Free Republic

A team of researchers has traced neural activity from the eyes to the brain in mice to find out why green light helps to reduce pain. In their paper, the group describes studying each part of the visual neural system in mice, from the back of the eyes to the brain, to learn more about how light can impact sensations in the brain. Prior research and anecdotal evidence have suggested that green light, particularly green light generated by LEDs, can reduce pain levels in people with conditions such as arthritis, migraines and fibromyalgia—but the reasons have remained a mystery. In...

deepest hole ever drilled, the Kola Deep borehole in the Russian Arctic, reaches only 0.2 percent the way to the center...even the best scientific maps didn’t look much better than your middle-school textbook cartoon showing an outer crust, an inner core and a thick layer called the mantle in between But that picture is changing. Researchers... are...seeing is full of complex detail...The mantle appears to be layered like an onion, with major transitions 250 miles and 410 miles down. At the 410-mile level, researchers recently identified a tremendous interior mountain range, with peaks perhaps even taller than Mount Everest. “...

New research showcases chemotherapy treatment before and after surgery for pancreatic cancer as the most effective combination for patients. "It's critical to have large scale data that doctors can use to make decisions about chemotherapy plans for patients who qualify for pancreatic cancer surgery," said author Marco Del Chiaro, MD. The study showed overall survival was significantly longer in patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery, compared to the group of patients that did not receive it. This was the case for all patients independent of their lymph node status and resection margins. "The success of...

In all 38 member countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Reeves says there are now more young women than young men with bachelor’s degrees. Forty per cent of 18-year-old women in Britain head off to college, compared to 29 per cent of their male peers. That gap is one of many warning signs of a male malaise, especially for boys and men at the lower rungs on the economic and social ladders. “Things are worse than I thought,” says Reeves, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. “I knew some of the headlines about...

2. The world knows much of the story of what happened between riots at the Capitol on January 6th, and the removal of President Donald Trump from Twitter on January 8th... We’ll show you what hasn’t been revealed: the erosion of standards within the company in months before J6, decisions by high-ranking executives to violate their own policies, and more, against the backdrop of ongoing, documented interaction with federal agencies.

NANTUCKET — For anyone who enjoys the free ebb and flow of ocean air and currents over their bare skin, the coast is now clear for people of all genders to legally go topless on Nantucket beaches. Seven months after Nantucket voters approved a bylaw amendment specifically to allow all people — including women — freely to eschew torso coverings while spending time on the island's beaches, Attorney General Maura Healey has given the change her seal of approval. Her endorsement was required before the so-called "Gender Equity on Beaches" amendment could become Nantucket law. Nantucket is the first town...

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says there’s “no evidence” to back up a claim by a woman that her late father disposed of dozens of bodies of people he had killed decades ago in rural Iowa. Following an investigation that involved the FBI, the DCI said in a statement on Thursday that “after exhaustive efforts, no evidence or other items of concern were recovered.” The investigation had followed a Newsweek article quoting Lucy Studey, who claimed her father, Donald Studey, killed “50 to 70” people years ago – and that she helped dispose of the bodies in a well...

In a ‘threat assessment’ report, Europol also revealed how the mob run by Daniel Kinahan also “led out” on a number of major transnational drugs and arms smuggling operations in recent years.

The day before the embattled cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy, Changpeng Zhao, the chief executive of the rival exchange Binance, sent an alarmed text to Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder...Earlier that week, Mr. Zhao had agreed to buy FTX and save the exchange...

(South Carolina) A York police officer died suddenly at the age of 32, the police chief announced. In a Facebook post, the chief said Brian Trail II died Monday “unexpectedly.” He did not share what Trail’s cause of death was. Trail, who the chief and his family affectionately called “Little Brian,” was the chief’s son. He is from the town of Smyrna in South Carolina. “Little Brian lived a full and inspiring life, one that my family and I will try to emulate as long as we live,” the chief said. He asked for prayers for his family and Trail’s,...

House Rep. Jim Jordan pushed back against the House Judiciary Committee’s star witness Rev. Robert Schenck during a Supreme Court “Undue Influence” hearing on Thursday, challenging Schenck’s credibility in past legal proceedings. The hearing came as a result of Schenck alleging that Justice Samuel Alito leaked a Supreme Court opinion in 2014 and accusations that the justice may have leaked the Dobbs opinion in May. “One thing I’ve learned, people who mislead folks on small things, mislead them on big things,” Jordan said during the hearing. House Rep. Jim Jordan grilled conservative-turned-progressive activist Rev. Robert Schenck Thursday in a House...

Elton John will no longer use Twitter, citing the platform's "recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked." The social media company has come under fire since being purchased for $44 billion by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had repeatedly questioned Twitter's commitment to free speech. He's since fired top executives, as well as a large portion of the company's overall staff, while implementing a number of controversial new features. He has also faced backlash after reinstating the Twitter accounts of both former president Donald Trump and Kanye West. (West was banned again for sharing anti-semitic material.)...

A Guatemalan court on Wednesday sentenced former president Otto Perez to 16 years in prison, finding him guilty of leading a massive customs fraud scheme while in office. Perez, who was forced to resign in 2015, was found guilty of racketeering and fraud targeting the customs system, Judge Irma Jeannette Valdes said as she read out the sentence. Perez was sentenced to eight years on each count. His former vice president Roxana Baldetti received the same sentence. A UN-backed anti-corruption body revealed several scandals in Guatemala before it was shut down in 2019 by then-president Jimmy Morales after it began...

The White House on Friday urged older Americans to get their bivalent COVID-19 shots now in order to be protected in time for the holiday season. "These moments seem even more precious now knowing what it's like to lose them to a deadly disease that kept us apart," first lady Jill Biden said at a town hall alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, and White House COVID Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha. "Which is why the most important thing you can do to prepare for your holidays. is to get your updated COVID vaccine," Biden continued. "And...

A customer couldn’t believe how high her bill was at Five Guys. TikToker @retailcheapskate is certain the burger franchise is highway robbery. After ordering dinner, she was stunned by the $74 price tag that came with it. When she posted a receipt for the meal, it sparked a debate. “When did Five Guys become a five star restaurant?! This is four hamburgers, two fries and drinks,” the video text read. She held the receipt up to the camera. The order total was $70.10, and after a $3.53 tip, came out to $74.10. “Five Guys is highway robbery!” she wrote in...

“‘When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road’” (Matthew 13:19). The hard-packed soil beside the road represents the unresponsive hearer who “does not understand” the gospel, solely because of his or her own hardheartedness. The person has continually resisted the gospel or anything else related to true spirituality because of an insensitive, impervious heart. The Word lies on the surface of the unresponsive heart, exposed to attack by Satan....

This Chicago native’s story serves as a reminder that not all financial advisers may be looking out for your best interest. NBC Chicago reports that Priscilla Eddings, who has dementia, was allegedly tricked out of over $400,000 across two years by Helen Caldwell, her Citibank financial adviser. The money taken allegedly went to Caldwell’s film production company, Canal Productions. The total amount of $400,500 is said to be nearly equal to half of Eddings’ savings and estate, the lawsuit filed by Public Guardian Charles Golbert claims. According to a filed lawsuit by the Cook County public guardian’s office, the 76-year-old...

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth." "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who...

ATLANTA — Atlanta police announced two people have been arrested in connection to the deadly shooting that killed a 12-year-old and 15-year-old near Atlantic Station on Nov. 26. Police said a large group of minors got into a dispute on the 17th Street Bridge that night shortly after they were escorted out of Atlantic Station for curfew violations and unruly behavior. Police announced Wednesday that they arrested two juveniles, 15 and 16, and charged them with two counts of murder, aggravated assault, and gang charges. Police said both were students within the Atlantic Public Schools system. One of the juveniles...

MARIANNA, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested a woman in Marianna after she allegedly submitted false voter information. FDLE agents say Kattie McCalister, 60, was employed as a paid petition circulator, and stole personal identification information of five victims to submit fraudulent constitutional amendment petitions to the Jackson County Supervisor of Elections Office. These documents are meant for citizens to propose and vote on constitutional amendments directly, without need of legislative referral. The case reportedly began in Dec. 2021 after the State Attorney’s Office in Jackson County asked FDLE to investigate the documents submitted...