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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

Duwisib Castle in Alt Duwisib, Namibia

This red-stone castle emerges from the desert in the middle of nowhere. It’s built in the neo-romantic style, but served its romantic purposes for just seven years. In 1907, German army captain Hansheinrich von Wolf fell in love with Jayta Humphreys, a wealthy American. He had Duwisib Castle built for her, a grand structure with 22 rooms, a great hall, and a luxurious courtyard spa. The architect Wilhelm Sander designed and built the castle for 250,000 gold Marks. It was……

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A Man in 19th-Century Italy Preserved His...

Tucked between the tibias of a standing skeleton in a museum in Turin, Italy, is a peculiar glass dome. The small container almost escapes notice, located in the last room of the Luigi Rolando Museum of Human Anatomy. Despite the wooden plaque below the item, the explanation just raises more questions. “Being neither an advocate of cremation nor cemeteries, I would like my bones to be laid to rest in the Anatomical Institute,” the inscription reads. “I would also……

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Friar’s Music Museum in Toronto, Ontario

At the busy intersection of Yonge and Dundas streets in Toronto there are many shiny, loud things vying for attention, from giant video billboards to busking musicians to blustery public speakers. There’s also a hidden cultural gem, the Friar’s Music Museum. Inside a nondescript Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy, beside shelves of toothpaste and deodorant, you’ll find a corner space filled with musical instruments, vintage vinyl, stage clothing, and other artifacts from artists who once made this stretch of Yonge……

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Al Capone’s Grave in Hillside, Illinois

Buried in a family plot at Mt. Caramel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, lies one of America’s most infamous gangsters, Al Capone. Capone ruled organized crime in Chicago from 1925 to 1931, before he was eventually arrested for income tax evasion and violating the laws of Prohibition. He was initially incarcerated in Atlanta but was moved to Alcatraz in 1934. In 1939, Capone was released to a hospital in Baltimore, as his syphilis had progressed to an advanced stage. After his……

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Birds-of-Paradise Can Emit Light Through Their Feathers

This story was originally published in The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Birds-of-paradise are known for their bright and colorful plumage, but it turns out they are even more dazzling than previously thought. Researchers have found 37 of the 45 species show biofluorescence—in other words, patches of their plumage or other body parts absorb UV or blue light, and emit light at lower frequencies. “At a minimum, it would make these biofluorescent areas……

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A look at recent aviation disasters in...

The crash of a Delta Air Lines plane in Toronto is the fourth major aviation disaster in North America in the last month. Here’s a look at each of the crashes. Passenger plane flips during landing in Toronto A Delta plane arriving Monday at Toronto’s Pearson Airport from Minneapolis flipped and landed on its roof, injuring at least 17 people. The airport confirmed that an “incident” occurred Monday with the Delta flight and that all 80 passengers and crew…

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Delta jet flips upside down on a...

TORONTO (AP) — A Delta Air Lines jet flipped on its roof while landing Monday at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, but all 80 people on board survived and those hurt had relatively minor injuries, the airport’s chief executive said. Snow was being blown by winds gusting to 40 mph (65 kph) when the flight from Minneapolis carrying 76 passengers and four crew attempted to land at around 2:15 p.m. Communications between the tower and pilot were normal on approach and…

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Trump begins firings of FAA air traffic...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Probationary workers were targeted in late night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement. The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational…

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Md. bill on the docket would ban...

The discussion continues in Annapolis, Maryland, over a bill that would enshrine certain rights to homeless Marylanders. “The Supreme Court decision in the City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, has basically given a license for localities to move an unhoused person, even if there are no safe spaces for them,” said Democratic Del. Bernice Mireku-North, of Montgomery County, who sponsors House Bill 487. The legislation, which has an identical bill filed in the state Senate, would allow homeless…

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Mixing beats, history, and technology

In a classroom on the third floor of the MIT Media Lab, it’s quiet; the disc jockey is setting up. At the end of a conference table ringed with chairs, there are two turntables on either side of a mixer and a worn crossfader. A MacBook sits to the right of the setup. Today’s class — CMS.303/803/21M.365 (DJ History, Technique, and Technology) — takes students to the 1970s, which means disco, funk, rhythm and blues, and the breaks that……

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A Guide to the Cardamoms of the...

This article is adapted from the February 15, 2025, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. My favorite source for Thai recipes is Pailin Chongchitnant’s blog and YouTube channel Hot Thai Kitchen, and I recently decided to make her Thai-style biryani. Thailand has a lot of Indian influence, and I was intrigued to learn there was a Thai version of what I usually think of as a South Asian dish. I was also interested……

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‘Saturday Night Live’ anniversary special opens with...

Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter duetted on Simon’s song “Homeward Bound” and five-decade “Saturday Night Live” luminary Steve Martin delivered the monologue to open the a 50th anniversary special celebrating the sketch institution that was overflowing with famous former cast members, superstar hosts and other A-list guests. The 83-year-old Simon has been essential to “SNL” since its earliest episodes in 1975, and performed on the first show after the 9/11 attacks. He was joined by the 25-year-old pop sensation…

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Shaq’s OGs and Chuck’s Global Stars advance...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — It’ll be Shaq’s OGs against Chuck’s Global Stars for the All-Star mini-tournament title. The OGs got into the final with a win over Candace’s Rising Stars, while the Global Stars beat Kenny’s Young Stars in the first semifinal. It was the debut of the new All-Star mini-tournament format: four teams, three games, first to 40 points wins. The league went to the tournament format of untimed, short games with hopes that asking players to play…

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The Latest: William Byron wins Daytona 500...

It’s NASCAR’s turn to throw its version of the Super Bowl, and the Daytona 500 is trying hard to match the hype after being delayed for hours due to rain. Captain America actor Anthony Mackie and even President Donald Trump were in attendance at the “Great American Race.” The field is stacked with stars including seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson and 2024 NASCAR champion Joey Logano. ___ Here’s the latest: Byron ‘obviously fortunate’ to win another Daytona 500 William Byron…

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US presented Ukraine with a document to...

MUNICH, Germany (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he directed his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on U.S. interests. The proposal, which was a key part of Zelenskyy’s talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not offer any specific security guarantees in return, according to one…

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