Free Republic

A reengineered bacterial protein may finally pave the way for a human Lyme disease vaccine. It exposes a weak spot that our immune system can target, offering real hope after decades of failed attempts. For decades, scientists have searched for a way to outsmart Lyme disease, a stealthy infection that affects nearly half a million people each year in the U.S. Now, a breakthrough may be within reach. Researchers have zeroed in on a bacterial protein called CspZ that helps the Lyme bacteria hide from the immune system. By cleverly reengineering this protein to expose its most vulnerable part, they’ve...

A fox with rare black fur made a brief roadside appearance in Yellowstone National Park last week. The fox’s coloring is probably the result of a condition called melanism. Stacy O’Nell caught photos of this extremely rare black fox in Yellowstone National Park, when it made a brief appearance along the roadside last week. The fox’s unusual coloring is probably the result of a condition called melanism, which can cause black skin, fur or feathers in numerous species. (Courtesy Stacy O'Nell, SO Photograpy) Now in her third season of working at the Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Inn, Stacy O’Nell...

Terrifying video shows a diver being attacked by a shark as horrified beachgoers watched on helplessly. The unidentified diver is assumed dead after the attack at a beach in Israel that has been drawing tourists to see the sharks — with one video showing one swimming right up to a child standing in the water. The attacked diver was heard screaming, “They’re biting me!” before being dragged further out to sea off the city of Hadera on Monday ... They’re eating him, eating the man!” .... “Wow, wow, he’s with the shark, he’s fighting him,” ... “I was in the...

(Credit: NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/NOIRLab) NASA’s Lucy spacecraft captured the most detailed images yet of an oddly shaped asteroid during its recent flyby, revealing the space object’s weird features and “strikingly complex” attributes. Lucy’s visit to the peculiar asteroid, dubbed Donaldjohanson, marked the intrepid NASA probe’s second close encounter, showcasing the object’s unusual barbell shape and offering images that provide additional clues to its unique geology. The flyby occurred on April 20, 2025, as Lucy approached to within just 600 miles of Donaldjohanson. High-resolution images of the contact binary object, which possesses two outer lobes joined by a narrow “neck,” offered...

Of all the things we have to blame the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020-21 for, perhaps the most unexpected is that some desperate people used them as a handy opportunity to begin having sex with trees. In 2020, a 45-year-old Canadian “somatic sex educator” named Sonja Semjonova was going out on her daily walk permitted to her by the Trudeau Taliban, when she came across (perhaps even literally) a giant oak tree by the side of a path in British Colombia. Perceiving “a connection” with the tree, Sonja began to “lie against it” loving the “feeling of being tiny and supported...

Shocking new statistical evidence has emerged that suggests the golden eagle could be on a wind turbine-induced glide path to extinction in the United States. Eagle deaths due to wind turbines in the western US were increasing by around 9% a year from 2013 to 2020, but this annual increase leapt to 13% from 2020 to 2024, a jump of 49% in the annual increase in death rate. Bird maps are said to show that the relative abundance of golden eagles across much of their western range has declined and areas where declines occurred, “align with areas where the most...

Get ready for a spectacular light show tonight as geomagnetic storms bring the northern lights closer to unexpected locations. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are expected to put on a stunning display across several U.S. states tonight, thanks to geomagnetic storms that are disrupting Earth’s magnetic field. These solar-driven storms, forecasted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will bring the auroras closer to areas typically outside their usual range. This rare opportunity offers a chance for skywatchers in unexpected locations to witness one of nature’s most mesmerizing phenomena. Where Will the Northern Lights Be Visible? According to...

The tiny ice inhabitants darken the glacier’s surface, which can accelerate its melting. Glaciers are massive bodies of white ice that reflect a significant amount of sunlight. However, in areas where the snow has melted and the bare ice is exposed, dark patches often appear. These dark areas are caused by microscopic algae that grow directly on the ice. By darkening the surface, these algae reduce the glacier’s ability to reflect sunlight, leading to increased absorption of heat. This, in turn, causes the ice to warm and melt more quickly. Mysterious algae growth Little is known about how the tiny...

Albert Ostman (April 21st 1893 – 1975) was a Canadian prospector who reported that he was abducted by a Sasquatch and held captive for six days. He stated that the event took place near Toba Inlet, British Columbia in 1924. Albert was born in northern Sweden, in Arnäsvall, to Abraham and Albertina Östman (nee Strandberg). He emigrated from Sweden to Canada in 1913. He did not come forward publicly with his story until 1957. ALBERT OSTMAN'S STORY I have always followed logging and construction work. This time I had worked over one year on a construction job, and thought a...

A Palestinian flag and the voice of Mahmoud Khalil: pro-Palestinian gesture on stage at Coachella Alternative band Blonde Redhead used performance at the popular festival to support the student who was arrested by the Trump administration and faces deportation after leading the pro-Palestinian movement at Columbia University; joins a string of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli gestures at the music event

Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä have for the first time isolated a giant virus in Finland, Jyvaskylavirus, revealing that these large amoeba‑infecting viruses are more widespread in northern soils and waters than previously thought. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com ************************************************************************ Finland’s first giant virus, Jyvaskylavirus, shows these viruses are more widespread than thought and play key roles in ecosystems. For the first time in Finland, researchers at the University of Jyväskylä’s Nanoscience Center have isolated a giant virus, which they have named Jyvaskylavirus. This discovery suggests that giant viruses may be more widespread in northern regions than previously believed. It...

The 7-foot-3-inch behemoth weighed in at 153 pounds and Weston said it took him nearly four hours to reel in on just 2-pound test fishing line. Credit: Captain Kirk Kirkland (Alligator Gar Fishing) and Art Weston Art Weston reeled in this 153-pound alligator gar on Lake Livingston with the help of Captain Kirk Kirkland of Alligator Gar Fishing. LIVINGSTON, Texas — "Sharing what was my most challenging catch of my life," Art Weston wrote on Facebook after landing a massive alligator gar in Lake Livingston. The 7-foot-3-inch behemoth weighed in at 153 pounds and Weston said it took him nearly...

See ya later, alligator. Many Floridians have had bizarre encounters with alligators — but this one might take the cake. A Sunshine State resident took to Reddit to share their frightening experience with two creepy reptiles that came up to their home’s front door, which was all captured on the family’s Ring camera. The footage shows two enormous alligators dilly-dallying around the home’s front porch. When one of the alligators saw that no one was coming to the door to welcome them into their home, they lingered a little bit longer before growing impatient. The video then showed one of...

First confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat First confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat Image credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute Behold: a live colossal squid in all its glory. After a century of searching, the extremely elusive cephalopod has been caught on camera alive in its natural habitat for the first time (and, for once, not inside the belly of a whale or washed up dead on a beach). The juvenile squid was filmed on March 9 at a depth of 600 meters (1,968...

Passengers were left in fear for their lives when a pilot encountered landing difficulties while operating a Frontier Airlines flight bound for Puerto Rico. Frontier Flight 5306 from Orlando was carrying 228 passengers and approaching Luis Marín Muñoz International Airport in San Juan on Monday when its landing was aborted at the last second. The Airbus A321 encountered a 'mechanical problem' when one of the wheels broke off the front landing gear, the airline told El Nuevo Día newspaper. FlightAware - the flight tracking company - showed that aircraft flew around the airport four times and made a second landing...

Millions of people around the world are tuning it watch the Swedish moose migrate to their summer grazing pastures. "Den Stora Älgvandringen" aka "The Great Moose Migration" is an example of what is known as "slow TV", where people watch nature on live-capture cameras, instead of going out and experiencing it for themselves. The moose live feed runs for 20 days, 24/7, and includes the moose walking the same trek they have for 1000s of years, including crossing the Ångerman River, 186 miles north of Stockholm. https://www.svtplay.se/den-stora-algvandringen We have the same thing here in the states like this eagle live...

The inhabitants of Montchavin in the French Alps knew something was killing them. They just didn't know what. Some wondered whether lead from a disused mine in the village had leaked into the water supply. Others thought mobile phone masts were to blame. One woman believed the area was cursed. Between 1991 and 2019, 16 people – almost a tenth of the area's 200-strong population – were diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal condition more commonly known as motor neurone disease (MND). In other words, if you lived in Montchavin, you were 20 times more likely to contract MND...

The Democrat Party is on an impressive losing streak. The Dems comprehensively lost the 2024 presidential election, they're obsessively focused on being on the 20 side of the 80-20 transgender athletes issue, and then they elected David Hogg as the Democratic National Committee's Vice Chair. Hogg, not known as one of the country's brightest thinkers, is using his newfound importance as vice chair to make media appearances and demonstrate in exact detail why he was a terrific choice to lead the party. If you're a Republican. In a CBS News appearance this week, Hogg said in an interview that his...

Geologists have uncovered a long-lost continental fragment buried beneath the thick ice of Greenland, a discovery that offers new insight into the ancient forces that shaped Earth’s surface. This previously unrecognized microcontinent, formed tens of millions of years ago, is believed to be part of a complex tectonic rift system between Greenland and Canada. The finding not only redefines the geological map of the North Atlantic, but also deepens our understanding of plate tectonic reorganization, continental separation, and how fragments of ancient crust become stranded during the birth of new oceans. Rifting Forces Between Greenland and Canada The region separating...

An American citizen identified as Akinyela Sawa Taylor hijacked a Cessna 208 Grand Caravan with 14 souls on board in Belize on Thursday. Taylor held the pilot at knifepoint and demanded a new flight path out of the country. He also demanded more fuel for the plane, according to ABC News, citing local law enforcement. Video at link................ According to police, the crazed American was fatally shot in the chest by a passenger carrying a licensed firearm. Video at link............... The Cessna 208 had been circling near Belize City at the time of the incident and nearly ran out of...