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Scientists Intrigued by Unfamiliar Life Form

It’s a plant! It’s a fungus! It’s… an entirely new type of lifeform hitherto unknown to science?
That appears to be the case for a puzzling, spire-shaped organism that lived over 400 million years ago, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances. After ****** yzing its internal structures, the authors argue that the mystifying ancient beings known as prototaxites don’t belong to any of the existing biological kingdoms.
“It feels like it doesn’t fit comfortably anywhere,” Matthew Nelsen, a senior research scientist at the

Rain made this beach a shark magnet. Scientists say it could happen again.

It's "extraordinary", says shark researcher Chris Pepin-Neff: four shark bites within 48 hours, and three of them within a 15km (9-mile) stretch of Australia's east coast.
On 18 January, a 12-year-old boy was taken to hospital with critical injuries and later died after being attacked while swimming in Sydney Harbour. The next day, an 11-year-old's surfboard was bitten at Dee Why beach, hours before a man was attacked at nearby Manly and taken to hospital in critical condition.
Then, on 20 January, a fourth surfer

U.S. President Donald Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged dueling threats Friday as widening protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, further escalating tensions between the countries after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June.
At least eight people have been killed so far in violence surrounding the demonstrations, which were sparked in part by the collapse of Iran’s rial currency but have increasingly seen crowds chanting anti-government slogans.
The protests, now in their sixth day, have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa A

A new year invites reflection and resolve. As Monroe County enters 2026, we do so with momentum and a clear understanding of what it takes to compete in a rapidly changing economy. Looking into the rearview mirror of 2025, hindsight offers perspective that sharpens our focus and guides the choices shaping our economic future.
Over the past several years, the Bloomington Economic Development Corp. (BEDC) has remained focused on the fundamentals of long-term growth: business attraction, business expansion, and community readiness. Since 2021, these efforts have helped catalyze more than $1 bill

The NFL Week 18 schedule features two games on Saturday and 14 on Sunday, including a 'Sunday Night Football' matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. The AFC North ***** le and a playoff spot will be on the line when Derrick Henry and the Ravens battle Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFC South championship will also be on the line when the Carolina Panthers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday afternoon. The Ravens are favored by 3.5 points at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Seahawks are 1.5-point favorites.
Sunday's largest spreads include *****

The NFL Week 18 schedule features two games on Saturday and 14 on Sunday, including a 'Sunday Night Football' matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. The AFC North ***** le and a playoff spot will be on the line when Derrick Henry and the Ravens battle Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFC South championship will also be on the line when the Carolina Panthers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday afternoon. The Ravens are favored by 3.5 points at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Seahawks are 1.5-point favorites.
Sunday's largest spreads include *****

Favorites went 9-7 against the spread in NFL Week 17, with the Bengals, Seahawks and Patriots all covering easily as at least seven-point favorites. But six underdogs won outright, including stunning victories by the Vikings on Christmas Day and the Falcons on Monday Night Football. In NFL Week 18, there are a lot of teams lacking motivation facing squads with a lot to play for. There are seven Week 18 NFL games with spreads of at least a touchdown, including a pair of AFC South matchups. The Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4) are trying to clinch the South ******* le and still hold out some hope of

Peak District tree saplings killed by drought

This year's extreme weather has caused two in every five newly-planted tree saplings at sites in the Peak District to "fail", the National Trust has said.
The East Midlands experienced almost five months of drought after England's driest start to the year since 1976 and the hottest summer on record.
The conservation charity said it was aiming to plant more than a million trees in the Peak District over the next decade and usually factors in losing about 10-15% per year.
Craig Best, general Manager for the National Trust in the Peak District,

An Australian national science agency called CSIRO launched an experiment in Antarctica that went terribly wrong — in a way that ended up going wonderfully right. A free-floating ocean robot was sent to collect data from the Totten Glacier. However, a current pulled it away from its destination and westward. It ended up in a place very difficult for scientists to ***** yze, and it returned with extremely rare and valuable data.
The ocean float has salinity and temperature sensors and was meant to go below the water and surface once every 10 days to transmit its data to satellites. Robots like

Producers of kaki, also known as the Chinese or ******* anese persimmon, are experiencing crop shortages after an unexpected hailstorm.
According to Fresh Plaza, the Valencia region in Spain is having a tough kaki harvest season. In mid-November, the area was hit with a surprise hailstorm that impacted key kaki production sites.
The president of the Spanish Kaki ******* ociation, Pascual Prats, estimated 20% of the existing harvest was damaged by hail.
He explained, "We were already experiencing a 20% reduction in production compared to our initial expectations for the first part of the sea

A plant used in Brazilian medicine has scientific potential to help people with arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Researchers tested Joseph’s Coat (Alternanthera littoralis) in lab studies and found it reduced swelling, protected joint tissue, and appeared safe at the doses used.
Joseph’s Coat grows naturally along Brazil’s coast. Local communities have traditionally used it to ease inflammation, infections and parasites. Until now, however, there has not been solid scientific evidence showing it works or is safe.
The new study was carried out by teams from universities across Bra

Bitcoin leads the crypto market and is a digital store of value for individuals, corporations, and institutional investors.
Shiba Inu had a brief period of success in 2021, but there's nothing to suggest it has long-term value.
10 stocks we like better than Bitcoin ›
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Shiba Inu (CRYPTO: SHIB) are two of the most popular cryptocurrencies, and both have been millionaire makers for early investors.
That's where the similarities end. In most respects, these cryptocurrencies are polar opposites, including their prospects as investments.

https://finance.yahoo.com/...

These “Living Rocks” Are Living It Up

You might think you’re looking at a bunch of mossy rocks, but you’re actually gazing at some of the world’s oldest living creatures—and they’re doing great.
Communities of microbes gobble up dissolved minerals in water and turn them into these solid, rock-like structures called microbialites. Researchers have found fossilized microbialites that are around 3.7 to 3.5 billion years old, which might represent the oldest organisms found on Earth.
Around a billion years after that, microbialites may have transformed our planet forever—researchers think tha

You may have seen headlines or social media posts talking about a weakening of Earth’s magnetic field, specifically over the South Atlantic.
It sounds dramatic, and a little scary. Is Earth losing its protective shield? Are we in danger? What exactly does this mean for people on the ground?
To get the facts straight, we spoke with Manoj Nair, a senior research scientist at CIRES at the University of Colorado and an affiliate at NOAA, who studies Earth’s magnetic field for a living.
His takeaway is reassuring: this is fascinating science and important for satellites, but not something the av

MLK Day and Juneteenth dropped as free park days. Trump's birthday added.

In 2026, Americans will get free admission to national parks on President Donald Trump's birthday but no longer on Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to the National Park Service website.
Previously, the National Park Service included these two federal holidays among its free-entry days for around 100 park sites.
National parks ordered to check gift shops for DEI-type items
Federally recognized in 2021 under the Biden Administration, Juneteenth has been celebrated for more than a century and a hal

Numerous stories have been written about the growing swarm of Starlink satellites in low earth orbit (LEO) over the past few years, as astronomers grow increasingly worried about the crafts’ impact on their observation equipment. Launched by Elon Musk’s ******* eX, each satellite has the potential to disrupt astronomy through both radio emissions and light pollution — and as the number of satellites grows, so too does the amount of interference.
Now, a new study by researchers at NASA is warning that obstructions caused by ******* eX and other private satellite companies are becoming so sever

Week 14 in the NFL continues on Sunday, and the NFL DFS player pool is loaded with plenty of intriguing options as there are 11 games on the main slate, which consists of all the afternoon games. The most expensive players to use for NFL DFS lineups are Jonathan Taylor, De'Von Achane, Bijan Robinson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua and Ja'Marr Chase.
Are those NFL DFS picks worth paying up for, and which daily Fantasy football sleepers should you consider? Before setting any NFL DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, strategy, and stacks from

Pelicans eye the sky as rocket takes wing in Photo of the Week

It could've been just another shot of a rocket rising, something Malcolm Denemark, FLORIDA TODAY senior photographer, has been behind the camera for again and again in a record-breaking year for launches in Brevard.
The bird, however, is the word in this Photo of the Week, which pictures pelicans viewing the Dec. 2 launch of a ***** eX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a load of Starlink satellites.
Turned out the birds' choice of a landing spot, at just the right time, gave Denemark a shot that took wing.
"It would have been a routin

Delta CEO calls United's premium investments 'smart' - The Points Guy

Executives at American Airlines and Delta Air Lines see more premium opportunities 2026.
Both carriers expect the strong demand for premium air travel — think everything from premium economy seats up to the new Flagship Suites on American's new Boeing 787-9P planes, where the "P" stands for "premium" — to continue into next year.
"We're going to have a great year being the top end of the premium stack in travel," said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, at a Morgan Stanley investor conference Wednesday.
Speaking later that same

The ***** e around Earth is aswarm with satellites. Recently, the dangers of overcrowding the area lower than 1,200 miles overhead—so-called low Earth orbit (LEO)—have emerged. For example, collisions threaten to destroy valuable tech and sometimes rain ***** e junk down on our planet.
Scientists have started sounding another alarm regarding the throng of satellites that encircles us: They’re now messing up astronomical images taken by ground and by ***** e telescopes designed to image the deep cosmos.
According to NASA researchers, if humanity continues to launch orbital satellites into low

If you're hoping to use NFL betting trends to help influence your Week 14 NFL predictions, you won't get much ****** istance. Favorites have covered in 51% of games, with underdogs winning versus the spread 49% of the time. What's essentially a flip of the coin doesn't offer any NFL betting advice for a slate of games with slim lines, as no team is favored by more than 8.5 points. There are five games with a spread of a field goal or less, per the Week 14 NFL odds, including Colts vs. Jaguars (+1.5), Dolphins vs. Jets (+3) and Vikings vs. Commanders (+1.5).
The Commanders vs. Vikings contest

NASA warns satellite boom could ruin 96% of telescope images

A new NASA-led study shows that the increasing number of satellites in low-Earth orbit could ruin up to 96% of images from some orbiting telescopes and **** e observatories.
“The urgency starts in the moment we’re seeing a very rapid increase in the number of satellite constellations, in particular, not the satellites that have been launched, but in the satellites that are being proposed,” Dr. Alejandro Serrano Borlaff, research scientist at NASA Ames Research Center and co-author of the study, told ABC News. “Before these satell

Imagine traveling back in time to tell someone who was preparing to bet on Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season that neither Shane Steichen or Jonathan Taylor were runaway favorites to win Coach of the Year or Offensive Player of the Year. Taylor got to around -2000 at one point but has fallen back and I actually think Jahmyr Gibbs, on the heels of his three-touchdown performance against the Cowboys on Thursday night, is a pretty good look at 10-1 to take that hardware. The Colts can surge back to the forefront with a strong stretch run, especially with two games with the Jaguars on tap, including t

If you're hoping to use NFL betting trends to help influence your Week 14 NFL predictions, you won't get much ******* istance. Favorites have covered in 51% of games, with underdogs winning versus the spread 49% of the time. What's essentially a flip of the coin doesn't offer any NFL betting advice for a slate of games with slim lines, as no team is favored by more than 8.5 points. There are five games with a spread of a field goal or less, per the Week 14 NFL odds, including Colts vs. Jaguars (+1.5), Dolphins vs. Jets (+3) and Vikings vs. Commanders (+2).
The Commanders vs. Vikings contest h

After struggling with Week 12 spread picks, I went 4-1 in Week 13 thanks to underdogs pulling off upsets on Thanksgiving and Black Friday while heavy favorites took care of business on Sunday. Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season brings 14 games with it, as the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots are on a bye.
Here's a look at our favorite NFL spread picks for Week 14.
Both these teams have dealt with poor quarterback play this season, although the Vikings have been substantially worse even when J.J. McCarthy is at the helm. Marcus Mariota has filled in

In a joint venture with ***** eX, NASA has launched a new, very expensive satellite to help combat rising global temperatures.
According to ***** eflight Now, ***** eX launched the second of two joint NASA-European environmental research satellites in mid-November.
The new satellite, Sentinel-6B, was part of a billion-dollar project to measure long-term changes in sea level around the globe. It's equipped with cloud-penetrating radar, designed to measure sea level changes by tracking how long it takes for beams shot at the surface of the ocean to return.
"Sentinel-6B will contribute to a mu

US retail sales on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, climbed 4.1% compared with last year, according to data released Saturday by Mastercard SpendingPulse. Online shoppers alone spent $11.8 billion, up 9.1% from 2024, according to data collection platform Adobe **** ytics.
But those gains don’t account for higher prices due to inflation, so actual spending could be flat.
“We have 3% inflation, so maybe (the 4.1% increase in spending) is a real increase of just 1% or so, which is not that much of an increase,” Rick Newman, who writes The Pinpoint Press, a newsletter on the U

Bitcoin is trading at $90,733.75 today, down 0.85% in the past 24 hours, with a massive $53.3 billion in trading volume. As the world’s largest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin maintains a market cap above $1.81 trillion, supported by a circulating supply of 19.95 million BTC.
With only about one million coins left before the hard cap, every macro dip invites one recurring question: is this the final bottom before the next push toward $100,000?
Bitcoin’s weekly chart shows the market attempting to stabilize after a three-week decline. Price has bounced from the $91,651 Fibonacci 0.236 level, producin

2025 NFL Week 13 odds, betting: Full list of Week 13 spreads
Yahoo Sports

The 2025-26 NFL regular season is heading into the stretch run, and Week 12 saw plenty of favorites win, but not cover — with the Monday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers still to be played.
It's never too early to look ahead to next week, though, and sportsbooks have already posted lines for every matchup.
Here are the odds for every Week 13 NFL game at BetMGM:
Thursday
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (-3, 49)

https://sports.yahoo.com/n...

Bucs vs. Rams: Matthew Stafford and L.A. show who's boss in NFC in 34-7 blowout of Tampa, who lost Baker Mayfield to injury
Yahoo Sports

This season, reliable Super Bowl favorites have been hard to come by. Every good team has flaws that have cost them games. We saw that play out again Sunday.
The Los Angeles Rams might be the exception.
The Rams’ case as the best team in the NFL was strengthened Sunday night. They improved to 9-2 after an easy win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rams were ahead 21-0 early in the second quarter against a Tampa Bay team that is still likely to win the