How Supermassive Black Holes Can Become Cosmic Nightmares
The UniverseFridays Do We Live in a Haunted Galaxy? Huge eruptions from the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole in the distant past may have sterilized much of the inner galaxy By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings Stay connected to The Universe: Get email alerts for this weekly column by Phil Plait Galaxies are spooky […]
Why an interstellar comet has scientists excited
Jaclyn Diaz An ancient comet that entered our solar system this summer is offering a rare opportunity to learn more about distant planetary systems far beyond the reach of any spacecraft, researchers say. The comet is special both because it is interstellar — meaning it came from outside our solar system — and also because […]
Did Astronomers Photograph UFOs Orbiting Earth in the 1950s?
UFOs Are Just One Explanation for Mysterious Patterns in Old Telescope Data New peer-reviewed research reporting strange lights in the pre-space-age sky is sparking curiosity and controversy By Jonathan O’Callaghan edited by Lee Billings For generations, UFO enthusiasts have longed for claims of aliens visiting Earth to be seriously investigated by scientists. Now they are […]
Dungeons & Dragons – Starter Set: Heroes of The Borderlands
For many, Dungeons & Dragons may seem like a insurmountable entry point to the world of RPGs, and, in many ways, especially without at least one seasoned veteran in your group, it isn’t necessarily an incorrect assumption. The all new Dungeons & Dragons – Starter Set: Heroes of The Borderlands aims to eliminate that hurdle […]
Kickstarter Tabletop Alert: Time Loop Shenanigans in ‘Chronofiends!!’
The research station is stuck in an ever-shrinking time loop—use your time-manipulating powers to accomplish your objectives before time runs out! Chronofiends!! (yes, the exclamation points are part of the title) is a cooperative time-loop game for 1 to 4 players, ages 13 and up, and takes about 90 minutes to play. It’s currently seeking […]
Israel’s endgame may be regime change in Iran – but it’s a gamble
Beyond Israel’s stated goal of destroying what it calls an existential threat from Iran’s nuclear capabilities with its attacks on Friday, Benjamin Netanyahu has a wider aim – regime change in Tehran. Under this scenario, he might hope that the unprecedented strikes start a chain reaction leading to unrest that topples the Islamic Republic. He…
Air-Conditioning Can Help the Power Grid instead of Overloading It
Air-Conditioning Can Surprisingly Help the Power Grid during Extreme Heat Switching on air-conditioning during extreme heat doesn’t have to make us feel guilty—it can actually boost power grid reliability and help bring more renewable energy online By Johanna Mathieu & The Conversation US The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online…
Mahmoud Khalil had hoped to walk free today. A federal judge said no
Adrian Florido Mahmoud Khalil will remain in federal custody after a federal judge accepted the government’s shifting explanations for why it is detaining him at an immigration facility in rural Louisiana. Khalil had hoped to be released Friday after U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ruled in recent days that the government’s original justification for arresting…
Canada and India to share terrorism intelligence despite 2023 murder plot, says report
Accord comes as Mark Carney seeks shift in Ottawa’s relationship with New Delhi after long diplomatic spat Canada and India plan to share intelligence in an effort to combat the rising threat of international crime and extremism, according to a new report from Bloomberg, days before a meeting between the two countries’ leaders. Canadian officials…
Woman Says She Can Vomit 15 Times an Hour Due to Rare Condition
Sharisse Zeroonian has been diagnosed with cyclic vomiting syndrome, a rare condition that causes sudden episodes of vomiting, which was also explored on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. A 29-year-old woman is speaking out about her rare condition that causes excessive vomiting. Sharisse Zeroonian has been diagnosed with cyclic vomiting syndrome, a chronic disorder that can…
Israel expands strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities
Geoff Brumfiel As part of a broad strike on Iran, Israel has attacked several of the country’s key nuclear facilities. The first and most visible strike took place in the opening hours of the Israeli air campaign, which began overnight on Thursday. In a statement the Israeli military said that fighter jets had struck Iran’s…
Could Iran Have Been Close to Making a Nuclear Weapon? Uranium Enrichment Explained
Could Iran Have Been Close to Making a Nuclear Weapon? Uranium Enrichment Explained When Israeli aircraft recently struck a uranium-enrichment complex in the nation, Iran could have been days away from achieving “breakout,” the ability to quickly turn “yellowcake” uranium into bomb-grade fuel, with its new high-speed centrifuges By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Dean…
Who were the Iranian commanders killed in Israel’s attack?
Israel struck dozens of targets, including nuclear facilities, military sites and private residences, across Iran on Friday, killing a number of senior military commanders in what it called “Operation Rising Lion”. The Israeli attacks also targeted a number of other influential figures linked to Iran’s nuclear programmes, including six nuclear scientists, IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim…
Kenyan police officer appears in court amid outrage over teacher’s death in custody
James Mukhwana detained over death of Albert Ojwang, who was arrested after criticising police official online A Kenyan police officer has appeared in court in connection with the death of a teacher in police custody in a case that has caused outrage and protests and brought renewed scrutiny on the country’s security forces. Constable James…
‘I just walked out’: The sole survivor of the Air India crash shares his story
By Rachel Treisman The sole survivor of the Air India crash that killed over 240 people also doesn’t know how he made it out alive. But, lying in a hospital bed on Friday morning, Viswashkumar Ramesh did his best to explain. “I can’t believe myself how I came out of it alive, because for a…
Iran is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented attack – and it may only be the start
Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion”, as it calls its attack on Iran, is unprecedented. It is vastly more extensive and ambitious than anything that has come before, including the two missile and drone exchanges it had with Iran last year. For Iran, this is the biggest assault on its territory since the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988.…
Five Climate Issues to Watch When Trump Goes to Canada
Five Climate Issues to Watch When Trump Goes to Canada President Trump will attend the G7 summit on Sunday in a nation he threatened to annex. He will also be an outlier on climate issues By Sara Schonhardt & E&E News CLIMATEWIRE | The world’s richest nations are gathering Sunday in the Canadian Rockies for…
How Peter Facinelli & Jennie Garth’s Daughter Saw His Dating Profile
Jennie Garth shared the awkward encounter her and Peter Facinelli’s eldest daughter Luca had when she stumbled into her dad’s profile on the dating app Raya. Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth’s daughter swiped left on this cringe dating app moment. After all, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum revealed her and the Twilight star’s oldest daughter…
Injured Skin Cells Fire like Neurons to ‘Scream’ for Help
Skin Cells ‘Scream’ for Help When Injured Our skin’s epithelial cells send electrical signals like neurons to cry out for help By Allison Parshall edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Epithelial cells from finger skin stained pink. Join Our Community of Science Lovers! Neurons talk to one another using electricity. If you could hear these impulses,…
RFK Jr. overhauled the CDC’s vaccine panel. Here’s what it does and why it matters
Maria Godoy Until this week, it’s likely many people hadn’t heard much about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel. But the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, plays a key role in determining which vaccines children and adults receive, what gets covered by insurance and which shots are made available…
South African woman’s murder prompts anger at country’s high level of femicide
Olorato Mongale, allegedly killed by man she went on date with, is latest victim of violence against women A wave of anger and frustration has gripped South Africa after the murder of 30-year-old Olorato Mongale, allegedly by a man she went on a date with. It is the latest in a series of high-profile cases…
Hossein Salami, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief, killed by Israel
Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in Israel’s strikes early on Friday, the most senior Iranian leader to die in the attacks. Salami, who was 65, was known for taking a hardline stance against Iran’s rivals, including Israel and the US. Just last month, he had warned that Tehran…
We Ranked Every Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen Movie
It’s been a New York minute since Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen released a new movie. But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate The Row founders’ birthday by taking a look back at their film oeuvre. Thank goodness Mary-Kate Olsen and and Ashley Olsen had those passports to Paris. Because after opening brick-and-mortar stores for…
US says it was not involved in Israel’s military strikes in Iran
The US has said it is not involved in Israel’s bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites, an escalation that is threatening to send the region deeper into conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement soon after the strikes began, saying Israel had taken “unilateral action” and warning Iran to not retaliate against the US.…
The FIFA Club World Cup is here. Here’s what you need to know
By Rafael Nam The Club World Cup men’s soccer tournament is set to kick off at stadiums across the U.S. on Saturday, with some of the world’s top teams competing for a brand new trophy — and a whole lot of cash. The 32-team tournament represents a bold gamble by FIFA to unveil a completely…
BYD launches cheapest UK model in bid to overtake Tesla as biggest electric carmaker
Dolphin Surf will start at £18,650 – among the cheapest new vehicles on sale in Britain Business live – latest updates The Chinese manufacturer BYD has launched its cheapest model in the UK, in the latest stage of its efforts to overtake Tesla as the world’s biggest electric carmaker. The Dolphin Surf will start at…
Blockbuster New Vera C. Rubin Observatory Will Change Astronomy Forever
This Revolutionary New Telescope Will Observe the Whole Sky Every Three Days The game-changing Vera C. Rubin Observatory will collect more astronomical data in its first year than all other telescopes combined By Rebecca Boyle edited by Clara Moskowitz View of Rubin Observatory at sunset in May 2024. The 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope at Rubin…
Friday Deal Alert: Get 35% off the Solawave Skincare Wand
Now’s your chance to try a bestselling red light therapy tool for less! Score this limited-time deal and glow your way to better skin ASAP. The products featured in this article are from brands available in NBCUniversal Checkout. E! makes a commission on purchases. Red light therapy is still the hottest trend in skincare, but if…
Heidi Klum, Seal’s Son Johan Is All Grown Up in Rare Graduation Photo
Heidi Klum and Seal’s 18-year-old son Johan graduated from high school, with the supermodel saying that her “heart is full of joy and pride” over the special milestone. Heidi Klum and Seal‘s son Johan Samuel is in bloom. After all, the 18-year-old is embarking on a new chapter after graduating from high school. “CONGRATULATIONS JOHAN,”…
Trump EPA Announces Climate Regulation Rollback but Faces Legal Hurdles
Inside the EPA’s Attempt to Roll Back Climate Regulation The EPA has contradicted itself—and legal precedent—in its bid to undo Biden-era limits on power-plant climate pollution By Jean Chemnick, Niina H. Farah, Lesley Clark & E&E News CLIMATEWIRE | EPA’s proposal to stop regulating power plant climate pollution is built around a bold claim that…
What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds?
What exactly happened to Flight AI171 between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick on Thursday afternoon will only be revealed by a detailed investigation, but the moments after take-off can be the most challenging in aviation. Indian investigators will be joined by experts from the US and UK in the coming days, as authorities attempt to establish…
Cuba’s students call for resignations and strikes after brutal internet price hike
Students say rise in prices was trigger but underlying anger was communist government’s increasing reliance on USD Having endured electricity blackouts, water shortages, transport failures and the spiralling cost of food, Cuba’s students appear to have finally lost patience with their government over a ferocious price hike for the country’s faltering internet. Local chapters of…
To save a dying forest, this town dug in
Off Mexico’s Yucatán coast, a road connects a small fishing community’s slender islet to the mainland. On one side of the road sits a healthy mangrove forest teeming with wildlife. On the other side of the road: bare dirt, pocked with patchy stands of mangrove trees. In the 1990s, construction of the road to Isla…
Air India Plane Crash: One Surviving Passenger Reportedly Found Alive
In the hours since an Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, carrying 242 people, officials have been sharing information on the casualties. More information is emerging about the deadly plane crash in India. In the hours since an Air India flight carrying 242 people bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff in…
Brain Implant Lets Man with ALS Speak and Sing with His ‘Real Voice’
Brain Implant Lets Man with ALS Speak and Sing with His ‘Real Voice’ A new brain-computer interface turns thoughts into singing and expressive speech in real time By Miryam Naddaf & Nature magazine The motor cortex (orange, illustration). Electrodes implanted in this region helped to record the speech-related brain activity of a man who could…
Why there’s an unexpected surge in people claiming Social Security
Laurel Wamsley Social Security retirement claims tend to follow a seasonal pattern each year, and they increase over time with the aging of the population, says Jack Smalligan, senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute. But this spring, something different happened, he says: an unexpected surge in the number of people applying for retirement benefits.…
What we know so far about Air India flight AI171
An Air India passenger plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, leaving at least 204 people dead. The flight was carrying 242 passengers and crew, including 53 British nationals, when it came down in the western Indian city. Ahmedabad’s police chief told the BBC that 204 bodies had…
These touts made millions – and claimed staff at big ticketing firms helped
When a judge dismissed an appeal by prolific ticket tout Peter Hunter and his husband and accomplice David Smith against their landmark conviction for fraud, he sounded an alarm. The evidence, he said in a 2021 judgement, suggested the possibility of “connivance and collusion” between ticketing companies and touts, who buy up tickets for live…
Where Is the Cast of Can’t Hardly Wait Now?
In honor of iconic teen comedy Can’t Hardly Wait graduating to it’s 27th reunion, let’s check in on Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry and the other members of Huntington Hillside’s class of ’98. Yesterday’s history. Tomorrow’s the future. Tonight’s the party! The cast of 1998’s Can’t Hardly Wait walked so iconic teen fare like She’s…
The idea was to crush his spirit’: family of jailed British-Egyptian man describe awful prison conditions
As Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s mother remains on hunger strike, supporters say activist’s continued detention is campaign of vengeance by Egypt’s president Family, friends and supporters of the jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah have spoken about the conditions of his long imprisonment as his mother, Laila Soueif, remains in a London hospital in declining health…
FEMA Overhaul Will Come after Hurricane Season, Trump Says
Trump Says FEMA Overhaul Will Come after Hurricane Season States will continue to get FEMA federal disaster aid this year but may see less assistance after changes made in 2026 By Thomas Frank & E&E News Remnants of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge are seen along the Broad River in a landscape scarred by Hurricane…
London-bound Air India flight with more than 240 aboard crashes in Ahmedabad, India
By The Associated Press AHMEDABAD, India — An Air India passenger plane bound for London with 244 people onboard crashed Thursday in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad, the airline and local media reported. Visuals on local television channels showed smoke billowing from the crash site near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city with a population…
Trump trade deal shows how vital China’s rare-earth metals are to US defense firms
Draft agreement may reassure top US military suppliers after president’s tariffs flip-flopping threatened production The draft trade agreement with China announced by Donald Trump on Wednesday would ease concerns from top US military suppliers about rare-earth metals and magnets that, if cut off permanently, could hobble production of everything from smart bombs to fighter jets…
Immigration enforcement ramps up, tensions persist in big cities
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán As tensions persist following mass immigration raids in Los Angeles, people continue to rally in protest of the Trump administration’s detention and deportation of immigrants. However, things on Wednesday quieted down in some parts of the country, including New York City, where just a few hundred protesters gathered outside the city’s immigration court.…
Chris Mason: Spending Review is a gamble on patience in an era of impatience
The hours, days, weeks and even months after a Spending Review can feel like peeling away the layers of an onion. First, there is the speech from the chancellor in the Commons: the political rhetoric and the numbers often designed to sound big but which are often incomprehensible. Then there are accompanying documents – in…
Planned NIH Cuts Threaten Americans’ Health, Senators Charge in Tense Hearing
Planned NIH Cuts Threaten Americans’ Health, Senators Charge in Tense Hearing Senators grilled NIH director Jayanta Bhattacharya the day after more than 300 NIH staff members sent him a fiery letter protesting the cancellation of thousands of research projects By Max Kozlov & Nature magazine U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jayanta (Jay) Bhattacharya…
Kristin Cavallari Pissed After Awkward Reunion With First Boyfriend
Kristin Cavallari‘s blast from the past did not turn out like she had hoped. The Laguna Beach alum reunited with her very first boyfriend during the June 11 episode of E!’s Honestly Cavallari: The Headline Tour—and it did not go well. “I’m going to be pulling up Johnny, my very first boyfriend from Chicago,” Kristin…
In treasured islands, Indonesia halts mining
Conservationists praise move that protects one of the most biodiverse marine areas on Earth. A jewel of the “Coral Triangle” just got a reprieve. The government of Indonesia announced this week that it had revoked the mining permits of four companies operating in Raja Ampat — an island chain in the country’s eastern province of…
New Map Shows How Gun Deaths of Children Have Increased in States with Loose Firearm Laws
New Map Shows How Gun Deaths of Children Have Increased in States with Loose Firearm Laws Gun violence is the leading cause of death of children in the U.S.—and states with loose gun control laws bear the heaviest burden, a new study found By Allison Parshall edited by Dean Visser Join Our Community of Science…
Bachelor’s Kaity Biggar & Zach Shallcross Are Married
The Bachelor‘s Kaity Biggar and Zach Shallcross, who got engaged in 2023 on season 27 of the ABC dating show, got married in Texas on May 23. Kaity Biggar and Zach Shallcross have swapped their roses for wedding rings. The couple, who met and got engaged in Thailand during the season 23 finale of The Bachelor in 2023,…
Reeves boosts NHS and housing as some budgets squeezed
Rachel Reeves has announced an extra £29bn per year for the NHS in England, along with funding boosts for defence and housing, as she set out the government’s spending plans until the end of the decade. The chancellor also promised more money for artificial intelligence and transport projects, saying “renewing Britain” was at the heart…
In Miami, deportations are raising concerns among Cuban-Americans
By Greg Allen In Florida, the growing number of immigrants being deported are raising concerns among some of President Trump’s most loyal voters: Cuban-Americans. Before last year’s election, more than two-thirds of Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade County told pollsters they supported Trump. But the Trump administration’s recent actions on immigration are drawing criticism from Cuban-Americans and…
At least seven dead and 50 wounded as Colombia hit with bombings and gun attacks
Police say 19 attacks launched on targets in Cali and nearby areas, hitting police posts, municipal buildings and civilians Colombia has been rocked by a string of coordinated bomb and gun attacks that killed at least seven people and wounded at least 50 across the country’s south-west, deepening a security crisis roiling the Andean country.…
Seven ways the Spending Review will affect you
All the talk of departmental budgets and fiscal rules may feel somewhat distant from the cost of food shopping and your finances. The Spending Review is not a Budget in which taxes are changed or a host of new policies announced. But, don’t be fooled, it will have an impact on you and your money.…
Solar Orbiter Captures the First-Ever Images of the Sun’s South Pole
Behold the First Images of the Sun’s South Pole Solar Orbiter isn’t the first spacecraft to study the sun’s poles—but it’s the first to send back photographs By Meghan Bartels edited by Lee Billings A radiance map from Solar Orbiter’s SPICE instrument shows the location of carbon ions in the region of the sun’s atmosphere…
Elon Musk says some of his social media posts about Trump ‘went too far’
By Rachel Treisman Days after the very public breakup of President Trump and his former adviser Elon Musk, the latter appears to be doing damage control. “I regret some of my posts about President [Trump] last week,” Musk posted on X, his social media platform, just after 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday. “They went too…
‘Win-win’: new maps reveal best opportunities for global reforestation
New study shows regions with best potential to regrow trees and suck climate-heating CO2 from the air New maps have revealed the best “win-win” opportunities across the world to regrow forests and tackle the climate crisis, without harming people or wildlife. The places range from the eastern US and western Canada, to Brazil and Columbia,…
Everything Todd and Julie Chrisley Have Done Since Prison Release
On Todd and Julie Chrisley’s to-do list since they were pardoned of their fraud and tax crimes by President Donald Trump: Time with family, shopping for essentials and a hair refresh. Todd Chrisley will never forget the moment he learned he and his wife Julie Chrisley were being pardoned by President Donald Trump. It had been…
‘The odds are astronomical’: Canadian man wins lottery jackpots four times
Cancer survivor David Serkin won draws in August, November and May, and another more than a decade ago How do you say “lottery winner” in western Canada? The answer is: David Serkin, the name of the cancer survivor from Alberta who won three separate lottery jackpots between August and May to accumulate about $2.5m in…
See the Stars of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Then & Now
Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? We’re marking the 39th anniversary of John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off by checking out what Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara and Jennifer Grey are up to now. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” For instance: It’s been…
Protests grow across the U.S. as people push against Trump’s mass deportation policies
By Sergio Martínez-Beltrán , Jasmine Garsd NEW YORK — “ICE out of New York!” Those were the words thousands of people chanted near the city’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office, and throughout the streets of Manhattan Tuesday night as part of a series of nationwide rallies against President Trump’s immigration sweeps and the…
Reeves to set out spending plans up to next election
Rachel Reeves is preparing to unveil her highly anticipated spending review, setting out how much money the NHS, schools, police and other public services will get over the next few years. The chancellor will emphasise plans to “invest in Britain’s renewal” by spending an extra £113bn on infrastructure, such as energy and transport projects in…
Love Island USA Season 7 Is Here: Shop E!’s Favorite Merch
Love Island USA is back, and we’ve got the hottest merch to channel villa vibes all summer. The products featured in this article are from brands available in NBCUniversal Checkout. E! makes a commission on purchases. Welcome back to the villa! Love Island USA has returned for Season 7. This year’s drama is sure to be…
Gorilla Gourmets Are Actually Truffle Hunting
Gorilla Gourmets Really Dig Their Truffles, Study Finds Researchers followed gorillas for years to uncover truffle-hunting behavior—and it may be socially transmitted By Rachel Nuwer edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Soil-scratching gorillas. Join Our Community of Science Lovers! Gaston Abea remembers his grandfather telling him that the gorillas living near their village in the northern…
The U.S. and China have agreed on a framework to resolve their trade disputes
By The Associated Press LONDON — The U.S. and China have agreed in principle on a framework to carry out an agreement they reached on resolving their trade disputes last month, Chinese state media said. The announcement followed Tuesday’s conclusion of two days of talks in London. The earlier agreement had been shaken by a…