‘Dan Snow’s History Hit’ has been captivating listeners for almost a decade. Now it has a fresh new look and more of the history you love. With over 3 million listens each month, History Hit’s award-winning flagship podcast offers listeners a unique blend of enthusiasm and knowledge, intellectual discussion that is accessible to the widest possible audience, and the resources to go where other podcasts cannot – transporting listeners to where history happened. A new design and updated publishing schedule is designed to give listeners more time to enjoy each episode and for Dan Snow to delve deeper into the historical topics they love. Featuring three new releases every week, episodes will now be released on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. “We’re always listening and learning from what our listeners tell us,” says Steve Lanham, History Hit’s Head of Podcasts. “The refresh is centred on fitting our episodes around times which suit our listeners best. We are committed to bringing more of the stories that our audience loves, with even better storytelling and more in-depth analysis.” Dan Snow, Founder and Creative Director of History Hit and host of ‘Dan Snow’s History Hit’, adds: “We’ve listened to our fans and are excited to bring them this refreshed podcast experience. Whether we’re exploring ancient tombs or explaining the historical context behind today’s news, our goal is to make history accessible, engaging, and relevant to everyone.” Listen to ‘Dan Snow’s History Hit’ wherever you get your podcasts by following this link. Recent releases on the podcast include: The Terracotta Warriors Mini-Series: A 2-part series that follows Dan Snow in China as he unravels the mysteries of the First Emperor by exploring his colossal mausoleum. Society of the Snow: I Survived the Andes Flight Crash: The harrowing story of the rugby team who crashed in the Andes and had to resort to cannibalism to survive, told by those who were there. Dan Searches for the Stolen Irish Crown Jewels: Using tip-offs and insights from listeners, Dan intends to search for the missing Irish Crown Jewels that disappeared from Dublin Castle in 1907. The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Donald Trump: An in-depth look at the life and career of one of the most polarising figures in modern history.  

To study the rapidly changing ecosystems of Antarctica, researchers have recently created the first continent-wide map of its plant life.You might expect the color palette of Antarctica to be bright white with the odd icy blue and cold grey, but a surprising amount of green can also be found thanks to mini pockets of photosynthetic life. In the face of climate change and warming temperatures, it's likely the ice-capped continent will witness the growth of even more vegetation – a worrying trend that scientists are keen to keep an eye on.An international team of scientists, led by the University of Edinburgh with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), and Scottish Association for Marine Science, searched for Antarctica's green spaces using satellite data from ESA, as well as field studies carried out over several summer seasons.Their work detected almost 45 square kilometers (17.3 square miles) of vegetation, around 80 percent of which was located within the Antarctic Peninsula and neighboring islands. That may sound like a fair amount, but green space accounts for just 0.12 percent of Antarctica’s total ice-free area.“Our continent-scale map provides key information on vegetation presence in areas that are rarely visited by people. This will have profound implications for our understanding of where vegetation is located across the continent, and what factors influence this distribution,” Charlotte Walshaw, PhD researcher from the University of Edinburgh, who led the study, said in a statement.Maps of Antarctica show the distribution of (a) green vegetation, (b) lichens, and (c) green snow algae.Image credit: C V Walshaw et al/Nature Geosciences/2024 (CC BY 4.0)It isn’t easy for plant life to colonize new land in the harsh wilderness of Antarctica, although the long-standing natural order is starting to be disrupted. Writing for the Conversation, study author Claudia Colesie from the University of Edinburgh explains how plant colonization in Antarctica typically unfolds through several stages. First, pioneering algae and cyanobacteria settle on the land and live between soil and sand particles, where they create a surface for other organisms to grow upon. Lichens and mosses use the surface to establish themselves and grow. Larger planets can then lay their seeds within this soft and moist mossy cushionHowever, warming temperatures and shifting landscapes now mean it's much easier for plant life to establish itself here. Just two vascular plants are native to the continent: Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort. While these two species were once relatively rare on the ice-dominated continent, they’ve become increasingly common in the past couple of years due to rising temperatures.Furthermore, over 100 plant species have recently invaded Antarctica, including common lawn grass that has rapidly spread over sub-Antarctic Islands and appears to be working its way down the Antarctic Peninsula.“Getting an accurate map of the photosynthetic life of the continent gives us a baseline for assessing future change. As the continent warms and ice melts, we expect that areas of rock outcrop will expand, and vegetation will colonize more ground. This new map enables us to monitor these consequences of climate change,” added Peter Fretwell, remote sensing expert at BAS and co-author of the paper.The new study is published in the journal Nature Geosciences.

Two polar bears have attacked and killed a person working at a remote radar site in the Canadian Arctic. The fatal attack took place on Thursday, August 8, at the outpost on Brevoort Island in Canada's far northeastern Nunavut territory, according to Nasittuq Corporation, which runs the facility. “Nasittuq employees responded to the scene and one of the animals was put down. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues affected by this loss,” the company said in a statement. They added that they are not revealing the individual's identity at this time out of respect for their family.Nasittuq is an Inuit-controlled corporation that helps to operate and maintain the North Warning System, a network of 47 radar sites that span over 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) across Canada’s North. Operating since the late 1980s, its prime objective is to detect aircraft and cruise missiles across North America's polar region. The company also manages the infrastructure around the system, including its 47 helipads, gravel runways, over 118 buildings, and 311 bulk fuel storage tanks.Polar bears are ferocious apex predators that will hunt pretty much anything they can get their paws on – including humans. Large males can stand more than 3.3 meters (11 feet) tall on their hind legs.That said, fatal attacks against humans are fairly rare. A 2017 study found that males tend to attack when they are desperate and “nutritionally stressed,” while aggression from females was even rarer and most often attributed to the defense of their cubs. Between 1870 and 2014, there were 73 confirmed polar bear attacks, resulting in the deaths of 20 people and the injury of 63, across Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the US. However, it is evident that attacks are becoming more common – 47 of these attacks occurred between 1960 and 2009, and 15 attacks happened in the short period between 2010 and 2014.Part of the reason there’s been such an uptick in attacks is the melting Arctic sea causing more hungry polar bears to spend more time on land. Simultaneously, human activity is increasingly infringing upon the natural habitat of the bears, creating a perfect storm. “This is very tightly related to the decline in sea ice, as it pulls further away from the shore each year. Bears are now having to make a choice as the ice melts each year: do they stay on the ice and retreat with it into deep Arctic waters or do they jump, come to shore, and take their chances on land?,” Geoff York, senior director of conservation at Polar Bears International and co-author of the 2017 study, said in a statement at the time.“Those who come ashore may come into conflict with human communities or activities. And as they get more desperate for food, they may well take higher risks,” added York.

The State Department endorsed a summit co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Take it from an economist: We’re not great at predicting the future.

The answer is not clear-cut despite a federal judge’s ruling, and the DOJ should bear in mind the great upheaval already occurring in the market.

Yes, Sports Can Still Provide Needed Relief From Life's Hard Times

Google will unveil the Pixel 9 phones on Tuesday, which will surely pack various Gemini AI features. That's what we'd' expect from Google, even without all the leaks that have already spoiled some of these surprises. However, the industry might be more interested in the success of the iPhone 16 and the Apple Intelligence suite of apps and features that will be available on all four Apple phones. Insider Ming-Chi Kuo says that AI has been a strong driver for phones that turned genAI features into a key sales point, like the Galaxy S24 series, but that momentum is slowing down. It'll be up to the iPhone 16 to convince buyers that Apple Intelligence is exciting enough to buy a new handset. Thus, the iPhone 16's performance will be an indicator of excitement related to AI devices. Continue reading... The post The success of iPhone 16’s AI might matter to more companies than just Apple appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $699 Apple Watch Ultra 2, self-bagging trash can, $349 Dyson V8 Plus vacuum, more Today’s deals: $179 AirPods Pro 2, $40 foldable camera drone, $899 M3 MacBook Air, $16 wireless charger, more Today’s deals: $299 Apple Watch Series 9, $50 off PS5, $200 off PSVR, $100 Hoover carpet cleaner, more Today’s deals: $229 iPad, $300 off Samsung foldables (last chance), $20 label maker, HP laptop sale, more

The FBI is investigating allegations that sensitive documents from Donald Trump's presidential campaign were stolen in a cyber intrusion, as well as attempts to gain access to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.

Countless viewers tuned in to watch the endearing cast of The Wonder Years grow up through the relatable trials and tribulations of adolescence. It’s been three decades since the finale, and to put that even further into perspective, former child star Jason Hervey has officially become a grandfather, according to his former co-star Danica McKellar. Hervey was a particularly memorable part of The Wonder Years as the frustrating older brother Wayne Arnold, never one for quality romance but always armed with a whole array of colorful and belittling nicknames for the younger kids. All this made his arc into maturity all the more gripping, and according to McKellar, now Hervey himself has passed a huge milestone of his own that will have The Wonder Years fans wondering where the time went. ‘The Wonder Years’ child star Jason Hervey is a grandfather   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Danica McKellar (@danicamckellar) McKellar brought the big news to everyone’s attention with a recent Instagram post. Fanboy Expo Convention played host to a massive Wonder Years cast reunion that brought together almost all of the series regulars. “Our official group Wonder Years shot from Day 1 of @fanboy_expo,” McKellar captioned the post, which is accompanied by a carousel of images from the big event. “What a great day already, and we still have our panel coming up in a few minutes.” RELATED: Whatever Happened To Jason Hervey From ‘The Wonder Years’? “I would say, will somebody please ask @realdanlauria to smile,” she continued teasingly, “but look at those pearly whites as soon as my mom joined the picture! (Swipe) And how cute are Dan & Alley, holding hands??” Another post included a shot of a beautiful bundle of joy. “Wanna feel old?” McKellar marveled. “My Wonder Years co-star @jason.hervey (Wayne Arnold) is a GRANDPA! And ooooh my goodness his grandson Shia is BEYOND precious!!” Still living in the wonder years Danica McKellar excitedly revealed that Jason Hervey of The Wonder Years has become a grandfather / © New World Television/courtesy Everett Collection The original Wonder Years had that special golden glow of nostalgia throughout its runtime in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but for at least some of the cast, that special joy has not only stayed but evolved into something different yet just as great. 52-year-old Hervey is the proud father of twins, and he shared just how much his role of parenthood informed his life from then on out in a tribute post on social media. “17 yrs ago today my life changed 4ever as I realized what my true purpose actually was when my twins were born,” he mused. Hervey found renewed purpose when he became a father / ImageCollect McKellar was excited to get to hold Hervey’s baby grandson, Shia, after the convention was over. Praising the “family vibes all around,” McKellar gushed over Shia’s mother, Hervey’s daughter Shaina. Yet it still feels like yesterday! Click for next Article The post ‘The Wonder Years’ Child Star Jason Hervey Is Now Officially A Grandfather appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Dana Daly