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The shoes from the film were stolen in 2005 from the Judy Garland Museum in the actress' hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and recovered in 2018 by the FBI. Political Cartoons View All 1209 ImagesGarland wore several pairs of ruby slippers during filming of the classic 1939 musical, but only four authentic pairs are known to remain. The plea agreement was “fulsomely negotiated” between DeKrey and federal prosecutor Matt Greenley and would lay out the “factual basis” for his client's guilty plea, DeKrey said. The ruby slippers were key props in the 1939 movie. The Judy Garland Museum, which opened in 1975 in the house where she lived, says it has the world’s largest collection of Garland and Wizard of Oz memorabilia.

Persons: Judy Garland, Oz ”, Terry Jon Martin, Martin, Dane DeKrey, Terry, ” DeKrey, Garland, “ fulsomely, Matt Greenley, DeKrey, Patrick Schiltz, Schiltz, Michael Shaw, Dorothy, Frances Gumm Organizations: Judy Garland Museum, FBI, District, Twin, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Smithsonian Museum of Locations: MINNEAPOLIS, Grand Rapids , Minnesota, Grand Rapids, Minneapolis, DeKrey, Minnesota, Duluth, Twin Cities, Hollywood, Arizona, Kansas, sequins, Los Angeles

☆ Meet Frank Waln, the Sicangu Lakota hip hop artist bringing Indigenous culture to the American music scene
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Alaa Elassar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Sicangu Lakota rapper Frank Waln is bringing Indigenous culture to the American music scene. Weaving Indigenous culture into American musicWaln was 7 years old when he found himself mesmerized by an old black piano sitting in his second grade classroom. He centers nearly every song around the instrument, and often the drums, both fundamental components of Indigenous music. “I want to create my own genre that’s rooted in Native music, Native culture and Native sound, that also becomes a space for other Native musicians who don’t have a place in American entertainment and music culture,” he said. Deanna Dent/ReutersDespite his extensive accomplishments – including three Native American Music Awards – Waln measures his success differently.

Persons: Frank Waln, “, ” Waln, Mita, Tara Rose Weston “, Waln, I’ve, Nas –, doesn’t, don’t, ”, I’m, Leslie Frempong, ’, Peter Pan ”, Fleetwood Mac, Deanna Dent, Teca Organizations: CNN, “, Lakota, Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology, White, US Department of, Harvard University, Smithsonian National Museum of, Columbus, Reuters Locations: South Dakota, Lakota, American, America, United States, “, Waln’s, White American, Boston

David Willard has been checking the grounds of Chicago's lakefront exhibition center for dead birds for 40 years. Researchers estimate hundreds of millions of birds die in window strikes in the United States each year. When they see plants or bushes through windows or reflected in them, they head for them, killing themselves in the process. Pre-dawn rain forced the birds to drop to lower altitudes, where they found the McCormick Center’s lights on, Willard said. The first buildings at McCormick Center were constructed in 1959.

Persons: David Willard, ”, Willard, we've, Matt Igleski, it's, Stan Temple, They’ve, Temple, they’ve, “, McCormick, Anna Pidgeon, ” Willard Organizations: Chicago Field Museum, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, Chicago Audubon Society, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin -, University of Wisconsin - Madison ., World Trade Center, National Audubon Society, McCormick Center Locations: McCormick, United States, U.S, Galveston , Texas, Chicago, Madison, Michigan, University of Wisconsin - Madison, New York City, Toronto , New York, Boston, San Diego, Dallas, Miami

It's the end of an era for a once-critical pandemic document: The ubiquitous white COVID-19 vaccination cards are being phased out. Now that COVID-19 vaccines are not being distributed by the federal government, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stopped printing new cards. Otherwise, people who need their COVID-19 immunization records will need to request them just like any other vaccine. Many states offer digital vaccination records for individuals either online or through an app. You should save it like any other health record, Wyoming Department of Health nurse consultant Heidi Gurov said.

Persons: you’ve, it’s, David Andres Alegria, ”, Jeff Chorath, Heidi Gurov, “ It's, Mandy Cohen, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: U.S . Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Federal, San Antonio Metropolitan Health, Washington, Wyoming Department of Health, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: Texas, San Antonio, Wyoming, Philadelphia's, Washington, U.S

☆ One family’s battle to be reunited with art looted by the Nazis
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Aurore Laborie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The lawyer — Laurence Eisenstein, whose firm works to recover artwork looted by the Nazis — said he’d been speaking to a British scholar who’d come across the name René Gimpel in art collectors’ archives. Thousands of objects lost or lootedAs well as being a famous gallerist of his time, René Gimpel was a very well-connected man. Captured sometime between 1916 and 1933, it showed the three Derain paintings in question hanging on the art dealer’s wall. In 2020, seven years after they began their fight, the Gimpel heirs were finally reunited with the three Derain paintings. Dumas said this is often not the case for Jewish families trying to recover their ancestors’ stolen art.

Persons: Claire Gimpel’s, — Laurence Eisenstein, —, he’d, who’d, René, Eisenstein, Claire, Ian Locke, ” Claire, he’s, André Derain, Claude Monet, René Gimpel, Clarisse Vuitton, Louis Vuitton’s, Monet, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Proust, Johannes Vermeer, ”, Monte, Odile Firer, — René, — Locke, Hôtel Doucet, ’, “ I’m, Palais Bourbon —, Locke, “, Crécy, Corinne Hershkovitch, ” Hershkovitch, Sarah Tilotta, Margaux Dumas, Diderot, Derain, Benoît Payan, Payan, Dumas, Marseille's, Benoit Payan, Gimpel, Alain Robert, SIPA, They’re Organizations: France CNN —, CNN, Gestapo, Europe —, Palais Bourbon, Chapelle, Ministry of Culture, French Ministry of Culture, University Paris, Technical University Berlin, Smithsonian Archives, American Art, Mayor, French Ministry of, Belgium ”, ” Locations: Paris, France, British, French, Gimpel, Vichy France, Cannes, French Vichy, Neuengamme, Hamburg, Europe, Spontini, German, Nice, Troyes, Marseille, René’s Paris, Vichy, Belgium

☆ Craft beer, marriages and air travel: The collateral damage of a government shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Staff, meanwhile, have been forced to put their real jobs on hold to prepare for the looming shutdown. National parksThe National Park Service plans to close its parks and furlough park rangers if the government shuts down on Sunday. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, the parks themselves remained accessible, but without most services. Some presidential libraries would remain open as long as they have sufficient funds, but others would close and research services would be reduced. A shutdown would result in a "data blackout" of critical economic statistics that influence markets and businesses around the globe.

Persons: Donald Trump, that's, Biden, Joshua, Armando L, Sanchez, Pete Buttigieg, they're, White, Treasury Department furloughed, shutdowns Organizations: Yosemite, Fresno Bee, Tribune, Service, Getty, White House Council, Economic Advisers, Management, Staff, National Park Service, Park Service, Department of Interior, NBC, Congressional Research Service, National Zoo, U.S . Holocaust, Museum, National, Science, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, FBI Agents Association, FBI, Air, Transportation Security, LaGuardia, TSA, O'Hare International, State Department, Consular, Education Department, AmeriCorps, Agriculture Department, Assistance, Women, Small Business Administration, Federal Housing Administration, Social, Consumer, Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Labor, —, Social Security, Medicare, Treasury Department, Foreign Assets Control, Russia Locations: El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, Washington, Civil, U.S, Europe, Southeast Asia, New Mexico, shutdowns, New York, Chicago, Russia, Iran, Ukraine

☆ The 9 locations around the world where sharks attack most, from Florida to Western Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The risk of being bitten by a shark is low, and deaths from a shark attack are rare. Insider has taken a look at the locations where the most shark attacks occur across the globe. Insider has taken a look at some of the major shark attack hot spots around the world, from Australia to the Bahamas. The ISAF says that the US tops the charts for "confirmed unprovoked" shark attacks since 1580, with a recorded 1,604 incidents. Peter Unger/Getty ImagesA woman was killed in a second fatal shark attack in the area of Plettenberg Bay in 2022.

Persons: —, Walt Harden, Mark Sumersett, I've, Simon Nellist, Peter Unger, Kimon Bisogno, Sara Andreotti, Pawel Toczynski, Kim Mahbouli, Alexis Rosenfeld, Katarina Zarutskie Organizations: Service, Sunshine State, Florida, ISAF, Australia Australia, New, CNN, Getty, South, Palmetto State, Hilton Head Hospital, Hilton Head Island Government, New York Times, South Africa's Stellenbosch University, CBS News, Smithsonian Magazine, Daily Star, BBC Locations: Florida, Australia, Bahamas, Florida Florida, Smyrna Beach , Florida, Volusia County, ISAF, New Smyrna, New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria, Little Bay, Sydney, Hawaii, Pacific, South Carolina, Sea Pines, Hilton, Carolina, North Carolina, South Africa, California, Africa, Plettenberg Bay, Plettenberg, France, London, Brazil Brazil, Brazil, Caribbean, American

☆ DNA remnants found in fossil of 6 million year old turtle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Researchers excavate the 6 million year old fossil remains of a sea turtle of the genus Lepidochelys near La Pina along the Caribbean coast of Panama in this handout photograph taken in 2015 and obtained by Reuters on September 28, 2023. Cadena said the only older vertebrate fossils than the newly described turtle to have been found with similar DNA remnants were of two dinosaurs - Tyrannosaurus, which lived about 66 million years ago, and Brachylophosaurus, which lived about 78 million years ago. Cadena said DNA remnants also have been reported in insects dating to tens of millions of years ago. The turtle is from the same genus - Lepidochelys - as two of the world's seven living species of sea turtles - the Kemp's ridley, the world's smallest sea turtle, and the olive ridley, Cadena said. "Each fossil, each fossil site has specific conditions of preservation that in some cases could have favored preservation of original biomolecular remains such as proteins and DNA," Cadena said.

Persons: Carlos de Gracia, today's Kemp's ridley, Edwin Cadena, Cadena, ridley, Kemp's ridley, Will Dunham, Elida Moreno, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Universidad del Rosario, Smithsonian Tropical Research, Pacific, Thomson Locations: La Pina, Panama, Handout, Bogota, Gulf of Mexico, Washington

☆ Smithsonian Acquires Major Collection About Enslaved Poet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Jennifer Schuessler | More About Jennifer Schuessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In September 1773, Phillis Wheatley, a young enslaved woman from Boston, boarded a ship home from London, where she had gone to promote her forthcoming book of poems — the first ever published by an American of African descent. It was not the first time Wheatley had sailed to Boston. But on this second voyage, Phillis — now a literary celebrity — picked up a pen and wrote “Ocean,” a 70-line ode full of dreaming, wonder and longing for freedom. “Ocean” went unpublished and was seemingly lost until 1998, when the manuscript surfaced at an auction. Now it has been acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, as part of what the museum says will be the largest collection of Wheatley material in public hands.

Persons: Phillis Wheatley, Wheatley, Phillis —, —, ” Organizations: Smithsonian’s National Museum of Locations: Boston, London, Africa

In the past few months alone, researchers have linked Neanderthal DNA to a serious hand disease, the shape of people's noses and various other human traits. Research shows some African populations have almost no Neanderthal DNA, while those from European or Asian backgrounds have 1% to 2%. For example, Neanderthal DNA has been linked to auto-immune diseases like Graves’ disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The list goes on: Research has linked Neanderthal genetic variants to skin and hair color, behavioral traits, skull shape and Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found the skulls of domesticated dogs in Homo sapiens sites much further back in time than anyone had found before.

Persons: We’re, ”, Mary Prendergast, Hugo Zeberg, Svante Paabo, Zeberg, It's, Graves, Homo sapiens, Chris Stringer, “, Rick Potts, Paabo, ” Zeberg, Raghavan, Potts, Denisovans, sapiens, Eleanor Scerri, Prendergast, Janet Young, Pat Shipman, John Hawks Organizations: Rice University, Karolinska, Research, Smithsonian Institution, University of Chicago, Germany’s Max Planck Institute, Geoanthropology, Canadian Museum, University of Wisconsin -, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Sweden, Melanesia, New Guinea, Fiji, Africa, Europe, Asia, London, Eurasia, Germany’s, University of Wisconsin - Madison

☆ US National Zoo Bids Farewell to Pandas as Government Shutdown Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Washington's National Zoo is honoring its three giant pandas with nine days of events ahead of their return to China but stormy weather and a looming U.S. government shutdown have put something of a damper on the festivities. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The zoo, operated by the Smithsonian Institute, receives federal funding, and would be forced to close to the public during a government shutdown, according to its website. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: China, U.S, Washington, United States

☆ US National Zoo bids farewell to pandas as government shutdown looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Visitors take photos of giant panda Mei Xiang eating bamboo during the reopening morning of Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, U.S., May 21, 2021. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The shutdown would not disrupt animal care, but the zoo's popular live "Panda Cam" would go dark. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, China, U.S, Washington, United States

Our species, Homo sapiens — with our complex thoughts and deep emotions — were the only true humans to ever walk the Earth. A study last week found early humans were building structures with wood before H. sapiens evolved. This ability to read ancient DNA revolutionized the field, and it is constantly improving. He specializes in creating lifelike models of ancient humans for museums, including the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History, in hopes of helping public perception catch up to the science. They haven't been able to gather much ancient DNA from Africa, where H. sapiens first evolved, because it has been degraded by heat and moisture.

Persons: ”, Chris Stringer, ” Stringer, sapiens, Rick Potts, naledi, heidelbergensis, John Shea, “, Svante Paabo, Paabo, Bence Viola, Potts, Shea, ’ ” Shea, let’s, Janet Young, Young, John Gurche, Gurche, ” Gurche, “ They’re, they’re, it’s, haven't, we’ll, Mary Prendergast Organizations: Stony Brook University, University of Toronto, Canadian Museum, Smithsonian, American Museum of, Rice University, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Africa, Europe, Indonesia, Asia, Swedish, East, Southeast Asia

The Office of Management and Budget reminded senior agency officials Friday to update and review shutdown plans. Those plans can vary from shutdown to shutdown. The nearly 4 million Americans who are federal employees will feel the effect immediately. Essential workers will remain on the job, but others will be furloughed until the shutdown is over. For many of them, a shutdown would strain their finances, as it did during the record 35-day funding lapse in 2018-2019.

Persons: “, ”, Doreen Greenwald, Everett Kelley, Pell, disbursing Pell, It’s, treasurers Organizations: CNN, Management, National Treasury Employees Union, American Federation of Government Employees, Transportation Security Administration, Social Security, TSA, of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, Business Administration, Futures, US Centers for Disease Control, Drug Administration, Safety, Health Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, ”, Smithsonian, National, National Archives, National Park Service, of Education, Federal Student Aid, Federal, Department of, Assistance, SNAP, US Department of Agriculture, Women, of Housing, Urban Development, Commission, Research, NOAA, Oceanic, Administration, National Science Foundation, Peace Corps, State Department, Defense Department Locations: United States, America, Washington, DC, shutdowns

☆ An amateur astronomer caught one of the brightest fireballs ever seen on Jupiter. Watch the rare video footage.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Maiya Focht | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 14 seconds into the video below, you can see a bright flash appear in Jupiter's southern hemisphere. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne of the brightest, biggest Jupiter fireballs ever recordedKo Arimatsu, an astronomer at Kyoto University, confirmed to The New York Times that there were six reports of this flash on August 28. AdvertisementAdvertisementA fragment of the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet impacts Jupiter’s night side in 1994. Jupiter is the 'vacuum cleaner of the solar system'As the largest planet in our solar system, by far, Jupiter has a powerful gravity that pulls in comets and asteroids. In fact, Jupiter's appetite for asteroids and comets has earned it the nickname "vacuum cleaner of the solar system," according to NASA.

Persons: Tadao Ohsugi, It's, Arimatsu, Shoemaker, Levy, Peter Vereš, NASA's OSIRIS, NASA's, Leigh Fletcher Organizations: Service, Kyoto University, The New York Times, TNT, NASA, ESA, Space Science Institute, Jupiter, JPL Arimatsu, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, University of Arizona, University of Leicester, Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Japan, Boulder, Colo, Siberia

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana folklorist Nick Spitzer and Mississippi blues musician R.L. Boyce are among nine 2023 National Heritage Fellows set to be celebrated later this month by the National Endowment for the Arts, one of the nation’s highest honors in the folk and traditional arts. He founded the Louisiana Folklife Program, produced the five-LP Louisiana Folklife Recording Series, created the Louisiana Folklife Pavilion at the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans and helped launch the Baton Rouge Blues Festival. “But see, I play the old way, and nobody today can play my style, just me.”Boyce has played northern Mississippi blues for more than half a century. He has shared stages with blues greats John Lee Hooker, a 1983 NEA National Heritage Fellow, and Howlin’ Wolf.

Persons: Nick Spitzer, R.L, Boyce, Spitzer, Bess Lomax Hawes, ” Spitzer, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Fats Domino, “, Hawes, ” Boyce, ”, John Lee Hooker, Howlin ’ Wolf, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Ed Eugene Carriere, Michael A, Cummings, Joe DeLeon “ Little Joe ” Hernandez, Roen, Elizabeth James, Perry, Luis Tapia, Wu Man Organizations: ORLEANS, Heritage Fellows, National Endowment, Arts, Heritage Fellowship, Library of Congress, Washington , D.C, Tulane University’s School of Liberal Arts, Tulane, Louisiana Folklife Program, Louisiana Folklife, Baton Rouge Blues, Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife, Heritage, Associated Press, NEA, Blues, Heritage Fellow Locations: Louisiana, Mississippi, Washington ,, New Orleans, Acadiana, Washington, Indianola , Washington, New York, Temple , Texas, Waimea , Hawaii, Dartmouth , Massachusetts, Santa Fe , New Mexico, Carlsbad , California

The collection amassed by Jein, who died last year at age 76, will be offered up by Heritage Auctions next month in Dallas. Jein, who had an Oscar and Emmy nominated career making miniature models, was also a collector of costumes, props, scripts, artwork, photographs and models from the shows he loved. But a small preliminary model, which is about 5 inches (12 centimeters) long, is among Jein's creations that will be offered at the auction. Chang said Jein loved his work and also had a passion to learn about a wide array of topics. After Jein died, his cousin found that his book collection spanned topics from cooking to the military.

Persons: Greg Jein, Jein, “, Joshua Benesh, ” Jein, Steven Spielberg's, Benesh, ”, William Shatner, Kirk, Leonard Nimoy’s “ Mr, Spock, ” Lou Zutavern, Jein’s, ” Zutavern, Jerry Chang, Chang, Chang's, you’d, ” Chang Organizations: DALLAS, “ Star, Heritage Auctions, Air and Space Museum, “, Hollywood, California State University , Los Locations: Dallas, Los Angeles, dumpsters, California State University , Los Angeles, Hollywood

☆ Two people have been accused of using an excavator to destroy part of the Great Wall of China to create a shortcut
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Two people have been accused of destroying part of the Great Wall of China with an excavator. The pair reportedly wanted to create a path cutting through the Ming-dynasty portion of the wall as a shortcut, according to CNN. The damage has affected the structural integrity of that portion of the Great Wall, and it was "beyond repair," state-owned newspaper China Daily reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe earliest segments of the Great Wall, which stretches for over 4,000 miles across China, were first created in the third century BC. The damage to the Great Wall is this summer's latest example of a world-historical landmark facing purposeful damage.

Persons: Vespasian Organizations: CNN, Service, China . Police, China Daily, UNESCO, Smithsonian Magazine Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Shanxi, Northeastern China

☆ Black holes mysteriously burp up fragments of stars they destroyed years earlier, and scientists have no idea why
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Black holes have been spotted spitting up remnants of stars years after gobbling them up. AdvertisementAdvertisementSince then, the collaborators have been turning their instruments to monitor 24 black holes for years on end. In another two of the cases, Cendes noticed the black holes peaking, then fading, then turning on again. Everything we know about accretion disks may be wrongThe findings could mean we need to rethink how black holes swallow up stars, Cendes said. The new findings suggest astronomers will have to rethink the relationship between stars and black holes.

Persons: Yvette Cendes, we'd, Cendes, They've, She's, Cendres, I've Organizations: Service, Harvard, Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, ESO, ESA, Hubble, Kornmesser Locations: Wall, Silicon, TDEs

☆ What happens to sharks, dolphins, alligators, and other marine life during a hurricane? Experts explain why the storm's aftermath is often more deadly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Hurricanes affect marine life differently, depending on whether they can move or are stationary. After a hurricane, increased levels of freshwater, bacteria, and debris can also harm marine life. A vast array of marine life lives along the Florida peninsula, the US state where hurricanes make landfall most often. What happens to marine life during a hurricane? For example, alligators on Sanibel Island, which Hurricane Ian hit hard, were affected by the saltier ocean water the storm brought on land.

Persons: Melissa May, Rita, Andrew, Valerie Paul, Hurricane Ian, Ian, Paul, Chris Lechowicz, Rivers, Marco Bello Organizations: Service, Florida Gulf Coast University ., National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Reuters Hurricanes, Geological Survey, Hurricanes, Smithsonian Marine, Healing, Reuters, NASA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Louisiana, Brevard, Estero Bay

Small farms with natural landscape features such as shade trees, hedgerows and tracts of intact forest provide a refuge for some tropical bird populations, according to an 18-year study in Costa Rica. For almost two decades, ornithologist James Zook has been collecting detailed records on nearly 430 tropical bird species found on small farms, plantations and undisturbed forests in the country. While birds thrive the most in undisturbed rainforests, Zook said some species usually found in forests can establish populations in “diversified farms” that partially mimic a natural forest environment. “In these diversified farms, you see growth over the long term in bird species with specialized needs,” such as safe and shady nooks to build nests and a variety of food sources, Hendershot said. Three-quarters of the 305 species found in diversified farms showed stable or growing populations over the time of study.

Persons: James Zook, Zook, ”, Nicholas Hendershot, Hendershot, Natalia Ocampo, “, Ruth Bennett, University of California’s Ocampo Organizations: Stanford University, National Academy of Sciences, “, University of California, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, University of California’s, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Costa Rica, Santa Cruz

☆ Homo floresiensis: The curious case of the hobbit and what its remarkable discovery taught us
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The Liang Bua cave excavation site, where the fossils of Homo floresiensis were discovered on the island of Flores in Indonesia. A 3D cast of the skeleton of Homo Floresiensis on display at Stony Brook University, part of the State University of New York system. The Liang Bua team named the species Homo floresiensis after the island where the fossils were discovered. Sutikna said that a thick layer of volcanic ash was found just on top of the layer where Homo floresiensis was first found. And above the volcanic ash layer, we did not find any fossils of Homo floresiensis or other ancient animals,” he said.

Persons: Thomas Sutikna, trowel, Liang Bua, Sutikna, ”, floresiensis, Achmad Ibrahim, Saptomo, Tim Wiencis, Mike Morwood, Liang, hobbitus —, floresianus —, Paige Madison, Bert Roberts, Robert Pearce, Bua, Homo erectus, erectus, chimplike wristbones, Lucy, australopithecines, Chris Stringer, “ I’m, ” Stringer, “, luzonensis, Matt Tocheri, Flores, Mata Menge, Flores hobbits, Tocheri, ’ There’s, Stringer, it’s, ” Tocheri, ” Madison, we’re Organizations: CNN, Indonesia’s, Archaeometric Research, Research and Innovation Agency, Stony Brook University, State University of New, University of Wollongong, Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, AP, Lakehead University, Smithsonian Institution Locations: Indonesian, Liang, Flores, Indonesia, Jakarta, Stony, State University of New York, Australian, Australia, Africa, Java, Asia, London, South Africa, Philippines, Yogyakarta, Canada, Thunder Bay , Ontario, It’s, Madison, Sulawesi

A new accounting shows that at least 523 institutions were part of the sprawling network of boarding schools for Native American children. ‘War Against the Children’ The Native American boarding school system — a decades-long effort to assimilate Indigenous people before they ever reached adulthood — robbed children of their culture, family bonds and sometimes their lives. “The government was not done with war, so the next phase involved war against the children,” said Mr. Sherman, 83, a former aerospace engineer. Now 76, his voice grows shaky when he recounts the punishments children received — and how children were turned into punishers. Library of Congress, Chronicling AmericaA precise accounting of how many children died at Native American boarding schools remains elusive.

☆ PrEPVacc: HIV vaccine trial that could be ‘the last roll of the dice’ this decade is underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Tom Page | Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

CNN —A novel trial that has been described as “the last roll of the dice” for a generation of HIV vaccines has entered its latter stages. Nearly 40 years since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, and 36 years since the first HIV vaccine trial, the medical community still does not have a working vaccine. But that is not necessarily why they were chosen to participate, said Eugene Ruzagira, PrEPVacc trial director. Evaluating the combination of a trial HIV vaccine and PrEP is a first, say organizers. “I did my very first HIV vaccine trial in 1991,” recalled Weber.

Persons: PrEPVacc, ”, Jonathan Weber, Frank, Helena Herholdt, Eugene Ruzagira, Ruzagira, “, Weber, ” Ruzagira, “ We’ve, Mark Runnacles, Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, Galileo, Win McNamee, Humphry Davy, JEAN, SEBASTIEN EVRARD, Haydn West, Joe Raedle, ANNE, CHRISTINE POUJOULAT, Alexander Fleming, Fleming, wasn't, Louise Joy Brown, Sandy Huffaker, Daniel Acker, James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Watson, Crick, Raphael GAILLARDE, Sean Gallup, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Thomas Edison's, INDRANIL MUKHERJEE, Descovy, Luwano Geofrey, Dr, Luke Dray, Geofrey, Nishanta Singh, Sharon Lewin, Lewin, “ it’s, it’s, ” Lewin, ” Geofrey Organizations: CNN, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre, PrEPVacc, Medical Research, Uganda Virus Research Institute, European Union, Smithsonian National Museum of, Cleveland Clinic, Volvo, Bayer, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Getty, Keystone, — Farmers, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Bloomberg, PANTHAKY, PrEP, US Centers for Disease Control, Independent, The University of Melbourne, International AIDS Society, Muhimbili University of Health, Allied Sciences, Dar Locations: Entebbe, Uganda, Thailand, London, Mbeya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ugandan, Durban, Masaka, Salam, African, Africa, China, FPG, AFP, United States, America, U.S, Peoria , Illinois, Europe, “, Dar es Salaam, Rwanda

☆ Tian Tian: Giant panda celebrates last birthday in DC zoo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Piper Hudspeth Blackburn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The 26-year-old bear, Tian Tian, along with two other pandas in the zoo, are slated to leave by December 7. On Sunday, Tian Tian received a special “fruitsicle” cake made with fruits and vegetables with a “frosting” of sweet potatoes, mashed carrots and honey for his birthday, the museum said. The National Zoo’s Giant Panda Program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian first arrived at the zoo in the early 2000s and were originally supposed to stay for 10 years. According to the National Zoo, giant pandas have an estimated lifespan of about 15-20 years in the wild and about 30 years in human care.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Organizations: Washington CNN, Conservation Biology Institute, China Wildlife and Conservation Association, Panda Program, National Zoo Locations: United States, China

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