- No evidence of armed suspect or shots fired at New Jersey’s Monmouth University; curling iron mistaken for weapon: Police WPVI-TV
- Shelter-in-place lifted at Monmouth University after curling iron mistaken for weapon ABC News
- Staff, students at Monmouth University ordered to shelter in place for possible armed person NJ.com
- Shelter in place issued at Monmouth University due to possible armed suspect Eyewitness News ABC7NY
- Monmouth University gives all-clear on ‘armed subject;’ shelter order lifted Asbury Park Press
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: shots
Are fat-loss shots a ticking timebomb? Doctors warn Ozempic & Wegovy are shrinking patients’ muscles – Daily Mail
- Are fat-loss shots a ticking timebomb? Doctors warn Ozempic & Wegovy are shrinking patients’ muscles Daily Mail
- Weight loss drug semaglutide causes muscle loss, doctor warns Insider
- A doctor warns that weight-loss drug semaglutide is shrinking patients’ muscle mass at an alarming rate msnNOW
- Trendy weight-loss drug Ozempic is now a Hollywood punchline. See how doctors and clinics are using TikTok to Business Insider India
- A doctor warns that weight-loss drug semaglutide is shrinking patients’ muscle mass at an alarming rate Yahoo News
- View Full Coverage on Google News
CDC adds Covid-19 shots to list of routine vaccines for kids and adults – CNN
- CDC adds Covid-19 shots to list of routine vaccines for kids and adults CNN
- In a First, COVID Vaccine Is Added to Adult Immunization Schedule U.S. News & World Report
- Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger — United States, 2023 | MMWR CDC
- COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality Among Unvaccinated and Vaccinated Persons Aged ≥12 Years by Receipt of Bivalent Booster Doses and Time Since Vaccination — 24 U.S. Jurisdictions, October 3, 2021–December 24, 2022 | MMWR CDC
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Jim Boeheim says he calls the shots on his retirement, claims Pitt, Wake Forest, Miami ‘bought’ their teams – CBS Sports
- Jim Boeheim says he calls the shots on his retirement, claims Pitt, Wake Forest, Miami ‘bought’ their teams CBS Sports
- Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim ‘probably’ returning for 2023-24 season ESPN
- Jim Boeheim says he’ll ‘probably’ return next season, claims 3 ACC programs ‘bought a team’ Yahoo Sports
- Benny Williams returns to his Syracuse team after taking personal time off: ‘Back to normal’ syracuse.com
- Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim says ACC rivals ‘bought’ players, gets instant pushback from Wake Forest’s Steve Forbes Sporting News
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Annual? Bivalent? For all? Future of COVID shots murky after FDA deliberations
Enlarge / Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research within the Food and Drug Administration, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on the federal coronavirus response on Capitol Hill in March 2021, in Washington, DC.
The US Food and Drug Administration’s committee of independent vaccine experts gathered Thursday to discuss the future of COVID-19 shots. The meeting seemed primed for explosive debate. Earlier in the week, the FDA released documents that made clear the agency is holding steadfast to its idea that COVID vaccines will fit the mold of annual flu shots—with reformulations decided in the first half of each year, followed by fall rollouts in anticipation of winter waves.
But outside experts, including some on the FDA’s advisory committee, have questioned almost every aspect of that plan—from the uncertain seasonality of COVID-19 so far, to the futility of chasing fast-moving variants (or subvariants, as the case may be). Some have even questioned whether there’s a need to boost the young and healthy so frequently when current vaccines offer protection against severe disease, but only short-lived protection against infection.
One particularly outspoken member of FDA’s committee, Paul Offit, a pediatrician and infectious disease expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, has publicly assailed the bivalent booster, writing a commentary piece in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this month titled: Bivalent Covid-19 Vaccines — A Cautionary Tale. (The FDA’s advisory committee voted 19-2 in support of the bivalent boosters last year, with Offit being one of the two votes against.)
Yet, despite the charged background of yesterday’s meeting, the sparks of disagreement fizzled over a calm discussion. The nine-hour meeting culminated with a unanimous vote by the committee in favor of “harmonizing” future formulations of COVID-19 vaccines so that primary series and boosters are matched formulations. For example, the primary series vaccines would match the updated bivalent boosters, which currently target both the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 that came out of Wuhan, China, as well as omicron subvariants BA.4/5.
Streamlining
The FDA seemed to soften the ground with questions and discussion topics focused on “harmonizing” and simplifying COVID vaccines. After the single vote, the agency directed the committee to discuss “simplifying the immunization schedule,” before getting to the more perilous, but still gentle discussion topic of considering “periodic updates to COVID-19 vaccine composition.”
Overall, the committee members favored streamlining vaccines where possible—making primary series shots match booster doses, and potentially whittling down regimens to one dose for adults and two for children and high-risk adults.
“There’s so much confusion about these different formulations that I think anything we can do to ease up on that confusion and simplify things, it’s going to be a good thing,” said Archana Chatterjee, Dean of Chicago Medical School and a voting committee member, said at the end of yesterday’s meeting. “I concur with my other colleagues that there definitely remains a need for these vaccines and for us to do our best to get them into arms. Having vaccines is not sufficient, we need to have them be used. … This is a step in the right direction in getting us there.”
But, the bigger steps for future vaccines—deciding what formulation should be used next, who should get them, and when—remained elephant-sized questions in the meeting room. And even among the relatively placid comments, it was clear that large disputes were bubbling under the surface.
Before the committee’s vote and discussion, the advisors listened to a series of presentations from vaccine makers, the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which all provided updates on the state of COVID-19 and the performance of the vaccines so far.
Data dive
Although Offit and others have criticized the bivalent boosters for not being better than the previous boosters, the data presented in the meeting argued otherwise. Real-world observational data shows an advantage for people boosted with the bivalent booster compared with the original (monovalent) vaccine—even against the more recent subvariants. Data presented during the meeting shows it has outcompeted the original vaccine in terms of protection against symptomatic infection, visits to the emergency department or urgent care visits, and hospitalization.
In a CDC study published Wednesday, for instance, researchers found that the bivalent booster’s relative vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection with a BA.5-related omicron sublineage (which includes BQ.1 and BQ.1.1) was 52 percent among people from 18 to 49 years old. In other words, people in this age group had 52 percent more protection against infection with BA.5-related strains than people who received the original booster. For ages 50 to 64, the relative effectiveness against BA.5-related infection was 43 percent, and it was 37 percent among those 65 years and older.
Against the more recent XBB/XBB.1.5-related omicron subvariants, relative effectiveness against infection was 49 percent among people 18 to 49, 40 percent among people 50 to 64 years, and 43 percent among those 65 years and older.
There’s also been a slew of serology studies looking at how the bivalent booster’s antibody responses compare with those from the original booster when up against the gamut of currently circulating omicron subvariants. The results are mixed and, in some cases, hard to compare due to differences in intervals between vaccination, the number of people involved, and the types of assays used. But overall, the FDA argued that they suggest that the bivalent booster provides better neutralizing antibody responses against currently and recently circulating omicron subvariants than the original vaccine.
“The important thing is that the results all trend in the same direction,” Jerry Weir, director of the FDA’s Division of Viral Products, said in the meeting Thursday. “In other words, with all of these studies just like those from the manufacturers, there is improved variant-specific neutralization following administration of the bivalent BA.4/5 vaccine compared with the monovalent… I find it somewhat remarkable to see that level of uniformity.”
For instance, one of the most recently published studies, released Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that a bivalent boost led to a roughly threefold increase in neutralizing antibody levels against XBB.1 compared with people boosted with the original booster. That increase was roughly the same (3.6-fold and 2.7-fold) among people without and with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, respectively.
Despite criticism by Offit and others before the meeting, committee members seemed comfortable with the bivalent data, accepting the FDA’s rosy retrospective.
“I’m totally convinced that the bivalent vaccine is beneficial as a primary series and its boosters,” committee member David Kim, an infectious disease expert at the Department of Health and Human Services, said.
The ‘Kraken’ COVID variant taking hold in the U.S. Here’s how many vaccine shots there are—and what experts recommend to protect yourself
Another highly contagious COVID-19 variant called XBB.1.5 has made its way to the U.S. with the World Health Organization (WHO) calling it “the most transmissible” variant to date.
Coined “Kraken” by a Canadian biology professor, the new variant is laying down roots in the U.S, although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have had some wavering data on how many cases “Kraken” has caused. It now estimates that the variant will make up over a fourth of total cases this week.
“That doesn’t mean the variant will cause more or less severe disease than previous versions of COVID,” says Dr. Charles Miramonti, a senior medical director at Oak Street Health in Indianapolis, Indiana. “But it does spread more effectively than previous strains.”
As talk of a winter surge looms, you may be wondering about your level of immunity and if you can evade infection by yet another strain. Now that it’s been over two years since the authorization of the first COVID-19 vaccines, followed by booster rollouts, you may be confused about how many COVID shots there are out there, and whether you are protected.
How many COVID shots have there been?
Health officials have recommended four shots to most people, Miramonti says.
Four types of COVID-19 vaccines have been made available in the U.S: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Novavax, and Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson’s is a single-dose vaccine, but all others are a two-dose regimen. These doses are part of the primary, or initial, series of vaccines against the virus.
Due to immunity waning over time, booster shots became available to keep people continuously protected. Pfizer and Moderna offered a booster to their m-RNA vaccines in the fall of 2021. In the fall of 2022, they also offered a bivalent booster, which specifically targets the Omicron sub-variants that have dominated the country.
Johnson & Johnson’s original dose has since been limited to people who clinically cannot get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or for those who would otherwise forgo vaccination. If you had their single-dose vaccine, you were eligible for both boosters from Pfizer or Moderna.
Novavax, which was authorized for use in the U.S. much later than the others and isn’t as commonly used, has a booster. While it’s not an updated bivalent booster, it’s thought to potentially offer broader protection. Its manufacturer says its original formula offers protection against several COVID strains, including Omicron BA.5, according to Yale Medicine.
If you’re older and/or moderately or severely immunocompromised, you may have received up to two additional “booster” doses of the original vaccine, in addition to a dose of the updated Omicron vaccine this fall. People over 50 have also been eligible for an additional booster as of spring 2022.
These are the three most common COVID vaccines and the number of shots associated with them
The two-dose Moderna Vaccine
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4 shots: two shots for the primary dose, one booster which became available in the fall of 2021, and the new bivalent booster available as of September 2022
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Some people may have 5 shots if they are over 50 or immunocompromised
The two-dose Pfizer Vaccine
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4 shots: two shots for the primary dose, one booster which became in the fall of 2021, and the new bivalent booster available as of September 2022
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Some people may have 5 shots if they are over 50 or immunocompromised
The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine
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3 shots: one shot for the primary dose, and two boosters from Moderna or Pfizer when they became authorized in the Fall of 2021, and then in 2022 respectively. The CDC says mixing and matching works fine for people in this category.
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Some people may have 4 shots if they are over 50 or immunocompromised
There are some nuances to how many vaccines and boosters are generally available. Some people with weakened immune systems qualify for an additional dose, which works to “improve immunocompromised people’s response to their initial vaccine series,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Do the boosters help against new variants?
Experts explain that while new variants can be immune-evasive, getting vaccinated and boosted is the best way to stay protected from infection and getting severely ill. It’s still early to say with certainty how well the vaccine will work against “Kraken,” derived from Omicron, but experts believe it will likely be generally as effective as other variants.
It is not too late to get the bivalent booster, which will be the most effective booster against the current strains from getting severely sick, says Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Michigan.
“The name of the game is to not get hospitalized if you’re vulnerable,” she says.
For those who want a bivalent booster, you must be at least two months past your primary series. If you have recently had COVID and want to get the bivalent booster, consider delaying your appointment by three months from the onset of symptoms or a positive test.
The more a variant circulates in a community, the more it can mutate and evade immunity from both vaccination and prior infection. Since getting vaccinated can help reduce the spread of the virus, getting as many people as possible vaccinated in a community minimizes the chance of new variants developing.
“Updated COVID-19 boosters can help restore protection that has decreased since previous vaccination,” the CDC says.
Do you need another COVID booster?
There is not a new booster that is targeting “Kraken” as of now. Experts instead point to the low rates of vaccination and booster vaccination for the already available ones.
The vast majority of children have not been vaccinated at all, per data from November from the CDC. In a survey from Morning Consult conducted in November, nearly half of U.S. adults who are vaccinated and did not receive a booster from September to November said they do not plan to get the bivalent one, many people citing that they don’t have time to get one or don’t see the point.
As the variants change, vaccine fatigue and, now, booster fatigue, has set in, but remaining up-to-date on vaccines and boosters that are authorized can help you do your part in limiting the spread.
“The newest boosters are still saving lives and keeping people out of the hospital,” Miramonti says. “They’re keeping secondary infections to a minimum,” adding they protect people against longer-term complications from COVID that can weaken the immune system.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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Prince Harry downs tequila shots as he answers a series of questions on The Late Show
Prince Harry downed tequila shots in an interview with The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert yesterday ahead of its broadcast in the US tonight.
Fans attending the recording at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City told DailyMail.com the Duke of Sussex answered a series of questions from the late night host in his Colbert Questionert segment.
The quiz devised by the liberal comedian and TV host is 15 questions that he says ‘cover the full spectrum of human experience’.
Some of the questions put to guests include what their favorite sandwich is, what app they most use on their phone and even what number Colbert is thinking of at that moment.
It is not known what Harry answered but people at the studios managed to film a glimpse of the segment where Harry was talking with two tequila shots in front of him which he later downed.
The interview is just the latest the Duke is doing as he works to promote his bombshell memoir, Spare, released today.
Prince Harry was seen downing tequila shots with late night host Stephen Colbert
He is said to have answered the Colbert Questionert during the segment that will air Tuesday
Harry was accompanied to the Late Night studios on Monday night by a guard carrying a Glock lock-box, used to carry his gun and ammunition.
The prince has become increasingly concerned for his security since moving to the United States, and has frequently said he feels vulnerable.
He took legal action against British authorities after he was blocked under UK law from having private armed guards with him in the country.
In High Court papers filed in London, the duke said he ‘does not feel safe’ in Britain without armed security, and said the decision to prevent him being accompanied by armed guards is ‘unlawful’ and ‘unfair’.
When he stepped down as a working member of the royal family, he lost his official taxpayer-funded security detail, which infuriated him.
He has said that paying for private armed security is one reason for his quest to sign lucrative deals in the US – such as his memoir, for which he was reportedly paid by publisher Penguin Random House a $20million advance. ET Canada reported an even more extravagant sum, claiming the deal is for four editions, with a $35-$40million fee.
On Monday, dressed in a grey suit and navy shirt, Harry strode from his SUV into the studios to meet Colbert – who confirmed on Twitter that the interview will air on Tuesday night.
‘The interview will be Prince Harry’s first time visiting The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and coincides with the release date of his new memoir, Spare,’ CBS announced.
The PR team added: ‘With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.’
They described Harry as ‘a husband, father, humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate and environmentalist. He resides in Santa Barbara, Calif., with his family and three dogs.’
The prince was spotted earlier on Monday leaving his luxury Manhattan hotel, where rooms start at $400, rising to $3,500 a night for a suite.
There was no sign of his wife or children, who are believed to be at home in California.
Harry appeared on Good Morning America on Monday morning, telling host Michael Strahan that he would likely never return to live in the United Kingdom.
He continued his relentless attacks on the British press – the focus of much of his publicity tour – and said the press interest would make his family’s lives ‘unsurvivable’ if they were ever to return to Britain.
‘I don’t think that, even if there was an agreement or an arrangement between me and my family, there’s that third party [the British press] that’s going to do everything they can to make sure that that isn’t possible,’ he told Strahan.
‘Not stopping us from going back but making it unsurvivable.’
Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, relocated from the UK to California in early 2020, and have, since early 2021, been raising their two children, Archie and Lilibet, in a $14.65million mansion in Montecito – thousands of miles away from the Duke’s family.
Prince Harry is seen on Monday leaving his Manhattan hotel and heading to record an episode of Stephen Colbert’s show, accompanied by an armed guard with a Glock gun lock box
The 38-year-old’s bodyguard is seen keeping a watchful eye as Harry climbs into his waiting SUV
The prince is seen arriving at the studios where Stephen Colbert records The Late Show
Harry’s memoir is published today, and his interview with Colbert will air tonight
Harry is currently in the midst of a media blitz to promote his memoir, for which he was paid a reported $20 million advance
The prince is seen waving to fans as he left the Late Night studios in New York City Monday, wearing a different outfit
He was once again escorted by a guard back to his car as he left the studio
Harry’s armed guard
The Glock lock box carried by Prince Harry’s guard usually contains a pistol and ammunition.
It can be configured for any type of handgun.
Unlike in the U.K. – where private armed security is illegal – it is common for security guards to carry firearms in the U.S.
Harry and Meghan are believed to rely on Gavin de Becker and Associates, a private LA firm that charges up to $8,800 per day.
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However, while Harry has admitted that he doesn’t believe they will ever make a full-time return to the UK or royal life, he has also hinted that he and Meghan will never give up their official titles.
In an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday, Cooper asked why they did not relinquish their titles as duke and duchess if they wanted a peaceful existence away from the media.
Cooper said: ‘One of the criticisms that you’ve received is that okay, fine, you wanna move to California, you wanna step back from the institutional role.
‘Why be so public? Why reveal conversations you’ve had with your father or with your brother?
‘You say you tried to do this privately.’
Harry replied: ‘Every single time I’ve tried to do it privately there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife.
‘You know, the family motto is never complain, never explain.
‘But it’s just a motto. And it doesn’t really hold.’
The couple first made the shocking announcement that they were going to step back from their royal duties on January 8, 2020.
At the time, they wrote in a joint statement that they had reached the decision after ‘many months of reflection and internal discussions.’
They said they wanted to ‘work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.’
The idea of them working to support the rest of the family has become increasingly untenable, however, thanks to a series of interviews and a documentary in which they condemned the actions of their relatives and the institution they represent.
A December poll revealed that 98 per cent of participants want the pair to be stripped of their Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles, after the couple aired their bombshell Netflix docuseries, which included several explosive accusations about their time as royals.
The Duke of Sussex revealed more personal details about his life in the breakfast show interview with former NFL player Michael Strahan, on Monday morning
Harry is seen with Anderson Cooper during his 60 Minutes interview, which aired in the U.S. on Sunday night
In the series, the pair claimed they were victims of ‘institutional gaslighting’ and accused the royal family of lying to protect Harry’s brother Prince William.
Harry also said in the series that he told his father, King Charles III, that he and Meghan were willing to relinquish their titles during discussions surrounding their plan to move to America – although it appears that is no longer the case.
Harry’s memoir has caused intense anguish within Buckingham Palace, although the King and Prince William have refused to comment on Harry’s mud-slinging and allegations.
In the book, Harry writes that William physically attacked him, and has detailed allegations that William’s wife Kate was at loggerheads with Meghan.
He said he begged his father not to marry Camilla, and accused her, now Queen Consort, of leaking stories to advance her ‘campaign’ to become officially recognized.
The prince also detailed losing his virginity, taking cocaine and other drugs, and killing Taliban fighters while serving with the British army in Afghanistan.
He said his father and brother had ‘shown absolutely no willingness to reconcile’, and said he did not see how ‘staying silent’ would help.
Harry writes: ‘Meg asked if Kate was aware of what was going on right now. With her father. Kate said she was well aware, but the dresses. And the wedding is in four days!’ ‘Yes, Kate, I know….’ his fiancée replied sharply
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10 stunning shots of Earth from space in 2022
Earth-orbiting satellites and astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) have provided us with a whole new perspective of our planet in recent decades, and 2022 has been no different. From bizarre blue blobs and a silver swirling sea to undersea volcanoes and wandering icebergs, here are some of our favorite satellite and space station images of Earth released in 2022.
Trio of multicolored lakes
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The Landsat 8 satellite, which is co-owned by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, snapped a striking real-color image of a trio of multicolored lakes in Ethiopia’s Great Rift Valley: Lake Shala (left), Lake Abijatta (center) and Lake Langano (right).
Lake Shala’s dark-blue hue is a result of its deep waters, which have a maximum depth of 873 feet (266 meters). Lake Abijatta, which only has a maximum depth of 46 feet (14 m), is green thanks to a bloom of photosynthetic algae. Lake Langano, meanwhile, gets its yellow color from rivers that carry nearby mountain sediments there.
The contrasting appearance of the lakes is even more surprising given that all three used to be part of a single, ancient body of water known as Lake Galla.
Read more: Trio of yellow, blue and green lakes in Ethiopia stuns in striking satellite image
Undersea “sharkcano” eruption
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The Landsat 9 satellite captured a stunning shot of an underwater eruption plume from the Kavachi volcano in the southwest Pacific Ocean, whose summit lies approximately 65 feet (20 m) below sea level.
During a 2015 expedition to Kavachi, researchers discovered that the volcano’s crater is home to two types of sharks — hammerheads (Sphyrna sp.) and silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) — despite the locale’s explosive history. It is likely that previous volcanic eruptions, which have been occurring sporadically since at least 1939, could be providing nutrients that support a thriving marine ecosystem around the volcano.
In the past, researchers wrote that the presence of sharks in the crater raised “new questions about the ecology of active submarine volcanoes and the extreme environments in which large marine animals exist.”
Read more: Undersea ‘sharkcano’ eruption captured in spectacular satellite images
Pair of bizarre blue blobs
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An astronaut on board the ISS snapped an image of Earth that contains two bizarre blue blobs of light glimmering in our planet’s atmosphere. Intriguingly, the two blobs are completely unrelated to one another and just happened to occur at the same time.
The first blob of light, which is visible at the bottom of the image, is a massive lightning strike that occurred next to a large, circular gap in the top of the clouds. This caused the lightning to illuminate the surrounding walls of the cloudy caldera-like structure, creating a striking luminous ring.
The second blue blob, which can be seen in the top right of the image, is the result of warped light from the moon. The orientation of Earth’s natural satellite in relation to the ISS meant the light it reflected back from the sun passed through the planet’s atmosphere, transforming it into a bright blue blob with a fuzzy halo.
Read more: Bizarre blue blobs hover in Earth’s atmosphere in stunning astronaut photo. But what are they?
Swirling silver sunglint
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Another ISS astronaut captured a stunning photograph of a “sunglint” that transformed the sea’s surface into a swirling, silver mirror surrounding a pair of Greek islands.
The larger landmass at the heart of the photo is Milos, a 58 square-mile (151 square kilometers) Greek volcanic island, and its diminutive, uninhabited partner to the west is Antimilos, which is around 3 square miles (8 square km) in size.
Sunglints are caused by the sun’s light reflecting off the still sea directly into the astronaut’s camera. As a result, glassy ocean waters look silvery while more turbulent waters look darker. These phenomena can highlight interesting oceanographic effects on and below the water’s surface, such as circular ocean currents, known as gyres, and the wakes from shipping vessels — both of which are visible in this image.
Read more: Stunning ‘sunglint’ turns the sea’s surface into a swirling silver mirror
Golden river of toxic waste
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A Landsat 9 image revealed a golden river of dried toxic mud glimmering on the landscape near a diamond mine in Jagersfontein, South Africa after a dam collapsed.
The dam had been holding back tailings — a muddy mix of dust, crushed rock, water and other mining byproducts. The surplus slurry often contains trace quantities of metals such as copper, mercury, cadmium and zinc, as well as other compounds including petroleum, sulfuric acid and even cyanide.
The image shows how the toxic waste flowed down the hillside in a massive wave that eventually funneled into a nearby dam before spilling over into the adjoining Prosesspruit river. In total, the dried tailings covered around 10 square miles (26 square km) of farmland. The dam’s collapse killed three people and injured around 40 others.
Read more: Golden river of toxic waste from South African mining disaster visible from space
World’s largest iceberg on the move
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NASA’s Terra satellite captured a photo of the world’s largest iceberg, A-76A, floating in the mouth of the Drake Passage — a turbulent stretch of water in Antarctica.
The enormous ice slab is around 84 miles (135 kilometers) long and 16 miles (26 km) wide. It first broke off from the Ronne Ice Shelf in 2021.
When icebergs drift into the Drake Passage they are are quickly dragged eastward by strong ocean currents before being whipped northward into warmer waters, where they completely melt soon after.
It is unclear where A-76A will eventually end up or when it will meet its watery grave.
Read more: World’s largest iceberg is getting swept away from Antarctica to its doom, satellite image shows
Mount Doom’s acid lake
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An astronaut aboard the ISS snapped a stunning image of a snow-circled hydrothermal lake atop Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand, which doubled as “Mount Doom” in Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings.”
The hydrothermal lake, known as Crater Lake or Te Wai ā-moe, sits between Mount Ruapehu’s three main peaks, the tallest of which reaches 9,177 feet (2,797 m) above sea level. A magma chamber deep within the volcano heats the lake, which fluctuates between 59 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 45 degrees Celsius). The body of water is highly acidic due to large amounts of volcanic gases that dissolve in the water.
Geologists use the lake to monitor the volcano’s threat level.
Read more: Acid lake atop real-life ‘Mount Doom’ captured in striking new image from space
7-story “monster” waves
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This Landsat 8 image captured a stunning display of the immense power of seven-story-high waves as they crashed toward the shore near Nazaré, a wave-surfing hotspot in Portugal.
The image shows how the ferocious swells ripped up the surrounding seafloor sediment into enormous underwater plumes that stretched around 6.2 miles (10 km) from the shore.
The waves at Nazaré frequently reach heights of more than 50 feet (15 m) in the winter months due to an underwater canyon around half a mile from the coast that channels wave energy. But, on this day, high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Epsilon, which battered Bermuda and parts of North America, amplified the waves.
The image was captured on the same day that an 18-year-old surfer reportedly rode a record-breaking 101.4-foot-high (30.9 m) wave at Nazaré.
Read more: Stunning satellite image shows immense power of monster 7-story waves in Portugal
Ancient lava flow scar
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An astronaut on board the ISS took a stunning photo of an ancient lava flow stretching across the desert in New Mexico.
The lava flow, known as the Carrizozo Malpaís, covers around 130 square miles (337 square km) and is around 50 miles (80 km) long. From above, the frozen river of volcanic rock looks like a dark scar carved into the surrounding desert.
The eruption that birthed Carrizozo Malpaís began around 5,000 years ago and lasted for between 20 to 30 years. A majority of the lava in the image emerged from a small, 88-foot tall (27 m) vent, which locals have dubbed “little black peak.”
The ancient lava field may seem lifeless from above, but a number of desert plant species can grow in the frozen lava.
Read more: Massive ancient lava flow seen from space looks like a giant black scar on the New Mexico desert
I spy through a hole in the sky
Landsat 8 caught a glimpse of one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius, as it “peered up” into the sky through an eerie, circular hole in the clouds.
The volcano’s summit caldera — a large, bowl-like depression that forms when a volcano erupts and collapses — is clearly visible in the image, as well as part of a large, mountainous ridge to the north, which is a remnant of Mount Somma — an ancient volcano that once stood in the same spot as Mount Vesuvius, before the newer volcano’s cone grew from its center.
Vesuvius’ most famous eruption simultaneously destroyed and preserved the Roman city of Pompeii, as well as the neighboring town Herculaneum, in A.D. 79.
Researchers have described Mount Vesuvius as “Europe’s ticking time bomb” because it is due to have another large eruption soon.
Read more: Striking satellite photo captures Mount Vesuvius peering through a hole in the clouds
Want to see even more amazing satellite images? Then check out some more of our favorite shots from the Landsat satellites.
South Korea fires warning shots after North Korean drones enter its airspace
CNN
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South Korea’s military scrambled fighter jets and attack helicopters on Monday after five North Korean drones crossed into its airspace, with one aircraft crashing, according to the country’s defense ministry.
The ministry said South Korea’s military fired shots at the drones, but added it couldn’t confirm whether any drones were shot down.
Lee Seung-oh, a South Korean defense official, said four of the drones flew around Ganghwa island and one flew over capital Seoul’s northern airspace.
“This is a clear provocation and an invasion of our airspace by North Korea,” Lee said during a briefing.
One of South Korea’s KA-1 light attack aircraft crashed on takeoff as it was deployed to respond to the drones, according to the defense ministry. The cause for the crash is unclear, and no casualties were reported.
In response to the airspace violation, Lee said, the South Korean military sent its manned and unmanned reconnaissance assets to the inter-Korean border region, with some of them crossing into the North Korean territory.
The assets conducted a reconnaissance mission, including filming North Korea’s military installations, Lee added.
The South Korean military first detected the drones in the skies near the northwestern city of Gimpo at around 10:25 a.m. local time Monday, according to the country’s defense ministry.
The last time a North Korean drone was detected below the inter-Korean border was in 2017, according to the South Korean defense ministry. At the time, South Korea said it had recovered a crashed North Korean drone that was spying on a US-built missile system in the country.
North Korea has aggressively stepped up its missile tests this year, often launching multiple weapons at a time. It’s fired missiles on 36 separate days – the highest annual tally since Kim Jong Un took power in 2012.
Most recently, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, according to South Korean officials. The missiles were fired from Pyongyang’s Sunan area into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
The secretive country usually test-launches its missiles in this way, firing them at a lofted angle so that they land in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
However, in October, it fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) at a normal trajectory that went over Japan for the first time in five years.
In November, it claimed to have launched a “new type” of ICBM, Hwasong-17, from Pyongyang International Airfield, a missile that could theoretically reach the mainland United States. And last week, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister and a top official in the regime, claimed in state media that North Korea was ready to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a normal trajectory, a flight pattern that could prove the weapons can threaten the continental United States.
The United States and South Korean experts have warned that Pyongyang could be preparing for a nuclear test, its first in more than five years. North Korea has been developing its nuclear missile forces in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, ramping up its activities since the last of three meetings in 2019 between Kim Jong Un and then-US President Donald Trump failed to yield any agreement.
In October, Kim warned his nuclear forces are fully prepared for “actual war.”
“Our nuclear combat forces… proved again their full preparedness for actual war to bring the enemies under their control,” Kim said in comments reported by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency.
S. Korea launches jets, fires shots after North flies drones
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets and flew surveillance assets across the heavily fortified border with North Korea on Monday, after North Korean drones violated its airspace for the first time in five years, officials said.
South Korea’s military detected five drones from North Korea crossing the border, and one traveled as far as the northern part of the South Korean capital region, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The military responded by firing warning shots and launching fighter jets and attack helicopters to shoot down the North Korean drones. The attack helicopters fired a combined 100 rounds but it wasn’t immediately known if the North Korean drones were shot down. There were no immediate reports of civilian damage on the ground in South Korea, according to the Defense Ministry.
One of the aircraft, a KA-1 light attack plane, crashed during takeoff but its two pilots both ejected safely, defense officials said. They said they also requested civilian airports in and near Seoul to halt takeoffs temporarily.
South Korea also sent surveillance assets near and across the border to photograph key military facilities in North Korea as corresponding measures against the North Korean drone flights, the Joint Chiefs said. It didn’t elaborate, but some observers say that South Korea likely flew unmanned drones inside North Korean territory.
“Our military will thoroughly and resolutely respond to this kind of North Korean provocation,” Maj. Gen. Lee Seung-o, director of operations at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.
South Korea’s public confirmation of any reconnaissance activities inside North Korea is highly unusual and likely reflects a resolve by the conservative government led by President Yoon Suk Yeol to get tough on North Korean provocations. North Korea could respond with more fiery rhetoric or weapons tests or other provocation, some observers say.
On Friday, South Korea detected two short-range ballistic missile launches by North Korea, the latest in the country’s torrid run of weapons tests this year. Friday’s launches were seen as a protest of the South Korean-U.S. joint air drills that North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.
It’s the first time for North Korean drones to enter South Korean airspace since 2017, when a suspected North Korean drone was found crashed in South Korea. South Korean military officials said at the time that the drone with a Sony-made camera photographed a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea.
North Korea has previously touted its drone program, and South Korean officials said the North has about 300 drones. In 2014, several suspected North Korean drones equipped with Japanese-made cameras were found south of the border. Experts said they were low-tech but could be considered a potential security threat.
Earlier this month, North Korea claimed to have performed major tests needed to acquire its first spy satellite and a more mobile intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. They were among high-tech weapons systems that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to introduce along with multi-warheads, underwater-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-powered submarines and hypersonic missiles.
North Korea released low-resolution photos of South Korean cities as viewed from space, but some experts in South Korea said the images were too crude for surveillance purposes. Such assessments infuriated North Korea, with Kim’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong issuing a series of derisive terms to insult unidentified South Korean experts and express her anger.
North Korea is to hold a key ruling Workers’ Party conference this week to review past policies and set policy goals. Some experts say that during the meeting, North Korea will likely reaffirm its push to bolster nuclear and missile arsenals to cope with what it calls hostile U.S. policies, such as U.S.-led international sanctions and its regular military training with South Korea.
North Korea would eventually use its boosted nuclear capability as a bargaining chip to win international recognition as a legitimate nuclear state, the relaxing of international sanctions and other concessions, analysts say.