Free Republic

An enzyme in the blue blood has been key to testing vaccines since the 1980s, raising concerns for the crabs’ population. But regulatory approval and new data are signaling the tide may be turning orseshoe crabs evolved 445 million years ago and have been around for 1,500 times longer than Homo sapiens. It was not until the 20th century, however, that scientists discovered life-saving properties in their blood. Todd Rosenberg / Eli Lilly and Company ========================================================== Each May, hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs climb onto beaches along the eastern coast of the United States. An invertebrate’s “Love Island,” males...

A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily blocked President Trump from deploying Oregon National Guard troops to Portland after a judge issued a Temporary Retraining Order (TRO). The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily reinstated Judge Karin Immergut’s TRO on Friday after it halted an order issued by a three-judge panel from the court earlier in the week. President Trump previously called up hundreds of California National Guard Troops to Portland to circumvent the judge’s order blocking Oregon National Guard Troop deployment. Trump also activated up to 400 Texas National Guard troops for deployment to Oregon, Illinois and other states...

Tens of thousands of years ago, Homo sapiens embarked on a major migration out of Africa and began settling around the world. But exactly how, when and where humans expanded has long been a source of debate. Now, researchers have used genomic sequencing to trace what they’re calling the “longest migration out of Africa.” Over the course of many generations and thousands of years, humans from Eurasia trekked more than 12,400 miles to eventually reach the southernmost tip of South America, according to a new paper published in the journal Science. In addition to providing insight into human expansion throughout...

There's probably a lot going on in your life that can be turning you into a ball of stress (guilty!). But what if all it took to help you unravel that stress ball was a little yarn, a favorite feel-good book, or a great cookie recipe? If you're looking for a low-cost, high-reward self-care treat, taking up a grandma-inspired hobby may be just what the doctor ordered to help you unwind after a busy or stressful day. And it turns out, knitting, baking, and other cozy pursuits can have plenty of benefits for you (beyond a cute scarf or a...

***** Tunes For Our Troops ~ Let's Eat! ~ ***** Warning: Not all music may be appropriate for children! Please click with caution. Thank you! Tunes For The Troops This music is provided for the entertainment of our Troops, Veterans, Allies & their families! Enjoy the variety of musical selections that the Canteen Deejays provide throughout the thread. Please ping any DJ with your requests for the Troops! All music is removed on Monday.Thanks to all the DeeJay's for their time & effort providing entertainment for the Troops! *Canteen Mission Statement* Showing support and boosting the morale of our...

The CEO of the nonprofit managing the Alamo resigned after a powerful Republican state official criticized her publicly, suggesting that her views aren’t compatible with the history of the Texas shrine.Kate Rogers said in a statement Friday that she had resigned the day before, after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wrote a letter to the Alamo Trust’s Board of Directors suggesting that she either resign or be removed. Patrick criticized her over an academic paper questioning the GOP-controlled Legislature’s education policies and suggesting she wanted the historic site in Texas to have a broader focus.“It was with mixed emotions that I...

According to the Washington Post, “horror is now the fastest-rising film genre, having doubled its market share from 4.87 percent in 2013 to 10.08 percent in 2023.” ...One reason there have been so many new horror releases is that horror films have a huge profit margin. That is, they’re cheap to make and, currently, result in large payouts. “Because it can be made with no stars, small budgets and limited special effects, the genre is built for success,” writes the Washington Post. ...Horror is a genre that people want to view in theaters. In the age of streaming, cinema has...

The First Peoples in the Americas probably came from East Asia. Image credit: APChanel/Shutterstock.com The first people to enter the Americas may have sailed from Japan around 20,000 years ago, according to a new analysis of prehistoric stone tools from 10 sites across the US. Until now, researchers had only uncovered a few tantalizing hints that humans had reached the American continent by this time, with ancient footprints in New Mexico representing the earliest evidence. However, with no widespread culture emerging in North America until the rise of the Clovis tradition some 13,000 years ago, scholars have remained divided on...

Wisconsin is seeking to deny a tax exemption not only to the CCB, but to all such religious and nonreligious organizations across the state. Amid leftists’ ongoing judicial coup against the Trump administration, America’s propaganda media have fomented baseless fears that President Trump is going to “defy” or “ignore” a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court if it rules on a case in a way he doesn’t like. But if these so-called “defenders of democracy” are concerned about government officials “ignoring” court rulings as they claim, where is their outrage about Democrat-led Wisconsin’s apparent bid to sidestep SCOTUS in a...

America should be embracing trade opportunities and peace vs. advocating for the neocon agenda of war with Russia. Why would we alienate a superpower when we could have open dialogue for peace and negotiate trade that would benefit all Americans?

Astronomers have discovered a 2,300-foot-wide (700 meters) asteroid hidden in the sun's glare, and it’s whizzing through our solar system at a near record-breaking pace.The skyscraper-size asteroid, named 2025 SC79, loops around the sun once every 128 days, giving it the second-fastest asteroid orbit in the solar system. It is also only the second known space object that orbits entirely inside of Venus' orbit, occasionally even crossing the orbit of Mercury.Scott Sheppard, an astronomer at the Carnegie Science research institute in Washington, D.C., first spotted 2025 SC79 on Sep. 27...To put its 2,300-foot diameter in context, the so-called "city-killer" asteroid...

An advisor to Iran's Ayatollah who helped organise a crackdown on anti-hijab protestors has sparked outcry in Iran after letting his daughter marry in a 'revealing' dress. Footage circulating on social media shows Ali Shamkhani, a top advisor to Iran's supreme leader and a member of the Expediency Council, escorting his daughter, Fatemeh, into a wedding hall at Tehran’s luxury Espinas Palace Hotel. The bride wore a strapless white dress with a low neckline and entered the grand room to cheers and music. The Western-style wedding sparked anger on Iranian social media, with many accusing Shamkhani of hypocrisy, considering the...

Groups on the left know full well that allowing the enhanced subsidies to expire as scheduled wouldn’t cause a catastrophe for most families. As the government shutdown winds on, Democrats continue to hold the federal government hostage because, they claim, “premiums will double” if Congress does not extend Covid-era enhanced Obamacare subsidies. I’ve debunked that topic in detail here and elsewhere, but to quickly summarize the argument: 1) The federal government will still pay on average 75-80 percent of enrollees’ premiums if the enhanced subsidies expire. 2) Nearly half of Exchange enrollees currently pay nothing in out-of-pocket premiums for benchmark...

Hillary Clinton released new merch on Friday blasting President Trump’s demolition of the White House’s East Wing. The items for sale include a sticker and a hat with an image of the White House that read: “Not his house. Our house.” (snip) “If you’re hopping mad about Trump destroying the White House, we’ve got a new hat or sticker for you,” Clinton, who lost to Trump in the 2016 presidential election, wrote in an Instagram post. “Your purchase supports progressive groups working to build a fairer, more inclusive America for everyone — and win elections!” The post is accompanied...

Democratic donors reportedly backed out of a major fundraising event for former Vice President Kamala Harris, with one even sending a “profanity-laced rejection,” according to a report Wednesday. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has been struggling to raise money during President Donald Trump’s second term in office. According to several people “familiar with the conversations,” the DNC attempted to reach out to major donors earlier this year through the San Francisco-based fundraiser, but most had declined. “Upon receiving the invitation, one replied with a profanity-laced rejection,” the report read. “Others said they didn’t want...

A North Texas woman has been arrested in connection with a violent July 4 attack on a federal immigration detention center in Alvarado where masked assailants opened fire on police and vandalized vehicles, according to arrest records. Janette Goering was arrested at her home in Carrollton on Oct. 21, according to the DFW Support Committee, a group formed by friends, family members and supporters of those arrested in connection with the incident at the Prairieland U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center. She is in the Johnson County Jail and is being charged with aiding in the commission of...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Department of Justice is preparing to send federal election observers to California and New Jersey next month, targeting two Democratic states holding off-year elections following requests from state Republican parties.The DOJ announced Friday that it is planning to monitor polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, and five counties in southern and central California: Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno. The goal, according to the DOJ, is “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”“Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed...

A lot of people have asked me if I will get involved in the NYC mayor race by supporting a candidate that can defeat Zohran Mamdani. TBH, I’m torn and undecided. Like every other city run by democrats, NYC is a broken kleptocracy. Taxes are astronomical and services are pathetic to nonexistent. Anarchy and socialism are the next logical steps in this story arc. It's what the people of NYC have been asking for for years and it looks like it's what they are about to get. Trying to fight against this tide seems like throwing good money after bad....

In a reckless and malicious move that’s drawing fire from conservatives, Illinois State Representative Margaret Croke sent out an email on Friday listing detailed descriptions of vehicles suspected to belong to ICE agents operating in Chicago neighborhoods. The flyer, titled “Updated List of ICE Vehicles Seen Today,” includes make, model, color, and partial license plate info for cars believed to belong to agents working in the area. Croke urged recipients to report suspicious activity to hotlines, claiming that ICE actions are “unlawful and undemocratic” and offering resources to connect illegal aliens with attorneys or social services. Conservatives, including the popular...

The plan follows Republicans in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina who have redrawn congressional maps to help the GOP gain more House seats in next year's midterms. Virginia Democrats are planning to attempt to redistrict the commonwealth's congressional maps to help their party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.Don Scott, the leader of the state's Democrat-controlled House, wrote in a letter to colleagues Thursday stating the chamber will reopen an existing special legislative session Monday afternoon, NBC News reported. Legislators are expected to use the session to start the effort to draw new maps.In Virginia, only the governor can convene...