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| All your news in a single email. We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more - all packaged in a 5-minute read below. |
| Need To Know. |
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| Super Typhoon Hits Japan. |
Japanese authorities ordered 1.2 million people to evacuate their homes as the strongest storm to reach Japan in 25 years made landfall yesterday. Super Typhoon Jebi made landfall with wind speeds exceeding 130 mph - after having seen peak winds at 175 mph as it traveled through the Pacific this weekend - making it the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. The winds were strong enough to send a 2,600-ton tanker crashing against the side of a bridge outside Osaka (see video). On top of the winds, much of Japan is prone to landslides and flooding, and Jebi's trajectory has it passing over the entire length of the islands. The storm follows a summer in the country where over 200 people were killed by landslides and a deadly heatwave claimed another 130 lives.
On the other side of the world, Tropical Storm Gordon will make landfall along the Mississippi coast today. |
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| Microwave Weapons Identified in Diplomat Attacks. |
A new class of weapons has been identified that could be responsible for mysterious attacks on US diplomats in Cuba and elsewhere. Scientists believe that directed microwave energy could be responsible for the nausea, blurred vision, and physical brain damage observed in at least 21 patients (see official report). Between late 2016 and August 2017, at least 26 US diplomatic staff and their families stationed in Havana began reporting the symptoms after hearing strange buzzing or grinding sounds, and diplomatic staff in China reported similar incidents in June 2018. Experts rejected the idea of a sonic weapon given the short potential range - however microwaves, even when not used as a weapon, have been known to cause auditory hallucinations in what is known as the Frey Effect. If correct, it would be the first widely-publicized instance of the use of weaponized microwaves, though it has been extensively researched by the US and Russian militaries.
Who is behind the attacks (and why) remains a mystery. |
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| Brazil's National Museum Destroyed in Blaze. |
In a loss that officials called "incalculable", the National Museum of Brazil was destroyed in a massive fire Sunday evening. Though no injuries were reported, the vast majority of the museum's 20 million historical items are assumed to be lost. The museum was the oldest scientific institution in Brazil and one of the largest museums of natural history in the Americas, and its collection included a 12,000-year-old skeleton (the oldest ever found in the country), a number of Egyptian mummies and sarcophagi, and artifacts from pre-Columbian culture. It also housed the 5-and-a-half-ton Bendegó Meteorite - which early reports say (unsurprisingly) survived the fire.
Video taken by first responders captured the devastation to the main building and its exhibits. |
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| In The Know. |
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| Sports, Entertainment & Culture. |
| > Colin Kaepernick tapped by Nike to be face of newest Just Do It ad campaign (More) |
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| > Claire Wineland, social media star who chronicled her battle with cystic fibrosis, dies one week after lung transplant at age 21 (More) |
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| > Roger Federer suffers stunning loss in 4th round of US Open (More) | Serena Williams advances to 10th consecutive US Open quarterfinal (More) |
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| Science & Technology. |
| > Researchers use CRISPR gene-editing to increase production of the protein dystrophin, halting the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in animal trials (More) | CRISPR 101 (More) |
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| > New method of semi-artificial photosynthesis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules (for hydrogen fuel) while minimizing use of expensive and toxic catalysts (More) |
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| > Doctors to run clinical trials using currently infected patients for three Ebola vaccines in latest African outbreak; will not use a placebo group due to ethical concerns (More) |
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| Business & Markets. |
| > Trump notifies Congress of new trade deal with Mexico as NAFTA talks with Canada fall apart; notice starts 90 day clock for Congress to approve, White House says it wants Canada in the deal (More) |
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| > Coca-Cola buying Costa Coffee - with ~4k stores across 32 countries - for $5B (More) |
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| > China's online food delivery giant Meituan Dianping sets Hong Kong IPO valuation at up to $55B (More) |
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| Politics & World Affairs. |
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| > Catholic church in Lincoln, NE, the only diocese to not participate in annual sexual misconduct reviews following 2004 Boston abuse scandal, hit with multiple allegations of molestation by priests (More) |
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| > Bush administration lawyer releases 42,000 documents Sunday night, ahead of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings on Tuesday (More) |
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| In Depth. |
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| Runs In the Family. |
| ESPN | Sarah Spain. Deland McCullough - current Kansas City Chief’s running backs coach - was adopted in 1973 at six weeks old. His biological father was never even made aware of the birth, but once McCullough started digging, he realized his father may have been closer than he thought. (Read) |
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| The Little Blue Pill Turns 20. |
| Esquire | David Kushner. Its success and high prices has made Viagra one of the most sought after - and most boot-legged - prescription drugs around. The story, 20 years on, of how a medical accident snowballed into a $3-billion-a-year industry. (Read) |
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| Etcetera. |
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WalletHub sorts out the hardest working states in America
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| A busy Labor Day weekend caps a record-breaking summer travel season. |
| Study claims 1 in 50 people find love on an airplane. |
| ...and other times love begins with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (aka CPR). |
| Find out how much of your life is wasted during your commute. |
The 100 most scenic restaurants in 2018.
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| The best art from the 2018 Burning Man festival. |
| Science pins down at precisely what age babies are the cutest. |
Images of the iPhone XS leaked ahead of September 12th launch event.
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| Clickbait: Man proposes to girlfriend using the side of a cow. |
| Historybook: Edmond Halley observes Halley’s Comet for first time (1682); HBD Beyonce (1981); Google is founded (1998); Crocodile Hunter host Steve Irwin killed by stingray (2006); RIP Joan Rivers (2014). |
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- Joan Rivers |
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