In recent years‚ the once-hypothesized landmass in the Southern Hemisphere‚ now known as Zealandia‚ has become increasingly popular for scientific research. In fact‚ as of the end of 2023‚ Zealandia became the first continent to be completely mapped out‚ even though 95 percent of the newly identified continent is underwater. And yet Zealandia is not the only submerged continent out there and now scientists understand them better than ever. So why is it that some continents go “missing” only to be rediscovered later?Drowned worldsPart of the explanation here relates to how we think about “continents”. In many school systems‚ these landmasses are defined by their geography‚ but in reality‚ this is only part of the picture. Instead‚ geology plays an important role in our understanding of what makes a continent. This includes how thick it is‚ what rocks it is made of‚ and where it is below sea level. Continental crust‚ for instance‚ differs from oceanic crust in that it is it is typically older‚ thicker‚ less dense‚ and has a more varied composition.As such‚ continental crust tends to float higher on the mantle‚ which makes up the bulk of the Earth’s interior. Then‚ through the power of tectonic movement over the years‚ some landmasses can drop below the surface of the water and therefore off the map.However‚ advances in imaging software‚ seismography‚ and centuries of mapping efforts are now providing new insights into continents that were lost to the depths long ago.Greater AdriaWhile Zealandia has become famous for being submerged below the waves‚ there is another continent that has not only sunk below the surface‚ but has also vanished into the Earth’s mantle. Today‚ the only visible remnants of the continent‚ known as Greater Adria‚ are limestones and other rocks found in the mountain ranges of southern Europe.  About 240 million years ago‚ around the Triassic period‚ a chunk of continental crust separated from North Africa. The landmass was roughly the size of Greenland.After it’s separation from Africa‚ Greater Adria gradually sank beneath the waters‚ where it became the home to tropical coral reefs. Then‚ sometime around 100 or so million years ago‚ it started to slide under Europe and into the mantle.During its descent‚ parts of Greater Adria remained above the surface. Through a process called “offscraping”‚ the top layers of sedimentary rock came free and created the mountain ranges that cut through Italy‚ Turkey‚ and Greece today. So while there are now rocks from Greater Adria scattered across 30 different countries‚ there is also a part of the lost continent that remains‚ stretching from the north of Italy‚ down to its “boot”. This region is known as Adria.ArgolandClearly‚ 100 million years ago was the time for all the cool movers and shakers. At the same time that Greater Adria was getting familiar with the edge of Europe‚ a large chunk of land broke away from Western Australia. This piece was about the size of North America‚ which then drifted into the Indian Ocean. Argoland‚ as it is known‚ then broke apart and disappeared from the map. Unlike Zealandia‚ which settled under the sea‚ or Greater Adria that crashed into the mantle‚ Argoland was mostly conspicuous for the void it left behind – what is called the Argo Abyssal Plain.However‚ recent research has potentially located (parts of) Argoland in an unexpected place: the jungles of Southeast Asia.The explanation is that Argoland probably broke up into smaller islands a lot earlier than previously thought. Then‚ its pieces all moved northwards towards Southeast Asia during the Late Jurassic era. Over time‚ parts of the drift were eaten by the Sunda Trench subduction zone‚ while others became part of the seafloor or other areas of Southeast Asia. Now‚ it seems‚ there are chunks of this long-lost continent in parts of present-day Myanmar and Indonesia.  [H/T: Popular Mechanics]

An X (Twitter) thread has been widely-shared over the weekend‚ in which Radiolab host Latif Nasser explained how he investigated the mystery of a moon labeled "Zoozve" on his 2-year-old's astronomy poster.Having noticed the label‚ he of course Googled it‚ and found the NASA-confirmed fact that Venus has no moons. IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.Further Googling found no references to any "Zoozve"‚ and a friend at NASA had no idea what it was referring to either. Nasser called the illustrator‚ who swore that he took the name from a list of moons of the Solar System. To cut a long (but enjoyable!) story short‚ Nasser's NASA friend (Liz Landau) realized what had happened. The planet was not Zoozve‚ but object 2002 VE 68. When space objects are first seen‚ they are given a provisional name based on when they were discovered. The first number part‚ as you might have guessed‚ relates to the year."The provisional designation includes the year of its discovery followed by two letters that give the order of its discovery during that year. Objects‚ discovered between 1 and 15 January‚ are designated in order of their discovery‚ AA‚ AB‚ AC‚ and so on. Those discovered between 16 and 31 January are given the letters BA‚ BB‚ BC‚ and so on‚" the European Space Agency explains‚ adding that J is not used. "The final discoveries of the year‚ between 16 and 31 December‚ have designations in the series YA‚ YB‚ YC."The object is a lot more interesting than your standard space rocks‚ being as it was the first of its kind ever discovered‚ due to its unusual orbit."Like all asteroids‚ its orbit takes it around the Sun‚ with asteroids closer to the Sun circling more rapidly and completing a 'year' in a shorter time. The 'year' for VE68 is shorter than the Earth year‚ clocking in at a little under 225 days‚" the Tuorla Observatory explained in a 2004 press release."This is almost exactly the same as the 'year' of the planet Venus – and it turns out that like synchronised divers in the olympic games‚ both VE68 and Venus are travelling around the Sun nearly in lock-step."Tracking the orbit of 2002 VE‚ they had discovered the first quasi-moon‚ or quasi-satellites‚ in the Solar System. Quasi-moons‚ as the name suggests‚ are not quite moons. They orbit the Sun‚ but are also influenced by the planets along their path.     Since the discovery of 2002 VE‚ other quasi-moons have been discovered. Though these moons can come and go‚ Earth has two which have been officially recognized. IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.2002 VE has been orbiting the Sun and encountering Venus for quite a while‚ but the team who first described its orbit think it may have come from elsewhere."Our computations show that it has been in its present orbital state for about seven millennia and will stay there for five more centuries to come‚" the team wrote in their paper. "Very close approaches with Venus and Mercury are excluded within the interval of time of reliable numerical computation of the orbit‚ but repeated encounters with the Earth do occur. From the evolution of the orbit of this object‚ we conclude that it may have been a near-Earth asteroid‚ which‚ some 7‚000 yr ago‚ was injected into its present orbit by the action of the Earth."A later paper‚ when more observations had been carried out‚ found possible close encounters with Earth‚ as well as a very complicated orbital path."We find that 2002 VE68 will remain as a quasi-satellite of Venus for about 500 yr more and its dynamical evolution is controlled not only by the Earth‚ with a non-negligible contribution from the Moon‚ but by Mercury as well‚" the team wrote. "2002 VE68 exhibits resonant (or near-resonant) behaviour with Mercury‚ Venus and the Earth. Our calculations indicate that an actual collision with the Earth during the next 10 000 yr is highly unlikely but encounters as close as 0.04 au occur with a periodicity of 8 yr."[H/T: Radiolab]

Joe Scarborough‚ Super Hawk! Reacting to the drone attack on US troops in Jordan by Iranian proxies that killed three soldiers and wounded 25-30 others‚ on today's Morning Joe Scarborough called for direct strikes against Iran itself. As Scarborough put it to NBC analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis: "How much longer is the United States going to allow its troops to be shot at by people who are being funded by Iran? At what point do we not just go to the source of the problem‚ which has been the source of the problem since 1979‚ and go to Iran? If Iran‚ if Iran wants to continue killing Americans‚ or trying to kill Americans‚ should we not at least sink one of their ships? Should we not at least blow up their air force? Should we not at least blow up their oil fields? Pick one of the three. I don't care."   In response‚ Stavridis literally chuckled at Scarborough's bravado. He recommended first going after Iranian proxies‚ and attacking Iran directly only if that doesn't "have the intended effect." Scarborough's bellicose bent toward Iran is in keeping with his boasts that have earned him our moniker of "Macho Joe."  Among other examples of Scarborough's manly manliness‚ Joe has vowed that if he came across a Capitol tourist snapping photos somewhere Scarborough didn't like‚ he would tell the offending tourist to put the camera down‚ or "I'm gonna make you eat it." One tough hombre‚ that Scarborough! With his threat today‚ Joe's doubtlessly got the Iranian mullahs quaking in their robes!     Here's the transcript. MSNBC Morning Joe 1/29/24 6:03 am ET MIKA BRZEZINSKI: We begin this morning with the deaths of three U.S. service members in northeast Jordan. It happened yesterday at a logistics support base for the U.S. military near Jordan's border with Syria. A drone packed with explosives struck near a shelter where American troops were sleeping‚ killing three and injuring more than 30. President Biden released a statement shortly after‚ reading in part‚ quote‚ while we are still gathering the facts of this attack‚ we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq. We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let's bring in right now --with us‚ former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO‚ retired four star Navy admiral‚ James Stavridis. He is chief international analyst for NBC News. Admiral‚ thank you so much for being with us.  Last week‚ I brought up a very simple metaphor about a guy who sends people from a house across the street‚ coming over and constantly stealing things from your house or breaking windows in your house. We said‚ "What do you do? You do‚ you go take out the house across the street. Tell them you'll call the cops or something. In this case‚ I just‚ I wonder‚ how much longer is the United States going to allow its troops to be shot at by people who are being funded by Iran? At what point do we not just go to the source of the problem‚ which has been the source of the problem since 1979‚ and go to Iran? If Iran‚ if Iran wants to continue killing Americans‚ or trying to kill Americans‚ should we not at least sink one of their ships? Should we not at least blow up their air force? Should we not at least blow up their oil fields? Pick one of the three. I don't care. JAMES STAVRIDIS: [Chuckles] When this occurred‚ after the blow to my heart of learning that we lost three of our best and 25 to 30 wounded‚ 10 evacuated‚ meaning they're at risk of life-threatening wounds‚ this is attack number 160 or so.  So Joe‚ I am one who is always‚ let's try the diplomacy. Let's try the incremental steps here. I think we are at the point where what is necessary is a hammer blow against the proxies. I'll expand on that in one moment. If that doesn't have the intended effect‚ then yes‚ it's time to go after Iran.

What the flugelhorn? Top TV journalists freak out if you suggest President Biden is showing signs of experiencing a mental decline‚ but it's apparently fair commentary to call him "Genocide Joe"? On Sunday's Meet the Press‚ host Kristen Welker interviewed radical-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and at the end‚ gently questioned whether it's fair for her colleague Rashida Tlaib and other leftist friends of hers to accuse Biden of supporting genocide.  That's deeply weird. In early December‚ Welker pressed Ron DeSantis six times to denounce Trump for referring to radical leftists and Marxists as "vermin.". And who can forget Welker fighting with Donald Trump‚ attempting misinformation by insisting the Democrat Party doesn't support abortion being legal without limits? This was pussy-footing.    KRISTEN WELKER: Some of your colleagues – and we talked about what's happened at the protests this week have called the president “Genocide Joe.” Some of your colleagues have accused the president of supporting genocide‚ including Rashida Tlaib. Do you agree with that word‚ genocide‚ that the president's been supporting a genocide? Or does that go too far? REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: I think what we are seeing right now throughout the country is that young people are appalled at the violence and the indiscriminate loss of life. We are not just seeing 25‚000 people that have died in Gaza. We are seeing the starvation of – of millions of people‚ the displacement of over 2 million Gazans. We have South Africa that has mounted a court in the ICJ [International Court of Justice]. The ICJ ruled this week that Israel has a grave responsibility to prevent genocide. No one wondered if Hamas was genocidal. Welker's followup merely suggested calling Biden "Genocide Joe" was a preliminary insult!  WELKER: But they're still determining whether it's a genocide -- OCASIO-CORTEZ: And I think that the fact that – WELKER:– they're still determining whether it's a genocide. Do you think that term is responsible – OCASIO-CORTEZ: They are still determining it. WELKER:– given that it's still under investigation? OCASIO-CORTEZ: I believe that – they're still determining it‚ but in the interim ruling‚ the fact that they said there's a responsibility to prevent it‚ the fact that this word is even in play‚ the fact that this word is even in our discourse I think demonstrates the mass inhumanity that Gazans are facing. AOC claimed "In our polling‚ we are seeing large amounts of Americans concerned specifically with that word. So‚ I don't think that it is something to completely toss someone out of our public discourse for using. But I think what we are seeing here is that the Netanyahu government has lost public support and that we have a responsibility to protect the human rights and the humanity of Gazans and hostages alike in the area." Most of Welker's interview was about how Biden needed the "progressive" vote and whether the Biden campaign had reached out to AOC for help. The congresswoman talked around it  -- so Team Biden has not requested her aid on the campaign trail.

The U.S. government‚ the mainstream media‚ and so-called experts long downplayed the possibility of a link between heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccines. Elements of the medical establishment and social media companies worked to shut up those who dared to press the issue. Health officials and their stenographers in the media later admitted an elevated risk of myocarditis among mRNA COVID-19 vaccinees‚ especially among boys and young men. Despite belated advisories to this effect from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‚ little changed in the way of the prevailing narrative: the supposed benefits of the vaccines outweighed the risks‚ which allegedly remained mild and rare. A new peer-reviewed study published Saturday in the pharmacotherapy journal Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety has thrown some more cold water on that persistent narrative‚ indicating that "COVID-19 vaccination is strongly associated with a serious adverse safety signal of myocarditis‚ particularly in children and young adults resulting in hospitalization and death." "COVID-19 vaccines induce an uncontrolled expression of potentially lethal SARS-CoV-2 spike protein within human cells‚ have a close temporal relationship of events‚ and are internally and externally consistent with emerging sources of clinical and peer-reviewed data supporting the conclusion that COVID-19 vaccines are deterministic for myocarditis‚ including fatal cases‚" the study claims. The study is the result of an effort on the part of Texas cardiologist Peter McCullough‚ biologist Jessica Rose‚ and researcher Nicolas Hulscher to further explore links between COVID-19 vaccination and heart inflammation using the vaccine adverse events report system. On the basis of data in VAERS — a system created and implemented by the FDA and CDC in 1990 — the researchers examined the frequency of myocarditis reports in the aftermath of COVID-19 vaccination and compared their findings with past reports from other vaccines that have been rolled out over the years. The researchers found that upon the massive rollout of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in 2021‚ there was a significant spike in the number of myocarditis reports‚ "far higher than the reports from all other vaccines combined over the previous 30 years. This side effect was mostly reported in young individuals‚ especially males." The spike represented a 2‚500% increase in the "absolute number of reports in the first year of the campaign when comparing historical values prior to 2021." Contrary to governmental claims of mildness‚ the study found that most of those who reported myocarditis required emergency medical care or hospitalization‚ and 92 individuals reportedly succumbed to the apparently vaccine-induced affliction. The study highlighted that the COVID-19 vaccines‚ which were rushed through safety and efficacy trials inside a 10-month period as opposed the years-long process that novel genetic products customarily undergo‚ continue to be recommended to everyone 6 months of age and older. The researchers suggested this recommendation should be axed‚ at the very least for children. "Children have a negligible risk for COVID-19‚ and yet they are a high-risk group for myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccination‚" wrote the researchers. "The World Health Organization's current vaccination advice states that healthy young people ages 6 months to 17 years are a 'low priority group' and that vaccinating this group has limited impact on public health." The researchers stressed further in their paper that "myocarditis resulting in hospitalization and death attributable to the COVID-19 vaccines may be viewed as an excess risk of the injection program" because‚ despite claims to the contrary‚ the vaccines never stopped transmission and there "are no prospective‚ double-blind‚ randomized‚ placebo-controlled trials of COVID-19 injectable products demonstrating reductions in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths as primary or secondary endpoints." "We believe COVID-19 vaccination may pose more harm to children than theoretical benefit. This corroborates actions taken by Sweden‚ Norway‚ and Finland in 2021 when health officials suspended the use of Moderna injections in young people due to the detection of safety signals for an increased risk of myocarditis‚" added the researchers. Europeans are not the only ones who have spared their children from the novel vaccines. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration has recommended against COVID-19 vaccination for children and young men since March 2022. McCullough said of his study‚ "If vaccines cannot demonstrate acceptable safety profiles or be modified to improve safety‚ they must be removed from the market. Don't accept 'unavoidable harms' and freedom from liability for the manufacturers. These data demonstrate COVID-19 vaccines are not safe." Dr. Jordan Peterson responded to the study on X‚ writing‚ "I think it's about time to lay some criminal charges." He added in a subsequent message‚ "This is utterly terrible." Katy Faust‚ the head of the children's rights group Them Before Us‚ tweeted‚ "The pressure to vaccinate my teenagers was overwhelming. From schools‚ from doctors‚ from friends‚ from public establishments that shut them out. A pox on all the medical professionals who pushed this at the risk of children's lives and long-term health." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Popular veteran hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg gave surprisingly positive remarks about Donald Trump after years of disrespecting the 45th president.Snoop Dogg‚ the 52-year-old Long Beach‚ California‚ native‚ spoke to the the Times about his thoughts on Trump ahead of the 2024 election. When asked about Trump‚ the rapper reportedly laughed before responding "Donald Trump? ... He ain’t done nothing wrong to me. He has done only great things for me. He pardoned Michael Harris."Harris is reportedly the co-founder of Snoop's first label‚ the infamous Death Row Records. Harris was in prison for drug offenses when he was pardoned by Trump in 2021."So I have nothing but love and respect for Donald Trump‚" the rapper added.Snoop Dogg did thank Trump for the release of his colleague in an Instagram post at the time‚ which is a stark contrast from his previous comments.In 2020‚ Snoop said that Trump had disrespected "every color in the world" and even said that Trump had disrespected "gays" and "transgenders.""So‚ me and my homeboys sittin’ up here talkin’ about all the people that President Trump disrespected … women‚ gays‚ transgenders‚ blacks‚ Mexicans‚ Asians‚ and now veterans‚" Snoop said‚ according to Billboard."Hmmm. Seem like he’s disrespecting every color in the world and everything that ain’t what he is‚ which is a racist‚" he continued.Snoop then declared what he required in the next president‚ which of course turned out to be President Biden:"So‚ the next motherf**ker‚ you better tell us what we gonna get for your vote. And you better show up and deliver‚ period. We just want some peace‚ love‚ equality‚ and tranquility for everybody. All lives. Just a basic conversation. Now carry on." See on Instagram In 2019‚ Snoop urged fans not to vote for Trump‚ calling viewers "stupid" if they thought otherwise."I want to say this real quick‚ I don’t know political s**t. Ain’t no f**king way y’all could vote for Donald Trump when he comes back up again. If y’all do vote for him‚ y’all some stupid motherf**kers." he said. "I’m saying that to y’all early. This punk motherf**ker don't care. Don’t vote for that n*****‚ please don't.""F**k everybody down with Donald Trump. I said it‚" he added. Snoop Dogg says you shouldn\u2019t vote for Trump again. Thoughts? — (@) Perhaps his most egregious shot at Trump came in a music video. In the visuals for the 2017 song "Lavender‚" Snoop stood next to a clown version of Trump before pointing a prop gun at his head and firing it to reveal a banner that said "bang."The video also portrayed many other characters as clowns but later showed the clown-Trump once more‚ hanging out with Snoop while wrapped in chains.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Scientists in Iran reportedly have enough uranium to build 12 nuclear bombs in less than six months. The revelation could have a serious impact on the future of the conflict in the Middle East.The Telegraph reported that the details came out after the International Atomic Energy Authority said Iran has increased its production of enriched uranium by up to 60% purity‚ which is required for creating nuclear bombs. Modern nuclear weapons must have uranium that has been purified up to 90%‚ but the IAEA said this is a realistic possibility for Iran.The report mentioned that David Albright‚ a former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq‚ believes Iran could have weapons-grade uranium in just a matter of weeks and already possesses the technical knowledge to create nuclear weapons. The development could have major consequences in the Middle East‚ as Israel continues its military operations in Gaza.Earlier this month‚ CBS News reported that Pakistan's foreign ministry stated that it had carried out "highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes" against Iran. The Federation of American Scientists reported in September that Pakistan has made efforts to increase its nuclear arsenal‚ adding it was believed the country currently has a stockpile of 170 warheads. — (@) Albright‚ who is the founder of the U.S. Institute for Science and International Security‚ said that if Iran continued to produce high-quality uranium at the same rate‚ the nation would have enough material to create 12 bombs in just five months.“The unfortunate reality is that Iran already knows how to build nuclear weapons‚ although there are some unfinished tasks related to the actual construction of them‚" Albright said.“Iran can quickly make enough weapon-grade uranium for many nuclear weapons‚ something it could not do in 2003."“Today‚ it would need only about a week to produce enough for its first nuclear weapon. It could have enough weapon-grade uranium for six weapons in one month‚ and after five months of producing weapon-grade uranium‚ it could have enough for 12.”He went on to say that "nuclear weaponization" and delivery could slow the process‚ as more research needs to be done in this area.“Weaponization needs more work. It involves theoretical calculations and simulations; development‚ testing‚ and construction of the other components of the nuclear weapon; the conversion of weapon-grade uranium into metallic components; the integration of all the components into a nuclear weapon; and the preparation for mounting the weapons on aircraft or missiles or for use in a full-scale underground test.”Iran is widely believed to be supporting Hamas in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Adam Johnson‚ also known as “the lectern guy‚” is the man who was infamously photographed on January 6 holding a podium bearing the speaker of the House seal — and happily waving. Johnson was then sentenced to 75 days in prison for his role in the Capitol riot. “Never been to a rally in my life‚ didn’t vote for Trump in ‘16‚ voted for him in ‘20‚” Johnson tells Pat Gray. Johnson ended up voting for Trump because of his anti-war stance. “I have five sons‚” he continues. “I don’t want to see them go to war.” “You weren’t part of the really well-organized insurrection that took place that day‚ right?” Gray jokes."You weren’t emailing back and forth‚ ‘Here’s what we’re going to do‚ here’s how we do it‚ this is how we’re going to finally destroy America.’” Johnson did not. Rather‚ he tells Gray that at the protest‚ he left the group that was becoming slightly more dangerous‚ walked around‚ and ended up meandering inside with another group of people. “I followed some people inside through open doors‚” he explains‚ noting that “there were some people that were acting stupid‚ and 95% of us were just there peacefully protesting.” After the protest‚ it took mere days for the authorities to come knocking. “I spent four days in isolation and saw a judge on Monday‚” he explains. He then was sentenced to 75 days in prison and given a $5‚000 fine‚ 200 hours of community service‚ and a year of supervised release. Want more from Pat Gray?To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.

A K-9 in Florida helped track down a missing and endangered 11-year-old girl on Friday‚ finding her locked in a park bathroom‚ according to the New York Post. It is unclear how or why the girl ran away from home.K-9 Mary Lu and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputy Sarah Ernstes showed up at Carlton Lake Drive around 8:00 p.m. to search for the girl who had gone missing. The two were able to track the young girl to a neighbor's home‚ where they discovered that the residents had given the girl a ride to a nearby apartment in Wimauma.The sheriff's office said several units made their way to the apartment complex‚ where Lu alerted the deputies to a locked bathroom door in a park nearby. The young girl was discovered to have locked herself in the bathroom‚ but the authorities were able to safely convince her to unlock the door. The girl was found safe and without injury‚ according to the report.Lu was reportedly joyful to have found the young girl‚ wagging her tail at the sight of the 11-year-old‚ per WSVN.“Look at you! Can she give you a kiss? That’s her reward for finding you‚” Deputy Ernstes said‚ which was captured on her bodycam video of the rescue.Lu appeared to show the 11-year-old affection‚ and the girl hugged Lu in return.Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release that "our team HCSO K9 Unit has once again proven its invaluable role in our community."“With their exceptional skills‚ they successfully located and brought home a missing 11-year-old girl‚ reuniting her safely with her family. I couldn’t be prouder of our team’s commitment to service and determination to protect and serve.”Specially trained dogs have been used by law enforcement since the Middle Ages. The most commonly used breeds are German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois‚ according to the National Police Dog Foundation.Police K-9s are trained to be either patrol dogs or detection dogs‚ which are two distinct specializations. Depending on the specialization‚ the K-9 will receive unique training.Police K-9s generally serve for between six and nine years‚ and the intentional killing of a police dog in many countries is considered a criminal offense.Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Alaska Airlines resumed flying its grounded Boeing 737-9 MAX airplanes on Friday‚ just a few weeks after a terrifying in-flight incident caused one of its flights to perform an emergency landing.Earlier this month‚ a plug door panel on an Alaska Airlines flight headed to California from Oregon blew out mid-flight‚ causing the oxygen masks to deploy. As a result‚ all Boeing 737-9 MAX planes were grounded for further quality control inspections.Last week‚ Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci shared with NBC News that the company found "some loose bolts on many of our MAX 9s." United Airlines also reported finding loose bolts on some of its planes. Despite the alarming discoveries‚ on Wednesday‚ the Federal Aviation Administration cleared a path for the grounded planes to resume operations following the completion of its inspection and maintenance process. The agency also announced that it would not approve the production expansion of Boeing's MAX aircraft. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker called the agency's enhanced review of the aircraft "exhaustive." According to a recent letter from Boeing Commercial Airplanes President Stan Deal‚ United Airlines‚ Aeromexico‚ and Turkish Airlines plan to resume flying their MAX 9 airplanes shortly as well."Our long-term focus is on improving our quality so that we can regain the confidence of our customers‚ our regulator and the flying public. Frankly‚ we have disappointed and let them down‚" Deal said. "We are deeply sorry for the significant disruption and frustration of our customers‚ some of whom have been publicly and unfairly criticized. We have heard from our regulator‚ which has announced it won't allow 737 MAX production increases until they are satisfied we have improved our quality control. We own these issues and will make them right." "Over the last century‚ the people of Boeing have faced and overcome significant challenges. This is one of those times‚" he continued. "We have to be better. We have to deliver perfect airplanes each and every time."Alaska Airlines plans to complete an inspection of its 65 MAX 9 planes and allow the aircraft to resume operations by the end of next week‚ Fox Business reported."Each of our 737-9 MAX will return to service only after the rigorous inspections are completed and each plane is deemed airworthy according to FAA requirements‚" Alaska Airlines stated. "The individual inspections are expected to take up to 12 hours per aircraft."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!