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A fisherman has been hospitalized after coming face-to-tail with a whale in the waters south of Brisbane, Australia.The accident took place about a kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the Tweed Heads bar at around 8:40 am on Sunday, August 18. At the time, the man was fishing with a friend on a small boat when the massive animal surfaced. Neither fisherman was aware of its presence until it appeared and struck one of them in face with its tail, knocking the individual unconscious.Queensland Ambulance Service’s (QAS) Scott Brown, one of the first responders on the scene, described it as an “extremely rare” event."Just two guys having a morning fish, and then all of a sudden, a whale's tail appeared, striking one in the head," Brown told ABC News."We've had boats come in contact with whales before, but not actually a person sitting in a boat.”The man apparently sustained superficial injuries and cannot remember the event itself. His friend was able to help him and quickly called for support.A rescue crew from Volunteers Marine Rescue, water police, and paramedics found the men and brought them back to shore. The paramedics were able to “nurse” the patient in the dinghy until QAS were able to take over, Brown explained.The man was taken to the Gold Coast University Hospital where he was in a stable condition.It is currently unclear which species of whale was involved in the incident, but some have speculated that it may have been a humpback whale, which are currently migrating along Australia’s east coast. There is also a chance that it was a southern right whale, which are also migrating along the Queensland coast around this time of year.In July this year, a humpback whale capsized a boat off the coast of the Eastern United States when it suddenly breached. No one was hurt, but it sent two people flying into the water when it surfaced.     Brown has urged anyone out in boats to be alert, especially during the whale season.“Just be cautious that there are a lot of whales at this time of year in that area, and today has shown us that anything can happen."

A detailed analysis of five recently discovered microscopic eukaryotes has identified one that appears to have dispensed entirely with its mitochondria. If that is the case, Skoliomonas litria will join a highly exclusive club, becoming the first free-living eukaryote ever discovered to have lost its mitochondria.“Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell!” You might remember this refrain from your school days, and it’s true. Mitochondria, miniscule organelles found inside almost every cell in our bodies, are essential for generating energy. The acquisition of the mitochondria, way back in evolutionary time, is considered a key event on the road that led to eukaryotes, the domain of life that encompasses all animals, plants, and fungi. But nature loves to throw in a curveball, and in recent years some eukaryotes that seem to get along fine without typical mitochondria have emerged. The first to manage without them altogether popped up in 2016 in the form of Monocercomonoides. Unlike some extremophiles that contain mitochondria that have been so modified as to be almost unrecognizable, Monocercomonoides lacks “all hallmark mitochondrial proteins,” according to the study authors. The reason Monocercomonoides is able to get along without such an essential piece of kit is that lives in a very oxygen-poor and nutrient-rich environment: inside the guts of other animals. In the case of the study specimen, it was isolated from the intestines of a chinchilla. By simply absorbing nutrients from these surroundings, and “borrowing” genes from neighboring bacteria to fulfill other essential mitochondrial functions, Monocercomonoides has adapted to the powerhouse-free life.The Monocercomonoides genus belongs to the phylum Metamonada. All the other metamonads we’ve studied to date have these highly modified mitochondria, called mitochondrion-related organelles or MROs. One better known example is the parasite Giardia lamblia, famed for its unusual cell biology with a double nucleus – as well as its ability to cause human misery in the form of copious diarrhea. Giardia contains very simple MROs called mitosomes.While some metamonads, like Monocercomonoides and Giardia, live inside other organisms as parasites or commensals, a new study embarked on a closer analysis of five recently discovered metamonads that are free-living. The organisms were species from two genera, Skoliomonas and Barthelona. The study authors, led by Shelby K. Williams at Dalhousie University, produced draft genomes, transcriptomes, and proteomes for each of the species, characterizing as far as possible the full range of genes, RNA transcripts, and proteins these single-celled organisms possess. Phylogenomic analysis showed that both of these genera together form their own clade, which the authors named “BaSK”. When it comes to their MROs, BaSKs “display a level of MRO reduction not typically seen in free-living metamonads and which is independent of the reduction found in the parasitic diplomonads [like Giardia],” the authors explain. Just as Monocercomonoides had to borrow some machinery from bacteria, all the BaSKs have acquired systems to replace one of the key components of mitochondria, the iron-sulfur cluster system. This is vital for assembling groups of iron and sulfur molecules that are needed by a number of cellular proteins. But even among this collection of certified biological weirdos, one stood out. Skoliomonas litria appears to have no mitochondrial pathways at all. “No proteins were confidently assigned to the predicted MRO proteome of this organism suggesting that the organelle has been lost,” the authors write. If it is the case that S. litria has no MRO whatsoever, it would make it the first example of a free-living metamonad to have lost the organelle – remember, Monocercomonoides is a commensal. It’s an intriguing question, and more research will be needed to truly get to the bottom of it. Among other things, the authors suggest that further studies will need to figure out how and where S. litria makes its ATP – the source of cellular energy – without oxygen. But it’s possible we could be looking at the first discovery of a free-living eukaryotic organism that has “completely dispensed” with mitochondria.Just goes to show, there really is an exception to every rule.The study is published in Nature Communications. 

CBS’s Stephen Colbert welcomed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to a live edition of The Late Show early Tuesday morning in Chicago to recap night one of the Democratic National Convention. Together, the duo would hail President Joe Biden’s “patriotic” decision to step aside after the party brass forced him out. Colbert flattered Clinton by asking, “You gave a powerful speech tonight. You touched on many things, but if there's one thing you want people to take from the speech tonight, what would it be?” Clinton naturally wanted people to think that Kamala Harris is the best, “I really know Kamala Harris's heart, her integrity. I think she has the character, experience, and vision to be our president, and I hope the American people agree. I mean, that’s really—”     Transitioning to Biden, Colbert declared, “Tonight, President Biden gave quite a moving speech and passed the torch selflessly and patriotically to Kamala Harris” before wondering, “You've seen a lot in politics. You've been around the block, lady, and you've seen a lot of shocking things. Did this surprise even you, this turn of events over the last month?” As part of a long, rambling answer, Clinton asserted that, “it was shocking for any leader to voluntarily give up power. But I thought that was one of the most selfless acts of patriotism I’d ever seen. That the president was ready and willing to do that.” Clinton would proceed to hype Biden’s alleged accomplishments, “He got so much done. You know, I said in my speech that, you know, he returned decency and dignity and competence to the White House. And he got an enormous amount of, you know, legislation through. The relationships with our allies around the world, standing up to adversaries like Putin and Russia. I mean, you look at his record. It was pretty remarkable, and it will go down in history as a great achievement.” After Clinton recalled her history with Biden as a senator and member of the Obama Administration, she concluded, “He has given his best to our country. That may seem a little old-fashioned to some people. I think it is in the highest standard of service and leadership that our country has to offer, and I'm so proud of him. I thought tonight was a great moment.”  Amid raucous cheers from the audience, Colbert agreed, “I agree. I think that and disagreeing with the Supreme Court over immunity was one of the most patriotic things he could have done.” Switching topics yet again, Colbert hyped, “Now, you have a new book. It's called Something Lost, Something Gained, where you write about moving past your dream of being president. And how does it feel now to see a woman who is not you reaching for that same dream?” Clinton answered, “And I have to say it feels really good. It felt exhilarating. It feels exciting. You know, maybe because I have known Kamala and have a lot of confidence in her and what she's capable of doing, I think I know how hard the job is and have concluded she's more than ready to take it on.” But are voters ready for her? Based off this interview, probably not because Colbert isn’t interested in highlighting her history of embracing far-left policies. Here is a transcript for the August 20 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 8/20/2024 1:35 AM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: You gave a powerful speech tonight. You touched on many things, but if there's one thing you want people to take from the speech tonight, what would it be? HILLARY CLINTON: You know, I really know Kamala Harris's heart, her integrity. I think she has the character, experience, and vision to be our president, and I hope the American people agree. I mean, that’s really— COLBERT: Well. Tonight, tonight, President Biden gave quite a moving speech— CLINTON: Yes, he did. COLBERT: — and passed the torch selflessly and patriotically— CLINTON: Yes. COLBERT: — to Kamala Harris. You've seen a lot in politics. You've been around the block, lady, and you've seen a lot of shocking things. Did this surprise even you, this turn of events over the last month? CLINTON: Yes and no, I mean. COLBERT: That's a very political answer. CLINTON: No, it was. Yeah, I kind of, you know, live in the world of yes and no. Because yes, it was shocking for any leader to voluntarily give up power. But I thought that was one of the most selfless acts of patriotism I’d ever seen. That the president was ready and willing to do that. And you know, as you can see from the speech tonight, he got so much done. You know, I said in my speech that, you know, he returned decency and dignity and competence to the White House. And he got an enormous amount of, you know, legislation through. The relationships with our allies around the world, standing up to adversaries like Putin and Russia. I mean, you look at his record. It was pretty remarkable, and it will go down in history as a great achievement. And for him to, you know, decide “okay, it's time for me to pass the torch and to let my vice president go forward,” I was so touched by that. I’ve known the president a long time. I have served with him. I was a colleague of his in the Senate. I was Secretary of State when he was vice president in the Obama Administration and what he said and I think you have this clip, Stephen, from the song that he and his family like so much. He really has given his best, he gave the best of his family under the most excruciating, painful circumstances. He gave his best to the state of Delaware that he represented for so many years. He has given his best to our country. That may seem a little old-fashioned to some people. I think it is in the highest standard of service and leadership that our country has to offer, and I'm so proud of him. I thought tonight was a great moment. COLBERT: I agree. I think that and disagreeing with the Supreme Court over immunity— CLINTON: Yeah. COLBERT: — was one of the most patriotic things he could have done.  CLINTON: One hundred percent. COLBERT: Now, you have a new book.  CLINTON: Yes. COLBERT: It's called Something Lost, Something Gained, where you write about moving past your dream of being president. CLINTON: Right. COLBERT: And how does it feel now to see a woman who is not you reaching for that same dream? CLINTON: Well, I thought a lot about what it would feel like. And I have to say it feels really good. It felt exhilarating. It feels exciting. You know, maybe because I have known Kamala and have a lot of confidence in her and what she's capable of doing, I think I know how hard the job is and have concluded she's more than ready to take it on.  But when, you know, the president decided to step aside and then quickly endorsed his vice president, my husband and I quickly endorsed her as well. Because we thought it was the right thing to do. And we thought she deserved it and she'd earned it. So you know, look, it is something lost, something gained and, I’ll be back. Actually in this theater October 13 to talk about the book. So I'm very much, you know, looking forward to that.