Sports

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, still in concussion protocol, at practice again Friday

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes was with the Kansas City Chiefs as they began Friday’s practice session, their last one before Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium.

His participation on Friday would appear to put Mahomes on a path to play Sunday. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Mahomes took all of the snaps in Wednesday’s practice and a majority of them on Thursday.

Mahomes was knocked out of last week’s divisional-round playoff win over the Browns with symptoms of a concussion after he was tackled hard on a running play. He has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Three other key Chiefs players who have been fighting injuries were also present for the start of Friday’s practice: wide receiver Sammy Watkins (calf), running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (hip, ankle) and cornerback Bashaud Breeland (concussion, shoulder).

Coach Sean McDermott said the Bills were preparing for Mahomes to play.

“I guess at the beginning of the week we weren’t quite sure, and we really won’t know, I guess,” McDermott said. “It’s probably trending in that direction, so that’s what we’re anticipating.”

ESPN’s Mike Reiss contributed to this report.

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Entertainment

“Bling Empire” Anna Shay Is Iconic

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Bling Empire is about to be your new favorite reality TV show.

Bling Empire is a new reality TV show that’s already trending in Netflix’s top shows this week (it’s currently #5 right now). Following a group of elite and rich LA Asian socialites, Bling Empire is definitely for fans of Selling Sunset, since it delivers on drama. But people online are currently talking about one person in particular: meet Anna Shay.

Anna Shay isn’t afraid to tell you how it is.

2020 brought us Joe Exotic.
2021 has gifted us with Anna Shay.

It is now clear to me 2021 is going to be amazing. #blingempire


Twitter: @indiekimmy

She’s also a petty queen (especially when it comes to Christine), and we love her for that.

Obviously, she’s not afraid of confrontation.

And she’s already becoming known for this iconic line because she refuses to put up with verbally abusive men.


Twitter: @AngelHuracha

Honestly, I don’t know why you’re not already watching. Anna Shay forever.

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Science

Fossil-hunters find giant predatory worm’s lair

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Paleontologists from National Taiwan University believe the 6.5-foot-long burrow was once home to a worm-like predator that would surface from the seabed to ambush sea creatures and drag them, alive, into its lair.

Experts working in northeastern Taiwan reconstructed large, L-shaped burrows dating back to up to 23 million years ago from layers of seafloor using trace fossils — geological features, like track marks, burrows and plant root cavities found preserved in rocks, which experts use to draw conclusions on the behavior of ancient creatures.

Using 319 specimens, experts reconstructed a trace fossil of a dugout — dubbed Pennichnus formosae — which was 6.5-feet long and around an inch in diameter, and say morphological evidence indicates that the tunnels were home to giant marine worms, like the modern-day bobbit worm.

The bobbit worm, or sand striker (Eunice aphroditois), is an aquatic predatory bristle worm that ranges from 4 inches to 10 feet in length and lives in burrows it creates in the ocean floor. The bobbit worm takes its name from the Lorena and John Wayne Bobbitt case, in which Lorena cut off her husband John Wayne’s penis with a kitchen knife.

Living mainly in the Pacific Ocean, bobbit worms hide in long, narrow burrows in the seafloor and propel upward to grab unsuspecting fish, large molluscs and other worms, before dragging them, still alive, back to their dens.

In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the report authors note that the retreat of an ancient worm and prey into the sediment could have caused the “feather-like” structures preserved in Pennichnus formosae.

They identified a high concentration of iron at the top section of the burrow, and believe the worm could have secreted mucus to reinforce the burrow wall.

“We hypothesize that about 20 million years ago, at the southeastern border of the Eurasian continent, ancient Bobbit worms colonized the seafloor waiting in ambush for a passing meal,” the report authors wrote.

“When prey came close to a worm, it exploded out from its burrow, grabbing and dragging the prey down into the sediment. Beneath the seafloor, the desperate prey floundered to escape, leading to further disturbance of the sediment around the burrow opening,” they described.

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US

GOP lawmaker says he’d OK $1,400 stimulus checks for people who receive COVID-19 vaccine

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Rep. Steve StiversSteven (Steve) Ernst StiversThe Hill’s Morning Report – Trump finally concedes; 25th Amendment pressure grows GOP lawmaker says he ‘wouldn’t oppose’ removing Trump under 25th Amendment House Republicans who didn’t sign onto the Texas lawsuit MORE (R-Ohio) says he’d be willing to give $1,400 stimulus checks to people who receive the coronavirus vaccine.

In a Thursday interview with Yahoo Live, Stivers discussed issues Republicans can work on with President Biden, who has called for a $1,400 increase in the $600 direct payments to Americans that Congress approved late last year.

“Even the pandemic response, it’s so important that we build herd immunity as soon as we can. While I am not for giving a $1,400 stimulus check for anything, I’d be willing to sign off on a stimulus check of $1,400 for people who take the vaccine,” Stivers said.

“And I hope the administration will look at that option because we actually buy something with our $1,400 and that’s herd immunity,” he added.

Biden last week unveiled his proposed $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus and relief plan, which includes $1,400 in direct payments to Americans.

Some Republicans have signaled that they wouldn’t be on board with Biden’s proposal in its current form, arguing it would add too much to the national debt which has seen a 50 percent increase from when former President TrumpDonald TrumpIran’s leader vows ‘revenge,’ posting an image resembling Trump Former Sanders spokesperson: Biden ‘backing away’ from ‘populist offerings’ Justice Dept. to probe sudden departure of US attorney in Atlanta after Trump criticism MORE took office.

Stivers said he’d be willing to take on debt “for the right things.”

“The quickest thing we need to do if we really want to help the American people, is get this economy turned back on — get people back to work, get kids back in school, get ourselves some herd immunity, get the vaccine distributed as quick as we can and get the uptake rate up. That’s why I’d be willing to accept a $1,400 stimulus check if people are willing to take the vaccine,” he said.

The U.S. has been working to speed up coronavirus vaccine distribution after a slower-than-expected rollout. Biden has set a goal to administer 100 million vaccine doses in the first 100 days of his presidency.

More than 37.9 million vaccine doses have been distributed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of which 17.5 million have been administered.



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Health

Law enforcement procession for slain Sacramento County deputy

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Watch: Law enforcement procession for slain Sacramento County deputy

A large law enforcement procession for slain Sacramento County deputy Adam Gibson was held Friday morning. Gibson, K-9 Riley and a chase suspect were killed in a shootout on Cal Expo grounds earlier this week. >> See part of the procession in the video aboveShortly after 10 a.m., Gibson’s body was taken from the county coroner’s office to a funeral home in Folsom. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office did not encourage residents to gather for the procession.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A large law enforcement procession for slain Sacramento County deputy Adam Gibson was held Friday morning.

Gibson, K-9 Riley and a chase suspect were killed in a shootout on Cal Expo grounds earlier this week.

>> See part of the procession in the video above

Shortly after 10 a.m., Gibson’s body was taken from the county coroner’s office to a funeral home in Folsom.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office did not encourage residents to gather for the procession.

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World

Loyal dog waits for six days outside hospital for her owner

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When Cemal Senturk was transferred by ambulance to Medical Park Hospital in Trabzon on January 14, his dog, Boncuk, escaped from their apartment and followed him to the facility, where she waited patiently each day.

Hospital staff informed Senturk’s family about the whereabouts of his canine friend.

But after Boncuk was brought back home, she managed to escape again — and returned to the hospital each day, Murat Ercan, the hospital’s international patient center director, told CNN.

The hospital said Senturk’s apartment was nearby, and that the family were not sure how the dog kept escaping.

“His dog ‘Boncuk’ has followed him to the hospital gate and refused to leave for six days until her owner was discharged,” Ercan said in a statement.

“Even though the family [took] Boncuk back home she managed to escape every day to wait at the hospital gate.”

To try to reassure and comfort her, Senturk communicated with Boncuk through the window during his stay at the facility.

But his dedicated four-legged friend refused to leave until Senturk did.

During his stakeout, the dog won the affection of hospital staff, who fed him and took care of him, Ercan added.

“Cemal Senturk has been with Boncuk for nine years and he also stated that he missed her a lot during his stay at the hospital,” he said.

“After he was cleared to go out he met his dog at the hospital gate. Boncuk has behaved really sweet during the six days and has managed to capture the love and affection of the whole staff.”

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Business

Why GameStop Stock Just Popped 21%

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What happened

Yesterday was supposed to be a bad day for mall-based videogame retailer GameStop (NYSE:GME). In a post on Twitter, short-seller Citron Research had threatened to post a livestream video laying out the “5 reasons GameStop [buyers] are the suckers at this poker game” and why GameStop stock would go “back to $20 fast.”  

The video didn’t arrive as promised, though, and GameStop didn’t go back at all. Instead, it went up 10%, and it’s going up another 21% today, as of noon EST.

Image source: Getty Images.

So what

Why is this happening? Some believe that GameStop short-sellers are suffering a short squeeze — and that’s probably true. It’s also true, though, that Citron failed to publish its livestream when promised, blaming “people hacking Citron twitter” for the delay yesterday.

The video did eventually come out, but it wasn’t live. In it, Citron head Andrew Left laid out his five reasons for selling GameStop, which basically run like this:

  1. Although there is a high short interest in GameStop stock, “there is no short squeeze happening” because there are still plenty of GameStop shares available to borrow and short.
  2. Hardware sales grew 23% year over year in December, but GameStop’s sales declined 9%, so it is losing market share to Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon.
  3. GameStop sells for 40 times next year’s EBITDA, which is really expensive.
  4. A Twitter mob is driving the stock price up, resulting in that high valuation.
  5. GameStop has more than $1 billion in debt and will probably sell stock to reduce its debt, diluting anyone who has bought into GameStop. 

Now what

I agree with most of those arguments — aside from the one about there being no short squeeze. Anyone who has sold this stock short, and who bets that it will go down, is probably at least a little nervous seeing it get more expensive.

As a reminder: When you sell a stock short, and it goes to $0, you make a profit of 100%. When you sell a stock short but it goes higher, your losses are potentially infinite. Ultimately, Citron believes that GameStop is a “failing mall-based retailer” — but it is GameStop short-sellers who are failing today.



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Science

The One Place on the Space Station Astronauts Aren’t Supposed to Clean

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While most of us are now more fastidious about keeping our homes and workplaces clean, on board the International Space Station, cleanliness is imperative. Of high importance is anti-bacterial measures, since bacteria tends to build up in the constantly-recycled air inside the ISS. Every Saturday in space is “cleaning day” where surfaces are wiped down, and the astronauts vacuum and collect trash.

But there’s one spot on board the station where cleaning is a no-no. But don’t worry, its all for science!

The MatISS experiment, or the Microbial Aerosol Tethering on Innovative Surfaces in the International Space Station tests out five advanced materials and how well they can prevent illness-causing microorganisms from settling and growing in microgravity. MatISS also has provided insight into how biofilms attach to surfaces in microgravity conditions.

The experiment is sponsored by the French space agency CNES and was conceived of in 2016. Three iterations of the experiment have been used on the ISS.

The first was MatISS-1, and it had four sample holders set up in for six months in three different locations in the European Columbus laboratory module. This provided some baseline data points for researchers, as when they were returned to Earth, researchers characterized the deposits on each surface and used the control material to establish a reference for the level and type of contamination.

MatISS-2 had four identical sample holders containing three different types of materials, installed in a single location in Columbus. This study aimed to better understand how contamination spreads over time across the hydrophobic (water-repellant) and control surfaces. The upgraded Matiss-2.5 was set up to study how contamination spreads — this time spatially — across the hydrophobic surfaces using patterned samples. This experiment ran for a year and recently the samples were returned to Earth and are now undergoing analysis.

A close-up view of the MatISS experiment. Credit: ESA

The samples are made of a diverse mix of advanced materials, such as self-assembly monolayers, green polymers, ceramic polymers and water-repellent hybrid silica. The smart materials should stop bacteria from sticking and growing over large areas, and effectively making them easier to clean and more hygienic. The experiment hopes to figure out which materials work the best.

ESA says that “understanding the effectiveness and potential use of these materials will be essential to the design of future spacecraft, especially those carrying humans father out in space.”

Long-duration human space missions will certainly need to limit biocontamination of astronaut habitats. 

NASA astronaut Jack Fisher is seen here using a wet wipe on the surfaces of the European Cupola module of the International Space Station. Credit: ESA

Read more about the MatISS experiment here.

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Health

This Year’s Flu Numbers Are Kind of Stunning

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(Newser)
–
It may be hard to fathom, but the pandemic seems to have an upside, too: The flu is pretty much nonexistent this year. Popular Science delivers the remarkable stat: In 2019, the US recorded 65,000 cases from late September to late December. In 2020, that figure dropped to 1,000. It seems that all the precautions people are taking to ward off COVID—masks, social distancing, avoidance of indoor social activities, etc.—are working to keep the flu at bay, too. In addition, flu shots are up. Researchers also are studying the theory that some kind of complex interplay between COVID and the flu is at play. As in, the virus behind COVID might be raising people’s immunity levels against the flu, per the Wall Street Journal. However, more research is needed to understand that possibility.

“This is an extremely puzzling phenomenon,” says pediatrician Norio Sugaya, who sits on the World Health Organization’s influenza committee. “We’re in a historic, unbelievable situation.” It’s not just in the US: Flu numbers are similarly down around the world. The trend began in Australia and the rest of the Southern Hemisphere, where flu cases typically peak between June and August, notes Smithsonian. The big question is what happens when COVID goes away. As Science explains, one fear is that the flu will come back strong next season because so few people got it this year. But that could be mitigated if people adapt COVID safety protocols more permanently or perhaps make more of a point to get their flu shots. The flu typically kills hundreds of thousands of people annually worldwide, and “we need to ask ourselves whether we are going to continue to allow it in the future,” virologist Tetsuya Mizutani tells the Journal. (Read more flu stories.)

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Entertainment

Dale Moss’s ‘mystery woman’ denies cheating allegations

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Eleonora Srugo, the woman accused of a romantic relationship with “Bachelorette” star Clare Crawley’s ex-fiancé Dale Moss, says she’s not the reason behind the former couple’s recent split.

“Dale and Eleonora are, and have been, platonic friends for a few years,” her rep, Ronn Torossian, told Page Six on Friday. “They have never been romantically involved in any way. She was excited for his engagement and only wishes him all the best.”

The publicist clarified, “They have never been involved dating — or romantically — in any way whatsoever. Any claims they have dated or were romantically involved are blatant lies.”

The rumors first started swirling after E! News reported Srugo, a New York-based real estate agent, had been “sneaking around with Dale” behind Crawley’s back.

An unnamed source told the outlet that Crawley had allegedly seen proof of Moss and Srugo together, but the publication did not describe what the evidence allegedly showed.

Meanwhile, Moss and Crawley have kept quiet on the cheating rumors, but the reality stars did release a statement about their breakup.

Moss, 32, was first to confirm the split, sharing it was the “healthiest decision” for the pair. However, Crawley, 39, revealed on Instagram that she was “crushed” and “needed some time to really digest this.”

The couple’s whirlwind romance lasted just five months. Moss proposed to Crawley on Season 16 of “The Bachelorette” last year after the pair met on the ABC dating show and knew each other for just a few short weeks.

Moss and Crawley did not immediately return our requests for comment.

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