Antarctica might conjure up images of snow-capped peaks and intrepid explorers, but against these romanticized views of one of Earth’s harshest environments are the species that have to survive there. While seals and penguins might be more well-known, what about the largest land creature on the continent? It's time to meet the Antarctic midge (Belgica antarctica). Despite only being 2-6 millimeters (0.07-0.2 inches) long, the Antarctic midge is actually the largest full-time terrestrial resident native to Antarctica. Penguins and seals are not full-time residents and most bird species come and go with the seasons, spending large parts of the year at sea. What is extra unusual about the Antarctic midge is that compared to most midge species, which fly around annoying people and taking blood meals, this insect neither flies nor bites. They have completely lost their wings as a remarkable survival strategy against the incredibly high winds in the polar region. Instead, they have a litany of adaptations involving being able to survive -15°C (5°F), such as the loss of 70 percent of their body fluids and a month without oxygen. They also survive over winter by accumulating sugars as a natural antifreeze, and becoming dehydrated to prevent the formation of ice crystals inside their cells. The world’s southernmost insect species can even survive being frozen solid for nine months of the year. As a result, the tiny critter takes 2 years to complete its full lifecycle, which is spent largely as larvae. These larvae eat mostly bacteria, algae moss, and penguin poop.By staying comparatively warm under a blanket of snow, studies have revealed that the larvae can survive a range of temperature drops, and use a process called rapid cold hardening to protect themselves under lab conditions. “Evidence from previous studies shows the Antarctic midge has survived on the continent since the beginning,” University of Kentucky researcher Nick Teets said in a statement about a grant award to study these insects in 2019. “They are a good model for us to learn about the history of Antarctica and a good model for scientists to predict how the continent will respond to climate change.”But while they might be pros at surviving Antarctic conditions, those conditions are changing. A study from 2022 shows that Antarctic midges are negatively impacted by warming conditions and could be in danger from global warming as temperatures across the world continue to rise. 

HBO’s John Oliver began Last Week Tonight on Sunday by recapping Vice President Kamala Harris’s entry into the presidential race by accusing Republicans of resorting to outright racism” and falsely accusing her of being a radical left-winger. Like many in the non-comedy media, Oliver thought it was racist to point out that, by Joe Biden’s own words, Harris was selected as VP in the name of diversity, “Republicans spent the week trying to counter the newfound enthusiasm around Harris, with criticism frequently defaulting to outright racism. She was called, among other things, a diversity, or ‘DEI hire.” Oliver also maintained that Republicans have no good substantive criticisms of Harris, “when they weren't stooping that low, they were reaching for desperate attacks like these.”     That led him to introduce a trio of Fox News clips. The first two saw Steve Doocy and Sean Hannity condemning Harris for wanting to ban plastic straws while the third featured Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Hannity declaring that “Kamala can't have my guns, she can't have my gasoline engine, and she sure as hell can't have my steaks and cheeseburgers. She is a radical California leftist.” Not only is Oliver wrong that plastic straws and Harris’s red meat comments are the only criticisms Republicans have of Harris, he’s not even being original in his attempted humor. Stephen Colbert shared the Doocy and Hannity clips verbatim on Wednesday. Nevertheless, after the Cruz clip, Oliver claimed, “That's almost a parody of right-wing fearmongering nonsense. ‘She'll take your straws, she'll take your burgers, and brother, if you like eating your burgers through a straw, say goodbye to your whole life.’” Oliver also insisted that Harris can’t be a radical, “For the record: Harris is not a 'radical California leftist.' She was a prosecutor. If Dick Wolf thinks your job is heroic and noble, chances are you're not leading the revolution. And even if she were, that doesn't translate to ‘Stealing people's cheeseburgers.’ That's the Hamburglar, Ted. You're thinking of the Hamburglar.” Harris’s comments about red meat highlight a certain form of nanny statism that is not nearly as weird as Oliver thinks it is, but even if it was, Harris constantly ranked among the Senate’s top liberals, simply being a prosecutor does not make her some sort of moderate. Here is a transcript for the July 28 show: HBO Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 7/28/2024 11:19 PM ET JOHN OLIVER: Republicans spent the week trying to counter the newfound enthusiasm around Harris, with criticism frequently defaulting to outright racism. She was called, among other things, a diversity, or "DEI hire," and when they weren't stooping that low, they were reaching for desperate attacks like these. STEVE DOOCY: You know, a major liability for Kamala Harris, she wants to ban plastic straws. SEAN HANNITY: She wants to ban my plastic straws? I love my plastic straw, I hate those paper ones. TED CRUZ: Kamala can't have my guns, she can't have my gasoline engine, and she sure as hell can't have my steaks and cheeseburgers. She is a radical California leftist. OLIVER: That's almost a parody of right-wing fearmongering nonsense. "She'll take your straws, she'll take your burgers, and brother, if you like eating your burgers through a straw, say goodbye to your whole life."  For the record: Harris is not a "radical California leftist." She was a prosecutor. If Dick Wolf thinks your job is heroic and noble, chances are you're not leading the revolution. And even if she were, that doesn't translate to "Stealing people's cheeseburgers." That's the Hamburglar, Ted. You're thinking of the Hamburglar.

After helping to force President Joe Biden out of the 2024 presidential race, the corporate media and the Democratic Party are now working overtime to reframe the optics of the administration's handling of the border.A recent report from Politico attempted to convince readers that the Biden-Harris administration was more tough on the border than former President Donald Trump. The article claimed that Trump had a "hard time" removing more illegal aliens than Biden.'Now that the status of our southern border has proven embarrassing and unpopular, Democrats are trying to spin the numbers.'"Even as Trump slams the president for open borders, the Biden-Harris administration has kicked out far more immigrants than Trump ever managed to," Politico reported.The news outlet proceeded to compare Title 42 expulsions under the two administrations. Title 42, which was enacted by Trump and went into effect in March 2020, allowed the federal government to expeditiously deport illegal immigrants arriving at the southern border who had recently been in a country where COVID-19 was present. While the Biden administration undid much of Trump's border restrictions, it kept Title 42 until May 2023. Politico reported that Biden used the program to expel more illegal immigrants than Trump's administration. However, buried deep in the article, the news outlet acknowledged that Trump executed far more Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations compared to the current administration.The National Immigration Center for Enforcement reported that under Trump, there were just over 3 million illegal alien encounters, versus more than 9 million under Biden's leadership. Trump used ICE to remove 31.1% of those illegal immigrants, while Biden only removed 4.4%. — (@) Politico reported that part of the reason that Biden did not have ICE carry out more removal proceedings was that the southern border was so overwhelmed with illegal aliens seeking asylum that the administration was more or less forced to reallocate the agency's resources to assist Customs and Border Protection at the U.S.-Mexico border and away from interior arrests.Since 2021, the CBP has reported more than 10 million nationwide encounters. The agency's statistics do not include known or unknown gotaways who were not apprehended by law enforcement officials before entering the country's interior. Former Trump White House official Theo Wold told Blaze News, "Under Kamala Harris's border policies, record numbers of aliens entered the country illegally, while ICE deported only a small fraction of the deportations conducted under Trump." "Now that the status of our southern border has proven embarrassing and unpopular, Democrats are trying to spin the numbers. But the numbers don't lie," Wold continued. "With Harris in charge of immigration policy, deportations don't happen — illegal aliens enter and just stay. And American citizens, like Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray, suffer."The corporate media has also been trying to erase evidence that Vice President Kamala Harris was ever labeled the "border czar" in an effort to create some distance between her presidential campaign and Biden's disastrous handling of the illegal immigration crisis. Axios attempted to slam Trump and Republicans for "repeatedly" using the title to refer to Harris, but the publication was quickly corrected by X's Community Notes, which pointed out that Axios itself used the term several times in 2021.The media aided in Biden-Harris' mission to make its recent border executive order appear tough on illegal immigration by providing surface-level reporting that the administration would shut down the southern border when encounters reached 2,500 per day for seven consecutive days. However, the media often failed to mention the order's lengthy list of exceptions, including that the administration would still allow illegal aliens to enter the country if they made an appointment at a port of entry through the CBP One application.Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas attempted some sleight of hand to brand the executive action as both a crackdown on illegal crossings and a gesture of compassion toward asylum seekers. During an interview, he noted that the shutdown order — if and when enforced — would impact only illegal aliens attempting to enter "in between ports of entry." He also applauded the Biden-Harris administration for building additional "lawful pathways" for illegal immigrants wishing to claim asylum. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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Recent laboratory investigations by GUARD Archaeology have unveiled fascinating details about a Bronze Age hoard discovered in Rosemarkie, Highland Scotland. This remarkable find includes nine bronze bracelets and necklaces buried around 1000 BC, along with rare organic plant remains, providing invaluable insights into the lives, beliefs, and practices of Bronze Age highlanders. Discovery and Significance The Bronze Age hoard was uncovered during pre-development excavations by GUARD Archaeology for Pat Munro Homes at Greenside in Rosemarkie. This find is significant, as the hoard was not found in isolation, but is part of a prehistoric settlement comprising at least six roundhouses and a Bronze Age cist grave. This context allows archaeologists to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the Bronze Age community that once inhabited this area. The laboratory excavation revealed a complete neck ring, a partial neck ring, six penannular (incomplete ring) bracelets, and one cup-ended penannular bracelet. These artifacts were intertwined with fibrous cords which had survived the 3000-year interment, showcasing the intricate craftsmanship of the time. The preservation of these organic materials is particularly significant, as they provide rare evidence of the methods used to bind these objects together, notes the GUARD Archaeology report. Read moreSection: ArtifactsOther ArtifactsNewsHistory & ArchaeologyRead Later