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Deep-sea ‘hot tubs’ help octopus moms hatch their eggs faster

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most octopuses lead solitary lives. So scientists were startled to find thousands of octopus huddled together, protecting their eggs at the bottom of the ocean off the central California coast.Now researchers may have solved the mystery of why these pearl octopus congregate: Heat seeping up from the base of an extinct underwater volcano helps their eggs hatch faster.“There are clear advantages of basically sitting in this natural hot tub,” said Janet Voight, an octopus biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and co-author of the study, which was published Wednesday in Science Advances. The researchers calculated that the heated nest location more than halved the time it took for eggs laid there to hatch — reducing the risk of being munched by snails, shrimp and other predators. The nesting site, which the scientists dubbed an “octopus garden,” was first discovered in 2018 by researchers from the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and other i...

The first 2024 Republican presidential debate is set to kick off in Milwaukee. Follow live updates

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Follow along for live updates on the first 2024 Republican presidential debate, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. The field’s early front-runner, Donald Trump, is skipping the event in favor of an interview with Tucker Carlson instead.WHAT TO KNOW— Trump won’t be at the GOP’s first presidential debate. But his presence will be felt — Who’s in, who’s out, who’s boycotting: The 8 candidates expected on stage — Want to tune in for the debate? Here’s how to watch — Trump’s decision to back out tests Fox News’ ability to pivot again — The GOP presidential debate puts the spotlight on swing-state WisconsinCARLSON INTERVIEW WITH TRUMP TO AIR SHORTLY BEFORE DEBATEFormer Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s interview with Donald Trump will air at 8:55 p.m. Eastern time, just minutes before the first Republican presidential debate begins.Carlson says his interview with Trump will be posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The interview with the ear...

President Joe Biden to host Costa Rica President Chaves at the White House

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Costa Rica President Rodrigo Chaves at the White House on Tuesday, following an agreement between the two nations on possible legal pathways for migrants.White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday the two leaders will discuss how the nations can “build out inclusive and sustainable economies … advance democratic values in the region, promote safe and orderly migration … and address regional security challenges.”In recent years, Costa Rica, with a population of 5 million, has become one of the world’s leading spots for asylum requests. In June, Costa Rica and the U.S. agreed to open potential legal pathways to the United States for some of the Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants who are among the 240,000 asylum seekers in the Central American nation.The agreement was aimed at reducing the pressure on Costa Rica’s overwhelmed asylum system and heading off asylum seekers who could give up...

Heavy rain helps douse wildfires in Canada’s British Columbia

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

KELOWNA, British Columbia (AP) — Firefighters in a scenic region of British Columbia said Wednesday that heavy rain overnight helped douse wildfires that forced the evacuation of thousands of people from the Canadian province, as the cost of the devastating fires became clearer.Officials in southern British Columbia said 174 properties were partially or totally damaged by the fires that raged for days in the Okanagan Valley threatening towns in the Kelowna area, a summer destination about 90 miles (150 kilometers) north of the U.S. border.“Things are looking good,” West Kelowna fire Chief Jason Brolund said.“It rained last night and that’s a very positive sign. We had about an hour of rain. That combined with cooler temperatures and increased humidity is going to be a boost,” he said.Brolund said a total of 84 properties were partially or totally damaged in West Kelowna and the Westbank First Nation.Fire Chief Ross Kotscherofski of the North Westside fire rescue department said his ...

Stolen items offered to CU for display returned to England

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Historical items that belonged to Sir Alan Turing, known as the father of computer science, were recovered in Colorado and returned to England, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announced Tuesday.The items, including his PhD diploma from Princeton University, his Order of the British Empire Medal, a personal note from King George VI, school reports and photos, were returned this week to his boyhood school where his family originally placed them. Giving back: Aurora fraternity delivers supplies to 4th-graders An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations found that the items were stolen from the school, Sherborne School in Dorset, England, in 1984 when a person named Julia Schinghomes visited and took the items, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.She later changed her name to Julia Turing. In 2018, the items were found when they were offered to be displayed at the University of Colorado Boulder, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.The United S...

Colorado's back-to-school crashes spiked since 2018

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Roads have gotten deadlier in the 2020s and back-to-school season is no exception. Over the last decade, traffic deaths in Colorado have been on the rise, and state officials are making it a priority to take action to reverse this trend. Colorado lost nearly 750 lives to traffic fatalities in 2022. This is the most roadway deaths in the state since 1981.  Denver to clear homeless camp after downtown shooting As fledgling drivers return to high school and college in August and September, the number of traffic deaths within school-age groups has risen as well, according to a traffic study from USA Today. 'We found that from 2018 to 2021, August and September fatalities among 16- to 24-year-olds increased by 8% nationwide," reads the study. "In some states, the increase in traffic fatalities was as high as 325%."Colorado had the eighth-highest increase in summertime fatal crashes, rising 47% between 2018 and 2021. Colorado's rate of traffic fatalities among...

Police: 4-year-old girl reported missing from Overtown found safe in Mexico with grandparents

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

A 4-year-old girl who was reported missing from Miami’s Overtown neighborhood has been found safe in Mexico with her grandparents, police said.City of Miami Police confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that Carolina Rodriguez Vizcarra has been located.Miami Police worked with the Florida Department of Children and Families, the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to locate the child.A Florida Missing Child Alert was issued for Rodriguez Vizcarra on Tuesday.Investigators said they had been looking for the child since July. They initially were under the impression that she was with her mother, 34-year-old Carolina Vizcarra Olvera.Vizcarra Olvera had been in trouble with the law for allegedly abandoning her daughter at Mercy Hospital back in October 2021.“Two years ago, the mother went in to a local hospital and gave the same child to a person, not knowing that it was one of our officers that was off duty,” said Miami Police Officer Michael Vega.At the time, Vizcarra Olv...

10 arrested in bust of organized marine GPS theft ring across South Florida; 1 still at large

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

TAVERNIER, Fla. (WSVN) — In a joint effort between multiple agencies, 10 men were arrested following an investigation into a sophisticated marine GPS theft ring operating across the Keys and South Florida.The investigation, launched in May by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit and the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Marine Theft Task Force, tracked suspicious vehicles in Miami linked to marine thefts in Monroe County. The effort led to the collection of crucial cell phone data, which resulted in 11 arrest warrants. It also resolved multiple marine and GPS theft-related cases in Islamorada.The suspects, all living in Miami-Dade County, collectively face 122 charges. Juan Felipe Villegas, 19, bond set at $1,085,000Lazaro Arturo Gonzalez Munos, 22, bond set at $1,085,000Paul Moises Balbino Crespo, 23, bond set at $695,000Denzel Varona, 18, bond set at $465,000Jonathan Richard Lopez, 24, bond set at $200,000Anthony Manuel Guerra, 23, bond set at $...

Russian agency says mercenary leader Prighozin was aboard plane that crashed, leaving no survivors

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was aboard the plane that crashed north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing everyone on board, according to Russia’s civil aviation agency.Rosaviatsia posted a list of seven passengers and three crew members who it said were aboard the plane “according to the airline.” The private jet crashed en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the Russian capital.Exactly two months ago, Prigozhin led a short mutiny against the Russian military that President Vladimir Putin denounced as “treason” and “stab in the back.” The Russian leader vowed to avenge it.But the charges against Prigozhin were soon dropped, and the Wagner chief was allowed to retreat to Belarus, while reportedly popping back in Russia from time to time.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military earlier this year, was on the passenger...

Wagner boss Prigozhin killed in jet crash in Russia

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:44:39 GMT

Exactly two months after his failed coup, Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin died on Wednesday after his private jet crashed in flames on an internal flight within Russia, the country’s aviation authority said. Speculation is rife that Russian President Vladimir Putin — who is notoriously unforgiving of traitors and accused Prigozhin of “treason” in June — ordered the downing of the aircraft. It comes only a day after Russian media announced the firing of Sergei Surovikin, the former commander of Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, who has not been seen in public since the aborted Wagner coup. A former loyalist who was dubbed “Putin’s chef” for his role as a catering executive supplying the Kremlin, Prigozhin became embittered toward the Russian government’s handling of the war. In late June, his uprising commanded 24-hour global coverage after he seized the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and ordered a column of troops t...