Comet Joins Colorful Aurora Australis in Tasmanian Sky
Ben Swanson, who captured the timelapse footage here, told Storyful it was the result of using three cameras to capture around 7,000 photos, which were then edited together.
The sequence captures the sun setting, followed by a crescent moon, with the Comet C/2024 G3 streak across the sky, before giving way to a stunning aurora.
The comet was visible from the Southern Hemisphere during January and early February due to its proximity to the sun, and it isn't expected to be seen again for thousands of years. Credit: Ben Swanson via Storyful
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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Boston Globe
Judge orders liquidation of Infowars to pay Sandy Hook families
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up AVIATION Advertisement Startup Merlin Labs valued at $800 million in deal to go public Merlin Labs wants to test its autonomous aviation software at Hanscom. Photo courtesy of Merlin Labs Autonomous aviation startup Merlin Labs will soon be soaring into the public markets now that it has signed a deal to merge with a blank-check company early next year. The terms of the deal, with a special purpose acquisition company managed by New York-based Inflection Point, values Boston-based Merlin at $800 million, prior to the results of a follow-on private purchase of shares. Merlin chief executive Matt George says the money raised by going public will help Merlin add more employees to its 170-person workforce and also provide capital for future acquisitions. Merlin is working on tech that will allow commercial and military planes to be flown with only one pilot, and eventually without one at all. George said the firm is close to signing a lease to take over much of a former Navy hangar in Bedford at Hanscom Field, once used to house a corporate jet fleet for defense contractor Raytheon (now RTX). Merlin could eventually employ as many as 200 people there. Last year, the company landed a $105 million contract with the Department of Defense to integrate Merlin Pilot software into the C-130J airlifter manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Inflection Point chief executive Mike Blitzer will join the Merlin board as a result of the upcoming deal; Inflection Point's recent successes include two other companies launched through similar SPAC deals, USA Rare Earth (current market cap of $1.7 billion) and Intuitive Machines (worth $1.6 billion today). — JON CHESTO Advertisement HEALTH CARE Costco will not sell abortion pills after pressure from conservatives A Costco Wholesale store in Everett. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Boston Globe Costco will not dispense a key abortion pill at its pharmacies, a long-awaited win for conservatives trying to limit access to medication abortion. For more than a year, Costco deliberated over whether to become certified to dispense mifepristone, the drug used first in the typical two-step regimen for a medication abortion. The procedure, often easier and cheaper than the surgical alternative, is the option women in America most frequently choose to end pregnancies. Costco received pressure from groups on both sides of the issue, many of them investors in the nationwide grocery giant. The company's decision not to sell the pill, first reported by Bloomberg, is a victory for antiabortion advocates — but a narrow one. Despite lawsuits and letters pleading to lawmakers, their campaign to thwart access to abortion pills has otherwise been slow-moving. Patients can still access medication abortion in all 50 states, even those where the procedure is illegal, because of laws allowing the pills to be remotely prescribed and mailed. In a statement Thursday, Costco said the decision was 'based on the lack of demand from our members and other patients.' The company did not answer further questions from The Washington Post about the influence of outside groups. — WASHINGTON POST Advertisement SPORTS LA Olympics to sell naming rights to some venues in game-changing deal for 2028 Organizers of the Los Angeles Olympics will sell naming rights for a handful of its venues in deals expected to bring multiple millions of dollars to the 2028 Games while breaking down the International Olympic Committee's long-sacrosanct policy of keeping brand names off its arenas and stadiums. The organizing committee announced the landmark deal Thursday, saying contracts were already in place with two of its founding partners — Honda, which already has naming rights for the arena in Anaheim that will host volleyball, and Comcast, which will have its name on the temporary venue hosting squash. LA28 chairman and CEO Casey Wasserman said revenue from the deals goes above what's in LA's current $6.9 billion budget. He portrayed the deal as the sort of paradigm-shifting arrangement that Los Angeles needs more than other host cities because, as is typical for American-hosted Olympics, the core cost of these games aren't backed by government funding. — ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSING Average rate on a 30-year mortgage drops to lowest level since October A "for sale" sign displayed in front of a single-family home on July 17, 2025, in Derry, N.H. Charles Krupa/Associated Press The average rate on a 30-year US mortgage fell this week to its lowest level in nearly 10 months, giving prospective homebuyers a sorely needed boost in purchasing power that could help inject life into a stagnant housing market. The long-term rate fell to 6.58 percent from 6.63 percent last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.49 percent. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also fell. The average rate dropped to 5.71 percent from 5.75 percent last week. A year ago, it was 5.66 percent, Freddie Mac said. Elevated mortgage rates have helped keep the US housing market in a sales slump since early 2022, when rates started to climb from the rock-bottom lows they reached during the pandemic. Home sales sank last year to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. This is the fourth week in a row that rates have come down. The latest average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now at its lowest level since Oct. 24, when it averaged 6.54 percent. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement PHILANTHROPY Nike cofounder Phil Knight and wife give record $2 billion to Oregon cancer center, university says In this Sept. 26, 2015, file photo, Nike cofounder Phil Knight watched from the sidelines during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Oregon and Utah in Eugene, Ore. Ryan Kang/Associated Press Nike cofounder Phil Knight and his wife Penny Knight have pledged to donate $2 billion to Oregon Health & Science University's Knight Cancer Institute, the university announced Thursday, describing it as a record-breaking gift. 'This gift is an unprecedented investment in the millions of lives burdened with cancer, especially patients and families here in Oregon,' OHSU President Shereef Elnahal said in a statement. The donation will help ensure patients have access to various resources, including psychological, genetic, and financial counseling, symptom management, nutritional support and survivorship care, the university statement said. The university described it as the 'largest single donation ever made to a US university, college or academic health center.' It surpasses the $1.8 billion given by Michael Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins in 2018, described by that university at the time as the largest single contribution to a US university. Bloomberg also donated an additional $1 billion to Johns Hopkins last year, covering tuition, living expenses, and fees for students from families under certain income levels. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement CONSUMER SAFETY Werner recalls more than 100,000 ladders due to potential fall and injury hazard Werner on Thursday said it is recalling more than 100,000 faulty ladders due to a locking mechanism that can fail, potentially causing users to fall and injure themselves. In cooperation with federal consumer product regulators, Werner is recalling 122,250 Multi-Max Pro ladders that come in 20-foot and 24-foot sizes. The ladders were sold exclusively at Home Depot between November of 2021 and February of 2024 with prices between $200 and $281. The Illinois-based company said owners of the ladders being recalled should stop using them immediately and register at to begin the process for a full refund. Once owners have properly disposed of their ladders per Werner's instructions, the company said it will issue a check for a full refund. The ladders are silver with a blue top and a blue label on the side rail with an oval containing the word 'Werner' and 'MULTI MAX PRO.' The size and model numbers are ALMP-20IAA or ALMP-24IAA and have a long black rope in the back. Werner said it has received 18 reports of falls, including 14 reports of injuries resulting in bruising, lacerations, head injuries, and fractures to the wrist, leg, and ribs. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
China research ships are ramping up activity in U.S. Arctic, Coast Guard says
Chinese research ships are appearing more often in the United States Arctic than they have in years past, the U.S. Coast Guard said. In response, Coast Guard crews are ramping up their presence in U.S. Arctic waters to address what they've described in a news release as "increased activity" as of late by Chinese research vessels in that area. The Coast Guard has detected and responded to two Chinese research ships currently operating in the U.S. Arctic, and five similar vessels are being monitored in or near the polar region, according to the federal agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Last week, a C-130J Hercules aircraft from the U.S. Coast Guard station and military base in Kodiak, Alaska, identified the two Chinese research ships, called Ji Di and Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, as they traveled northeastward across the Bering Sea. The Coast Guard said the crew of its cutter Waesche responded for a second time to the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, a Liberian-flagged ship operated by the Chinese university Sun Yat-Sen, the following day, while the ship traveled in the Chukchi Sea above the Arctic Circle after exiting the Bering Strait. Those encounters with Chinese research vessels came after the Coast Guard deployed a C-130J Hercules aircraft to respond to another China-flagged research ship, the Xue Long 2, in July. That ship was operated by China's Polar Research Institute and detected about 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska, in the North American Arctic, the Coast Guard reported at the time. "The presence of these vessels is consistent with a three-year trend of increased activity from Chinese research vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic," the Coast Guard said in its latest news release on the matter. "Last year, three Chinese research vessels conducted research operations north of the Bering Strait."Faris Tanyos contributed to this report.
Newsweek
08-08-2025
- Newsweek
Scientists Reveal Secrets to Getting Your Cat to Love You
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As independent creatures, cats often get a reputation that they are hard to win over, but scientists might have cracked the code to building a stronger bond. A study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior presented 413 participants with a questionnaire based on the Cat/Dog-Owner Relationship Scale, or C/DORS, which measures the quality of the bond between felines and their owners—the first of its kind conducted in Spain. Results found the quality of an owner-cat relationship is related to factors such as lifestyle, breed, time spent alone, type of housing, behavioral problems and the number of cats living together. Thirteen of the 22 variables affected the relationship between cats and humans, while nine did not. Owners, or future pet parents, should consider the following factors when wanting to strengthen their bond with their cats, according to the study. A stock image of a woman holding a gray and white cat in her arms. A stock image of a woman holding a gray and white cat in her arms. Olezzo/Getty Images The Study's Findings Understanding Signals Cats are deliberate with every move. They use their eyes, tails and meows to communicate. Owners who understand their cat's vocalizations and signals tend to report stronger bonds. Learning a cat's signals can help identify signs of pain, fear, stress and more. Purebred vs. Mixed Breeds The study found purebred cats have a more positive relationship than non-pedigree felines, also known as mixed breeds, due to their predictable behaviors from selective breeding practices and tracing their ancestry. They tend to be more interactive. However, mixed-breed cats are adaptable and low-maintenance. They are often considered more independent than purebreds. Acquisition of Cats Owners who adopted or picked up felines as strays resulted in a "superior level of owner-rated attachment" when compared to those who purchased cats. The authors believe this could be due to a strong emotional connection adopters feel. They take on a humanitarian responsibility. While those who purchase cats, usually from breeders or pet shops, generally seek a specific breed, age, size or temperament. Behavioral Issues A cat's behavior, when moderate or severe, can erode a bond with an owner. Problematic behaviors might include aggression, house soiling or activity throughout the night. The impact depends on how the owner perceives the behavior. Time Spent Together To strengthen the bond with your cat, consider the amount of time spent together. The study found that cats who are left alone for less than four hours have a higher-quality relationship with their humans. Home Impacts Based on the study's answers, cats who live in apartments have a higher quality relationship with their humans. This may be due to proximity, more shared space and frequent interaction—like sleeping in their owner's bed. Apartment-living cats also have a stronger bond because owners tend to purchase more toys, spend more time together, allow them to use household objects and even celebrate their birthdays. Multi-cat homes can also positively impact the relationship between them and their owners. Felines might feel less alone. Owners of more than one cat tend to be more invested, understanding their signals and communication. There tends to be more interaction and higher engagement. Owners should be aware of the potential anxiety and stress cats might experience when living with other pets. The study did not find a significant impact of indoor versus outdoor cats on the relationship between them and humans. Improving Bonds While the overall relationship between owners and cats from this population remained strong, with an average score of 78.78 out of 100 on relationship quality, there is always room for improvement. The study noted some factors, including a cat's breed, are unable to be changed once adopted or brought home. However, owners can increase bonding time, learn the way felines communicate and how to correctly deal with unwanted cat behaviors before they lead to a strain on the relationship.
