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Meat has a distinct taste, texture and aroma − how do plant-based alternatives mimic the real thing?

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Monday, November 25, 2024

When you bite into a juicy hamburger, slice into the perfect medium-rare steak or gobble down a plateful of chicken nuggets, your senses are most likely responding to the food's smell, taste, texture and color. For a long time, these four attributes set meat apart from other food groups. But in recent years, food companies have started to focus on the development of meat alternatives. Many people believe that transitioning away from meat-heavy diets can help with environmental sustainability as well as improve their own health. The two main focuses of research have been on plant-based meat alternatives and lab-grown meat. Both have interesting challenges. Lab-grown meat requires growing animal cells and generating a meat product. Plant-based meat alternatives use plant materials to recreate animal-like structures and flavors. Major food companies that have generated plant-based meat alternatives that consumers seem to enjoy include Impossible, Beyond Meat, Mosa Meat and Quorn. From a scientific perspective, the development of plant-based meat alternatives is especially intriguing, because food manufacturers and researchers attempt to create products with similar textures, flavors, appearances and nutrient compositions to those juicy hamburgers or tender chicken fingers. As a biochemist who teaches students about how food fuels our bodies, I focus my research on the composition and the production of these products and how they can mimic animal meat is intriguing to me. Animal meats are composed primarily of protein, fat and water, with small amounts of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The animal tissue consumed is typically muscle, which has a distinctive shape made from fibers of protein that are bundled together with connective tissue. The size and shape of the protein fibers influence the texture of the meat. The amount and identity of natural lipids – fats and oils – found within a specific muscle tissue can influence the protein structure, and therefore the flavor, tenderness and juiciness, of the meat. Meat products also have a high water content. Typically, plant-based meat alternatives are made using nonanimal proteins, as well as chemical compounds that enhance the flavor, fats, coloring agents and binding agents. These products also contain more than 50% water. To produce plant-based meat alternatives, the ingredients are combined to mimic animal muscle tissue, and then supplemented with additives such as flavor enhancers. Developing a meat-like texture Most meat replacements are derived from soy protein because it is relatively cheap and easily absorbs both water and fat, binding these substances so they don't separate. Some companies will use other proteins, such as wheat gluten, legumes – lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans – and proteins from seed oils. Since most animal meats include some amount of fat, which adds flavor and texture to the product, plant-based meat alternative manufacturers will often add fats such as canola oil, coconut oil or sunflower oil to make the product softer and tastier. Proteins and fats don't easily mix with water – that's why the ingredients in salad dressings will sometimes separate into layers. When using these components, food manufacturers need to emulsify, or mix them, together. Emulsification is essential to making sure the proteins, fats and water form an integrated network with an appealing texture. Otherwise, the food product can end up greasy, spongy or just plain disgusting. Many vegan meat alternatives also use gelling agents that bind water and fat. They help with emulsification because they contain starch, which interacts strongly with water and fat. This allows for more of a mixed network of the proteins, fats and water, making them meatier and more appealing to consumers. Creating a product with a meatlike texture is not just a dump and stir process. Since animal meat is primarily muscle tissue, it has a unique spatial arrangement of the proteins, fats and water. In order to mimic this structure, manufacturers use processes such as stretching, kneading, folding, layering, 3D printing and extrusion. Right now, the most popular processing method is extrusion. Extrusion is a method by which the dry ingredients – plant proteins and fats – are fed into a machine along with a steady stream of water. The inner part of the machine rotates like a screw, combining the molecules, converting the structure of the plant material from spherical shapes to fibers. Each plant protein behaves differently in the manufacturing process, so some plant-based meat alternatives might use different ingredients, depending on their structures. Adding the savory flavor Although the texture is essential, meat also has a distinctive savory and umami flavor. A set of chemical reactions called Maillard browning helps develop the complex, rich flavor profiles of animal meats while they cook. So, additives such as yeast extracts, miso, mushrooms and spices can enhance the flavor of plant-based alternatives by allowing Maillard reactions to occur. The aroma of cooked meats typically comes from chemical reactions between sugars and amino acids. Amino acids are the basic components of proteins. Lots of research has focused on attempting to replicate some of those reactions. To promote these reactions, alternative meat developers will add browning agents, including specific amino acids such as cysteine, methionine and lysine, sugars and the vitamin thiamin. Adding natural smoke flavorings derived from hickory or mesquite can also give alternative meats a similar aroma.   Eating with the eyes As the first-century Roman lover of food Apicius said, "We eat with our eyes first." That means that even if the texture is perfect and the flavors are on point, the consumer will still decide whether they want to buy and eat the vegan meat by the way it looks. For this reason, food manufacturers will usually develop plant-based meat alternatives that look like classic meat dishes – hamburgers, meatballs, sausages or nuggets. They'll also add natural coloring agents such as beetroot, annatto, caramel and vegetable juices that make plant-based alternatives look more like the color of traditional meat. Plant proteins such as soy and wheat gluten do not brown like animal meat. So, some food manufacturers will increase the proportion of pea and lentil proteins they're using, which makes the meat alternative look more brown while cooking. With some research, it's not too difficult to mimic the structure, texture, flavor and appearance of animal meats. But the question remains: Will people purchase and consume them? It seems people do want plant-based meat. Countries all around the world have increased their demand for these products. In 2023, the global market was over US$7 billion, and it is predicted to grow by almost 20% by 2030. Julie Pollock, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

A biochemist explains how plant-based proteins are able to impersonate meats and other animal proteins

When you bite into a juicy hamburger, slice into the perfect medium-rare steak or gobble down a plateful of chicken nuggets, your senses are most likely responding to the food's smell, taste, texture and color. For a long time, these four attributes set meat apart from other food groups.

But in recent years, food companies have started to focus on the development of meat alternatives. Many people believe that transitioning away from meat-heavy diets can help with environmental sustainability as well as improve their own health.

The two main focuses of research have been on plant-based meat alternatives and lab-grown meat. Both have interesting challenges. Lab-grown meat requires growing animal cells and generating a meat product. Plant-based meat alternatives use plant materials to recreate animal-like structures and flavors.

Major food companies that have generated plant-based meat alternatives that consumers seem to enjoy include Impossible, Beyond Meat, Mosa Meat and Quorn.

From a scientific perspective, the development of plant-based meat alternatives is especially intriguing, because food manufacturers and researchers attempt to create products with similar textures, flavors, appearances and nutrient compositions to those juicy hamburgers or tender chicken fingers.

As a biochemist who teaches students about how food fuels our bodies, I focus my research on the composition and the production of these products and how they can mimic animal meat is intriguing to me.

Animal meats are composed primarily of protein, fat and water, with small amounts of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The animal tissue consumed is typically muscle, which has a distinctive shape made from fibers of protein that are bundled together with connective tissue.

The size and shape of the protein fibers influence the texture of the meat. The amount and identity of natural lipids – fats and oils – found within a specific muscle tissue can influence the protein structure, and therefore the flavor, tenderness and juiciness, of the meat. Meat products also have a high water content.

Typically, plant-based meat alternatives are made using nonanimal proteins, as well as chemical compounds that enhance the flavor, fats, coloring agents and binding agents. These products also contain more than 50% water. To produce plant-based meat alternatives, the ingredients are combined to mimic animal muscle tissue, and then supplemented with additives such as flavor enhancers.

Developing a meat-like texture

Most meat replacements are derived from soy protein because it is relatively cheap and easily absorbs both water and fat, binding these substances so they don't separate. Some companies will use other proteins, such as wheat gluten, legumes – lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans – and proteins from seed oils.

Since most animal meats include some amount of fat, which adds flavor and texture to the product, plant-based meat alternative manufacturers will often add fats such as canola oil, coconut oil or sunflower oil to make the product softer and tastier.

Proteins and fats don't easily mix with water – that's why the ingredients in salad dressings will sometimes separate into layers. When using these components, food manufacturers need to emulsify, or mix them, together. Emulsification is essential to making sure the proteins, fats and water form an integrated network with an appealing texture. Otherwise, the food product can end up greasy, spongy or just plain disgusting.

Many vegan meat alternatives also use gelling agents that bind water and fat. They help with emulsification because they contain starch, which interacts strongly with water and fat. This allows for more of a mixed network of the proteins, fats and water, making them meatier and more appealing to consumers.

Creating a product with a meatlike texture is not just a dump and stir process. Since animal meat is primarily muscle tissue, it has a unique spatial arrangement of the proteins, fats and water.

In order to mimic this structure, manufacturers use processes such as stretching, kneading, folding, layering, 3D printing and extrusion. Right now, the most popular processing method is extrusion.

Extrusion is a method by which the dry ingredients – plant proteins and fats – are fed into a machine along with a steady stream of water. The inner part of the machine rotates like a screw, combining the molecules, converting the structure of the plant material from spherical shapes to fibers.

Each plant protein behaves differently in the manufacturing process, so some plant-based meat alternatives might use different ingredients, depending on their structures.

Adding the savory flavor

Although the texture is essential, meat also has a distinctive savory and umami flavor.

A set of chemical reactions called Maillard browning helps develop the complex, rich flavor profiles of animal meats while they cook. So, additives such as yeast extracts, miso, mushrooms and spices can enhance the flavor of plant-based alternatives by allowing Maillard reactions to occur.

The aroma of cooked meats typically comes from chemical reactions between sugars and amino acids. Amino acids are the basic components of proteins. Lots of research has focused on attempting to replicate some of those reactions.

To promote these reactions, alternative meat developers will add browning agents, including specific amino acids such as cysteine, methionine and lysine, sugars and the vitamin thiamin. Adding natural smoke flavorings derived from hickory or mesquite can also give alternative meats a similar aroma.

 

Eating with the eyes

As the first-century Roman lover of food Apicius said, "We eat with our eyes first."

That means that even if the texture is perfect and the flavors are on point, the consumer will still decide whether they want to buy and eat the vegan meat by the way it looks.

For this reason, food manufacturers will usually develop plant-based meat alternatives that look like classic meat dishes – hamburgers, meatballs, sausages or nuggets. They'll also add natural coloring agents such as beetroot, annatto, caramel and vegetable juices that make plant-based alternatives look more like the color of traditional meat.

Plant proteins such as soy and wheat gluten do not brown like animal meat. So, some food manufacturers will increase the proportion of pea and lentil proteins they're using, which makes the meat alternative look more brown while cooking.

With some research, it's not too difficult to mimic the structure, texture, flavor and appearance of animal meats. But the question remains: Will people purchase and consume them?

It seems people do want plant-based meat. Countries all around the world have increased their demand for these products. In 2023, the global market was over US$7 billion, and it is predicted to grow by almost 20% by 2030.

Julie Pollock, Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Richmond

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a bear cub's corpse in Central Park in 2014 to "be fun." Records newly obtained by WIRED show what he left New York civil servants to clean up.

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U.S. Military Ends Practice of Shooting Live Animals to Train Medics to Treat Battlefield Wounds

The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act bans the use of live animals in live fire training exercises and prohibits "painful" research on domestic cats and dogs

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Eagles, Wolves, and Whales: Announcing the 2025 Wildlife MVPs

In a world where conservation news often appears grim, let’s celebrate the animals who made a difference. The post Eagles, Wolves, and Whales: Announcing the 2025 Wildlife MVPs appeared first on The Revelator.

Welcome to The Revelator’s annual Wildlife MVPs, where we celebrate animals who left their mark in the previous year. Some of our 2025 most valuable players earned a mention for reclaiming historical habitat, like certain salmon and wolves in California. Others, including elk and dolphins, made our list for turning up in unexpectedly large groups that wowed onlookers. And some simply did something new, like the orcas in Washington who made tools and the deer-moose pair in Alaska who just seem to enjoy each other’s company. The stories show that wildlife, like humans, use determination and their own innate skills to thrive, often despite the odds. They also show that we still live in a world of remarkable abundance. And many of the stories reveal big successes from conservation measures — something that’s critically important as the Trump administration takes aim at the Endangered Species Act. So let’s celebrate those successes: Sit back and enjoy some of this year’s good news. Making the Klamath Great Again Klamath River salmon won’t stop winning. In 2024, after removal of four fish-blocking dams in California and Oregon, Chinook salmon surged up over 200 miles of newly open river, reclaiming habitat that had been inaccessible to them for over a century. During their 2025 spawn, they again rocketed upstream and beyond the expectations of biologists. This time they swam 360 river miles from the ocean, climbing past the Klamath’s remaining dams and into more watersheds that hadn’t seen salmon in over 100 years.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) (@epic_wildcalifornia) The fish enliven their habitats with ocean nutrients and baby salmon, but they also spread joy, including among Klamath and other Indigenous groups who had pressed for dam removal for years, based on 1864 treaty rights. In July more than 100 Indigenous youth from Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa Valley, and other groups completed a 30-day paddle down the river to honor salmon’s return and the people behind it. Tribal and government biologists are also on the river, trying to keep up with salmon to understand their movement. Fishing is not permitted, but salmon still face threats from agricultural runoff, pollutants, and warming waters. Wandering Wolves Hats off to the female gray wolf who explored 1,230 miles of Colorado between January and April. Wildlife officials called it an “extraordinary display.” The wolf was translocated from British Columbia as part of a voter-approved reintroduction program. Maps show most of the wolves are in Colorado’s mountains, while some are pushing toward busy Front Range communities and the borders of Wyoming, Utah, and Mexico. Wolves also stretched their legs in California this year. Three new wolf packs established themselves in the north-central part of the state, bringing the total to 10 packs since their 2015 migration back into California. A 2025 report also showed Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico, reintroduced in 1998, increased by 11% the prior year. They total 286 animals in 60 packs. By nature wolves are valuable landscape players. Since their 1995 reintroduction to Yellowstone, research shows their presence influences elk and other prey species in ways that positively reshape habitats. Although resilient, wolves still face a hard road. In October Colorado reported the 10th death of a reintroduced wolf, dropping their survival rate to 60%. Also in 2025, Colorado paid record compensation for reported wolf-related livestock predation. New federal rules further complicate the Colorado program, and a move is underfoot for a ballot initiative to stop reintroduction. Turtle Recovery Speeds Up This July crowds in Cocoa Beach, Florida, cheered as a giant loggerhead turtle named Bubba crawled into the ocean after three months of rehab at the Brevard Zoo. People shouted, “Go Bubba!” as the 375-pound guy eased himself into gently lapping waves. Estimated at 75 years old, Bubba had been treated for anemia, leeches, and injured flippers, likely from a shark. Thought to be a great-grandfather, the breeding male went home at the tail end of mating season, perhaps in time to contribute to ongoing Atlantic turtle recovery. Speaking of mating season: In Florida, loggerhead, leatherback, and green turtles dug a whopping 170,000 nests in 2025. They included over 2,000 endangered leatherback nests, a new state record, and 66,000 green turtle nests, second only to the 2023 season. It comes amid news that conservation efforts have reduced sea turtle threats in over half of sites monitored around the world. Green sea turtles have especially benefitted: This year the IUCN changed their conservation status from “endangered” to “least concern.” Scientists credit decades of conservation work, including bans on commercial harvest, reduced bycatch, and thousands of volunteers who raise awareness and restore beaches. Sea turtles, whose herbivorous diets help important underwater seagrass meadows, still face global threats. But current numbers are worth at least a slow clap. Miles of Dolphins A super-pod is a marvelous thing to behold, and in 2025 Californians saw two. In January biologists near Carmel encountered a miles-long group of Risso’s dolphins, estimated at over 1,500 animals. Drone footage showed the cetaceans, who grow to 13 feet and over 1,000 pounds, breaching, tail-slapping, and “having fun,” according to one biologist. A month later an even larger super-pod swam near Monterey Bay. Estimated at more than 2,000 animals, it included the smaller northern right whale dolphins and Pacific white-sided dolphins. Experts say whales and dolphins form superpods to socialize or when food is abundant. A River (of Elk) Runs Through It Is there such a thing as a super-herd? If so, that’s what a Montana woman filmed south of Bozeman in January. Estimated at 2,000 animals, the herd undulated across snowy fields and a rural road. Montana biologists, who had tagged some of the animals earlier, said the elk are using conservation easement lands specifically established for their protection. Orca Tools and Hats In 2025 scientists reviewing drone footage found that orcas in the Salish Sea repeatedly cut kelp into similar sized lengths, which they used to massage or scrub each other. Each piece was just the right size for an orca to press and roll along the body of a pal. They’re the only orcas known to do this. The same orcas, known as the Southern Resident pod, made waves in late 2024 when some were seen balancing dead salmon on their heads. It recalled the salmon “hats” that they took to wearing in the 1980s. And in November 2025, all 74 Southern Residents gathered into a rare super-pod near Port Townsend, Washington, delighting ferry passengers. While the Southern Residents are revered in the Pacific Northwest, their endangered population faces threats from pollution and declining salmon. Legacy MVP for Utah Bison In the past two decades, roughly 25 bison wandered into Colorado from Utah’s 600-member Book Cliffs herd, who Utah officials manage as big game. Unfortunately, each was killed after entering Colorado. Now, following years of objections from Native Americans, conservationists, and others, a new Colorado law gives the bison freer range. It grants them “dual status” as both livestock and wildlife and directs state biologists to prepare a free-ranging bison plan, which will address possible competition with livestock. Our MVP goes to the wandering bison of yore who prompted the change. Summers at the Cape With Right Whales Here’s a wave out to all those Atlantic right whale moms nursing newborns this year. In the 2024-2025 calving season, they included 32-year-old Monarch and 44-year-old Grand Teton. Across their breeding careers, these moms have so far had five and nine calves, respectively. And although this year’s count of 11 calves for the entire species is lower than past years, biologists express cautious optimism about a slowly growing population. The critically endangered species has 386 members. Whales also made news in April, when 30 right and humpback whales amassed in Cape Cod Bay to feed on zooplankton. They briefly closed Cape Cod Canal ship traffic. The gatherings, typical for spring, show a functional marine food chain that connects its largest and smallest creatures. Ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and climate change are chief threats. But officials credit rising awareness among boat captains and better fishing gear for recent progress. Of Moose and Deer For over a year, residents of Seward, Alaska, have seen a moose and a Sitka black-tailed deer hanging around with each other. The pair have grazed and traveled together through the seasons. Unconfirmed rumors are also flying of a separate pair to the north. Deer are extremely rare in the region, with some occasionally migrating over snowbound mountains from Prince William Sound. But moose are common. The buddies make our MVP list simply because any tales of conviviality are welcome news these days. She Loves New York On April 14 a wild turkey named Astoria spread her wings and jetted across the East River from Roosevelt Island to the east side of Manhattan. It’s not a lot of air time for a turkey, but Astoria’s “movin’ on up to the East Side” is her latest surprise for her many fans. And it reflects one of America’s most successful conservation stories. The turkey first arrived in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in 2024, before relocating to Roosevelt Island, where she strutted and pecked among brush for months. Although midtown Manhattan presents more noise and traffic, she appears to have figured out city life. Local authorities have even lent a hand by shooing her away from traffic. So New York has her back. While Astoria appears to be flying solo, she’s not the city’s only turkey. Several flocks live on Staten Island. They also live in Boston and other cities. By the 1930s deforestation and overhunting had extirpated America’s native turkeys from much of their habitat. But they rebounded over decades, responding to hunting regulations, reforestation, and translocation programs. In recent years recovering coyotes, bobcats, and raptors have decreased turkey populations. As Astoria struts about New York, she’s a reminder of these successes. Sisterly Love We’ll wrap with Shadow and Jackie, two California bald eagles about 30 miles from Los Angeles who gained millions of online fans this year as they raised sister eaglets Sunny and Gizmo. A nest cam livestreamed their straight-up adorable upbringing, including the moments they fledged. Jackie and Shadow have used their nest overlooking Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains since 2018, when they first started dating.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by CA Natural Resources Agency (@canaturalresourcesagency) Biologists believe that Jackie, who hatched in 2012, was the first bald eagle born in the basin in decades. Between Shadow and an earlier mate, she has helped raise five eaglets — her contribution to ongoing eagle recovery across the United States. This is the first time the pair fledged two eaglets in one season. A third hatchling died after a March snowstorm, one of several that dumped inches of snow on the parents as they shielded their young. Their nest is 145 feet up in a Jeffrey pine that sways in strong wind. Every day for months, the parents brought fresh fish to their young, reflecting an intact local food web. Sunny and Gizmo also get credit for impressively peaceful cohabitation, with minimal bonking or other competitive conflict, even as they endured snow, rain, high winds, aggressive owls, and being couped up in the same tiny pad for two months. So love wins and puts this family among our most valuable players — for reflecting conservation and species recovery, showing off an abundant basin, gathering people together, and raising good kids. *** Although we live in an era of alarming losses in biodiversity, it’s good to note the encouraging stories. Each reminds us of the resilience of wildlife and the value of conservation. Happy New Year. Republish this article for free! Read our reprint policy. The post Eagles, Wolves, and Whales: Announcing the 2025 Wildlife MVPs appeared first on The Revelator.

Animals
Conservation
Food

With thousands of feral horses gone, Kosciuszko’s fragile ecosystems are slowly recovering

With feral horses gone, fragile alpine areas are no longer being trampled by hard hooves. But Kosciuszko’s landscapes will take decades to recover.

Author supplied , CC BY-NDIn Kosciuszko National Park in Australia’s alpine region, the landscape is slowly changing. Patches of native vegetation cropped bald by horses are regrowing. Some long-eroded creek banks look less compacted along the edges. Visitors come across fewer horses standing on the roads, a real traffic hazard. In 2023, New South Wales authorised the aerial shooting of feral horses in Kosciuszko National Park. And in late November, the government passed a bill to repeal the law that recognised feral horses as having “heritage status” in the park. This change removed the legal protections on horses in Kosciuszko that had set them apart from other introduced species such as deer, pigs, foxes and rabbits. Now horses will be treated the same way as other invasive species across Australia, restoring consistency to managing their impact on the landscape. The latest survey estimates around 3,000 horses remain in Kosciuszko National Park, down from roughly 17,000 a year ago. More than 9,000 horses have been culled since 2021. The current management plan is designed to retain 3,000 horses – a compromise between ecological protection and perceived heritage values. It will remain in place until mid-2027. So what are the environmental effects of having fewer horses in Kosciuszko? And what could the park look like in the future? Stallion standing in an alpine sphagnum bog. Author supplied, CC BY-ND The damage For decades, feral horses have been a major source of ecological damage in Kosciuszko’s alpine landscapes. Their impacts have been especially pronounced in the past decade, as horse numbers within the fragile high country grew largely unchecked. Empirical studies and analyses of satellite imagery show horses reduce vegetation cover, break down soil structure, and damage streambanks, peat beds and alpine bogs – carbon-rich soils built over tens of thousands of years. Some of this damage results from their feeding on slow-growing alpine grasses and herbs. Horses typically eat 2% of their body mass daily, which equates to about 8 kilograms each day. Compare this to the largest native herbivore in the high country, the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, which eats roughly 600 grams per day, a 13-fold difference. But the real damage is done by their feet. Feral horses walk up to 50 kilometres a day, and their hard hooves collapse the sphagnum moss layers and compact the deep peat soils. This plants and soils normally act like slow-release water sponges, storing snowmelt and feeding streams throughout summer. And unlike wombats, kangaroos and other native wildlife, feral horses follow each other in single file, making deep walking paths that crisscross alpine meadows, draining them dry. Read more: Feral horses in Australia's high country are damaging peatlands, decreasing carbon stores Those changes affect the whole ecosystem. Alpine skinks, broad-toothed rats, corroboree frogs, mountain pygmy possums, and native fish all depend on dense vegetation, intact moss beds or sediment-free streams — the very features horses degrade. A mob of feral horses crossing a river in Kosciuszko National Park. Author supplied, CC BY-ND Waterways have been hit especially hard. The Australian Alps supply nearly a third of the surface water that enters the Murray–Darling Basin, yet horse trampling around waterways muddies clear streams and destabilises the slow, steady inflows on which these catchments rely. These impacts aren’t confined to the park. In recent years, large numbers of horses have moved into adjoining areas, including state forests, where their disturbance compounds the effects of commercial logging and endangers visitors and overnight campers. Although most attention about horse impacts have focused on Kosciuszko and alpine ecosystems more generally, almost half a million feral horses affect landscapes Australia-wide, with tropical woodlands and semi-arid rangelands hardest hit. An alpine creek bank, its peaty soil eroded from horse tracks. Author supplied, CC BY-ND What we’ve seen so far We have spent a lot of time working in the park over the past year. And we’ve begun to notice small shifts in the high country that align with what we’d expect from feral animal control. We’ve spotted fewer horses during our days in the field. In areas that were repeatedly trampled, tiny pockets of vegetation are creeping into bare patches. Even some long-eroded banks look softer at the edges. These impressions are strictly anecdotal, not formal evidence. But they hint at a landscape starting to breathe again as the pressure eases. And there’s a safety element too. Anyone who drives the alpine roads knows the shock of rounding a bend among the snowgums to find a horse, or an entire mob, standing on the bitumen. Fewer horses mean fewer of those dangerous encounters for researchers, National Parks staff, and visitors alike. The slow return With far fewer horses in the high country, these pressures are beginning to ease. As trampling declines, bogs and fens are expected to start recovering and hold water for longer. Moss beds will start to regrow and other peat-forming plants will be able to regain a foothold in soils that aren’t constantly compacted and overgrazed. Less grazing means alpine herbs, sedges and snow-grass have room to return. Bare ground stabilises. Stream edges settle. Creeklines begin to clear. A rocky alpine stream beneath the main range in Kosciusko National Park. Author supplied, CC BY-ND Those improvements flow upwards: more stable soils and denser vegetation creates better habitat for the frogs, skinks, small mammals and invertebrates that rely on cool, wet, structured alpine environments. Recovery will take time – decades, not months. Long-term empirical studies will be essential to show what is changing and identify parts of the park where targeted restoration efforts will be needed to hasten recovery. Finally, a real chance None of this will happen quickly. Alpine ecosystems heal slowly, and decades of damage can’t be undone overnight. Short growing seasons mean plants return gradually, not in sudden flushes. Many slopes and creeklines still show the scars of cattle grazing more than 60 years after livestock were removed. Disturbance lingers here for generations. Lower horse numbers are only a beginning, but they’re the essential first step. And now — with fewer horses on the ground and the legal barriers removed — Kosciuszko finally has a realistic path to recovery. The coming decade will determine how much of its fragile alpine heritage can be restored. The delicate alpine ecosystem of Kosciuszko National Park. Author Supplied, CC BY-ND David M Watson receives research funding from the Federal Government (through ARC, DAFF, DCCEEW), and is on the board of the Holbrook Landcare Network and the Great Eastern Ranges. He served two terms on the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee, prior to resigning when the Wild Horse Heritage Act became law in June 2018.Patrick Finnerty is the current director for early career ecology at the Ecological Society of Australia, the Early Career Coordinator at the Australasian Wildlife Management Society, and a council member for the Royal Zoological Society of NSW. He receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Animals
Forests
Government

Louisiana town fights for relief after a billion-dollar oil disaster

Federal and state officials have sued the company behind the blast, but Roseland, Louisiana, residents say the case won’t bring relief to their town.

Four months have passed since a Louisiana oil facility burst apart, spewing a dense black sludge that drifted across homes, farms, and waterways as far as 50 miles away.  Since then, the U.S. Department of Justice and Louisiana environmental regulators have filed a sweeping lawsuit against Smitty’s Supply, the company that ran the facility storing oil and vehicle lubricants. But residents in the majority-Black town are skeptical that they’ll benefit from the $1 billion federal lawsuit.  Much of that belief stems from the fact that despite repeated calls for help, the black goo still clings to walls, roofs, and soil of more than half of the town’s properties, according to Van Showers, the mayor of Roseland, Louisiana.  “People want to know when they’re going to receive help, and there is nothing to make them think that this process would lead to that,” said Showers, who works at a local chicken processing plant and has struggled financially through the clean-up process.  That skepticism is rooted in hard experience — and in a broader history of environmental racism that has left Black communities shouldering disproportionate burdens. The gap has left residents in a state of prolonged uncertainty about their water, their health, and whether the legal action unfolding in distant courtrooms will ever reach their homes. It is a familiar pattern, particularly in Louisiana, where environmental disasters have consistently hit Black and low-income communities hardest while leaving them last in line for recovery. Read Next How government shutdowns give polluters a free pass Naveena Sadasivam Initially, residents in the town, where the average person earns just $17,000 per year, were told to clean up the mess themselves.  The explosion had sprayed the community of 1,100 residents with dozens of chemicals, including cancer-causing ones known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals.” One resident living on a fixed income told Capital B that in the weeks after the event she went over $1,000 in credit card debt to replace the stained panels on her trailer.  However, in October, after sustained pressure from residents, the tide seemed to turn. Federal and state agencies ramped up their presence in the disaster zone, canvassed the community, brought the lawsuit, and began testing wildlife — including fish and deer — for contamination. But even with the increased governmental response, attorneys, residents, and local officials warn that it is not nearly enough. The lawsuit compensation, if ever paid out, will most likely not trickle down to residents, Showers and local lawyers said. Civil penalties collected from federal lawsuits are generally deposited into the U.S. Treasury’s general fund and are often used exclusively to fund environmental cleanup costs, not to support residents.  “As far as the lawsuit, I don’t think it’s going to benefit the community,” Showers said. Read Next They survived the hurricane. Their insurance company didn’t. Zoya Teirstein The government’s suit alleges that for years, Smitty’s knowingly violated safety rules and pollution permits. The company failed to maintain basic spill-prevention and emergency response plans, regulators said.  The complaint says millions of gallons of contaminated firefighting water, oil, and chemicals flowed off-site into ditches, and seeks more than $1 billion in fines and penalties tied to the explosion and spill. In response to the lawsuit, a representative of Smitty’s wrote, “Smitty’s has been and remains committed to following all applicable laws and regulations, and to operating as a responsible member of the Tangipahoa Parish community.” The disaster was the “result of an unforeseen industrial fire,” the representative added, and the company is “implementing measures to help prevent future incidents and protect our waterways and neighbors.” Yet even since the lawsuit was brought, according to state documents, Smitty’s was caught pumping unpermitted “oily liquids” into local waterways.  Meanwhile, a recent Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality report shows a state contractor has recovered at least 74 live wild animals from the disaster zone and 59 of them had either digested the oily substance or were covered in it. At least eight animals were found dead, including four turtles and an alligator. Dozens more pets and livestock, including cattle and horses, have been coated in the residue. Many residents, including Showers, have seen their animals die. Those findings, combined with reports of stillborn calves, underscore how deeply the contamination has seeped into daily life, residents said.  The explosion has not only unleashed lasting environmental and health threats — the kind that, as Showers worries, “can lay dormant for years and then all of a sudden … you start getting a lot of folks with cancer” — it has also shuttered Roseland’s largest employer, Smitty’s Supply, indefinitely. Millie Simmons lives less than a mile from the explosion site. She has felt lingering health effects from the disaster. Adam Mahoney / Capital B For weeks after the explosion, Millie Simmons, a 58-year-old child care worker, had difficulty being outside in Roseland for longer than 10 minutes without respiratory irritation. Even when inside her home, she felt “drained” and “sluggish” for weeks.  Showers said she is not alone. The biggest complaints he is still receiving are that “people are still sick” and “want to know when they’re going to receive help as far as getting their property cleaned.” “Most definitely, we deserve something,” Simmons said.  A nation’s environmental divide In October, the federal government delegated the cleanup process entirely to the state and Smitty’s. Some residents say they have seen Smitty’s contractors cleaning a few properties, but others, including the mayor, say their claims have gone unanswered. Showers said the company reimbursed him for just one night in a hotel when he was forced to leave the town after the explosion and never responded to his request for compensation after a litter of his dogs fell ill and died in the weeks after.  Advocates with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, or LEAN, who have notified Smitty’s and federal and state environmental regulators of their intent to sue, said residents continue to approach them about contaminated crops and water wells. They’re unsure if their water is safe, even months later.  “There’s so many unanswered questions that bring such huge anxiety to the communities,” said Marylee Orr, LEAN’s executive director. “People don’t feel safe in their homes.”​​ A litter of dogs owned by Roseland’s mayor, Van Showers, in 2023. His most recent litter died after the explosion, he said. Courtesy of Van Showers Orr said she is especially worried that the courtroom path now unfolding will repeat familiar patterns from other environmental disasters.  In places like Grand Bois in south Louisiana and in Flint, Michigan, she noted, residents waited years for historic settlements to turn into actual checks they could cash — only to see large portions of the money eaten up by legal fees. In Flint, residents have waited over a decade for compensation for the country’s most notorious water crisis that caused clusters of neurological and developmental issues among children. When it is all said and done, only a portion of the impacted residents will receive checks for about $1,000. In Roseland, Showers has found himself operating in an information vacuum. He is relying more on outside news reports than official briefings to learn the full extent of contamination in his own town. In fact, he did not know about the state report showing the harms to local animals until Capital B shared it with him.  “No one from the government has ever told me anything,” he said. “It’s aggravating.” That lack of transparency makes it harder, he added, to answer the basic questions residents bring to him at the grocery store, at church, and outside town hall: “Is my water safe? What’s happening to the animals? Am I going to be OK?” In October, Showers and residents of Roseland organized a town cleanup. Courtesy of the City of Roseland This is a dynamic that reflects both the long-standing political dynamics of Louisiana and deepening uncertainty under the Trump administration.  His position as a Black Democrat leading a majority-Black town in a state dominated by white, conservative leadership has only intensified that isolation, he told Capital B in September.  Historically Black communities have received less recovery aid than white areas with comparable damage during environmental disasters. Now, experts warn that federal support for environmental disasters in Black and Democratic areas is poised to weaken even further under the Trump administration, which has slashed EPA and DOJ enforcement to historic lows. During the first 11 months of Trump’s second term, the EPA and DOJ have filed just 20 enforcement actions against polluters, imposing $15.1 million in penalties. During the final 19 days of the Biden administration last January, the EPA and DOJ imposed $590 million in penalties.  The current administration has also instructed EPA officials not to consider whether affected communities are “minority or low-income populations” when prioritizing enforcement actions. Showers estimates that fewer than three-quarters of properties have been cleaned and that many residents who dutifully called the claims hotline are still living with stained roofs, sticky yards, and lingering health problems. “There’s just not enough information being put out or work being done to make people feel at ease about what’s going on.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Louisiana town fights for relief after a billion-dollar oil disaster on Jan 3, 2026.

Animals
Chemicals
Crisis

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