Digital models of the ancient molluscs Punk ferox and Emo vorticaudum, created from X-ray scans of their fossilsSutton et al. Nature (2025) Fossils of two prehistoric marine molluscs with distinctive spiky “hairstyles” have been discovered and named Punk and Emo. Their strange appearance highlights the ancient diversity of molluscs – which nowadays include organisms like snails, slugs, clams and octopuses. “Some people may be a bit down on molluscs. My partner called them loser animals. But they’re one of the really major branches of life,” says Mark Sutton at Imperial College London. He and his colleagues unearthed the finds, which…
Author: Team_NationalNewsBrief
Rescuers were sending a cage-like structure into one of South Africa’s deepest mines on Tuesday in an attempt to bring out survivors among hundreds of illegal miners trapped underground for months in an abandoned shaft. More than 100 are believed to have died of starvation or dehydration.A group representing the miners said that at least 18 bodies and 26 survivors have been brought out of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine since Friday, but more than 500 miners are still believed to be underground. Police said they are uncertain how many remain, but it is likely to be hundreds.The mine near the town of…
TikTok users in the US are migrating to a Chinese app called RedNote with the threat of a ban just days away.The move by users who call themselves “TikTok refugees” has made RedNote the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Store on Monday.RedNote is a TikTok competitor popular with young people in China, Taiwan and other Mandarin-speaking populations.It has about 300 million monthly users and looks like a combination of TikTok and Instagram. It allows users, mostly young urban women, to exchange lifestyle tips from dating to fashion.Supreme Court justices are due to rule on a law that set…
The TikTok ban is a complete disregard for the rights and freedoms of the American people. The ban is NOT about national security, but rather, the final attempt to prevent the people from connecting on an uncensored platform without backdoor government censorship. The law in question goes beyond TikTok as the government will only permit social platforms based in the US, therefore controlling the narrative and information the people can receive. It is not about privacy from the Chinese government. TikTok is not even available in mainland China as their version is heavily censored. TikTok is a subsidiary of ByteDance,…
As you have undoubtedly heard by now, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was traveling abroad in Ghana, Africa when the wildfires hit in California. When she finally flew home, she had a stunning interaction with a reporter where she couldn’t even respond to basic questions. What you may not know, unless you live in the Los Angeles area, is that when Karen Bass was running for mayor she promised that she would not go on international trips, something she liked to do frequently when she was a member of Congress. To make matters worse, the Ghana trip wasn’t even the…
NFL star Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany Mahomes have welcomed their third child.The couple announced their new family addition via a social media post on Monday with many fans congratulating them on their newest arrival.Brittany and Patrick tied the knot in March 2022 and already share two kids, a daughter named Sterling and a son named Bronze, who they welcomed in February 2021, and November 2022, respectively.Article continues below advertisementBrittany And Patrick Mahomes Announce Third Baby’s BirthInstagram | Patrick MahomesThe couple announced their third child’s arrival via a joint post on Instagram.They shared a picture of their hands cradling…
Aircraft battling fires raging through the Los Angeles area are dropping more than water: Hundreds of thousands of gallons of hot-pink fire suppressant ahead of the flames in a desperate effort to stop them before they destroy more neighbourhoods. The fires have killed at least 24 people, displaced thousands and destroyed more than 12,000 structures since they began last Tuesday (Jan 7). Four fires driven by strong Santa Ana winds have charred about 62 square miles, according to Cal Fire. Fire agencies say the suppressants — most often used to fight forest fires — are an invaluable tool. But what…
A huge village has sprung up on the golden sands of a beach in Malibu, housing thousands of firefighters. Firefighters from all over North America eat, sleep and recuperate on Zuma Beach when they aren’t battling the wildfires across Los Angeles. About 5,000 first responders mingle among the trailers and tents. The camp comes to life before dawn, as thousands line up for breakfast. The standards of dozens of firefighting battalions mark the presence of crews from across California and the western United States, as well as a contingent of newly arrived Mexicans. Breakfast is the most important meal of…
The first tennis major of the year, the 2025 Australian Open, kicked off Monday in Melbourne, Australia. Several top-ranked players dealt with early-season jitters. World No. 7 Novak Djokovic and World No. 11 Tommy Paul dropped their first sets but managed to regain form to advance. However, at least three notable players were ousted in the first round.11th-seeded Stefanos TsitsipasThe Greek suffered a shocking upset at the hands of 20-year-old American Alex Michelsen, who prevailed with a 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 win. Michelsen showed inexperience by committing eight double faults, allowing Tsitsipas back into the contest in the third set. However,…
As a percentage of G.D.P., more than a dozen contact group members now provide more security assistance to Ukraine than the United States does. And these investments in Ukraine are delivering returns here at home, boosting our defense industrial base and creating good jobs. Mr. Putin’s aggression even spurred the very outcome he had sought to prevent: NATO is now bigger, stronger and more united than ever.As a result, Ukraine has held off the second-largest military in the world — despite Mr. Putin’s reckless escalations and irresponsible nuclear saber rattling. Ukraine has fought brilliantly even as China, the second-largest economy…