Can Life Survive the Death of the Sun?
The UniverseFridays When the Sun Becomes a Red Giant, Will Any Planet Be Safe? The future is bright—too bright—for life as we know it once the sun transforms into a red giant star By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings An artist’s impression of the far-future sun, swollen to become a red giant star, as […]
Proof That Adult Brains Make New Neurons Settles Scientific Controversy
Proof That Adult Brains Make New Neurons Settles Scientific Controversy Adult brains grow new neurons, and scientists have finally pinpointed where they come from By Nora Bradford edited by Allison Parshall Neural precursor cells (green) are have been difficult to identify in human brians. Join Our Community of Science Lovers! For at least six decades, […]
Astronomers Found the Most Self-Destructive Planet in the Sky
Astronomers Found the Most Self-Destructive Planet in the Sky This planet triggers flares on its star—spelling its ultimate doom By Jacek Krywko edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier In this artist’s impression, the planet HIP 67522 b sends a wave of energy along magnetic field lines toward the surface of its host star—triggering a massive flare […]
In effort to protect children, France bans smoking at parks and beaches
Eleanor Beardsley PARIS — A restrictive outdoor smoking ban has come into force in France, a country where café culture, which often includes a glass of wine and a cigarette, is a way of life. As of Sunday, smokers are no longer allowed to light up in public parks, at swimming pools, or at beaches, […]
Kickstarter Tabletop Alert: ‘Deep Regrets’
Can you keep your sanity while fishing up increasingly strange things from the ocean? Deep Regrets is a strategic, horror-themed fishing game for 1-5 players, ages 16 and up, and takes about 30-150 minutes to play. The base game, along with the new expansion, Even Deeper Regrets, is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, with a […]
Trudeau says ‘not a snowball’s chance in hell’ Canada will join US
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hit back at Donald Trump’s threat to use “economic force” to absorb Canada into the US saying there isn’t “a snowball’s chance in hell” to join the two. President-elect Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly needled Canada about it becoming the 51st US state. “You get rid of that…
Dangerously Cold Temperatures Are Way below Normal, but ‘Normal’ Is Getting Warmer
Frigid Temperatures Are Way below Normal This Week, but ‘Normal’ Is Getting Warmer Blasts of Arctic air have brought frigid temperatures that are much colder than normal to parts of the U.S., but that “normal” background is warmer than in the past By Richard B. (Ricky) Rood & The Conversation US Firefighters with Louisville Fire…
Below Deck Down Under Trailer Teases Aesha Scott’s Intense Replacement
Below Deck Down Under is entering unchartered territory with a new season three location. Meet Captain Jason Chambers’ new team of yachties in the drama-filled first look. Below Deck Down Under is boldly going where it’s never been before. Captain Jason Chambers and crew are sailing into the Seychelles off the coast of Eastern Africa…
Streeting says he is ashamed of NHS winter problems
The health secretary has said some patients’ experience of the NHS this winter makes him feel “ashamed”. Wes Streeting said he had seen patients left crying and distressed and stuck in corridors, as hospitals struggle to cope. It comes as a number of NHS trusts declare critical incidents due to exceptionally high demand in A&E.…
More People Are Dying in Cold Weather, Especially Older Adults
More People Are Dying in Cold Weather, Especially Older Adults Rising temperatures might be altering the atmosphere in ways that cause more extreme winter weather, scientists say By Chelsea Harvey & E&E News An unhoused person walks near the U.S. Capitol during a snowstorm on January 6, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Join Our Community of…
Male mosquitoes to be genetically engineered to poison females with semen in Australian research
Approach could be used to limit outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, which results in 390m cases annually worldwide Toxic male mosquitoes will poison females with their semen in a new population control method developed by Australian researchers. The method involves genetically engineering males to produce spider and sea anemone venom proteins, which…
Europe leaders criticise Musk attacks
Few European leaders have felt the lash of Elon Musk’s social media outbursts more than Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The tech-billionaire owner of X has called him an “incompetent fool” and urged him to resign. On Thursday Musk will use his platform to host Alice Weidel, the head of Germany’s far-right, anti-immigrant AfD for a…
Florida judge blocks release of special counsel report on Trump cases
By Carrie Johnson , Ximena Bustillo Florida Judge Aileen Cannon on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from releasing a final report by special counsel Jack Smith, in the latest setback for federal criminal charges against Donald Trump. Prosecutors dropped two criminal cases against Trump after he won the 2024 election, and the final report…
Trump refuses to rule out using military to take Panama Canal and Greenland
Remarks likely to set off alarm bells around the world as Trump prepares to return to the White House this month Donald Trump is refusing to rule out using American military force to retake control of the Panama Canal and seize Greenland, citing economic security as a driving factor. Speaking at a Tuesday press conference…
Pregnant Brittany Mahomes’ Due Date Is Much Sooner Than You Think
Patrick Mahomes revealed pregnant Brittany Mahomes’ due date for the couple’s third baby is just around the corner. This pregnancy is rapidly approaching the end zone. While it might seem like just yesterday Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Mahomes announced she was pregnant with their third baby, it turns out her due date is just days…
Trump threatens ‘very high’ tariffs on Denmark over Greenland
US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened “very high” tariffs on Denmark if it resists his effort to take control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. Asked during a news conference Tuesday if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take control of the strategically-important island, he said: “No, I can’t…
Venezuelan opposition leader says son-in-law kidnapped in Caracas
Edmundo González Urrutia, who fled in exile to Spain in September, says son-in-law was seized by ‘hooded men’ Venezuela’s Edmundo González Urrutia, who the opposition says won a July presidential election against incumbent Nicolás Maduro, has said that his son-in-law was seized by “hooded men” in Caracas. “This morning my son-in-law Rafael Tudares was kidnapped,”…
Where Grace O’Malley Stands With Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia
Barstool Sports alum Grace O’Malley discussed her fallout with former PlanBri cohost Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia in a new interview, revealing whether she thinks the two can save their friendship. Grace O’Malley is hopeful she and Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia can patch things up. Amid the childhood best friends and former PlanBri podcast cohosts’ ongoing feud, Grace revealed…
Venezuela’s Opposition Candidate Says His Son-In-Law Was Kidnapped
Edmundo González, who is recognized by the United States as the president-elect of Venezuela, said his son-in-law was kidnapped by hooded men. By Genevieve Glatsky The man widely called the true winner of Venezuela’s tainted presidential election said on Tuesday that his son-in-law had been kidnapped by hooded men in Caracas, the capital. Edmundo González…
NASA hedges its bets on costly Mars rock mission
Nell Greenfieldboyce NASA’s Perseverance rover took this photo next to a rock where it drilled for samples. NASA wants to bring samples collected by this rover back to Earth. On the surface of Mars, a rover has filled over two dozen airtight titanium tubes with pristine rock samples, each a little thicker than a pencil.…
Ireland Joins South Africa’s Genocide Case Against Israel
Middle East Crisis Ireland had said it would intervene in the case at the International Court of Justice, arguing that Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to collective punishment. By Megan Specia Reporting from London Ireland has formally joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, according to a statement on Tuesday from the International Court of…
US declares Sudan’s paramilitary forces committed genocide during civil war
Blinken details pattern of systematic ethnic violence in which RSF killed civilians and blocked access to supplies The United States has formally declared that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have committed genocide during the country’s ongoing civil war, marking the second time in less than 30 years that genocide has been perpetrated in Sudan. Antony Blinken,…
Brenda Song Reveals Name of Her and Macaulay Culkin’s 2-Year-Old Son
Brenda and Macauley quietly welcomed their second child in 2022, after the birth of their son Dakota in 2021. Find out his name. Brenda Song is giving new insight into her and Macaulay Culkin’s family. Including sharing the name of their youngest son for the first time. More than two years after the pair quietly…
Boy, 14, stabbed to death on London bus
A 14-year-old boy has been stabbed to death on a double-decker bus in what police have described as “a horrendous crime”. The victim was killed on the 472 bus on Woolwich Church Street near the junction with the A205 South Circular Road in Woolwich, south-east London, at about 14:30 GMT. The teenager died at the…
Shein lawyer refuses to tell MPs if fashion firm uses Chinese cotton
A senior lawyer representing Shein has repeatedly refused to say whether the company sells products containing cotton from China, prompting an MP to brand her evidence “ridiculous”. Yinan Zhu, general counsel for the fast-fashion giant, confirmed its suppliers did manufacture products in the country, but declined to say whether they used Chinese cotton. Firms that…
Trump threatens Canada with ‘economic force’ amid turmoil over Trudeau exit
With an outgoing PM, suspended parliament and promised harsh tariffs, Canada scrambles to find a new leader President-elect Donald Trump has said the US will use “economic force” against its close ally Canada, doubling down on threats to impose protectionist tariffs on one of the US’s biggest trading partners. The remarks are likely to further…
A Dutch project publicizes the names of half a million suspected Nazi collaborators
By Rachel Treisman The names of nearly half a million people suspected of collaborating with the Nazis during their occupation of the Netherlands have been published online for the first time, 80 years after the end of the Holocaust. The Central Archives of the Special Jurisdiction (CABR) is the largest World War II archives in…
Trump Raises Using Military or Economic Force to Take Greenland and the Panama Canal
Trump Transition In an hourlong news conference at his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, the president-elect delivered a hodgepodge of grievances, complaints and false claims. By Michael D. Shear White House correspondent President-elect Donald J. Trump said Tuesday that he would not rule out the use of military or economic coercion to force Panama to give up…
Musk’s ‘disinformation’ endangering me, says Jess Phillips
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has told BBC’s Newsnight that “disinformation” spread by Elon Musk was “endangering” her but that it was “nothing” compared to the experiences of victims of abuse. Asked if the threat to her own safety had gone up since his social media posts and whether protections were in place, Phillips replied “yes”.…
Austria’s far-right leader to invite centre right for coalition talks
Herbert Kickl’s move could pave way for anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Freedom party to govern country The leader of Austria’s anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Freedom party has said he intends to invite the mainstream centre-right party for coalition talks, potentially paving the way for the far right to rule the country for the first time since the second world…
Brazilian Nun Named World’s Oldest Living Person at 116
A soccer-loving nun from Brazil, Inah Canabarro Lucas, has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living person at the age of 116. This nun is in the habit of living well. Following the recent death of a woman from Japan, Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas—a soccer-loving nun from Brazil—has become the oldest…
Trump in news conference says ‘all hell will break out’ if Gaza hostages not released
By Franco Ordoñez , Lexie Schapitl PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated his threat that “all hell will break out” if Hamas does not agree to release hostages it has held in Gaza by the time he returns to the White House on Jan. 20. The comments came during a press…
Short of Heat and Power, the Breakaway Region of Transnistria Struggles Without Russian Gas
Russia-Ukraine War An energy crisis in Transnistria, a pro-Russian territory between Moldova and Ukraine, erupted on Jan. 1 when Moscow stopped supplying natural gas through a pipeline running across Ukraine. By Andrew Higgins After struggling without heat for six days, a breakaway region in the Eastern European country of Moldova is now short of electricity,…
The U.S. says Sudan’s rebel forces have committed genocide
By The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Tuesday that a Sudanese paramilitary group and its proxies are committing genocide in a civil war with the country’s military that has killed tens of thousands of people, leveling sanctions on the group’s leader and affiliated companies. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the conflict,…
SNL50 Trailer Teases Pete Davidson and More Stars’ Cringe Auditions
Saturday Night Live‘s most iconic stars are going back in time and sharing never-before-told stories about their memorable sketches in Peacock’s SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night trailer. Saturday Night Live‘s biggest stars are taking a walk down memory lane. Peacock has released the first trailer for SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, a new documentary celebrating the long-running…
UK long-term borrowing costs at highest since 1998 amid fears over weak growth
Yield rises above peak reached when Liz Truss’s mini-budget in 2022 caused turmoil in markets The UK government’s long-term borrowing costs have reached the highest level since 1998 amid investor concerns over Britain’s sluggish growth prospects and stubbornly high inflation. The yield – in effect the interest rate – on UK 30-year government debt rose…
UK special forces investigated over Libya operation
Members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) are being investigated over a UK special forces operation in Libya two years ago, the BBC has been told. The Daily Mail, which first reported the investigation, said up to five members of the SBS were being investigated over an incident involving a car chase in which shots…
Ketamine could be reclassified as Class A drug
Ketamine could be upgraded to a Class A drug as the government seeks expert advice on its classification, the Home Office has said. Illegal use of the drug reached record levels last year, it said, with an estimated 299,000 people aged 16-59 reporting ketamine use in the year ending March 2023. Increasing ketamine’s classification would…
The Unique World of Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir Carter
Going everywhere with mom Beyoncé has had its perks for 13-year-old Blue Ivy Carter and 7-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, the artist’s three children with husband Jay-Z. Are there three children who’ve collectively than Blue Ivy Carter, Rumi Carter and Sir Carter? “My kids come with me everywhere I go,” Beyoncé told GQ this past summer of the…
Meta says it will end fact checking as Silicon Valley prepares for Trump
By Huo Jingnan , Shannon Bond Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the social media company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, would stop working with third-party fact-checking organizations. Repeating talking points long used by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies, in a video Zuckerberg said the company’s content moderation approach resulted too often in…
Party time at Damascus airport as international flights resume
First direct flight from Doha in 13 years touches down amid hopes SyrianAir fleet can be restored after war International flights resumed at Damascus airport for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, including the first direct flight from Doha in 13 years, to a party atmosphere in the arrivals hall. One woman…
In a workforce transformed by war, Ukrainian women are now working in coal mines
By Joanna Kakissis , Michael Robinson Chávez TERNIVKA, Ukraine — It’s still dark when the busload of miners arrives for the morning shift at this small city in eastern Ukraine’s coal country. Among the workers is 36-year-old Iryna Ostanko, effusive and athletic, smiling at her fellow coal workers in the cold dawn as they walk…
Cockney influences found in Scotland, Australia and New Zealand, says expert
Linguistics professor says dialect is most likely to be spoken in Essex, but aspects of it have also travelled farther afield The cockney dialect, as associated with the late EastEnders icon Dame Barbara Windsor, may not be as prevalent in today’s London, but it remains possibly the most influential English dialect across the world, according…
U.S. Says Sudan’s R.S.F. Committed Genocide and Sanctions Its Leader
Sudan’s Civil War A force fighting Sudan’s army in a brutal civil war committed massacres and rape that amount to genocide, the Secretary of State said. The United States sanctioned its leader and financial network. By Declan Walsh Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya The United States declared on Tuesday that a genocide took place in Sudan,…
See Zendaya Flash 5-Carat Engagement Ring From Tom Holland in New Pics
After Zendaya debuted her engagement to Spiderman costar Tom Holland at the 2025 Golden Globes, she stepped out in West Hollywood with all eyes were on her gorgeous new ring. With great romance comes great responsibility and a stunning diamond ring. Just one day after Zendaya debuted the gorgeous rock on her left ring finger…
Search launched for British hikers missing in Dolomites
A search and rescue operation is under way in the Dolomites in northern Italy for two British men who have gone missing on a hiking trip. Aziz Ziriat, 36, and Samuel Harris, 35, from London, were last heard from on 1 January after sending messages home from the Trentino region. They did not check into…
Spider-Man’s Marisa Tomei Reacts to Tom Holland & Zendaya’s Engagement
After Tom Holland and Zendaya’s engagement was confirmed, Marisa Tomei, who played Aunt May in the Spider-Man franchise, shared a sweet message. Zendaya and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man family is spinning out over their engagement news. After the Disney alum sported her engagement ring at the 2025 Golden Globes Jan. 5, with the couple’s happy news…
2 bodies found in JetBlue plane’s landing gear compartment at a Florida airport
By The Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Two bodies were found in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue aircraft at a South Florida airport, authorities said. The bodies were located in the wheel well area on Monday night at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the airline said in a statement to The Associated Press.…
McDonald’s boss says 29 people fired over abuse
The boss of McDonald’s in the UK has said 29 people have been dismissed over sexual harassment allegations over the past 12 months. Alistair Macrow also told MPs that the alleged cases published by the BBC on Tuesday were “abhorrent, unacceptable, and there is no place for them in McDonald’s”. It comes after workers at…
Death toll of Haiti gang violence rose to 5,600 in 2024, UN says
UN Human Rights Office adds that 2,200 were injured and nearly 1,500 kidnapped as international mission struggles More than 5,600 people were reported killed in Haiti last year, the UN has said, as an international mission led by Kenya struggles to contain rampant gang violence. The number of killings increased by more than 20% compared…
Campaign group report Prince Andrew to police over ‘false’ business name claim
The Duke of York has been reported to the police by anti-monarchist group Republic, as it claims a “false name” was used in registering Prince Andrew’s business interests. The name “Andrew Inverness” was used in registration details with Companies House – a reference to one of Prince Andrew’s lesser-known titles, the Earl of Inverness. The…
What Denise Richards Learned After Special Forces Boob Implant Injury
If Denise Richards can survive The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she can survive anything. At least that’s what the Wild Things actress now realizes after competing on season three of Fox’s grueling reality competition series Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. “It was an opportunity to do something I’ve never done before, very challenging and…
Australia’s housing market ‘buckling’ under widening gap between income and home values, report finds
Australia’s housing downturn is being driven by a widening gap between income, borrowing capacity and home values, but the dip is likely to be “shallow and short-lived”, a new report has found. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email “After almost two years, the housing market appears to finally be buckling to these pressures,”…
How Allison Holker Discovered Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ Drug Addiction
Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ widow Allison Holker recently opened up about discovering the depth of his drug addiction shortly before he was going to be laid to rest following his death in Dec. 2022. Allison Holker better understood her husband after his death. The 36-year-old recently opened up about how looking into her husband Stephen “tWitch”…
What Is the U.K. ‘Grooming Gang’ Scandal Seized On by Elon Musk?
The billionaire tech mogul has been posting on his social media platform about a decade-old child sex abuse scandal in Britain. Here’s what to know. By Megan Specia Reporting from London Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul, has flung himself into British politics in recent weeks, using his social media platform X to attack and…
Jean-Marie Le Pen, French fiery far-right leader, dies at 96
By The Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s far-right National Front who was known for fiery rhetoric against immigration and multiculturalism that earned him both staunch supporters and widespread condemnation, died Tuesday. He was 96. His statements — including Holocaust denial, racist denunciations of Muslims and immigrants, and his…
Facebook and Instagram get rid of fact checkers
Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style “community notes” where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users. In a video posted alongside by the company on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said third-party moderators were “too politically biased” and it was “time to…
Plants’ Photosynthetic Machinery Functions inside Hamster Cells
Plants’ Photosynthetic Machinery Functions inside Hamster Cells Transplanted chloroplasts endured two days inside animal cells—and got to work By Saugat Bolakhe edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Researchers transplanted chloroplasts from algae into Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) cells. Join Our Community of Science Lovers! More than a billion years ago a hungry cell devoured a tiny…
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Returns to Wrestling for Netflix WWE Raw
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson jumped back into the ring at Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome to kick off the Netflix premiere of WWE’s Raw—and he wasn’t alone. Dwayne Johnson is, once again, ready to rock. In fact, just hours after attending the 2025 Golden Globes, the Red One actor was the first one in the ring…
Number of children under 14 in adult watch houses in Queensland rises 50% in 12 months
Report to parliament states watch houses are an ‘inadequate place to keep young people overnight’ and are ‘harmful and traumatising’ The number of children aged 13 or under in Queensland’s adult watch houses has increased by 50% in 12 months, according to new statistics. The statistics – which were included in a paper tabled by…
Meredith Vieira’s Husband Richard Cohen Dead at 76 After MS Battle
Richard Cohen, the veteran journalist and husband of Meredith Vieira, has died at the age of 76 after a decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis. Meredith Vieira and her family are mourning the loss of their patriarch. Richard Cohen, the veteran CBS News journalist and husband of Vieira, died on Christmas Eve after a 50-year battle…
They were going to be doctors. Instead, they had to dodge bombs and flee war
By Maria Isabel Barros Guinle Mutwakil Ali was one step away from being able to work as a doctor in his homeland of Sudan. After graduating medical school in 2022, Ali was awaiting a hospital placement to complete his intern year and become a licensed physician — then war erupted. “We woke up from bombs…
Elon Musk’s DOGE Panel Won’t Fix Bureaucracy
Opinion Breaking the Constitution Won’t Fix the Bureaucracy A government efficiency panel threatens U.S. government competence and constitutional underpinnings, warn two administrative science experts By Thomas J. Greitens & M. Ernita Joaquin edited by Dan Vergano Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) carries his son “X” on…
Jean-Marie Le Pen – founder of French far right and ‘Devil of the Republic’ – dies at 96
Jean-Marie Le Pen founded France’s far right in the 1970s and mounted a strong challenge for the presidency. But it was only when he handed the reins on to his daughter that his rebranded party caught sight of power. He has died aged 96, his family has said. Le Pen’s supporters saw him as a…
Thailand bans imports of plastic waste to curb toxic pollution
Campaigners welcome move but say success depends on enforcement and global agreement on a treaty Thailand has banned plastic waste imports over concerns about toxic pollution, as experts warn that failure to agree a global treaty to cut plastic waste will harm human health. A law banning imports of plastic waste came into force this…