that one of sleep's core functions originated hundreds of millions of years ago in jellyfish and sea anemones, among the earliest creatures with nervous systems. By tracing this mechanism back to these ancient animals, the research demonstrates that protecting neurons from DNA damage and cellular stress is a basic, ancient function of sleep that began long before complex brains evolved.

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The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is the system of currents responsible for shuttling warm water northward and colder, denser water to the south. This "conveyor belt" process helps redistribute heat, nutrients, and carbon around the planet.

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The oldest fossilized remains of complex animals appear suddenly in the fossil record, and as if from nowhere, in rocks that are 538 million years old.

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A collaborative team of researchers from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the University of Florida, Gainesville and University of Iowa have developed tools that allow grasses—including major grain crops like corn—to act as living biosensors capable of detecting minute amounts of chemicals in the field.

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The mid-ocean ridge runs through the oceans like a suture. Where Earth's plates move apart, new oceanic crust is continuously formed. This is often accompanied by magmatism and hydrothermal activity. Seawater seeps into the subsurface, is heated to temperatures above 400°C, and rises again to the ocean floor.

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Johns Hopkins University geneticists and a small army of researchers across the country, including students, are working to catalog the vast and largely unknown soil microbiome of the United States.

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For centuries, scientists have known that plants "breathe" through microscopic pores on their leaves called stomata. These tiny valves are the gatekeepers that balance the intake of carbon dioxide into the leaf for photosynthesis against the loss of water vapor from the leaf to the atmosphere.

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Amelia Schafer
ICT

As 2025 came to a close, economic uncertainty and the potential for another government shutdown carried into the new year. On a brighter note, the new year will bring historic Indigenous representation to the FIFA 2026 World Cup and a potential for Indigenous athletes to shine at the 2026 Winter Olympics and the 150th anniversary of a historic Indigenous victory at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Economic uncertainty, unemployment rates double for Natives in rural areas

Above all else, the United States is headed toward continued economic uncertainty in 2026. Over half of all states have declared a recession following stagnant economic growth in 2025.

There’s a lot of conflicting information at the moment, said Matthew Gregg, a senior economist at the Center for Indian Country Development.

Despite strong nationwide figures, with 3.8 percent GDP growth but a 4.3 percent unemployment rate, a majority of states are either in a recession or at high risk of being in one. For tribal communities and Indigenous workers, any hit to the economy is going to be felt harder and more deeply.

“Historically, when the economy or when the unemployment rate is creeping up and it increases, it increases by more for communities and people that have historically high unemployment rates,” Gregg said. “When the economy worsens and unemployment grows, those groups are disproportionately worse off.”

For Indian Country, things are a bit more bleak, as indicated by data from the Center for Indian Country Development. Part of the Federal Reserve System, the center studies how tribal economies and Indigenous employees are fairing and provides data on Indian Country’s economy.

Volunteers with the Rapid City-based nonprofit COUP Council serve meals at the Pejuta Waste Day Center. Credit: Courtesy of COUP Council

Unemployment among American Indian/Alaska Native people in urban areas sits at 5.7 percent and unemployment among American Indian/Alaska Native people in rural areas sits at a stark 8.8 percent, double that of the nationwide average.

Currently, the unemployment rate among AI/NA individuals in non-urban areas has declined throughout the year, peaking at 12.3 percent unemployment in June 2025 and dipping back down to 8.8 percent in December.

“Most experts call the present-day economy a low-hire, low-fire economy,” Gregg said. “What that means is that the hiring rate has been really low for a while, but the layoff rate has been really low for a while. It’s basically really hard to enter the labor market now and look for a job.”

Labor force participation among AI/NA individuals in urban areas has steadily grown throughout 2025, as shown by Center for Indian Country Development data, with 63.9 percent currently employed or seeking employment. For those in non-urban/rural areas, participation has declined since June, with only 54.5 percent of AI/NA individuals seeking employment or currently employed.

Compared to non-Native individuals, labor force participation among AI/NA individuals in urban areas is higher than that of non-Native individuals but lower among those in rural areas.

This phenomenon is not uncommon among those in rural areas, said Gregg. Living in a rural area is typically associated with increased difficulty finding employment, something further exasperated by how extremely rural reservation and tribal communities can be.

“We’re in a situation where we don’t have a ton of job growth,” Gregg said. “So there’s not a lot of job creation. The demand for workers is relatively low right now, but so is the supply of workers. We’ve seen a low labor supply growth rate.”

If the economy continues to stay stagnant or even dip into a full-blown recession, there will likely be a decrease in consumer spending. For Indigenous small business owners, this could mean a further decline in sales, which many reported over the holiday shopping season.

For tribal economies that thrive on gaming and tourism, those areas could also see a decline in revenue.

“The Federal Reserve right now is looking at interest rates to try to encourage spending in this kind of weird economy,” Gregg said. “This is a little different, but during the COVID recession we know a lot more about what happened in those service industries that rely on casino gaming,  they took a big hit. It is something to look out for.”

A potential government shutdown

President Donald Trump signs the funding bill to reopen the government, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The clock is ticking for lawmakers who vowed to vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies following the longest government shutdown in American history. Lawmakers have until Jan. 30 to pass legislation. If they fail to do so, the government will once again shut down.

As of Dec. 30, lawmakers have passed only three of the 12 appropriated bills needed to fund the government in 2026. If the remaining nine bills aren’t funded, another shutdown is on the table.

The end of Gathering of Nations

Miss Indian World 2022-23 Tashina Red Hawk, Sicangu Lakota. (Photo courtesy of Gathering of Nations website)

April 24 will mark the beginning of Gathering of Nations’s “Last Dance,” the final time “North America’s largest powwow” will take over Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Powwow organizers, the Matthews family, have not said why the powwow is ending.

The past several years have been marked with controversy for Gathering of Nations.

In 2024, lead organizer Derek Matthews went viral after he gave a 12-minute speech at the powwow in which he held a mirror up to the audience and responded to criticism leveled against him regarding costs of attendance, dancer registration fees, and the fact that Matthews is non-Native, saying Native people should look at themselves and solve their own problems.

Expo New Mexico, where the powwow is held, is also undergoing a costly redevelopment plan that could increase usage fees and drive out events.

Organizers did not respond to ICT’s requests for comment.

150th anniversary of ‘Greasy Grass’

Red Horse pictographic account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1881.

June 25 will mark 150 years since as many as 1,800 Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors, led by Lakota chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, defeated Gen. George Armstrong Custer and his Seventh Cavalry in Montana on the Crow Reservation in 1876.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, marked a significant victory for Native American people against the US military and is celebrated in many Lakota communities every year.

The nine Oceti Sakowin tribes of South Dakota, Northern Cheyenne Nation and Northern Arapahoe Nation are currently planning a celebratory event to be held June 25, 2026. Event details will be made available as soon as they are made public.

America’s 250th

The United States will celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Several events are planned across the country to celebrate. The Great American State Fair will travel across the country and visit various state fairs, before landing on the National Mall in July 2026 to honor the “most patriotic” state fair.

Milano Olympic Winter Games

The 2026 Winter Olympics will kick off in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 6 and end on Feb. 22. The United States’s roster is not yet finalized, so it’s unclear what, if any, Indigenous athletes will be competing.

Ice hockey, a sport popular among Indigenous athletes, will be a featured sport at the 2026 Olympics.

For Canada’s team, snowboarder Liam Gill, Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ (Dene) First Nation, could return to the roster. Gill participated in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Notably, Gill modeled Team Canada’s 2026 Olympic gear for the team in November, hinting that the Dene snowboarder could be on the roster.

Alex Loutitt, Metis, will not be joining Canada’s ski team following a knee injury in September. Loutitt was part of Canada’s 2022 Winter Olympics team and was the first Canadian to win a medal in ski jumping.

World Cup and historic Indigenous partnerships

The FIFA World Cup will begin June 11 in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico. Games will be held at various locations worldwide until the tournament ends on July 19, 2026.

A historic first, the World Cup will partner with the Puyallup Tribe for the game in Seattle, marking the first time an Indigenous nation is highlighted in the tournament.

FIFA has pledged that the 2026 tournament will highlight and honor Indigenous peoples following criticism regarding a lack of Indigenous athletes in previous tournaments.

In Canada, FIFA will partner with three additional Indigenous host nations – the Musqueam Indian Band, the Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation for its games in British Columbia.

In Mexico, FIFA said, it will work to honor the nation’s 68 federally recognized Indigenous groups as part of its work with the host city of Guadalajara.

Officials are also working on plans to translate information on rights, safety, protocols and public awareness campaigns into various different Indigenous languages.

It is unclear what Indigenous athletes will be participating in the tournament, as team rosters are not yet available.

Movies and TV

Jessican Matten as Bernadette Manuelito and Zahn McClarnon as detective Joe Leaphorn will reprise their roles in Season Four of AMC’s “Dark Winds.”

Season 4 of AMC’s southwestern noir mystery series “Dark Winds,” starring Zahn McClarnon, Hunkpapa Lakota, Jessica Matten, Red River Metis-Cree, and Kiowa Gordon, Hualapi, will premier on Feb. 15.

Inuit comedy show “North of North” was a hit among Native viewers in 2025, and 2026 will bring the show’s second season. The release date is yet to be announced, but is expected to be sometime in 2026. Filming for Season 2 is ongoing.

The post A glimpse into what 2026 could bring to Indian Country appeared first on ICT.

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Yeast left over from brewing beer can be transformed into edible "scaffolds" for cultivated meat—sometimes known as lab-grown meat—which could offer a more sustainable, cost-effective alternative to current methods, according to a new study from UCL (University College London) researchers.

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Two new studies into lizard colors reveal how one species maintains its colorful diversity while others are losing their ancient colors. And the changes are being driven by the biological equivalent of rock-paper-scissors.

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Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) has the potential to serve as a bioderived platform chemical for commercial products, including sorbic acid. However, TAL currently lacks a global market as its chemical synthesis is prohibitively expensive.

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The number of swans that have died in the avian flu outbreak at Orlando's Lake Eola Park has spiked to 19, city officials said Monday.

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A strong earthquake shook western Japan on Tuesday, but no major damage or life-threatening injuries were reported.

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One of the world's rarest whale species is having more babies this year than in some recent seasons, but experts say many more young are needed to help stave off the possibility of extinction.

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India's capital recorded its worst pollution in nearly a decade this winter, sparking rare public protests and criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party over its handling of the air quality emergency.

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There are "costs of life" that mechanical physics cannot calculate. A clear example is the energy required to keep specific biochemical processes active—such as those that make up photosynthesis, although the examples are countless—while preventing alternative processes from occurring.

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It's an exciting time to be a microbiologist working in rice research. A global push towards the cultivation of water-saving rice is enabling farmers to harness the power of microbes that thrive in less water.

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In Kosciuszko National Park in Australia's alpine region, the landscape is slowly changing. Patches of native vegetation cropped bald by horses are regrowing. Some long-eroded creek banks look less compacted along the edges. Visitors come across fewer horses standing on the roads, a real traffic hazard.

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For decades, EU chemical regulation has struggled with slow approvals, high costs, and ecological surprises. From delayed bans on neonicotinoids to the ongoing decline of pollinators, the current framework often reacts too late. Assessments are fragmented, focusing on individual products rather than the bigger picture. Decisions are locked into binary categories: "safe" or "unsafe"—leaving no room for adaptive management.

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When we talk about disasters, we often default to the language of nature. We describe storms as "unprecedented," floods as "once-in-a-century," and heat waves as "record-breaking." While these descriptors may be technically accurate, they miss a more fundamental point: Disasters do not occur in a vacuum. They unfold within environments that humans have designed, built, maintained, and—often—neglected over long periods of time.

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Monitoring forest health typically relies on remote sensing tools such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR), radar, and multispectral photography. While radar and LiDAR penetrate canopies to reveal structure, they struggle to provide fine-resolution spectral details needed for vegetation health assessment.

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Humans like plants. We like seeing them change the color of their leaves throughout the year. They connect us to nature even if we live in a big city. But most people don't think that much about the lives of plants, and least of all, about their sex life.

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Alessandra Moreira worked as an administrative assistant in Altamira, an oversized municipality in the Brazilian Amazon — larger than Portugal or Greece. Burned out and facing anxiety and depression, she left her job, but was unsure of what would come next. “I was having panic attacks and couldn’t identify what was happening to me,” she told Mongabay. Then, a suggestion from her brother changed everything: Why not try making seed paper? Altamira, in the state of Pará, is the most deforested municipality in the Brazilian Amazon. There, “development” is often a synonym for deforestation, environmental degradation, and sometimes violence, erupting from clashes between conservationists, loggers and land grabbers. Despite the local culture, Moreira founded Ecoplante, a company that makes plantable seed paper — recycled sheets embedded with seeds that can typically grow into vegetables, herbs, flowers and, in Ecoplante’s specific case, native Amazonian vegetation, too. What began as a personal healing project has grown into an example of how creativity, entrepreneurship and sustainability can coexist in one of the world’s most fragile ecosystems. Plantable seed paper is made by transforming discarded paper into new sheets infused with plant seeds. The process starts with recycled pulp mixed with water, then spread over a fine-mesh screen and layered with seeds, from herbs like basil and arugula, to flowers like daisies. Once dried, the paper can be written on, used, and later planted. When it decomposes, the seeds germinate, turning what would have been waste into greenery. In 2023, Moreira and her brother…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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The transition is complicated by financial and logistical hurdles, according to state officials.

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More than 145,000 African forest elephants roam the rainforests of Africa, according to a recent population assessment. Published in December by the African Elephant Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, the survey relies on improved DNA-based techniques to provide the first estimate for these critically endangered pachyderms since they were recognized as a distinct species in 2021. African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) are found primarily in the dense rainforests of Central Africa, with significant but dwindling numbers remaining in West Africa, and small populations in East and Southern Africa. Hybrids with their close cousins, savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana), also occur infrequently where both forest and savanna elephants are found. Counting these shy and elusive giants is a challenge for researchers as they blend into their surroundings or vanish into the dense understory of their forest habitat. A forest elephant with calf in Gabon. Image by Rhett A. Butler/Mongabay. Some 153 population surveys, carried out between 2016 and 2024 across roughly three-quarters of L. cyclotis’s known range, counted 135,690 forest elephants. The IUCN’s assessment included 22 elephant populations, mostly in Central Africa, that had not previously been surveyed. The researchers estimate there are as many as 11,000 more elephants in the remaining parts of the species’ range, pushing the total to just over 145,000 individuals. “This report is the first one that shows forest elephant numbers,” report author Fiona Maisels, a conservation scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), told Mongabay by email. “In previous iterations, the…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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