Barb Wormald

In 2024, Brood XIX (13-Year–Largest Periodical Cicada Brood) And Brood XIII (17-Year) Cicadas Will Co-Emerge Across 17 US States, In A Rare Event Seen Every 221 Years. The Adult Cicada Will Mate, Lay Eggs, Then Die, While The Nymphs Will Burrow Into The Ground For The Next Cycle. There Are 3,000 To 5,000 Species Of Cicadas Around The World.

A Researcher, In Queensland, Australia, Has Discovered A Potentially World’s Hairiest Beetle, Excastra Albopilosa, In Dec., 2021. With Long Fluffy White Hairs, It’s Believed To Mimic Fungus-Infected Insects, A Possible Deterrent To Predators. This cm-Long Longhorn Beetle Is Said To Be Of A New Genus, And Only One Specimen Has Been Found.

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A New Tiny 38 cm Tall Species Of The World’s Smallest Deer, Pudella Carlae, Found In Peru‘s Central Andes, Marks The First Cervid Species Discovery In South America In 60+ Years. P. Carlae, A Jack Russell Terrier-Size Deer, Is A Separate Species From The Northern Pudu, & Inhabits Diverse Habitats: The Andean Grasslands To The Cloud Forest.

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Chinese Scientists Created One Of The Stretchiest Materials Known To Science By Linking Polymer Coils With Carbon Atoms. The Elastic Hydrogel (HG) Stretches Up To 15x Its Size Before Reverting To Its Original Shape, Unlike Traditional HGs. The HG, Tested With Robot Grippers, Proved Gentle On Fragile Items, Hinting At Wide Commercial Use.

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In Peru‘s Amazon, A 16-Myr-Old Fossil Of Pebanista Yacuruna (PY), The Largest Freshwater Dolphin (FWD), Was Found. ~3.5m Long, It’s ~25% Larger Than Modern FWD. PY Is Said To Be Related To The Modern South Asia FWD. PY Extinction May Be Linked To Ancient Amazon Lake Drainage. This Find Highlights FWD Evolution And Ecosystem Vulnerability.

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Saudi Arabia, With Rumy Alqahtani, Will Make History By Entering The Miss Universe Pageant (MUP) For The First Time. Alqahtani, A 27-Year-Old Seasoned Pageant Contender & Influencer, Has Competed Globally In, E.G., Miss And Mrs Global Asian. The 2023 MUP Was Historic As A Nicaraguan Contestant, Sheynnis Palacios, Won The Pageant For The First Time.

Harvard Researchers Have Developed A Breakthrough Eco-Friendly Solid-State Lithium Metal Battery That Is Rechargeable In 10 Mins And Can Be Recharged Over 6,000 Times, More Than Any Pouch-Shaped Battery. The Battery Could Significantly Enhance Electric Vehicle Range. Harvard Would Lease The Battery To Adden Energy To Commercialize It.

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A Farm In Australia Breaks World Record, Certified By Guinness World Records, For Growing The Largest Blueberry Which Is ~4cm-Wide And Weighs 20.4g. The Fruit Breed, An Eterna Breed, Developed By Costa Group, Yields Consistently Large Fruits That Maintain Flavor And Firmness. The Farmers May Preserve The Giant Berry Via A Resin Cast.

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Elizabeth Francis, Aged 114, Is America’s Oldest Resident And 5th Oldest Person On Earth. Francis, A Houstonian, Took The Title After 116-Year-Old Californian Edie Ceccarelli Passed Away. Francis Has 3 Grandchildren, 4 Great-Grandchildren, And 2 Great-Great-Grandchildren. She Lives With Her Daughter Dorothy Williams, 94, And Granddaughter.

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Researchers Found, In Ecuador‘s Rainforest, The World’s Largest Snake– A Green Anaconda Of Species Eunectes Akiyama, Which Split From Its Relatives, Eunectes Murinus, 10m Yrs Ago. Despite Identical Looks, Genetic Analysis Revealed A New Species. This Find Was Made During A Study Of Anacondas As A Key Indicator For Ecosystem Health Due To Oil Spillage.

A 14-Foot (4.3 Meters) Odysseus Lander, Built By Intuitive Machines And Sponsored By NASA For $118 Million, Successfully Touched Down Near The South Pole Of The Moon, Marking The First U.S. Landing In Over 50 Years Since NASA’s Famed Apollo Moonwalkers. This Achievement Also Made Intuitive Machines The First Private Company To Achieve A Lunar Landing.

Beyoncé‘s “Texas Hold ‘EM” Not Only Made Her The First Black Woman And 2nd Solo Female Artist, After Taylor Swift, To Top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs But Also The First Woman To Lead Both Hot Country Songs And Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Charts Since The Charts Began In 1958. Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus, ETC., Have Also Led Both Charts.

Scientists Innovated Aerogel Glass Bricks With The Highest Insulation For Bricks, Plus Light Transmission. The Product Excels In Thermal Insulation Without Added Thickness, Reducing Lighting/HVAC Energy. This Is A Breakthrough In Building Materials, Even In Space. Eco-Friendly Brick Alternatives Include Ferrock And Sugarcrete Bricks.

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Women Swept Major Categories And Made History At The 2024 Grammys. Karol G: 1st Female Reggaeton Artist To Win Best Música Urbana Album. Paramore: 1st Woman-Fronted Rock Band To Win Best Rock Album. Taylor Swift Won Album Of The Year For The Fourth Time, Surpassing Icons Like Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, And Stevie Wonder.

Photographer Carlos Gauna May Have Filmed The First-Ever Footage Of A Newborn Great White Shark (GWS) Off Santa Barbara, Challenging Birthing Assumptions. Gauna’s Observations, Like Shedding Intrauterine Milk, The Shark’s Size (~5ft), And Shape Suggest It’s A Newborn, Providing Rare Insights. This Discovery Contributes To GWS Conservation.

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Colman Domingo, Who Made History As 1st Afro-Latino Best Actor Oscar Nominee For ‘Rustin’ And 2nd Openly Gay Man Nominated For A Gay Role, Marks The Oscar’s 2nd Year Of Diverse Non-Denzel/Will Smith Black Best Actor Nods. Recognized For ‘The Color Purple,’ He Eyes Potential Wins At The 96th Oscars Hosted By Jimmy Kimmel On March 10, 2024.

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Turkey’s First Astronaut, Alper Gezeravci, Launched With A Swede And An Italian On A $55 Million Per Person Spacex Trip/Mission To The International Space Station. Organized By Axiom Space, Nasa, And Spacex, The Crew, Including A Retired Nasa Astronaut, Will Spend Two Weeks Conducting Experiments And Promoting Education Before Returning Home.

Germany Marks Its First Permanent Troop Deployment Since WWII After Germany And Lithuania Agreed On A Historic Deployment Of 4,800 German Troops To Lithuanian Cities Of Kaunas And Vilnius By 2027. The Plan, Motivated By Regional Security, Aims To Bolster NATO Defense, With Lithuania Committing Infrastructure And Funding.

HBO’s Longest Running Scripted Comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Created By Larry David Of Seinfeld Fame, Wraps Up Its 24-Year Run With Season 12. This Final Installment, Airing Feb 4 – Apr 7, 2024, On HBO Max, Concludes David’s Fictionalized Life Saga And Marks The End Of A Legendary Comedic Era On TV.

The World’s Biggest Iceberg, A23a, Stuck For 37 Years In The Weddell Sea, Is Now Moving From Antarctica. A23a Is More Than Twice The Size Of Greater London, 400m Thick, And Set Adrift Due To Natural Conditions. Its Journey May Disrupt Animal Habitats In South Georgia But Contributes Nutrients Upon Melting, Which Is Vital For Ocean Life.

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