UK Minister States the Obvious

Oakland Progressives: It's Racist to Criticize Hamas

Netanyahu: 'No Way' War Ends Without Destroying Hamas

To illuminate the “microbial dark matter” that lives deep within Earth‚ scientists took a journey deep within a gold mine and returned with samples detailing hundreds of different microbial species. This‚ however‚ is just a drop in the ocean of all the life that lives beneath our feet.The amount of microbial life below our planet’s surface is immense. If scooped up and placed on a giant scale‚ the microbes living deep within Earth’s crust would outweigh all of the biomass from the world’s oceans. Despite this ubiquity‚ scientists know very little about them. To get a glimpse of this subterranean world‚ scientists at Northwestern University studied samples taken from the Deep Mine Microbial Observatory‚ a former gold mine in the Black Hills‚ South Dakota.“The deep subsurface biosphere is enormous; it’s just a vast amount of space‚” Magdalena Osburn‚ lead study author and an associate professor of Earth and planetary science at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences‚ said in a statement. “We used the mine as a conduit to access that biosphere‚ which is difficult to reach no matter how you approach it. The power of our study is that we ended up with a lot of genomes‚ and many from understudied groups. From that DNA‚ we can understand which organisms live underground and learn what they could be doing. These are organisms that we often can’t grow in the lab or study in more traditional contexts. They are often called ‘microbial dark matter’ because we know so little about them‚” Osburn added.Exterior view of the former goldmine in the Black Hills‚ South Dakota.Image credit: Sanford Underground Research FacilityThe team sequenced the microbial DNA held within the samples and identified nearly 600 genomes from 50 distinct phyla and 18 candidate phyla. Within this diverse collection‚ it appeared that almost all of the microbes fell into one of two roles: “minimalists” that have limited but specialized jobs‚ or “maximalists” that will readily utilize any resource they come across. “Man[y] of the microbes we found were either minimalists: ultra-streamlined with one job that it does very well alongside a close consortium of collaborators‚ or it can do a little bit of everything‚” Osburn said. “These maximalists are ready for every resource that comes along. If there is an opportunity to make some energy or transform a biomolecule‚ it is prepared. By looking at its genome‚ we can tell it has many options. If nutrients are scarce‚ it can just make its own.”This research may even hold some implications for the search for extraterrestrial life. When looking for signs of life elsewhere in the solar system‚ we tend to focus on water or evidence on the surface. These kinds of discoveries‚ however‚ are a reminder that life is also perfectly capable of living below a moon or planet’s surface.“I get really excited when I see evidence of microbial life‚ doing its thing without us‚ without plants‚ without oxygen‚ without surface atmosphere. These kinds of life very well could exist deep within Mars or in the oceans of icy moons right now. The forms of life tell us about what might live elsewhere in the solar system‚” added Osburn.The study has been accepted by the journal Environmental Microbiology. You can read an early version of the manuscript right here.

“Earth is the cradle of humanity‚ but one cannot live in a cradle forever‚” Konstantin Tsiolkovsky‚ one of the founding fathers of rocket science‚ once said. Since the late 1950s‚ humanity has taken the first shaky steps into the cosmos. This century‚ there have always been humans living in orbit‚ and we expect this will continue for the foreseeable future. But can humanity settle space?The question is a complex one. Is this big leap actually imminent? Is it feasible? Is it safe for the people going there and those staying here? We are lucky that two brilliant science communicators‚ Dr Kelly and Zach Weinersmith‚ undertook that task and turned it into a fantastically compelling book called A City on Mars‚ discussing the challenges and possibilities that humanity might experience in its potential expansion into space.From the get-go‚ something that appears clear is the lack of extensive research on every subject related to the human experience in these future settlements. Despite promises by many advocating that living in space is imminent‚ there is a lot that we do not know.“What I would invest in immediately would be what are called closed-loop ecologies. These are systems in which you essentially have a sealed container and you create an ecosystem in it‚” Zach Weinersmith told IFLScience in an exclusive interview. “Basically a mini-Earth. We’ve only done it a few times. So far the maximum scale we've done is eight [people] and we don't know how it scales.”             It is possible that keeping humans alive in these systems might be easier to manage for a large group but it might be also worse‚ and this is why more research is necessary. The largest test also did not include medical facilities‚ something that appears to be common with outer space research.“The first big surprise for me was how little we know about space medicine that is relevant to life in a space settlement. Hundreds of astronauts have been to space aboard stations orbiting the Earth‚ and I assumed we had learned most of what we needed to know from these astronauts and the experiments they ran in orbit‚” Dr Kelly Weinersmith told IFLScience.“But the Earth's magnetosphere protects these space stations and their inhabitants from space radiation‚ which wouldn't be the case on Mars. So we don't really understand the radiation risks. And while we know that life in freefall orbiting the Earth is bad for bones and muscles‚ we don't know if life in Mars' 40 percent gravity will completely alleviate those problems or not. And of course‚ Mars has other problems as well‚ like toxic regolith that is kicked up in worldwide dust storms...”Challenges exist not just on Mars‚ but even on the much nearer Moon. Settlements there will have to contend with the lack of a crucial element: carbon. There are currently six caches of high-density carbon on the Moon – the bags of feces‚ urine‚ and vomit that the Apollo astronauts left there. But if we want to have agriculture to sustain a settlement‚ carbon is needed.“You can’t just make more carbon on site. It’s made in stars‚ so this is a problem‚” Zach explained. “People will often talk about how much water is on the Moon. And there is not that much water. It is a finite resource‚ and the rules say whoever gets it first can probably take it”The book explains also the uncertainty of the legal framework that currently regulates space exploration and how it would regulate space settlements unless it's updated. It leaves a lot to be desired‚ if we want to avoid the next step forward becoming a step backward in terms of human rights and the risk of war. “It was extremely unsettling to read space settlement advocates argue that we may need to adjust our threshold for what we consider valuable human life. Their argument is that early Mars settlements will require incredible time and energy investments‚ and these communities simply won't have the bandwidth to support people with disabilities‚” Kelly explained.“If we slow down and settle space carefully‚ we should be able to go with a plan for how we can support and value all the settlers. One of the main motivations for moving to Mars is that humanity needs a 'Plan B' in case something catastrophic happens to the Earth. I would hate to see humanity's back-up be one that loses so much ground on the progress we've made regarding human rights.”The challenges are certainly great. Greater than many advocates would like for sure‚ but wishing them away won’t fix the need to have solid research and frameworks for the future of settlements in space. After all‚ to quote JFK‚ we do these things "not because they are easy‚ but because they are hard".“There is a path forward and most of the stuff we need to do to get there is stuff we ought to do anyway. It's also incidentally just really cool stuff‚” Zach enthusiastically explained. “There is so much science to be done; on closed-loop ecology‚ on space obstetrics..‚ like imagine telling someone you are in that field‚ that’s amazing!”“In international law‚ we need to create a planet where war is less probable‚ terrorism less likely to do space. And it would be a good thing to have in general.”You can read more about A City On Mars in the latest issue of CURIOUS‚ featuring an excerpt and a Q&;A with the authors. You can watch the whole interview with Zach here.

Humans have been nicking the deliciously sweet fruits of bees’ hard labour for centuries‚ with some types of honey touting medicinal benefits and even hallucinogenic effects – now it’s being marketed as an aphrodisiac too. But this isn’t just any honey‚ this is royal honey.What’s royal honey made of?Put simply‚ royal honey is a combination of regular honey mixed with royal jelly‚ but many retailers will add additional ingredients to enhance their product's intended health benefits.Like any animal product‚ the quality of the honey and the royal jelly can differ depending on how and where the bees are cared for. Some retailers market their products as raw or unpasteurized‚ claiming this adds to the nutritional value. However‚ the anti-microbial properties of honey don’t protect it from bacteria‚ and like any unpasteurized animal product‚ consuming raw honey should be done with caution.The product is generally marketed as a health food‚ skin treatment‚ and most famously‚ an aphrodisiac. In 2022‚ however‚ Big Royal Honey landed itself in some hot water when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found some products were being laced with erectile dysfunction medication that was not disclosed in the ingredient list.This raised concerns as these drugs‚ namely Viagra (sildenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil)‚ can react with other medications and lower blood pressure to dangerously low levels. The FDA issued warning letters to the four companies involved in selling the tainted products.In addition to its “aphrodisiac” properties‚ it’s claimed that royal honey possesses a number of seemingly impressive health benefits‚ such as antifungal‚ antibacterial‚ anti-microbial‚ and antioxidant properties‚ and even anti-aging and moisturizing benefits for the skin.But if regular honey isn’t advertised as having all these properties‚ then are the benefits just coming from the royal jelly?What is royal jelly?Bog standard honey is produced in the honey sac‚ or honey stomach‚ of bees and its flavour is determined by which flowers the nectar used to make it is gathered from. Contrary to popular belief‚ honey is not bee vomit or bee poop‚ the honey stomach is instead a specialised organ used to store the nectar while the bee is busy buzzing back to its hive.Once home‚ the bee will regurgitate the nectar in a process called trophallaxis‚ and begin adding sugar-inverting enzymes to the nectar to create sweet sweet honey. This honey is then stored in a honeycomb within the hive and the honeycomb is used to feed the colony throughout winter. Royal jelly‚ however‚ is a thick‚ white substance secreted from the glands in the heads of worker bees. It’s a nutritious food used to feed queen bee larvae throughout the larval period and to feed worker and drone larvae for the first three days of their lives.While royal jelly does contain a number of beneficial ingredients‚ like vitamin B6‚ used to metabolize amino acids‚ and pantothenic acid‚ used to metabolize fats and carbohydrates‚ the amount of royal jelly a human would need to eat to see any beneficial effects means that it has a very limited human nutritional value under normal consumption.Additionally‚ the claims of royal honey having rejuvenating properties when used in skincare are unsubstantiated.But is royal honey really horny honey?The short answer is: not exactly. Sorry. The sexy effects of royal honey are a little more complicated than its aphrodisiac marketing would suggest‚ especially considering aphrodisiacs are mostly just a placebo effect.Royal jelly is‚ however‚ vital to the fertility of honey bees‚ so we can kind of see where the rumour started. A 2022 study found that royal jelly may enhance fertility in mammals like rodents and farm animals‚ where the application of it improved pregnancy rates and success rates of in-vitro fertilization.In human studies‚ royal jelly was seen to have a beneficial effect on sperm count and mobility‚ suggesting an increased chance of fertilization. However‚ there was no evidence to suggest any fertility benefits in women.But increased fertility does not equal increased libido as the aphrodisiac touting companies would have you think‚ in actuality‚ a higher chance of procreation is probably not the vibe royal honey users are going for.So‚ the next time someone tries to flog you some royal honey‚ first consider if the minor‚ potentially health-benefiting additions really outweigh the eyewatering markup and the potential of being spiked with Viagra.

Mesa Public Schools‚ Arizona’s largest school district‚ is helping kids secretly change their gender at school and hide it from their parents‚ Just The News reported Tuesday. Now‚ a school board member is suing the district over the transgender guidelines.  In her lawsuit backed by America First Legal‚ Rachel Walden alleges that Mesa Public Schools and its Superintendent Andi Fourlis “schemed to circumvent the Arizona Parents’ Bill of Rights after the community learned it was blocking parental notification‚” Just the News summarized.  Here’s what America First Legal wrote in its November 21 announcement of the suit: If students do not want their parents informed‚ MPS employees are required to keep this information hidden from parents. This policy of parental non-notification used to be explicit and in writing. After controversy arose in the local community about the non-notification policy‚ MPS revised its written documents to obfuscate the policy. The new policy pays lip service to the legal requirement for parental notification‚ but it still allows school employees to talk to students about their sexual identity without parents’ knowledge. And it also coaches students how to make sure their parents never find out they’ve been talking to school employees about their sexual identity. According to the suit‚ the school board “never voted to adopt or authorize” changes to the school district policy‚ which was initially way more transparent with parents. The new policy allowing for kids to be acknowledged as a gender other than their biological sex includes things like restroom‚ locker room and field trip access as well as “overnight trips” and “gendered activities” like sports. The policy originally required parental consent for a student to be treated as transgender‚ but “was revised at some point to be ‘explicit and in writing’ that students can veto even notification‚” Just the News reported. Related: Catholic All-Girls College to Admit Transgender Girls (Men) For Fall 2024 The suit also claims that there are many students‚ including at least one elementary school child‚ who were “placed on plans” to be treated as transgender without any parental notification.  The Mesa School District policy violates the Arizona Parents’ Bill of Rights‚ which notes that it is a “fundamental right” for parents to be in the know and “direct the upbringing‚ education‚ healthcare and mental health of their children.”  This isn’t the first time that Mesa Public Schools has gotten in trouble over its woke policies. Back in June‚ the Arizona Department of Education investigated the school district after reports surfaced that it was hosting a training seminar for teachers about how some Americans live “under a system of white supremacy.” Time will tell how this latest lawsuit pans out‚ but if you need another indicator that the left is after your kids‚ here it is.  Follow us on Twitter/X: Hamas sympathizers protest in Upper West Side NYC. What do they mean by "any means necessary"? pic.twitter.com/hOaDPdN0E1 — MRCTV (@mrctv) November 28‚ 2023

For the last few weeks‚ hundreds of migrants have temporarily moved into the San Diego International Airport as California’s homelessness crisis overwhelms its shelter system.Migrants taking up residence at the airport are reportedly being forced to sleep in the terminals overnight as they wait up to several days to catch their scheduled flights out of the state. One young woman from Nicaragua told Telemundo last week that she did not have a plane ticket and was still waiting to receive a travel date‚ KNSD reported.Soraya Vázquez‚ with the organization Al Otro Lado‚ told the news outlet‚ “There are migrants sleeping on the floor at the airport and that already generates a stigma that does not help in any way to a good reception or a good integration of them into that society.”Paulina Reyes‚ managing attorney with Immigrant Defenders Law Center‚ explained that approximately 20 migrants arriving at the airport each day do not have flights booked‚ the New York Post reported. By the end of the day‚ roughly half have found flights‚ she noted. According to Reyes‚ some migrants wait three or four nights before receiving tickets.Mindy Wright‚ spokesperson for SBCS‚ the organization that runs the San Diego Welcome Center‚ denied Reyes’ claims. Wright told the San Diego Union-Tribune that migrants must have proof that a flight is booked before they are bused to the airport.Organizations such as We All We Got have been making trips to the airport to deliver meals‚ water‚ and hygiene kits to migrants camped out in the airport terminals waiting for flights‚ volunteer Roni Elias explained. “We would initially make just about 50 sandwiches‚ 50 meal packs for people. But then‚ we realized that was not enough‚” Elias stated. “Last week‚ I counted 308 people sleeping over.”Krystle Johnson‚ another volunteer with We All We Got‚ told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the migrant population residing at the airport has “grown exponentially” and the organization is “not totally sure why.”“It’s almost becoming a second [migrant welcome] center because there’s so many people there‚” Johnson added.Since mid-September‚ over 40‚000 migrants have been processed and released into San Diego County. Meanwhile‚ approximately 172‚000 individuals make up California’s homeless population‚ many of whom are residing in the state’s shelter system.San Diego International Airport officials sent a statement to the San Diego Union-Tribune last week explaining‚ “Since late last year‚ San Diego International Airport has experienced a significant increase in the number of migrants using the airport to proceed to their next destination. We have and will continue to coordinate with migrant-serving volunteer groups and nonprofit organizations as they help their clients navigate the airport.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A train was recorded in Mexico heading toward a border town with hundreds of migrants riding on top of the cars.A train on the BNSF railway‚ which is part of the largest freight railroad system in the United States‚ was noted by Fox News in central Mexico as it departed from Irapuato‚ Guanajuato‚ which is about 200 miles northwest of Mexico City.The train carrying the migrants is set to travel to Monterrey‚ Mexico‚ before reaching Piedras Negras‚ which is a border city opposite Eagle Pass‚ Texas.Eagle Pass is a high-traffic area for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and will likely see yet another load of migrants from the incoming train.A migrant surge has caused a temporary suspension and reduction of processing at Texas and Arizona border points. This includes Eagle Pass International Bridge 1‚ CBP reportedly stated.Watch the latest video at foxnews.comVehicle processing will also be reduced at the Lukeville‚ Arizona‚ crossing‚ where migrants were pictured in a massive lineup recently.Tucson Sector Border Patrol apprehended 58‚000 illegal immigrants in a span of 28 days‚ it recently announced‚ with numbers piling onto an out-of-control October 2023. That month the sector saw 55‚224 migrants‚ according to Breitbart.Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin posted numerous figures on X that were compiled from just one week. This included 15‚300 apprehensions‚ 117 pounds of fentanyl seized‚ and over a dozen human smuggling events. As darkness descends on Lukeville AZ nearly a thousand illegal aliens have crossed the border and turned themselves over to Border Patrol. Where are these people going? Numerous countries other than Mexico are crossing. Here is another video. Crying children can be heard.\u2026 — (@) Democrat Mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson recently blamed "right-wing extremism" for the migrant crisis that is plaguing left-wing sanctuary cities that tolerate and provide money and resources to illegal immigrants."It has to be better coordination. What we have seen is a raggedy form instituted by right-wing extremism‚" Johnson said."Everyone knows that the right-wing extremism in this country has targeted Democratically-ran cities‚ and quite frankly‚ they've been very intentional about going after Democratically-ran cities that are led by people of color‚" he claimed.This echoes statements of alleged racism that New York City Mayor Eric Adams made at the end of April 2023. At the time‚ Adams claimed that Texas Governor Greg Abbott was "once again deciding to play politics with people’s lives by resuming the busing of asylum seekers to New York‚ Los Angeles‚ Chicago‚ Denver‚ and Washington‚ D.C..""It is also impossible to ignore the fact that Abbott is now targeting five cities run by black mayors‚" Adams continued. "Put plainly‚ Abbott is using this crisis to hurt black-run cities."Abbott had previously stated that he was simply sending illegal immigrants to "sanctuary cities" that don't report the migrants for deportation.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The hashtag #TransgenderDayofRememberance went viral last week as progressives posted online about the 26 Americans who identified as transgender who reportedly were killed in 2023. Given the topic‚ I expected to see organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign and trans activists promoting the message and noting that most victims were “people of color.” What I didn’t expect were posts from the National Urban League‚ a black pastor‚ a U.S. senator from Georgia‚ the first black governor of Maryland‚ and the black men who run New York City‚ Chicago‚ and Baltimore. These men are part of a very different type of social transition. It should go without saying that murder is wrong. Human life has inherent value because we are made in the image of God‚ regardless of a person’s gender identity‚ sex‚ or skin color. But given the unfortunate levels of violence in some of our largest cities‚ it is clear that these men — like many black progressives — have a political motivation for speaking out on this question. Eric Adams‚ Brandon Johnson‚ and Brandon Scott could spend all day tweeting about the shootings‚ murders‚ and carjackings that plague their cities. Instead‚ all three have pledged to make the streets safe for their “trans siblings.” Their public safety proclamations reflect the priorities of their party. This is not just a matter of political priorities. It’s also about language‚ affect‚ tone‚ and disposition. They are also tangible evidence that the public image of black men has undergone a complete public makeover in the past 15 years — a social phenomenon very few people seem to notice. Progressive black men have gone from “late adopters” to dutiful allies on LGBTQIA+ issues since the election of Barack Obama and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. This has been quite the turnaround. Perceptions of black masculinity have been largely shaped by sports and hip-hop culture for close to 40 years. Americans of all stripes wanted to “be like Mike” when Michael Jordan was at the height of his popularity. Brands that were wary of rap’s hard edges in the early 1990s eventually softened their positions over time. Snoop Dogg has never disavowed his ties to the Crips‚ but that hasn’t stopped him from being a corporate pitchman or partnering with Martha Stewart. Rappers were criticized for years for being hyper-masculine and misogynistic. Much of that feedback was deserved. The disrespect and degradation of black women in rap lyrics and videos were a feature of the genre‚ not a bug. The black feminists critiquing hip-hop were eventually joined by black LGBT activists in claiming that straight black men were oppressing both groups. What followed were years of cultural programming that attempted to destroy men by framing masculinity itself as toxic. Malik Yoba is an actor who played a detective on the 1990s cop drama “New York Undercover.” His character‚ Detective J.C. Williams‚ epitomized the hip-hop-influenced archetype of black masculinity while fighting crime in the gritty streets of New York City. Fast-forward 20 years‚ and Yoba was repeating trans propaganda and apologizing for using the phrase “naturally born women” on “The Breakfast Club.” Yoba is far from the only one. Professors like Marc Lamont Hill‚ who think men can get pregnant‚ use their academic training to subvert any social norm they believe abets oppression. But athletes like Dwyane Wade and Charles Barkley have helped nudge other black men with traditional views to accept all things related to the Pride movement. But this is not just a matter of political priorities. It’s also about language‚ affect‚ tone‚ and disposition. There is an ever-expanding group of black men with large social media followings and high-profile media platforms whose mother tongue is the language of personal therapy. Their entire online persona is one of a never-ending series of “traumas‚” “microaggressions‚” and “harms.” They walk around in a perpetual state of fear. Since 2020‚ they have written about being too afraid to wear face masks in grocery stores as well as being too afraid of COVID to take them off at the gym. These are the men who think a vote for Trump will lead black people back to cotton fields or consign us to concentration camps. In the span of one generation‚ black men in the public square have gone from gangsters to milksops. The “hard” street pose has been replaced by men frolicking in fields and craving the “soft life.” One of the ironies of the public transformation of the black male image is that black LGBT culture warriors display a level of aggression toward their hetero counterparts that proves testosterone is not a social construct. Saucy Santana is a cross-dressing rapper from Florida who has had a “Brazilian butt lift” and wears fake eyelashes and heels. He starred alongside Miami rapper Trina in the “No Voting‚ No Vucking” ad that was tied to an organization founded by Michelle Obama. Santana may dress like a woman‚ but he has no problem threatening his foes with rape on social media. Similar levels of aggression can be seen from Angelica Ross‚ an actor who “identifies“ as a woman. Ross took to social media a few months ago to threaten a black comedian named Jess Hilarious who called trans people delusional and affirmed the fact that only women can give birth. The transformation of the black male image is not a sign of progress. Men‚ regardless of their ethnic background‚ should aspire to be strong‚ tough‚ and resilient. A good man is also loyal‚ faithful‚ and honest. Affirming lies and delusion for the sake of personal and political gain is the antithesis of manhood. This doesn’t mean that men don’t have feelings. It just means that we shouldn’t be controlled by them. There are times when a man needs to be tender‚ especially if he has a wife and children. But needing an emergency appointment with your therapist because someone confused you for an Uber Eats driver or an election didn’t go your way is a sign of emotional instability and weakness‚ not emotional balance.