Free Republic

Historian Dr Tom Asbridge reveals the extraordinary life of William Marshall, the celebrated medieval knight often hailed as "the greatest knight in the world" and his incredible journey from humble origins and a childhood as a royal hostage to becoming a regent of England who fought alongside four kings. Marshall's unwavering loyalty and unparalleled chivalry didn't just save lives on the battlefield but also saved the English royal line from French conquest and played a pivotal role in the shaping of Magna Carta. His story is a testament to how one man's prowess and honor could dramatically alter the course...

On July 28, a plane-sized asteroid, named 2025 OW, is scheduled to pass Earth at a distance of 393,000 miles. While this event has captured public attention, NASA experts are quick to remind us that it’s not as extraordinary as it may seem. In fact, according to NASA specialists, close encounters with asteroids like 2025 OW are routine occurrences in the solar system and pose no threat to Earth. As Ian J. O’Neill, media relations specialist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), told ABC News, “This is very routine. If there was a threat, you would hear from us. We...

Explanation: Have you ever seen a fireball? In astronomy, a fireball is a very bright meteor -- one at least as bright as Venus and possibly brighter than even a full Moon. Fireballs are rare -- if you see one you are likely to remember it for your whole life. Physically, a fireball is a small rock that originated from an asteroid or comet that typically leaves a fading smoke trail of gas and dust as it shoots through the Earth's atmosphere. It is unlikely that any single large ground strike occurred -- much of the rock likely vaporized as...

The climate alarmists regularly seize on weather events they believe will help them exploit their narrative. Naturally, they ignore contradictory information. So we see it as our duty to fill in the gaps from time to time. Following are a few examples that show why the global warming story is less scientific theory than conjecture in the service of a political agenda. - Let’s begin in the West Arctic, where the Northwest Passage is experiencing its third-highest level of sea ice extent in the last two decades. In 2009, Al Gore said, with his usual galling listen-to-me certainty, the Arctic...

Microsoft warns patched systems remain vulnerable as attackers find new ways to infiltrate SharePoint servers. Microsoft has issued a critical warning about Chinese state-backed hackers exploiting security flaws in its SharePoint software. These vulnerabilities have been used to compromise a growing list of government agencies and private organizations worldwide, including the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). In a detailed blog post, Microsoft identified three hacking groups with ties to China. The groups, known as Linen Typhoon, Violet Typhoon, and Storm-2603, are believed to have taken advantage of SharePoint weaknesses that mainly affect customers who operate the software on their...

As more and more employees return to the office, by choice or by force, large companies are more interested than ever in understanding how they use the space. The pandemic fundamentally changed how and where people work, and even in the return-to-office dynamic, there is a greater focus on how to best utilize and monetize office space, as well as make it more energy-efficient. To that end, some companies are using body heat. Butlr, a 6-year-old, San Francisco-based startup that was a spinoff of MIT Media Lab, leverages body temperature technology to understand how humans act and interact in the...

Who killed Tagliente Man, a Cro-Magnon who lived in Italy 17,000 years ago? New analysis reveals evidence of violent intragroup conflict and targeted violence. Using archaeology and skeletal analysis, the video pieces together a story of prehistoric humans. Scientists JUST Unearthed a 17,000-Year-Old CRO-MAGNON Mystery | 18:00Mysterious Origins | 51.3K subscribers | 1,163 views | July 22, 2025 | Premiered 6 hours ago

The companion star of Betelgeuse, seen for the first time by the Gemini North Telescope. Betelgeuse has a companion star! Astronomers see it for first time | 1:21 VideoFromSpace | 2.02M subscribers | 5,713 views | July 21, 2025

Explanation: Can some supernovas explode twice? Yes, when the first explosion acts like a detonator for the second. This is a leading hypothesis for the cause of supernova remnant (SNR) 0509-67.5. In this two-star system, gravity causes the larger and fluffier star to give up mass to a smaller and denser white dwarf companion. Eventually the white dwarf's near-surface temperature goes so high that it explodes, creating a shock wave that goes both out and in -- and so triggers a full Type Ia supernova near the center. Recent images of the SNR 0509-67.5 system, like the featured image from...

What does it really mean to have German ancestry? If you’ve taken a DNA test and seen the "Germanic" label, your story is far richer, older, and more dynamic than any single result. Groundbreaking genetic research reveals that Germans descend from a tapestry of Ice Age hunters, early farmers, horse-riding steppe migrants, Celtic warriors, and global travelers. Each left its enduring mark, blending survival, innovation, and migration into the DNA of modern Germans. Why German Genetic Origins is Different | 22:17 Evo Inception | 52.4K subscribers | 47,642 views | July 18, 202500:00 – Introduction: Beyond the "Germanic" Label 00:21...

Earth's famous Hubble Telescope has just revealed the first images of a mysterious interstellar object racing through our solar system. Spotted on Monday, Hubble has helped astronomers confirm that the massive, high-speed visitor is a comet from a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy. First spotted in late June, the comet named 3I/ATLAS has been on an 800-million-year journey to reach this solar system. The new images from Hubble captured what appears to be an icy tail that's ejecting rocky material from its 12-mile-long core. Those observations were reinforced by a new study published Tuesday morning which revealed 3I/ATLAS...

Japanese researchers observed the transverse Thomson effect for the very first time, and it could groundbreaking. A Thermoelectric Seebeck module (w:en:Thermoelectric generator) manufactured by TECTEG MFR. Gerardtv ====================================================================== Researchers in Japan observed the transverse Thomson effect for the very first time, a thermoelectric phenomenon that allows the control of the direction of heating and cooling flows by changing the direction of the magnetic field. The scientific understanding of how heat and electricity interact stems from the 19th century. At the time, physicists only theorized the existence of a transverse Thomson effect, which refers to the direction in which an electric...

I have always been bothered by the seeming perplexity that people have about the fact that we have yet to encounter intelligent life beyond planet Earth. It doesn't seem weird to me at all, even though I suspect life--even intelligent life--is not that uncommon in the universe. Enrico Fermi--a great physicist from the mid-20th century-- expressed the perplexity that many people have in what has come to be known as the "Fermi Paradox." At its most simple, the paradox is this: if the development of intelligent life is even moderately likely, why haven't we seen evidence of intelligent life elsewhere...

The Pleistocene-Holocene transition is a very significant period of time, because it marks what I believe is the true foundartions for the origins of civilisation, when we see the first permanent settlements in the Fertile Crescent followed by the onset of agriculture, and from then on humanity has developed exponentially.From an archaeological point of view, it’s truly a fascinating time period, with so many incredible sites discovered in the past century, from Ancient Jericho in the West Bank, to Mureybet and Tell Qaramel in Syria, and Kortik Tepe, Gobekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe in Turkey.The foundations of these sites were...

Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa have successfully created a highly unstable alcohol molecule once thought impossible to observe, using conditions that mimic outer space. The compound, called methanetetrol, has now been confirmed for the first time after more than a century of scientific speculation. The breakthrough suggests that this so-called super alcohol can form in the extreme environments of deep space, challenging long-held assumptions in both chemistry and astronomy. The team produced methanetetrol by replicating the harsh conditions of interstellar clouds—environments filled with ice, radiation, and near-vacuum pressure. The molecule stands out because it carries four hydroxyl...

Explanation: Nebulas are perhaps as famous for being identified with familiar shapes as perhaps cats are for getting into trouble. Still, no known cat could have created the vast Cat's Paw Nebula visible toward the constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius). At 5,700 light years distant, Cat's Paw is an emission nebula within a larger molecular cloud. Alternatively known as the Bear Claw Nebula and cataloged as NGC 6334, stars nearly ten times the mass of our Sun have been born there in only the past few million years. Pictured here is a recently released image of the Cat's Paw taken...

In A Nutshell * Two FDA-approved cancer drugs — letrozole and irinotecan — significantly improved memory and reduced brain damage in mice with Alzheimer’s. * The combination therapy targets multiple brain cell types by reversing gene disruptions in neurons and glia. *Real-world medical records of 1.4 million patients show lower Alzheimer’s rates in people treated with these drugs for cancer. * The findings offer a new multi-target strategy that may outperform existing single-drug treatments, but human trials are still needed. SAN FRANCISCO — Two cancer medications already on pharmacy shelves might hold the key to treating Alzheimer’s disease, and early...

“I wear no tin-foil hat. I’m asking for the ability to officially document what happened to me.” Three and a half years ago I contracted Guillain Barre Syndrome after getting the Jansen-J&J viral vector vaccine for COVID-19. The neurological disorder has left me hobbled by numb hands and feet, staggering around imbalanced, and battling debilitating fatigue. It has also left me, and thousands of others, feeling ignored and unheard by the government and the public health establishment. I wrote about the experience in 2021 in The Boston Globe, after the FDA attached a warning to the J&J shot, citing an...

In history class we all learn about "ancient civilizations", like Greece, Persia, Babylon, and Rome. Recorded history, however, starts several thousand years prior to Greece or Rome, for example, being around. So, what did they know about the past? Did ancient civilizations have any ancient civilizations of their own? Did Ancient Civilizations Have Their Own Ancient Civilizations? | 24:35 The Historian's Craft | 103K subscribers | 277,364 views | October 12, 2024 Sources:A History of the Ancient Near East, Marc Van De MieroopA History of Babylon, 2200 BC - AD 75, Paul-Alain BeaulieuReign of Nabonidus, King of Babylon, Paul-Alain BeaulieuBabylonian...

Grapefruit and its close relatives can increase the blood levels of certain drugs and cause serious side effects. Affected drugs include some medications for blood pressure and heart rhythm, among others. Grapefruit is a delicious citrus fruit with many health benefits. However, it can interact with some common medications, altering their effects on your body. If you’re curious about the grapefruit warning on many medicines, this article will help you understand why it’s there and what your options are. Here’s a closer look at 31 common drugs that may have dangerous interactions with grapefruit, as well as some alternatives. Note:...