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☆ Scientists uncover ‘striking’ ancient arachnid that had large spiky legs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The idea of coming face to face with a spider-like creature unexpectedly is enough to fill any arachnophobe with horror, let alone encountering one with large, spiky legs. The newly discovered long-extinct species is described as a “large spider-like arachnid” with “distinctive large spines on the legs” by the study’s authors. They were unable to place the creature within any known arachnid order due to the specimen’s lack of mouthparts, which scientists use to classify them. “You see sort of spiny legs in some arachnids, but we’ve never seen one that really has these big spines all the way along, at least the first parts of the legs. Scientists think the spiny legs were for defensive purposes.

Persons: we’ve, ” Dr, Jason Dunlop, Naturkunde, “, Bob Masek, David Douglass, Paul Selden, Dunlop, you’ve, ”, ” Dunlop, Douglass Organizations: CNN, Paleontology, Field Locations: what’s, Illinois, Masek, North America, Northern Europe, Europe

☆ The US is worried about an invasion, but China could take control of Taiwan without firing a shot, war experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Defense experts say that an aggressive Chinese coercion campaign, short of war but still threatening, is more likely than a full-scale invasion and the US needs to prepare for such an event. Economic and diplomatic pressure is notable, and Chinese misinformation operations and the potential to slowly set up a blockade of Taiwan are also concerns. Annabelle Chih/Getty ImagesThe report identifies four things key to resisting Chinese coercion. CM-11 tanks fire artillery during the 2-day live-fire drill, amid intensifying threats military from China, in Pingtung county, Taiwan, 7 September 2022.

Persons: —, Han, Annabelle Chih, MANDY CHENG, Lai Ching, Lai, Ceng Shou Yi, John Aquilano, Xi, Aquilano, Carlos Del Toro, Frank Kendall Organizations: Service, Business, American Enterprise Institute, Institute for, Liberation Army, PLA, AEI, Cobra, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan, Getty Images, US, Pacific Command, US Armed Services, Air Force, Department of Defense Locations: Taiwan, China, Pingtung, US, Pacific, Hualien, AFP, Pingtung county, Guam, Japan

☆ Scandal Brought Reforms to Soccer. Its Leaders Are Rolling Them Back.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Tariq Panja | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 12-page report was intended to save soccer’s governing body, FIFA, in its moment of existential crisis. Filled with reform proposals and drawn up by more than a dozen soccer insiders in December 2015, the report was FIFA’s best chance to show business partners, U.S. investigators and billions of fans that it could be trusted again after one of the biggest corruption scandals in sports history. In bullet points and numbered sections, the report championed high-minded ideas like accountability and humility. It also proposed concrete and, for FIFA, revolutionary changes: transparency in how major decisions were reached; term limits for top leaders and new limits on presidential power; and the abolition of well-funded committees widely viewed as a system of institutional graft. And there on the report’s final page, deep down a list of its authors, was the name of the man positioning himself as FIFA’s savior: Gianni Infantino.

Persons: Gianni Infantino Organizations: FIFA

☆ A Leading Free Expression Group Is Roiled by Dissent Over Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jennifer Schuessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When PEN America celebrated its 100th birthday two years ago, it was a rousing if sober celebration of a nimble defender of free expression around the world. Once a small writers group best known for its staunch defense of imperiled writers in authoritarian regimes, it had become a leading fighter against book bans, educational gag orders and other surging threats across the United States. Today, amid spiraling protests over the Israel-Hamas war, battles over free speech are pitched as high as ever. But PEN America has found itself roiled, and at times hobbled, by escalating controversy over its response to the war. But far from quelling controversy, the cancellations have unleashed a war of words over just who is trying to silence, shame and bully whom.

Persons: Salman Rushdie Organizations: PEN America, PEN Locations: United States, Israel, New York

☆ A France in Shock Confronts the Violence in Its Midst
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Roger Cohen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If France is a country of illusions — a beautiful and seductive land offering many of life’s greatest pleasures that sits atop and conceals a crime-ridden, drug-plagued world of violence — then the past week offered a rude awakening to this dual reality. The Olympic flame arrived on French soil last week in the ancient port city of Marseille as a joyous crowd thronged the beautiful harbor. The chatter was of peace ahead of the Games, which begin in July. But the flame also arrived in a city whose northern districts are the epicenter of the French drug trade, where 49 people were killed last year and 123 injured in drug-related shootings. This, just 85 miles from the capital, was a methodical execution in broad daylight on the main road from Paris to Normandy.

Persons: —, Mohamed Amra, Jérôme Durain, “, ” Organizations: Socialist Party Locations: France, Marseille, Paris, Normandy

☆ Opinion | ‘The Seeds Had Been Planted. Trump Didn’t Do It Himself.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Thomas B. Edsall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Replying by email to my inquiry, Hetherington wrote:In 1992, those whites scoring at the top of the authoritarianism scale split their two-party vote almost evenly between Bush and Clinton (51-49). By 2012, those high authoritarianism white voters went 68-32 for Romney over Obama. In both Trump elections it was 80-20 among those voters. So from 50 Republican-50 Democrat to 80 Republican-20 Democrat in the space of 24 years. The two authors analyzed data from seven studies conducted by the World Values Survey in 76 countries between 1981 and 2022.

Persons: Marc Hetherington, ”, Hetherington, Clinton, Romney, Obama, Joshua Conrad Jackson, Dan Medvedev, Jackson, Medvedev Organizations: University of North, Chapel Hill, Trump, Republican, University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business Locations: United States, Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, University of North Carolina, Bush

☆ These diets may reduce cancer, heart disease and early death, according to a 20-year review
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Eating a vegan, vegetarian or lacto-ovo vegetarian diet significantly reduces the overall risk of developing cancer, heart disease and dying early from cardiovascular disease, according to a new “umbrella” analysis of more than 20 years of research. “Plants have more fiber (animal foods have zero), less saturated fat and zero cholesterol (all animal foods have cholesterol),” Gardner said in an email. However, vegetarian diets limiting but not completely excluding certain types of meat and fish, such as pesco- or pollo-vegetarian diets, were excluded, he said. “Strictly vegan diets can be deficient in vitamin B12,” Gardner said. “Iron is another nutrient that is harder to get from a fully vegan diet,” Gardner added.

Persons: ”, Dr, Angelo Capodici, Federica, Guaraldi, David Katz, ” Katz, Christopher Gardner, Gardner, ” Gardner, “, Davide Gori, ” Gori, It’s, Wesley Soares Ferracini Organizations: CNN, Scuola Superiore, IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences, True Health Initiative, Stanford Prevention Research Center, University of Bologna, Mayo Clinic, B12 Locations: Pisa, Italy, Bologna, Palo Alto , California

☆ A woman whose husband died snorkeling in Hawaii is suing its tourism board, saying it failed to warn them of the risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Patricia and Ray Johnson arrived at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Maui on February 23, 2022, marking the couple's sixth visit to Hawaii. AdvertisementA July 2010 Snorkel Safety Study, conducted in collaboration with the Hawaii State Department of Health and the Hawaii Tourism Authority, distinguishes drowning by ROPE from drowning by aspirating water. Related storiesPatricia Johnson told ABC 7 Eyewitness News that Ray had kept his head above water before appearing disorientated. According to the lawsuit, Ray Johnson eventually lost consciousness before reaching the shore. He added: "If even one life is saved by this message, then Ray Johnson will not have died in vain."

Persons: —, Patricia, Ray Johnson, Ray, Ray Johnson's, Patricia Johnson, Johnson, KITV, Ray wasn't, Jay Stuemke, we'd Organizations: Service, Business, Mayo Clinic, Hawaii State Department of Health, Hawaii Tourism Authority, ABC, Hawaiian Tourism Authority, Hawaii Visitors Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Wailea, Lani

☆ Balance omega-3 and 6 intake to cut early death risk, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, sardines and various nuts including walnuts. Linoleic acid is the most common omega-6 fatty acid. Also, accurately measuring fatty acid intake is difficult, partly due to reliance on participants’ own recollections of their dietary intake. Considered individually, both high levels of omega-6 and omega-3 were linked with a lower risk of premature death. Some patients request it with the goal of improving their mental health, heart health or risk of dementia, she said.

Persons: ”, Yuchen Zhang, Zhang, chia, ” Zhang, Lauren R, Sastre, Sastre wasn’t, ” Sastre, Kristin Kirkpatrick, Kirkpatrick, “, ” Kirkpatrick Organizations: CNN, University of Georgia’s College of Public Health, Omega, National Institutes of Health, Clinic Program, East Carolina University, Cleveland Clinic, Regenerative, Harvard Health Locations: United Kingdom

☆ Ancient trees unlock an alarming new insight into our warming world
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

And it’s an alarming signal as some scientists warn 2024 is on track to be be even hotter still. Under the Paris Agreement in 2015, countries agreed to restrict global warming to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Using data taken from temperature instruments during this period, the scientists found the Northern Hemisphere summer in 2023 was 2.07 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial period. To do this, they used detailed sets of tree ring records from thousands of trees across nine regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America and Scandinavia, but excluding the Tropics which lack good tree data. While the study can place the extraordinary Northern Hemisphere heat into historical context, it cannot be applied on a global scale, Esper said.

Persons: Bruna Casas, don’t, Richard A, Brooks, Jan Esper, ”, Kim Cobb, Esper, “ I’m, Laura Paddison Organizations: CNN, Northern, Central America, Getty, Johannes Gutenberg University, Brown University, Southern Hemisphere Locations: Paris, Northern, North America, Scandinavia, Europe, Central, Barcelona, Spain, Tokyo, AFP, Germany

☆ Tiny backpacks reveal newfound species of the world’s largest hummingbird
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Now, new research has revealed that there are two distinct species of giant hummingbird in South America — the northern giant hummingbird that lives year-round in the Andes, and the migratory southern giant hummingbird — and they have been evolving separately for millions of years. A southern giant hummingbird is seen flying from its breeding grounds in central Chile. “We wanted to finally solve this mystery.”Designing backpacks for hummingbirdsGiant hummingbirds differ from hundreds of other hummingbird species in many other ways. A southern giant hummingbird is fitted with a tiny backpack-like geolocator tracking device in central Chile. “The two forms of giant hummingbird look almost identical — for centuries, ornithologists and birders never noticed that they were different.

Persons: Charles Darwin, Darwin, Chris Witt, ”, Jessie Williamson, “, ” Williamson, Emil Bautista, Williamson, Christopher Witt, birders, ” Witt, chaskis, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, HMS, National Academy of Sciences, National Science Foundation, Cornell, of Ornithology, Swifts, Centro, Biology, Museum of Southwestern, University of New Locations: New York City, Buenos Aires, South America, Chile, Ithaca , New York, Peru, Biodiversidad, Lima, Peruvian, Chilean, University of New Mexico, Inca

☆ MDMA therapy could be legalized by summer. Why are so many advocates sounding the alarm?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +52 min

Last summer, thousands of tie-dyed Burners and Patagonia-clad tech founders converged on the MAPS Psychedelic Science conference in Denver. The experience "broke the spell of this trauma, and she was able to rebuild her life," Doblin told The Guardian . The video team's job was to store recordings of every MDMA therapy session performed in the clinical trials. Grof believes in something called an "inner healing intelligence," an innate capacity for self-healing that psychedelic therapy helps unleash. Another time, a patient who had come to an MDMA therapy session later acknowledged they had been under the influence of LSD during treatment.

Persons: Jaden Smith, Aaron Rodgers, bro, Andrew Huberman, Rick Doblin, Doblin, mainstreaming psychedelics, influencers, Johnson, Elizabeth Nielson, Aubrey Marcus, ayahuasca, Matthew Stockman, Helena —, Timothy Leary, —, Hitler, Stanislav Grof, zombified, Brad Burge, Michael Mithoefer, Annie Mithoefer, Oprah, Sen, Joe Biden, MDMA's neurotoxicity, they'd, Albert Hofmann, David Bronner, Dr, Joe's, Bronner, Bronner's, Richard Rockefeller, John D, Rockefeller Jr, Rockefeller, Neşe, Johns Hopkins, who's, Devenot, Rick Friedman, Betty Aldworth, MAPS's multimillionaire, Tim Ferriss, Cody Swift, Zendo, Aldworth, Erica Siegal, Seth Whitelaw, Amy Emerson, JULIE JAMMOT, Ifetayo Harvey, Harvey, Lauren Unger, Unger, Casey Hardison, Harvey didn't, Hardison, Doblin's, Baylee Ybarra Gatlin, Gatlin, negligently, There's, Michael Pollan's, Steve Jurvetson, Elon Musk's who's, Genevieve, Steve Cohen, Alexandra, Mark Zuckerberg's, Dustin Moskovitz, Cari, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paltrow, Sergey Brin, Joe Green, Green, Zuckerberg, Genevieve Jurvetson, Michael Pollan, Jonathan Lubecky, he'd, Rebekah, Robert Mercer, Elizabeth Koch, Charles Koch, Rachel Nuwer, Koch, she'd, MAPS's, Elizabeth Crystal, Joe Rogan, didn't, Jesus Christ, Crystal, Meaghan Buisson, Richard Yensen, Donna, Yensen, Buisson, weren't, Robert, Rebekah Mercer, Sean Zanni, Grof, They've, Kayla Greenstien, it's, George Sarlo who'd, Vicky Dulai, Sarlo's, Dulai, Gul Dolen, Michael Mullette, who'd, Marla Aufmuth, Mullette, Lily Kay Ross, David Nickles, Ross, Greenstien, Rick, Lenny Ignelzi, biostatisticians, Lykos, Peter Thiel, Kara Swisher, Kris Lotlikar, Federico Menapace, Mo Septimus, Handout, Monnica, Williams, Lotlikar, Henry Elkus, Helena ., Elkus, Emerson, ICER Organizations: Science, New York Jets, rockstar, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, Lykos Therapeutics, and Drug Administration, FDA, Business, Florida's New College, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Sarasota Herald, Tribune, New College, Guardian, Drug, Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, eBay, Nevada, Doblin, Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, Staff, Corporation, PBC, pharma, New Yorker, New York Mets, Bloomberg, CBS, Breitbart, CBC News, BI, Porsche, Santa Cruz, New York Times, longtime, Mullette Corporation, New York, Health Canada, Compass, Sciences, Psychedelic Science, Whole Foods, McKinsey, Big Pharma, Vine Ventures, Lucid, Street Journal, Investments, Gawker, Publicly, PBC alums, Numinus, US Army Locations: Patagonia, Denver, Harvard, Colorado, Skokie , Illinois, Ireland, Czech, Sarasota, Arcturus, Florida, Swiss, Vietnam, Washington, Santa Cruz, Chicago, California, Iraq, British Columbia, New York, Hawaii, Santa, Nature, Moderna, Europe, Helena, Yale, Australia, Canada, Israel, Ukraine, ICER, . Upper

☆ ‘Alphabet’ of sounds reveals complexity of sperm whale communication, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They’ve identified previously unknown complexity in whale communication by analyzing thousands of recorded sequences of sperm whale clicks with artificial intelligence. What sperm whales are saying with their clicks remains a mystery to human ears. “This work builds on a lot of prior work focused on understanding the calls of sperm whales. For the new study, the researchers used machine learning to detect patterns in audio data collected by The Dominica Sperm Whale Project, a repository for observations of sperm whales that inhabit the Caribbean Sea. The study authors defined four features in codas: rhythm, tempo, rubato and ornamentation.

Persons: They’ve, ”, Daniela Rus, ” Rus, Luke Rendell, Andrews, Rendell, “, it’s, Rus, ” Rendell, Brenda McCowan, McCowan, ” McCowan, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN —, Nature Communications, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, MIT, University of St, University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Scientific Locations: United Kingdom, Dominica, Eastern, Caribbean, Alaska

☆ Opinion | Reading and Protesting on Campus
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yet Mr. Douthat somehow suggests that a handful of anticolonial texts read in the yearlong course are fueling widespread antisemitism. Mr. Douthat fails to explain how students go from Gandhi’s passive resistance or Bhimrao Ambedkar’s civic liberalism to condoning Hamas’s terrorism. Even a course as expansive as “Contemporary Civilization” cannot cover everything. “Contemporary Civilization” requires that students think critically about a wide range of ideological commitments, including classical liberalism, civic republicanism and Judeo-Christian-Islamic thought. Mr. Douthat should know better.

Persons: Ross Douthat, Douthat, condoning, Frantz, Hannah Arendt’s, Douthat’s, “ Locations: Gaza

☆ Schools are bracing for widespread teacher layoffs. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Katie Lobosco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The funds must be used by the end of September, creating a sharp funding cliff as schools also struggle with widespread enrollment declines and inflation. Many districts have warned of layoffs as the current school year comes to a close and next year’s budgets are planned. Not only is the federal funding ending, but enrollment at the district’s schools has fallen by nearly 500 students – or roughly 5% – since 2019. Pandemic aid comes to an endAfter the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Congress authorized three rounds of federal funding to help K-12 schools respond. But that’s partly because some districts, flush with pandemic funding, have been adding positions while enrollment in public schools has been declining nationally.

Persons: Joe Biden, Micah Hill, Hill, Leslie Torres, Rodriguez, ”, Dan Goldhaber, –, Chad Aldeman, Heather Peske, Peske, it’s, ” Peske Organizations: Washington CNN — Schools, Public Schools, CNN, Hartford Public Schools, Secondary School Emergency, “, National Council Locations: Missoula , Montana, Missoula, Arlington , Texas, Hartford , Connecticut, Hartford, –, CALDER, Washington

The pier and causeway, known as Joint Logistics Over the Shore or JLOTS, will ultimately be used by the US, its allies and aid groups to get aid into Gaza by sea from Cyprus. A defense official confirmed to CNN that the limitations on the pier system are accurate. Another potentially complicating factor is how Israel decides to proceed with its operation in Rafah, in southern Gaza, US officials said. The Israel Defense Forces have agreed to provide a wide security perimeter around the pier system and the aid operation. But the plan is for the IDF to remain at a relative distance as the aid is transported and offloaded onto the beach in Gaza, officials told CNN.

Persons: CNN —, JLOTS, Israel, ”, Roy P, Biden, Pat Ryder Organizations: CNN, American Navy, US, Naval, Israel’s Marine Data Center, Pentagon, UN, World, British, American, Armed Forces, Israel Defense Forces, IDF Locations: Gaza, Cyprus, Port, Ashdod, Rafah, “

☆ 'Baby Reindeer' viewers watched a stalking drama — then hunted down 'the real Martha Scott.' A psychologist explains why true crime turns us into armchair detectives.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A psychologist told Business Insider why true crime turns viewers into armchair detectives. True crime blurs the line between real life and fictionRichard Gadd as Donny Dunn in "Baby Reindeer." AdvertisementThat's further complicated by some true crime audiences thinking they are helping to bring about justice by becoming armchair detectives. AdvertisementIn a piece published by The Guardian, titled "Why do women love true crime so much?" Ed Miller/NetflixThis raises the question of whether streaming services and TV networks are doing enough to protect those involved in true crime content.

Persons: —, Donny Dunn, Richard Gadd, Martha, Gadd, Martha Scott, He's, Piers Morgan, Fiona Harvey —, TikTok sleuths, Sean Foley, Foley, — sean foley, @SeanFoleyJ, Nicola Bulley, Andrew Snowden, Ed Miller, Ruth Tully, Tully, Nancy Jo Sales, influencers, Jessica Gunning, " Gadd, Benjamin King, it's, King, Errol Lindsay, Jeffrey Dahmer's, Jeffrey Dahmer, Rita Isbell, Netflix should've Organizations: Service, Rotten, Google, Netflix, Daily Mail, Police, Lancashire's Police, The Guardian, European, Research, Business Locations: British

☆ Beethoven’s hair reveals evidence of lead poisoning, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Beethoven’s genome was made publicly available, inviting researchers around the world to investigate lingering questions about Beethoven’s health. Meanwhile, scientists continue to figuratively go over the authenticated locks of Beethoven’s hair with a fine-tooth comb, teasing out surprising insights. But at the time the researchers did not test Beethoven’s newly authenticated hair samples for lead. Because the researchers don’t have hair samples from earlier in Beethoven’s life, it’s impossible to understand when the lead poisoning started, Meredith said. But Rifai said he saw comparable lead levels when he conducted research in two villages in Ecuador where the main trade is to glaze tiles with lead from batteries.

Persons: Ludwig van Beethoven’s, Beethoven, ”, Christian Reiter, Hiller, Thayer, Anton Halm, William Meredith, Nader Rifai, Meredith, Rifai, Paul Jannetto, he’d, Johann Adam Schmidt, Beethoven’s, “, ” Meredith, Friedrich Schiller’s, Joy, it’s Organizations: CNN —, Center of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Beethoven, Symphony, Ninth, Ninth Symphony Locations: United States, Ecuador, Vienna

☆ Not all ultra-processed foods are created equal. Here are the 4 UPFs linked with early death in a study.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Kim Schewitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Eating certain types of UPFs carries a higher risk of early death than others, a new study found. AdvertisementPeople who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods are more likely to die early than those who don't, according to a study. Chan School of Public Health, told CNN that the association between UPFs and early death was "moderate" and not equally strong among all UPFs. Notably, a recent study linked UPFs to 32 health problems, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and depression. To address these concerns, the researchers placed UPFs into nine groups to assess if some foods had a greater impact than others.

Persons: —, Mingyang, Harvard T.H, UPF, Gunter Kuhnle Organizations: Service, Harvard, of Public Health, CNN, University of Reading Locations: Chan, UPFs

☆ Stone Age humans once sheltered in lava tube caves
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Beginning in the Stone Age, Neolithic herders descended into and occupied these vast tunnels, known as lava tubes, archaeologists have discovered. Umm Jirsan spans nearly 1 mile (1.5 kilometers), with passages that are up to 39 feet (12 meters) tall and as much as 148 feet (45 meters) wide. The researchers enter Umm Jirsan, the longest lava tube system in the region. Animal carvingsIn another tunnel near Umm Jirsan, the researchers found 16 panels of engraved rock art. “Collectively, the archaeological findings at the site and in the surrounding landscape paint a picture of recurrent use of the Umm Jirsan Lava Tube over millennia,” Stewart said.

Persons: Jirsan, haven’t, Umm, ”, Mathew Stewart, ” Stewart, Umm Jirsan, Guillaume Charloux, Charloux, Stewart, “, —, ” Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN —, Australian Research Centre, Griffith University, CNN, Umm, French National Centre for Scientific Research, ’, Saudi Geological Survey, Arabia, Scientific Locations: Medina, Saudi Arabia, Umm Jirsan, Australia, Arabia, Asia

☆ These snakes not only fake their own deaths, they use gory special effects to do it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Dice snakes can fake their own death when being attacked by predators, putting on a theatrical display that includes smearing themselves with their own poop and letting blood ooze from their mouths. To test this, the researchers traveled to Golem Grad, an island in a lake in North Macedonia, where the snakes are common. They observed that some snakes played dead by leaving their mouth wide open, some smeared themselves with poop and others oozed blood from their mouth, too. Overall, the snakes spent between about six and 24 seconds playing dead. While the snakes don’t squirt blood directly at their predators, like horned lizards do, bleeding from the mouth signals their apparent death to the predator.

Persons: Jozef Kaut, ” Vukašin, ”, Bjelica Organizations: CNN, University of Belgrade, Golem Locations: North Macedonia, Serbia

☆ Opinion: Why Gérard Depardieu hasn’t been ‘canceled’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Opinion Caroline Séquin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Accusers stepped forward in 2018, as the #MeToo movement was taking off. Victims of sexual violence, consequently, often say they feel less isolated than they used to. Join us on Twitter and FacebookThere is, perhaps, one way in which the detractors of the #MeToo movement have a point. All of them — colleagues, neighbors or blood relations — more often than not, are able to maintain their status and privilege of their professions, despite allegations of sexual violence. It remains unclear whether the French will at long last “cancel” Gérard Depardieu, even if one or both trials find him guilty of sexual violence.

Persons: Caroline Séquin, ”, Gérard Depardieu, Caroline Sequin, Depardieu, Jacques Chirac, “ Depardieu, —, Le Figaro, it’s, ” Depardieu, Emmanuel Macron, “ I’m, he’s, …, ” Macron, Carla Bruni, Nicolas Sarkozy, Harvey Weinstein’s, Sandra Muller, “, she’s, Le, Catherine Deneuve, men’s, that’s, MeToo, Camille Kouchner’s, ” Gérard Depardieu Organizations: Lafayette College, CNN, CNN —, Legion, Mediapart, France, Le Monde, French Interior Ministry, Twitter Locations: Easton , Pennsylvania, France, French, Colonial Senegal, CNN — France, United States, Familia Grande

☆ TikTok is taking the US government to court in a showdown of free speech vs. national security
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . And the knock-on effects extend beyond TikTok, impacting everything from President Joe Biden's reelection campaign to Apple and Tesla . AdvertisementTikTok, Tyler Le/BIThe TikTok-US government fight pits two pillars of American society against each other: free speech and national security. 3 things in businessDeliormanli/Getty, Olivier Verriest/Getty, Andrei Akushevich/Getty, Tyler Le/BIIn other newsAdvertisementWhat's happening todayToday's earnings: Airbnb, Uber, and other companies are reporting .

Persons: —, swiping, Tyler Le, ByteDance, Dan Whateley, Geoff Weiss, Joe Biden's, It'll, TikTok, hasn't, haven't, Fallon, Jane Fraser isn't, Fraser, Piper Sandler, Michael Kantrowitz, Josh Edelson, Isabel Fernandez, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Getty, Olivier Verriest, Andrei Akushevich, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Apple, Chinese Communist Party, Big Tech, Getty, Pujol, Associated Press, Facebook Locations: France, China, Beijing, Citadel, Millennium, AFP, New York, London

☆ Amgen, newer rivals could threaten Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly's weight loss drug dominance
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Scott Olson | Getty Images | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Amgen is among the leaders of a pack of drugmakers racing to join the market with their own weight loss treatments. Amgen's drug, MariTide, is taken less frequently than Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound, and may cause longer-lasting weight loss than the market leaders' injections. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are also working on new weight loss drugs. The competition for a slice of the weight loss market has only grown more fierce in recent months. An injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, is displayed in New York City, U.S., December 11, 2023.

Persons: NOVO.B, Scott Olson, Eli Lilly, Nordisk's Wegovy, Eli Lilly's Zepbound, Amgen, William Blair, Matt Phipps, Bob Bradley, Boehringer Ingelheim, Phipps, Zepbound, Chris Schott, MariTide, Mario Tama, he's, Eli Lilly drugs, CagriSema, Eli Lilly’s, Brendan McDermid, Boehringer, Ingelheim, survodutide, Pascal Soriot, Christopher Furlong, dealmaking, David Denton Organizations: New, Halstead Pharmacy, Getty, Novo Nordisk, Nordisk's, William Blair & Company, CNBC, Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Zealand Pharma, MariTide, Reuters, GLP, Pfizer, Eccogene Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Novo, Amgen, Thousand Oaks , California, New York City, U.S, Zealand, Macclesfield

☆ TikTok sues to block prospective US app ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

If it loses, TikTok could be banned from US app stores unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the app to a non-Chinese entity by mid-January 2025. But Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, an advocate for the TikTok legislation, said in remarks on the Senate floor in April that the briefings provided critical insight into the risk TikTok poses. US policymakers have described the law at issue as a forced divestiture of TikTok, not an outright app ban. Some US officials have been trying to ban TikTok from the United States since 2020, when former President Donald Trump moved to block the app by executive order. (Trump has since reversed his position, saying a TikTok ban would only help Meta, a company Trump blames for his 2020 election defeat.)

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