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☆ Saadiyat: The 'island of happiness' just off Abu Dhabi
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Chris Dwyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Jon Arnold Images Ltd/Alamy Stock PhotoWhile Abu Dhabi itself is home to bombastic contemporary architecture, Saadiyat – an easy 20-minute drive from downtown and Abu Dhabi International Airport – is a natural wonderland, edged by small sand dunes. Elevated boardwalks protect them from beachgoers – part of a conservation project led by Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort and its inhouse marine biologist. Department of Culture and Tourism Abu DhabiOpen year-round, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is home to a Gary Player signature 18-hole golf course. Luc Castel/Getty ImagesInaugurated in 2017, The Louvre Abu Dhabi is France’s largest cultural project abroad. Louvre Abu Dhabi isn’t the only highbrow place on Saadiyat – behind the dunes there are two world-class educational institutions, too.

☆ Pollution, bird flu threaten 'very fragile' Chilean dolphin population
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Quilun Ecoturismo Marino/Handout via REUTERSSANTIAGO, April 21 (Reuters) - Growing pollution, industrial activities and now bird flu are threatening the Chilean dolphin, one of the world's smallest cetaceans, in the cold Pacific waters off Chile's western coastlines. "The Chilean dolphin is disappearing at an alarming rate," he said. One official also pointed to the threat of bird flu, which has been detected in Chile's wild birds, marine animals and industrial complex. Soledad Tapia, the director of the country's fisheries service, said two species of dolphins had been infected by the virus. Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Natalia Ramos and Sarah Morland; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence a 50-foot snake exists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

According to experts, the longest snakes recorded have reached lengths of around 20 feet. “I have never heard of an extant (currently living) species of snake that can grow this long. Smithsonian Magazine reported that boas can be up to 14-feet-long and anacondas could exceed 20 feet ( bit.ly/3U5K9kf ). The Natural History Museum of London says on its website that the reticulated python reaches sizes over 20 feet. The biggest snakes recorded are up to 20 feet long, according to experts.

☆ The awe-inspiring titanosaur, one of the biggest dinosaurs that ever lived, goes on display
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A cast of the Patagotitan mayorum dinosaur is being displayed at London's Natural History Museum. The dinosaur giant lived on Earth about 100 million years ago and weighed as much as 57 tons. The new exhibit features a cast of the giant Patagotitan mayorum — a gargantuan dinosaur belonging to a group known as titanosaurs — visitors can touch, walk under, and appreciate its massive size. Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London"The replica is a composite – it incorporates bones from at least six different individuals found at the site," Sinead Marron, exhibition and interpretation manager at the museum, told CNN. "There is nothing that comes close to Patagotitan walking the Earth today – so in this case, seeing is believing.

☆ Paleontologists explain the most glaring errors in Adam Driver's new dinosaur film '65'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Erin Heger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Adam Driver stars in a new film "65," which takes place 65 million years ago. But like other Hollywood portrayals of dinosaurs, "65" gets several dinosaur facts wrong, according to paleontologists. The film's title is off my a million yearsThere were probably no dinosaurs around 65 million years ago. SonyLet's start with the title: "65" — named for when the film takes place 65 million years ago. It's a movie, not a science lectureThe film "65" has a 64% audience score on rotten tomatoes, so even if it got the science wrong, it managed to entertain some folks.

☆ Dwarf elephants? Giant rats? Strange island creatures at high risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - A dwarf elephant the size of a Shetland pony once roamed the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. They were examples of the "island effect," a rule in evolutionary biology describing how large-bodied species tend to downsize on islands while small-bodied species upsize. Extinction risk was seen highest among species that underwent more extreme body size shifts compared to mainland relatives. But small-bodied species, because there is a decreased risk from predators on islands, are emancipated from evolutionary constraints on their size. It once was home to a dwarf elephant relative, giant rats and a giant stork, as well as a dwarf human species - Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the "Hobbit," standing just 3-1/2 feet tall (106 cm) tall.

☆ Ancient bodies found in Mexico City show shared Catholic, pre-Hispanic graves
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History/Handout via REUTERSMEXICO CITY, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The remains of 28 human bodies buried at least four hundred years ago in Mexico indicate the comingling of pre-Hispanic and Catholic cultures that Spanish colonizers introduced, local researchers told Reuters. The discovery took place during the construction of a scenic pavilion in Mexico City's Chapultepec park in February, when researchers stumbled across a cemetery from the early viceregal period of 1521 to 1620 AD. Maria de Lourdes Lopez Camacho, the head of archeological salvage and National History Museum, said what is most striking is that, although the bodies originate from distinct populations, they were buried in the same period. Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) led the study. Reporting by Carlos Carillo; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Some Neanderthals couldn't smell their own stink, suggests a new study recreating early humans' noses
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Meanwhile, one group of a related species — Neanderthals — developed a mutation that could have spared them the smell of their own body odors. It's a popular idea that humans have a bad sense of smell, as compared with dogs, for instance. Will Oliver/PA Images/Getty"We have to really understand ourselves within our own context," rather than comparing humans to dogs or monkeys, as previous research on smell receptors has done, Hoover said. To Hoover's surprise, the Neanderthals, Denisovan, and humans all appeared to have the same repertoire of smells. More research like it, with more samples of ancient genomes, could reveal a clearer picture of Neanderthal and Denisovan life.

☆ Billion-dollar startup plans to bring the dodo back from the dead, and claims it can also revive the woolly mammoth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company, says it will aim to revive the dodo using gene editing. This is the latest attempt to revive extinct animals in the face of the biodiversity crisis. The bird is the latest in the collection of long-gone animals scientists at the company want to revive. The startup has previously said it plan to recreate the Tasmanian wolf and the woolly mammoth. A stuffed dodo bird at the Natural History Museum on February 5, 2013, in London, England.

Most personal loan lenders give you up to five years to repay the balance. CNBC Select rounded up six of the best personal loan lenders that offer longer loan terms. Not all personal loan lenders allow co-applicants but SoFi does — especially for those who are DACA recipients. A long-term personal loan is simply a personal loan that offers a longer amount of time to repay the loan balance. Common personal loan definitions you should knowHere are some common personal loan terms you need to know before applying.

A Culture in theCross Hairs Russia’s invasion has systematically destroyed Ukrainian cultural sites. It has also dealt a grievous blow to Ukrainian culture: to its museums and monuments, its grand universities and rural libraries, its historic churches and contemporary mosaics. This is how empires always work.” The war in Ukraine is a culture war, and the extent of the destruction is becoming clearer. Kyiv Sviatohirsk UKRAINE Damaged or destroyed religious sites Areas controlled by Russia at any time since invasion. Kyiv Sviatohirsk UKRAINE Damaged or destroyed religious sites Areas controlled by Russia at any time since invasion.

☆ The rise and fall of Sears. Once the world's largest retailer, it now has just 15 stores left. Here's how changing consumer habits took down a one-time powerhouse.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Erin Mcdowell | Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Richard W. Sears founded the R.W. Sears Watch Company in 1886 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Portrait of businessman Richard W. Sears. Sears sold his watch business in 1889. In 1893, he founded another mail-order service with Roebuck, which the two named Sears, Roebuck and Company.

☆ Virginia capital removes last public Confederate monument
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 12 (Reuters) - A Black-owned construction business on Monday dismantled and removed the last public Confederate statue on display in Richmond, Virginia, the city that served as the capital of the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. Richmond began removing a dozen Confederate monuments in 2020 as part of a reckoning with the U.S. South's legacy of slavery. Hill, the last Confederate monument owned by the city, is removed from its plinth in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. December 12, 2022. Hill's remains will be reinterred at a grave site in his birthplace in Culpeper, Virginia, the Times-Dispatch reported. The statue will eventually go to the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, according to media reports.

☆ James Cameron to skip the premiere for 'Avatar 2' due to positive Covid-19 test
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —It’s a sequel 13 years in the making, but James Cameron will have to sit the premiere out. The “Avatar: The Way of Water” director will not be in attendance at Monday’s premiere for the film in Los Angeles after testing positive for Covid-19, according to a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. He tested positive as part of a routine testing cadence. He will continue to complete his schedule virtually but will not be at the premiere,” a Disney spokesperson told the outlet. Cameron previously directed 2009’s “Avatar,” which took home three Oscars and became the world’s highest-grossing film.

☆ Confederate monument set to be removed from Virginia capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

RICHMOND, Va. — Work to relocate Richmond’s final city-owned Confederate monument should start this week after a judge refused a request to delay the removal of the statue of Gen. A.P. The city, a onetime capital of the Confederacy, began removing its many other Confederate monuments more than two years ago amid the racial justice protests that followed George Floyd’s murder. The monument of confederate General A.P. But efforts to remove the Hill statue have been complicated because the general’s remains were buried beneath the monument in 1891. In the most recent hearing, Cheek denied their motion to stay the removal of the Hill monument while the descendants press an appeal with the Virginia Court of Appeals.

Trinidad Gonzales, a professor of history and Mexican American studies at South Texas College, has been honored with the 2022 John Lewis Award for History and Social Justice. Refusing to Forget's work spurred an award-winning exhibit at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin — the first time the state had publicly addressed "La Matanza." He played a role in a five-year battle to help change state standards for high school Mexican American history classes. “We all knew internally that it wasn’t just simply a fight for Mexican American studies,” Gonzales told South Texas College. "We're fearful that they're going to try to eliminate Mexican American studies, African American Studies, Indigenous Studies and Asian American studies," Gonzales said in the interview.

☆ Is this the last Christmas for Sears?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Easterling was at the Sears in her hometown of Jersey City, New Jersey, one of only 15 full-line Sears stores still open. The two started a catalog business selling watches and jewelry in 1888, incorporating under the Sears Roebuck name in 1893. The Sears catalog was the way many Americans first started to buy mass-produced goods. File photo/AP People shop inside a Sears store in Morton Grove, Illinois, in 1961. AP Soldiers guard a Sears store in Baltimore after riots broke out following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

☆ NASA discovery reveals there may have been life on Mars
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

Caroline Smith, who works at the Natural History Museum, discusses a new discovery made by a NASA rover that may provide evidence of past life on Mars.

☆ Where did Earth’s water come from? This meteorite might hold the answer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —If you’ve ever wondered where water on Earth comes from, new research on a meteorite which landed in a family’s front yard in England last year may have just the answer. Researchers from London’s Natural History Museum and the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, studied a meteorite found in the town of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, to discover it contained water similar to that found on Earth. Approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, with oceans holding about 96.5% of all water, according to the US Geological Survey. The team, which measured the ratio of hydrogen isotopes in the water, found that it closely resembled the composition of water on Earth, according to a press release from the Natural History Museum. Samples of the Winchcombe meteorite are currently on public display at the Natural History Museum in London, the Winchcombe Museum, and The Wilson (Art Gallery) in Gloucestshire.

☆ Climate activists glue themselves to dinosaur exhibit at Berlin museum
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Two women glued themselves to the handrails around a dinosaur exhibit at Berlin's Natural History museum on Sunday in the latest protest by climate activists, calling on the German government to scale up measures to fight climate change. "The dinosaurs became extinct because they couldn't withstand the massive climate changes. The Last Generation group, which was behind the protest, said Germany must cut emissions immediately to stop mass extinction of species and called on Berlin to impose a speed limit on motorways. The Germany government has set CO2 reduction targets to become carbon neutral by 2045 but has not set a speed limit on the country's motorway network. The Natural History Museum said it had filed a criminal complaint for trespassing and property damage.

☆ Video shows lemur picking its nose so deep it touches the back of its throat, then eats it — behavior previously unknown to science
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video shows a lemur picking its nose, a behavior never before observed by scientists. The animal shoves one of her long agile fingers all the way up her nose to her throat. The video shows Kali, an aye-aye living in the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina, shoving her 3-inch long finger all the way up her nose, taking it out again, and licking it. A picture of a juvenile aye-aye shows its long slender fingers, which are used to hunt for bugs — and for nose picking. Renaud BoiselThe scan, above, showed the lemur's finger going all the way up its nose to the back of its throat.

☆ The best wildlife photos of 2022 include a ball of bees, a snake eating a bat, and polar bears raiding an abandoned town
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The London Natural History Museum announced the 2022 winners of its Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. The winning photos include a frenzied ball of bees, a dancing sea star, and the brushy mouth of a whale. The cactus bees, like most other bees, are endangered by habitat loss, pesticides, and the changing climate. The resulting photo, above, won the Grand Title in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London each year. As clouds of sea-star sperm and eggs filled the water, photographer Tony Wu captured this otherwordly invertebrate in the throes of its dance.

☆ Bill Walton’s Long, Strange Tale of N.B.A. Survival
▼ + stars: | 2016-03-27 | by ( Sam Anderson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Bill Walton arrived at the San Diego Natural History Museum carrying a large black chair. It’s so large that it made even Walton, one of basketball’s dominating giants, look small. We were standing inside the building, near the skeleton of a dinosaur (Allosaurus fragilis, the sign said), watching him approach. I had come to San Diego to speak with Walton about his life: the magic rainbows interweaving over the bottomless, flaming abyss. It suggests an existence largely shaped by dark matter — all the things that didn’t happen, that never coalesced, that went missing.

Persons: Bill Walton, Walton, —, — Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul, Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Larry Bird — Organizations: San, San Diego Natural History Locations: San Diego

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