Author: mshahazad3916

August 22, 20253 min readPastel Pink Lobsters, Goofy-Looking Squid Among Deep-Sea Oddities Discovered in Ocean AbyssResearchers spied a wild array of life, including dozens of suspected new species, in an underwater gorgeBy Ashley Balzer Vigil edited by Andrea ThompsonA glass squid floats in the deep sea. ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean InstituteTwo miles below the ocean’s surface, off the coast of Argentina, an underwater gorge plunges nearly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The trench and the nearby ocean floor are crawling with creatures that seem like they belong in an alien carnival, including a see-through squid with a hornlike appendage,…

Texas lawmakers approved a new electoral map early Saturday that would likely give the Republicans five new seats in next year’s midterm elections in a move explicitly designed to preserve US President Donald Trump’s grip on Congress. Republican State Governor Greg Abbott is expected to quickly sign it into law.

A Russian state-backed messenger application called Max, a rival to WhatsApp that critics say could be used to track users, must be pre-installed on all mobile phones and tablets bought in the country starting next month, the Russian government said on Thursday.The decision to promote Max comes as Moscow, locked in a standoff with the west over Ukraine, is seeking greater control over the internet. The Kremlin said in a statement that Max, which will be integrated with government services, would be on a list of mandatory pre-installed apps on all “gadgets”, including mobile phones and tablets, sold in Russia…

Jacqui WakefieldGlobal Disinformation Unit, BBC World ServiceGetty Images/ Carlos BarqueroWomen who used the Tea app in the US are facing backlash after their data was leakedSally was stalked by her ex-boyfriend.After ending their relationship, he would turn up at work – and even her friends’ houses. She eventually had to move.When she finally got back on to the dating scene, she was wary. She decided to sign up for a new app where women could do background checks and share experiences of men they were dating.Users of the US-based Tea Dating Advice app, which is only available in America, could…

A rise in the number of sweet, food-scented perfumes on the market could be linked to an increase in the use of weight-loss medication, according to the market research firm Mintel.Food-inspired fragrances, with scent profiles that feature vanilla, coffee and caramel and referred to in the industry as “gourmand” perfumes, have surged in popularity in the past three years. Launches of sugary-scented, dessert-themed fragrances increased by 24% last year alone, Mintel said.The rise in popularity is happening alongside the increased use of GLP-1 medications for weight loss, such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.“Fragrance brands may increasingly explore such notes to…

Hurricane Erin flooded our coverage this week, as the first Atlantic hurricane of the season also became one of the most rapidly intensifying in history.More and more hurricanes are strengthening faster as climate change causes atmospheric and sea temperatures to soar. Erin was captured in stunning footage by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES-19 satellite that also saw lightning crackle around its eye.It wasn’t just Earth’s weather that made headlines this week. Sun watchers snapped a giant solar tornado raging above our star’s surface at the same time as a plasma eruption burst from it. Solar storms can…

Snug, I stretched in the darkness, waking as the thump of wheels slowed to the tempo of a heartbeat. I could sense that the train was approaching our destination, so shuffled down the berth, easing up the blind to find a ruby necklace of brake lights running parallel with the tracks.It had rained overnight and the road was slick, the sky a midnight blue, a D-shaped moon fading in the corner. Dawn was minutes away, and I could just make out the jumble of houses on hills, lights flicking on as though fireflies lay between their folds.I stepped into the corridor…

An art installation, which displays black and white images of people detained or deported as a result of ICE raids in Southern California, stands outside the federal building in Los Angeles, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Jae C. Hong/AP hide caption toggle caption Jae C. Hong/AP A judge ruled late Friday the Trump administration cannot deny funding to Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and 30 other cities and counties because of policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration efforts. U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco extended a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from cutting off or conditioning the use…

Watch out that generative AI and LLMs can carry a stigma toward you if you mention that you have some form of mental health condition.getty In today’s column, I examine the intriguing finding that generative AI harbors stigmas towards those users who overtly express that they have mental health issues or conditions to the AI. The concern is this. Suppose a user of generative AI reveals they have a mental health condition, such as depression or alcohol dependence, doing so during a conversation with the AI. In that case, the AI purportedly immediately stereotypes the person and henceforth treats them…

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Aug. 23.