North Korea has unveiled what it claims is a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine,” marking a dramatic escalation in the country’s military ambitions. State media released images showing the massive vessel under construction inside a shipyard, with reports describing it as an 8,700-ton class submarine nearing completion. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally toured the […]

It would be interesting to determine just how many Americans are familiar with fusion centers.  Created following the 9/11 attacks and as part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the intent was to improve “collaboration” between the federal government with State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) law enforcement.  More nauseating is that these fusion centers …

There are good jokes. There are bad jokes. Then there are ones like Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, co-stars of the upcoming musical drama Song Sung Blue, exchange during an appearance on LADbible’s "Snack Wars: Showdown." Early on in the YouTube segment, the two actors face off in a battle to crack each other up, reading wisecracks from cards—including one Jackman deemed "so bad and good." The now-viral result is both wholesome and hysterical, assuming you're cool with dad jokes.After they learn the premise of the bit ("first to laugh loses the round"), they both immediately agree that Hudson is doomed. But it’s a pretty close call throughout, as they struggle to keep a straight face while reading these delectably dorky lines. Hudson goes first: "What’s blue and not very heavy?…Light blue." That one earns a couple of smirks but no real laugh. Then Jackman fires off a future classic: "To the person who stole my copy of Microsoft Office: I will find you. You have my Word." Again, they both (barely) hold it together. - YouTube www.youtube.com "Jackman, who?"Then Hudson goes old-school: "Knock, knock." "Who’s there?" "Jackman." "Jackman, who?" "No, no. Hugh Jackman." She finally breaks with laughter, calling it "the best joke ever." Jackman agrees: "I’ve never heard that, but I’m totally keeping it. Is it really weird if I say that joke at a dinner party?" Hudson may have spoken too soon with the accolades, though: As they continue to read the rest, they laugh hysterically at this epic: "What do you call a fish with no eyes?…Fsh." An impressed Jackman calls it "the best joke I’ve heard in a decade," adding, "I’m totally keeping that." As for the "so bad and good" joke? It’s this one, bringing the game to a close: "I burned my Hawaiian pizza yesterday. I should have put it on Aloha temperature."The clip went viral on Reddit, and the comments proved the unifying power of simple, inoffensive humor. Here are some of the best reactions: "So silly. Love it""Being able to tell that joke to the guy it’s written about has got to be awesome""The fish joke has me laughing so hard""Great chemistry together" - YouTube www.youtube.com "You know you're getting old when you start laughing at dad jokes. My 10 year old was not amused by any of these except the fsh one.""What do you call a deer with no eyes? No-eye deer""This is so wholesome! I love Hugh Jackman. MERRY HUGH JACKMAS EVERYONE""When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes...apparent"Dad jokes: embarrassing but also helpfulWhile Jackman and Hudson are clearly on the same humor wavelength, not everyone appreciates the elegant subtleties of a good old-fashioned dad joke. That said, as Upworthy reported in 2023, these occasionally cringe-worthy zingers can have a genuine positive impact on child development. As Marc Hye-Knudsen wrote in an article for The British Psychological Society, "By continually telling their children jokes that are so bad that they’re embarrassing, fathers may push their children’s limits for how much embarrassment they can handle. They show their children that embarrassment isn’t fatal." - YouTube www.youtube.com

142 years ago, botanist James Beal had a unique idea for how we could learn more about seeds.Beal wanted to know just how long seeds of different kinds would remain viable in soil. Now, that might not sound like the most exciting research topic of all time, but understanding seed longevity actually plays a crucial role in agriculture, our food supply, and the preservation of biodiversity.in 1879, Beal decided to bury 20 bottles filled with seeds in the ground. The bottles were open to allow soil and some moisture to reach the seeds, but positioned in such a way that they would not fill with water. That would allow just enough moisture for the seeds to theoretically survive without sprouting.According to Popular Science, each bottle held 50 seeds form 21 different plant species, all mixed into sand. That's over 1,000 seeds per bottle. Beal's plan was to dig up a new bottle every five years and test to see if the seeds could still be successfully planted.After running the experiment himself for several years, it was time for Beal to retire. The work was handed off in 1910 to a fellow professor, and in a few years the timeline was shifted: A new bottle would be dug up every 10 years instead of 5. Shortly after, it was extended to 20 years.The Beal Seed Experiment is still ongoing, with the final bottle scheduled to be dug up sometime around the year 2100. The project has been handed off multiple times and, at 142 years old, is now one of the longest running active experiments of all time. See on Instagram The Beal Seed Experiment is currently in the capable hands of a team of scientists at Michigan State University.The research team most recently dug up a new bottle in 2021, a year delayed after the COVID-19 pandemic. The scientists ventured out in the dead of night so as not to expose the dug up seeds to any sunlight that may alter the experiment.Once they've collected the seeds, they plant them in fresh soil and see if they will sprout. Unsurprisingly, the most resilient of seeds typically belong to weeds. Others are more fragile.When seeds don't sprout, the scientists don't give up. After all, they need something to do for the next 20 years. They try a variety of groundbreaking techniques to try to revive the seeds and bring them back to life, including simulating winter with a shock of extreme cold, simulating exposure to fire smoke, and other experimental treatments they're ready to test.If seeds can not be revived, they are studied heavily. The scientists need to know what factors contribute to seeds that are better able to survive long periods of time dormant in the soil.After all, the Beal Botanical Garden writes, "We may yet see that ungerminated seeds remaining from this latest germination experiment are in fact viable, and simply haven’t been exposed to the right conditions." - YouTube www.youtube.com Why does this unique experiment still matter, nearly 150 years later?An article published in the Portland Press states, "Understanding the molecular basis of seed longevity provides important new genetic targets for the production of crops with enhanced resilience to changing climates."In other words, our food supply could, in the future, be dependent on our ability to bioengineer seeds and crops that can survive as temperatures rise and weather conditions change. The findings from Beal's study are also critical for maintaining healthy seed banks, which protect against catastrophic crop failures and global food crises. Knowing what factors allow a seed to be more resilient, how to make it last longer, and how to "bring it back to life" could be a matter of life or death.What an exciting line of work and an incredible honor to be a part of the team that gets to unearth the next bottle sometime around the year 2040. There are only a few left in the ground, making the collection most likely a once-in-a-lifetime scientific opportunity.

There are tiny snippets in time when a child seems to create a tight-knit bond of trust with a parent. Sometimes it happens in a flash—blink and you might miss it. But for 9-year-old Mason and his father, Dillon, one of those moments was luckily caught on video.It doesn't really matter so much why Mason got stuck on the roof at an afternoon holiday party. It's what happened next that was so moving for his family and online viewers. In a recent, viral-growing clip, we see Mason crouched at the edge of the roof, full of fear. He exclaims "I'm scared!" to which people shout words of support. But through the noise, he hears the calm words of his dad. "Sit down, take a breath. There's nowhere you can go that I'm not gonna catch you." See on Instagram Mason is still visibly frightened. Dad continues, "Listen, see this? There's nowhere you're gonna go I'm not gonna catch you." Mason hears this as they lock eyes. People continue to chant, "Trust your daddy" and "You got this." Dillon, with his arms outstretched, stays in control. "When you're ready. Stand up. And jump to me."Finally, on the count of three, Mason stands and jumps without abandon into his father's arms (who catches him perfectly). The fear turns into relief, which morphs into an emotional smile. Mason's father reminds him he's okay and that he's "got" him.Explained, in part, on his Aunt Tara's Instagram page, she writes: "This sweet boy (my nephew Mason) had to get his helicopter that landed on the roof and was terrified to get down. I was so impressed with how his daddy spoke to him calmly and reassured him that he wouldn’t let him fall. GOOD JOB DAD!!" She also notes, "What a powerful example of a FATHER. You can literally see the moment he gains courage after hearing what his daddy tells him. This is so heart-warming." A son jumps into his dad's arms after conquering his fear. Photo Credit: Tara Ludovici, (Used with permission)Already at nearly 90,000 likes in just a few days, there are over one thousand comments, many thrilled to see such a wholesome moment. A few questioned how he got up there in the first place. Tara answers in a comment, "We are at a Christmas party so he has all of his aunts/uncles and cousins there (that’s who’s talking in the background). It wasn’t his mom. He got a new helicopter for Christmas and it landed on the roof so his daddy lifted him up to grab it. We suggested he come down backwards, but I think he felt safer being able to see his dad."Some on Instagram had notes on all the people chanting, and Tara responds to this as well "Yes, the volume escalated quickly and everyone thought they were being encouraging. BUT, he was locked in on dad’s voice and I don’t think he even heard everyone else. I thought dad and Mason did a wonderful job together and wanted to share it." A dad proudly holds his son.Photo Credit: Tara Ludovici, (Used with permission)Many of the commenters seem deeply impressed. "The way he kept eye contact with his dad. Everyone was trying to help, but dad? HE'S THE GUY FOR THE JOB!"Another adds, "I absolutely love how his entire nervous system was telling him 'no' but that lock-in diverted focus from fear to only what the dad said. Epic. Love watching people build littler people."But it's when the dad says, "There's nowhere you're gonna go, I'm not gonna catch you," that seems to resonate most with people, Aunt Tara included. She answers a commenter who mentions it, "It was that part for me!" Dad gives son a hug. Photo Credit: Tara Ludovici, (Used with permission)