• A timeline of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's relationship

    Ivanka Trump has made it clear that she's done with politics. That hasn't stopped her and husband Jared Kushner from remaining an influential political couple.They have not formally reprised their roles as White House advisors in President Donald Trump's second administration, but they've remained present in Donald Trump's political orbit.While Ivanka Trump opted out of the 2024 campaign trail, she and Kushner still appeared at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump's victory party on election night, and the inauguration. Kushner also reportedly served as an informal advisor ahead of Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East in May, CNN reported.Ivanka Trump, who is Donald Trump's eldest daughter, converted to Judaism before marrying Kushner in 2009. They have three children: Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore.Here's a timeline of Ivanka Trump and Kushner's relationship.

    2007: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner met at a networking lunch arranged by one of her longtime business partners.

    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in 2007.

    PAUL LAURIE/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

    Ivanka Trump and Kushner were both 25 at the time."They very innocently set us up thinking that our only interest in one another would be transactional," Ivanka Trump told Vogue in 2015. "Whenever we see them we're like, 'The best deal we ever made!'"

    2008: Ivanka Trump and Kushner broke up because of religious differences.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2008.

    Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

    Kushner was raised in the modern Orthodox Jewish tradition, and it was important to his family for him to marry someone Jewish. Ivanka Trump's family is Presbyterian.

    2008: Three months later, the couple rekindled their romance on Rupert Murdoch's yacht.

    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in 2008.

    David X Prutting/Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

    In his memoir, "Breaking History," Kushner wrote that Murdoch's then-wife, Wendi Murdoch, was a mutual friend who invited them both on the yacht.

    May 2009: They attended the Met Gala together for the first time.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at the Met Gala.

    BILLY FARRELL/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

    The theme of the Met Gala that year was "The Model As Muse." Ivanka Trump wore a gown by designer Brian Reyes.

    July 2009: Ivanka Trump completed her conversion to Judaism, and she and Kushner got engaged.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2009.

    Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

    Kushner proposed with a 5.22-carat cushion-cut diamond engagement ring.Ivanka Trump told New York Magazine that she and her fiancé were "very mellow.""We go to the park. We go biking together. We go to the 2nd Avenue Deli," she said. "We both live in this fancy world. But on a personal level, I don't think I could be with somebody — I know he couldn't be with somebody — who needed to be 'on' all the time."

    October 2009: Ivanka Trump and Kushner married at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump on their wedding day.

    Brian Marcus/Fred Marcus Photography via Getty Images

    The couple invited 500 guests, including celebrities like Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin, and Anna Wintour, as well as politicians such as Rudy Giuliani and Andrew Cuomo.

    July 2011: The couple welcomed their first child, Arabella.

    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner with Arabella Kushner.

    Robin Marchant/Getty Images

    "This morning @jaredkushner and I welcomed a beautiful and healthy little baby girl into the world," Ivanka announced on X, then Twitter. "We feel incredibly grateful and blessed. Thank you all for your support and well wishes!"

    October 2013: Ivanka Trump gave birth to their second child, Joseph.

    Ivanka Trump with Arabella Rose Kushner and Joseph Frederick Kushner in 2017.

    Alo Ceballos/GC Images

    He was named for Kushner's paternal grandfather Joseph and given the middle name Frederick after Donald Trump's father.

    March 2016: Kushner and Ivanka Trump welcomed their third child, Theodore, in the midst of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

    Ivanka Trump carried her son Theodore as she held hands with Joseph alongside Jared Kushner and daughter Arabella on the White House lawn.

    SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

    "I said, 'Ivanka, it would be great if you had your baby in Iowa.' I really want that to happen. I really want that to happen," Donald Trump told supporters in Iowa in January 2016.All three of the couple's children were born in New York City.

    May 2016: They attended the Met Gala two months after Ivanka Trump gave birth.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump attend the Met Gala.

    Kevin Mazur/WireImage

    Ivanka Trump wore a red Ralph Lauren Collection halter jumpsuit.On a 2017 episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden," Anna Wintour said that she would never invite Donald Trump to another Met Gala.

    January 2017: Ivanka Trump and Kushner attended Donald Trump's inauguration and danced together at the Liberty Ball.

    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on Inauguration Day.

    Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

    The Liberty Ball was the first of three inaugural balls that Donald Trump attended.

    January 2017: After the inauguration, Ivanka and Kushner relocated to a million home in the Kalorama section of Washington, DC.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's house in Washington, DC.

    PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images

    Ivanka Trump and Kushner rented the 7,000-square-foot home from billionaire Andrónico Luksic for a month, The Wall Street Journal reported.

    May 2017: They accompanied Donald Trump on his first overseas trip in office.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump with Pope Francis.

    Vatican Pool - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

    Kushner and Ivanka Trump both served as advisors to the president. For the first overseas trip of Donald Trump's presidency, they accompanied him to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, and summits in Brussels and Sicily.

    October 2019: The couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a lavish party at Camp David.

    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at a state dinner.

    MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

    All of the Trump and Kushner siblings were in attendance. A White House official told CNN that the couple was covering the cost of the party, but Donald Trump tweeted that the cost would be "totally paid for by me!"

    August 2020: Ivanka Trump spoke about moving their family to Washington, DC, at the Republican National Convention.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at the Republican National Convention.

    SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

    "When Jared and I moved with our three children to Washington, we didn't exactly know what we were in for," she said in her speech. "But our kids loved it from the start."

    December 2020: Ivanka Trump and Kushner reportedly bought a million empty lot in Miami's "Billionaire Bunker."

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's plot of land in Indian Creek Village.

    The Jills Zeder Group; Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

    After Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, Page Six reported that the couple purchased a 1.8-acre waterfront lot owned by singer Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias' father, in Indian Creek Village, Florida.The island where it sits has the nickname "Billionaire Bunker" thanks to its multitude of ultra-wealthy residents over the years, including billionaire investor Carl Icahn, supermodel Adriana Lima, and former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula.

    January 2021: They skipped Joe Biden's inauguration, flying with Donald Trump to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, instead.

    Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and their children prepared for Donald Trump's departure on Inauguration Day.

    ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images

    Donald Trump did not attend Biden's inauguration, breaking a long-standing norm in US democracy. While initial reports said that Ivanka Trump was planning to attend the inauguration, a White House official told People magazine that "Ivanka is not expected to attend the inauguration nor was she ever expected to."

    January 2021: The couple signed a lease for a luxury Miami Beach condo near their Indian Creek Village property.

    Arte Surfside.

    Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel

    Ivanka Trump and Kushner signed a lease for a "large, unfurnished unit" in the amenities-packed Arte Surfside condominium building in Surfside, Florida.Surfside, a beachside town just north of Miami Beach that's home to fewer than 6,000 people, is only a five-minute drive from Indian Creek Island, where they bought their million empty lot.

    April 2021: Ivanka Trump and Kushner reportedly added a million mansion in Indian Creek Village to their Florida real-estate profile.

    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on a walk in Florida.

    MEGA/GC Images

    The Real Deal reported that Ivanka and Kushner purchased another Indian Creek property — this time, a 8,510-square-foot mansion situated on a 1.3-acre estate.

    June 2021: Several outlets reported that the couple began to distance themselves from Donald Trump due to his fixation on conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

    Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner behind Donald Trump.

    Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

    CNN reported that Trump was prone to complain about the 2020 election and falsely claim it was "stolen" from him to anyone listening and that his "frustrations emerge in fits and starts — more likely when he is discussing his hopeful return to national politics."While Ivanka and Kushner had been living in their Miami Beach condo, not far from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, they'd visited Trump less and less frequently and were absent from big events at Mar-a-Lago, CNN said.The New York Times also reported that Kushner wanted "to focus on writing his book and establishing a simpler relationship" with the former president.

    October 2021: Ivanka Trump and Kushner visited Israel's parliament for the inaugural event of the Abraham Accords Caucus.

    Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in Israel.

    AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

    The Abraham Accords, which Kushner helped broker in August 2020, normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.During their visit, Ivanka Trump and Kushner met with then-former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attended an event at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem with former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

    August 2022: Kushner released his memoir, "Breaking History," in which he wrote about their courtship.

    Jared Kushner.

    John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Summit

    "In addition to being arrestingly beautiful, which I knew before we met, she was warm, funny, and brilliant," he wrote of getting to know Ivanka Trump. "She has a big heart and a tremendous zest for exploring new things."He also wrote that when he told Donald Trump that he was planning a surprise engagement, Trump "picked up the intercom and alerted Ivanka that she should expect an imminent proposal."

    November 2022: Kushner attended Donald Trump's 2024 campaign announcement without Ivanka Trump.

    Kimberly Guilfoyle, Jared Kushner, Eric Trump, and Lara Trump at Donald Trump's presidential campaign announcement.

    Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

    Ivanka Trump released a statement explaining her absence from the event."I love my father very much," her statement read. "This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena."

    July 2024: Ivanka Trump and Kushner made a rare political appearance at the Republican National Convention.

    Donald Trump and Melania Trump onstage with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

    Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    Ivanka Trump did not campaign for her father or give a speech as she had at past Republican National Conventions, but she and Jared Kushner joined Trump family members onstage after Donald Trump's remarks.

    November 2024: They joined members of the Trump family in Palm Beach, Florida, to celebrate Donald Trump's election victory.
    #timeline #ivanka #trump #jared #kushner039s
    A timeline of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's relationship
    Ivanka Trump has made it clear that she's done with politics. That hasn't stopped her and husband Jared Kushner from remaining an influential political couple.They have not formally reprised their roles as White House advisors in President Donald Trump's second administration, but they've remained present in Donald Trump's political orbit.While Ivanka Trump opted out of the 2024 campaign trail, she and Kushner still appeared at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump's victory party on election night, and the inauguration. Kushner also reportedly served as an informal advisor ahead of Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East in May, CNN reported.Ivanka Trump, who is Donald Trump's eldest daughter, converted to Judaism before marrying Kushner in 2009. They have three children: Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore.Here's a timeline of Ivanka Trump and Kushner's relationship. 2007: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner met at a networking lunch arranged by one of her longtime business partners. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in 2007. PAUL LAURIE/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Ivanka Trump and Kushner were both 25 at the time."They very innocently set us up thinking that our only interest in one another would be transactional," Ivanka Trump told Vogue in 2015. "Whenever we see them we're like, 'The best deal we ever made!'" 2008: Ivanka Trump and Kushner broke up because of religious differences. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2008. Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Kushner was raised in the modern Orthodox Jewish tradition, and it was important to his family for him to marry someone Jewish. Ivanka Trump's family is Presbyterian. 2008: Three months later, the couple rekindled their romance on Rupert Murdoch's yacht. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in 2008. David X Prutting/Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images In his memoir, "Breaking History," Kushner wrote that Murdoch's then-wife, Wendi Murdoch, was a mutual friend who invited them both on the yacht. May 2009: They attended the Met Gala together for the first time. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at the Met Gala. BILLY FARRELL/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images The theme of the Met Gala that year was "The Model As Muse." Ivanka Trump wore a gown by designer Brian Reyes. July 2009: Ivanka Trump completed her conversion to Judaism, and she and Kushner got engaged. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2009. Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Kushner proposed with a 5.22-carat cushion-cut diamond engagement ring.Ivanka Trump told New York Magazine that she and her fiancé were "very mellow.""We go to the park. We go biking together. We go to the 2nd Avenue Deli," she said. "We both live in this fancy world. But on a personal level, I don't think I could be with somebody — I know he couldn't be with somebody — who needed to be 'on' all the time." October 2009: Ivanka Trump and Kushner married at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump on their wedding day. Brian Marcus/Fred Marcus Photography via Getty Images The couple invited 500 guests, including celebrities like Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin, and Anna Wintour, as well as politicians such as Rudy Giuliani and Andrew Cuomo. July 2011: The couple welcomed their first child, Arabella. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner with Arabella Kushner. Robin Marchant/Getty Images "This morning @jaredkushner and I welcomed a beautiful and healthy little baby girl into the world," Ivanka announced on X, then Twitter. "We feel incredibly grateful and blessed. Thank you all for your support and well wishes!" October 2013: Ivanka Trump gave birth to their second child, Joseph. Ivanka Trump with Arabella Rose Kushner and Joseph Frederick Kushner in 2017. Alo Ceballos/GC Images He was named for Kushner's paternal grandfather Joseph and given the middle name Frederick after Donald Trump's father. March 2016: Kushner and Ivanka Trump welcomed their third child, Theodore, in the midst of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Ivanka Trump carried her son Theodore as she held hands with Joseph alongside Jared Kushner and daughter Arabella on the White House lawn. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images "I said, 'Ivanka, it would be great if you had your baby in Iowa.' I really want that to happen. I really want that to happen," Donald Trump told supporters in Iowa in January 2016.All three of the couple's children were born in New York City. May 2016: They attended the Met Gala two months after Ivanka Trump gave birth. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump attend the Met Gala. Kevin Mazur/WireImage Ivanka Trump wore a red Ralph Lauren Collection halter jumpsuit.On a 2017 episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden," Anna Wintour said that she would never invite Donald Trump to another Met Gala. January 2017: Ivanka Trump and Kushner attended Donald Trump's inauguration and danced together at the Liberty Ball. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on Inauguration Day. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images The Liberty Ball was the first of three inaugural balls that Donald Trump attended. January 2017: After the inauguration, Ivanka and Kushner relocated to a million home in the Kalorama section of Washington, DC. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's house in Washington, DC. PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images Ivanka Trump and Kushner rented the 7,000-square-foot home from billionaire Andrónico Luksic for a month, The Wall Street Journal reported. May 2017: They accompanied Donald Trump on his first overseas trip in office. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump with Pope Francis. Vatican Pool - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images Kushner and Ivanka Trump both served as advisors to the president. For the first overseas trip of Donald Trump's presidency, they accompanied him to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, and summits in Brussels and Sicily. October 2019: The couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a lavish party at Camp David. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at a state dinner. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images All of the Trump and Kushner siblings were in attendance. A White House official told CNN that the couple was covering the cost of the party, but Donald Trump tweeted that the cost would be "totally paid for by me!" August 2020: Ivanka Trump spoke about moving their family to Washington, DC, at the Republican National Convention. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at the Republican National Convention. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images "When Jared and I moved with our three children to Washington, we didn't exactly know what we were in for," she said in her speech. "But our kids loved it from the start." December 2020: Ivanka Trump and Kushner reportedly bought a million empty lot in Miami's "Billionaire Bunker." Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's plot of land in Indian Creek Village. The Jills Zeder Group; Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images After Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, Page Six reported that the couple purchased a 1.8-acre waterfront lot owned by singer Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias' father, in Indian Creek Village, Florida.The island where it sits has the nickname "Billionaire Bunker" thanks to its multitude of ultra-wealthy residents over the years, including billionaire investor Carl Icahn, supermodel Adriana Lima, and former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula. January 2021: They skipped Joe Biden's inauguration, flying with Donald Trump to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, instead. Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and their children prepared for Donald Trump's departure on Inauguration Day. ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump did not attend Biden's inauguration, breaking a long-standing norm in US democracy. While initial reports said that Ivanka Trump was planning to attend the inauguration, a White House official told People magazine that "Ivanka is not expected to attend the inauguration nor was she ever expected to." January 2021: The couple signed a lease for a luxury Miami Beach condo near their Indian Creek Village property. Arte Surfside. Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel Ivanka Trump and Kushner signed a lease for a "large, unfurnished unit" in the amenities-packed Arte Surfside condominium building in Surfside, Florida.Surfside, a beachside town just north of Miami Beach that's home to fewer than 6,000 people, is only a five-minute drive from Indian Creek Island, where they bought their million empty lot. April 2021: Ivanka Trump and Kushner reportedly added a million mansion in Indian Creek Village to their Florida real-estate profile. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on a walk in Florida. MEGA/GC Images The Real Deal reported that Ivanka and Kushner purchased another Indian Creek property — this time, a 8,510-square-foot mansion situated on a 1.3-acre estate. June 2021: Several outlets reported that the couple began to distance themselves from Donald Trump due to his fixation on conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner behind Donald Trump. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters CNN reported that Trump was prone to complain about the 2020 election and falsely claim it was "stolen" from him to anyone listening and that his "frustrations emerge in fits and starts — more likely when he is discussing his hopeful return to national politics."While Ivanka and Kushner had been living in their Miami Beach condo, not far from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, they'd visited Trump less and less frequently and were absent from big events at Mar-a-Lago, CNN said.The New York Times also reported that Kushner wanted "to focus on writing his book and establishing a simpler relationship" with the former president. October 2021: Ivanka Trump and Kushner visited Israel's parliament for the inaugural event of the Abraham Accords Caucus. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in Israel. AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images The Abraham Accords, which Kushner helped broker in August 2020, normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.During their visit, Ivanka Trump and Kushner met with then-former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attended an event at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem with former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. August 2022: Kushner released his memoir, "Breaking History," in which he wrote about their courtship. Jared Kushner. John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Summit "In addition to being arrestingly beautiful, which I knew before we met, she was warm, funny, and brilliant," he wrote of getting to know Ivanka Trump. "She has a big heart and a tremendous zest for exploring new things."He also wrote that when he told Donald Trump that he was planning a surprise engagement, Trump "picked up the intercom and alerted Ivanka that she should expect an imminent proposal." November 2022: Kushner attended Donald Trump's 2024 campaign announcement without Ivanka Trump. Kimberly Guilfoyle, Jared Kushner, Eric Trump, and Lara Trump at Donald Trump's presidential campaign announcement. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Ivanka Trump released a statement explaining her absence from the event."I love my father very much," her statement read. "This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena." July 2024: Ivanka Trump and Kushner made a rare political appearance at the Republican National Convention. Donald Trump and Melania Trump onstage with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Ivanka Trump did not campaign for her father or give a speech as she had at past Republican National Conventions, but she and Jared Kushner joined Trump family members onstage after Donald Trump's remarks. November 2024: They joined members of the Trump family in Palm Beach, Florida, to celebrate Donald Trump's election victory. #timeline #ivanka #trump #jared #kushner039s
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    A timeline of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's relationship
    Ivanka Trump has made it clear that she's done with politics. That hasn't stopped her and husband Jared Kushner from remaining an influential political couple.They have not formally reprised their roles as White House advisors in President Donald Trump's second administration, but they've remained present in Donald Trump's political orbit.While Ivanka Trump opted out of the 2024 campaign trail, she and Kushner still appeared at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump's victory party on election night, and the inauguration. Kushner also reportedly served as an informal advisor ahead of Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East in May, CNN reported.Ivanka Trump, who is Donald Trump's eldest daughter, converted to Judaism before marrying Kushner in 2009. They have three children: Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore.Here's a timeline of Ivanka Trump and Kushner's relationship. 2007: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner met at a networking lunch arranged by one of her longtime business partners. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in 2007. PAUL LAURIE/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Ivanka Trump and Kushner were both 25 at the time."They very innocently set us up thinking that our only interest in one another would be transactional," Ivanka Trump told Vogue in 2015. "Whenever we see them we're like, 'The best deal we ever made!'" 2008: Ivanka Trump and Kushner broke up because of religious differences. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2008. Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Kushner was raised in the modern Orthodox Jewish tradition, and it was important to his family for him to marry someone Jewish. Ivanka Trump's family is Presbyterian. 2008: Three months later, the couple rekindled their romance on Rupert Murdoch's yacht. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in 2008. David X Prutting/Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images In his memoir, "Breaking History," Kushner wrote that Murdoch's then-wife, Wendi Murdoch, was a mutual friend who invited them both on the yacht. May 2009: They attended the Met Gala together for the first time. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at the Met Gala. BILLY FARRELL/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images The theme of the Met Gala that year was "The Model As Muse." Ivanka Trump wore a gown by designer Brian Reyes. July 2009: Ivanka Trump completed her conversion to Judaism, and she and Kushner got engaged. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2009. Billy Farrell/Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Kushner proposed with a 5.22-carat cushion-cut diamond engagement ring.Ivanka Trump told New York Magazine that she and her fiancé were "very mellow.""We go to the park. We go biking together. We go to the 2nd Avenue Deli," she said. "We both live in this fancy world. But on a personal level, I don't think I could be with somebody — I know he couldn't be with somebody — who needed to be 'on' all the time." October 2009: Ivanka Trump and Kushner married at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump on their wedding day. Brian Marcus/Fred Marcus Photography via Getty Images The couple invited 500 guests, including celebrities like Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin, and Anna Wintour, as well as politicians such as Rudy Giuliani and Andrew Cuomo. July 2011: The couple welcomed their first child, Arabella. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner with Arabella Kushner. Robin Marchant/Getty Images "This morning @jaredkushner and I welcomed a beautiful and healthy little baby girl into the world," Ivanka announced on X, then Twitter. "We feel incredibly grateful and blessed. Thank you all for your support and well wishes!" October 2013: Ivanka Trump gave birth to their second child, Joseph. Ivanka Trump with Arabella Rose Kushner and Joseph Frederick Kushner in 2017. Alo Ceballos/GC Images He was named for Kushner's paternal grandfather Joseph and given the middle name Frederick after Donald Trump's father. March 2016: Kushner and Ivanka Trump welcomed their third child, Theodore, in the midst of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Ivanka Trump carried her son Theodore as she held hands with Joseph alongside Jared Kushner and daughter Arabella on the White House lawn. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images "I said, 'Ivanka, it would be great if you had your baby in Iowa.' I really want that to happen. I really want that to happen," Donald Trump told supporters in Iowa in January 2016.All three of the couple's children were born in New York City. May 2016: They attended the Met Gala two months after Ivanka Trump gave birth. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump attend the Met Gala. Kevin Mazur/WireImage Ivanka Trump wore a red Ralph Lauren Collection halter jumpsuit.On a 2017 episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden," Anna Wintour said that she would never invite Donald Trump to another Met Gala. January 2017: Ivanka Trump and Kushner attended Donald Trump's inauguration and danced together at the Liberty Ball. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on Inauguration Day. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images The Liberty Ball was the first of three inaugural balls that Donald Trump attended. January 2017: After the inauguration, Ivanka and Kushner relocated to a $5.5 million home in the Kalorama section of Washington, DC. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's house in Washington, DC. PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images Ivanka Trump and Kushner rented the 7,000-square-foot home from billionaire Andrónico Luksic for $15,000 a month, The Wall Street Journal reported. May 2017: They accompanied Donald Trump on his first overseas trip in office. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump with Pope Francis. Vatican Pool - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images Kushner and Ivanka Trump both served as advisors to the president. For the first overseas trip of Donald Trump's presidency, they accompanied him to Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Vatican, and summits in Brussels and Sicily. October 2019: The couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a lavish party at Camp David. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at a state dinner. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images All of the Trump and Kushner siblings were in attendance. A White House official told CNN that the couple was covering the cost of the party, but Donald Trump tweeted that the cost would be "totally paid for by me!" August 2020: Ivanka Trump spoke about moving their family to Washington, DC, at the Republican National Convention. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump at the Republican National Convention. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images "When Jared and I moved with our three children to Washington, we didn't exactly know what we were in for," she said in her speech. "But our kids loved it from the start." December 2020: Ivanka Trump and Kushner reportedly bought a $32 million empty lot in Miami's "Billionaire Bunker." Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's plot of land in Indian Creek Village. The Jills Zeder Group; Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images After Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, Page Six reported that the couple purchased a 1.8-acre waterfront lot owned by singer Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias' father, in Indian Creek Village, Florida.The island where it sits has the nickname "Billionaire Bunker" thanks to its multitude of ultra-wealthy residents over the years, including billionaire investor Carl Icahn, supermodel Adriana Lima, and former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula. January 2021: They skipped Joe Biden's inauguration, flying with Donald Trump to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, instead. Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and their children prepared for Donald Trump's departure on Inauguration Day. ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump did not attend Biden's inauguration, breaking a long-standing norm in US democracy. While initial reports said that Ivanka Trump was planning to attend the inauguration, a White House official told People magazine that "Ivanka is not expected to attend the inauguration nor was she ever expected to." January 2021: The couple signed a lease for a luxury Miami Beach condo near their Indian Creek Village property. Arte Surfside. Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel Ivanka Trump and Kushner signed a lease for a "large, unfurnished unit" in the amenities-packed Arte Surfside condominium building in Surfside, Florida.Surfside, a beachside town just north of Miami Beach that's home to fewer than 6,000 people, is only a five-minute drive from Indian Creek Island, where they bought their $32 million empty lot. April 2021: Ivanka Trump and Kushner reportedly added a $24 million mansion in Indian Creek Village to their Florida real-estate profile. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner on a walk in Florida. MEGA/GC Images The Real Deal reported that Ivanka and Kushner purchased another Indian Creek property — this time, a 8,510-square-foot mansion situated on a 1.3-acre estate. June 2021: Several outlets reported that the couple began to distance themselves from Donald Trump due to his fixation on conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner behind Donald Trump. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters CNN reported that Trump was prone to complain about the 2020 election and falsely claim it was "stolen" from him to anyone listening and that his "frustrations emerge in fits and starts — more likely when he is discussing his hopeful return to national politics."While Ivanka and Kushner had been living in their Miami Beach condo, not far from Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, they'd visited Trump less and less frequently and were absent from big events at Mar-a-Lago, CNN said.The New York Times also reported that Kushner wanted "to focus on writing his book and establishing a simpler relationship" with the former president. October 2021: Ivanka Trump and Kushner visited Israel's parliament for the inaugural event of the Abraham Accords Caucus. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in Israel. AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images The Abraham Accords, which Kushner helped broker in August 2020, normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.During their visit, Ivanka Trump and Kushner met with then-former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and attended an event at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem with former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. August 2022: Kushner released his memoir, "Breaking History," in which he wrote about their courtship. Jared Kushner. John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Summit "In addition to being arrestingly beautiful, which I knew before we met, she was warm, funny, and brilliant," he wrote of getting to know Ivanka Trump. "She has a big heart and a tremendous zest for exploring new things."He also wrote that when he told Donald Trump that he was planning a surprise engagement, Trump "picked up the intercom and alerted Ivanka that she should expect an imminent proposal." November 2022: Kushner attended Donald Trump's 2024 campaign announcement without Ivanka Trump. Kimberly Guilfoyle, Jared Kushner, Eric Trump, and Lara Trump at Donald Trump's presidential campaign announcement. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Ivanka Trump released a statement explaining her absence from the event."I love my father very much," her statement read. "This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my children and the private life we are creating as a family. I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena." July 2024: Ivanka Trump and Kushner made a rare political appearance at the Republican National Convention. Donald Trump and Melania Trump onstage with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Ivanka Trump did not campaign for her father or give a speech as she had at past Republican National Conventions, but she and Jared Kushner joined Trump family members onstage after Donald Trump's remarks. November 2024: They joined members of the Trump family in Palm Beach, Florida, to celebrate Donald Trump's election victory.
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  • 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Ireland

    These annual rankings were last updated on May 30, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking.
    Ireland’s architecture is a rich tapestry of vernacular craft, foreign architecture, and, most importantly, good ol’ grit. Like any nation, Ireland’s complex history is easily contextualized through its urban makeup. Dublin and Cork, for example contain a wealth of Georgian and Victorian structures that directly speak to the republic’s past ties to Britain through churches, libraries and courthouses.
    In the 20th century, Irish designers turned to modernism and other international trends, this time on their own terms. Art Deco, Brutalism and sleek Modern structures began to appear around the country, generating an architectural expression to mirror the republic’s newfound independence. Ireland’s traditional architecture — specifically the thatched cottage — was again made popular by tourists seeking a quintessential ‘Irish experience.’
    Today’s designers continuously engage with discourse surrounding nationalism. What is the quintessential ‘Irish experience’, and how does it inform today’s architecture? With a built environment rooted in pluralism, Irish architects have an incredible opportunity to recreate and rectify an architectural language that best represents today’s Irish folk.
    With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Ireland based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.
    How are these architecture firms ranked?
    The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

    The number of A+Awards wonThe number of A+Awards finalistsThe number of projects selected as “Project of the Day”The number of projects selected as “Featured Project”The number of projects uploaded to ArchitizerEach of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Ireland architecture firms throughout the year.
    Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Ireland:

    30. Hussey Architects

    © Hussey Architects

    Hussey Architects was established in 2009 in Dublin. The practice has grown from working on small domestic projects then to large healthcare, housing and hospitality projects now.
    We are a small practice with experience completing large projects. Over the past decade we have completed seven Primary Care Centres, two hotels, a nursing home, ten masterplans and over one hundred houses.
    Our focus is on designing simple economical buildings that respect their context. Our style has evolved from our more angular early buildings and projects to a more classical simple architectural language in traditional materials.
    Some of Hussey Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    National Leprechaun Museum Cafe
    The Hendrick, Dublin, Ireland
    Navan Road Primary Care Centre, Dublin, Ireland
    Celbridge Primary Care Centre, Celbridge, Ireland
    Balbriggan Primary Care Centre, Balbriggan, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Hussey Architects achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Total Projects
    14

    29. Donaghy & Dimond Architects

    © Donaghy & Dimond Architects

    Based in Dublin, Donaghy + Dimond Architects was established in 2001 by Marcus Donaghy and Will Dimond, two architects with extensive experience of working on urban and rural design projects in Ireland and abroad. The practice has developed a reputation for high-quality, innovative and sustainable design, and has been selected for numerous national and international awards for completed projects. Their work has been published and exhibited in Ireland, Europe and the USA.
    Some of Donaghy & Dimond Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Laneway Wall Garden House, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Donaghy & Dimond Architects achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    1

    28. ABK Architects

    © ABK Architects

    Established in 1961, ABK Architects is a design-led practice with an international reputation for the delivery of buildings of the highest quality. It is renowned for its work in many fields including master-planning, education, healthcare, housing and the arts.
    The practice offers skills in architecture and related fields such as urban design and planning, interior and furniture design and is one of the leading exponents of sustainability in the field of architecture.
    Implicit in the work of ABK is a search for quality, which concerns the character and atmosphere of spaces and a sense of place. Each building proposal is a unique response, integrating the general and the particular into a coherent whole.
    Some of ABK Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Roscommon Civic Offices, Roscommon, Ireland

    The following statistics helped ABK Architects achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    1

    27. de Siún Scullion Architects

    © de Siún Scullion Architects

    We are a new Dublin-based Architecture practice offering a broad range of experience and specialist expertise in high quality, innovative and sustainable design to both public and private sector clients
    Some of de Siún Scullion Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    5Cube, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped de Siún Scullion Architects achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    1

    26. TAKA architects

    © TAKA architects

    TAKA is an architectural practice based in Dublin, Ireland. Our practice is focused on creating buildings, places and moments which have a distinct character. Our approach involves a careful and economic approach to materials and construction and a first-principles approach to sustainability.
    We collaborate closely with clients, professional consultants, and expert makers to ensure the ambitions of projects are met and exceeded. A continuing level of excellence in the built work of the practice is recognized by multiple national and international awards and worldwide publication.
    Some of TAKA architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Merrion Cricket Club, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped TAKA architects achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    1

    25. NOJI Architects

    © NOJI

    NOJI Architects are a practice based in Sligo Town working on individual and collaborative projects throughout Ireland. NOJI architects have been in existence for 4 years, now with two staff and the principle architect being John Monahan. The practice has been primarily involved with residential work ranging from renovation extensions of period properties to one off houses and the possibility of community level buildings in the near future. In parallel to the mainly residential work there is an emphasis on the smaller scale design projects allowing an artistic expression and shorter build fruition periods.
    NOJI architects aim to have craft and innovative design solutions at the core of their work.
    Some of NOJI Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Scale of Ply, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped NOJI achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    1

    24. Carr Cotter Naessens Architects

    © Dennis Gilbert, VIEW

    Box Architecture was created in 1997. Since conception, the company has been established as a leading design practice in the nation. Quality has remained the focus of Box throughout and this has been employed to a variety of projects including urban schemes, apartment units, award-winning private commissions, corporate offices, crèches and housing developments.
    The success of Box Architecture is achieved through a personal approach to understand client needs. With a hands-on approach, technical expertise, creative execution and a commitment to continued education, the company applies a philosophy of the highest principle in order to contribute to a sustainable future and maintain quality architecture.
    Some of Carr Cotter Naessens Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    dlrLexicon, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Carr Cotter Naessens Architects achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    1

    23. Box Architecture

    Timber elements mark the transition between openness and enclosure - © Box Architecture

    Box Architecture was created in 1997. Since conception, the company has been established as a leading design practice in the nation. Quality has remained the focus of Box throughout and this has been employed to a variety of projects including urban schemes, apartment units, award-winning private commissions, corporate offices, crèches and housing developments.
    The success of Box Architecture is achieved through a personal approach to understand client needs. With a hands-on approach, technical expertise, creative execution and a commitment to continued education, the company applies a philosophy of the highest principle in order to contribute to a sustainable future and maintain quality architecture.
    Some of Box Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

    BALLYROAN PARISH CENTRE
    Ballyroan Library

    The following statistics helped Box Architecture achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    2

    22. Kingston Lafferty Design

    © Donal Murphy

    Kingston Lafferty Design are an award-winning, international multi-disciplinary design company run by Roisin Lafferty based in Dublin, Ireland. At KLD we think differently about design. Our designs take people on a journey, delivering fun and unexpected experiences. With a holistic approach, we study the way in which people live and work to create tactile and meaningful design, putting human behavior at the centre of every project.
    Some of Kingston Lafferty Design’s most prominent projects include:

    Dublin Residence, Dublin, Ireland
    Ballsbridge Residence, Dublin, Ireland
    Ranelagh Residence, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Kingston Lafferty Design achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    3

    21. Architecture Republic

    © Architecture Republic

    Architecture Republic with offices in Dublinand Lyonoperates in the fields of architecture, urbanism and landscape design. We engage with engineers, artists, researchers, policy-makers, and other professionals through research, analysis and cross disciplinary collaboration. We find the seeds of our inspiration in the rich and complex realm of ordinary everyday life. We believe in the social engagement and spatial power of architecture more than its visual or plastic expression. We believe in architecture that creates public spaces and democratic cities. An architecture that revitalizes redefines and strengthens existing buildings and neighbourhoods.
    Some of Architecture Republic’s most prominent projects include:

    The Plastic House, Dublin, Ireland
    Formwork Studio
    Brick a Back, Gordon Street, Dublin, Ireland
    Orla Kiely’s New York Store, New York, New York

    The following statistics helped Architecture Republic achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    4

    20. Conneely Wessels Architects

    © F22 PHOTOGRAPHY

    Conneely Wessels Architects is an Award Winning Architectural Practice, established in 2008 and based in Kinsale, County Cork. Our practice provides a responsive, imaginative and professional service, tailored to the aspirations of each of our clients, and to deliver quality results, regardless of commission size or type.
    Some of Conneely Wessels Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Three Pavilions, House Clancy, Kinsale, Ireland
    Peek-a-Boo!, Kinsale, Ireland
    Cardinal Point, Kinsale, Ireland
    Ardgwee House, Kinsale, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Conneely Wessels Architects achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    4

    19. ARCHITECTSTM

    © Ros Kavanagh

    ARCHITECTSTM is a design practice founded by Tom Maher. Based in Dublin, Ireland the firm boasts a portfolio of residential, cultural and commercial designs.
    Some of ARCHITECTSTM’s most prominent projects include:

    K HOUSE, Ranelagh, Ireland
    GARDENER’S WORLD, Callan, Ireland
    SLATE STOREY EXTENSION, Dublin, Ireland
    COTTAGE, County Kilkenny, Ireland
    8BY4, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped ARCHITECTSTM achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    5

    18. Paul Dillon Architects

    © Paul Dillon Architects

    In 1999, architect Paul Dillon established his full-service practice in Galway, which quickly earned a reputation for combining design sensitivity with professional management and delivery. Each year, paul dillon architects complete a small number of challenging everyday projects, ranging from domestic extensions and garden designs to large commercial, retail, industrial and public projects.
    This commitment to the process of building, has been recognized with numerous national and international publications and awards. The completed work, both public and private, is receiving growing understanding and appreciation from those who take responsibility for their built environment.
    Some of Paul Dillon Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Carnaun Primary School, Athenry, Ireland
    Extension to Secondary School, County Galway, Ireland
    Kilrickle Primary School, Kilreekill, Ireland
    Art Room, Secondary School, Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland
    Art Room, Inis Mór, County Galway, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Paul Dillon Architects achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    5

    17. Isabel Barros Architects

    © Robert Mullan Photography

    isabel barros architects are driven by a passion for creating high quality contemporary architecture. Our goal is to make good design available to the general public while maintaining a strong focus on the energy efficiency and sustainability of our designs.
    Some of Isabel Barros Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Seaview House, Wexford, Ireland
    Conservation Works at Brandon House Hotel, New Ross, Ireland
    Extension to House Over 100 Years Old, Ireland
    River House Kilkenny, Kilkenny, Ireland
    Shaolin Cottage, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Isabel Barros Architects achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    6

    16. Solearth Architecture

    © Solearth Architecture

    Solearth Architecture specialise in design that is both beautiful and deeply sustainable. We have for 15 years been Irelands leading green design firm and now provide architecture, design and consulting services further afield. All projects and client types are of interest to us but our key experience to date lies in hospitality, visitor, environment, wellness and buildings for spirituality as well as housing and private houses. We also have expertise in sustainable masterplanning and urban design. We are Europes only Living Building accredited practice.
    Some of Solearth Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

    Airfield Evolution, Dublin, Ireland
    Castle Espie, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
    The Daintree Building, Dublin, Ireland
    Ballybay Wetland Centre, Ballybay, Ireland
    Dechen Shying, Cork, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Solearth Architecture achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    7

    15. Foley Architects

    © Foley Architects, CAMPUS

    Foley Architects is an architectural practice based in Dublin led by Stephen Foley and Marta Lopez driven by creating sustainable buildings and considered spaces that connect to their physical and social contexts. Our mission is to uncover what is special about each project to create unique spaces and buildings which can inspire communities.
    The concept of our first built project, the Eastbourne Beach Hut took inspiration from a local story involving fossils and was developed using digital fabrication tools. The pavilion’s translucent skin allows it to transform at night, emitting light and expressing its structure.
    The Cork Butter museum involved the adaptive reuse of an existing space, it’s remodelling and installation of elements for a collection of artefacts, using economic materials like mild steel and birch plywood.
    Some of Foley Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    The Lark Theatre, Dublin, Ireland
    Eastbourne Beach Hut, Eastbourne, United Kingdom
    Rossaveel Small Craft Harbour, Galway, Ireland
    12th Lock Area Masterplan, Lucan, Ireland
    Killybegs Small Craft Harbour, Donegal, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Foley Architects achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    9

    14. David Flynn Architects

    © David Flynn Architects Ltd

    We are award-winning Architects in Dublin specializing in residential projects, including newbuild houses, reconstruction and significant refurb / extension / transformation of existing. We are currently engaged as Architects in a small number of projects across Dublin with construction values ranging from €400,000 up to €1.5m.
    The majority of our houses will end up as highly efficient A-rated homes for life.
    We have a track record in delivering highly bespoke residential architecture projects which run smoothly through design, planning and construction stages, many of which have received awards and been widely published.
    We use highly detailed 3D Digital models to plan, visualise and clearly communicate from early in the design process to ensure a successful outcome.
    Some of David Flynn Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Garden Retreat, Blackrock, Ireland
    Mount Merrion, Dublin, Ireland
    1930s Extension Renovation, Booterstown, Ireland
    1870s period house extension, Sandymount, Ireland
    Rebuild & Renovation, Clonskeagh, Ireland

    The following statistics helped David Flynn Architects achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    10

    13. ODKM Architects & Designers

    © ODKM Architects & Designers

    ODKM are highly experienced award-winning architectural practice, with accolades and publications both in Ireland and abroad. We love design, how it makes us feel, and what it offers us every day, and we are passionate about how important this is in creating new spaces, identities and places that exceed our clients expectations. Ultimately, buildings are about people, and we believe in quality driven design to create environments with a sense of place. Our team each bring unique and diverse skills to the practice, all stemming from a common holistic design philosophy; that design can improve the quality of our lives, and make us happier.
    Some of ODKM Architects & Designers’ most prominent projects include:

    Ranelagh House, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped ODKM Architects & Designers achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    A+Awards Finalist
    1

    Featured Projects
    1

    Total Projects
    1

    12. Architectural Farm

    © Ste Murray | Photography & Design

    Architectural Farm is a design focused architectural studio based in Dublin. The studio has been led by Shane Cotter and Kathryn Wilson since 2010. To date the practice has worked on a variety of projects specializing in residential and public commissions in both urban and rural settings but also have collaborated on retail, commercial and landscaping projects.
    Some of Architectural Farm’s most prominent projects include:

    Walled Garden, Ballsbridge, Ireland
    St Declans Terrace, Saint Declan’s Terrace, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Architectural Farm achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    2

    Total Projects
    2

    11. GKMP Architect

    © GKMP Architect

    GKMP Architects is a Dublin-based practice that designs high quality modern architecture. Our recent projects include house design, domestic extensions, public spaces and tourist facilities.
    Some of GKMP Architect’s most prominent projects include:

    Hedge House at Leeson Walk, Dublin, Ireland
    House Extension at Silchester Park, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped GKMP Architect achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    2

    Total Projects
    2

    10. Aughey O’Flaherty Architects

    © Aughey O'Flaherty Architects

    Since the start, in 1999, we have been blessed with great clients. We work closely with them to understand their needs and create buidings to fit those needs. By 2003, the practice had won the first of many awards and in 2005, we won the prestious RIAI award, best building in the landscape.As conservation architects, we have Grade II RIAI Conservation Accreditation.
    Some of Aughey O’Flaherty Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Fethard
    House on Mount Anville, Goatstown, Ireland
    New House

    The following statistics helped Aughey O'Flaherty Architects achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    2

    Total Projects
    3

    9. BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners

    © BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners

    BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects, founded in 2015 by Gareth Brennan and Séamus Furlong, is an award-winning RIAI-registered practice based in Clontarf, Dublin. The practice is accredited in Conservation, can act as Project Supervisors for the Design Processand holds full Professional Indemnity Insurance.
    The work of the practice – a mix of residential and commercial projects — centers on the principle that the well-considered and carefully developed design of buildings and spaces we use every day helps to enrich and enliven our experience and interaction with the built environment.
    Some of BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners’ most prominent projects include:

    GLENTORA, Howth, Dublin, Ireland
    FOUR WINDS, Dublin, Ireland
    STRAND ROAD, Dublin, Ireland
    LERRIG, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    2

    Total Projects
    4

    8. Ambient Architecture

    © Ambient Architecture

    At Ambient Architecture we design exclusive residences for private clients in new builds, renovation and conservation projects. For our commercial partners, we develop innovative, sustainable, and sound feasibility and planning solutions.
    As architects we focus on providing the best outcome for our clients, in terms of design, costs, and buildability.
    Some of Ambient Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

    New house in Malahide, Malahide, Ireland
    Rathgar Redbrick, Dublin, Ireland
    Loreto Abbey Dalkey Sportshall, Dalkey, Ireland
    Rathmines Redbrick, Dublin, Ireland
    2SEMIS, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Ambient Architecture achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    2

    Total Projects
    5

    7. Coady Architects

    © Coady Architects

    Coady Architects is an award winning practice of highly skilled professionals, specializing in healthcare, residential, workplace and education design. We are passionate about understanding our clients’ and end users’ needs. We understand commercial drivers and add value at every opportunity. We enjoy design, we listen and explore, we innovate and challenge to deliver better environments and better buildings.
    Some of Coady Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Scholen van Morgen. VIIO, Tongeren, Belgium
    Eolas, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
    Clinical Education and Research Centre, Limerick, Ireland
    Scholen van Morgen. Heilig Hart van Mariainstituut, Berlaar, Belgium
    Scholen van Morgen, Virga Jessecollege, Hasselt, Belgium

    The following statistics helped Coady Architects achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    2

    Total Projects
    5

    6. Architecture 53seven

    © Architecture 53seven

    Architecture 53seven is focussed on the delivery of inventive architecture and urban design, with a particular interest in developing new programmatic forms that reflect the complexities of the contemporary city.
    Established by Jason O’Shaughnessy in 2000, Architecture 53seven has developed a series of acclaimed projects in Ireland and overseas and was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2009.
    Some of Architecture 53seven’s most prominent projects include:

    Egans Juice Bar and Roof Terrace, Main Street, Portlaoise, Ireland
    Tullow Ciivic Offices and Library
    Montenegro Villa, Dobra Voda, Montenegro
    Villa Petrovic, Dobra Voda, Montenegro
    Renaasance day hospital

    The following statistics helped Architecture 53seven achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    2

    Total Projects
    37

    5. FKL architects

    © FKL architects

    FKL architects is committed to contemporary design with a focus on the application of abstract ideas to built form. Each project is approached from first principles by responding to the specifics of site and program and formulating a singular concept that informs all aspects of the design. This individual concept is firmly rooted in the pragmatics of the project.
    We seek to condense ideas to their essentials, from the building form to the detail of junctions between materials with all decisions re-affirming and complementing the primary concept. The form and language of each project grows out of this approach leading to a diversity in the work, within a framework given by enduring interests; in space, atmosphere, assemblage, pattern, hierarchy, texture and materiality.
    Some of FKL architects’ most prominent projects include:

    A House, Rathmines, Ireland
    A house, Rathmines, Ireland
    St John’s House Nursing Home, Dublin, Ireland
    Brick House
    Reuben Street Apartments, Dolphins Barn, Ireland

    The following statistics helped FKL architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    3

    Total Projects
    17

    4. Heneghan Peng Architects

    © Iwan Baan

    heneghan peng architects is a design partnership practicing architecture, landscape and urban design. The practice was founded by Shih-Fu Peng and Róisín Heneghan in New York in 1999 and in 2001 opened an office in Dublin, Ireland.
    We take a multi-disciplinary approach to design and have collaborated with many leading designers and engineers on a range of projects which include larger scale urban masterplans, bridges, landscapes and buildings. Current projects include the Canadian Canoe Museum, The Old Library refurbishment at Trinity College Dublin, the Visitors’ Centre at the Berlin Botanic Gardens and the Grand Egyptian Museum.
    Some of Heneghan Peng Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    The Palestinian Museum, Bir Zayt
    Air BnB European Operations Hub, Dublin, Ireland
    School of Architecture and Design/Library at the University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom

    The following statistics helped Heneghan Peng Architects achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    3

    Total Projects
    3

    3. Scullion Architects

    © Scullion Architects

    SCULLION ARCHITECTS are a Dublin-based Architectural Studio established by Declan Scullion MRIAI, providing architectural services for both the public and private sector. The practice’s work is characterized by a particular attention to user experience supported by an interest in things well-made. Our ambition is to provide a dedicated and professional service delivering exceptional buildings.
    Some of Scullion Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Grand Canal Street, Dublin, Ireland
    Glass Ribbon, Dublin, Ireland
    Blackrock House, Dundalk, Ireland
    Churchtown, Dublin, Ireland
    The Liberties, Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped Scullion Architects achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    4

    Total Projects
    5

    2. ODOS

    © ODOS

    The constant questioning of how people work, rest and play in today’s society is the fundamental driving force behind the practice. We strongly believe our clients deserve to be challenged and that buildings need to inspire their occupants. As architects we have a duty to expose such possibilities. We hope to instill a sense of curiosity and excitement, stimulating a response, confronting and challenging traditional conceptions of architecture
    Some of ODOS’s most prominent projects include:

    Flynn Mews House, Dublin, Ireland
    Dwelling at Maytree, Wicklow, Wicklow, Ireland
    3 Mews Houses, Dublin, Ireland
    Grangegorman, Dublin 7, Dublin, Ireland
    31 Carysfort Road, Dalkey, Ireland

    The following statistics helped ODOS achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    A+Awards Finalist
    1

    Featured Projects
    4

    Total Projects
    9

    1. McCullough Mulvin Architects

    © McCullough Mulvin Architects

    McCullough Mulvin Architects is an architecture and urban design practice based in Dublin. Much of our work has been in the design of cultural and civic buildings around Ireland, projects working to define a new public realm in a changing society, dealing with Ireland’s diffuse light and stark materiality. The work is based around an idea of experimentation – from small domestic work through to larger civic projects – testing at all scales, the work is original and the response to each brief particular. There is no house style, rather a concern for improving the lives of people by designing public and private spaces where life is played out.
    Some of McCullough Mulvin Architects’ most prominent projects include:

    Medieval Mile Museum, Kilkenny, Ireland
    Featured image: Trinity Long Room Hub, Dublin, Ireland
    Z Square House, Temple Gardens, Dublin, Ireland
    Beaufort Maritime Research Building, Cork, Ireland
    one up two down , Dublin, Ireland

    The following statistics helped McCullough Mulvin Architects achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland:

    Featured Projects
    4

    Total Projects
    6

    Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?
    With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.
    Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIAChapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.
    An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted
    A Guide to Project Awards
    The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.
    The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

    Project completed within the last 3 years
    A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
    Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
    High quality, in focus photographs
    At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
    Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
    Inclusion of construction photographs

    There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.
     

     
    We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.
    The post 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Ireland appeared first on Journal.
    #best #architecture #design #firms #ireland
    30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Ireland
    These annual rankings were last updated on May 30, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. Ireland’s architecture is a rich tapestry of vernacular craft, foreign architecture, and, most importantly, good ol’ grit. Like any nation, Ireland’s complex history is easily contextualized through its urban makeup. Dublin and Cork, for example contain a wealth of Georgian and Victorian structures that directly speak to the republic’s past ties to Britain through churches, libraries and courthouses. In the 20th century, Irish designers turned to modernism and other international trends, this time on their own terms. Art Deco, Brutalism and sleek Modern structures began to appear around the country, generating an architectural expression to mirror the republic’s newfound independence. Ireland’s traditional architecture — specifically the thatched cottage — was again made popular by tourists seeking a quintessential ‘Irish experience.’ Today’s designers continuously engage with discourse surrounding nationalism. What is the quintessential ‘Irish experience’, and how does it inform today’s architecture? With a built environment rooted in pluralism, Irish architects have an incredible opportunity to recreate and rectify an architectural language that best represents today’s Irish folk. With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Ireland based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge. How are these architecture firms ranked? The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority: The number of A+Awards wonThe number of A+Awards finalistsThe number of projects selected as “Project of the Day”The number of projects selected as “Featured Project”The number of projects uploaded to ArchitizerEach of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Ireland architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Ireland: 30. Hussey Architects © Hussey Architects Hussey Architects was established in 2009 in Dublin. The practice has grown from working on small domestic projects then to large healthcare, housing and hospitality projects now. We are a small practice with experience completing large projects. Over the past decade we have completed seven Primary Care Centres, two hotels, a nursing home, ten masterplans and over one hundred houses. Our focus is on designing simple economical buildings that respect their context. Our style has evolved from our more angular early buildings and projects to a more classical simple architectural language in traditional materials. Some of Hussey Architects’ most prominent projects include: National Leprechaun Museum Cafe The Hendrick, Dublin, Ireland Navan Road Primary Care Centre, Dublin, Ireland Celbridge Primary Care Centre, Celbridge, Ireland Balbriggan Primary Care Centre, Balbriggan, Ireland The following statistics helped Hussey Architects achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Total Projects 14 29. Donaghy & Dimond Architects © Donaghy & Dimond Architects Based in Dublin, Donaghy + Dimond Architects was established in 2001 by Marcus Donaghy and Will Dimond, two architects with extensive experience of working on urban and rural design projects in Ireland and abroad. The practice has developed a reputation for high-quality, innovative and sustainable design, and has been selected for numerous national and international awards for completed projects. Their work has been published and exhibited in Ireland, Europe and the USA. Some of Donaghy & Dimond Architects’ most prominent projects include: Laneway Wall Garden House, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Donaghy & Dimond Architects achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 28. ABK Architects © ABK Architects Established in 1961, ABK Architects is a design-led practice with an international reputation for the delivery of buildings of the highest quality. It is renowned for its work in many fields including master-planning, education, healthcare, housing and the arts. The practice offers skills in architecture and related fields such as urban design and planning, interior and furniture design and is one of the leading exponents of sustainability in the field of architecture. Implicit in the work of ABK is a search for quality, which concerns the character and atmosphere of spaces and a sense of place. Each building proposal is a unique response, integrating the general and the particular into a coherent whole. Some of ABK Architects’ most prominent projects include: Roscommon Civic Offices, Roscommon, Ireland The following statistics helped ABK Architects achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 27. de Siún Scullion Architects © de Siún Scullion Architects We are a new Dublin-based Architecture practice offering a broad range of experience and specialist expertise in high quality, innovative and sustainable design to both public and private sector clients Some of de Siún Scullion Architects’ most prominent projects include: 5Cube, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped de Siún Scullion Architects achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 26. TAKA architects © TAKA architects TAKA is an architectural practice based in Dublin, Ireland. Our practice is focused on creating buildings, places and moments which have a distinct character. Our approach involves a careful and economic approach to materials and construction and a first-principles approach to sustainability. We collaborate closely with clients, professional consultants, and expert makers to ensure the ambitions of projects are met and exceeded. A continuing level of excellence in the built work of the practice is recognized by multiple national and international awards and worldwide publication. Some of TAKA architects’ most prominent projects include: Merrion Cricket Club, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped TAKA architects achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 25. NOJI Architects © NOJI NOJI Architects are a practice based in Sligo Town working on individual and collaborative projects throughout Ireland. NOJI architects have been in existence for 4 years, now with two staff and the principle architect being John Monahan. The practice has been primarily involved with residential work ranging from renovation extensions of period properties to one off houses and the possibility of community level buildings in the near future. In parallel to the mainly residential work there is an emphasis on the smaller scale design projects allowing an artistic expression and shorter build fruition periods. NOJI architects aim to have craft and innovative design solutions at the core of their work. Some of NOJI Architects’ most prominent projects include: Scale of Ply, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped NOJI achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 24. Carr Cotter Naessens Architects © Dennis Gilbert, VIEW Box Architecture was created in 1997. Since conception, the company has been established as a leading design practice in the nation. Quality has remained the focus of Box throughout and this has been employed to a variety of projects including urban schemes, apartment units, award-winning private commissions, corporate offices, crèches and housing developments. The success of Box Architecture is achieved through a personal approach to understand client needs. With a hands-on approach, technical expertise, creative execution and a commitment to continued education, the company applies a philosophy of the highest principle in order to contribute to a sustainable future and maintain quality architecture. Some of Carr Cotter Naessens Architects’ most prominent projects include: dlrLexicon, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Carr Cotter Naessens Architects achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 23. Box Architecture Timber elements mark the transition between openness and enclosure - © Box Architecture Box Architecture was created in 1997. Since conception, the company has been established as a leading design practice in the nation. Quality has remained the focus of Box throughout and this has been employed to a variety of projects including urban schemes, apartment units, award-winning private commissions, corporate offices, crèches and housing developments. The success of Box Architecture is achieved through a personal approach to understand client needs. With a hands-on approach, technical expertise, creative execution and a commitment to continued education, the company applies a philosophy of the highest principle in order to contribute to a sustainable future and maintain quality architecture. Some of Box Architecture’s most prominent projects include: BALLYROAN PARISH CENTRE Ballyroan Library The following statistics helped Box Architecture achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 2 22. Kingston Lafferty Design © Donal Murphy Kingston Lafferty Design are an award-winning, international multi-disciplinary design company run by Roisin Lafferty based in Dublin, Ireland. At KLD we think differently about design. Our designs take people on a journey, delivering fun and unexpected experiences. With a holistic approach, we study the way in which people live and work to create tactile and meaningful design, putting human behavior at the centre of every project. Some of Kingston Lafferty Design’s most prominent projects include: Dublin Residence, Dublin, Ireland Ballsbridge Residence, Dublin, Ireland Ranelagh Residence, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Kingston Lafferty Design achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 3 21. Architecture Republic © Architecture Republic Architecture Republic with offices in Dublinand Lyonoperates in the fields of architecture, urbanism and landscape design. We engage with engineers, artists, researchers, policy-makers, and other professionals through research, analysis and cross disciplinary collaboration. We find the seeds of our inspiration in the rich and complex realm of ordinary everyday life. We believe in the social engagement and spatial power of architecture more than its visual or plastic expression. We believe in architecture that creates public spaces and democratic cities. An architecture that revitalizes redefines and strengthens existing buildings and neighbourhoods. Some of Architecture Republic’s most prominent projects include: The Plastic House, Dublin, Ireland Formwork Studio Brick a Back, Gordon Street, Dublin, Ireland Orla Kiely’s New York Store, New York, New York The following statistics helped Architecture Republic achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 20. Conneely Wessels Architects © F22 PHOTOGRAPHY Conneely Wessels Architects is an Award Winning Architectural Practice, established in 2008 and based in Kinsale, County Cork. Our practice provides a responsive, imaginative and professional service, tailored to the aspirations of each of our clients, and to deliver quality results, regardless of commission size or type. Some of Conneely Wessels Architects’ most prominent projects include: Three Pavilions, House Clancy, Kinsale, Ireland Peek-a-Boo!, Kinsale, Ireland Cardinal Point, Kinsale, Ireland Ardgwee House, Kinsale, Ireland The following statistics helped Conneely Wessels Architects achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 19. ARCHITECTSTM © Ros Kavanagh ARCHITECTSTM is a design practice founded by Tom Maher. Based in Dublin, Ireland the firm boasts a portfolio of residential, cultural and commercial designs. Some of ARCHITECTSTM’s most prominent projects include: K HOUSE, Ranelagh, Ireland GARDENER’S WORLD, Callan, Ireland SLATE STOREY EXTENSION, Dublin, Ireland COTTAGE, County Kilkenny, Ireland 8BY4, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped ARCHITECTSTM achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 5 18. Paul Dillon Architects © Paul Dillon Architects In 1999, architect Paul Dillon established his full-service practice in Galway, which quickly earned a reputation for combining design sensitivity with professional management and delivery. Each year, paul dillon architects complete a small number of challenging everyday projects, ranging from domestic extensions and garden designs to large commercial, retail, industrial and public projects. This commitment to the process of building, has been recognized with numerous national and international publications and awards. The completed work, both public and private, is receiving growing understanding and appreciation from those who take responsibility for their built environment. Some of Paul Dillon Architects’ most prominent projects include: Carnaun Primary School, Athenry, Ireland Extension to Secondary School, County Galway, Ireland Kilrickle Primary School, Kilreekill, Ireland Art Room, Secondary School, Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland Art Room, Inis Mór, County Galway, Ireland The following statistics helped Paul Dillon Architects achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 5 17. Isabel Barros Architects © Robert Mullan Photography isabel barros architects are driven by a passion for creating high quality contemporary architecture. Our goal is to make good design available to the general public while maintaining a strong focus on the energy efficiency and sustainability of our designs. Some of Isabel Barros Architects’ most prominent projects include: Seaview House, Wexford, Ireland Conservation Works at Brandon House Hotel, New Ross, Ireland Extension to House Over 100 Years Old, Ireland River House Kilkenny, Kilkenny, Ireland Shaolin Cottage, Ireland The following statistics helped Isabel Barros Architects achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 6 16. Solearth Architecture © Solearth Architecture Solearth Architecture specialise in design that is both beautiful and deeply sustainable. We have for 15 years been Irelands leading green design firm and now provide architecture, design and consulting services further afield. All projects and client types are of interest to us but our key experience to date lies in hospitality, visitor, environment, wellness and buildings for spirituality as well as housing and private houses. We also have expertise in sustainable masterplanning and urban design. We are Europes only Living Building accredited practice. Some of Solearth Architecture’s most prominent projects include: Airfield Evolution, Dublin, Ireland Castle Espie, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom The Daintree Building, Dublin, Ireland Ballybay Wetland Centre, Ballybay, Ireland Dechen Shying, Cork, Ireland The following statistics helped Solearth Architecture achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 7 15. Foley Architects © Foley Architects, CAMPUS Foley Architects is an architectural practice based in Dublin led by Stephen Foley and Marta Lopez driven by creating sustainable buildings and considered spaces that connect to their physical and social contexts. Our mission is to uncover what is special about each project to create unique spaces and buildings which can inspire communities. The concept of our first built project, the Eastbourne Beach Hut took inspiration from a local story involving fossils and was developed using digital fabrication tools. The pavilion’s translucent skin allows it to transform at night, emitting light and expressing its structure. The Cork Butter museum involved the adaptive reuse of an existing space, it’s remodelling and installation of elements for a collection of artefacts, using economic materials like mild steel and birch plywood. Some of Foley Architects’ most prominent projects include: The Lark Theatre, Dublin, Ireland Eastbourne Beach Hut, Eastbourne, United Kingdom Rossaveel Small Craft Harbour, Galway, Ireland 12th Lock Area Masterplan, Lucan, Ireland Killybegs Small Craft Harbour, Donegal, Ireland The following statistics helped Foley Architects achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 9 14. David Flynn Architects © David Flynn Architects Ltd We are award-winning Architects in Dublin specializing in residential projects, including newbuild houses, reconstruction and significant refurb / extension / transformation of existing. We are currently engaged as Architects in a small number of projects across Dublin with construction values ranging from €400,000 up to €1.5m. The majority of our houses will end up as highly efficient A-rated homes for life. We have a track record in delivering highly bespoke residential architecture projects which run smoothly through design, planning and construction stages, many of which have received awards and been widely published. We use highly detailed 3D Digital models to plan, visualise and clearly communicate from early in the design process to ensure a successful outcome. Some of David Flynn Architects’ most prominent projects include: Garden Retreat, Blackrock, Ireland Mount Merrion, Dublin, Ireland 1930s Extension Renovation, Booterstown, Ireland 1870s period house extension, Sandymount, Ireland Rebuild & Renovation, Clonskeagh, Ireland The following statistics helped David Flynn Architects achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 10 13. ODKM Architects & Designers © ODKM Architects & Designers ODKM are highly experienced award-winning architectural practice, with accolades and publications both in Ireland and abroad. We love design, how it makes us feel, and what it offers us every day, and we are passionate about how important this is in creating new spaces, identities and places that exceed our clients expectations. Ultimately, buildings are about people, and we believe in quality driven design to create environments with a sense of place. Our team each bring unique and diverse skills to the practice, all stemming from a common holistic design philosophy; that design can improve the quality of our lives, and make us happier. Some of ODKM Architects & Designers’ most prominent projects include: Ranelagh House, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped ODKM Architects & Designers achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 12. Architectural Farm © Ste Murray | Photography & Design Architectural Farm is a design focused architectural studio based in Dublin. The studio has been led by Shane Cotter and Kathryn Wilson since 2010. To date the practice has worked on a variety of projects specializing in residential and public commissions in both urban and rural settings but also have collaborated on retail, commercial and landscaping projects. Some of Architectural Farm’s most prominent projects include: Walled Garden, Ballsbridge, Ireland St Declans Terrace, Saint Declan’s Terrace, Ireland The following statistics helped Architectural Farm achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 11. GKMP Architect © GKMP Architect GKMP Architects is a Dublin-based practice that designs high quality modern architecture. Our recent projects include house design, domestic extensions, public spaces and tourist facilities. Some of GKMP Architect’s most prominent projects include: Hedge House at Leeson Walk, Dublin, Ireland House Extension at Silchester Park, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped GKMP Architect achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 10. Aughey O’Flaherty Architects © Aughey O'Flaherty Architects Since the start, in 1999, we have been blessed with great clients. We work closely with them to understand their needs and create buidings to fit those needs. By 2003, the practice had won the first of many awards and in 2005, we won the prestious RIAI award, best building in the landscape.As conservation architects, we have Grade II RIAI Conservation Accreditation. Some of Aughey O’Flaherty Architects’ most prominent projects include: Fethard House on Mount Anville, Goatstown, Ireland New House The following statistics helped Aughey O'Flaherty Architects achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 3 9. BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners © BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects, founded in 2015 by Gareth Brennan and Séamus Furlong, is an award-winning RIAI-registered practice based in Clontarf, Dublin. The practice is accredited in Conservation, can act as Project Supervisors for the Design Processand holds full Professional Indemnity Insurance. The work of the practice – a mix of residential and commercial projects — centers on the principle that the well-considered and carefully developed design of buildings and spaces we use every day helps to enrich and enliven our experience and interaction with the built environment. Some of BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners’ most prominent projects include: GLENTORA, Howth, Dublin, Ireland FOUR WINDS, Dublin, Ireland STRAND ROAD, Dublin, Ireland LERRIG, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 4 8. Ambient Architecture © Ambient Architecture At Ambient Architecture we design exclusive residences for private clients in new builds, renovation and conservation projects. For our commercial partners, we develop innovative, sustainable, and sound feasibility and planning solutions. As architects we focus on providing the best outcome for our clients, in terms of design, costs, and buildability. Some of Ambient Architecture’s most prominent projects include: New house in Malahide, Malahide, Ireland Rathgar Redbrick, Dublin, Ireland Loreto Abbey Dalkey Sportshall, Dalkey, Ireland Rathmines Redbrick, Dublin, Ireland 2SEMIS, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Ambient Architecture achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 7. Coady Architects © Coady Architects Coady Architects is an award winning practice of highly skilled professionals, specializing in healthcare, residential, workplace and education design. We are passionate about understanding our clients’ and end users’ needs. We understand commercial drivers and add value at every opportunity. We enjoy design, we listen and explore, we innovate and challenge to deliver better environments and better buildings. Some of Coady Architects’ most prominent projects include: Scholen van Morgen. VIIO, Tongeren, Belgium Eolas, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland Clinical Education and Research Centre, Limerick, Ireland Scholen van Morgen. Heilig Hart van Mariainstituut, Berlaar, Belgium Scholen van Morgen, Virga Jessecollege, Hasselt, Belgium The following statistics helped Coady Architects achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 6. Architecture 53seven © Architecture 53seven Architecture 53seven is focussed on the delivery of inventive architecture and urban design, with a particular interest in developing new programmatic forms that reflect the complexities of the contemporary city. Established by Jason O’Shaughnessy in 2000, Architecture 53seven has developed a series of acclaimed projects in Ireland and overseas and was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2009. Some of Architecture 53seven’s most prominent projects include: Egans Juice Bar and Roof Terrace, Main Street, Portlaoise, Ireland Tullow Ciivic Offices and Library Montenegro Villa, Dobra Voda, Montenegro Villa Petrovic, Dobra Voda, Montenegro Renaasance day hospital The following statistics helped Architecture 53seven achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 37 5. FKL architects © FKL architects FKL architects is committed to contemporary design with a focus on the application of abstract ideas to built form. Each project is approached from first principles by responding to the specifics of site and program and formulating a singular concept that informs all aspects of the design. This individual concept is firmly rooted in the pragmatics of the project. We seek to condense ideas to their essentials, from the building form to the detail of junctions between materials with all decisions re-affirming and complementing the primary concept. The form and language of each project grows out of this approach leading to a diversity in the work, within a framework given by enduring interests; in space, atmosphere, assemblage, pattern, hierarchy, texture and materiality. Some of FKL architects’ most prominent projects include: A House, Rathmines, Ireland A house, Rathmines, Ireland St John’s House Nursing Home, Dublin, Ireland Brick House Reuben Street Apartments, Dolphins Barn, Ireland The following statistics helped FKL architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 17 4. Heneghan Peng Architects © Iwan Baan heneghan peng architects is a design partnership practicing architecture, landscape and urban design. The practice was founded by Shih-Fu Peng and Róisín Heneghan in New York in 1999 and in 2001 opened an office in Dublin, Ireland. We take a multi-disciplinary approach to design and have collaborated with many leading designers and engineers on a range of projects which include larger scale urban masterplans, bridges, landscapes and buildings. Current projects include the Canadian Canoe Museum, The Old Library refurbishment at Trinity College Dublin, the Visitors’ Centre at the Berlin Botanic Gardens and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Some of Heneghan Peng Architects’ most prominent projects include: The Palestinian Museum, Bir Zayt Air BnB European Operations Hub, Dublin, Ireland School of Architecture and Design/Library at the University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Heneghan Peng Architects achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 3 3. Scullion Architects © Scullion Architects SCULLION ARCHITECTS are a Dublin-based Architectural Studio established by Declan Scullion MRIAI, providing architectural services for both the public and private sector. The practice’s work is characterized by a particular attention to user experience supported by an interest in things well-made. Our ambition is to provide a dedicated and professional service delivering exceptional buildings. Some of Scullion Architects’ most prominent projects include: Grand Canal Street, Dublin, Ireland Glass Ribbon, Dublin, Ireland Blackrock House, Dundalk, Ireland Churchtown, Dublin, Ireland The Liberties, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Scullion Architects achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 5 2. ODOS © ODOS The constant questioning of how people work, rest and play in today’s society is the fundamental driving force behind the practice. We strongly believe our clients deserve to be challenged and that buildings need to inspire their occupants. As architects we have a duty to expose such possibilities. We hope to instill a sense of curiosity and excitement, stimulating a response, confronting and challenging traditional conceptions of architecture Some of ODOS’s most prominent projects include: Flynn Mews House, Dublin, Ireland Dwelling at Maytree, Wicklow, Wicklow, Ireland 3 Mews Houses, Dublin, Ireland Grangegorman, Dublin 7, Dublin, Ireland 31 Carysfort Road, Dalkey, Ireland The following statistics helped ODOS achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 9 1. McCullough Mulvin Architects © McCullough Mulvin Architects McCullough Mulvin Architects is an architecture and urban design practice based in Dublin. Much of our work has been in the design of cultural and civic buildings around Ireland, projects working to define a new public realm in a changing society, dealing with Ireland’s diffuse light and stark materiality. The work is based around an idea of experimentation – from small domestic work through to larger civic projects – testing at all scales, the work is original and the response to each brief particular. There is no house style, rather a concern for improving the lives of people by designing public and private spaces where life is played out. Some of McCullough Mulvin Architects’ most prominent projects include: Medieval Mile Museum, Kilkenny, Ireland Featured image: Trinity Long Room Hub, Dublin, Ireland Z Square House, Temple Gardens, Dublin, Ireland Beaufort Maritime Research Building, Cork, Ireland one up two down , Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped McCullough Mulvin Architects achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 6 Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking? With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year. Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIAChapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York. An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted A Guide to Project Awards The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award. The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status: Project completed within the last 3 years A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value High quality, in focus photographs At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings Inclusion of construction photographs There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.     We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com. The post 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Ireland appeared first on Journal. #best #architecture #design #firms #ireland
    ARCHITIZER.COM
    30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Ireland
    These annual rankings were last updated on May 30, 2025. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking. Ireland’s architecture is a rich tapestry of vernacular craft, foreign architecture, and, most importantly, good ol’ grit. Like any nation, Ireland’s complex history is easily contextualized through its urban makeup. Dublin and Cork, for example contain a wealth of Georgian and Victorian structures that directly speak to the republic’s past ties to Britain through churches, libraries and courthouses. In the 20th century, Irish designers turned to modernism and other international trends, this time on their own terms. Art Deco, Brutalism and sleek Modern structures began to appear around the country, generating an architectural expression to mirror the republic’s newfound independence. Ireland’s traditional architecture — specifically the thatched cottage — was again made popular by tourists seeking a quintessential ‘Irish experience.’ Today’s designers continuously engage with discourse surrounding nationalism. What is the quintessential ‘Irish experience’, and how does it inform today’s architecture? With a built environment rooted in pluralism, Irish architects have an incredible opportunity to recreate and rectify an architectural language that best represents today’s Irish folk. With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Ireland based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge. How are these architecture firms ranked? The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority: The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2025) The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2025) The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2025) Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Ireland architecture firms throughout the year. Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Ireland: 30. Hussey Architects © Hussey Architects Hussey Architects was established in 2009 in Dublin. The practice has grown from working on small domestic projects then to large healthcare, housing and hospitality projects now. We are a small practice with experience completing large projects. Over the past decade we have completed seven Primary Care Centres, two hotels, a nursing home, ten masterplans and over one hundred houses. Our focus is on designing simple economical buildings that respect their context. Our style has evolved from our more angular early buildings and projects to a more classical simple architectural language in traditional materials. Some of Hussey Architects’ most prominent projects include: National Leprechaun Museum Cafe The Hendrick, Dublin, Ireland Navan Road Primary Care Centre, Dublin, Ireland Celbridge Primary Care Centre, Celbridge, Ireland Balbriggan Primary Care Centre, Balbriggan, Ireland The following statistics helped Hussey Architects achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Total Projects 14 29. Donaghy & Dimond Architects © Donaghy & Dimond Architects Based in Dublin, Donaghy + Dimond Architects was established in 2001 by Marcus Donaghy and Will Dimond, two architects with extensive experience of working on urban and rural design projects in Ireland and abroad. The practice has developed a reputation for high-quality, innovative and sustainable design, and has been selected for numerous national and international awards for completed projects. Their work has been published and exhibited in Ireland, Europe and the USA. Some of Donaghy & Dimond Architects’ most prominent projects include: Laneway Wall Garden House, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Donaghy & Dimond Architects achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 28. ABK Architects © ABK Architects Established in 1961, ABK Architects is a design-led practice with an international reputation for the delivery of buildings of the highest quality. It is renowned for its work in many fields including master-planning, education, healthcare, housing and the arts. The practice offers skills in architecture and related fields such as urban design and planning, interior and furniture design and is one of the leading exponents of sustainability in the field of architecture. Implicit in the work of ABK is a search for quality, which concerns the character and atmosphere of spaces and a sense of place. Each building proposal is a unique response, integrating the general and the particular into a coherent whole. Some of ABK Architects’ most prominent projects include: Roscommon Civic Offices, Roscommon, Ireland The following statistics helped ABK Architects achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 27. de Siún Scullion Architects © de Siún Scullion Architects We are a new Dublin-based Architecture practice offering a broad range of experience and specialist expertise in high quality, innovative and sustainable design to both public and private sector clients Some of de Siún Scullion Architects’ most prominent projects include: 5Cube, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped de Siún Scullion Architects achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 26. TAKA architects © TAKA architects TAKA is an architectural practice based in Dublin, Ireland. Our practice is focused on creating buildings, places and moments which have a distinct character. Our approach involves a careful and economic approach to materials and construction and a first-principles approach to sustainability. We collaborate closely with clients, professional consultants, and expert makers to ensure the ambitions of projects are met and exceeded. A continuing level of excellence in the built work of the practice is recognized by multiple national and international awards and worldwide publication. Some of TAKA architects’ most prominent projects include: Merrion Cricket Club, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped TAKA architects achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 25. NOJI Architects © NOJI NOJI Architects are a practice based in Sligo Town working on individual and collaborative projects throughout Ireland. NOJI architects have been in existence for 4 years, now with two staff and the principle architect being John Monahan. The practice has been primarily involved with residential work ranging from renovation extensions of period properties to one off houses and the possibility of community level buildings in the near future. In parallel to the mainly residential work there is an emphasis on the smaller scale design projects allowing an artistic expression and shorter build fruition periods. NOJI architects aim to have craft and innovative design solutions at the core of their work. Some of NOJI Architects’ most prominent projects include: Scale of Ply, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped NOJI achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 24. Carr Cotter Naessens Architects © Dennis Gilbert, VIEW Box Architecture was created in 1997. Since conception, the company has been established as a leading design practice in the nation. Quality has remained the focus of Box throughout and this has been employed to a variety of projects including urban schemes, apartment units, award-winning private commissions, corporate offices, crèches and housing developments. The success of Box Architecture is achieved through a personal approach to understand client needs. With a hands-on approach, technical expertise, creative execution and a commitment to continued education, the company applies a philosophy of the highest principle in order to contribute to a sustainable future and maintain quality architecture. Some of Carr Cotter Naessens Architects’ most prominent projects include: dlrLexicon, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Carr Cotter Naessens Architects achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 23. Box Architecture Timber elements mark the transition between openness and enclosure - © Box Architecture Box Architecture was created in 1997. Since conception, the company has been established as a leading design practice in the nation. Quality has remained the focus of Box throughout and this has been employed to a variety of projects including urban schemes, apartment units, award-winning private commissions, corporate offices, crèches and housing developments. The success of Box Architecture is achieved through a personal approach to understand client needs. With a hands-on approach, technical expertise, creative execution and a commitment to continued education, the company applies a philosophy of the highest principle in order to contribute to a sustainable future and maintain quality architecture. Some of Box Architecture’s most prominent projects include: BALLYROAN PARISH CENTRE Ballyroan Library The following statistics helped Box Architecture achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 2 22. Kingston Lafferty Design © Donal Murphy Kingston Lafferty Design are an award-winning, international multi-disciplinary design company run by Roisin Lafferty based in Dublin, Ireland. At KLD we think differently about design. Our designs take people on a journey, delivering fun and unexpected experiences. With a holistic approach, we study the way in which people live and work to create tactile and meaningful design, putting human behavior at the centre of every project. Some of Kingston Lafferty Design’s most prominent projects include: Dublin Residence, Dublin, Ireland Ballsbridge Residence, Dublin, Ireland Ranelagh Residence, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Kingston Lafferty Design achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 3 21. Architecture Republic © Architecture Republic Architecture Republic with offices in Dublin (Ireland)and Lyon (France) operates in the fields of architecture, urbanism and landscape design. We engage with engineers, artists, researchers, policy-makers, and other professionals through research, analysis and cross disciplinary collaboration. We find the seeds of our inspiration in the rich and complex realm of ordinary everyday life. We believe in the social engagement and spatial power of architecture more than its visual or plastic expression. We believe in architecture that creates public spaces and democratic cities. An architecture that revitalizes redefines and strengthens existing buildings and neighbourhoods. Some of Architecture Republic’s most prominent projects include: The Plastic House, Dublin, Ireland Formwork Studio Brick a Back, Gordon Street, Dublin, Ireland Orla Kiely’s New York Store, New York, New York The following statistics helped Architecture Republic achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 20. Conneely Wessels Architects © F22 PHOTOGRAPHY Conneely Wessels Architects is an Award Winning Architectural Practice, established in 2008 and based in Kinsale, County Cork. Our practice provides a responsive, imaginative and professional service, tailored to the aspirations of each of our clients, and to deliver quality results, regardless of commission size or type. Some of Conneely Wessels Architects’ most prominent projects include: Three Pavilions, House Clancy, Kinsale, Ireland Peek-a-Boo!, Kinsale, Ireland Cardinal Point, Kinsale, Ireland Ardgwee House, Kinsale, Ireland The following statistics helped Conneely Wessels Architects achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 4 19. ARCHITECTSTM © Ros Kavanagh ARCHITECTSTM is a design practice founded by Tom Maher. Based in Dublin, Ireland the firm boasts a portfolio of residential, cultural and commercial designs. Some of ARCHITECTSTM’s most prominent projects include: K HOUSE, Ranelagh, Ireland GARDENER’S WORLD (FUTURE), Callan, Ireland SLATE STOREY EXTENSION, Dublin, Ireland COTTAGE, County Kilkenny, Ireland 8BY4, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped ARCHITECTSTM achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 5 18. Paul Dillon Architects © Paul Dillon Architects In 1999, architect Paul Dillon established his full-service practice in Galway, which quickly earned a reputation for combining design sensitivity with professional management and delivery. Each year, paul dillon architects complete a small number of challenging everyday projects, ranging from domestic extensions and garden designs to large commercial, retail, industrial and public projects. This commitment to the process of building, has been recognized with numerous national and international publications and awards. The completed work, both public and private, is receiving growing understanding and appreciation from those who take responsibility for their built environment. Some of Paul Dillon Architects’ most prominent projects include: Carnaun Primary School, Athenry, Ireland Extension to Secondary School, County Galway, Ireland Kilrickle Primary School, Kilreekill, Ireland Art Room, Secondary School, Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland Art Room, Inis Mór, County Galway, Ireland The following statistics helped Paul Dillon Architects achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 5 17. Isabel Barros Architects © Robert Mullan Photography isabel barros architects are driven by a passion for creating high quality contemporary architecture. Our goal is to make good design available to the general public while maintaining a strong focus on the energy efficiency and sustainability of our designs. Some of Isabel Barros Architects’ most prominent projects include: Seaview House, Wexford, Ireland Conservation Works at Brandon House Hotel, New Ross, Ireland Extension to House Over 100 Years Old, Ireland River House Kilkenny, Kilkenny, Ireland Shaolin Cottage, Ireland The following statistics helped Isabel Barros Architects achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 6 16. Solearth Architecture © Solearth Architecture Solearth Architecture specialise in design that is both beautiful and deeply sustainable. We have for 15 years been Irelands leading green design firm and now provide architecture, design and consulting services further afield. All projects and client types are of interest to us but our key experience to date lies in hospitality, visitor, environment, wellness and buildings for spirituality as well as housing and private houses. We also have expertise in sustainable masterplanning and urban design. We are Europes only Living Building accredited practice. Some of Solearth Architecture’s most prominent projects include: Airfield Evolution, Dublin, Ireland Castle Espie, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom The Daintree Building, Dublin, Ireland Ballybay Wetland Centre, Ballybay, Ireland Dechen Shying, Cork, Ireland The following statistics helped Solearth Architecture achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 7 15. Foley Architects © Foley Architects, CAMPUS Foley Architects is an architectural practice based in Dublin led by Stephen Foley and Marta Lopez driven by creating sustainable buildings and considered spaces that connect to their physical and social contexts. Our mission is to uncover what is special about each project to create unique spaces and buildings which can inspire communities. The concept of our first built project, the Eastbourne Beach Hut took inspiration from a local story involving fossils and was developed using digital fabrication tools. The pavilion’s translucent skin allows it to transform at night, emitting light and expressing its structure. The Cork Butter museum involved the adaptive reuse of an existing space, it’s remodelling and installation of elements for a collection of artefacts, using economic materials like mild steel and birch plywood. Some of Foley Architects’ most prominent projects include: The Lark Theatre, Dublin, Ireland Eastbourne Beach Hut, Eastbourne, United Kingdom Rossaveel Small Craft Harbour, Galway, Ireland 12th Lock Area Masterplan, Lucan, Ireland Killybegs Small Craft Harbour, Donegal, Ireland The following statistics helped Foley Architects achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 9 14. David Flynn Architects © David Flynn Architects Ltd We are award-winning Architects in Dublin specializing in residential projects, including newbuild houses, reconstruction and significant refurb / extension / transformation of existing. We are currently engaged as Architects in a small number of projects across Dublin with construction values ranging from €400,000 up to €1.5m. The majority of our houses will end up as highly efficient A-rated homes for life. We have a track record in delivering highly bespoke residential architecture projects which run smoothly through design, planning and construction stages, many of which have received awards and been widely published. We use highly detailed 3D Digital models to plan, visualise and clearly communicate from early in the design process to ensure a successful outcome. Some of David Flynn Architects’ most prominent projects include: Garden Retreat, Blackrock, Ireland Mount Merrion, Dublin, Ireland 1930s Extension Renovation, Booterstown, Ireland 1870s period house extension, Sandymount, Ireland Rebuild & Renovation, Clonskeagh, Ireland The following statistics helped David Flynn Architects achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 10 13. ODKM Architects & Designers © ODKM Architects & Designers ODKM are highly experienced award-winning architectural practice, with accolades and publications both in Ireland and abroad. We love design, how it makes us feel, and what it offers us every day, and we are passionate about how important this is in creating new spaces, identities and places that exceed our clients expectations. Ultimately, buildings are about people, and we believe in quality driven design to create environments with a sense of place. Our team each bring unique and diverse skills to the practice, all stemming from a common holistic design philosophy; that design can improve the quality of our lives, and make us happier. Some of ODKM Architects & Designers’ most prominent projects include: Ranelagh House, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped ODKM Architects & Designers achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 1 Total Projects 1 12. Architectural Farm © Ste Murray | Photography & Design Architectural Farm is a design focused architectural studio based in Dublin. The studio has been led by Shane Cotter and Kathryn Wilson since 2010. To date the practice has worked on a variety of projects specializing in residential and public commissions in both urban and rural settings but also have collaborated on retail, commercial and landscaping projects. Some of Architectural Farm’s most prominent projects include: Walled Garden, Ballsbridge, Ireland St Declans Terrace, Saint Declan’s Terrace, Ireland The following statistics helped Architectural Farm achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 11. GKMP Architect © GKMP Architect GKMP Architects is a Dublin-based practice that designs high quality modern architecture. Our recent projects include house design, domestic extensions, public spaces and tourist facilities. Some of GKMP Architect’s most prominent projects include: Hedge House at Leeson Walk, Dublin, Ireland House Extension at Silchester Park, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped GKMP Architect achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 2 10. Aughey O’Flaherty Architects © Aughey O'Flaherty Architects Since the start, in 1999, we have been blessed with great clients. We work closely with them to understand their needs and create buidings to fit those needs. By 2003, the practice had won the first of many awards and in 2005, we won the prestious RIAI award, best building in the landscape.As conservation architects, we have Grade II RIAI Conservation Accreditation. Some of Aughey O’Flaherty Architects’ most prominent projects include: Fethard House on Mount Anville, Goatstown, Ireland New House The following statistics helped Aughey O'Flaherty Architects achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 3 9. BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners © BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects, founded in 2015 by Gareth Brennan and Séamus Furlong, is an award-winning RIAI-registered practice based in Clontarf, Dublin. The practice is accredited in Conservation (Grade III), can act as Project Supervisors for the Design Process (PSDP) and holds full Professional Indemnity Insurance. The work of the practice – a mix of residential and commercial projects — centers on the principle that the well-considered and carefully developed design of buildings and spaces we use every day helps to enrich and enliven our experience and interaction with the built environment. Some of BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners’ most prominent projects include: GLENTORA, Howth, Dublin, Ireland FOUR WINDS, Dublin, Ireland STRAND ROAD, Dublin, Ireland LERRIG, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped BRENNAN | FURLONG Architects & Urban Planners achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 4 8. Ambient Architecture © Ambient Architecture At Ambient Architecture we design exclusive residences for private clients in new builds, renovation and conservation projects. For our commercial partners, we develop innovative, sustainable, and sound feasibility and planning solutions. As architects we focus on providing the best outcome for our clients, in terms of design, costs, and buildability. Some of Ambient Architecture’s most prominent projects include: New house in Malahide, Malahide, Ireland Rathgar Redbrick, Dublin, Ireland Loreto Abbey Dalkey Sportshall, Dalkey, Ireland Rathmines Redbrick, Dublin, Ireland 2SEMIS, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Ambient Architecture achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 7. Coady Architects © Coady Architects Coady Architects is an award winning practice of highly skilled professionals, specializing in healthcare, residential, workplace and education design. We are passionate about understanding our clients’ and end users’ needs. We understand commercial drivers and add value at every opportunity. We enjoy design, we listen and explore, we innovate and challenge to deliver better environments and better buildings. Some of Coady Architects’ most prominent projects include: Scholen van Morgen. VIIO, Tongeren, Belgium Eolas, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland Clinical Education and Research Centre, Limerick, Ireland Scholen van Morgen. Heilig Hart van Mariainstituut, Berlaar, Belgium Scholen van Morgen, Virga Jessecollege, Hasselt, Belgium The following statistics helped Coady Architects achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 5 6. Architecture 53seven © Architecture 53seven Architecture 53seven is focussed on the delivery of inventive architecture and urban design, with a particular interest in developing new programmatic forms that reflect the complexities of the contemporary city. Established by Jason O’Shaughnessy in 2000, Architecture 53seven has developed a series of acclaimed projects in Ireland and overseas and was nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2009. Some of Architecture 53seven’s most prominent projects include: Egans Juice Bar and Roof Terrace, Main Street, Portlaoise, Ireland Tullow Ciivic Offices and Library Montenegro Villa, Dobra Voda, Montenegro Villa Petrovic, Dobra Voda, Montenegro Renaasance day hospital The following statistics helped Architecture 53seven achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 2 Total Projects 37 5. FKL architects © FKL architects FKL architects is committed to contemporary design with a focus on the application of abstract ideas to built form. Each project is approached from first principles by responding to the specifics of site and program and formulating a singular concept that informs all aspects of the design. This individual concept is firmly rooted in the pragmatics of the project. We seek to condense ideas to their essentials, from the building form to the detail of junctions between materials with all decisions re-affirming and complementing the primary concept. The form and language of each project grows out of this approach leading to a diversity in the work, within a framework given by enduring interests; in space, atmosphere, assemblage, pattern, hierarchy, texture and materiality. Some of FKL architects’ most prominent projects include: A House, Rathmines, Ireland A house, Rathmines, Ireland St John’s House Nursing Home, Dublin, Ireland Brick House Reuben Street Apartments, Dolphins Barn, Ireland The following statistics helped FKL architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 17 4. Heneghan Peng Architects © Iwan Baan heneghan peng architects is a design partnership practicing architecture, landscape and urban design. The practice was founded by Shih-Fu Peng and Róisín Heneghan in New York in 1999 and in 2001 opened an office in Dublin, Ireland. We take a multi-disciplinary approach to design and have collaborated with many leading designers and engineers on a range of projects which include larger scale urban masterplans, bridges, landscapes and buildings. Current projects include the Canadian Canoe Museum, The Old Library refurbishment at Trinity College Dublin, the Visitors’ Centre at the Berlin Botanic Gardens and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Some of Heneghan Peng Architects’ most prominent projects include: The Palestinian Museum, Bir Zayt Air BnB European Operations Hub, Dublin, Ireland School of Architecture and Design/Library at the University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom The following statistics helped Heneghan Peng Architects achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 3 Total Projects 3 3. Scullion Architects © Scullion Architects SCULLION ARCHITECTS are a Dublin-based Architectural Studio established by Declan Scullion MRIAI, providing architectural services for both the public and private sector. The practice’s work is characterized by a particular attention to user experience supported by an interest in things well-made. Our ambition is to provide a dedicated and professional service delivering exceptional buildings. Some of Scullion Architects’ most prominent projects include: Grand Canal Street, Dublin, Ireland Glass Ribbon, Dublin, Ireland Blackrock House, Dundalk, Ireland Churchtown, Dublin, Ireland The Liberties, Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped Scullion Architects achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 5 2. ODOS © ODOS The constant questioning of how people work, rest and play in today’s society is the fundamental driving force behind the practice. We strongly believe our clients deserve to be challenged and that buildings need to inspire their occupants. As architects we have a duty to expose such possibilities. We hope to instill a sense of curiosity and excitement, stimulating a response, confronting and challenging traditional conceptions of architecture Some of ODOS’s most prominent projects include: Flynn Mews House, Dublin, Ireland Dwelling at Maytree, Wicklow, Wicklow, Ireland 3 Mews Houses, Dublin, Ireland Grangegorman, Dublin 7, Dublin, Ireland 31 Carysfort Road, Dalkey, Ireland The following statistics helped ODOS achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: A+Awards Finalist 1 Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 9 1. McCullough Mulvin Architects © McCullough Mulvin Architects McCullough Mulvin Architects is an architecture and urban design practice based in Dublin. Much of our work has been in the design of cultural and civic buildings around Ireland, projects working to define a new public realm in a changing society, dealing with Ireland’s diffuse light and stark materiality. The work is based around an idea of experimentation – from small domestic work through to larger civic projects – testing at all scales, the work is original and the response to each brief particular. There is no house style, rather a concern for improving the lives of people by designing public and private spaces where life is played out. Some of McCullough Mulvin Architects’ most prominent projects include: Medieval Mile Museum, Kilkenny, Ireland Featured image: Trinity Long Room Hub, Dublin, Ireland Z Square House, Temple Gardens, Dublin, Ireland Beaufort Maritime Research Building, Cork, Ireland one up two down , Dublin, Ireland The following statistics helped McCullough Mulvin Architects achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Ireland: Featured Projects 4 Total Projects 6 Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking? With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year. Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York. An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted A Guide to Project Awards The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award. The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status: Project completed within the last 3 years A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value High quality, in focus photographs At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings Inclusion of construction photographs There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.     We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com. The post 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Ireland appeared first on Journal.
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  • 18-Million-Year-Old Megalodon Teeth Reveal the Predator's Surprising Diet

    Comparison of a megalodon tooth and a great white shark tooth, not associated with the study.NewsletterSign up for our email newsletter for the latest science newsMegalodon teeth have always been key to understanding the ancient marine predator. Fossilized teeth are all that remain to prove the existence of these massive sharks, and the name megalodon is from the Greek for “big tooth.”A new study, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, highlights the importance of the megalodon’s human-hand-sized teeth once again. Thanks to extracting and analyzing the traces of zinc left in the fossilized teeth, researchers now know that the megalodon’s diet was much broader than scientists once believed.“Megalodon was by all means flexible enough to feed on marine mammals and large fish, from the top of the food pyramid as well as lower levels – depending on availability,” said Jeremy McCormack from the Department of Geosciences at Goethe University, in a press release.What Did the Megalodon Eat?Clocking in at 78 feet in length and weighing about twice as much as a semi truck, the megalodon was a big fish with a big appetite. It is suggested that a member of the Otodus shark family would require about 100,000 kilocalories per day to survive. Due to this extreme number, scientists have often assumed that the megalodon’s main source of calories came from whales.This new study suggests that whales were not the only item on the megalodon’s daily menu and that these sharks were actually quite adaptable when it came to their food. The research team analyzed 18-million-year-old giant teeth that came from two fossil deposits in Sigmaringen and Passau. What they were looking for was the presence of zinc-66 and zinc-64, two isotopes commonly ingested with food. Typically, the higher up in a food pyramid an animal is, the lower the presence of zinc. As they are oftentimes at the top of the food chain, species such as Otodus megalodon and Otodus chubutensis have a low ratio of zinc-66 to zinc-64 compared to species lower on the food chain.“Sea bream, which fed on mussels, snails, and crustaceans, formed the lowest level of the food chain we studied,” said McCormack in the press release. “Smaller shark species such as requiem sharks and ancestors of today’s cetaceans, dolphins, and whales, were next. Larger sharks, such as sand tiger sharks, were further up the food pyramid, and at the top were giant sharks like Araloselachus cuspidatus and the Otodus sharks, which include megalodon.”Surprisingly, the zinc levels in the megalodon teeth weren’t always that different from the zinc levels in species lower down the food chain. This result means that the commonly held scientific belief that megalodons focused their attention on eating large marine mammals may be incorrect. Instead, McCormack refers to the megalodon as an “ecologically versatile generalist” that adapted to environmental and regional constraints that changed the availability and variety of their prey.A New Method in Teeth TestingUsing the zinc content of fossilized teeth is a relatively new method of analysis, and the research team working on the megalodon couldn’t be happier with their results. The methods used in this study have not only been used for prehistoric shark and whale species but also modern-day shark species, and have even been used on herbivorous prehistoric rhinoceroses.Overall, these new methods have begun to rewrite the history of megalodon’s eating habits and may help to explain more about why these giants of the food chain went extinct. “gives us important insights into how the marine communities have changed over geologic time, but more importantly the fact that even ‘supercarnivores’ are not immune to extinction,” said Kenshu Shimada, a paleobiologist at DePaul University and a coauthor of this study, in the press release.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Miocene marine vertebrate trophic ecology reveals megatooth sharks as opportunistic supercarnivoresAs the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers across Discover's social media channels and writes digital content. Offline, she is a contract lecturer in English & Cultural Studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses on everything from professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her graduate degrees in the same department from McMaster University. You can find more of her science writing in Lab Manager and her short fiction in anthologies and literary magazine across the horror genre.1 free article leftWant More? Get unlimited access for as low as /monthSubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In1 free articleSubscribeWant more?Keep reading for as low as !SubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In
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    18-Million-Year-Old Megalodon Teeth Reveal the Predator's Surprising Diet
    Comparison of a megalodon tooth and a great white shark tooth, not associated with the study.NewsletterSign up for our email newsletter for the latest science newsMegalodon teeth have always been key to understanding the ancient marine predator. Fossilized teeth are all that remain to prove the existence of these massive sharks, and the name megalodon is from the Greek for “big tooth.”A new study, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, highlights the importance of the megalodon’s human-hand-sized teeth once again. Thanks to extracting and analyzing the traces of zinc left in the fossilized teeth, researchers now know that the megalodon’s diet was much broader than scientists once believed.“Megalodon was by all means flexible enough to feed on marine mammals and large fish, from the top of the food pyramid as well as lower levels – depending on availability,” said Jeremy McCormack from the Department of Geosciences at Goethe University, in a press release.What Did the Megalodon Eat?Clocking in at 78 feet in length and weighing about twice as much as a semi truck, the megalodon was a big fish with a big appetite. It is suggested that a member of the Otodus shark family would require about 100,000 kilocalories per day to survive. Due to this extreme number, scientists have often assumed that the megalodon’s main source of calories came from whales.This new study suggests that whales were not the only item on the megalodon’s daily menu and that these sharks were actually quite adaptable when it came to their food. The research team analyzed 18-million-year-old giant teeth that came from two fossil deposits in Sigmaringen and Passau. What they were looking for was the presence of zinc-66 and zinc-64, two isotopes commonly ingested with food. Typically, the higher up in a food pyramid an animal is, the lower the presence of zinc. As they are oftentimes at the top of the food chain, species such as Otodus megalodon and Otodus chubutensis have a low ratio of zinc-66 to zinc-64 compared to species lower on the food chain.“Sea bream, which fed on mussels, snails, and crustaceans, formed the lowest level of the food chain we studied,” said McCormack in the press release. “Smaller shark species such as requiem sharks and ancestors of today’s cetaceans, dolphins, and whales, were next. Larger sharks, such as sand tiger sharks, were further up the food pyramid, and at the top were giant sharks like Araloselachus cuspidatus and the Otodus sharks, which include megalodon.”Surprisingly, the zinc levels in the megalodon teeth weren’t always that different from the zinc levels in species lower down the food chain. This result means that the commonly held scientific belief that megalodons focused their attention on eating large marine mammals may be incorrect. Instead, McCormack refers to the megalodon as an “ecologically versatile generalist” that adapted to environmental and regional constraints that changed the availability and variety of their prey.A New Method in Teeth TestingUsing the zinc content of fossilized teeth is a relatively new method of analysis, and the research team working on the megalodon couldn’t be happier with their results. The methods used in this study have not only been used for prehistoric shark and whale species but also modern-day shark species, and have even been used on herbivorous prehistoric rhinoceroses.Overall, these new methods have begun to rewrite the history of megalodon’s eating habits and may help to explain more about why these giants of the food chain went extinct. “gives us important insights into how the marine communities have changed over geologic time, but more importantly the fact that even ‘supercarnivores’ are not immune to extinction,” said Kenshu Shimada, a paleobiologist at DePaul University and a coauthor of this study, in the press release.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Miocene marine vertebrate trophic ecology reveals megatooth sharks as opportunistic supercarnivoresAs the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers across Discover's social media channels and writes digital content. Offline, she is a contract lecturer in English & Cultural Studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses on everything from professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her graduate degrees in the same department from McMaster University. You can find more of her science writing in Lab Manager and her short fiction in anthologies and literary magazine across the horror genre.1 free article leftWant More? Get unlimited access for as low as /monthSubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In1 free articleSubscribeWant more?Keep reading for as low as !SubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In #18millionyearold #megalodon #teeth #reveal #predator039s
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    18-Million-Year-Old Megalodon Teeth Reveal the Predator's Surprising Diet
    Comparison of a megalodon tooth and a great white shark tooth, not associated with the study. (Image Credit: Mark_Kostich/Shutterstock) NewsletterSign up for our email newsletter for the latest science newsMegalodon teeth have always been key to understanding the ancient marine predator. Fossilized teeth are all that remain to prove the existence of these massive sharks, and the name megalodon is from the Greek for “big tooth.”A new study, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, highlights the importance of the megalodon’s human-hand-sized teeth once again. Thanks to extracting and analyzing the traces of zinc left in the fossilized teeth, researchers now know that the megalodon’s diet was much broader than scientists once believed.“Megalodon was by all means flexible enough to feed on marine mammals and large fish, from the top of the food pyramid as well as lower levels – depending on availability,” said Jeremy McCormack from the Department of Geosciences at Goethe University, in a press release.What Did the Megalodon Eat?Clocking in at 78 feet in length and weighing about twice as much as a semi truck, the megalodon was a big fish with a big appetite. It is suggested that a member of the Otodus shark family would require about 100,000 kilocalories per day to survive. Due to this extreme number, scientists have often assumed that the megalodon’s main source of calories came from whales.This new study suggests that whales were not the only item on the megalodon’s daily menu and that these sharks were actually quite adaptable when it came to their food. The research team analyzed 18-million-year-old giant teeth that came from two fossil deposits in Sigmaringen and Passau. What they were looking for was the presence of zinc-66 and zinc-64, two isotopes commonly ingested with food. Typically, the higher up in a food pyramid an animal is, the lower the presence of zinc. As they are oftentimes at the top of the food chain, species such as Otodus megalodon and Otodus chubutensis have a low ratio of zinc-66 to zinc-64 compared to species lower on the food chain.“Sea bream, which fed on mussels, snails, and crustaceans, formed the lowest level of the food chain we studied,” said McCormack in the press release. “Smaller shark species such as requiem sharks and ancestors of today’s cetaceans, dolphins, and whales, were next. Larger sharks, such as sand tiger sharks, were further up the food pyramid, and at the top were giant sharks like Araloselachus cuspidatus and the Otodus sharks, which include megalodon.”Surprisingly, the zinc levels in the megalodon teeth weren’t always that different from the zinc levels in species lower down the food chain. This result means that the commonly held scientific belief that megalodons focused their attention on eating large marine mammals may be incorrect. Instead, McCormack refers to the megalodon as an “ecologically versatile generalist” that adapted to environmental and regional constraints that changed the availability and variety of their prey.A New Method in Teeth TestingUsing the zinc content of fossilized teeth is a relatively new method of analysis, and the research team working on the megalodon couldn’t be happier with their results. The methods used in this study have not only been used for prehistoric shark and whale species but also modern-day shark species, and have even been used on herbivorous prehistoric rhinoceroses.Overall, these new methods have begun to rewrite the history of megalodon’s eating habits and may help to explain more about why these giants of the food chain went extinct. “[Determining zinc isotope ratios] gives us important insights into how the marine communities have changed over geologic time, but more importantly the fact that even ‘supercarnivores’ are not immune to extinction,” said Kenshu Shimada, a paleobiologist at DePaul University and a coauthor of this study, in the press release.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Miocene marine vertebrate trophic ecology reveals megatooth sharks as opportunistic supercarnivoresAs the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers across Discover's social media channels and writes digital content. Offline, she is a contract lecturer in English & Cultural Studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses on everything from professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her graduate degrees in the same department from McMaster University. You can find more of her science writing in Lab Manager and her short fiction in anthologies and literary magazine across the horror genre.1 free article leftWant More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/monthSubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In1 free articleSubscribeWant more?Keep reading for as low as $1.99!SubscribeAlready a subscriber?Register or Log In
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  • Disney's 23 Best And Most Memorable Songs Ever, Ranked

    Start SlideshowStart SlideshowDisney has enchanted us for decades with its resplendent animation and fantastical stories of princesses, wicked witches, and fire-breathing dragons, but music has always been its most indelible sprinkle of pixie dust. There are songs that move us, make us dance, and help us understand the characters that have already been so lovingly drawn. With over 350 songs in the Disney canon, it’s nearly impossible to narrow them down, but we’ve chosen the 23 in honor of the year 1923, when Walt Disney founded the company. These songs are the most magical and remind us why Disney has endured for over a century.Previous SlideNext Slide2 / 25List slides23. “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White and the Seven DwarfsList slides23. “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White and the Seven DwarfsWhistle While You Work - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Larry Morey and Frank Churchill’s merry tune about finding the joy in the most mundane of chores is quite simple, with only nine lines, yet incredibly catchy. Adriana Caselotti’s warbling, baby voice is fitting for this old-fashioned, operetta-style number and the entire sequence that features the big-eyed, adorable forest creatures helping her out. The squirrels sweep the dust with their tails, and the raccoons wash dirty clothes in a nearby watering hole to every sprightly beat. It’s difficult not to be beguiled by this little ditty, and you’ll find yourself humming it the next time you do your spring cleaning. Previous SlideNext Slide3 / 25List slides22. “The Family Madrigal” from EncantoList slides22. “The Family Madrigal” from EncantoStephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, Encanto - Cast - The Family MadrigalLin-Manuel Miranda’s fingerprints are all over modern Disney soundtracks. He is a master at crafting clever, fast-paced, and genre-blending earworms. The biggest ones to emerge from Encanto are “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure,” where he blends classic Broadway stylings with punchier salsa and reggaeton genres. “The Family Madrigal” may not have reached the same level of pop culture infamy as the other songs in this film, but it’s a clever and economical way to introduce the Madrigal family and their powers. Stephanie Beatriz’s bubbly voice as Mirabel suits the song’s bouncy rhythm perfectly, while the Colombian folk instruments such as an accordion, caja vallenata, and guacharaca match the colorful energy of the magical town the Madrigals call home. Previous SlideNext Slide4 / 25List slides21.“Dig a Little Deeper” from Princess and the FrogList slides21.“Dig a Little Deeper” from Princess and the FrogDig a Little DeeperRandy Newman’s toe-tapping blend of big-band swing and gospel choir refrains perfectly captures the vibrant soul of the New Orleans setting. The feisty Jennifer Lewis leads “Dig a Little Deeper” as Mama Odie, backed by the rousing Pinnacle Gospel Choir. The song’s brassy rhythms help Tiana let loose and Naveen to realize that he’s in love with her. The lessons Mama Odie imparts through the lyrics are wise and grounded: it doesn’t matter what you have or where you come from—that doesn’t define who you are. True fulfillment doesn’t come from material wealth, status, or outward appearances—it comes from understanding what you really want on the inside. The song crescendos with Anika Noni Rose’s powerful belt and the soulful shouts of Mama Odie’s bright flamingo chorus. Previous SlideNext Slide5 / 25List slides20. “I See the Light” from TangledList slides20. “I See the Light” from Tangled“I SEE THE LIGHT” | Tangled | Disney Animated HD The dreamy melody of “I See the Light” begins with a soft guitar. Glenn Slater and Alan Menken’s composition is fairly simple, allowing the glittering visuals to take center stage. The song takes place during the lighting ceremony that Rapunzel has yearned to visit after observing it from her tower for 18 years. Flynn and Rapunzel float on a gondola, surrounded by over 45,000 glowing lanterns floating in the air, dotting the sky and reflecting off the water that surrounds them. The characters sing the verses separately in their heads before their emotions burst, then they harmonize the chorus loudly, compelled by their realization that they’re in love. It’s a unique and touching way of framing a Disney love song. Previous SlideNext Slide6 / 25List slides19. “Friend Like Me” from AladdinList slides19. “Friend Like Me” from AladdinAladdin - Friend Like MeHoward Ashman’s playful lyrics and Alan Menken’s up-tempo, syncopated, vaudevillian song was the perfect musical playground for Robin Williams to fill with the zany impressions and quirky voices he was renowned for. A trumpet warbles in between one of the clever lyrics, sights and sounds so jam-packed with hilarity that you can barely stop to catch your breath. Robin Williams was so adept at improvisation that he had nearly an entire day’s worth of material. The animation is just as bonkers as his vocal performance, where Genie morphs into countless creatures—from a train whistle to a maître d’, a boxing trainer, a bunny, and a dragon. The Broadway-style showstopper culminates with a kick line under bright spotlights with monkeys, elephants, and dancing girls in crop tops and harem pants. “Friend Like Me” is a shining showcase for one of our finest comedic talents, the great Robin Williams. Previous SlideNext Slide7 / 25List slides18. “Baby Mine” from DumboList slides18. “Baby Mine” from DumboDisney’s “Dumbo” - Baby MineSongwriters Frank Churchill and Ned Washington are responsible for childhood traumas everywhere with “Baby Mine,” which takes place when Dumbo’s mother has been jailed as a “mad elephant” for fiercely protecting her son against his bullies. She reaches her trunk through the bars to cradle Dumbo to the soft, slumbering melody accompanied by haunting strings. Betty Noyes’ has that rich, rounded tone found in vintage singing, and it conveys Mrs. Jumbo’s maternal strength. The images of all the animals—zebras, tigers, monkeys, and even the underwater hippos—nestled in the love of their mothers, except for poor Dumbo, set against the song’s soothing orchestra, is absolutely heart wrenching. “Baby Mine” is the kind of song that inspires dreams of being comforted and cared for by a loving parental figure.Previous SlideNext Slide8 / 25List slides17. ”Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping BeautyList slides17. ”Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping BeautyOnce Upon A Dream | Sleeping Beauty Lyric Video | DISNEY SING-ALONGS Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain craft a solo-turned-duet with a woozy, mysterious quality that perfectly complements the story of Sleeping Beauty. Mary Costa has such an elegant and operatic voice, with rich tones that make her sound far more mature than a 16-year-old girl. She’s soon joined by the strong, handsome voice of Prince Phillip, who appears unexpectedly in the forest. Their romance unfolds quickly, twirling together in the woods, surrounded by beautiful medieval-inspired, Gothic-Renaissance style visuals. The lilting orchestration and the grand choral ensemble add to the old-world mystique. The lyrics—of knowing someone before you truly know them, of seeing them in your dreams—add a tinge of mysterious excitement and mystical fate to their romance. Previous SlideNext Slide9 / 25List slides16. “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre DameList slides16. “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre DameHellfire - The Hunchback of Notre DameAlan Menken and Stephen Schwartz crafted one of Disney’s darkest songs. It’s hard to imagine Disney taking this type of creative risk again. “Hellfire” is sung by a corrupt priest consumed by lust for the Romani woman Esmeralda. The deep-voiced Tony Jay plays the dishonorable Frollo, who paints himself as a virtuous man—even though he killed Quasimodo’s mother and nearly killed Quasimodo. A true Catholic would have helped them. Today, Disney would never dare to show that authority figures—especially religious ones—can often be wrong and hypocritical, if not outright evil. This is one of the most provocative villain songs, in which Frollo essentially confesses his horniness. He sings of being enraptured by Esmeralda’s smoldering eyes and raven hair—a desire that burns and threatens to turn him to sin. “Hellfire” also has a spooky quality in its use of Latin and the intense religious choir that looms over Frollo in judgment, cloaked in red with faces like empty black holes. It’s a haunting song of operatic grandeur, with notes that flare and fade like the flames dancing in front of him. Previous SlideNext Slide10 / 25List slides15. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from CinderellaList slides15. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from CinderellaA Dream Is a Wish Your Heart MakesSung with silky warmth and a shimmering, ethereal vibrato by Ilene Woods as Cinderella, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” is soft and soothing, yet carries an undercurrent of quiet determination. She sings to her loyal companions—adorable flocks of birds and mice—who wear the tiny outfits she’s lovingly made for them. They join in during a break of the song that is more playful and buoyant while she prepares for another grueling day of chores, yet she stays positive by believing her dreams will come true. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” has become a marketing anthem for the studio—used in various ads to evoke nostalgia, magic, and the promise that dreams really do come true, with Disney theme parks as the place where that magic can happen. Previous SlideNext Slide11 / 25List slides14. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride from Lilo & StitchList slides14. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride from Lilo & StitchHawaiian Roller Coaster RideThe rich voice of Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu and the cheerful Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus come together for a song that is as sweet and breezy as a summer’s day. “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” takes place during a touching moment of family bonding as Lilo, Nani, and David go surfing, gliding through the waves with ease. Stitch has been naughty, so he feels a little shy about enjoying the day with them, but he slowly begins to warm up to what it feels like to have a family. We see the adorable progression as the little thrill-seeker ends up riding the waves too. The song’s instrumentation—featuring ukulele, traditional Hawaiian fingerstyle guitar, and steel guitar—evokes the ocean waves and open skies, giving it that relaxed, beachy vibe. Both the animation and the song itself honors the film’s beautiful Hawaiian setting. Previous SlideNext Slide12 / 25List slides13. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from MulanList slides13. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from MulanMulan | I’ll Make a Man Out of You | Disney Junior UK “Let’s get down to business, to defeat the Huns” Donny Osmond sings in his perfectly crisp voice. The rousing number “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel is the pump-up song for a training montage. It starts out comical as we see Mulan and her clumsy friends attempt to become the ideal Chinese soldier. The catchy chorus uses evocative nature metaphors for the type of strength and calm that Mulan needs to find, and the deep-voiced punctuation “Be a man!” at the end of each line adds to the hype. When Donny Osmond belts “Time is racing towards us, ‘till the Huns arrive,” you feel a thrilling rush of urgency and swell with courage. The final chorus plays against no instrumentation, the manly voices of the soldiers booming, allowing you to focus on Mulan and her friends now kicking ass. Previous SlideNext Slide13 / 25List slides12. “A Whole New World” from AladdinList slides12. “A Whole New World” from AladdinAladdin - A Whole New WorldBrad Kane’s voice carries an excited, breathy quality that draws you in as he whisks Jasmine away on a magic carpet ride. He sounds bright and earnest as he describes the shining, shimmering, and splendid world that Jasmine has never seen and he’s eager to show her. Lea Salonga, who is a Broadway legend in her own right, has an angelic innocence as Jasmine. Their voices come together in perfect harmony for this sweeping duet. “A Whole New World” is one of Disney’s most romantic love songs, with a melody that flutters and glides like the magic carpet itself. Written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice, the orchestration has lush strings that propel the adventurous animated sequence where they soar through the clouds, pass the Sphinx, and touch down near a group of horses. Previous SlideNext Slide14 / 25List slides11. “Strangers Like Me” from TarzanList slides11. “Strangers Like Me” from TarzanStrangers Like Me- TarzanOpening with a pulsing drum track, Strangers Like Me evokes the spinning wheels in Tarzan’s mind as he learns more about what lies beyond the jungle. The montage is gorgeously animated, featuring old-fashioned ink illustrations that Tarzan looks at through a magic lantern. He sees the city of London, a giant castle, the Sphinx, and even outer space for the first time. This flood of information drives the song’s urgent pace.The filmmakers craft the entire animated sequence as a response to the lyrics, as Tarzan watches Janeor shows off a pocket of the rainforest filled with parrots. Phil Collins’ bright voice captures Tarzan’s wonderment, especially in the soaring chorus, where Tarzan expresses his desire to learn more about strangers like him. You feel his hunger for the great, wide world in the song’s pounding, tribal drumbeats. Previous SlideNext Slide15 / 25List slides10. “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from HerculesList slides10. “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from HerculesHercules│ I Won’t SayThe story of the ancient Greek hero Hercules has such a unique musical style, with lyricist David Zippel and composer Alan Menken blending doo-wop, Motown, and gospel soul. The muses serve as a literal Greek chorus, commenting on the action with their sassy perspective. In “I Won’t Say I’m in Love,” Megara’s velvet-voiced, sarcastic Susan Egan stands apart from other Disney heroines, who often sing fluttering arias about dreaming of a prince. Instead, Megara resists her feelings because she’s been burned too many times before, creating a comical juxtaposition with the Muses, who cheekily insist that she’s in love. They tease her with “Check the grin, you’re in love.” It’s a playful and flirtatious song that celebrates an unconventional Disney princess and musical choices. Previous SlideNext Slide16 / 25List slides9. “How Far I’ll Go” from MoanaList slides9. “How Far I’ll Go” from MoanaAuli’i Cravalho - How Far I’ll GoEver since their introduction in The Little Mermaid, Broadway-style “I Want” songs have become a hallmark of Disney princess films. They are passionate solos that reveal what each heroine desires most in the world. Whatever her heart longs for becomes the emotional engine driving the story forward. In “How Far I’ll Go,” composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Moana is torn between her dream of exploring what’s beyond her remote island and her duty to her family. She’s genuinely torn, even wondering if she’s wrong to yearn for what lies beyond the horizon. Auli’i Cravalho’s pure, heartfelt voice captures all the wistfulness and uncertainty of growing up. The melody swells and crashes gently like ocean tides, mirroring the push and pull of Moana’s inner conflict. Previous SlideNext Slide17 / 25List slides8. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the BeastList slides8. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast - Be Our GuestMusic Video Broadway royalty Jerry Orbach helms this showstopper with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The suave candlestick Lumière uses the number to lure Belle out of her bedroom, and show that the enchanted castle is more friendly and exciting than spooky and depressing. “Be Our Guest” has clever, fast-paced lyrics sung in a classic “patter song” style which then explodes in a lively, French can-can finale. The living castle objects just want to serve and make someone happy again, offering Belle elaborate meals and dazzling entertainment. Everything is on the plate for Belle, from soup du jour, hot hors d’oeuvres, beef ragout, cheese soufflé, and of course, the grey stuff. What’s just as exciting about the number as its giddy music is the animation, with spoons swimming in punch bowls like a Busby Berkeley number, prismatic spotlights, sumptuous, brightly-colored cakes, a glowing chandelier, and dancing flatware. Previous SlideNext Slide18 / 25List slides7. “You’ll Be in My Heart” from TarzanList slides7. “You’ll Be in My Heart” from TarzanPhil Collins - You’ll Be in My Heart /TarzanPhil Collins knocked it out of the park with the entire Tarzan soundtrack. Somehow his earthy voice, drum-infused instrumentals, and heartfelt lyrics were the perfect mix for this jungle story. Rather than a traditional Disney musical, Phil Collins acts as an omnipresent narrator, commenting on the action or voicing the character’s thoughts. “You’ll Be In My Heart” rightfully earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Originally written as a lullaby for his own daughter, the song starts off tender, with Phil Collins almost gently whispering against soft marimbas. Its lyrics of true love and devotion are moving, especially in the scene where Kala sings it to a baby Tarzan, who, despite being a different species, experiences a bond where love and care know no bounds. The song eventually crashes into driving drums, moving toward a bridge that sees the child fly free on their own: “When destiny calls you / You must be strong / I may not be with you / But you’ve got to hold on.” This song is touching for anyone who has ever loved someone and watched them grow, no matter what type of relationship. Previous SlideNext Slide19 / 25List slides6. “Under the Sea” from The Little MermaidList slides6. “Under the Sea” from The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid - Under the SeaThose solo calypso opening notes of “Under the Sea” immediately get you excited, and Samuel E. Wright delivers a rollicking underwater bash. His booming voice and vivacious energy are perfect for the overdramatic crustacean and his mission to convince Ariel that living under the sea “is the bubbles” with no troubles. “Under the Sea’ buoys the rainbow-colored montage of marine life that fills Ariel’s world—fish, dolphins, and coral reefs. The scene cleverly ties the instruments to various creatures and animation — harps echo the swirling school of fish, shells mimic steel pans, and a pair of octopuses intertwine their legs like bass lines. With its infectious Caribbean beat, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s song is a true banger and impossible not to love, which is why it won the 1990 Oscar for Best Original Song. Previous SlideNext Slide20 / 25List slides5. “Colors of the Wind” from PocahontasList slides5. “Colors of the Wind” from PocahontasPocahontas - Colors of the Wind“You think the only people who are people / Are the people who look and think like you / But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger / You’ll learn things you never knew, you never knew.” In this increasingly polarized world, that message has never been more relevant. Pocahontas is not immediately smitten with John Smith; instead, she condemns his entire culture, which prioritizes gold and hatred over acceptance and the beauty of nature. Stephen Schwartz’s lyrics paint gorgeous pictures of the American wilderness, questioning why the white men who have invaded these lands cannot appreciate the world around them — from the grinning bobcats to the sweet berries to the trees that stretch toward the sky, if only we let them grow. Alan Menken’s surrounding score is rapturous, carried by Judy Kuhn’s passionate vocals. More than just the profound lyrics, it’s the visuals that make this musical number so unforgettable — particularly John Smith and Pocahontas dancing in a pastel-colored wind. It’s no surprise that “Colors of the Wind” won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Previous SlideNext Slide21 / 25List slides4. “When You Wish Upon a Star” from PinnochioList slides4. “When You Wish Upon a Star” from PinnochioPocahontas - Colors of the WindWritten by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington, “When You Wish Upon a Star” has come to define Disney itself, typically playing over the castle logo that opens every movie. The ethereal ballad is sung by Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket, whose resonant yet quirky voice feels like someone sharing a story by a crackling fire. “When you wish upon a star / Makes no difference who you are / Anything your heart desires / Will come to you,” he tenderly sings over the opening credits. The gentle melody wraps you in a warm embrace of possibility. People often make fun of Disney adults, but perhaps one reason we hold on to Disney films long after growing up is that they offer hope in an increasingly grim world. This aspirational song reminds us there is more to life than the ordinary—if we just dare to imagine.Previous SlideNext Slide22 / 25List slides3. “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the BeastList slides3. “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast Tale As Old As Time HD As Mrs. Potts, Angela Lansbury’s warm, cheery English voice adds a rosiness to this powerful love ballad, backed by an orchestra of sumptuous strings. The lyrics aren’t the pure romanticism of past Disney love stories; there is no love at first sight here. Instead, Mrs. Potts gently reflects on how true love can take time to blossom, and how relationships sometimes require change, admitting your faults and working hard to set aside your vices and worst qualities. It’s a surprisingly mature outlook for a Disney love song. The accompanying animation is one of the most exquisite sequences in Disney history: Belle’s golden dress glides delicately across the floor as she and the Beast dance in the grand ballroom, the camera swirling to reveal the sparkling chandelier and Michelangelo-esque ceiling of painted cherubs above them. That Howard Ashman wrote this song while dying from complications of AIDS makes it all the more poignant. Previous SlideNext Slide23 / 25List slides2. “Part of Your World” from The Little MermaidList slides2. “Part of Your World” from The Little MermaidJodi Benson - Part of Your WorldBefore The Little Mermaid kicked off the Disney Renaissanceprincess songs were mostly focused on their prince charmings. They had very few aspirations outside of dreaming about their prince or wishing for their prince. But the introduction of the songwriting team Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who had worked on the off-Broadway show Little Shop of Horrors, helped develop a Disney princess that had greater ambitions. Ariel wanted to see the human world, and she would express that within a Broadway-style solo called the “I Want” song, where the protagonist sings about, well, what they want. “Part of Your World” has a flowing melody and a sweet yearning in Jodi Benson’s voice. We see her comical misunderstanding of what her treasures are, all whozits and whatzits galore. “Wouldn’t I love to explore that shore up above?” her voice soars while reaching out through the top of her grotto towards the sun. In that moment, with her big eyes and aching voice, you completely understand how much the human world means to her.Previous SlideNext Slide24 / 25List slides1. “Circle of Life” from The Lion KingList slides1. “Circle of Life” from The Lion KingCarmen Twillie, Lebo M. - Circle of LifeNo Disney song is quite as epic as Elton John’s “Circle of Life.” The image of the rising sun, paired with the opening lines sung passionately in Zulu by Lebo M., without any instrumentals, immediately hooks you into this sweeping story of the African savannah. The title, “Circle of Life,” is fitting for this tale of birth, death, and everything in between. The lyrics somehow encompass everything about our big, beautiful world — how finite life is, and the experiences, both good and bad, that give us balance. There’s despair and there’s hope. There’s faith and there’s love. The lyrics are poetic and make you think about the wonder and mystery of existence. The song reaches a powerful peak at the end when the chorus rises together. It’s impossible not to get full-body chills on that final soaring note, “It’s the circle, the circle of life,” punctuated by the thunderous drumbeat, where the sight of Rafiki lifting Simba on Pride Rock cuts to black. “Circle of Life” is a beautiful song with a grand vision, especially for a film geared towards children.
    #disney039s #best #most #memorable #songs
    Disney's 23 Best And Most Memorable Songs Ever, Ranked
    Start SlideshowStart SlideshowDisney has enchanted us for decades with its resplendent animation and fantastical stories of princesses, wicked witches, and fire-breathing dragons, but music has always been its most indelible sprinkle of pixie dust. There are songs that move us, make us dance, and help us understand the characters that have already been so lovingly drawn. With over 350 songs in the Disney canon, it’s nearly impossible to narrow them down, but we’ve chosen the 23 in honor of the year 1923, when Walt Disney founded the company. These songs are the most magical and remind us why Disney has endured for over a century.Previous SlideNext Slide2 / 25List slides23. “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White and the Seven DwarfsList slides23. “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White and the Seven DwarfsWhistle While You Work - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Larry Morey and Frank Churchill’s merry tune about finding the joy in the most mundane of chores is quite simple, with only nine lines, yet incredibly catchy. Adriana Caselotti’s warbling, baby voice is fitting for this old-fashioned, operetta-style number and the entire sequence that features the big-eyed, adorable forest creatures helping her out. The squirrels sweep the dust with their tails, and the raccoons wash dirty clothes in a nearby watering hole to every sprightly beat. It’s difficult not to be beguiled by this little ditty, and you’ll find yourself humming it the next time you do your spring cleaning. Previous SlideNext Slide3 / 25List slides22. “The Family Madrigal” from EncantoList slides22. “The Family Madrigal” from EncantoStephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, Encanto - Cast - The Family MadrigalLin-Manuel Miranda’s fingerprints are all over modern Disney soundtracks. He is a master at crafting clever, fast-paced, and genre-blending earworms. The biggest ones to emerge from Encanto are “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure,” where he blends classic Broadway stylings with punchier salsa and reggaeton genres. “The Family Madrigal” may not have reached the same level of pop culture infamy as the other songs in this film, but it’s a clever and economical way to introduce the Madrigal family and their powers. Stephanie Beatriz’s bubbly voice as Mirabel suits the song’s bouncy rhythm perfectly, while the Colombian folk instruments such as an accordion, caja vallenata, and guacharaca match the colorful energy of the magical town the Madrigals call home. Previous SlideNext Slide4 / 25List slides21.“Dig a Little Deeper” from Princess and the FrogList slides21.“Dig a Little Deeper” from Princess and the FrogDig a Little DeeperRandy Newman’s toe-tapping blend of big-band swing and gospel choir refrains perfectly captures the vibrant soul of the New Orleans setting. The feisty Jennifer Lewis leads “Dig a Little Deeper” as Mama Odie, backed by the rousing Pinnacle Gospel Choir. The song’s brassy rhythms help Tiana let loose and Naveen to realize that he’s in love with her. The lessons Mama Odie imparts through the lyrics are wise and grounded: it doesn’t matter what you have or where you come from—that doesn’t define who you are. True fulfillment doesn’t come from material wealth, status, or outward appearances—it comes from understanding what you really want on the inside. The song crescendos with Anika Noni Rose’s powerful belt and the soulful shouts of Mama Odie’s bright flamingo chorus. Previous SlideNext Slide5 / 25List slides20. “I See the Light” from TangledList slides20. “I See the Light” from Tangled“I SEE THE LIGHT” | Tangled | Disney Animated HD The dreamy melody of “I See the Light” begins with a soft guitar. Glenn Slater and Alan Menken’s composition is fairly simple, allowing the glittering visuals to take center stage. The song takes place during the lighting ceremony that Rapunzel has yearned to visit after observing it from her tower for 18 years. Flynn and Rapunzel float on a gondola, surrounded by over 45,000 glowing lanterns floating in the air, dotting the sky and reflecting off the water that surrounds them. The characters sing the verses separately in their heads before their emotions burst, then they harmonize the chorus loudly, compelled by their realization that they’re in love. It’s a unique and touching way of framing a Disney love song. Previous SlideNext Slide6 / 25List slides19. “Friend Like Me” from AladdinList slides19. “Friend Like Me” from AladdinAladdin - Friend Like MeHoward Ashman’s playful lyrics and Alan Menken’s up-tempo, syncopated, vaudevillian song was the perfect musical playground for Robin Williams to fill with the zany impressions and quirky voices he was renowned for. A trumpet warbles in between one of the clever lyrics, sights and sounds so jam-packed with hilarity that you can barely stop to catch your breath. Robin Williams was so adept at improvisation that he had nearly an entire day’s worth of material. The animation is just as bonkers as his vocal performance, where Genie morphs into countless creatures—from a train whistle to a maître d’, a boxing trainer, a bunny, and a dragon. The Broadway-style showstopper culminates with a kick line under bright spotlights with monkeys, elephants, and dancing girls in crop tops and harem pants. “Friend Like Me” is a shining showcase for one of our finest comedic talents, the great Robin Williams. Previous SlideNext Slide7 / 25List slides18. “Baby Mine” from DumboList slides18. “Baby Mine” from DumboDisney’s “Dumbo” - Baby MineSongwriters Frank Churchill and Ned Washington are responsible for childhood traumas everywhere with “Baby Mine,” which takes place when Dumbo’s mother has been jailed as a “mad elephant” for fiercely protecting her son against his bullies. She reaches her trunk through the bars to cradle Dumbo to the soft, slumbering melody accompanied by haunting strings. Betty Noyes’ has that rich, rounded tone found in vintage singing, and it conveys Mrs. Jumbo’s maternal strength. The images of all the animals—zebras, tigers, monkeys, and even the underwater hippos—nestled in the love of their mothers, except for poor Dumbo, set against the song’s soothing orchestra, is absolutely heart wrenching. “Baby Mine” is the kind of song that inspires dreams of being comforted and cared for by a loving parental figure.Previous SlideNext Slide8 / 25List slides17. ”Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping BeautyList slides17. ”Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping BeautyOnce Upon A Dream | Sleeping Beauty Lyric Video | DISNEY SING-ALONGS Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain craft a solo-turned-duet with a woozy, mysterious quality that perfectly complements the story of Sleeping Beauty. Mary Costa has such an elegant and operatic voice, with rich tones that make her sound far more mature than a 16-year-old girl. She’s soon joined by the strong, handsome voice of Prince Phillip, who appears unexpectedly in the forest. Their romance unfolds quickly, twirling together in the woods, surrounded by beautiful medieval-inspired, Gothic-Renaissance style visuals. The lilting orchestration and the grand choral ensemble add to the old-world mystique. The lyrics—of knowing someone before you truly know them, of seeing them in your dreams—add a tinge of mysterious excitement and mystical fate to their romance. Previous SlideNext Slide9 / 25List slides16. “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre DameList slides16. “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre DameHellfire - The Hunchback of Notre DameAlan Menken and Stephen Schwartz crafted one of Disney’s darkest songs. It’s hard to imagine Disney taking this type of creative risk again. “Hellfire” is sung by a corrupt priest consumed by lust for the Romani woman Esmeralda. The deep-voiced Tony Jay plays the dishonorable Frollo, who paints himself as a virtuous man—even though he killed Quasimodo’s mother and nearly killed Quasimodo. A true Catholic would have helped them. Today, Disney would never dare to show that authority figures—especially religious ones—can often be wrong and hypocritical, if not outright evil. This is one of the most provocative villain songs, in which Frollo essentially confesses his horniness. He sings of being enraptured by Esmeralda’s smoldering eyes and raven hair—a desire that burns and threatens to turn him to sin. “Hellfire” also has a spooky quality in its use of Latin and the intense religious choir that looms over Frollo in judgment, cloaked in red with faces like empty black holes. It’s a haunting song of operatic grandeur, with notes that flare and fade like the flames dancing in front of him. Previous SlideNext Slide10 / 25List slides15. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from CinderellaList slides15. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from CinderellaA Dream Is a Wish Your Heart MakesSung with silky warmth and a shimmering, ethereal vibrato by Ilene Woods as Cinderella, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” is soft and soothing, yet carries an undercurrent of quiet determination. She sings to her loyal companions—adorable flocks of birds and mice—who wear the tiny outfits she’s lovingly made for them. They join in during a break of the song that is more playful and buoyant while she prepares for another grueling day of chores, yet she stays positive by believing her dreams will come true. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” has become a marketing anthem for the studio—used in various ads to evoke nostalgia, magic, and the promise that dreams really do come true, with Disney theme parks as the place where that magic can happen. Previous SlideNext Slide11 / 25List slides14. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride from Lilo & StitchList slides14. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride from Lilo & StitchHawaiian Roller Coaster RideThe rich voice of Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu and the cheerful Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus come together for a song that is as sweet and breezy as a summer’s day. “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” takes place during a touching moment of family bonding as Lilo, Nani, and David go surfing, gliding through the waves with ease. Stitch has been naughty, so he feels a little shy about enjoying the day with them, but he slowly begins to warm up to what it feels like to have a family. We see the adorable progression as the little thrill-seeker ends up riding the waves too. The song’s instrumentation—featuring ukulele, traditional Hawaiian fingerstyle guitar, and steel guitar—evokes the ocean waves and open skies, giving it that relaxed, beachy vibe. Both the animation and the song itself honors the film’s beautiful Hawaiian setting. Previous SlideNext Slide12 / 25List slides13. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from MulanList slides13. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from MulanMulan | I’ll Make a Man Out of You | Disney Junior UK “Let’s get down to business, to defeat the Huns” Donny Osmond sings in his perfectly crisp voice. The rousing number “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel is the pump-up song for a training montage. It starts out comical as we see Mulan and her clumsy friends attempt to become the ideal Chinese soldier. The catchy chorus uses evocative nature metaphors for the type of strength and calm that Mulan needs to find, and the deep-voiced punctuation “Be a man!” at the end of each line adds to the hype. When Donny Osmond belts “Time is racing towards us, ‘till the Huns arrive,” you feel a thrilling rush of urgency and swell with courage. The final chorus plays against no instrumentation, the manly voices of the soldiers booming, allowing you to focus on Mulan and her friends now kicking ass. Previous SlideNext Slide13 / 25List slides12. “A Whole New World” from AladdinList slides12. “A Whole New World” from AladdinAladdin - A Whole New WorldBrad Kane’s voice carries an excited, breathy quality that draws you in as he whisks Jasmine away on a magic carpet ride. He sounds bright and earnest as he describes the shining, shimmering, and splendid world that Jasmine has never seen and he’s eager to show her. Lea Salonga, who is a Broadway legend in her own right, has an angelic innocence as Jasmine. Their voices come together in perfect harmony for this sweeping duet. “A Whole New World” is one of Disney’s most romantic love songs, with a melody that flutters and glides like the magic carpet itself. Written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice, the orchestration has lush strings that propel the adventurous animated sequence where they soar through the clouds, pass the Sphinx, and touch down near a group of horses. Previous SlideNext Slide14 / 25List slides11. “Strangers Like Me” from TarzanList slides11. “Strangers Like Me” from TarzanStrangers Like Me- TarzanOpening with a pulsing drum track, Strangers Like Me evokes the spinning wheels in Tarzan’s mind as he learns more about what lies beyond the jungle. The montage is gorgeously animated, featuring old-fashioned ink illustrations that Tarzan looks at through a magic lantern. He sees the city of London, a giant castle, the Sphinx, and even outer space for the first time. This flood of information drives the song’s urgent pace.The filmmakers craft the entire animated sequence as a response to the lyrics, as Tarzan watches Janeor shows off a pocket of the rainforest filled with parrots. Phil Collins’ bright voice captures Tarzan’s wonderment, especially in the soaring chorus, where Tarzan expresses his desire to learn more about strangers like him. You feel his hunger for the great, wide world in the song’s pounding, tribal drumbeats. Previous SlideNext Slide15 / 25List slides10. “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from HerculesList slides10. “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from HerculesHercules│ I Won’t SayThe story of the ancient Greek hero Hercules has such a unique musical style, with lyricist David Zippel and composer Alan Menken blending doo-wop, Motown, and gospel soul. The muses serve as a literal Greek chorus, commenting on the action with their sassy perspective. In “I Won’t Say I’m in Love,” Megara’s velvet-voiced, sarcastic Susan Egan stands apart from other Disney heroines, who often sing fluttering arias about dreaming of a prince. Instead, Megara resists her feelings because she’s been burned too many times before, creating a comical juxtaposition with the Muses, who cheekily insist that she’s in love. They tease her with “Check the grin, you’re in love.” It’s a playful and flirtatious song that celebrates an unconventional Disney princess and musical choices. Previous SlideNext Slide16 / 25List slides9. “How Far I’ll Go” from MoanaList slides9. “How Far I’ll Go” from MoanaAuli’i Cravalho - How Far I’ll GoEver since their introduction in The Little Mermaid, Broadway-style “I Want” songs have become a hallmark of Disney princess films. They are passionate solos that reveal what each heroine desires most in the world. Whatever her heart longs for becomes the emotional engine driving the story forward. In “How Far I’ll Go,” composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Moana is torn between her dream of exploring what’s beyond her remote island and her duty to her family. She’s genuinely torn, even wondering if she’s wrong to yearn for what lies beyond the horizon. Auli’i Cravalho’s pure, heartfelt voice captures all the wistfulness and uncertainty of growing up. The melody swells and crashes gently like ocean tides, mirroring the push and pull of Moana’s inner conflict. Previous SlideNext Slide17 / 25List slides8. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the BeastList slides8. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast - Be Our GuestMusic Video Broadway royalty Jerry Orbach helms this showstopper with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The suave candlestick Lumière uses the number to lure Belle out of her bedroom, and show that the enchanted castle is more friendly and exciting than spooky and depressing. “Be Our Guest” has clever, fast-paced lyrics sung in a classic “patter song” style which then explodes in a lively, French can-can finale. The living castle objects just want to serve and make someone happy again, offering Belle elaborate meals and dazzling entertainment. Everything is on the plate for Belle, from soup du jour, hot hors d’oeuvres, beef ragout, cheese soufflé, and of course, the grey stuff. What’s just as exciting about the number as its giddy music is the animation, with spoons swimming in punch bowls like a Busby Berkeley number, prismatic spotlights, sumptuous, brightly-colored cakes, a glowing chandelier, and dancing flatware. Previous SlideNext Slide18 / 25List slides7. “You’ll Be in My Heart” from TarzanList slides7. “You’ll Be in My Heart” from TarzanPhil Collins - You’ll Be in My Heart /TarzanPhil Collins knocked it out of the park with the entire Tarzan soundtrack. Somehow his earthy voice, drum-infused instrumentals, and heartfelt lyrics were the perfect mix for this jungle story. Rather than a traditional Disney musical, Phil Collins acts as an omnipresent narrator, commenting on the action or voicing the character’s thoughts. “You’ll Be In My Heart” rightfully earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Originally written as a lullaby for his own daughter, the song starts off tender, with Phil Collins almost gently whispering against soft marimbas. Its lyrics of true love and devotion are moving, especially in the scene where Kala sings it to a baby Tarzan, who, despite being a different species, experiences a bond where love and care know no bounds. The song eventually crashes into driving drums, moving toward a bridge that sees the child fly free on their own: “When destiny calls you / You must be strong / I may not be with you / But you’ve got to hold on.” This song is touching for anyone who has ever loved someone and watched them grow, no matter what type of relationship. Previous SlideNext Slide19 / 25List slides6. “Under the Sea” from The Little MermaidList slides6. “Under the Sea” from The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid - Under the SeaThose solo calypso opening notes of “Under the Sea” immediately get you excited, and Samuel E. Wright delivers a rollicking underwater bash. His booming voice and vivacious energy are perfect for the overdramatic crustacean and his mission to convince Ariel that living under the sea “is the bubbles” with no troubles. “Under the Sea’ buoys the rainbow-colored montage of marine life that fills Ariel’s world—fish, dolphins, and coral reefs. The scene cleverly ties the instruments to various creatures and animation — harps echo the swirling school of fish, shells mimic steel pans, and a pair of octopuses intertwine their legs like bass lines. With its infectious Caribbean beat, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s song is a true banger and impossible not to love, which is why it won the 1990 Oscar for Best Original Song. Previous SlideNext Slide20 / 25List slides5. “Colors of the Wind” from PocahontasList slides5. “Colors of the Wind” from PocahontasPocahontas - Colors of the Wind“You think the only people who are people / Are the people who look and think like you / But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger / You’ll learn things you never knew, you never knew.” In this increasingly polarized world, that message has never been more relevant. Pocahontas is not immediately smitten with John Smith; instead, she condemns his entire culture, which prioritizes gold and hatred over acceptance and the beauty of nature. Stephen Schwartz’s lyrics paint gorgeous pictures of the American wilderness, questioning why the white men who have invaded these lands cannot appreciate the world around them — from the grinning bobcats to the sweet berries to the trees that stretch toward the sky, if only we let them grow. Alan Menken’s surrounding score is rapturous, carried by Judy Kuhn’s passionate vocals. More than just the profound lyrics, it’s the visuals that make this musical number so unforgettable — particularly John Smith and Pocahontas dancing in a pastel-colored wind. It’s no surprise that “Colors of the Wind” won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Previous SlideNext Slide21 / 25List slides4. “When You Wish Upon a Star” from PinnochioList slides4. “When You Wish Upon a Star” from PinnochioPocahontas - Colors of the WindWritten by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington, “When You Wish Upon a Star” has come to define Disney itself, typically playing over the castle logo that opens every movie. The ethereal ballad is sung by Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket, whose resonant yet quirky voice feels like someone sharing a story by a crackling fire. “When you wish upon a star / Makes no difference who you are / Anything your heart desires / Will come to you,” he tenderly sings over the opening credits. The gentle melody wraps you in a warm embrace of possibility. People often make fun of Disney adults, but perhaps one reason we hold on to Disney films long after growing up is that they offer hope in an increasingly grim world. This aspirational song reminds us there is more to life than the ordinary—if we just dare to imagine.Previous SlideNext Slide22 / 25List slides3. “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the BeastList slides3. “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast Tale As Old As Time HD As Mrs. Potts, Angela Lansbury’s warm, cheery English voice adds a rosiness to this powerful love ballad, backed by an orchestra of sumptuous strings. The lyrics aren’t the pure romanticism of past Disney love stories; there is no love at first sight here. Instead, Mrs. Potts gently reflects on how true love can take time to blossom, and how relationships sometimes require change, admitting your faults and working hard to set aside your vices and worst qualities. It’s a surprisingly mature outlook for a Disney love song. The accompanying animation is one of the most exquisite sequences in Disney history: Belle’s golden dress glides delicately across the floor as she and the Beast dance in the grand ballroom, the camera swirling to reveal the sparkling chandelier and Michelangelo-esque ceiling of painted cherubs above them. That Howard Ashman wrote this song while dying from complications of AIDS makes it all the more poignant. Previous SlideNext Slide23 / 25List slides2. “Part of Your World” from The Little MermaidList slides2. “Part of Your World” from The Little MermaidJodi Benson - Part of Your WorldBefore The Little Mermaid kicked off the Disney Renaissanceprincess songs were mostly focused on their prince charmings. They had very few aspirations outside of dreaming about their prince or wishing for their prince. But the introduction of the songwriting team Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who had worked on the off-Broadway show Little Shop of Horrors, helped develop a Disney princess that had greater ambitions. Ariel wanted to see the human world, and she would express that within a Broadway-style solo called the “I Want” song, where the protagonist sings about, well, what they want. “Part of Your World” has a flowing melody and a sweet yearning in Jodi Benson’s voice. We see her comical misunderstanding of what her treasures are, all whozits and whatzits galore. “Wouldn’t I love to explore that shore up above?” her voice soars while reaching out through the top of her grotto towards the sun. In that moment, with her big eyes and aching voice, you completely understand how much the human world means to her.Previous SlideNext Slide24 / 25List slides1. “Circle of Life” from The Lion KingList slides1. “Circle of Life” from The Lion KingCarmen Twillie, Lebo M. - Circle of LifeNo Disney song is quite as epic as Elton John’s “Circle of Life.” The image of the rising sun, paired with the opening lines sung passionately in Zulu by Lebo M., without any instrumentals, immediately hooks you into this sweeping story of the African savannah. The title, “Circle of Life,” is fitting for this tale of birth, death, and everything in between. The lyrics somehow encompass everything about our big, beautiful world — how finite life is, and the experiences, both good and bad, that give us balance. There’s despair and there’s hope. There’s faith and there’s love. The lyrics are poetic and make you think about the wonder and mystery of existence. The song reaches a powerful peak at the end when the chorus rises together. It’s impossible not to get full-body chills on that final soaring note, “It’s the circle, the circle of life,” punctuated by the thunderous drumbeat, where the sight of Rafiki lifting Simba on Pride Rock cuts to black. “Circle of Life” is a beautiful song with a grand vision, especially for a film geared towards children. #disney039s #best #most #memorable #songs
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    Disney's 23 Best And Most Memorable Songs Ever, Ranked
    Start SlideshowStart SlideshowDisney has enchanted us for decades with its resplendent animation and fantastical stories of princesses, wicked witches, and fire-breathing dragons, but music has always been its most indelible sprinkle of pixie dust. There are songs that move us, make us dance, and help us understand the characters that have already been so lovingly drawn. With over 350 songs in the Disney canon, it’s nearly impossible to narrow them down, but we’ve chosen the 23 in honor of the year 1923, when Walt Disney founded the company. These songs are the most magical and remind us why Disney has endured for over a century.Previous SlideNext Slide2 / 25List slides23. “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White and the Seven DwarfsList slides23. “Whistle While You Work” from Snow White and the Seven DwarfsWhistle While You Work - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Larry Morey and Frank Churchill’s merry tune about finding the joy in the most mundane of chores is quite simple, with only nine lines, yet incredibly catchy. Adriana Caselotti’s warbling, baby voice is fitting for this old-fashioned, operetta-style number and the entire sequence that features the big-eyed, adorable forest creatures helping her out. The squirrels sweep the dust with their tails, and the raccoons wash dirty clothes in a nearby watering hole to every sprightly beat. It’s difficult not to be beguiled by this little ditty, and you’ll find yourself humming it the next time you do your spring cleaning. Previous SlideNext Slide3 / 25List slides22. “The Family Madrigal” from EncantoList slides22. “The Family Madrigal” from EncantoStephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, Encanto - Cast - The Family Madrigal (From “Encanto”) Lin-Manuel Miranda’s fingerprints are all over modern Disney soundtracks. He is a master at crafting clever, fast-paced, and genre-blending earworms. The biggest ones to emerge from Encanto are “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Surface Pressure,” where he blends classic Broadway stylings with punchier salsa and reggaeton genres. “The Family Madrigal” may not have reached the same level of pop culture infamy as the other songs in this film, but it’s a clever and economical way to introduce the Madrigal family and their powers. Stephanie Beatriz’s bubbly voice as Mirabel suits the song’s bouncy rhythm perfectly, while the Colombian folk instruments such as an accordion, caja vallenata, and guacharaca match the colorful energy of the magical town the Madrigals call home. Previous SlideNext Slide4 / 25List slides21.“Dig a Little Deeper” from Princess and the FrogList slides21.“Dig a Little Deeper” from Princess and the FrogDig a Little Deeper (From “The Princess and the Frog”/Sing-Along) Randy Newman’s toe-tapping blend of big-band swing and gospel choir refrains perfectly captures the vibrant soul of the New Orleans setting. The feisty Jennifer Lewis leads “Dig a Little Deeper” as Mama Odie, backed by the rousing Pinnacle Gospel Choir. The song’s brassy rhythms help Tiana let loose and Naveen to realize that he’s in love with her. The lessons Mama Odie imparts through the lyrics are wise and grounded: it doesn’t matter what you have or where you come from—that doesn’t define who you are. True fulfillment doesn’t come from material wealth, status, or outward appearances—it comes from understanding what you really want on the inside. The song crescendos with Anika Noni Rose’s powerful belt and the soulful shouts of Mama Odie’s bright flamingo chorus. Previous SlideNext Slide5 / 25List slides20. “I See the Light” from TangledList slides20. “I See the Light” from Tangled“I SEE THE LIGHT” | Tangled | Disney Animated HD The dreamy melody of “I See the Light” begins with a soft guitar. Glenn Slater and Alan Menken’s composition is fairly simple, allowing the glittering visuals to take center stage. The song takes place during the lighting ceremony that Rapunzel has yearned to visit after observing it from her tower for 18 years. Flynn and Rapunzel float on a gondola, surrounded by over 45,000 glowing lanterns floating in the air, dotting the sky and reflecting off the water that surrounds them. The characters sing the verses separately in their heads before their emotions burst, then they harmonize the chorus loudly, compelled by their realization that they’re in love. It’s a unique and touching way of framing a Disney love song. Previous SlideNext Slide6 / 25List slides19. “Friend Like Me” from AladdinList slides19. “Friend Like Me” from AladdinAladdin - Friend Like Me (HD 1080p) Howard Ashman’s playful lyrics and Alan Menken’s up-tempo, syncopated, vaudevillian song was the perfect musical playground for Robin Williams to fill with the zany impressions and quirky voices he was renowned for. A trumpet warbles in between one of the clever lyrics, sights and sounds so jam-packed with hilarity that you can barely stop to catch your breath. Robin Williams was so adept at improvisation that he had nearly an entire day’s worth of material. The animation is just as bonkers as his vocal performance, where Genie morphs into countless creatures—from a train whistle to a maître d’, a boxing trainer, a bunny, and a dragon. The Broadway-style showstopper culminates with a kick line under bright spotlights with monkeys, elephants, and dancing girls in crop tops and harem pants. “Friend Like Me” is a shining showcase for one of our finest comedic talents, the great Robin Williams. Previous SlideNext Slide7 / 25List slides18. “Baby Mine” from DumboList slides18. “Baby Mine” from DumboDisney’s “Dumbo” - Baby MineSongwriters Frank Churchill and Ned Washington are responsible for childhood traumas everywhere with “Baby Mine,” which takes place when Dumbo’s mother has been jailed as a “mad elephant” for fiercely protecting her son against his bullies. She reaches her trunk through the bars to cradle Dumbo to the soft, slumbering melody accompanied by haunting strings. Betty Noyes’ has that rich, rounded tone found in vintage singing, and it conveys Mrs. Jumbo’s maternal strength. The images of all the animals—zebras, tigers, monkeys, and even the underwater hippos—nestled in the love of their mothers, except for poor Dumbo, set against the song’s soothing orchestra, is absolutely heart wrenching. “Baby Mine” is the kind of song that inspires dreams of being comforted and cared for by a loving parental figure.Previous SlideNext Slide8 / 25List slides17. ”Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping BeautyList slides17. ”Once Upon a Dream” from Sleeping BeautyOnce Upon A Dream | Sleeping Beauty Lyric Video | DISNEY SING-ALONGS Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain craft a solo-turned-duet with a woozy, mysterious quality that perfectly complements the story of Sleeping Beauty. Mary Costa has such an elegant and operatic voice, with rich tones that make her sound far more mature than a 16-year-old girl. She’s soon joined by the strong, handsome voice of Prince Phillip, who appears unexpectedly in the forest. Their romance unfolds quickly, twirling together in the woods, surrounded by beautiful medieval-inspired, Gothic-Renaissance style visuals. The lilting orchestration and the grand choral ensemble add to the old-world mystique. The lyrics—of knowing someone before you truly know them, of seeing them in your dreams—add a tinge of mysterious excitement and mystical fate to their romance. Previous SlideNext Slide9 / 25List slides16. “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre DameList slides16. “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre DameHellfire - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz crafted one of Disney’s darkest songs. It’s hard to imagine Disney taking this type of creative risk again. “Hellfire” is sung by a corrupt priest consumed by lust for the Romani woman Esmeralda. The deep-voiced Tony Jay plays the dishonorable Frollo, who paints himself as a virtuous man—even though he killed Quasimodo’s mother and nearly killed Quasimodo. A true Catholic would have helped them. Today, Disney would never dare to show that authority figures—especially religious ones—can often be wrong and hypocritical, if not outright evil. This is one of the most provocative villain songs, in which Frollo essentially confesses his horniness. He sings of being enraptured by Esmeralda’s smoldering eyes and raven hair—a desire that burns and threatens to turn him to sin. “Hellfire” also has a spooky quality in its use of Latin and the intense religious choir that looms over Frollo in judgment, cloaked in red with faces like empty black holes. It’s a haunting song of operatic grandeur, with notes that flare and fade like the flames dancing in front of him. Previous SlideNext Slide10 / 25List slides15. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from CinderellaList slides15. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from CinderellaA Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (from Cinderella) Sung with silky warmth and a shimmering, ethereal vibrato by Ilene Woods as Cinderella, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” is soft and soothing, yet carries an undercurrent of quiet determination. She sings to her loyal companions—adorable flocks of birds and mice—who wear the tiny outfits she’s lovingly made for them. They join in during a break of the song that is more playful and buoyant while she prepares for another grueling day of chores, yet she stays positive by believing her dreams will come true. “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” has become a marketing anthem for the studio—used in various ads to evoke nostalgia, magic, and the promise that dreams really do come true, with Disney theme parks as the place where that magic can happen. Previous SlideNext Slide11 / 25List slides14. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride from Lilo & StitchList slides14. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride from Lilo & StitchHawaiian Roller Coaster Ride (From “Lilo & Stitch”) The rich voice of Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu and the cheerful Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus come together for a song that is as sweet and breezy as a summer’s day. “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” takes place during a touching moment of family bonding as Lilo, Nani, and David go surfing, gliding through the waves with ease. Stitch has been naughty, so he feels a little shy about enjoying the day with them, but he slowly begins to warm up to what it feels like to have a family. We see the adorable progression as the little thrill-seeker ends up riding the waves too. The song’s instrumentation—featuring ukulele, traditional Hawaiian fingerstyle guitar, and steel guitar—evokes the ocean waves and open skies, giving it that relaxed, beachy vibe. Both the animation and the song itself honors the film’s beautiful Hawaiian setting. Previous SlideNext Slide12 / 25List slides13. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from MulanList slides13. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from MulanMulan | I’ll Make a Man Out of You | Disney Junior UK “Let’s get down to business, to defeat the Huns” Donny Osmond sings in his perfectly crisp voice. The rousing number “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel is the pump-up song for a training montage. It starts out comical as we see Mulan and her clumsy friends attempt to become the ideal Chinese soldier. The catchy chorus uses evocative nature metaphors for the type of strength and calm that Mulan needs to find, and the deep-voiced punctuation “Be a man!” at the end of each line adds to the hype. When Donny Osmond belts “Time is racing towards us, ‘till the Huns arrive,” you feel a thrilling rush of urgency and swell with courage. The final chorus plays against no instrumentation, the manly voices of the soldiers booming, allowing you to focus on Mulan and her friends now kicking ass. Previous SlideNext Slide13 / 25List slides12. “A Whole New World” from AladdinList slides12. “A Whole New World” from AladdinAladdin - A Whole New World (HD 1080p) Brad Kane’s voice carries an excited, breathy quality that draws you in as he whisks Jasmine away on a magic carpet ride. He sounds bright and earnest as he describes the shining, shimmering, and splendid world that Jasmine has never seen and he’s eager to show her. Lea Salonga, who is a Broadway legend in her own right, has an angelic innocence as Jasmine. Their voices come together in perfect harmony for this sweeping duet. “A Whole New World” is one of Disney’s most romantic love songs, with a melody that flutters and glides like the magic carpet itself. Written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice, the orchestration has lush strings that propel the adventurous animated sequence where they soar through the clouds, pass the Sphinx, and touch down near a group of horses. Previous SlideNext Slide14 / 25List slides11. “Strangers Like Me” from TarzanList slides11. “Strangers Like Me” from TarzanStrangers Like Me (1080p Full HD) - Tarzan (1999)Opening with a pulsing drum track, Strangers Like Me evokes the spinning wheels in Tarzan’s mind as he learns more about what lies beyond the jungle. The montage is gorgeously animated, featuring old-fashioned ink illustrations that Tarzan looks at through a magic lantern. He sees the city of London, a giant castle, the Sphinx, and even outer space for the first time. This flood of information drives the song’s urgent pace.The filmmakers craft the entire animated sequence as a response to the lyrics, as Tarzan watches Jane (“Every gesture, every move that she makes / Makes me feel like never before”) or shows off a pocket of the rainforest filled with parrots (“Come with me now to see my world / Where there’s beauty beyond your dreams”). Phil Collins’ bright voice captures Tarzan’s wonderment, especially in the soaring chorus, where Tarzan expresses his desire to learn more about strangers like him. You feel his hunger for the great, wide world in the song’s pounding, tribal drumbeats. Previous SlideNext Slide15 / 25List slides10. “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from HerculesList slides10. “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from HerculesHercules (1997) │ I Won’t Say (I’m In Love) [DPU HD 4K] The story of the ancient Greek hero Hercules has such a unique musical style, with lyricist David Zippel and composer Alan Menken blending doo-wop, Motown, and gospel soul. The muses serve as a literal Greek chorus, commenting on the action with their sassy perspective. In “I Won’t Say I’m in Love,” Megara’s velvet-voiced, sarcastic Susan Egan stands apart from other Disney heroines, who often sing fluttering arias about dreaming of a prince. Instead, Megara resists her feelings because she’s been burned too many times before, creating a comical juxtaposition with the Muses, who cheekily insist that she’s in love. They tease her with “Check the grin, you’re in love.” It’s a playful and flirtatious song that celebrates an unconventional Disney princess and musical choices. Previous SlideNext Slide16 / 25List slides9. “How Far I’ll Go” from MoanaList slides9. “How Far I’ll Go” from MoanaAuli’i Cravalho - How Far I’ll Go (from Moana/Official Video) Ever since their introduction in The Little Mermaid, Broadway-style “I Want” songs have become a hallmark of Disney princess films. They are passionate solos that reveal what each heroine desires most in the world. Whatever her heart longs for becomes the emotional engine driving the story forward. In “How Far I’ll Go,” composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Moana is torn between her dream of exploring what’s beyond her remote island and her duty to her family. She’s genuinely torn, even wondering if she’s wrong to yearn for what lies beyond the horizon. Auli’i Cravalho’s pure, heartfelt voice captures all the wistfulness and uncertainty of growing up. The melody swells and crashes gently like ocean tides, mirroring the push and pull of Moana’s inner conflict. Previous SlideNext Slide17 / 25List slides8. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the BeastList slides8. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast - Be Our Guest (HD) Music Video Broadway royalty Jerry Orbach helms this showstopper with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman. The suave candlestick Lumière uses the number to lure Belle out of her bedroom, and show that the enchanted castle is more friendly and exciting than spooky and depressing. “Be Our Guest” has clever, fast-paced lyrics sung in a classic “patter song” style which then explodes in a lively, French can-can finale. The living castle objects just want to serve and make someone happy again, offering Belle elaborate meals and dazzling entertainment. Everything is on the plate for Belle, from soup du jour, hot hors d’oeuvres, beef ragout, cheese soufflé, and of course, the grey stuff. What’s just as exciting about the number as its giddy music is the animation, with spoons swimming in punch bowls like a Busby Berkeley number, prismatic spotlights, sumptuous, brightly-colored cakes, a glowing chandelier, and dancing flatware. Previous SlideNext Slide18 / 25List slides7. “You’ll Be in My Heart” from TarzanList slides7. “You’ll Be in My Heart” from TarzanPhil Collins - You’ll Be in My Heart /Tarzan(ターザン)Phil Collins knocked it out of the park with the entire Tarzan soundtrack. Somehow his earthy voice, drum-infused instrumentals, and heartfelt lyrics were the perfect mix for this jungle story. Rather than a traditional Disney musical, Phil Collins acts as an omnipresent narrator, commenting on the action or voicing the character’s thoughts. “You’ll Be In My Heart” rightfully earned the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Originally written as a lullaby for his own daughter, the song starts off tender, with Phil Collins almost gently whispering against soft marimbas. Its lyrics of true love and devotion are moving, especially in the scene where Kala sings it to a baby Tarzan, who, despite being a different species, experiences a bond where love and care know no bounds. The song eventually crashes into driving drums, moving toward a bridge that sees the child fly free on their own: “When destiny calls you / You must be strong / I may not be with you / But you’ve got to hold on.” This song is touching for anyone who has ever loved someone and watched them grow, no matter what type of relationship. Previous SlideNext Slide19 / 25List slides6. “Under the Sea” from The Little MermaidList slides6. “Under the Sea” from The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid - Under the Sea (from The Little Mermaid) (Official Video) Those solo calypso opening notes of “Under the Sea” immediately get you excited, and Samuel E. Wright delivers a rollicking underwater bash. His booming voice and vivacious energy are perfect for the overdramatic crustacean and his mission to convince Ariel that living under the sea “is the bubbles” with no troubles. “Under the Sea’ buoys the rainbow-colored montage of marine life that fills Ariel’s world—fish, dolphins, and coral reefs. The scene cleverly ties the instruments to various creatures and animation — harps echo the swirling school of fish, shells mimic steel pans, and a pair of octopuses intertwine their legs like bass lines. With its infectious Caribbean beat, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s song is a true banger and impossible not to love, which is why it won the 1990 Oscar for Best Original Song. Previous SlideNext Slide20 / 25List slides5. “Colors of the Wind” from PocahontasList slides5. “Colors of the Wind” from PocahontasPocahontas - Colors of the Wind (Blu-ray 1080p HD) “You think the only people who are people / Are the people who look and think like you / But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger / You’ll learn things you never knew, you never knew.” In this increasingly polarized world, that message has never been more relevant. Pocahontas is not immediately smitten with John Smith; instead, she condemns his entire culture, which prioritizes gold and hatred over acceptance and the beauty of nature. Stephen Schwartz’s lyrics paint gorgeous pictures of the American wilderness, questioning why the white men who have invaded these lands cannot appreciate the world around them — from the grinning bobcats to the sweet berries to the trees that stretch toward the sky, if only we let them grow. Alan Menken’s surrounding score is rapturous, carried by Judy Kuhn’s passionate vocals. More than just the profound lyrics, it’s the visuals that make this musical number so unforgettable — particularly John Smith and Pocahontas dancing in a pastel-colored wind. It’s no surprise that “Colors of the Wind” won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Previous SlideNext Slide21 / 25List slides4. “When You Wish Upon a Star” from PinnochioList slides4. “When You Wish Upon a Star” from PinnochioPocahontas - Colors of the Wind (Blu-ray 1080p HD)Written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington, “When You Wish Upon a Star” has come to define Disney itself, typically playing over the castle logo that opens every movie. The ethereal ballad is sung by Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket, whose resonant yet quirky voice feels like someone sharing a story by a crackling fire. “When you wish upon a star / Makes no difference who you are / Anything your heart desires / Will come to you,” he tenderly sings over the opening credits. The gentle melody wraps you in a warm embrace of possibility. People often make fun of Disney adults, but perhaps one reason we hold on to Disney films long after growing up is that they offer hope in an increasingly grim world. This aspirational song reminds us there is more to life than the ordinary—if we just dare to imagine.Previous SlideNext Slide22 / 25List slides3. “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the BeastList slides3. “Beauty and the Beast” from Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast Tale As Old As Time HD As Mrs. Potts, Angela Lansbury’s warm, cheery English voice adds a rosiness to this powerful love ballad, backed by an orchestra of sumptuous strings. The lyrics aren’t the pure romanticism of past Disney love stories; there is no love at first sight here. Instead, Mrs. Potts gently reflects on how true love can take time to blossom, and how relationships sometimes require change, admitting your faults and working hard to set aside your vices and worst qualities. It’s a surprisingly mature outlook for a Disney love song. The accompanying animation is one of the most exquisite sequences in Disney history: Belle’s golden dress glides delicately across the floor as she and the Beast dance in the grand ballroom, the camera swirling to reveal the sparkling chandelier and Michelangelo-esque ceiling of painted cherubs above them. That Howard Ashman wrote this song while dying from complications of AIDS makes it all the more poignant. Previous SlideNext Slide23 / 25List slides2. “Part of Your World” from The Little MermaidList slides2. “Part of Your World” from The Little MermaidJodi Benson - Part of Your World (From “The Little Mermaid”)Before The Little Mermaid kicked off the Disney Renaissance (a period of more sophisticated storytelling and box office success) princess songs were mostly focused on their prince charmings. They had very few aspirations outside of dreaming about their prince or wishing for their prince. But the introduction of the songwriting team Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who had worked on the off-Broadway show Little Shop of Horrors, helped develop a Disney princess that had greater ambitions. Ariel wanted to see the human world, and she would express that within a Broadway-style solo called the “I Want” song, where the protagonist sings about, well, what they want. “Part of Your World” has a flowing melody and a sweet yearning in Jodi Benson’s voice (and given a more soulful power in the live-action version from Halle Bailey). We see her comical misunderstanding of what her treasures are, all whozits and whatzits galore. “Wouldn’t I love to explore that shore up above?” her voice soars while reaching out through the top of her grotto towards the sun. In that moment, with her big eyes and aching voice, you completely understand how much the human world means to her.Previous SlideNext Slide24 / 25List slides1. “Circle of Life” from The Lion KingList slides1. “Circle of Life” from The Lion KingCarmen Twillie, Lebo M. - Circle of Life (From “The Lion King”) No Disney song is quite as epic as Elton John’s “Circle of Life.” The image of the rising sun, paired with the opening lines sung passionately in Zulu by Lebo M., without any instrumentals, immediately hooks you into this sweeping story of the African savannah. The title, “Circle of Life,” is fitting for this tale of birth, death, and everything in between. The lyrics somehow encompass everything about our big, beautiful world — how finite life is, and the experiences, both good and bad, that give us balance. There’s despair and there’s hope. There’s faith and there’s love. The lyrics are poetic and make you think about the wonder and mystery of existence. The song reaches a powerful peak at the end when the chorus rises together. It’s impossible not to get full-body chills on that final soaring note, “It’s the circle, the circle of life,” punctuated by the thunderous drumbeat, where the sight of Rafiki lifting Simba on Pride Rock cuts to black. “Circle of Life” is a beautiful song with a grand vision, especially for a film geared towards children.
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  • What’s behind the WAG renaissance?

    Don’t call Kylie Kelce a WAG. The acronym for the “wives and girlfriends” of professional athletes rankles the podcaster, who first rose to fame as the wife of retired Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce. As Kelce explains, the phrase suggests that “your spouse’s profession swallows you up as well.”But many in the media are heralding this moment as a “new era” for WAGs, and Kelce is just one of several famous women who are at the fore of this renaissance: Everyone from TikToker Alix Earle, who is dating Miami Dolphins player Braxton Berrios, to Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles — unquestionably the more famous athlete — who is married to the Chicago Bears’ Jonathan Owens. Then there’s Taylor Swift, one of the most successful musicians on the planet, who, thanks to her relationship with Kylie’s brother-in-law Travis Kelce, has become the ultimate symbol of the new WAG.Meanwhile, a host of lesser-known women are experiencing their first taste of fame through their relationships with tennis players, Formula 1 race-car drivers, and even pole-vaulters. A sizable number have leveraged their romantic lives to receive brand deals, podcasting opportunities, and magazine profiles.By and large, our understanding of WAGs is rapidly evolving to acknowledge their own social and economic power. They’ve transformed from tabloid punching bags to an appealing status symbol. Still, the continued use of the term does raise some complicated questions: Why are we so interested in defining these women, some of whom are independently successful, by their relationships to men? And what does it mean that they might be raking in more attention and financial opportunities than some female athletes? The rise of the new WAG The public’s fascination with WAGs isn’t new. The acronym originated across the pond in the early 2000s to describe the wives and girlfriends of English footballers. British tabloids and football fans alike lambasted women — celebrities in their own right — like former Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham for their partying, extravagant spending, and flashy, maximalist looks. When the England national football team lost the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their partners were blamed in the press for the defeat. In the United States, being a WAG could be an equally dangerous public position. From Jessica Simpson to the Kardashians, they’ve been painted as distractions, attention-seekers, and bearers of bad luck. Over the past two decades, though, a WAG has become less of an involuntary title and more of an identity that some women are willing to cultivate, given that it can come with its own rewards.David and Victoria Beckham at the MOBO Awards on October 6, 1999. Dave Hogan/Getty ImagesThis modern version of WAG-dom can be credited to early 2010s reality shows like WAGS, Basketball Wives, and La La’s Full Court Life. These platforms allowed these women — some anonymous before they entered into relationships with athletes — to craft their own public narratives and become notable personalities on their own. For years now, Ayesha Curry, wife of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, has modeled what it means to be a “WAG influencer,” embracing her public relationship with her spouse while building a separate career as a successful cookbook author and host. Since then, WAG-influencers have become a welcome staple of certain sports cultures. Formula 1 has exploded in recent years, with a small part of that popularity owed to the sport’s stylish other halves. Since 2017, female viewership has grown from 8 percent to 40 percent. This has been largely credited to the popular Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which put a spotlight on the personal lives of drivers and, naturally, their partners. Lily Herman, who writes the F1 newsletter Engine Failure, says that the current popularity of WAG-influencers in Formula 1 can be credited to the former partners of a few young popular drivers from 2019 to 2022, like Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend Isa Hernáez and Charles Leclerc’s girlfriend Charlotte Sine, who were both featured on Drive to Survive. In 2022, Sine was the first WAG in the sport to explicitly use her access to the F1 circuit as a part of an ad campaign for the skincare brand Sunday Riley.“They were around during an era where the sport saw a lot of growth in its younger fan base, especially among teen girls and younger women, and there was a new wave of interest in these young drivers’ personal lives,” says Herman. These women have inspired fan pages, Tumblr accounts, and subreddits dedicated to their relationships, fashion, and rumored drama. Lately, the organization has fully embraced WAGs as recognizable supporting characters in the F1 universe, featuring them on social media and including them on chyrons during racing broadcasts. Tennis has tried to replicate the WAG-to-influencer pipeline too, although the sport and its fans are still warming up to the presence of outside partners. Morgan Riddle, who’s dating highest-ranked American male player Taylor Fritz, has been making get-ready-with-me videos for tournaments and vlogging about her life on the tennis tour since 2022. Ayan Broomfield, a former college tennis player who’s dating Frances Tiafoe, and influencer Paige Lorenze, who’s dating Tommy Paul, have mimicked the same career path, broadcasting their lives as WAGs on social media. Herman says that WAGs play a role in “adding dimension” to their male partners, contributing to the marketability of both. “Fritz is pretty bland as a public figure without his girlfriend,” says Herman. “She’s done way more in her work as an influencer and content creator to make him seem multidimensional than he has through solo interviews and profiles.”It certainly benefits younger, newer WAGs who are already powerful women. Biles and Swift have joined their ranks and seem to take pride in the role. Beckham, now a successful fashion designer, has also played a role in igniting a nostalgia for WAGs, thanks to the popular 2023 Netflix docuseries Beckham. The business of being a WAG is still very traditional In our current political climate, the WAG boom raises interesting questions. Research shows that some Gen Z-ers are identifying as more conservative than their parents. “Trad wife” content abounds online. Where do WAGs fit in? WAG influencers share some obvious similarities to tradwife influencers, women who’ve created lucrative identities and even businesses by perpetuating conservative ideas of marriage and motherhood. In a Substack essay, sports writer Frankie De La Cretaz argues that WAGs are essentially the tradwives of men’s sports: “No matter how many businesses a WAG starts or how many charities she runs, she still embodies a heteronormative idea of family and a woman’s place in society.” It’s hard to get around the fact that most WAGs are initially famous for their association with a male partner, although they may ultimately transcend that attachment.WAGs are gaining visibility while the most talented female athletes are still fighting for wage parity and struggling to land brand deals.But even attempts to define WAGs outside of their relationships come off a bit shallow. Stories about how these women are impacting sports largely focus on their brand deals and follower counts. When we celebrate the influence of WAGs, we’re mostly talking about their ability to turn other women into consumers and spectators, not athletes. Meanwhile, WAGs are gaining visibility while the most talented female athletes are still fighting for wage parity and struggling to land brand deals. Back in March, Australian tennis pro Daria Saville made a TikTok about the lack of sponsorships she and other female pros receive compared to tennis WAGs. “Female tennis players are not getting those brand deals,” she said. “It’s actually tennis WAGs that fit into the ‘aesthetic’ rather than, us, sweaty tennis players.” De la Cretaz tells Vox that the WAG boom echoes the mainstream platforming of tradwives. “It’s an extension of “girlboss” feminism, the idea that promoting women regardless of what that looks like is somehow good for women,” De la Cretaz says. “It’s also this idea that whatever you’re choosing is valid, even though those choices don’t exist in a vacuum.” The most visible WAGs are still predominantly in straight relationships, and a large part of being one still involves affirming a male athlete’s heterosexuality. As journalist Kira Cochrane wrote in a 2010 piece for the Guardian about football WAGs, “consciously or not, the women know their role is to boost their partner’s masculinity.” She added that their often highly feminized presentation “underlinesstatus as possessions, part of the package for footballers.” WAGs, with their new clout and influence, haven’t exactly gotten a total makeover. Rather, their hustle has grown more appealing. After all, they represent all the things women are encouraged to be in a time when mainstream culture is trending more conservative. They’re tradwives. They’re girlbosses. They’re stylish and beautiful. Most of all, they’re sitting on the sidelines. See More:
    #whatampamp8217s #behind #wag #renaissance
    What’s behind the WAG renaissance?
    Don’t call Kylie Kelce a WAG. The acronym for the “wives and girlfriends” of professional athletes rankles the podcaster, who first rose to fame as the wife of retired Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce. As Kelce explains, the phrase suggests that “your spouse’s profession swallows you up as well.”But many in the media are heralding this moment as a “new era” for WAGs, and Kelce is just one of several famous women who are at the fore of this renaissance: Everyone from TikToker Alix Earle, who is dating Miami Dolphins player Braxton Berrios, to Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles — unquestionably the more famous athlete — who is married to the Chicago Bears’ Jonathan Owens. Then there’s Taylor Swift, one of the most successful musicians on the planet, who, thanks to her relationship with Kylie’s brother-in-law Travis Kelce, has become the ultimate symbol of the new WAG.Meanwhile, a host of lesser-known women are experiencing their first taste of fame through their relationships with tennis players, Formula 1 race-car drivers, and even pole-vaulters. A sizable number have leveraged their romantic lives to receive brand deals, podcasting opportunities, and magazine profiles.By and large, our understanding of WAGs is rapidly evolving to acknowledge their own social and economic power. They’ve transformed from tabloid punching bags to an appealing status symbol. Still, the continued use of the term does raise some complicated questions: Why are we so interested in defining these women, some of whom are independently successful, by their relationships to men? And what does it mean that they might be raking in more attention and financial opportunities than some female athletes? The rise of the new WAG The public’s fascination with WAGs isn’t new. The acronym originated across the pond in the early 2000s to describe the wives and girlfriends of English footballers. British tabloids and football fans alike lambasted women — celebrities in their own right — like former Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham for their partying, extravagant spending, and flashy, maximalist looks. When the England national football team lost the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their partners were blamed in the press for the defeat. In the United States, being a WAG could be an equally dangerous public position. From Jessica Simpson to the Kardashians, they’ve been painted as distractions, attention-seekers, and bearers of bad luck. Over the past two decades, though, a WAG has become less of an involuntary title and more of an identity that some women are willing to cultivate, given that it can come with its own rewards.David and Victoria Beckham at the MOBO Awards on October 6, 1999. Dave Hogan/Getty ImagesThis modern version of WAG-dom can be credited to early 2010s reality shows like WAGS, Basketball Wives, and La La’s Full Court Life. These platforms allowed these women — some anonymous before they entered into relationships with athletes — to craft their own public narratives and become notable personalities on their own. For years now, Ayesha Curry, wife of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, has modeled what it means to be a “WAG influencer,” embracing her public relationship with her spouse while building a separate career as a successful cookbook author and host. Since then, WAG-influencers have become a welcome staple of certain sports cultures. Formula 1 has exploded in recent years, with a small part of that popularity owed to the sport’s stylish other halves. Since 2017, female viewership has grown from 8 percent to 40 percent. This has been largely credited to the popular Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which put a spotlight on the personal lives of drivers and, naturally, their partners. Lily Herman, who writes the F1 newsletter Engine Failure, says that the current popularity of WAG-influencers in Formula 1 can be credited to the former partners of a few young popular drivers from 2019 to 2022, like Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend Isa Hernáez and Charles Leclerc’s girlfriend Charlotte Sine, who were both featured on Drive to Survive. In 2022, Sine was the first WAG in the sport to explicitly use her access to the F1 circuit as a part of an ad campaign for the skincare brand Sunday Riley.“They were around during an era where the sport saw a lot of growth in its younger fan base, especially among teen girls and younger women, and there was a new wave of interest in these young drivers’ personal lives,” says Herman. These women have inspired fan pages, Tumblr accounts, and subreddits dedicated to their relationships, fashion, and rumored drama. Lately, the organization has fully embraced WAGs as recognizable supporting characters in the F1 universe, featuring them on social media and including them on chyrons during racing broadcasts. Tennis has tried to replicate the WAG-to-influencer pipeline too, although the sport and its fans are still warming up to the presence of outside partners. Morgan Riddle, who’s dating highest-ranked American male player Taylor Fritz, has been making get-ready-with-me videos for tournaments and vlogging about her life on the tennis tour since 2022. Ayan Broomfield, a former college tennis player who’s dating Frances Tiafoe, and influencer Paige Lorenze, who’s dating Tommy Paul, have mimicked the same career path, broadcasting their lives as WAGs on social media. Herman says that WAGs play a role in “adding dimension” to their male partners, contributing to the marketability of both. “Fritz is pretty bland as a public figure without his girlfriend,” says Herman. “She’s done way more in her work as an influencer and content creator to make him seem multidimensional than he has through solo interviews and profiles.”It certainly benefits younger, newer WAGs who are already powerful women. Biles and Swift have joined their ranks and seem to take pride in the role. Beckham, now a successful fashion designer, has also played a role in igniting a nostalgia for WAGs, thanks to the popular 2023 Netflix docuseries Beckham. The business of being a WAG is still very traditional In our current political climate, the WAG boom raises interesting questions. Research shows that some Gen Z-ers are identifying as more conservative than their parents. “Trad wife” content abounds online. Where do WAGs fit in? WAG influencers share some obvious similarities to tradwife influencers, women who’ve created lucrative identities and even businesses by perpetuating conservative ideas of marriage and motherhood. In a Substack essay, sports writer Frankie De La Cretaz argues that WAGs are essentially the tradwives of men’s sports: “No matter how many businesses a WAG starts or how many charities she runs, she still embodies a heteronormative idea of family and a woman’s place in society.” It’s hard to get around the fact that most WAGs are initially famous for their association with a male partner, although they may ultimately transcend that attachment.WAGs are gaining visibility while the most talented female athletes are still fighting for wage parity and struggling to land brand deals.But even attempts to define WAGs outside of their relationships come off a bit shallow. Stories about how these women are impacting sports largely focus on their brand deals and follower counts. When we celebrate the influence of WAGs, we’re mostly talking about their ability to turn other women into consumers and spectators, not athletes. Meanwhile, WAGs are gaining visibility while the most talented female athletes are still fighting for wage parity and struggling to land brand deals. Back in March, Australian tennis pro Daria Saville made a TikTok about the lack of sponsorships she and other female pros receive compared to tennis WAGs. “Female tennis players are not getting those brand deals,” she said. “It’s actually tennis WAGs that fit into the ‘aesthetic’ rather than, us, sweaty tennis players.” De la Cretaz tells Vox that the WAG boom echoes the mainstream platforming of tradwives. “It’s an extension of “girlboss” feminism, the idea that promoting women regardless of what that looks like is somehow good for women,” De la Cretaz says. “It’s also this idea that whatever you’re choosing is valid, even though those choices don’t exist in a vacuum.” The most visible WAGs are still predominantly in straight relationships, and a large part of being one still involves affirming a male athlete’s heterosexuality. As journalist Kira Cochrane wrote in a 2010 piece for the Guardian about football WAGs, “consciously or not, the women know their role is to boost their partner’s masculinity.” She added that their often highly feminized presentation “underlinesstatus as possessions, part of the package for footballers.” WAGs, with their new clout and influence, haven’t exactly gotten a total makeover. Rather, their hustle has grown more appealing. After all, they represent all the things women are encouraged to be in a time when mainstream culture is trending more conservative. They’re tradwives. They’re girlbosses. They’re stylish and beautiful. Most of all, they’re sitting on the sidelines. See More: #whatampamp8217s #behind #wag #renaissance
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    What’s behind the WAG renaissance?
    Don’t call Kylie Kelce a WAG. The acronym for the “wives and girlfriends” of professional athletes rankles the podcaster, who first rose to fame as the wife of retired Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce. As Kelce explains, the phrase suggests that “your spouse’s profession swallows you up as well.”But many in the media are heralding this moment as a “new era” for WAGs, and Kelce is just one of several famous women who are at the fore of this renaissance: Everyone from TikToker Alix Earle, who is dating Miami Dolphins player Braxton Berrios, to Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles — unquestionably the more famous athlete — who is married to the Chicago Bears’ Jonathan Owens. Then there’s Taylor Swift, one of the most successful musicians on the planet, who, thanks to her relationship with Kylie’s brother-in-law Travis Kelce, has become the ultimate symbol of the new WAG.Meanwhile, a host of lesser-known women are experiencing their first taste of fame through their relationships with tennis players, Formula 1 race-car drivers, and even pole-vaulters. A sizable number have leveraged their romantic lives to receive brand deals, podcasting opportunities, and magazine profiles.By and large, our understanding of WAGs is rapidly evolving to acknowledge their own social and economic power. They’ve transformed from tabloid punching bags to an appealing status symbol. Still, the continued use of the term does raise some complicated questions: Why are we so interested in defining these women, some of whom are independently successful, by their relationships to men? And what does it mean that they might be raking in more attention and financial opportunities than some female athletes? The rise of the new WAG The public’s fascination with WAGs isn’t new. The acronym originated across the pond in the early 2000s to describe the wives and girlfriends of English footballers. British tabloids and football fans alike lambasted women — celebrities in their own right — like former Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham for their partying, extravagant spending, and flashy, maximalist looks. When the England national football team lost the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their partners were blamed in the press for the defeat. In the United States, being a WAG could be an equally dangerous public position. From Jessica Simpson to the Kardashians, they’ve been painted as distractions, attention-seekers, and bearers of bad luck. Over the past two decades, though, a WAG has become less of an involuntary title and more of an identity that some women are willing to cultivate, given that it can come with its own rewards.David and Victoria Beckham at the MOBO Awards on October 6, 1999. Dave Hogan/Getty ImagesThis modern version of WAG-dom can be credited to early 2010s reality shows like WAGS, Basketball Wives, and La La’s Full Court Life. These platforms allowed these women — some anonymous before they entered into relationships with athletes — to craft their own public narratives and become notable personalities on their own. For years now, Ayesha Curry, wife of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, has modeled what it means to be a “WAG influencer,” embracing her public relationship with her spouse while building a separate career as a successful cookbook author and host. Since then, WAG-influencers have become a welcome staple of certain sports cultures. Formula 1 has exploded in recent years, with a small part of that popularity owed to the sport’s stylish other halves. Since 2017, female viewership has grown from 8 percent to 40 percent. This has been largely credited to the popular Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive, which put a spotlight on the personal lives of drivers and, naturally, their partners. Lily Herman, who writes the F1 newsletter Engine Failure, says that the current popularity of WAG-influencers in Formula 1 can be credited to the former partners of a few young popular drivers from 2019 to 2022, like Carlos Sainz’s girlfriend Isa Hernáez and Charles Leclerc’s girlfriend Charlotte Sine, who were both featured on Drive to Survive. In 2022, Sine was the first WAG in the sport to explicitly use her access to the F1 circuit as a part of an ad campaign for the skincare brand Sunday Riley.“They were around during an era where the sport saw a lot of growth in its younger fan base, especially among teen girls and younger women, and there was a new wave of interest in these young drivers’ personal lives,” says Herman. These women have inspired fan pages, Tumblr accounts, and subreddits dedicated to their relationships, fashion, and rumored drama. Lately, the organization has fully embraced WAGs as recognizable supporting characters in the F1 universe, featuring them on social media and including them on chyrons during racing broadcasts. Tennis has tried to replicate the WAG-to-influencer pipeline too, although the sport and its fans are still warming up to the presence of outside partners. Morgan Riddle, who’s dating highest-ranked American male player Taylor Fritz, has been making get-ready-with-me videos for tournaments and vlogging about her life on the tennis tour since 2022. Ayan Broomfield, a former college tennis player who’s dating Frances Tiafoe, and influencer Paige Lorenze, who’s dating Tommy Paul, have mimicked the same career path, broadcasting their lives as WAGs on social media. Herman says that WAGs play a role in “adding dimension” to their male partners, contributing to the marketability of both. “Fritz is pretty bland as a public figure without his girlfriend,” says Herman. “She’s done way more in her work as an influencer and content creator to make him seem multidimensional than he has through solo interviews and profiles.”It certainly benefits younger, newer WAGs who are already powerful women. Biles and Swift have joined their ranks and seem to take pride in the role. Beckham, now a successful fashion designer, has also played a role in igniting a nostalgia for WAGs, thanks to the popular 2023 Netflix docuseries Beckham. The business of being a WAG is still very traditional In our current political climate, the WAG boom raises interesting questions. Research shows that some Gen Z-ers are identifying as more conservative than their parents. “Trad wife” content abounds online. Where do WAGs fit in? WAG influencers share some obvious similarities to tradwife influencers, women who’ve created lucrative identities and even businesses by perpetuating conservative ideas of marriage and motherhood. In a Substack essay, sports writer Frankie De La Cretaz argues that WAGs are essentially the tradwives of men’s sports: “No matter how many businesses a WAG starts or how many charities she runs, she still embodies a heteronormative idea of family and a woman’s place in society.” It’s hard to get around the fact that most WAGs are initially famous for their association with a male partner, although they may ultimately transcend that attachment (see Kylie Kelce’s complaint about being called a WAG and consider that her podcast, Not Gonna Lie, briefly dethroned The Joe Rogan Experience when it debuted in 2024).WAGs are gaining visibility while the most talented female athletes are still fighting for wage parity and struggling to land brand deals.But even attempts to define WAGs outside of their relationships come off a bit shallow. Stories about how these women are impacting sports largely focus on their brand deals and follower counts. When we celebrate the influence of WAGs, we’re mostly talking about their ability to turn other women into consumers and spectators, not athletes. Meanwhile, WAGs are gaining visibility while the most talented female athletes are still fighting for wage parity and struggling to land brand deals. Back in March, Australian tennis pro Daria Saville made a TikTok about the lack of sponsorships she and other female pros receive compared to tennis WAGs. “Female tennis players are not getting those brand deals,” she said. “It’s actually tennis WAGs that fit into the ‘aesthetic’ rather than, us, sweaty tennis players.” De la Cretaz tells Vox that the WAG boom echoes the mainstream platforming of tradwives. “It’s an extension of “girlboss” feminism, the idea that promoting women regardless of what that looks like is somehow good for women,” De la Cretaz says. “It’s also this idea that whatever you’re choosing is valid, even though those choices don’t exist in a vacuum.” The most visible WAGs are still predominantly in straight relationships, and a large part of being one still involves affirming a male athlete’s heterosexuality. As journalist Kira Cochrane wrote in a 2010 piece for the Guardian about football WAGs, “consciously or not, the women know their role is to boost their partner’s masculinity.” She added that their often highly feminized presentation “underlines [their] status as possessions, part of the package for footballers.” WAGs, with their new clout and influence, haven’t exactly gotten a total makeover. Rather, their hustle has grown more appealing. After all, they represent all the things women are encouraged to be in a time when mainstream culture is trending more conservative. They’re tradwives. They’re girlbosses. They’re stylish and beautiful. Most of all, they’re sitting on the sidelines. See More:
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  • Google launched a dizzying array of new AI products, and it's getting harder to make sense of them all

    Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during a Google I/O conference.

    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    2025-05-21T22:01:46Z

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    Google announced over two dozen new AI updates at its I/O developer conference.
    It's impressive, though some of the new products seem to overlap significantly.
    Google's approach could lose to more focused rivals as tech races to build an "everything app."

    Attending Google's I/O developer conference is like being doused with a firehose of new AI announcements.At I/O's keynote event on Tuesday, Business Insider counted at least two dozen new models, features, and updates."We are shipping faster than ever," Google CEO Sundar Pichai boasted onstage.Indeed. But it's starting to get a little confusing. For one, some of the launches seem to overlap with each other. Launching so many AI products in such a short timeframe is impressive, and it can also feel scatterbrained.AI Mode allows you to chat with Google as you browse the web, creating a more conversational search experience. Don't confuse it with Gemini in Chrome, which allows you to ask Gemini questions while you browse.With Gemini Live, you can point your phone at whatever you want and talk to the AI assistant about it. Don't mistake it for Search Live, which allows you to chat with Search about whatever your phone sees.Project Mariner is an experimental AI agent that can take actions like booking tickets. Gemini's upcoming Agent Mode also has agentic capabilities, like helping users find just the right Zillow listing.Not all the new tools seemed that similar. Google launched an impressive new AI filmmaking tool called Flow, powered by its new model Veo 3.Google also touted updates to an entirely separate AI model family from Gemini called Gemma which, incidentally, can help decipher how dolphins talk to each other — that's DolphinGemma.Multiple Googlers that Business Insider spoke with at I/O used a single word to describe Google's current rate of shipping: "intense."Google's approach complicates its own vision of building a single, universal AI assistant.OpenAI is also moving fast towards this goal and appears intent on launching a dedicated device to run it, given its recent purchase of Apple designer Jony Ive's hardware startup.Google risks building so many overlapping AI products that it will be tough to compete with a single, more stand-alone solution, such as an AI-native phone.No one's counting Google out, though. The tech giant has become an undeniable AI leader, inventing much of the core research behind the current boom and successfully launching transformational technology like Waymo. Time will tell whether Google's more sprawling approach wins out.Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
    #google #launched #dizzying #array #new
    Google launched a dizzying array of new AI products, and it's getting harder to make sense of them all
    Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during a Google I/O conference. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 2025-05-21T22:01:46Z d Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Google announced over two dozen new AI updates at its I/O developer conference. It's impressive, though some of the new products seem to overlap significantly. Google's approach could lose to more focused rivals as tech races to build an "everything app." Attending Google's I/O developer conference is like being doused with a firehose of new AI announcements.At I/O's keynote event on Tuesday, Business Insider counted at least two dozen new models, features, and updates."We are shipping faster than ever," Google CEO Sundar Pichai boasted onstage.Indeed. But it's starting to get a little confusing. For one, some of the launches seem to overlap with each other. Launching so many AI products in such a short timeframe is impressive, and it can also feel scatterbrained.AI Mode allows you to chat with Google as you browse the web, creating a more conversational search experience. Don't confuse it with Gemini in Chrome, which allows you to ask Gemini questions while you browse.With Gemini Live, you can point your phone at whatever you want and talk to the AI assistant about it. Don't mistake it for Search Live, which allows you to chat with Search about whatever your phone sees.Project Mariner is an experimental AI agent that can take actions like booking tickets. Gemini's upcoming Agent Mode also has agentic capabilities, like helping users find just the right Zillow listing.Not all the new tools seemed that similar. Google launched an impressive new AI filmmaking tool called Flow, powered by its new model Veo 3.Google also touted updates to an entirely separate AI model family from Gemini called Gemma which, incidentally, can help decipher how dolphins talk to each other — that's DolphinGemma.Multiple Googlers that Business Insider spoke with at I/O used a single word to describe Google's current rate of shipping: "intense."Google's approach complicates its own vision of building a single, universal AI assistant.OpenAI is also moving fast towards this goal and appears intent on launching a dedicated device to run it, given its recent purchase of Apple designer Jony Ive's hardware startup.Google risks building so many overlapping AI products that it will be tough to compete with a single, more stand-alone solution, such as an AI-native phone.No one's counting Google out, though. The tech giant has become an undeniable AI leader, inventing much of the core research behind the current boom and successfully launching transformational technology like Waymo. Time will tell whether Google's more sprawling approach wins out.Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. #google #launched #dizzying #array #new
    WWW.BUSINESSINSIDER.COM
    Google launched a dizzying array of new AI products, and it's getting harder to make sense of them all
    Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during a Google I/O conference. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 2025-05-21T22:01:46Z Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Google announced over two dozen new AI updates at its I/O developer conference. It's impressive, though some of the new products seem to overlap significantly. Google's approach could lose to more focused rivals as tech races to build an "everything app." Attending Google's I/O developer conference is like being doused with a firehose of new AI announcements.At I/O's keynote event on Tuesday, Business Insider counted at least two dozen new models, features, and updates."We are shipping faster than ever," Google CEO Sundar Pichai boasted onstage.Indeed. But it's starting to get a little confusing. For one, some of the launches seem to overlap with each other. Launching so many AI products in such a short timeframe is impressive, and it can also feel scatterbrained.AI Mode allows you to chat with Google as you browse the web, creating a more conversational search experience. Don't confuse it with Gemini in Chrome, which allows you to ask Gemini questions while you browse.With Gemini Live, you can point your phone at whatever you want and talk to the AI assistant about it. Don't mistake it for Search Live, which allows you to chat with Search about whatever your phone sees.Project Mariner is an experimental AI agent that can take actions like booking tickets. Gemini's upcoming Agent Mode also has agentic capabilities, like helping users find just the right Zillow listing.Not all the new tools seemed that similar. Google launched an impressive new AI filmmaking tool called Flow, powered by its new model Veo 3.Google also touted updates to an entirely separate AI model family from Gemini called Gemma which, incidentally, can help decipher how dolphins talk to each other — that's DolphinGemma.Multiple Googlers that Business Insider spoke with at I/O used a single word to describe Google's current rate of shipping: "intense."Google's approach complicates its own vision of building a single, universal AI assistant. (That mission has its own name, too: Project Astra.)OpenAI is also moving fast towards this goal and appears intent on launching a dedicated device to run it, given its recent purchase of Apple designer Jony Ive's hardware startup.Google risks building so many overlapping AI products that it will be tough to compete with a single, more stand-alone solution, such as an AI-native phone.No one's counting Google out, though. The tech giant has become an undeniable AI leader, inventing much of the core research behind the current boom and successfully launching transformational technology like Waymo. Time will tell whether Google's more sprawling approach wins out.Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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  • What If Mitochondria Aren’t Only the Powerhouse of the Cell?

    May 20, 2025Could Mitochondria Be Rewriting the Rules of Biology?New discoveries about mitochondria could reshape how we understand the body’s response to stress, aging, and illness. Scientific AmericanSUBSCRIBE TO Science QuicklyRachel Feltman: Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, right? Well, it turns out they might be way more complicated than that, and that could have implications for everything from diet and exercise to treating mental health conditions.For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman.Our guest today is Martin Picard, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University. He’s here to tell us all about our mitochondria, what they do for us and how they can even talk to each other. If you like to watch your pods instead of just listening, you can check out a video version of my conversation with Martin over on our YouTube page. Plus, you’ll get to see some of the aligning mitochondria we’re about to talk about in action.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Martin, would you tell us a little bit about who you are and where you work?Martin Picard: Sure, I work at Columbia University; I’m a professor there, and I lead a team of mitochondrial psychobiologists, so we try to understand the, the mind-mitochondria connection, how energy and those little living creatures that populate our cells, how they actually feed our lives and allow us to, to be and to think and to feel and to experience life.Feltman: Before we get into the details, most people know mitochondria as the “powerhouse of the cell”—which, fun fact, Scientific American actually coined in the 1950s—but what are mitochondria, to start us off with a really basic question?Picard:Yes, 1957 is the “powerhouse of the cell.” That was momentous.That shaped generations of scientists, and now the powerhouse analogy is expired, so it’s time for a new perspective.Really, mitochondria are, are small living organelles, like little organs of the cell, and what they do is they transform the food we eat and the oxygen that we breathe. Those two things converge inside the mitochondria, and that gets transformed into a different kind of energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed, right? It’s a fundamental law of thermodynamics. So mitochondria, they don’t make energy; they transform the energy that’s stored in food from the plants and from the energy of the sun and then the oxygen combining this, and then they transform this into a little electrical charge. They dematerialize food—energy stored in food—into this very malleable, flexible form of energy that’s membrane potential, so they become charged like little batteries and then they power everything in our cells, from turning on genes and making proteins and cellular movement; cellular division; cell death, aging, development—everything requires energy. Nothing in biology is free.Feltman: Well, I definitely wanna get into what you said about the powerhouse analogy not working anymore ’cause that seems pretty huge, but before we get into that: you recently wrote a piece for Scientific American, and you referred to yourself as, I think, a “mitochondriac.” I would love to hear what you mean by that and how you got so interested in these organelles.Picard: Yeah, there’s a famous saying in science: “Every model is wrong, but some are useful.” And the model that has pervaded the world of biology and the health sciences is the gene-based model: genes are the blueprint for life, and then they drive and determine things. And we know nowto be misleading, and it forces us to think that a lot of what we experience, a lot of, you know, health or diseases, is actually determined by our genes. The reality is a very small percentage.Whether we get sick or not and when we get sick is not driven by our genes, but it’s driven by, you know, emergent processes that interact from our movement and our interaction with other people, with the world around us, with what we eat, how much we sleep, how we feel, the things we do. So the gene-based model was very powerful and useful initially, and then, I think, its, its utility is dwindling down.So the powerhouse analogy powered, you know, a fewdecades of science, and then what started to happen, as scientists discovered all of these other things that mitochondria do, we kept getting surprised. Surprise is an experience, and when you feel surprised about something, like, it’s because your internal model of what that thing is, it was wrong, right?Feltman: Right.Picard: And when there’s a disconnect between your internal model and the, the reality, then that feels like surprise. And I grew up over the last 15 years as a academic scientist, and, like, every month there’s a paper that’s published: “Mitochondria do this. Mitochondria make hormones.” Surprise! A, a powerhouse should have one function: it should make, or transform, energy, right? This is what powerhouses do. Mitochondria, it turns out, they have a life cycle. They make hormones. They do transform energy, but they also produce all sorts of signals. They turn on genes; they turn off genes. They can kill the cell if they deem that’s the right thing to do.So there are all of these functions, and, and I think, as a community, we keep being surprised as we discover new things that mitochondria do. And then once you realize the complexity and the amazing beauty of mitochondria and their true nature, then I think you have to become a mitochondriac. You have to, I think, be impressed by the beauty of—this is just a—such a beautiful manifestation of life. I fell in love with mitochondria, I think, is what happened.Feltman: Yeah, well, you touched on, you know, a few of the surprising things that mitochondria are capable of, but could you walk us through some of your research? What surprises have you encountered about these organelles?Picard: One of the first things that I saw that actually changed my life was seeing the first physical evidence that mitochondria share information ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: With one another. The textbook picture and the powerhouse analogy suggests that mitochondria are these, like, little beans and that they, they kind of float around and they just make ATP, adenosine triphosphate, which is the cellular energy currency, and once in a while they reproduce: there’s more mitochondria that come from—mitochondria, they can grow and then divide. So that’s what the powerhouse predicts.And what we found was that when—if you have a mitochondrion here and another mitochondrion here, inside the mitochondria, they’re these membranes ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: They’re, like, little lines. They look, in healthy mitochondria, look like radiators, right? It’s, like, parallel arrays. And it’s in these lines that the oxygen that we breathe is consumed and that the little charge—the, the food that we eat is converted into this electrical charge. These are called cristae.And in a normal, healthy mitochondria the cristae are nicely parallel, and there’s, like, a regularity there that’s just, I think, intuitively appealing, and it, it looks healthy. And then if you look at mitochondria in a diseased organ or in a diseased cell, often the cristae are all disorganized. That’s a feature of “something’s wrong,” right?And I’ve seen thousands of pictures and I’ve taken, you know, several thousands of pictures on the electron microscope, where you can see those cristae very well, and I’d never seen in the textbooks or in articles or in presentations, anywhere, that the cristae could actually, in one mitochondrion, could be influenced by the cristae in another mitochondrion.And what I saw that day and that I explained in the, in the article was that there was this one mitochondrion there—it had beautifully organized cristae here, and here the cristae were all disorganized. And it turns out that the part of this mitochondrion that had beautifully organized cristae is all where that mitochondria was touching other mitochondria.Feltman: Mm.Picard: So there was something about the mito-mito contact, right? Like, a unit touching another unit, an individual interacting with another individual, and they were influencing each other ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And the cristae of one mitochondrion were bending out of shape. That’s not thermodynamically favorable, to bend the lipid membrane, so there has to be something that is, you know, bringing energy into the system to bend the membrane, and then they were meeting to be parallel with the cristae of another mitochondrion. So there was these arrays that crossed boundaries between individual mitochondria ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: And this was notwhat I, I learned or this was not what I was taught or that I’d read, so this was very surprising.The first time we saw this, we had this beautiful video in three dimension, and I was with my colleague Meagan McManus, and then she realized that the cristae were actually aligning, and we did some statistics, and it became very clear: mitochondria care about mitochondria around them ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And this was the first physical evidence that there was this kind of information exchange.When you look at this it just looks like iron filings around a magnet.Feltman: Mm.Picard: Sprinkle iron filings on the piece of paper and there’s a magnet underneath, you see the fields of force, right? And fields are things that we can’t see, but you can only see or understand or even measure the strength of a field by the effect it has on something. So that’s why we sprinkle iron filings in a magnetic field to be able to see the field.Feltman: Right.Picard: It felt like what we were seeing there was the fingerprint of maybe an underlying electromagnetic field, which there’s been a lot of discussion about and hypothesis and some measurements in the 1960s, but that’s not something that most biologists think is possible. This was showing me: “Maybe the powerhouse thing is, is, is, is not the way to go.”Feltman: Did you face any pushback or just general surprise from your colleagues?Picard: About the cristae alignment?Feltman: Yeah.Picard: I did a lot of work. I took a lot of pictures and did a lot of analysis to make sure this was real ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: So I think when I presented the evidence, it was, it was, you know, it was clear.Feltman: Right.Picard: This was real.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: Whether this is electromagnetic—and I think that’s where people have kind of a gut reaction: “That can’t be real. That can’t be true.”Feltman: Mm.Picard: The cristae alignment is real, no questioning this, but whether this—there’s a magnetic field underlying this, we don’t have evidence for that ...Feltman: Sure.Picard: It’s speculation, but I think it, it hits some people, especially the strongly academically trained people that have been a little indoctrinated—I think that tends to happen in science ...Feltman: Sure.Picard: I think if we wrote a grant, you know, to, toto study the magnetic properties of mitochondria, that’d be much harder to get funded. But there was no resistance in accepting the visual evidence of mitochondria exchanging information ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: What it means, then, I think, is more work to be done to—towards that.Feltman: If, if we were seeing an electromagnetic field, what would the implications of that be?Picard: I think the implications is that the model that most of biomedical sciences is based on, which is “we’re a molecular soup and we’re molecular machines,” that might not be entirely how things work. And if we think that everything in biology is driven by a lock-and-key mechanism, right—there’s a molecule that binds a receptor and then this triggers a conformational change, and then there’s phosphorylation event and then signaling cascade—we’ve made a beautiful model of this, a molecular model of how life works.And there’s a beautiful book that came out, I think last year or end of 2023, How Life Works, by Philip Ball, and he basically brings us through a really good argument that life does not work by genetic determinism, which is how most people think and most biologists think that life works, and instead he kind of brings us towards a much more complete and integrative model of how life works. And in that alternate model it’s about patterns of information and information is carried and is transferred not just with molecules but with fields. And we use fields and we use light and we use, you know, all sorts of other means of communication with technology; a lot of information can be carried through your Bluetooth waves ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: Right? Fields. Or through light—we use fiber optic to transfer a lot of information very quickly. And it seems like biology has evolved to, to harness these other ways of, of nonmolecular mechanisms of cell-cell communication or organism-level communication.There’s an emerging field of quantum biology that is very interested in this, but this clashes a little bit with the molecular-deterministic model that science has been holding on to—I think against evidence, in, in some cases—for a while. Nobody can propose a rational, plausible molecular mechanism to explain what would organize cristae like this across mitochondria. The only plausible mechanism seems to be that there’s a—there’s some field, some organizing electromagnetic field that would bend the cristae and organize them, you know, across organelles, if that’s true.Feltman: Right.Picard: It was a bit of an awakening for me, and it turned me into a mitochondriac because it made me realize that this is the—this whole thing, this whole biology, is about information exchange and mitochondria don’t seem to exist as little units like powerhouses; they exist as a collective.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: The same way that you—this body. It’s a bunch of cells; either you think it’s a molecular machine or you think it’s an energetic process, right? There’s energy flowing through, and are you more the molecules of your body or are you more the, the energy flowing through your body?Feltman: Mm.Picard: And if you go down this, this line of questioning, I think, very quickly you realize that the flow of energy running through the physical structure of your body is more fundamental. You are more fundamentally an energetic process ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Than the physical molecular structure that you also are. If you lose part of your anatomy, part of your structure, right—you can lose a limb and other, you know, parts of your, of your physical structure—you still are you ...Feltman: Right.Picard: Right? If your energy flows differently or if you change the amount of energy that flows through you, you change radically. Three hours past your bedtime you’re not the best version of your, the best version of yourself. When you’re hangry, you haven’t eaten, and you, like, also, you’re not the best version of yourself, this is an energetic change. Right?Feltman: Yeah.Picard: Many people now who have experienced severe mental illness, like schizophrenia and bipolar disease, and, and who are now treating their symptoms and finding full recovery, in some cases, from changing their diets.Feltman: Mm.Picard: And the type of energy that flows through their mitochondria, I think, opens an energetic paradigm for understanding health, understanding disease and everything from development to how we age to this whole arc of life that parallels what we see in nature.Feltman: Yeah, so if we, you know, look at this social relationship between mitochondria, what are, in your mind, the most, like, direct, obvious implications for our health and ...Picard: Mm-hmm.Feltman: And well-being?Picard: Yeah, so we can think of the physical body as a social collective. So every cell in your body—every cell in your finger, in your brain, in your liver, in your heart—lives in some kind of a social contract with every other cell. No one cell knows who you are, or cares, but every cell together, right, makes up who you are, right? And then together they allow you to feel and to have the experience of who you are. That kind of understanding makes it clear that the key to health is really the coherence between every cell.Feltman: Mm.Picard: If you have a few cells here in your body that start to do their own thing and they kind of break the social contract, that’s what we call cancer. So you have cells that stop receiving information from the rest of the body, and then they kind of go rogue, they go on their own. Their purpose in life, instead of sustaining the organism, keeping the whole system in coherence, now these cells have as their mind, like, maybe quite literally, is, “Let’s divide, and let’s make more of ourselves,” which is exactly what life used to be before mitochondria came in ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: Into the picture 1.5 billion years ago, or before endosymbiosis, the origin of, of multicellular life. So cancer, in a way, is cells that have broken the social contract, right, exited this social collective, and then to go fulfill their own little, mini purpose, which is not about sustaining the organism but sustaining themselves. So that principle, I think, has lots of evidence to, to support it.And then the same thing, we think, happens at the level of mitochondria, right? So the molecular-machine perspective is that mitochondria are little powerhouses and they’re kind of slaves to the cell: if the cell says, “I need more energy,” then the mitochondria provide and they kind of obey rules. The mito-centric perspectiveis that mitochondria really drive the show. And because they’re in charge of how energy flows, they have a veto on whether the cell gets energy and lives and divides and differentiates and does all sorts of beautiful things or whether the cell dies.And most people will know apoptosis, programmed cell death, which is a normal thing that happens. The main path to apoptosis in, in our bodies is mitochondria calling the shot, so mitochondria have a veto, and they can decide, “Now, cell, it’s time to die.” And mitochondria make those decisions not based on, like, their own little powerhouseperception of the world; they make these decisions as social collectives. And you have the hundreds, thousands of mitochondria in some cells that all talk to each other and they integrate dozens of signals—hormones and metabolites and energy levels and temperature—and they integrate all this information; they basically act like a mini brain ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Inside every cell. And then once they have a, a—an appropriate picture of what the state of the organism is and what their place in this whole thing is, then they actually, I think, make decisions about, “Okay, it’s time to divide,” right? And then they send signals to, to the nucleus, and then there’re genes in the nucleus that are necessary for cell division that gets turned on, and then the cell enters cell cycle, and we and others have shown in, in, in the lab, you can prevent a cell from staying alivebut also from differentiating—a stem cell turning into a neuron, for example, this is a major life transition for a cell. And people have asked what drives those kind of life transitions, cellular life transitions, and it’s clear mitochondria are one of the main drivers of this ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: And if mitochondria don’t provide the right signals, the stem cell is never gonna differentiate into a specific cell type. If mitochondria exists as a social collective, then what it means for healthis that what we might wanna do is to promote sociality, right, to promote crosstalk between different parts of our bodies.Feltman: Hmm.Picard: And I suspect this is why exercise is so good for us.Feltman: Yeah, that was—that’s a great segue to my next question, which is: How do you think we can foster that sociality?Picard: Yeah. When times are hard, right, then people tend to come together to solve challenges. Exercise is a, a big challenge for the organism, right?Feltman: Mm.Picard: You’re pushing the body, you’re, like, contracting muscles, and you’re moving or, you know, whatever kind of exercise you’re doing—this costs a lot of energy, and it’s a big, demanding challenge for the whole body. So as a result you have the whole body that needs to come together to survive this moment. And if you’re crazy enough to run a marathon, to push your body for three, four hours, this is, like, a massive challenge.Feltman: Sure.Picard: The body can only sustain that challenge by coming together and working really coherently as a unit, and that involves having every cell in the body, every mitochondria in the body talking to each other. And it’s by this coherence and this kind of communication that you create efficiency, and the efficiency is such a central concept and principle in all of biology. It’s very clear there, there have been strong evolutionary forces that have pushed biology to be evolved towards greater and greater efficiency.The energy that animals and organisms have access to is finite, right? There’s always a limited amount of food out there in the world. If there’s food and there are other people with you, your social group, do you need to share this? So if biology had evolved to just eat as much food as possible, we would’ve gone extinct or we wouldn’t have evolved the way we have. So it’s clear that at the cellular level, at the whole organism level, in insects to very large mammals, there’s been a drive towards efficiency.You can achieve efficiency in a few ways. One of them is division of labor. Some cells become really good at doing one thing, and that’s what they do. Like muscles, they contract; they don’t, you know, release hormones—or they release some hormones but not like the liver, right?Feltman: Sure.Picard: And the liver feeds the rest of the body, and the liver is really good at this. But the liver’s not good at integrating sensory inputs like the brain. The brain is really good at integrating sensory inputs and kind of managing the rest of the body, but the brain is useless at digesting food or, you know, feeding the rest of the body. So every organ specializes, and this is the reason we’re so amazing. This is the reason complex multicellular animals that, you know, that, that have bodies with organs can do so many amazing things: because this whole system has harnessed this principle of division of labor. So you have a heart that pushes blood, and you have lungs that take in oxygen, and that’s the main point:the cooperation and the teamwork, the sociality between cells and mitochondria and, and organs that really make the whole system thrive.So exercise does that.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: It forces every cell in the body to work together. Otherwise you’re just not gonna survive. And then there are other things that happen with exercise. The body is a predictive instrument, right ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: That tries to make predictions about what’s gonna happen in the future, and then you adapt to this. So when you exercise and you start to breathe harder the reason you breathe harder, the reason, you know, you need to bring in more oxygen in your body, is because your mitochondria are consuming the oxygen. And when that happens every cell has the ability to feel their energetic state, and when they feel like they’re running out of energy, like if you’re exercising hard and your muscles are burning, your body says, “Next time this happens I’ll be ready.”And it gets ready—it mobilizes this program, this preparatory program, which, which we call exercise adaptation, right—by making more mitochondria. So the body can actually make more mitochondria after exercise.So while you’re exercising, the mitochondria, they’re transforming food and oxygen very quickly, making ATP, and then cells—organs are talking to one another; then you’re forcing this great social collective. Then when you go and you rest and you go to sleep, you lose consciousness, and then the natural healing forces of the body can work. Now the body says, “Next time this happens I’ll be ready,” and then it makes more mitochondria. So we know, for example, in your muscles you can double the amount of mitochondria you have ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: With exercise training. So if you go from being completely sedentary to being an elite runner, you will about double the amount of mitochondria in, in your muscle. And ...Feltman: That’s really cool.Picard: Yeah. And this seems to happen in other parts of the body as well, including the brain.Feltman: I know that your lab does some work on mitochondria and mental health as well. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?Picard: The ability to mitochondria to flow energy supports basic cellular functions, but it also powers the brainand powers the mind, and our best understanding now of what is the mind—and consciousness researchers have been debating this for a long time—I think our, our best, most parsimonious definition of the mind is that the mind is an energy pattern. And if the flow of energy changes, then your experience also changes. And there’s emerging evidence in a field called metabolic psychiatry that mental health disorders are actually metabolic disorders ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Of the brain.There’s several clinical trials—some are published, many more underway—and the evidence is very encouraging that feeding mitochondria a certain type of fuel, called ketone bodies, brings coherence into the organism. And energetically we think this reduces the resistance to energy flow so energy can flow more freely through the neurons and through the structures of the brain and then through the mitochondria.And that—that’s what people report when they, they go into this medical ketogenic therapy: they feel like they have more energy, sometimes quite early, like, after a few days, sometimes after a few weeks. And then the symptoms of, of mental illness in many people get better. The website Metabolic Mind has resources for clinicians, for patients and, and guidance as to how to—for people to work with their care team, not do this on their own but do this with their medical team.Feltman: And I know that mitochondria have kind of a weird, fascinating evolutionary backstory.Picard: They used to be bacteria, and once upon a time, about two billion years ago, the only thing that existed on the planet that was alive were unicellular, right, single-cell, bacteria, a single-cell organism. And then some bacteria—there were different kinds—and then some bacteria were able to use oxygen for energy transformation; that was—those are called aerobic, for oxygen-consuming. And then there are also anaerobic, non-oxygen-consuming, bacteria that are fermenting cells.And then at some point, about 1.5 billion years ago, what happened is there was a small aerobic bacterium, an alphaproteobacterium, that either infiltrated a larger anaerobic cell or it was the larger cell that ate the small aerobic bacterium, the large one kept it in, and then the small aerobic bacterium ended up dividing and then became mitochondria. So mitochondria used to be this little bacterium that now is very much part of what we are, and what seems to have happened when this critical kind of merger happened is that a new branch of life became possible.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And animals became possible. And somehow this acquisition, from the perspective of the larger cell, enabled cell-cell communication, a form of cell-cell communication that was not possible before. And this seems to have been the trigger for multicellular life and the development of, initially, little worms and then fishes and then animals and then eventually Homo sapiens.Feltman: Yeah, and that was really controversial when it was first proposed, right?Picard: Yeah. Lynn Margulis, who is, like, a fantastic scientist, she proposed this, and I think her paper was rejectedtimes ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: Probably by Nature and then by a bunch of...Feltman:Sure.Picard: A bunch of other journals. Fourteen rejections and then in the end she published it, and now this is a cornerstone of biology. So kudos for persistence ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: For Lynn Margulis.Feltman: And mitochondria have just been shaking things up for, for decades, I guess.Picard: Mm-hmm, yeah, there’ve been several Nobel Prizes for understanding how mitochondria work—specifically for the powerhouse function of mitochondria.The field ofmitochondrial medicine was born in the ’80s. Doug Wallace, who was my mentor as a postdoc, discovered that we get our mitochondria from our mothers. The motherly nourishing energyis passed down through mitochondria. There’s something beautiful about that.Feltman: Yeah. Thank you so much for coming in. This was super interesting, and I’m really excited to see your work in the next few years.Picard: Thank you. My pleasure.Feltman: That’s all for today’s episode. Head over to our YouTube page if you want to check out a video version of today’s conversation. We’ll be back on Friday with one of our deep-dive Fascinations. This one asks whether we can use artificial intelligence to talk to dolphins. Yes, really.While you’re here, don’t forget to fill out our listener survey. You can find it at sciencequickly.com/survey. If you submit your answers in the next few days, you’ll be entered to win some free Scientific American swag. More importantly, you’ll really be doing me a solid.Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. See you next time!
    #what #mitochondria #arent #only #powerhouse
    What If Mitochondria Aren’t Only the Powerhouse of the Cell?
    May 20, 2025Could Mitochondria Be Rewriting the Rules of Biology?New discoveries about mitochondria could reshape how we understand the body’s response to stress, aging, and illness. Scientific AmericanSUBSCRIBE TO Science QuicklyRachel Feltman: Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, right? Well, it turns out they might be way more complicated than that, and that could have implications for everything from diet and exercise to treating mental health conditions.For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman.Our guest today is Martin Picard, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University. He’s here to tell us all about our mitochondria, what they do for us and how they can even talk to each other. If you like to watch your pods instead of just listening, you can check out a video version of my conversation with Martin over on our YouTube page. Plus, you’ll get to see some of the aligning mitochondria we’re about to talk about in action.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Martin, would you tell us a little bit about who you are and where you work?Martin Picard: Sure, I work at Columbia University; I’m a professor there, and I lead a team of mitochondrial psychobiologists, so we try to understand the, the mind-mitochondria connection, how energy and those little living creatures that populate our cells, how they actually feed our lives and allow us to, to be and to think and to feel and to experience life.Feltman: Before we get into the details, most people know mitochondria as the “powerhouse of the cell”—which, fun fact, Scientific American actually coined in the 1950s—but what are mitochondria, to start us off with a really basic question?Picard:Yes, 1957 is the “powerhouse of the cell.” That was momentous.That shaped generations of scientists, and now the powerhouse analogy is expired, so it’s time for a new perspective.Really, mitochondria are, are small living organelles, like little organs of the cell, and what they do is they transform the food we eat and the oxygen that we breathe. Those two things converge inside the mitochondria, and that gets transformed into a different kind of energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed, right? It’s a fundamental law of thermodynamics. So mitochondria, they don’t make energy; they transform the energy that’s stored in food from the plants and from the energy of the sun and then the oxygen combining this, and then they transform this into a little electrical charge. They dematerialize food—energy stored in food—into this very malleable, flexible form of energy that’s membrane potential, so they become charged like little batteries and then they power everything in our cells, from turning on genes and making proteins and cellular movement; cellular division; cell death, aging, development—everything requires energy. Nothing in biology is free.Feltman: Well, I definitely wanna get into what you said about the powerhouse analogy not working anymore ’cause that seems pretty huge, but before we get into that: you recently wrote a piece for Scientific American, and you referred to yourself as, I think, a “mitochondriac.” I would love to hear what you mean by that and how you got so interested in these organelles.Picard: Yeah, there’s a famous saying in science: “Every model is wrong, but some are useful.” And the model that has pervaded the world of biology and the health sciences is the gene-based model: genes are the blueprint for life, and then they drive and determine things. And we know nowto be misleading, and it forces us to think that a lot of what we experience, a lot of, you know, health or diseases, is actually determined by our genes. The reality is a very small percentage.Whether we get sick or not and when we get sick is not driven by our genes, but it’s driven by, you know, emergent processes that interact from our movement and our interaction with other people, with the world around us, with what we eat, how much we sleep, how we feel, the things we do. So the gene-based model was very powerful and useful initially, and then, I think, its, its utility is dwindling down.So the powerhouse analogy powered, you know, a fewdecades of science, and then what started to happen, as scientists discovered all of these other things that mitochondria do, we kept getting surprised. Surprise is an experience, and when you feel surprised about something, like, it’s because your internal model of what that thing is, it was wrong, right?Feltman: Right.Picard: And when there’s a disconnect between your internal model and the, the reality, then that feels like surprise. And I grew up over the last 15 years as a academic scientist, and, like, every month there’s a paper that’s published: “Mitochondria do this. Mitochondria make hormones.” Surprise! A, a powerhouse should have one function: it should make, or transform, energy, right? This is what powerhouses do. Mitochondria, it turns out, they have a life cycle. They make hormones. They do transform energy, but they also produce all sorts of signals. They turn on genes; they turn off genes. They can kill the cell if they deem that’s the right thing to do.So there are all of these functions, and, and I think, as a community, we keep being surprised as we discover new things that mitochondria do. And then once you realize the complexity and the amazing beauty of mitochondria and their true nature, then I think you have to become a mitochondriac. You have to, I think, be impressed by the beauty of—this is just a—such a beautiful manifestation of life. I fell in love with mitochondria, I think, is what happened.Feltman: Yeah, well, you touched on, you know, a few of the surprising things that mitochondria are capable of, but could you walk us through some of your research? What surprises have you encountered about these organelles?Picard: One of the first things that I saw that actually changed my life was seeing the first physical evidence that mitochondria share information ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: With one another. The textbook picture and the powerhouse analogy suggests that mitochondria are these, like, little beans and that they, they kind of float around and they just make ATP, adenosine triphosphate, which is the cellular energy currency, and once in a while they reproduce: there’s more mitochondria that come from—mitochondria, they can grow and then divide. So that’s what the powerhouse predicts.And what we found was that when—if you have a mitochondrion here and another mitochondrion here, inside the mitochondria, they’re these membranes ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: They’re, like, little lines. They look, in healthy mitochondria, look like radiators, right? It’s, like, parallel arrays. And it’s in these lines that the oxygen that we breathe is consumed and that the little charge—the, the food that we eat is converted into this electrical charge. These are called cristae.And in a normal, healthy mitochondria the cristae are nicely parallel, and there’s, like, a regularity there that’s just, I think, intuitively appealing, and it, it looks healthy. And then if you look at mitochondria in a diseased organ or in a diseased cell, often the cristae are all disorganized. That’s a feature of “something’s wrong,” right?And I’ve seen thousands of pictures and I’ve taken, you know, several thousands of pictures on the electron microscope, where you can see those cristae very well, and I’d never seen in the textbooks or in articles or in presentations, anywhere, that the cristae could actually, in one mitochondrion, could be influenced by the cristae in another mitochondrion.And what I saw that day and that I explained in the, in the article was that there was this one mitochondrion there—it had beautifully organized cristae here, and here the cristae were all disorganized. And it turns out that the part of this mitochondrion that had beautifully organized cristae is all where that mitochondria was touching other mitochondria.Feltman: Mm.Picard: So there was something about the mito-mito contact, right? Like, a unit touching another unit, an individual interacting with another individual, and they were influencing each other ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And the cristae of one mitochondrion were bending out of shape. That’s not thermodynamically favorable, to bend the lipid membrane, so there has to be something that is, you know, bringing energy into the system to bend the membrane, and then they were meeting to be parallel with the cristae of another mitochondrion. So there was these arrays that crossed boundaries between individual mitochondria ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: And this was notwhat I, I learned or this was not what I was taught or that I’d read, so this was very surprising.The first time we saw this, we had this beautiful video in three dimension, and I was with my colleague Meagan McManus, and then she realized that the cristae were actually aligning, and we did some statistics, and it became very clear: mitochondria care about mitochondria around them ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And this was the first physical evidence that there was this kind of information exchange.When you look at this it just looks like iron filings around a magnet.Feltman: Mm.Picard: Sprinkle iron filings on the piece of paper and there’s a magnet underneath, you see the fields of force, right? And fields are things that we can’t see, but you can only see or understand or even measure the strength of a field by the effect it has on something. So that’s why we sprinkle iron filings in a magnetic field to be able to see the field.Feltman: Right.Picard: It felt like what we were seeing there was the fingerprint of maybe an underlying electromagnetic field, which there’s been a lot of discussion about and hypothesis and some measurements in the 1960s, but that’s not something that most biologists think is possible. This was showing me: “Maybe the powerhouse thing is, is, is, is not the way to go.”Feltman: Did you face any pushback or just general surprise from your colleagues?Picard: About the cristae alignment?Feltman: Yeah.Picard: I did a lot of work. I took a lot of pictures and did a lot of analysis to make sure this was real ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: So I think when I presented the evidence, it was, it was, you know, it was clear.Feltman: Right.Picard: This was real.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: Whether this is electromagnetic—and I think that’s where people have kind of a gut reaction: “That can’t be real. That can’t be true.”Feltman: Mm.Picard: The cristae alignment is real, no questioning this, but whether this—there’s a magnetic field underlying this, we don’t have evidence for that ...Feltman: Sure.Picard: It’s speculation, but I think it, it hits some people, especially the strongly academically trained people that have been a little indoctrinated—I think that tends to happen in science ...Feltman: Sure.Picard: I think if we wrote a grant, you know, to, toto study the magnetic properties of mitochondria, that’d be much harder to get funded. But there was no resistance in accepting the visual evidence of mitochondria exchanging information ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: What it means, then, I think, is more work to be done to—towards that.Feltman: If, if we were seeing an electromagnetic field, what would the implications of that be?Picard: I think the implications is that the model that most of biomedical sciences is based on, which is “we’re a molecular soup and we’re molecular machines,” that might not be entirely how things work. And if we think that everything in biology is driven by a lock-and-key mechanism, right—there’s a molecule that binds a receptor and then this triggers a conformational change, and then there’s phosphorylation event and then signaling cascade—we’ve made a beautiful model of this, a molecular model of how life works.And there’s a beautiful book that came out, I think last year or end of 2023, How Life Works, by Philip Ball, and he basically brings us through a really good argument that life does not work by genetic determinism, which is how most people think and most biologists think that life works, and instead he kind of brings us towards a much more complete and integrative model of how life works. And in that alternate model it’s about patterns of information and information is carried and is transferred not just with molecules but with fields. And we use fields and we use light and we use, you know, all sorts of other means of communication with technology; a lot of information can be carried through your Bluetooth waves ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: Right? Fields. Or through light—we use fiber optic to transfer a lot of information very quickly. And it seems like biology has evolved to, to harness these other ways of, of nonmolecular mechanisms of cell-cell communication or organism-level communication.There’s an emerging field of quantum biology that is very interested in this, but this clashes a little bit with the molecular-deterministic model that science has been holding on to—I think against evidence, in, in some cases—for a while. Nobody can propose a rational, plausible molecular mechanism to explain what would organize cristae like this across mitochondria. The only plausible mechanism seems to be that there’s a—there’s some field, some organizing electromagnetic field that would bend the cristae and organize them, you know, across organelles, if that’s true.Feltman: Right.Picard: It was a bit of an awakening for me, and it turned me into a mitochondriac because it made me realize that this is the—this whole thing, this whole biology, is about information exchange and mitochondria don’t seem to exist as little units like powerhouses; they exist as a collective.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: The same way that you—this body. It’s a bunch of cells; either you think it’s a molecular machine or you think it’s an energetic process, right? There’s energy flowing through, and are you more the molecules of your body or are you more the, the energy flowing through your body?Feltman: Mm.Picard: And if you go down this, this line of questioning, I think, very quickly you realize that the flow of energy running through the physical structure of your body is more fundamental. You are more fundamentally an energetic process ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Than the physical molecular structure that you also are. If you lose part of your anatomy, part of your structure, right—you can lose a limb and other, you know, parts of your, of your physical structure—you still are you ...Feltman: Right.Picard: Right? If your energy flows differently or if you change the amount of energy that flows through you, you change radically. Three hours past your bedtime you’re not the best version of your, the best version of yourself. When you’re hangry, you haven’t eaten, and you, like, also, you’re not the best version of yourself, this is an energetic change. Right?Feltman: Yeah.Picard: Many people now who have experienced severe mental illness, like schizophrenia and bipolar disease, and, and who are now treating their symptoms and finding full recovery, in some cases, from changing their diets.Feltman: Mm.Picard: And the type of energy that flows through their mitochondria, I think, opens an energetic paradigm for understanding health, understanding disease and everything from development to how we age to this whole arc of life that parallels what we see in nature.Feltman: Yeah, so if we, you know, look at this social relationship between mitochondria, what are, in your mind, the most, like, direct, obvious implications for our health and ...Picard: Mm-hmm.Feltman: And well-being?Picard: Yeah, so we can think of the physical body as a social collective. So every cell in your body—every cell in your finger, in your brain, in your liver, in your heart—lives in some kind of a social contract with every other cell. No one cell knows who you are, or cares, but every cell together, right, makes up who you are, right? And then together they allow you to feel and to have the experience of who you are. That kind of understanding makes it clear that the key to health is really the coherence between every cell.Feltman: Mm.Picard: If you have a few cells here in your body that start to do their own thing and they kind of break the social contract, that’s what we call cancer. So you have cells that stop receiving information from the rest of the body, and then they kind of go rogue, they go on their own. Their purpose in life, instead of sustaining the organism, keeping the whole system in coherence, now these cells have as their mind, like, maybe quite literally, is, “Let’s divide, and let’s make more of ourselves,” which is exactly what life used to be before mitochondria came in ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: Into the picture 1.5 billion years ago, or before endosymbiosis, the origin of, of multicellular life. So cancer, in a way, is cells that have broken the social contract, right, exited this social collective, and then to go fulfill their own little, mini purpose, which is not about sustaining the organism but sustaining themselves. So that principle, I think, has lots of evidence to, to support it.And then the same thing, we think, happens at the level of mitochondria, right? So the molecular-machine perspective is that mitochondria are little powerhouses and they’re kind of slaves to the cell: if the cell says, “I need more energy,” then the mitochondria provide and they kind of obey rules. The mito-centric perspectiveis that mitochondria really drive the show. And because they’re in charge of how energy flows, they have a veto on whether the cell gets energy and lives and divides and differentiates and does all sorts of beautiful things or whether the cell dies.And most people will know apoptosis, programmed cell death, which is a normal thing that happens. The main path to apoptosis in, in our bodies is mitochondria calling the shot, so mitochondria have a veto, and they can decide, “Now, cell, it’s time to die.” And mitochondria make those decisions not based on, like, their own little powerhouseperception of the world; they make these decisions as social collectives. And you have the hundreds, thousands of mitochondria in some cells that all talk to each other and they integrate dozens of signals—hormones and metabolites and energy levels and temperature—and they integrate all this information; they basically act like a mini brain ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Inside every cell. And then once they have a, a—an appropriate picture of what the state of the organism is and what their place in this whole thing is, then they actually, I think, make decisions about, “Okay, it’s time to divide,” right? And then they send signals to, to the nucleus, and then there’re genes in the nucleus that are necessary for cell division that gets turned on, and then the cell enters cell cycle, and we and others have shown in, in, in the lab, you can prevent a cell from staying alivebut also from differentiating—a stem cell turning into a neuron, for example, this is a major life transition for a cell. And people have asked what drives those kind of life transitions, cellular life transitions, and it’s clear mitochondria are one of the main drivers of this ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: And if mitochondria don’t provide the right signals, the stem cell is never gonna differentiate into a specific cell type. If mitochondria exists as a social collective, then what it means for healthis that what we might wanna do is to promote sociality, right, to promote crosstalk between different parts of our bodies.Feltman: Hmm.Picard: And I suspect this is why exercise is so good for us.Feltman: Yeah, that was—that’s a great segue to my next question, which is: How do you think we can foster that sociality?Picard: Yeah. When times are hard, right, then people tend to come together to solve challenges. Exercise is a, a big challenge for the organism, right?Feltman: Mm.Picard: You’re pushing the body, you’re, like, contracting muscles, and you’re moving or, you know, whatever kind of exercise you’re doing—this costs a lot of energy, and it’s a big, demanding challenge for the whole body. So as a result you have the whole body that needs to come together to survive this moment. And if you’re crazy enough to run a marathon, to push your body for three, four hours, this is, like, a massive challenge.Feltman: Sure.Picard: The body can only sustain that challenge by coming together and working really coherently as a unit, and that involves having every cell in the body, every mitochondria in the body talking to each other. And it’s by this coherence and this kind of communication that you create efficiency, and the efficiency is such a central concept and principle in all of biology. It’s very clear there, there have been strong evolutionary forces that have pushed biology to be evolved towards greater and greater efficiency.The energy that animals and organisms have access to is finite, right? There’s always a limited amount of food out there in the world. If there’s food and there are other people with you, your social group, do you need to share this? So if biology had evolved to just eat as much food as possible, we would’ve gone extinct or we wouldn’t have evolved the way we have. So it’s clear that at the cellular level, at the whole organism level, in insects to very large mammals, there’s been a drive towards efficiency.You can achieve efficiency in a few ways. One of them is division of labor. Some cells become really good at doing one thing, and that’s what they do. Like muscles, they contract; they don’t, you know, release hormones—or they release some hormones but not like the liver, right?Feltman: Sure.Picard: And the liver feeds the rest of the body, and the liver is really good at this. But the liver’s not good at integrating sensory inputs like the brain. The brain is really good at integrating sensory inputs and kind of managing the rest of the body, but the brain is useless at digesting food or, you know, feeding the rest of the body. So every organ specializes, and this is the reason we’re so amazing. This is the reason complex multicellular animals that, you know, that, that have bodies with organs can do so many amazing things: because this whole system has harnessed this principle of division of labor. So you have a heart that pushes blood, and you have lungs that take in oxygen, and that’s the main point:the cooperation and the teamwork, the sociality between cells and mitochondria and, and organs that really make the whole system thrive.So exercise does that.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: It forces every cell in the body to work together. Otherwise you’re just not gonna survive. And then there are other things that happen with exercise. The body is a predictive instrument, right ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: That tries to make predictions about what’s gonna happen in the future, and then you adapt to this. So when you exercise and you start to breathe harder the reason you breathe harder, the reason, you know, you need to bring in more oxygen in your body, is because your mitochondria are consuming the oxygen. And when that happens every cell has the ability to feel their energetic state, and when they feel like they’re running out of energy, like if you’re exercising hard and your muscles are burning, your body says, “Next time this happens I’ll be ready.”And it gets ready—it mobilizes this program, this preparatory program, which, which we call exercise adaptation, right—by making more mitochondria. So the body can actually make more mitochondria after exercise.So while you’re exercising, the mitochondria, they’re transforming food and oxygen very quickly, making ATP, and then cells—organs are talking to one another; then you’re forcing this great social collective. Then when you go and you rest and you go to sleep, you lose consciousness, and then the natural healing forces of the body can work. Now the body says, “Next time this happens I’ll be ready,” and then it makes more mitochondria. So we know, for example, in your muscles you can double the amount of mitochondria you have ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: With exercise training. So if you go from being completely sedentary to being an elite runner, you will about double the amount of mitochondria in, in your muscle. And ...Feltman: That’s really cool.Picard: Yeah. And this seems to happen in other parts of the body as well, including the brain.Feltman: I know that your lab does some work on mitochondria and mental health as well. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?Picard: The ability to mitochondria to flow energy supports basic cellular functions, but it also powers the brainand powers the mind, and our best understanding now of what is the mind—and consciousness researchers have been debating this for a long time—I think our, our best, most parsimonious definition of the mind is that the mind is an energy pattern. And if the flow of energy changes, then your experience also changes. And there’s emerging evidence in a field called metabolic psychiatry that mental health disorders are actually metabolic disorders ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Of the brain.There’s several clinical trials—some are published, many more underway—and the evidence is very encouraging that feeding mitochondria a certain type of fuel, called ketone bodies, brings coherence into the organism. And energetically we think this reduces the resistance to energy flow so energy can flow more freely through the neurons and through the structures of the brain and then through the mitochondria.And that—that’s what people report when they, they go into this medical ketogenic therapy: they feel like they have more energy, sometimes quite early, like, after a few days, sometimes after a few weeks. And then the symptoms of, of mental illness in many people get better. The website Metabolic Mind has resources for clinicians, for patients and, and guidance as to how to—for people to work with their care team, not do this on their own but do this with their medical team.Feltman: And I know that mitochondria have kind of a weird, fascinating evolutionary backstory.Picard: They used to be bacteria, and once upon a time, about two billion years ago, the only thing that existed on the planet that was alive were unicellular, right, single-cell, bacteria, a single-cell organism. And then some bacteria—there were different kinds—and then some bacteria were able to use oxygen for energy transformation; that was—those are called aerobic, for oxygen-consuming. And then there are also anaerobic, non-oxygen-consuming, bacteria that are fermenting cells.And then at some point, about 1.5 billion years ago, what happened is there was a small aerobic bacterium, an alphaproteobacterium, that either infiltrated a larger anaerobic cell or it was the larger cell that ate the small aerobic bacterium, the large one kept it in, and then the small aerobic bacterium ended up dividing and then became mitochondria. So mitochondria used to be this little bacterium that now is very much part of what we are, and what seems to have happened when this critical kind of merger happened is that a new branch of life became possible.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And animals became possible. And somehow this acquisition, from the perspective of the larger cell, enabled cell-cell communication, a form of cell-cell communication that was not possible before. And this seems to have been the trigger for multicellular life and the development of, initially, little worms and then fishes and then animals and then eventually Homo sapiens.Feltman: Yeah, and that was really controversial when it was first proposed, right?Picard: Yeah. Lynn Margulis, who is, like, a fantastic scientist, she proposed this, and I think her paper was rejectedtimes ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: Probably by Nature and then by a bunch of...Feltman:Sure.Picard: A bunch of other journals. Fourteen rejections and then in the end she published it, and now this is a cornerstone of biology. So kudos for persistence ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: For Lynn Margulis.Feltman: And mitochondria have just been shaking things up for, for decades, I guess.Picard: Mm-hmm, yeah, there’ve been several Nobel Prizes for understanding how mitochondria work—specifically for the powerhouse function of mitochondria.The field ofmitochondrial medicine was born in the ’80s. Doug Wallace, who was my mentor as a postdoc, discovered that we get our mitochondria from our mothers. The motherly nourishing energyis passed down through mitochondria. There’s something beautiful about that.Feltman: Yeah. Thank you so much for coming in. This was super interesting, and I’m really excited to see your work in the next few years.Picard: Thank you. My pleasure.Feltman: That’s all for today’s episode. Head over to our YouTube page if you want to check out a video version of today’s conversation. We’ll be back on Friday with one of our deep-dive Fascinations. This one asks whether we can use artificial intelligence to talk to dolphins. Yes, really.While you’re here, don’t forget to fill out our listener survey. You can find it at sciencequickly.com/survey. If you submit your answers in the next few days, you’ll be entered to win some free Scientific American swag. More importantly, you’ll really be doing me a solid.Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. See you next time! #what #mitochondria #arent #only #powerhouse
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    What If Mitochondria Aren’t Only the Powerhouse of the Cell?
    May 20, 2025Could Mitochondria Be Rewriting the Rules of Biology?New discoveries about mitochondria could reshape how we understand the body’s response to stress, aging, and illness. Scientific AmericanSUBSCRIBE TO Science QuicklyRachel Feltman: Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, right? Well, it turns out they might be way more complicated than that, and that could have implications for everything from diet and exercise to treating mental health conditions.For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman.Our guest today is Martin Picard, an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University. He’s here to tell us all about our mitochondria, what they do for us and how they can even talk to each other. If you like to watch your pods instead of just listening, you can check out a video version of my conversation with Martin over on our YouTube page. Plus, you’ll get to see some of the aligning mitochondria we’re about to talk about in action.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Martin, would you tell us a little bit about who you are and where you work?Martin Picard: Sure, I work at Columbia University; I’m a professor there, and I lead a team of mitochondrial psychobiologists, so we try to understand the, the mind-mitochondria connection, how energy and those little living creatures that populate our cells, how they actually feed our lives and allow us to, to be and to think and to feel and to experience life.Feltman: Before we get into the details, most people know mitochondria as the “powerhouse of the cell”—which, fun fact, Scientific American actually coined in the 1950s—but what are mitochondria, to start us off with a really basic question?Picard: [Laughs]Yes, 1957 is the “powerhouse of the cell.” That was momentous.That shaped generations of scientists, and now the powerhouse analogy is expired, so it’s time for a new perspective.Really, mitochondria are, are small living organelles, like little organs of the cell, and what they do is they transform the food we eat and the oxygen that we breathe. Those two things converge inside the mitochondria, and that gets transformed into a different kind of energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed, right? It’s a fundamental law of thermodynamics. So mitochondria, they don’t make energy; they transform the energy that’s stored in food from the plants and from the energy of the sun and then the oxygen combining this, and then they transform this into a little electrical charge. They dematerialize food—energy stored in food—into this very malleable, flexible form of energy that’s membrane potential, so they become charged like little batteries and then they power everything in our cells, from turning on genes and making proteins and cellular movement; cellular division; cell death, aging, development—everything requires energy. Nothing in biology is free.Feltman: Well, I definitely wanna get into what you said about the powerhouse analogy not working anymore ’cause that seems pretty huge, but before we get into that: you recently wrote a piece for Scientific American, and you referred to yourself as, I think, a “mitochondriac.” I would love to hear what you mean by that and how you got so interested in these organelles.Picard: Yeah, there’s a famous saying in science: “Every model is wrong, but some are useful.” And the model that has pervaded the world of biology and the health sciences is the gene-based model (the central dogma of biology, as it’s technically called): genes are the blueprint for life, and then they drive and determine things. And we know now [it] to be misleading, and it forces us to think that a lot of what we experience, a lot of, you know, health or diseases, is actually determined by our genes. The reality is a very small percentage [is].Whether we get sick or not and when we get sick is not driven by our genes, but it’s driven by, you know, emergent processes that interact from our movement and our interaction with other people, with the world around us, with what we eat, how much we sleep, how we feel, the things we do. So the gene-based model was very powerful and useful initially, and then, I think, its, its utility is dwindling down.So the powerhouse analogy powered, you know, a few [laughs] decades of science, and then what started to happen, as scientists discovered all of these other things that mitochondria do, we kept getting surprised. Surprise is an experience, and when you feel surprised about something, like, it’s because your internal model of what that thing is, it was wrong, right?Feltman: Right.Picard: And when there’s a disconnect between your internal model and the, the reality, then that feels like surprise. And I grew up over the last 15 years as a academic scientist, and, like, every month there’s a paper that’s published: “Mitochondria do this. Mitochondria make hormones.” Surprise! A, a powerhouse should have one function: it should make, or transform, energy, right? This is what powerhouses do. Mitochondria, it turns out, they have a life cycle. They make hormones. They do transform energy, but they also produce all sorts of signals. They turn on genes; they turn off genes. They can kill the cell if they deem that’s the right thing to do.So there are all of these functions, and, and I think, as a community, we keep being surprised as we discover new things that mitochondria do. And then once you realize the complexity and the amazing beauty of mitochondria and their true nature, then I think you have to become a mitochondriac [laughs]. You have to, I think, be impressed by the beauty of—this is just a—such a beautiful manifestation of life. I fell in love with mitochondria, I think, is what happened [laughs].Feltman: Yeah, well, you touched on, you know, a few of the surprising things that mitochondria are capable of, but could you walk us through some of your research? What surprises have you encountered about these organelles?Picard: One of the first things that I saw that actually changed my life was seeing the first physical evidence that mitochondria share information ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: With one another. The textbook picture and the powerhouse analogy suggests that mitochondria are these, like, little beans and that they, they kind of float around and they just make ATP, adenosine triphosphate, which is the cellular energy currency, and once in a while they reproduce: there’s more mitochondria that come from—mitochondria, they can grow and then divide. So that’s what the powerhouse predicts.And what we found was that when—if you have a mitochondrion here and another mitochondrion here, inside the mitochondria, they’re these membranes ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: They’re, like, little lines. They look, in healthy mitochondria, look like radiators, right? It’s, like, parallel arrays. And it’s in these lines that the oxygen that we breathe is consumed and that the little charge—the, the food that we eat is converted into this electrical charge. These are called cristae.And in a normal, healthy mitochondria the cristae are nicely parallel, and there’s, like, a regularity there that’s just, I think, intuitively appealing, and it, it looks healthy. And then if you look at mitochondria in a diseased organ or in a diseased cell, often the cristae are all disorganized. That’s a feature of “something’s wrong,” right?And I’ve seen thousands of pictures and I’ve taken, you know, several thousands of pictures on the electron microscope, where you can see those cristae very well, and I’d never seen in the textbooks or in articles or in presentations, anywhere, that the cristae could actually, in one mitochondrion, could be influenced by the cristae in another mitochondrion.And what I saw that day and that I explained in the [laughs], in the article was that there was this one mitochondrion there—it had beautifully organized cristae here, and here the cristae were all disorganized. And it turns out that the part of this mitochondrion that had beautifully organized cristae is all where that mitochondria was touching other mitochondria.Feltman: Mm.Picard: So there was something about the mito-mito contact, right? Like, a unit touching another unit, an individual interacting with another individual, and they were influencing each other ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And the cristae of one mitochondrion were bending out of shape. That’s not thermodynamically favorable [laughs], to bend the lipid membrane, so there has to be something that is, you know, bringing energy into the system to bend the membrane, and then they were meeting to be parallel with the cristae of another mitochondrion. So there was these arrays that crossed boundaries between individual mitochondria ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: And this was not [laughs] what I, I learned or this was not what I was taught or that I’d read, so this was very surprising.The first time we saw this, we had this beautiful video in three dimension, and I was with my colleague Meagan McManus, and then she realized that the cristae were actually aligning, and we did some statistics, and it became very clear: mitochondria care about mitochondria around them ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And this was the first physical evidence that there was this kind of information exchange.When you look at this it just looks like iron filings around a magnet.Feltman: Mm.Picard: Sprinkle iron filings on the piece of paper and there’s a magnet underneath, you see the fields of force, right? And fields are things that we can’t see, but you can only see or understand or even measure the strength of a field by the effect it has on something. So that’s why we sprinkle iron filings in a magnetic field to be able to see the field.Feltman: Right.Picard: It felt like what we were seeing there was the fingerprint of maybe an underlying electromagnetic field, which there’s been a lot of discussion about and hypothesis and some measurements in the 1960s, but that’s not something that most biologists think is possible. This was showing me: “Maybe the powerhouse thing is, is, is, is not the way to go.”Feltman: Did you face any pushback or just general surprise from your colleagues?Picard: About the cristae alignment?Feltman: Yeah.Picard: I did a lot of work. I took a lot of pictures and did a lot of analysis to make sure this was real ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: So I think when I presented the evidence, it was, it was, you know, it was clear [laughs].Feltman: Right.Picard: This was real.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: Whether this is electromagnetic—and I think that’s where people have kind of a gut reaction: “That can’t be real. That can’t be true.”Feltman: Mm.Picard: The cristae alignment is real, no questioning this, but whether this—there’s a magnetic field underlying this, we don’t have evidence for that ...Feltman: Sure.Picard: It’s speculation, but I think it, it hits some people, especially the strongly academically trained people that have been a little indoctrinated—I think that tends to happen in science ...Feltman: Sure.Picard: I think if we wrote a grant, you know, to, to [National Institutes of Health] to study the magnetic properties of mitochondria, that’d be much harder to get funded. But there was no resistance in accepting the visual evidence of mitochondria exchanging information ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: What it means, then, I think, is more work to be done to—towards that.Feltman: If, if we were seeing an electromagnetic field, what would the implications of that be?Picard: I think the implications is that the model that most of biomedical sciences is based on, which is “we’re a molecular soup and we’re molecular machines,” that might not be entirely how things work. And if we think that everything in biology is driven by a lock-and-key mechanism, right—there’s a molecule that binds a receptor and then this triggers a conformational change, and then there’s phosphorylation event and then signaling cascade—we’ve made a beautiful model of this, a molecular model of how life works.And there’s a beautiful book that came out, I think last year or end of 2023, How Life Works, by Philip Ball, and he basically brings us through a really good argument that life does not work by genetic determinism, which is how most people think and most biologists think that life works, and instead he kind of brings us towards a much more complete and integrative model of how life works. And in that alternate model it’s about patterns of information and information is carried and is transferred not just with molecules but with fields. And we use fields and we use light and we use, you know, all sorts of other means of communication with technology; a lot of information can be carried through your Bluetooth waves ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: Right? Fields. Or through light—we use fiber optic to transfer a lot of information very quickly. And it seems like biology has evolved to, to harness these other ways of, of nonmolecular mechanisms of cell-cell communication or organism-level communication.There’s an emerging field of quantum biology that is very interested in this, but this clashes a little bit with the molecular-deterministic model that science has been holding on to [laughs]—I think against evidence, in, in some cases—for a while. Nobody can propose a rational, plausible molecular mechanism to explain what would organize cristae like this across mitochondria. The only plausible mechanism seems to be that there’s a—there’s some field, some organizing electromagnetic field that would bend the cristae and organize them, you know, across organelles, if that’s true.Feltman: Right.Picard: It was a bit of an awakening for me, and it turned me into a mitochondriac because it made me realize that this is the—this whole thing, this whole biology, is about information exchange and mitochondria don’t seem to exist as little units like powerhouses; they exist as a collective.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: The same way that you—this body. It’s a bunch of cells; either you think it’s a molecular machine or you think it’s an energetic process, right? There’s energy flowing through, and are you more the molecules of your body or are you more the, the energy flowing through your body?Feltman: Mm.Picard: And if you go down this, this line of questioning, I think, very quickly you realize that the flow of energy running through the physical structure of your body is more fundamental. You are more fundamentally an energetic process ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Than the physical molecular structure that you also are. If you lose part of your anatomy, part of your structure, right—you can lose a limb and other, you know, parts of your, of your physical structure—you still are you ...Feltman: Right.Picard: Right? If your energy flows differently or if you change the amount of energy that flows through you, you change radically. Three hours past your bedtime you’re not the best version of your, the best version of yourself. When you’re hangry, you haven’t eaten, and you, like, also, you’re not the best version of yourself, this is an energetic change. Right?Feltman: Yeah.Picard: Many people now who have experienced severe mental illness, like schizophrenia and bipolar disease, and, and who are now treating their symptoms and finding full recovery, in some cases, from changing their diets.Feltman: Mm.Picard: And the type of energy that flows through their mitochondria, I think, opens an energetic paradigm for understanding health, understanding disease and everything from development to how we age to this whole arc of life that parallels what we see in nature.Feltman: Yeah, so if we, you know, look at this social relationship between mitochondria, what are, in your mind, the most, like, direct, obvious implications for our health and ...Picard: Mm-hmm.Feltman: And well-being?Picard: Yeah, so we can think of the physical body as a social collective. So every cell in your body—every cell in your finger, in your brain, in your liver, in your heart—lives in some kind of a social contract with every other cell. No one cell knows who you are, or cares [laughs], but every cell together, right, makes up who you are, right? And then together they allow you to feel and to have the experience of who you are. That kind of understanding makes it clear that the key to health is really the coherence between every cell.Feltman: Mm.Picard: If you have a few cells here in your body that start to do their own thing and they kind of break the social contract, that’s what we call cancer. So you have cells that stop receiving information from the rest of the body, and then they kind of go rogue, they go on their own. Their purpose in life, instead of sustaining the organism, keeping the whole system in coherence, now these cells have as their mind, like, maybe quite literally, is, “Let’s divide, and let’s make more of ourselves,” which is exactly what life used to be before mitochondria came in ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: Into the picture 1.5 billion years ago, or before endosymbiosis, the origin of, of multicellular life. So cancer, in a way, is cells that have broken the social contract, right, exited this social collective, and then to go fulfill their own little, mini purpose, which is not about sustaining the organism but sustaining themselves. So that principle, I think, has lots of evidence to, to support it.And then the same thing, we think, happens at the level of mitochondria, right? So the molecular-machine perspective is that mitochondria are little powerhouses and they’re kind of slaves to the cell: if the cell says, “I need more energy,” then the mitochondria provide and they kind of obey rules. The mito-centric perspective [laughs] is that mitochondria really drive the show. And because they’re in charge of how energy flows, they have a veto on whether the cell gets energy and lives and divides and differentiates and does all sorts of beautiful things or whether the cell dies.And most people will know apoptosis, programmed cell death, which is a normal thing that happens. The main path to apoptosis in, in our bodies is mitochondria calling the shot, so mitochondria have a veto, and they can decide, “Now, cell, it’s time to die.” And mitochondria make those decisions not based on, like, their own little powerhouse [laughs] perception of the world; they make these decisions as social collectives. And you have the hundreds, thousands of mitochondria in some cells that all talk to each other and they integrate dozens of signals—hormones and metabolites and energy levels and temperature—and they integrate all this information; they basically act like a mini brain ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Inside every cell. And then once they have a, a—an appropriate picture of what the state of the organism is and what their place in this whole thing is, then they actually, I think, make decisions about, “Okay, it’s time to divide,” right? And then they send signals to, to the nucleus, and then there’re genes in the nucleus that are necessary for cell division that gets turned on, and then the cell enters cell cycle, and we and others have shown in, in, in the lab, you can prevent a cell from staying alive [laughs] but also from differentiating—a stem cell turning into a neuron, for example, this is a major life transition for a cell. And people have asked what drives those kind of life transitions, cellular life transitions, and it’s clear mitochondria are one of the main drivers of this ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: And if mitochondria don’t provide the right signals, the stem cell is never gonna differentiate into a specific cell type. If mitochondria exists as a social collective, then what it means for health [laughs] is that what we might wanna do is to promote sociality, right, to promote crosstalk between different parts of our bodies.Feltman: Hmm.Picard: And I suspect this is why exercise is so good for us.Feltman: Yeah, that was—that’s a great segue to my next question, which is: How do you think we can foster that sociality?Picard: Yeah. When times are hard, right, then people tend to come together to solve challenges. Exercise is a, a big challenge for the organism, right?Feltman: Mm.Picard: You’re pushing the body, you’re, like, contracting muscles, and you’re moving or, you know, whatever kind of exercise you’re doing—this costs a lot of energy, and it’s a big, demanding challenge for the whole body. So as a result you have the whole body that needs to come together to survive this moment [laughs]. And if you’re crazy enough to run a marathon, to push your body for three, four hours, this is, like, a massive challenge.Feltman: Sure.Picard: The body can only sustain that challenge by coming together and working really coherently as a unit, and that involves having every cell in the body, every mitochondria in the body talking to each other. And it’s by this coherence and this kind of communication that you create efficiency, and the efficiency is such a central concept and principle in all of biology. It’s very clear there, there have been strong evolutionary forces that have pushed biology to be evolved towards greater and greater efficiency.The energy that animals and organisms have access to is finite, right? There’s always a limited amount of food out there in the world. If there’s food and there are other people with you, your social group, do you need to share this? So if biology had evolved to just eat as much food as possible, we would’ve gone extinct or we wouldn’t have evolved the way we have. So it’s clear that at the cellular level, at the whole organism level, in insects to very large mammals, there’s been a drive towards efficiency.You can achieve efficiency in a few ways. One of them is division of labor. Some cells become really good at doing one thing, and that’s what they do. Like muscles, they contract [laughs]; they don’t, you know, release hormones—or they release some hormones but not like the liver, right?Feltman: Sure.Picard: And the liver feeds the rest of the body, and the liver is really good at this. But the liver’s not good at integrating sensory inputs like the brain. The brain is really good at integrating sensory inputs and kind of managing the rest of the body, but the brain is useless at digesting food or, you know, feeding the rest of the body. So every organ specializes, and this is the reason we’re so amazing [laughs]. This is the reason complex multicellular animals that, you know, that, that have bodies with organs can do so many amazing things: because this whole system has harnessed this principle of division of labor. So you have a heart that pushes blood, and you have lungs that take in oxygen, and that’s the main point: [it’s] the cooperation and the teamwork, the sociality between cells and mitochondria and, and organs that really make the whole system thrive.So exercise does that.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: It forces every cell in the body to work together. Otherwise you’re just not gonna survive. And then there are other things that happen with exercise. The body is a predictive instrument, right ...Feltman: Mm.Picard: That tries to make predictions about what’s gonna happen in the future, and then you adapt to this. So when you exercise and you start to breathe harder the reason you breathe harder, the reason, you know, you need to bring in more oxygen in your body, is because your mitochondria are consuming the oxygen. And when that happens every cell has the ability to feel their energetic state, and when they feel like they’re running out of energy, like if you’re exercising hard and your muscles are burning, your body says, “Next time this happens I’ll be ready.” [Laughs] And it gets ready—it mobilizes this program, this preparatory program, which, which we call exercise adaptation, right—by making more mitochondria. So the body can actually make more mitochondria after exercise.So while you’re exercising, the mitochondria, they’re transforming food and oxygen very quickly, making ATP, and then cells—organs are talking to one another; then you’re forcing this great social collective. Then when you go and you rest and you go to sleep, you lose consciousness [laughs], and then the natural healing forces of the body can work. Now the body says, “Next time this happens I’ll be ready,” and then it makes more mitochondria. So we know, for example, in your muscles you can double the amount of mitochondria you have ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: With exercise training. So if you go from being completely sedentary to being an elite runner, you will about double the amount of mitochondria in, in your muscle. And ...Feltman: That’s really cool.Picard: Yeah. And this seems to happen in other parts of the body as well, including the brain.Feltman: I know that your lab does some work on mitochondria and mental health as well. Could you tell us a little bit more about that?Picard: The ability to mitochondria to flow energy supports basic cellular functions, but it also powers the brain [laughs] and powers the mind, and our best understanding now of what is the mind—and consciousness researchers have been debating this for a long time—I think our, our best, most parsimonious definition of the mind is that the mind is an energy pattern. And if the flow of energy changes, then your experience also changes. And there’s emerging evidence in a field called metabolic psychiatry that mental health disorders are actually metabolic disorders ...Feltman: Hmm.Picard: Of the brain.There’s several clinical trials—some are published, many more underway—and the evidence is very encouraging that feeding mitochondria a certain type of fuel, called ketone bodies, brings coherence into the organism. And energetically we think this reduces the resistance to energy flow so energy can flow more freely through the neurons and through the structures of the brain and then through the mitochondria.And that—that’s what people report when they, they go into this medical ketogenic therapy: they feel like they have more energy, sometimes quite early, like, after a few days, sometimes after a few weeks. And then the symptoms of, of mental illness in many people get better. The website Metabolic Mind has resources for clinicians, for patients and, and guidance as to how to—for people to work with their care team, not do this on their own but do this with their medical team.Feltman: And I know that mitochondria have kind of a weird, fascinating evolutionary backstory.Picard: They used to be bacteria, and once upon a time, about two billion years ago, the only thing that existed on the planet that was alive were unicellular, right, single-cell, bacteria, a single-cell organism. And then some bacteria—there were different kinds—and then some bacteria were able to use oxygen for energy transformation; that was—those are called aerobic, for oxygen-consuming. And then there are also anaerobic, non-oxygen-consuming, bacteria that are fermenting cells.And then at some point, about 1.5 billion years ago, what happened is there was a small aerobic bacterium, an alphaproteobacterium, that either infiltrated a larger anaerobic cell or it was the larger cell that ate the small aerobic bacterium, the large one kept it in, and then the small aerobic bacterium ended up dividing and then became mitochondria. So mitochondria used to be this little bacterium that now is very much part of what we are, and what seems to have happened when this critical kind of merger happened is that a new branch of life became possible.Feltman: Yeah.Picard: And animals became possible. And somehow this acquisition, from the perspective of the larger cell, enabled cell-cell communication, a form of cell-cell communication that was not possible before. And this seems to have been the trigger for multicellular life and the development of, initially, little worms and then fishes and then animals and then eventually Homo sapiens.Feltman: Yeah, and that was really controversial when it was first proposed, right?Picard: Yeah. Lynn Margulis, who is, like, a fantastic scientist, she proposed this, and I think her paper was rejected [15] times ...Feltman: Wow.Picard: Probably by Nature and then by a bunch of [laughs] ...Feltman: [Laughs] Sure.Picard: A bunch of other journals. Fourteen rejections and then in the end she published it, and now this is a cornerstone of biology. So kudos for persistence ...Feltman: Yeah.Picard: For Lynn Margulis.Feltman: And mitochondria have just been shaking things up for, for decades [laughs], I guess.Picard: Mm-hmm, yeah, there’ve been several Nobel Prizes for understanding how mitochondria work—specifically for the powerhouse function of mitochondria [laughs].The field of [molecular] mitochondrial medicine was born in the ’80s. Doug Wallace, who was my mentor as a postdoc, discovered that we get our mitochondria from our mothers. The motherly nourishing energy [laughs] is passed down through mitochondria. There’s something beautiful about that.Feltman: Yeah. Thank you so much for coming in. This was super interesting, and I’m really excited to see your work in the next few years.Picard: Thank you. My pleasure.Feltman: That’s all for today’s episode. Head over to our YouTube page if you want to check out a video version of today’s conversation. We’ll be back on Friday with one of our deep-dive Fascinations. This one asks whether we can use artificial intelligence to talk to dolphins. Yes, really.While you’re here, don’t forget to fill out our listener survey. You can find it at sciencequickly.com/survey. If you submit your answers in the next few days, you’ll be entered to win some free Scientific American swag. More importantly, you’ll really be doing me a solid.Science Quickly is produced by me, Rachel Feltman, along with Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Subscribe to Scientific American for more up-to-date and in-depth science news.For Scientific American, this is Rachel Feltman. See you next time!
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  • AI Is Deciphering Animal Speech. Should We Try to Talk Back?

    By

    Isaac Schultz

    Published May 17, 2025

    |

    Comments|

    Scientists are using AI to decipher animal communication, creating some ethical conundrums. © Gizmodo [Illustration: St. Lumbroso, Photos: TatianaKim,Gulf MG/Shutterstock)

    Chirps, trills, growls, howls, squawks. Animals converse in all kinds of ways, yet humankind has only scratched the surface of how they communicate with each other and the rest of the living world. Our species has trained some animals—and if you ask cats, animals have trained us, too—but we’ve yet to truly crack the code on interspecies communication.

    Increasingly, animal researchers are deploying artificial intelligence to accelerate our investigations of animal communication—both within species and between branches on the tree of life. As scientists chip away at the complex communication systems of animals, they move closer to understanding what creatures are saying—and maybe even how to talk back. But as we try to bridge the linguistic gap between humans and animals, some experts are raising valid concerns about whether such capabilities are appropriate—or whether we should even attempt to communicate with animals at all. Using AI to untangle animal language Towards the front of the pack—or should I say pod?—is Project CETI, which has used machine learning to analyze more than 8,000 sperm whale “codas”—structured click patterns recorded by the Dominica Sperm Whale Project. Researchers uncovered contextual and combinatorial structures in the whales’ clicks, naming features like “rubato” and “ornamentation” to describe how whales subtly adjust their vocalizations during conversation. These patterns helped the team create a kind of phonetic alphabet for the animals—an expressive, structured system that may not be language as we know it but reveals a level of complexity that researchers weren’t previously aware of. Project CETI is also working on ethical guidelines for the technology, a critical goal given the risks of using AI to “talk” to the animals.

    Meanwhile, Google and the Wild Dolphin Project recently introduced DolphinGemma, a large language modeltrained on 40 years of dolphin vocalizations. Just as ChatGPT is an LLM for human inputs—taking visual information like research papers and images and producing responses to relevant queries—DolphinGemma intakes dolphin sound data and predicts what vocalization comes next. DolphinGemma can even generate dolphin-like audio, and the researchers’ prototype two-way system, Cetacean Hearing Augmentation Telemetry, uses a smartphone-based interface that dolphins employ to request items like scarves or seagrass—potentially laying the groundwork for future interspecies dialogue. “DolphinGemma is being used in the field this season to improve our real-time sound recognition in the CHAT system,” said Denise Herzing, founder and director of the Wild Dolphin Project, which spearheaded the development of DolphinGemma in collaboration with researchers at Google DeepMind, in an email to Gizmodo. “This fall we will spend time ingesting known dolphin vocalizations and let Gemma show us any repeatable patterns they find,” such as vocalizations used in courtship and mother-calf discipline. In this way, Herzing added, the AI applications are two-fold: Researchers can use it both to explore dolphins’ natural sounds and to better understand the animals’ responses to human mimicking of dolphin sounds, which are synthetically produced by the AI CHAT system.

    Expanding the animal AI toolkit Outside the ocean, researchers are finding that human speech models can be repurposed to decode terrestrial animal signals, too. A University of Michigan-led team used Wav2Vec2—a speech recognition model trained on human voices—to identify dogs’ emotions, genders, breeds, and even individual identities based on their barks. The pre-trained human model outperformed a version trained solely on dog data, suggesting that human language model architectures could be surprisingly effective in decoding animal communication. Of course, we need to consider the different levels of sophistication these AI models are targeting. Determining whether a dog’s bark is aggressive or playful, or whether it’s male or female—these are perhaps understandably easier for a model to determine than, say, the nuanced meaning encoded in sperm whale phonetics. Nevertheless, each study inches scientists closer to understanding how AI tools, as they currently exist, can be best applied to such an expansive field—and gives the AI a chance to train itself to become a more useful part of the researcher’s toolkit.

    And even cats—often seen as aloof—appear to be more communicative than they let on. In a 2022 study out of Paris Nanterre University, cats showed clear signs of recognizing their owner’s voice, but beyond that, the felines responded more intensely when spoken to directly in “cat talk.” That suggests cats not only pay attention to what we say, but also how we say it—especially when it comes from someone they know. Earlier this month, a pair of cuttlefish researchers found evidence that the animals have a set of four “waves,” or physical gestures, that they make to one another, as well as to human playback of cuttlefish waves. The group plans to apply an algorithm to categorize the types of waves, automatically track the creatures’ movements, and understand the contexts in which the animals express themselves more rapidly.

    Private companiesare also getting in on the act. Last week, China’s largest search engine, Baidu, filed a patent with the country’s IP administration proposing to translate animalvocalizations into human language. The quick and dirty on the tech is that it would intake a trove of data from your kitty, and then use an AI model to analyze the data, determine the animal’s emotional state, and output the apparent human language message your pet was trying to convey. A universal translator for animals? Together, these studies represent a major shift in how scientists are approaching animal communication. Rather than starting from scratch, research teams are building tools and models designed for humans—and making advances that would have taken much longer otherwise. The end goal couldbe a kind of Rosetta Stone for the animal kingdom, powered by AI.

    “We’ve gotten really good at analyzing human language just in the last five years, and we’re beginning to perfect this practice of transferring models trained on one dataset and applying them to new data,” said Sara Keen, a behavioral ecologist and electrical engineer at the Earth Species Project, in a video call with Gizmodo. The Earth Species Project plans to launch its flagship audio-language model for animal sounds, NatureLM, this year, and a demo for NatureLM-audio is already live. With input data from across the tree of life—as well as human speech, environmental sounds, and even music detection—the model aims to become a converter of human speech into animal analogues. The model “shows promising domain transfer from human speech to animal communication,” the project states, “supporting our hypothesis that shared representations in AI can help decode animal languages.” “A big part of our work really is trying to change the way people think about our place in the world,” Keen added. “We’re making cool discoveries about animal communication, but ultimately we’re finding that other species are just as complicated and nuanced as we are. And that revelation is pretty exciting.”

    The ethical dilemma Indeed, researchers generally agree on the promise of AI-based tools for improving the collection and interpretation of animal communication data. But some feel that there’s a breakdown in communication between that scholarly familiarity and the public’s perception of how these tools can be applied. “I think there’s currently a lot of misunderstanding in the coverage of this topic—that somehow machine learning can create this contextual knowledge out of nothing. That so long as you have thousands of hours of audio recordings, somehow some magic machine learning black box can squeeze meaning out of that,” said Christian Rutz, an expert in animal behavior and cognition and founding president of International Bio-Logging Society, in a video call with Gizmodo. “That’s not going to happen.” “Meaning comes through the contextual annotation and this is where I think it’s really important for this field as a whole, in this period of excitement and enthusiasm, to not forget that this annotation comes from basic behavioral ecology and natural history expertise,” Rutz added. In other words, let’s not put the horse before the cart, especially since the cart—in this case—is what’s powering the horse. But with great power…you know the cliché. Essentially, how can humans develop and apply these technologies in a way that is both scientifically illuminating and minimizes harm or disruption to its animal subjects? Experts have put forward ethical standards and guardrails for using the technologies that prioritize the welfare of creatures as we get closer to—well, wherever the technology is going.

    As AI advances, conversations about animal rights will have to evolve. In the future, animals could become more active participants in those conversations—a notion that legal experts are exploring as a thought exercise, but one that could someday become reality. “What we desperately need—apart from advancing the machine learning side—is to forge these meaningful collaborations between the machine learning experts and the animal behavior researchers,” Rutz said, “because it’s only when you put the two of us together that you stand a chance.”

    There’s no shortage of communication data to feed into data-hungry AI models, from pitch-perfect prairie dog squeaks to snails’ slimy trails. But exactly how we make use of the information we glean from these new approaches requires thorough consideration of the ethics involved in “speaking” with animals. A recent paper on the ethical concerns of using AI to communicate with whales outlined six major problem areas. These include privacy rights, cultural and emotional harm to whales, anthropomorphism, technological solutionism, gender bias, and limited effectiveness for actual whale conservation. That last issue is especially urgent, given how many whale populations are already under serious threat.

    It increasingly appears that we’re on the brink of learning much more about the ways animals interact with one another—indeed, pulling back the curtain on their communication could also yield insights into how they learn, socialize, and act within their environments. But there are still significant challenges to overcome, such as asking ourselves how we use the powerful technologies currently in development.

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    #deciphering #animal #speech #should #try
    AI Is Deciphering Animal Speech. Should We Try to Talk Back?
    By Isaac Schultz Published May 17, 2025 | Comments| Scientists are using AI to decipher animal communication, creating some ethical conundrums. © Gizmodo [Illustration: St. Lumbroso, Photos: TatianaKim,Gulf MG/Shutterstock) Chirps, trills, growls, howls, squawks. Animals converse in all kinds of ways, yet humankind has only scratched the surface of how they communicate with each other and the rest of the living world. Our species has trained some animals—and if you ask cats, animals have trained us, too—but we’ve yet to truly crack the code on interspecies communication. Increasingly, animal researchers are deploying artificial intelligence to accelerate our investigations of animal communication—both within species and between branches on the tree of life. As scientists chip away at the complex communication systems of animals, they move closer to understanding what creatures are saying—and maybe even how to talk back. But as we try to bridge the linguistic gap between humans and animals, some experts are raising valid concerns about whether such capabilities are appropriate—or whether we should even attempt to communicate with animals at all. Using AI to untangle animal language Towards the front of the pack—or should I say pod?—is Project CETI, which has used machine learning to analyze more than 8,000 sperm whale “codas”—structured click patterns recorded by the Dominica Sperm Whale Project. Researchers uncovered contextual and combinatorial structures in the whales’ clicks, naming features like “rubato” and “ornamentation” to describe how whales subtly adjust their vocalizations during conversation. These patterns helped the team create a kind of phonetic alphabet for the animals—an expressive, structured system that may not be language as we know it but reveals a level of complexity that researchers weren’t previously aware of. Project CETI is also working on ethical guidelines for the technology, a critical goal given the risks of using AI to “talk” to the animals. Meanwhile, Google and the Wild Dolphin Project recently introduced DolphinGemma, a large language modeltrained on 40 years of dolphin vocalizations. Just as ChatGPT is an LLM for human inputs—taking visual information like research papers and images and producing responses to relevant queries—DolphinGemma intakes dolphin sound data and predicts what vocalization comes next. DolphinGemma can even generate dolphin-like audio, and the researchers’ prototype two-way system, Cetacean Hearing Augmentation Telemetry, uses a smartphone-based interface that dolphins employ to request items like scarves or seagrass—potentially laying the groundwork for future interspecies dialogue. “DolphinGemma is being used in the field this season to improve our real-time sound recognition in the CHAT system,” said Denise Herzing, founder and director of the Wild Dolphin Project, which spearheaded the development of DolphinGemma in collaboration with researchers at Google DeepMind, in an email to Gizmodo. “This fall we will spend time ingesting known dolphin vocalizations and let Gemma show us any repeatable patterns they find,” such as vocalizations used in courtship and mother-calf discipline. In this way, Herzing added, the AI applications are two-fold: Researchers can use it both to explore dolphins’ natural sounds and to better understand the animals’ responses to human mimicking of dolphin sounds, which are synthetically produced by the AI CHAT system. Expanding the animal AI toolkit Outside the ocean, researchers are finding that human speech models can be repurposed to decode terrestrial animal signals, too. A University of Michigan-led team used Wav2Vec2—a speech recognition model trained on human voices—to identify dogs’ emotions, genders, breeds, and even individual identities based on their barks. The pre-trained human model outperformed a version trained solely on dog data, suggesting that human language model architectures could be surprisingly effective in decoding animal communication. Of course, we need to consider the different levels of sophistication these AI models are targeting. Determining whether a dog’s bark is aggressive or playful, or whether it’s male or female—these are perhaps understandably easier for a model to determine than, say, the nuanced meaning encoded in sperm whale phonetics. Nevertheless, each study inches scientists closer to understanding how AI tools, as they currently exist, can be best applied to such an expansive field—and gives the AI a chance to train itself to become a more useful part of the researcher’s toolkit. And even cats—often seen as aloof—appear to be more communicative than they let on. In a 2022 study out of Paris Nanterre University, cats showed clear signs of recognizing their owner’s voice, but beyond that, the felines responded more intensely when spoken to directly in “cat talk.” That suggests cats not only pay attention to what we say, but also how we say it—especially when it comes from someone they know. Earlier this month, a pair of cuttlefish researchers found evidence that the animals have a set of four “waves,” or physical gestures, that they make to one another, as well as to human playback of cuttlefish waves. The group plans to apply an algorithm to categorize the types of waves, automatically track the creatures’ movements, and understand the contexts in which the animals express themselves more rapidly. Private companiesare also getting in on the act. Last week, China’s largest search engine, Baidu, filed a patent with the country’s IP administration proposing to translate animalvocalizations into human language. The quick and dirty on the tech is that it would intake a trove of data from your kitty, and then use an AI model to analyze the data, determine the animal’s emotional state, and output the apparent human language message your pet was trying to convey. A universal translator for animals? Together, these studies represent a major shift in how scientists are approaching animal communication. Rather than starting from scratch, research teams are building tools and models designed for humans—and making advances that would have taken much longer otherwise. The end goal couldbe a kind of Rosetta Stone for the animal kingdom, powered by AI. “We’ve gotten really good at analyzing human language just in the last five years, and we’re beginning to perfect this practice of transferring models trained on one dataset and applying them to new data,” said Sara Keen, a behavioral ecologist and electrical engineer at the Earth Species Project, in a video call with Gizmodo. The Earth Species Project plans to launch its flagship audio-language model for animal sounds, NatureLM, this year, and a demo for NatureLM-audio is already live. With input data from across the tree of life—as well as human speech, environmental sounds, and even music detection—the model aims to become a converter of human speech into animal analogues. The model “shows promising domain transfer from human speech to animal communication,” the project states, “supporting our hypothesis that shared representations in AI can help decode animal languages.” “A big part of our work really is trying to change the way people think about our place in the world,” Keen added. “We’re making cool discoveries about animal communication, but ultimately we’re finding that other species are just as complicated and nuanced as we are. And that revelation is pretty exciting.” The ethical dilemma Indeed, researchers generally agree on the promise of AI-based tools for improving the collection and interpretation of animal communication data. But some feel that there’s a breakdown in communication between that scholarly familiarity and the public’s perception of how these tools can be applied. “I think there’s currently a lot of misunderstanding in the coverage of this topic—that somehow machine learning can create this contextual knowledge out of nothing. That so long as you have thousands of hours of audio recordings, somehow some magic machine learning black box can squeeze meaning out of that,” said Christian Rutz, an expert in animal behavior and cognition and founding president of International Bio-Logging Society, in a video call with Gizmodo. “That’s not going to happen.” “Meaning comes through the contextual annotation and this is where I think it’s really important for this field as a whole, in this period of excitement and enthusiasm, to not forget that this annotation comes from basic behavioral ecology and natural history expertise,” Rutz added. In other words, let’s not put the horse before the cart, especially since the cart—in this case—is what’s powering the horse. But with great power…you know the cliché. Essentially, how can humans develop and apply these technologies in a way that is both scientifically illuminating and minimizes harm or disruption to its animal subjects? Experts have put forward ethical standards and guardrails for using the technologies that prioritize the welfare of creatures as we get closer to—well, wherever the technology is going. As AI advances, conversations about animal rights will have to evolve. In the future, animals could become more active participants in those conversations—a notion that legal experts are exploring as a thought exercise, but one that could someday become reality. “What we desperately need—apart from advancing the machine learning side—is to forge these meaningful collaborations between the machine learning experts and the animal behavior researchers,” Rutz said, “because it’s only when you put the two of us together that you stand a chance.” There’s no shortage of communication data to feed into data-hungry AI models, from pitch-perfect prairie dog squeaks to snails’ slimy trails. But exactly how we make use of the information we glean from these new approaches requires thorough consideration of the ethics involved in “speaking” with animals. A recent paper on the ethical concerns of using AI to communicate with whales outlined six major problem areas. These include privacy rights, cultural and emotional harm to whales, anthropomorphism, technological solutionism, gender bias, and limited effectiveness for actual whale conservation. That last issue is especially urgent, given how many whale populations are already under serious threat. It increasingly appears that we’re on the brink of learning much more about the ways animals interact with one another—indeed, pulling back the curtain on their communication could also yield insights into how they learn, socialize, and act within their environments. But there are still significant challenges to overcome, such as asking ourselves how we use the powerful technologies currently in development. Daily Newsletter You May Also Like By Lucas Ropek Published May 16, 2025 By Matt Novak Published May 16, 2025 By Isaiah Colbert Published May 16, 2025 By Matt Novak Published May 15, 2025 By Matt Novak Published May 14, 2025 By Kyle Barr Published May 13, 2025 #deciphering #animal #speech #should #try
    GIZMODO.COM
    AI Is Deciphering Animal Speech. Should We Try to Talk Back?
    By Isaac Schultz Published May 17, 2025 | Comments (0) | Scientists are using AI to decipher animal communication, creating some ethical conundrums. © Gizmodo [Illustration: St. Lumbroso, Photos: TatianaKim,Gulf MG/Shutterstock) Chirps, trills, growls, howls, squawks. Animals converse in all kinds of ways, yet humankind has only scratched the surface of how they communicate with each other and the rest of the living world. Our species has trained some animals—and if you ask cats, animals have trained us, too—but we’ve yet to truly crack the code on interspecies communication. Increasingly, animal researchers are deploying artificial intelligence to accelerate our investigations of animal communication—both within species and between branches on the tree of life. As scientists chip away at the complex communication systems of animals, they move closer to understanding what creatures are saying—and maybe even how to talk back. But as we try to bridge the linguistic gap between humans and animals, some experts are raising valid concerns about whether such capabilities are appropriate—or whether we should even attempt to communicate with animals at all. Using AI to untangle animal language Towards the front of the pack—or should I say pod?—is Project CETI, which has used machine learning to analyze more than 8,000 sperm whale “codas”—structured click patterns recorded by the Dominica Sperm Whale Project. Researchers uncovered contextual and combinatorial structures in the whales’ clicks, naming features like “rubato” and “ornamentation” to describe how whales subtly adjust their vocalizations during conversation. These patterns helped the team create a kind of phonetic alphabet for the animals—an expressive, structured system that may not be language as we know it but reveals a level of complexity that researchers weren’t previously aware of. Project CETI is also working on ethical guidelines for the technology, a critical goal given the risks of using AI to “talk” to the animals. Meanwhile, Google and the Wild Dolphin Project recently introduced DolphinGemma, a large language model (LLM) trained on 40 years of dolphin vocalizations. Just as ChatGPT is an LLM for human inputs—taking visual information like research papers and images and producing responses to relevant queries—DolphinGemma intakes dolphin sound data and predicts what vocalization comes next. DolphinGemma can even generate dolphin-like audio, and the researchers’ prototype two-way system, Cetacean Hearing Augmentation Telemetry (fittingly, CHAT), uses a smartphone-based interface that dolphins employ to request items like scarves or seagrass—potentially laying the groundwork for future interspecies dialogue. “DolphinGemma is being used in the field this season to improve our real-time sound recognition in the CHAT system,” said Denise Herzing, founder and director of the Wild Dolphin Project, which spearheaded the development of DolphinGemma in collaboration with researchers at Google DeepMind, in an email to Gizmodo. “This fall we will spend time ingesting known dolphin vocalizations and let Gemma show us any repeatable patterns they find,” such as vocalizations used in courtship and mother-calf discipline. In this way, Herzing added, the AI applications are two-fold: Researchers can use it both to explore dolphins’ natural sounds and to better understand the animals’ responses to human mimicking of dolphin sounds, which are synthetically produced by the AI CHAT system. Expanding the animal AI toolkit Outside the ocean, researchers are finding that human speech models can be repurposed to decode terrestrial animal signals, too. A University of Michigan-led team used Wav2Vec2—a speech recognition model trained on human voices—to identify dogs’ emotions, genders, breeds, and even individual identities based on their barks. The pre-trained human model outperformed a version trained solely on dog data, suggesting that human language model architectures could be surprisingly effective in decoding animal communication. Of course, we need to consider the different levels of sophistication these AI models are targeting. Determining whether a dog’s bark is aggressive or playful, or whether it’s male or female—these are perhaps understandably easier for a model to determine than, say, the nuanced meaning encoded in sperm whale phonetics. Nevertheless, each study inches scientists closer to understanding how AI tools, as they currently exist, can be best applied to such an expansive field—and gives the AI a chance to train itself to become a more useful part of the researcher’s toolkit. And even cats—often seen as aloof—appear to be more communicative than they let on. In a 2022 study out of Paris Nanterre University, cats showed clear signs of recognizing their owner’s voice, but beyond that, the felines responded more intensely when spoken to directly in “cat talk.” That suggests cats not only pay attention to what we say, but also how we say it—especially when it comes from someone they know. Earlier this month, a pair of cuttlefish researchers found evidence that the animals have a set of four “waves,” or physical gestures, that they make to one another, as well as to human playback of cuttlefish waves. The group plans to apply an algorithm to categorize the types of waves, automatically track the creatures’ movements, and understand the contexts in which the animals express themselves more rapidly. Private companies (such as Google) are also getting in on the act. Last week, China’s largest search engine, Baidu, filed a patent with the country’s IP administration proposing to translate animal (specifically cat) vocalizations into human language. The quick and dirty on the tech is that it would intake a trove of data from your kitty, and then use an AI model to analyze the data, determine the animal’s emotional state, and output the apparent human language message your pet was trying to convey. A universal translator for animals? Together, these studies represent a major shift in how scientists are approaching animal communication. Rather than starting from scratch, research teams are building tools and models designed for humans—and making advances that would have taken much longer otherwise. The end goal could (read: could) be a kind of Rosetta Stone for the animal kingdom, powered by AI. “We’ve gotten really good at analyzing human language just in the last five years, and we’re beginning to perfect this practice of transferring models trained on one dataset and applying them to new data,” said Sara Keen, a behavioral ecologist and electrical engineer at the Earth Species Project, in a video call with Gizmodo. The Earth Species Project plans to launch its flagship audio-language model for animal sounds, NatureLM, this year, and a demo for NatureLM-audio is already live. With input data from across the tree of life—as well as human speech, environmental sounds, and even music detection—the model aims to become a converter of human speech into animal analogues. The model “shows promising domain transfer from human speech to animal communication,” the project states, “supporting our hypothesis that shared representations in AI can help decode animal languages.” “A big part of our work really is trying to change the way people think about our place in the world,” Keen added. “We’re making cool discoveries about animal communication, but ultimately we’re finding that other species are just as complicated and nuanced as we are. And that revelation is pretty exciting.” The ethical dilemma Indeed, researchers generally agree on the promise of AI-based tools for improving the collection and interpretation of animal communication data. But some feel that there’s a breakdown in communication between that scholarly familiarity and the public’s perception of how these tools can be applied. “I think there’s currently a lot of misunderstanding in the coverage of this topic—that somehow machine learning can create this contextual knowledge out of nothing. That so long as you have thousands of hours of audio recordings, somehow some magic machine learning black box can squeeze meaning out of that,” said Christian Rutz, an expert in animal behavior and cognition and founding president of International Bio-Logging Society, in a video call with Gizmodo. “That’s not going to happen.” “Meaning comes through the contextual annotation and this is where I think it’s really important for this field as a whole, in this period of excitement and enthusiasm, to not forget that this annotation comes from basic behavioral ecology and natural history expertise,” Rutz added. In other words, let’s not put the horse before the cart, especially since the cart—in this case—is what’s powering the horse. But with great power…you know the cliché. Essentially, how can humans develop and apply these technologies in a way that is both scientifically illuminating and minimizes harm or disruption to its animal subjects? Experts have put forward ethical standards and guardrails for using the technologies that prioritize the welfare of creatures as we get closer to—well, wherever the technology is going. As AI advances, conversations about animal rights will have to evolve. In the future, animals could become more active participants in those conversations—a notion that legal experts are exploring as a thought exercise, but one that could someday become reality. “What we desperately need—apart from advancing the machine learning side—is to forge these meaningful collaborations between the machine learning experts and the animal behavior researchers,” Rutz said, “because it’s only when you put the two of us together that you stand a chance.” There’s no shortage of communication data to feed into data-hungry AI models, from pitch-perfect prairie dog squeaks to snails’ slimy trails (yes, really). But exactly how we make use of the information we glean from these new approaches requires thorough consideration of the ethics involved in “speaking” with animals. A recent paper on the ethical concerns of using AI to communicate with whales outlined six major problem areas. These include privacy rights, cultural and emotional harm to whales, anthropomorphism, technological solutionism (an overreliance on technology to fix problems), gender bias, and limited effectiveness for actual whale conservation. That last issue is especially urgent, given how many whale populations are already under serious threat. It increasingly appears that we’re on the brink of learning much more about the ways animals interact with one another—indeed, pulling back the curtain on their communication could also yield insights into how they learn, socialize, and act within their environments. But there are still significant challenges to overcome, such as asking ourselves how we use the powerful technologies currently in development. Daily Newsletter You May Also Like By Lucas Ropek Published May 16, 2025 By Matt Novak Published May 16, 2025 By Isaiah Colbert Published May 16, 2025 By Matt Novak Published May 15, 2025 By Matt Novak Published May 14, 2025 By Kyle Barr Published May 13, 2025
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  • Can AI help us talk to dolphins? The race is now on

    Nature, Published online: 16 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01517-xLucrative prizes are offered for an AI-powered breakthrough in communications between humans and other species.
    #can #help #talk #dolphins #race
    Can AI help us talk to dolphins? The race is now on
    Nature, Published online: 16 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01517-xLucrative prizes are offered for an AI-powered breakthrough in communications between humans and other species. #can #help #talk #dolphins #race
    WWW.NATURE.COM
    Can AI help us talk to dolphins? The race is now on
    Nature, Published online: 16 May 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01517-xLucrative prizes are offered for an AI-powered breakthrough in communications between humans and other species.
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  • #333;">First Ever Pregnant Ichthyosaur from the Early Cretaceous Reveals Life in Prehistoric Seas
    During an excavation, amidst the Patagonian winds and hard rock, a fossil began to turn green.
    It was an unexpected reaction: the adhesive applied to protect the bones, fragile after millions of years beneath the ice, had interacted with plant matter trapped in the rock’s cracks.
    This greenish hue earned the fossil the nickname Fiona, like the ogre from Shrek.But Fionais much more than a ogre-themed name.
    It is the first complete ichthyosaur ever excavated in Chile and, even more remarkably, the only known pregnant female from the Hauterivian — a stage of the Early Cretaceous dating back 131 million years.
    Her skeleton, discovered at the edge of the Tyndall Glacier in Torres del Paine National Park — an area increasingly exposed by glacial retreat — belongs to the species Myobradypterygius hauthali, originally described in Argentina from fragmentary remains.The discovery, led by Judith Pardo-Pérez, a researcher at the University of Magallanes and the Cabo de Hornos International Center (CHIC), and published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, offers an unprecedented glimpse into ancient marine life — from how these majestic reptiles reproduced to how they adapted to oceans vastly different from those of today.An Ichthyosaur Maternity Ward in Patagonia(Image Courtesy of Irene Viscor)So far, 88 ichthyosaurs have been found on the Tyndall Glacier.
    Most of them are adults and newborns.
    Two key facts stand out: food was abundant, and no other predators were competing with them.Fiona, who measures nearly 13 feet long, is still encased in five blocks of rock.
    Despite the challenge, she was transported to a local clinic, where CT scans allowed researchers to study her skull and body.
    Her species was identified thanks to one of her fins.
    “There’s no other like it in the world,” says Pardo-Pérez.
    The limbs were remarkably elongated, suggesting this animal was built for long-distance swimming.Inside her, there were more surprises.
    One of them was her stomach contents, which revealed what may have been her last meal: tiny fish vertebrae.
    But the most striking find was a fetus, about 20 inches long, already in a position to be born.“We believe these animals came to Magallanes — the southern tip of Chilean Patagonia — from time to time to give birth, because it was a safe refuge,” Pardo-Pérez says.
    “We don't know how long they stayed, but we do know that mortality was high during the first few days of life.”One of the big unanswered questions is where they went next, as there are no records of Myobradypterygius hauthali, apart from a piece of fin found in Argentina.
    The most abundant remains come from southern Germany, but those date back to the Jurassic period, meaning they’re older.Palaeontologist Erin Maxwell suggests, “In many modern ecosystems, species migrate to higher latitudes during the summer to take advantage of seasonally abundant resources and then move to lower latitudes in winter to avoid harsh conditions,” she explains.
    “We believe Mesozoic marine reptiles may have followed similar seasonal patterns.”Sea Dragon GraveyardThe environment where Fiona was discovered — dubbed the "sea dragon graveyard" — also has much to reveal.According to geologist Matthew Malkowski of the University of Texas at Austin, the Hauterivian age is particularly intriguing because it coincided with major planetary changes: the breakup of continents, intense volcanic episodes, and phenomena known as "oceanic anoxic events," during which vast areas of the ocean were depleted of dissolved oxygen for hundreds of thousands of years.One such poorly understood event, the Pharaonic Anoxic Event, occurred around 131 million years ago, near the end of the Hauterivian, and still raises questions about its true impact on marine life.
    “We don't have a firm grasp of how significant these events were for marine vertebrates, and geological records like that of the Tyndall Glacier allow us to explore the relationship between life, the environment, and Earth’s past conditions,” Malkowski notes.Evolution of IchthyosaursReconstruction of Fiona.
    (Image Courtesy of Mauricio Álvarez)Don't be misled by their body shape.
    “Ichthyosaurs are not related to dolphins,” clarifies Pardo-Pérez.
    Although their hydrodynamic silhouettes may look nearly identical, the former were marine reptiles, while the latter are mammals.
    This resemblance results from a phenomenon known as convergent evolution: when species from different lineages develop similar anatomical features to adapt to the same environment.Ichthyosaurs evolved from terrestrial reptiles that, in response to ecological and climatic changes, began spending more time in the water until they fully adapted to a marine lifestyle.
    However, they retained traces of their land-dwelling ancestry, such as a pair of hind flippers — absent in dolphins — passed down from their walking forebears.
    They lived and thrived in prehistoric oceans for about 180 million years, giving them ample time to refine a highly specialized body: their forelimbs and hindlimbs transformed into flippers; they developed a crescent-shaped tail for propulsion, a dorsal fin for stability, and a streamlined body to reduce drag in the water.
    Remarkably, like whales and dolphins, “ichthyosaurs had a thick layer of blubber as insulation to maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding seawater and gave birth to live young, which meant they didn’t need to leave the water to reproduce,” explains Maxwell.Whales and dolphins also descend from land-dwelling ancestors, but their transition happened over a comparatively short evolutionary timespan, especially when measured against the long reign of the ichthyosaurs.
    “Their evolution hasn't had as much time as that of ichthyosaurs,” notes Pardo-Pérez.
    “And yet, they look so similar.
    That’s the wonderful thing about evolution.”Read More: Did a Swimming Reptile Predate the Dinosaurs?Fossils on the Verge of DisappearanceOne of the key factors behind the remarkable preservation of the fossils found in the Tyndall Glacier is the way they were buried.
    According to Malkowski, Fiona and her contemporaries were either trapped or swiftly covered by underwater landslides and turbidity currents — geological processes that led to their sudden entombment.But the good fortune that protected them for millions of years may now be running out.
    As the glacier retreats, exposing fossils that were once unreachable, those same remains are now vulnerable to wind, rain, and freeze-thaw cycles, which crack the surrounding rock.
    As vegetation takes hold, roots accelerate erosion and eventually conceal the fossils once again.“While climate change has allowed these fossils to be studied, continued warming will also eventually lead to their loss,” Maxwell warns.
    In Fiona’s story, scientists find not only a record of ancient life, but also a warning etched in stone and bone: what time reveals, climate can reclaim.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards.
    Review the sources used below for this article:María de los Ángeles Orfila is a science journalist based in Montevideo, Uruguay, focusing on long-form storytelling.
    Her work has appeared in Discover Magazine, Science, National Geographic, among other outlets, and in leading Uruguayan publications such as El País and El Observador.
    She was a fellow in the 2023 Sharon Dunwoody Mentoring Program by The Open Notebook and often explores the intersections of science, culture, and Latin American identity.
    #0066cc;">#first #ever #pregnant #ichthyosaur #from #the #early #cretaceous #reveals #life #prehistoric #seas #during #excavation #amidst #patagonian #winds #and #hard #rock #fossil #began #turn #greenit #was #unexpected #reaction #adhesive #applied #protect #bones #fragile #after #millions #years #beneath #ice #had #interacted #with #plant #matter #trapped #rocks #cracksthis #greenish #hue #earned #nickname #fiona #like #ogre #shrekbut #fionais #much #more #than #ogrethemed #nameit #complete #excavated #chile #even #remarkably #only #known #female #hauterivian #stage #dating #back #million #yearsher #skeleton #discovered #edge #tyndall #glacier #torres #del #paine #national #park #area #increasingly #exposed #glacial #retreat #belongs #species #myobradypterygius #hauthali #originally #described #argentina #fragmentary #remainsthe #discovery #led #judith #pardopérez #researcher #university #magallanes #cabo #hornos #international #center #chic #published #journal #vertebrate #paleontology #offers #unprecedented #glimpse #into #ancient #marine #how #these #majestic #reptiles #reproduced #they #adapted #oceans #vastly #different #those #todayan #maternity #ward #patagoniaimage #courtesy #irene #viscorso #far #ichthyosaurs #have #been #found #glaciermost #them #are #adults #newbornstwo #key #facts #stand #out #food #abundant #other #predators #were #competing #themfiona #who #measures #nearly #feet #long #still #encased #five #blocks #rockdespite #challenge #she #transported #local #clinic #where #scans #allowed #researchers #study #her #skull #bodyher #identified #thanks #one #finstheres #world #says #pardopérezthe #limbs #elongated #suggesting #this #animal #built #for #longdistance #swimminginside #there #surprisesone #stomach #contents #which #revealed #what #may #last #meal #tiny #fish #vertebraebut #most #striking #find #fetus #about #inches #already #position #bornwe #believe #animals #came #southern #tip #chilean #patagonia #time #give #birth #because #safe #refuge #sayswe #don039t #know #stayed #but #that #mortality #high #few #days #lifeone #big #unanswered #questions #went #next #records #apart #piece #fin #argentinathe #remains #come #germany #date #jurassic #period #meaning #theyre #olderpalaeontologist #erin #maxwell #suggests #many #modern #ecosystems #migrate #higher #latitudes #summer #take #advantage #seasonally #resources #then #move #lower #winter #avoid #harsh #conditions #explainswe #mesozoic #followed #similar #seasonal #patternssea #dragon #graveyardthe #environment #dubbed #quotsea #graveyardquot #also #has #revealaccording #geologist #matthew #malkowski #texas #austin #age #particularly #intriguing #coincided #major #planetary #changes #breakup #continents #intense #volcanic #episodes #phenomena #quotoceanic #anoxic #eventsquot #vast #areas #ocean #depleted #dissolved #oxygen #hundreds #thousands #yearsone #such #poorly #understood #event #pharaonic #occurred #around #ago #near #end #raises #its #true #impact #lifewe #firm #grasp #significant #events #vertebrates #geological #allow #explore #relationship #between #earths #past #notesevolution #ichthyosaursreconstruction #fionaimage #mauricio #Álvarezdon039t #misled #their #body #shapeichthyosaurs #not #related #dolphins #clarifies #pardopérezalthough #hydrodynamic #silhouettes #look #identical #former #while #latter #mammalsthis #resemblance #results #phenomenon #convergent #evolution #when #lineages #develop #anatomical #features #adapt #same #environmentichthyosaurs #evolved #terrestrial #response #ecological #climatic #spending #water #until #fully #lifestylehowever #retained #traces #landdwelling #ancestry #pair #hind #flippers #absent #passed #down #walking #forebearsthey #lived #thrived #giving #ample #refine #highly #specialized #forelimbs #hindlimbs #transformed #developed #crescentshaped #tail #propulsion #dorsal #stability #streamlined #reduce #drag #waterremarkably #whales #thick #layer #blubber #insulation #maintain #temperature #surrounding #seawater #gave #live #young #meant #didnt #need #leave #reproduce #explains #maxwellwhales #descend #ancestors #transition #happened #over #comparatively #short #evolutionary #timespan #especially #measured #against #reign #ichthyosaurstheir #hasn039t #notes #pardopérezand #yet #similarthats #wonderful #thing #evolutionread #did #swimming #reptile #predate #dinosaursfossils #verge #disappearanceone #factors #behind #remarkable #preservation #fossils #way #buriedaccording #contemporaries #either #swiftly #covered #underwater #landslides #turbidity #currents #processes #sudden #entombmentbut #good #fortune #protected #now #running #outas #retreats #exposing #once #unreachable #vulnerable #wind #rain #freezethaw #cycles #crack #rockas #vegetation #takes #hold #roots #accelerate #erosion #eventually #conceal #againwhile #climate #change #studied #continued #warming #will #lead #loss #warnsin #fionas #story #scientists #record #warning #etched #stone #bone #can #reclaimarticle #sourcesour #writers #discovermagazinecom #use #peerreviewed #studies #highquality #sources #our #articles #editors #review #scientific #accuracy #editorial #standardsreview #used #below #articlemaría #los #Ángeles #orfila #science #journalist #based #montevideo #uruguay #focusing #longform #storytellingher #work #appeared #discover #magazine #geographic #among #outlets #leading #uruguayan #publications #país #observadorshe #fellow #sharon #dunwoody #mentoring #program #open #notebook #often #explores #intersections #culture #latin #american #identity
    First Ever Pregnant Ichthyosaur from the Early Cretaceous Reveals Life in Prehistoric Seas
    During an excavation, amidst the Patagonian winds and hard rock, a fossil began to turn green. It was an unexpected reaction: the adhesive applied to protect the bones, fragile after millions of years beneath the ice, had interacted with plant matter trapped in the rock’s cracks. This greenish hue earned the fossil the nickname Fiona, like the ogre from Shrek.But Fionais much more than a ogre-themed name. It is the first complete ichthyosaur ever excavated in Chile and, even more remarkably, the only known pregnant female from the Hauterivian — a stage of the Early Cretaceous dating back 131 million years. Her skeleton, discovered at the edge of the Tyndall Glacier in Torres del Paine National Park — an area increasingly exposed by glacial retreat — belongs to the species Myobradypterygius hauthali, originally described in Argentina from fragmentary remains.The discovery, led by Judith Pardo-Pérez, a researcher at the University of Magallanes and the Cabo de Hornos International Center (CHIC), and published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, offers an unprecedented glimpse into ancient marine life — from how these majestic reptiles reproduced to how they adapted to oceans vastly different from those of today.An Ichthyosaur Maternity Ward in Patagonia(Image Courtesy of Irene Viscor)So far, 88 ichthyosaurs have been found on the Tyndall Glacier. Most of them are adults and newborns. Two key facts stand out: food was abundant, and no other predators were competing with them.Fiona, who measures nearly 13 feet long, is still encased in five blocks of rock. Despite the challenge, she was transported to a local clinic, where CT scans allowed researchers to study her skull and body. Her species was identified thanks to one of her fins. “There’s no other like it in the world,” says Pardo-Pérez. The limbs were remarkably elongated, suggesting this animal was built for long-distance swimming.Inside her, there were more surprises. One of them was her stomach contents, which revealed what may have been her last meal: tiny fish vertebrae. But the most striking find was a fetus, about 20 inches long, already in a position to be born.“We believe these animals came to Magallanes — the southern tip of Chilean Patagonia — from time to time to give birth, because it was a safe refuge,” Pardo-Pérez says. “We don't know how long they stayed, but we do know that mortality was high during the first few days of life.”One of the big unanswered questions is where they went next, as there are no records of Myobradypterygius hauthali, apart from a piece of fin found in Argentina. The most abundant remains come from southern Germany, but those date back to the Jurassic period, meaning they’re older.Palaeontologist Erin Maxwell suggests, “In many modern ecosystems, species migrate to higher latitudes during the summer to take advantage of seasonally abundant resources and then move to lower latitudes in winter to avoid harsh conditions,” she explains. “We believe Mesozoic marine reptiles may have followed similar seasonal patterns.”Sea Dragon GraveyardThe environment where Fiona was discovered — dubbed the "sea dragon graveyard" — also has much to reveal.According to geologist Matthew Malkowski of the University of Texas at Austin, the Hauterivian age is particularly intriguing because it coincided with major planetary changes: the breakup of continents, intense volcanic episodes, and phenomena known as "oceanic anoxic events," during which vast areas of the ocean were depleted of dissolved oxygen for hundreds of thousands of years.One such poorly understood event, the Pharaonic Anoxic Event, occurred around 131 million years ago, near the end of the Hauterivian, and still raises questions about its true impact on marine life. “We don't have a firm grasp of how significant these events were for marine vertebrates, and geological records like that of the Tyndall Glacier allow us to explore the relationship between life, the environment, and Earth’s past conditions,” Malkowski notes.Evolution of IchthyosaursReconstruction of Fiona. (Image Courtesy of Mauricio Álvarez)Don't be misled by their body shape. “Ichthyosaurs are not related to dolphins,” clarifies Pardo-Pérez. Although their hydrodynamic silhouettes may look nearly identical, the former were marine reptiles, while the latter are mammals. This resemblance results from a phenomenon known as convergent evolution: when species from different lineages develop similar anatomical features to adapt to the same environment.Ichthyosaurs evolved from terrestrial reptiles that, in response to ecological and climatic changes, began spending more time in the water until they fully adapted to a marine lifestyle. However, they retained traces of their land-dwelling ancestry, such as a pair of hind flippers — absent in dolphins — passed down from their walking forebears. They lived and thrived in prehistoric oceans for about 180 million years, giving them ample time to refine a highly specialized body: their forelimbs and hindlimbs transformed into flippers; they developed a crescent-shaped tail for propulsion, a dorsal fin for stability, and a streamlined body to reduce drag in the water. Remarkably, like whales and dolphins, “ichthyosaurs had a thick layer of blubber as insulation to maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding seawater and gave birth to live young, which meant they didn’t need to leave the water to reproduce,” explains Maxwell.Whales and dolphins also descend from land-dwelling ancestors, but their transition happened over a comparatively short evolutionary timespan, especially when measured against the long reign of the ichthyosaurs. “Their evolution hasn't had as much time as that of ichthyosaurs,” notes Pardo-Pérez. “And yet, they look so similar. That’s the wonderful thing about evolution.”Read More: Did a Swimming Reptile Predate the Dinosaurs?Fossils on the Verge of DisappearanceOne of the key factors behind the remarkable preservation of the fossils found in the Tyndall Glacier is the way they were buried. According to Malkowski, Fiona and her contemporaries were either trapped or swiftly covered by underwater landslides and turbidity currents — geological processes that led to their sudden entombment.But the good fortune that protected them for millions of years may now be running out. As the glacier retreats, exposing fossils that were once unreachable, those same remains are now vulnerable to wind, rain, and freeze-thaw cycles, which crack the surrounding rock. As vegetation takes hold, roots accelerate erosion and eventually conceal the fossils once again.“While climate change has allowed these fossils to be studied, continued warming will also eventually lead to their loss,” Maxwell warns. In Fiona’s story, scientists find not only a record of ancient life, but also a warning etched in stone and bone: what time reveals, climate can reclaim.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:María de los Ángeles Orfila is a science journalist based in Montevideo, Uruguay, focusing on long-form storytelling. Her work has appeared in Discover Magazine, Science, National Geographic, among other outlets, and in leading Uruguayan publications such as El País and El Observador. She was a fellow in the 2023 Sharon Dunwoody Mentoring Program by The Open Notebook and often explores the intersections of science, culture, and Latin American identity.
    #first #ever #pregnant #ichthyosaur #from #the #early #cretaceous #reveals #life #prehistoric #seas #during #excavation #amidst #patagonian #winds #and #hard #rock #fossil #began #turn #greenit #was #unexpected #reaction #adhesive #applied #protect #bones #fragile #after #millions #years #beneath #ice #had #interacted #with #plant #matter #trapped #rocks #cracksthis #greenish #hue #earned #nickname #fiona #like #ogre #shrekbut #fionais #much #more #than #ogrethemed #nameit #complete #excavated #chile #even #remarkably #only #known #female #hauterivian #stage #dating #back #million #yearsher #skeleton #discovered #edge #tyndall #glacier #torres #del #paine #national #park #area #increasingly #exposed #glacial #retreat #belongs #species #myobradypterygius #hauthali #originally #described #argentina #fragmentary #remainsthe #discovery #led #judith #pardopérez #researcher #university #magallanes #cabo #hornos #international #center #chic #published #journal #vertebrate #paleontology 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    First Ever Pregnant Ichthyosaur from the Early Cretaceous Reveals Life in Prehistoric Seas
    During an excavation, amidst the Patagonian winds and hard rock, a fossil began to turn green. It was an unexpected reaction: the adhesive applied to protect the bones, fragile after millions of years beneath the ice, had interacted with plant matter trapped in the rock’s cracks. This greenish hue earned the fossil the nickname Fiona, like the ogre from Shrek.But Fionais much more than a ogre-themed name. It is the first complete ichthyosaur ever excavated in Chile and, even more remarkably, the only known pregnant female from the Hauterivian — a stage of the Early Cretaceous dating back 131 million years. Her skeleton, discovered at the edge of the Tyndall Glacier in Torres del Paine National Park — an area increasingly exposed by glacial retreat — belongs to the species Myobradypterygius hauthali, originally described in Argentina from fragmentary remains.The discovery, led by Judith Pardo-Pérez, a researcher at the University of Magallanes and the Cabo de Hornos International Center (CHIC), and published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, offers an unprecedented glimpse into ancient marine life — from how these majestic reptiles reproduced to how they adapted to oceans vastly different from those of today.An Ichthyosaur Maternity Ward in Patagonia(Image Courtesy of Irene Viscor)So far, 88 ichthyosaurs have been found on the Tyndall Glacier. Most of them are adults and newborns. Two key facts stand out: food was abundant, and no other predators were competing with them.Fiona, who measures nearly 13 feet long, is still encased in five blocks of rock. Despite the challenge, she was transported to a local clinic, where CT scans allowed researchers to study her skull and body. Her species was identified thanks to one of her fins. “There’s no other like it in the world,” says Pardo-Pérez. The limbs were remarkably elongated, suggesting this animal was built for long-distance swimming.Inside her, there were more surprises. One of them was her stomach contents, which revealed what may have been her last meal: tiny fish vertebrae. But the most striking find was a fetus, about 20 inches long, already in a position to be born.“We believe these animals came to Magallanes — the southern tip of Chilean Patagonia — from time to time to give birth, because it was a safe refuge,” Pardo-Pérez says. “We don't know how long they stayed, but we do know that mortality was high during the first few days of life.”One of the big unanswered questions is where they went next, as there are no records of Myobradypterygius hauthali, apart from a piece of fin found in Argentina. The most abundant remains come from southern Germany, but those date back to the Jurassic period, meaning they’re older.Palaeontologist Erin Maxwell suggests, “In many modern ecosystems, species migrate to higher latitudes during the summer to take advantage of seasonally abundant resources and then move to lower latitudes in winter to avoid harsh conditions,” she explains. “We believe Mesozoic marine reptiles may have followed similar seasonal patterns.”Sea Dragon GraveyardThe environment where Fiona was discovered — dubbed the "sea dragon graveyard" — also has much to reveal.According to geologist Matthew Malkowski of the University of Texas at Austin, the Hauterivian age is particularly intriguing because it coincided with major planetary changes: the breakup of continents, intense volcanic episodes, and phenomena known as "oceanic anoxic events," during which vast areas of the ocean were depleted of dissolved oxygen for hundreds of thousands of years.One such poorly understood event, the Pharaonic Anoxic Event, occurred around 131 million years ago, near the end of the Hauterivian, and still raises questions about its true impact on marine life. “We don't have a firm grasp of how significant these events were for marine vertebrates, and geological records like that of the Tyndall Glacier allow us to explore the relationship between life, the environment, and Earth’s past conditions,” Malkowski notes.Evolution of IchthyosaursReconstruction of Fiona. (Image Courtesy of Mauricio Álvarez)Don't be misled by their body shape. “Ichthyosaurs are not related to dolphins,” clarifies Pardo-Pérez. Although their hydrodynamic silhouettes may look nearly identical, the former were marine reptiles, while the latter are mammals. This resemblance results from a phenomenon known as convergent evolution: when species from different lineages develop similar anatomical features to adapt to the same environment.Ichthyosaurs evolved from terrestrial reptiles that, in response to ecological and climatic changes, began spending more time in the water until they fully adapted to a marine lifestyle. However, they retained traces of their land-dwelling ancestry, such as a pair of hind flippers — absent in dolphins — passed down from their walking forebears. They lived and thrived in prehistoric oceans for about 180 million years, giving them ample time to refine a highly specialized body: their forelimbs and hindlimbs transformed into flippers; they developed a crescent-shaped tail for propulsion, a dorsal fin for stability, and a streamlined body to reduce drag in the water. Remarkably, like whales and dolphins, “ichthyosaurs had a thick layer of blubber as insulation to maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding seawater and gave birth to live young, which meant they didn’t need to leave the water to reproduce,” explains Maxwell.Whales and dolphins also descend from land-dwelling ancestors, but their transition happened over a comparatively short evolutionary timespan, especially when measured against the long reign of the ichthyosaurs. “Their evolution hasn't had as much time as that of ichthyosaurs,” notes Pardo-Pérez. “And yet, they look so similar. That’s the wonderful thing about evolution.”Read More: Did a Swimming Reptile Predate the Dinosaurs?Fossils on the Verge of DisappearanceOne of the key factors behind the remarkable preservation of the fossils found in the Tyndall Glacier is the way they were buried. According to Malkowski, Fiona and her contemporaries were either trapped or swiftly covered by underwater landslides and turbidity currents — geological processes that led to their sudden entombment.But the good fortune that protected them for millions of years may now be running out. As the glacier retreats, exposing fossils that were once unreachable, those same remains are now vulnerable to wind, rain, and freeze-thaw cycles, which crack the surrounding rock. As vegetation takes hold, roots accelerate erosion and eventually conceal the fossils once again.“While climate change has allowed these fossils to be studied, continued warming will also eventually lead to their loss,” Maxwell warns. In Fiona’s story, scientists find not only a record of ancient life, but also a warning etched in stone and bone: what time reveals, climate can reclaim.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:María de los Ángeles Orfila is a science journalist based in Montevideo, Uruguay, focusing on long-form storytelling. Her work has appeared in Discover Magazine, Science, National Geographic, among other outlets, and in leading Uruguayan publications such as El País and El Observador. She was a fellow in the 2023 Sharon Dunwoody Mentoring Program by The Open Notebook and often explores the intersections of science, culture, and Latin American identity.
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