Emmanuel Nwaodua, Ph.D.

In A World First, Scientists Have Made Soft, Transparent Contact Lenses With Upconversion Nanoparticles That Convert Non-Visible Near-Infrared Light Into Visible Colors. Unlike Night Vision Goggles, They Need No Power. Though Not Full Thermal Vision Like Snakes Have, The Tech May Aid Color Blindness, Secret Messages, And Extend Human Sight.

ESA’s Solar Orbiter, Launched In 2/20, Studies The Sun’s Atmosphere, Cycle, Wind, & Poles. In 3/25, It Took The World’s First Clear Image Of The Sun’s South Pole Using Venus Gravity Assists. By 2029, It’ll Reach 33° Tilt For Better Polar Views, Potentially Unlocking Solar Cycle & Space Weather Secrets. North Pole Images Are Expected In Oct 2025.

On 4/28/25, Spain & Portugal Faced Their Worst Blackout, Lasting 10hrs, With No Clear Cause. Cyber Attack Was Ruled Out; Possible Reasons Include Grid Failures With France, Renewable Energy Fluctuations, & Power Mismatches. Essentials Like Cash, Radios, Food, Candles, & Powerbanks Helped. The Event Stressed Preparedness And Tech-Free Living.

Capital One’s $35B All-Stock Merger With Discover Would Make Capital One The Largest U.S. Credit Card Issuer, & Could Challenge Visa/Mastercard By Shifting Its Customers To Discover’s Network. The DOJ Found No Reason To Block The Deal, & The Federal Reserve & OCC Have Given The Final Approval. But Critics Warn Of Higher Fees & Credit Costs.

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Trump Announced Tariffs On 4/2/25—The Highest Import Taxes Since The 1800s: A 10% Baseline On U.S. Imports, With Steeper Rates For Nations Like China, Cambodia & Vietnam. The Move Ends Free Trade, Aiming To Boost U.S. Industry But Risking Higher Prices, Economic Damage, And Global Tensions. Stocks Lost $5T In 2 Days—The Biggest 2-Day Drop Ever

A Teenager In British Columbia Is The First Person In Canada To Test Positive For Bird Flu (H5N1). The Teen Is In Critical Condition At A Children’s Hospital. The Source Of The Infection Is Under Investigation, Likely From A Bird Or Animal. Human Cases Are Rare, But Scientists Worry About Potential Mutation For Human-To-Human Transmission.

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President-Elect Donald Trump Makes History By Appointing Susie Wiles, A Seasoned GOP Strategist And His 2024 Campaign Co-Chair, As The First Female White House Chief Of Staff In U.S. History. Wiles, Who Has Worked In Republican Politics Since Reagan’s 1980 Campaign, Is Praised By Trump As “Tough, Smart, Innovative” And “Universally Respected.”

Iwao Hakamata, The World’s Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate, Was Exonerated After Over 50 Years In Prison. He Was Arrested In 1966 At Age 30 For The Murder Of His Boss & Family. A Japanese Court Acquitted The Now 88-Year-Old, Citing Planted Bloodstains, Sparking Calls To Reform Japan’s Justice System, Including Abolishing The Death Penalty.

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The European Space Agency (ESA) Metal 3D Printer, Developed By Airbus & Partners, Successfully Printed The First Ever Metal Part In Space, In August 2024, At The ISS. The Printed Parts Will Be Analyzed In Europe. This Technology Will Enhance Mission Autonomy For Future Moon & Mars Explorations, Allowing For On-Demand Part Manufacturing.

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A Groundbreaking Blood Test Analyzing CRP–A Liver Protein, Lipoprotein(A), And Cholesterol In 30K US Women Reveals Heart Health Risks 30-Yrs In Advance. This “Three-Pronged” Approach, Recommended For Those In Their 30s Or 40s, Showed That High Levels In All 3 Markers Triple Heart Disease Risk, But Early Detection Enables Prevention.

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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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President Macron Appointed Gabriel Attal, 34, As France’s Youngest PM, Aiming To Address Discontent Over Rising Living Costs. Attal, France’s First Openly Gay PM, Vows Swift Action For The Middle Class. Macron Shifts Focus To Consensual Goals Amid Parliamentary Challenges. Attal’s Popularity May Boost Macron’s Party In EU Elections.

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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.

The World’s Largest Hindu Temple, Outside India, Was Inaugurated In Central New Jersey. The Hindu Temple, Akshardham, Is The Second Biggest Globally, Spanning Over 183 Acres And Taking Over 10 Years To Construct. The Temple Involved Extensive Stone Extraction, Skilled Artisan Work, And Over 12,000 Volunteers Dedicating Millions Of Hours To Its Creation.

Singapore Executed Its First Woman In 18 Years For Drug Trafficking, Since Yen May Woen In 2004. Saridewi Binte Djamani, 45, Was Hanged For Possessing 30.72 Grams Of Heroin. But Anti-Death Penalty Advocates Argue That Such Law/Punishment Is Inhumane And Doesn’t Deter Drug Use Or Availability, As A Study In The Philippines Has Found.

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The World’s 2nd Deepest Blue Hole, Taam Ja’, Was Discovered Off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula In 2021. It Measures ~900 Ft Deep And Spans 147,000 Square Ft. Taam Ja’ Lacks Oxygen And Sunlight But Supports Diverse Life Adapted To Low-Oxygen Conditions. It’s The 2nd, After The ~980 Ft China’s Dragon Hole. Blue Holes Are Underwater CaCO3 Cave Fm.

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Tiwa Savage Is The First & Only Nigerian Musician To Perform At The King Charles Coronation Concert On May 7, 2023, Joining A Lineup Of World-Renowned Entertainers. Her Acceptance Has Sparked Mixed Feelings, As Some See It As A Remarkable Achievement, While Others View It As An Affront Given The Colonial History Btw Nigeria And The Uk.

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Fremont, CA Is The Happiest City In The USA, For The 2nd Year In A Row, In A Wallethub Ranking Of 182 Cities Based On 30 Factors Like Emotional & Physical Well-Being, Income, And Environment. San Jose, CA; Madison, WI; Overland Park, KS; And San Francisco, CA Rounded Out The Top 5. California Dominated The List, While Detroit Ranked Last.

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Michelle Yeoh, A Malaysian, Made History As The First Asian Woman To Win The Best Actress Award In The 95-Year History Of The Oscars. She Won, In Her First Ever Nomination, At The 2023 Oscars, For Her Performance In The Movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The Movie Also Made History As The First Science Fiction Film To Win Best Picture