us news

A fungus turns beetles into zombies and makes them die on flowers; scientists say the timing helps infect the next generation

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A fungus turns beetles into zombies and makes them die on flowers; scientists say the timing helps infect the next generation

A fungus infecting goldenrod soldier beetles can alter their behaviour before death and cause changes to their bodies afterwards. Researchers investigating Eryniopsis lampyridarum found infected Chauliognathus pensylvanicus beetles clamped their mandibles tightly onto flower heads shortly before dying. Between 15 and 22 hours after death, the fungus caused the beetles to raise their hardened forewings … Read more

UK mortgage approvals fall to lowest level since January 2024 as housing demand weakens

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UK mortgage approvals fall to lowest level since January 2024 as housing demand weakens

UK mortgage approvals for home purchases hit a new low, highlighting a weakened demand in the housing market amid rising borrowing costs. Mortgage approvals for house purchases in the UK fell to their lowest level since January 2024 in July, signalling weaker demand in the housing market as borrowing costs continue to weigh on prospective … Read more

A West Virginia high school built in 1923 has reopened 103 years later as a 40-room hotel, with its old classrooms turned into guest rooms and gathering spaces

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A West Virginia high school built in 1923 has reopened 103 years later as a 40-room hotel, with its old classrooms turned into guest rooms and gathering spaces

Exterior facade of Hill Hall Hotel in Fayetteville, West Virginia. A historic West Virginia high school built in 1923 by Italian stonemasons has reopened its doors 103 years later as a 40-room boutique hotel. Former classrooms have been turned into guest rooms, lounges and shared spaces for visitors. The Hill Hall Hotel, located in downtown … Read more

Your AI may soon be able to pay for things through UPI without asking every single time: Here is how India plans to control it

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Your AI may soon be able to pay for things through UPI without asking every single time: Here is how India plans to control it

India’s digital payment journey has evolved from passwords, PINs and OTPs to fingerprints and facial authentication, making transactions faster and more seamless. Now, with AI, the next step could be completely hands-free payments, where systems recognise users, assess transactions and authenticate payments almost invisibly.The country may allow AI agents to make small UPI payments without … Read more

Scientists rediscover a ‘ghost’ green mamba hidden in a Polish museum for decades after its 1885 discovery

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Scientists rediscover a ‘ghost’ green mamba hidden in a Polish museum for decades after its 1885 discovery

A green mamba specimen from São Tomé Island that dates back to 1885 has been found after decades of being regarded as lost, which gives scientists a rare opportunity to revisit the identity of one of the Gulf of Guinea’s most mysterious snakes. Adolfo Möller found the specimen during an expedition to the island, after … Read more

After his wife of 43 years died, a New York widower looked for companionship online; the woman he met was fake and took $800,000 from his retirement savings

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After his wife of 43 years died, a New York widower looked for companionship online; the woman he met was fake and took $800,000 from his retirement savings

When Simon’s wife of 43 years died, the loss left him struggling with a loneliness he had never known. Like many widows and widowers, he eventually turned online, hoping to find some companionship. Instead, he found Emily. The woman seemed real. The conversations continued and a relationship began to take shape. But Emily did not … Read more

Meet the ‘Turtle Women’ of Amazon: 7 Indigenous women are bringing vulnerable river turtles back from the brink after releasing 208 baby turtles into the wild

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Meet the 'Turtle Women' of Amazon: 7 Indigenous women are bringing vulnerable river turtles back from the brink after releasing 208 baby turtles into the wild

Seven Indigenous Siekopai women in Ecuador’s Amazon are using ancestral knowledge, modern technology and community-led conservation to give vulnerable river turtles a better chance of survival. Known as the Tari Nomiowa’i, or “Turtle Women”, the group patrols the banks of the Aguarico River in search of charapa turtle nests, carefully collects eggs threatened by flooding, … Read more

Two Amazon delivery drivers carried an 85-year-old Kentucky woman’s printer inside; minutes later she stopped breathing and they performed CPR that helped save her life

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Two Amazon delivery drivers carried an 85-year-old Kentucky woman’s printer inside; minutes later she stopped breathing and they performed CPR that helped save her life

The woman’s son thanked Eric and Shawn for saving his mother’s life. (AI enhanced image) An ordinary delivery turned into a medical emergency for two Amazon delivery drivers in Covington, Kentucky, on Tuesday. Eric Bunzow and Shawn Beam had just delivered a printer to an 85-year-old woman when she suddenly collapsed.According to Fox 19, Bunzow … Read more

Colorado farmer Marc Arnusch turned down solar leases on 2,700 acres; instead he chose a conservation easement to protect the family farm, then faced an IRS audit

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Colorado farmer Marc Arnusch turned down solar leases on 2,700 acres; instead he chose a conservation easement to protect the family farm, then faced an IRS audit

Colorado farmer Marc Arnusch had a straightforward choice: accept millions of dollars from solar companies seeking to lease 2,700 acres of his family’s farmland, or keep the property in agriculture for the next generation. He chose the farm. Now, after spending nearly $1 million documenting a conservation easement, he is facing an IRS audit over … Read more

In 2003, crews began removing non-native fish from the Grand Canyon; by 2006 rainbow trout’s share of the catch had fallen from about 90% to under 10%

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In 2003, crews began removing non-native fish from the Grand Canyon; by 2006 rainbow trout’s share of the catch had fallen from about 90% to under 10%

In the depths of the Grand Canyon, scientists were trying to give native fish a better chance of survival, by taking other fish out of the Colorado River. A four-year fish-removal experiment conducted between 2003 and 2006 dramatically changed the composition of fish being caught in one section of the river. According to a 2011 … Read more