The entirety of Earth’s surface is made up of biomes. Within each of these biomes are many different ecosystems that are constantly growing, decaying, and teeming with diverse life. But which ecosystem came first, and which are still standing today?As ecosystems are made up of constantly decaying pieces, the organisms alive at the start of the system's lifespans are likely not alive at the end of it. The “life” of an ecosystem can be considered similar to the human body – our cells are constantly regenerating, so virtually none of the cells we were born with see us into adulthood, yet we are still the same person. In the same way, an ecosystem is alive as long as its components continue to cycle energy and nutrients.What is an ecosystem?An ecosystem is a unit of ecology where a balance of living plant and animal life, climate, terrain, and geology combine to create a distinct environment. Ecosystems can be large or small, and together make up the entirety of Earth’s surface. These ecosystems exist as part of larger biomes, which are broader descriptions of specific landscapes and environmental conditions in which there are many smaller ecosystems.Made up of two distinct broad types, terrestrial and aquatic, ecosystems contain both biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic factors are living things like animals and plant life, while abiotic factors are non-living things like rocks, temperature, and humidity. Ecosystems are made up of functional chains where each component affects another. Temperature and rainfall impact the types of plants that can grow; the types of plants that grow impact the herbivorous species that can live there; the herbivorous species impact which carnivorous species can thrive, and so on. This flow of nutrients through the system is a defining characteristic of an ecosystem.The oldest ecosystemJust like the species within them, ecosystems grow, evolve, and die over time. Due to their resilience, rainforests have withstood ice ages and persisted for at least 300 million years, making them one of the world’s oldest ecosystems.Rainforests are home to roughly half of the world’s animal and plant species, despite taking up just 6 percent of the Earth’s surface, making them the most diverse ecosystem as well as one of the oldest.Different types of rainforests exist on every content except Antarctica, and they are distinct from other types of forests by having high annual rainfall and a dense canopy cover made up of evergreen trees. To be considered a rainforest, a forest must experience over 180 centimeters (70 inches) of rain a year.Aquatic ecosystems like reefs can also stand the test of time, with many alive today that have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s estimated that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world, has existed in some form for 500,000 to 600,000 years.A seagrass meadow ecosystem found in the Mediterranean sea.Image credit: Damsea / Shutterstock.comWhile seagrass meadows are a relatively young type of ecosystem, first forming around 100 million years ago, corals have been found in fossilized reefs dating back 500 million years, making them a strong contender for oldest ecosystem. However, it’s believed that coral reefs in their current form only appeared in the last 60 million years.These delicate ecosystems can, however, be easily disrupted by changes in sea temperatures, water levels, and pollution, while land-based ecosystems – especially those around the equator – experience far less turbulent environmental changes. This suggests their comparatively short life span may be why today’s living aquatic ecosystems are far younger than the ancient terrestrial forests. Today we can see the rapid effects climate change is having on Earth’s existing aquatic ecosystems.           The world’s oldest forestsPutting the mighty Barrier Reef to shame, some of the world’s oldest forests have persisted for millions of years, withstanding immense climatic shifts.The oldest known forest on Earth is a recent discovery found in southwest England and it’s believed to be 390 million years old. Made up of a bunch of now fossilized trees dating back to the Middle Devonian, the forest consisted of standing plants, ancient flora, and cladoxylopsids – an extinct group of plants related to ferns and sphenopsids (horsetails). Standing just 2 to 4 meters (6.5 and 13 feet) tall, the abundance of cladoxylopsids means the ancient forest was likely not very tall, but the trackways of some ancient critters found at the site suggest this tiny forest was once a vibrant and flourishing ecosystem.Before this forest was discovered, however, the oldest forest on Earth was believed to be a 368-million-year-old ecosystem located, rather unceremoniously, at the bottom of a sandstone quarry in the small town of Cairo in New York state. From the Devonian period, the forest, which is now made up of just a root system, is believed to have once stretched for around 400 kilometers (250 miles).Identifying the age of ecosystems is challenging as each biotic component has its own life cycle, meaning an ecosystem’s “life” is made up of constantly growing, dying, and shifting parts. For this reason, it’s hard to judge which living ecosystem is the current oldest.A 2005 study into the longevity, resilience, and future of the Amazon rainforest estimated that South America’s 6.7-million-square-kilometer (2.6-million-square-mile) tropical rainforest is at least 55 million years old, making it potentially one of the oldest living ecosystems – and the largest.The dense and diverse foliage in Daintree Rainforest.Image credit: AustralianCamera / Shutterstock.comHowever, there are two living forests that make the Amazon rainforest look like a sapling by comparison. The Borneo Lowland Rainforests are estimated to be 140 million years old and, at 428,438 square kilometers (165,420 square miles), cover more than 57 percent of Borneo.Potentially even older still, the Daintree Rainforest in Australia is thought to be a whopping 180 million years old, however, some sources state its age is closer to 135 million years. Located in North Queensland, this dense, tropical forest covers over 1,200 square kilometers (463 square miles) and hosts animal and plant species found nowhere else on the planet.All ecosystems are vital to the sustenance of life on Earth, and despite what the longevity of some of these environments might suggest, they’re also fragile and sensitively balanced. Human activity and climate change are rapidly threatening the lives of many ecosystems, making conservation efforts more important now than ever.

Former CNN analyst turned Washington Bureau Chief for The Grio, April Ryan, joined former CNN host turned MSNBC anchor Ana Cabrera on Thursday to discuss the news that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan are being released from Russian prison as part of a multi-nation prisoner swap. For Ryan, the news provided an opportunity to hail President Joe Biden’s economy and Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Cabrera asked, “April, as we await more details, just talk about the moment this is for President Biden given everything else that's been happening here at home, and as he is looking at the final months of his presidency.”     Ryan began by trying to tie the news to Democrats’ idea that democracy is on the ballot in November, “As President Biden wants to save the democracy by handing over the torch to the next generation, Kamala Harris, this is a big win for him. President Biden, personally, and for the Biden-Harris Administration. People have been very much pushing for the release of these Russian hostages, especially since the Brittney Griner release. They were like, ‘These people have been in longer,’ et cetera, et cetera, and now potentially this is happening.” Ignoring inflation, she also insisted, “This is a big deal. The president is going to leave in the next six months with a huge win. I mean, the economy is growing. He's releasing hostages that the American people have been so concerned about, and he's now passed the torch. So, he has got a very big win in this moment, when we are waiting for great news.” Donald Trump likes to view himself as a great hostage releaser as well, but for the media, the rules of how to react to prisoner swaps change based on what party controls the White House. Here is a transcript for the August 1 show: MSNBC Ana Cabrera Reports 8/1/2024 10:44 AM ET ANA CABRERA: April, as we await more details, just talk about the moment this is for President Biden given everything else that's been happening here at home, and as he is looking at the final months of his presidency. APRIL RYAN: As President Biden wants to save the democracy by handing over the torch to the next generation, Kamala Harris, this is a big win for him. President Biden, personally, and for the Biden-Harris Administration. People have been very much pushing for the release of these Russian hostages, especially since the Brittney Griner release.  They were like, “These people have been in longer,” et cetera, et cetera, and now potentially this is happening. We are waiting for confirmation on everything. Senatorial leaders as well as those on The Hill, national security, everyone is waiting for full confirmation on this, but that's what's in play. This is a big deal. The president is going to leave in the next six months with a huge win. I mean, the economy is growing. He's releasing hostages that the American people have been so concerned about, and he's now passed the torch. So, he has got a very big win in this moment, when we are waiting for great news.

A female Olympic boxer threw in the towel after just 46 seconds into her fight Thursday after determining her opponent — who's been mired in a gender controversy — was hitting her too hard.Italy's Angela Carini took a punch from Algeria's Imane Khelif in the women's 66-kilogram division — and then Carini signaled to her corner that she was done.After Carini, 25, abandoned the fight, and Khelif's hand was being raised in victory, Carini was seen breaking down in tears and falling to her knees before eventually leaving the ring.'She quit after taking one punch; she told me she didn't feel she could fight.'Carini and her coach spoke to Italian press agency ANSA after the match to explain what happened."I got into the ring to fight," Carini said. "I didn't give up, but one punch hurt too much, and so I said enough.""I'm going out with my head held high," she added.Her coach Emanuele Renzini said Carini hadn't planned ahead of time to forfeit the match."It would have been easier not to show up, because all of Italy had been asking her not to fight for days," Renzini said. "But Angela was motivated and wanted to do it."He added, "Of course, when she met her opponent at the draw, she said 'it's not fair.' But there was no premeditation here today. She quit after taking one punch; she told me she didn't feel she could fight."As Blaze News previously reported, the International Boxing Association disqualified Khelif at the 2023 world championships. IBA President Umar Kremlev said at the time that Khelif had "XY chromosomes." Males have XY chromosomes; females have XX chromosomes.But the International Olympic Committee decided to drop the IBA as a governing body in June 2023 and put the IOC's Paris 2024 Boxing Unit in charge. The Paris Boxing Unit's rules have been described as more relaxed. The Guardian reported that the IOC noted Khelif's disqualification in its internal system, saying the fighter was "disqualified just hours before her gold medal showdown against Yang Liu at the 2023 world championships in New Delhi, India, after her elevated ­levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria."Khelif reportedly blamed a "conspiracy" against Algeria as the reason for any gender-related accusations."People have conspired against Algeria so that its flag doesn't get raised, and it doesn't win the gold medal," Khelif said.The Algerian Olympic Committee also weighed in, calling claims surrounding Khelif's gender "baseless," according to Fox News."COA strongly condemns the unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets," the committee said on Wednesday. "Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion."ANSA cited a gay-centric Italian communications company that claimed Khelif actually is "intersex" and not transgender."In contrast to the reports that have been circulating, the Algerian athlete Imane Khelif is not a trans woman," said Rosario Coco of Gaynet Communications. "From the information we have about her, she is an intersex person who has always socialized as a woman and has a sporting history in women's competitions."Khelif isn't the only fighter surrounded by this type of controversy in the women's boxing category. Lin Yu‑ting of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) will fight Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova in the 57 kg round of 16 Friday.The IOC said that Lin was "stripped of her bronze medal" in 2023 at the world championships "after failing to meet eligibility requirements based on the results of a biochemical test."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The drag queen "Last Supper" scene isn’t the only thing the Olympics has done to push the LGBTQ+ globalist agenda this year. The Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, which is a newly formed International Olympic Committee, features two biological men competing against biological women. One of those boxers is Imane Khelif, a 25-year-old Algerian boxer, who was disqualified from last year’s world championships for failing gender eligibility tests. Taiwan's double world champion, Lin Yu-ting, was also disqualified after failing to meet the criteria. “Why are they allowed to compete in France?” Sara Gonzales asks, horrified after watching a video of Khelif “beating the crap out of the real woman.” The pair have been accepted into the Olympics because the world championships were organized by the International Boxing Association — which as of right before the Olympics is no longer recognized by the global event. Rather, the IOC executive board created its own governing body for boxing and established its own gender guidelines. “They want to watch men beat the s**t out of women, I guess,” Gonzales says. This is why what happened during the opening ceremony is so important. “They don’t care about the sports,” Gonzales explains. “These athletes train their whole lives for this one moment. It happens every four years, so you’re constantly one bad injury away from missing your shot, potentially forever.” “Which is why, as Americans, we used to actually love these games. It was sport, it was meritocracy, it was great storytelling. There were stakes involved; we got to know these people’s life stories. And now we’re talking about trans dudes and men beating the s**t out of women,” she continues. “Every aspect of these Olympics this year is just disgusting, and it just gets worse the more we get into it. That’s why the opening ceremony freaking mattered,” she adds. Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The former director of a San Francisco nonprofit was arrested Tuesday and charged with 34 felony charges over her alleged theft and misuse of taxpayer funds, according to a recent press release from the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.Kyra Worthy, 49, was previously the executive director for SF SAFE, an organization created in 1976 to aid the local police department with crime prevention and public safety services, according to its website. In January, SF SAFE fired Worthy and shut down operations after the director allegedly drained the nonprofit of all of its assets.'Cheated San Francisco communities out of valuable services ... exploited SF GATE’s employees and nonprofit partners.'Worthy is facing charges related to “misappropriation of public money, submitting fraudulent invoices to a City department, theft from SF SAFE, wage theft from its employees and failing to pay withheld employee taxes, and writing checks with insufficient funds to defraud a bank,” according to the DA office press release.“In total, Ms. Worthy is accused of illegally misusing over $700,000 during her tenure with SF SAFE,” the office added.Despite the organization receiving millions in public and private funding, Worthy’s “theft and mismanagement” caused the nonprofit to lose all of its assets, forcing its closure.Worthy was accused of using the nonprofit’s funds “for her own use,” including making payments to her landlord and hiring a home healthcare worker for her parents, totaling $98,000.“The affidavit further details how Ms. Worthy lavishly spent SF SAFE’s funds on parties, events, furniture, interior designers, and travel, even as SF SAFE was running out of money and she had stopped paying employees’ taxes,” the DA’s office stated.As a result, Worthy was accused of committing $80,000 in wage theft. In October 2023, Worthy allegedly threw a costly party with SF Safe’s funds. She was accused of spending $20,000 on desserts, $15,000 on a food truck, $20,000 on event planners, $7,000 on “mobile luxury restrooms,” and $19,000 on a petting zoo, carnival games, and other party activities. Worthy allegedly spent another $56,000 on catering and an event planner for an SF SAFE holiday party. She was also accused of spending $350,000 on “luxury gift boxes” in 2022 and 2023.A spokesperson for the San Francisco Attorney’s Office stated, “Kyra Worthy not only cheated San Francisco communities out of valuable services, but also exploited SF GATE’s employees and nonprofit partners. We are working diligently to root out this kind of corruption, and we fully support the DA’s actions to ensure accountability.”San Francisco Police Department told KRON4, “The SFPD thanks the District Attorney’s office for its thorough investigation and diligent work on this case.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

An alleged intruder armed with a three-foot wooden stake threw a rock at the face of a Southern California homeowner while trying to enter his residence earlier this week, police told KUSI-TV. But the homeowner grabbed a gun and shot at the alleged intruder three times, hitting him in the chest at least once, the station said. The alleged intruder was pronounced dead at the scene, KUSI added.'The suspect may have tried to enter at least one other home by throwing a rock through a sliding glass window of that residence, causing the glass to shatter.'Oceanside police responded to the home in the 4100 block of Diamond Circle just before 7:30 p.m. Monday over a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, the station said. Oceanside is about 40 minutes north of San Diego.More from KUSI:Police said the alleged intruder, armed with a rock and three-foot wooden stake, attempted to enter the residence through an open bedroom slider door connected to their backyard. A female occupant was inside the bedroom at the time.A male occupant then tried to confront the man, who proceeded to throw a rock at his face, according to Oceanside police. The homeowner then grabbed a gun and shot at the intruder three times, hitting him at least once in the chest.The station said police arrived at the scene just minutes afterward and attempted CPR on the suspect, but the alleged intruder was pronounced dead at the scene.KUSI said detectives responded and remained at the scene for several hours to investigate. The station said the names of the individuals involved haven't been disclosed. “The suspect may have tried to enter at least one other home by throwing a rock through a sliding glass window of that residence, causing the glass to shatter," Heather Mitchell with the Oceanside Police Department said in a Tuesday news release. "It was not determined if the suspect did enter the residence, and those residents were not home at the time." Oceanside homeowner shoots, kills alleged intruder: police youtu.be Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In Episode 357 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger hike the woods of Watertown, Connecticut, searching for one of the Leatherman’s caves. Back in the latter half of the 1800, a wandering vagabond covered in patchwork leather made an endless 365-mile circuit between the Hudson and Connecticut rivers. BECOME A LEGENDARY PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/NewEnglandLegends CREDITS: Produced and hosted by: Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger Edited by: Ray Auger Theme Music by: John Judd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST FOR FREE: Apple Podcasts/iTunes | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Podcasts | TuneIn | iHeartRadio JOIN OUR SUPER-SECRET: New England Legends Facebook Group

It could be a coincidence, it could be serendipity, or it could all fit together like one of those twisty artwork puzzles from Assassin’s Creed 2. Either way, ever since the Olympics first started in Paris, Assassin’s Creed Unity, the once-maligned 2014 entry in Ubisoft’s tentpole stealth series, set during the French Revolution, has grown and grown in popularity on Steam. Maybe people are watching the Games and want to take a virtual tour of Paris themselves. Whatever the reason, ahead of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and a decade since its original release, AC Unity is having a moment in the soleil. Continue reading Assassin’s Creed Unity has taken off on Steam since the Olympics began

Despite the relative radio silence on Hollow Knight Silksong, it’s a great time to be a fan of Metroidvania games. From the magnificent Animal Well and Prince of Persia the Lost Crown to the emotional Tales of Kenzera and the stunning Saviorless, we’ve had no shortage of new releases at our fingertips. Joining them is perhaps my most anticipated in a while, the wonderfully vibrant BioGun. Set inside the body of your pet dog, this charming adventure blends Hollow Knight platforming and Axiom Verge-style combat, and it’s just left early access with a special discount to celebrate. Continue reading Charming Metroidvania game BioGun finally leaves early access MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best indie games, Best platform games, Upcoming PC games

It’s safe to say that competitive FPS games are my bread and butter, but even I’m astounded (and pretty concerned) at just how many are in the pipeline at the moment. The live service landscape is notoriously hard to break into, yet the new projects just keep coming. Well, here’s the next contender that’s looking to disrupt the status quo: Spectre Divide, a free-to-play tactical shooter that will rival the likes of Valorant and CS2. However, don’t go thinking this is just an imitation. While there is certainly some familiarity to Spectre Divide, it also has some surprising new tricks up its sleeve. Continue reading New tac shooter Spectre Divide offers up a rare dose of FPS innovation