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PS5 Slim Digital Edition Discounted to $379 in the US Until December 24

Sony Interactive Entertainment in a new video posted to YouTube revealed the PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition has been discounted by $70 and will be available for $379.99. The deal runs until December 24 "while supplies last."

No word yet if the standard PlayStation 5 or the recently released PlayStation 5 Pro will be discounted. The standard PS5 is priced at $499.99 and the PS5 Pro is priced at $699.99.

As of the time of writing, the discount isn't available yet at retailers or through PlayStation Direct.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

Full Article - https://www.vgchartz.com/article/463046/ps5-slim-digital-edition-discounted-to-379-in-the-us-until-december-24/




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Slitterhead review: body-hopping action horror that's best left dispossessed

I was excited for Slitterhead, an action adventure game by Bokeh Studio, a studio founded by none other than your boy Keiichiro Toyama: the creator of Silent Hill, Gravity Rush, and the Siren series. And within that first hour, Slitterhead's body-possessing and Hong Kong-inspired streets had me thinking, "Is this it, the sleeper hit of 2024?!"

No, sadly not. It's no doubt built a compelling universe filled with brain-sucking aliens that masquerade as humans, and it attempts plenty else besides: bouncing between bodies as you stealth around dingy apartment blocks, fighting with blood katanas, and gorging on pools of red plasma to refuel skills, many of which require more body-flitting. Thing is, they are ultimately just attempts, attempts that fall victim to an emptiness and jitteriness that quickly reveals Slitterhead's true, irritating form.

Read more




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Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign review: a military shooter that comes disguised as other, better games

As a yearly blockbuster, Call of Duty, through sheer expense and effort, would like you to think it is the Die Hard of video games. Or, depending on the setting, the Saving Private Ryan of video games. But it is barely Black Hawk Down. This latest campaign in Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 reminds me more of the forgettable Netflix shootfests that thumbnail their way across your TV screen as you try to find some gritty nothing to aid you in zoning out of life. Still, there is an anecdotal contingent of casual sofa sitters for whom Call Of Duty is the game. A balls-to-the-wall shooter to return to every winter and rinse through in a weekend. Ed has already gestured at its multiplayer, announcing: "yup, it's COD", like a deeply tired Captain Birdseye inspecting the day's catch, wondering when his life will change. But never mind that. How does the single player story mode hold up? Some are calling it the best campaign in years. And I guess that's true, in the sense that it is the least worst.

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Halo's most disgusting enemy was partly inspired by a children's book

It was the 20-year anniversary of Halo 2 at the weekend, which saw the shooter's modern counterparts celebrating with classic multiplayer maps and long-lost levels. But also emerging from the dust of time are insights to the sequel's development back in 2004. Rolling Stone interviewed two key designers of the game and made a fun discovery. The Flood (the sickly pale alien infestation that briefly turns Halo into sci-fi horror) was partly inspired by a colourful and innocent children's book about a nice elephant.

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The Rise Of The Golden Idol review: fiendish but fair detective puzzling whose mystery you’ll want to unravel

Here’s a Steam quote for you: ‘The Rise Of The Golden Idol is the best game I’ve ever played where I spent most of my time staring at the screen going “well what chuffing well is it, then?!” Fiendish but fair, this detective puzzler demands a heady mix of observation, deduction, and logic, but rewards you with a progressively engaging story, and steadily more infuriatingly brilliant puzzles. Despite teaching you everything you need to know in the tutorial, it still manages to introduce new wrinkles and twists on the formula with each fresh chapter. My verdict? Imagine me lying my floor, massaging my temple with one hand and giving a fat thumbs up with the other.

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Trump’s claim about predecessors, fallen troops disputed

File photo of President Donald Trump by Joshua Roberts/Reuters

WASHINGTON — For U.S. presidents, meeting the families of military personnel killed in war is about as wrenching as the presidency gets. President Donald Trump’s suggestion Monday that his predecessors fell short in that duty brought a visceral reaction from those who witnessed those grieving encounters.

“He’s a deranged animal,” Alyssa Mastromonaco, a former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, tweeted about Trump. With an expletive, she called Trump’s statement in the Rose Garden a lie.

Trump said in a news conference he had written letters to the families of four soldiers killed in an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger and planned to call them, crediting himself with taking extra steps in honoring the dead properly. “Most of them didn’t make calls,” he said of his predecessors. He said it’s possible that Obama “did sometimes” but “other presidents did not call.”

The record is plain that presidents reached out to families of the dead and to the wounded, often with their presence as well as by letter and phone. The path to Walter Reed and other military hospitals, as well as to the Dover, Delaware, Air Force Base where the remains of fallen soldiers are often brought, is a familiar one to Obama, George W. Bush and others.

Bush, even at the height of two wars, “wrote all the families of the fallen,” said Freddy Ford, spokesman for the ex-president. Ford said Bush also called or met “hundreds, if not thousands” of family members of the war dead.

READ MORE: What Trump said about his drug czar pick, health care fixes

Obama’s official photographer, Pete Souza, tweeted that he photographed Obama “meeting with hundreds of wounded soldiers, and family members of those killed in action.” Others recalled his frequent visits with Gold Star families, and travels to Walter Reed, Dover and other venues with families of the dead and with the wounded.

Retired Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed these contacts, tweeting: “POTUS 43 & 44 and first ladies cared deeply, worked tirelessly for the serving, the fallen, and their families. Not politics. Sacred Trust.”

Trump addressed the matter when asked why he had not spoken about the four soldiers killed in Niger. They died when militants thought to be affiliated with the Islamic State group ambushed them while they were patrolling in unarmored trucks with Nigerien troops.

“I actually wrote letters individually to the soldiers we’re talking about, and they’re going to be going out either today or tomorrow,” he said, meaning he wrote to the families of the fallen soldiers. He did not explain why letters had not been sent yet, more than a week after the attack.

“If you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls,” Trump said.

Pressed on that statement later, he said of Obama: “I was told that he didn’t often, and a lot of presidents don’t. They write letters.” He went on: “President Obama, I think, probably did sometimes, and maybe sometimes he didn’t. I don’t know. That’s what I was told. … Some presidents didn’t do anything.”

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said later that Trump “wasn’t criticizing predecessors, but stating a fact.” She argued that presidents didn’t always call families of those killed in battle: “Sometimes they call, sometimes they send a letter, other times they have the opportunity to meet family members in person.”

She said anyone claiming a former president had called every family was “mistaken.”

Bush’s commitment to writing to all military families of the dead and to reaching out by phone or meeting with many others came despite the enormity of the task. In the Iraq war alone, U.S. combat deaths were highest during his presidency, exceeding 800 each year from 2004 through 2007. The number fell to 313 in Bush’s last year in office as the insurgency faded. Bush once said he felt the appropriate way to show his respect was to meet family members in private.

READ MORE: What the Bannon vs. McConnell fight means for Trump and the GOP

Obama declared an end to combat operations in Iraq in August 2010 and the last U.S. troops were withdrawn in December 2011. As Obama wound down that war, he sent tens of thousands more troops into Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, and the death count mounted. From a total of 155 Americans killed in Afghanistan in 2008, which was Bush’s last full year in office, the number jumped to 311 in 2009 and peaked the next year at 498. In all, more than 1,700 died in Afghanistan on Obama’s watch.

Among other rituals honoring military families, the Obamas had a “Gold Star” Christmas tree in the White House decorated with hundreds of photos and notes from people who had lost loved ones in war. Gold Star families visited during the holidays, bringing ornaments.

Trump visited Dover early in his presidency, going in February with his daughter Ivanka for the return of the remains of a U.S. Navy SEAL killed during a raid in Yemen, William “Ryan” Owens.

Trump’s relations with Gold Star families have not always been smooth, dating from his belittlement of the parents of slain U.S. soldier Humayun Khan, who was Muslim. Trump was angered when the soldier’s father, Khizr Khan, was given a platform to criticize him at the Democratic National Convention.

Owens’ grieving father said he didn’t want to talk with Trump at Dover. But the sailor’s widow, Carryn, attended Trump’s address to Congress and wept as he thanked her.

___

Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Jesse J. Holland contributed to this report.

The post Trump’s claim about predecessors, fallen troops disputed appeared first on PBS NewsHour.




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DWP hints at change to PIP disability assessments after humiliating hurdles outrage



A Labour minister confirmed that the application process for Personal Independence Payment is being 'kept under review'




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The astrophysicist who may be about to discover how the universe began

Astronomer Jo Dunkley is planning to use the Simons Observatory to snare evidence for inflation, the theory that the universe expanded at incredible speed after its birth




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Distant dwarf planet Makemake might have a surprising ice volcano

A small world in the outer solar system appears to have volcanic activity possibly spurred by liquid water




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If an asteroid were heading towards Earth, could you avert disaster?

From nuclear strikes to giant spikes, discover the systems in place to prevent a collision and test your decision-making to see if you could avoid a catastrophic impact




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Don't disrespect Alan Turing by reanimating him with AI

Plans to create an interactive AI model of the legendary code breaker Alan Turing are reckless and problematic, says Matthew Sparkes




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What can governments do about online disinformation from abroad?

A cyberterrorism charge in Pakistan connected to riots in the UK illustrates how authorities are reaching across borders to tackle disinformation, but bringing overseas suspects to justice won't always be possible




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We need transparency from the companies disseminating misinformation

As misinformation about the upcoming US elections rockets across social media, creating chaos, companies need to be honest about where this content is coming from, says Annalee Newitz




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Google says its AI designs chips better than humans – experts disagree

Google DeepMind claims its AlphaChip AI method can deliver “superhuman” chip designs that are already used in its data centres – but independent experts say public proof is lacking




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Which AI chatbot is best at avoiding disinformation?

AI chatbots from Google and Microsoft sometimes parrot disinformation when answering questions about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – but their performance depends on language and changes over time




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Warn Your Children: Deadpool & Wolverine Is Now on Disney+

Just in time to watch with the whole family over Thanksgiving.





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Video Friday: Disney Robot Dance



Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your friends at IEEE Spectrum robotics. We also post a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months. Please send us your events for inclusion.

ICRA@40: 23–26 September 2024, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
IROS 2024: 14–18 October 2024, ABU DHABI, UAE
ICSR 2024: 23–26 October 2024, ODENSE, DENMARK
Cybathlon 2024: 25–27 October 2024, ZURICH

Enjoy today’s videos!

I think it’s time for us all to admit that some of the most interesting bipedal and humanoid research is being done by Disney.

[ Research Paper from ETH Zurich and Disney Research]

Over the past few months, Unitree G1 robot has been upgraded into a mass production version, with stronger performance, ultimate appearance, and being more in line with mass production requirements.

[ Unitree ]

This robot is from Kinisi Robotics, which was founded by Brennand Pierce, who also founded Bear Robotics. You can’t really tell from this video, but check out the website because the reach this robot has is bonkers.

Kinisi Robotics is on a mission to democratize access to advanced robotics with our latest innovation—a low-cost, dual-arm robot designed for warehouses, factories, and supermarkets. What sets our robot apart is its integration of LLM technology, enabling it to learn from demonstrations and perform complex tasks with minimal setup. Leveraging Brennand’s extensive experience in scaling robotic solutions, we’re able to produce this robot for under $20k, making it a game-changer in the industry.

[ Kinisi Robotics ]

Thanks Bren!

Finally, something that Atlas does that I am also physically capable of doing. In theory.

Okay, never mind. I don’t have those hips.

[ Boston Dynamics ]

Researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University have created the first legged robot of its size to run, turn, push loads, and climb miniature stairs.

They say it can “run,” but I’m skeptical that there’s a flight phase unless someone sneezes nearby.

[ Carnegie Mellon University ]

The lights are cool and all, but it’s the pulsing soft skin that’s squigging me out.

[ Paper, Robotics Reports Vol.2 ]

Roofing is a difficult and dangerous enough job that it would be great if robots could take it over. It’ll be a challenge though.

[ Renovate Robotics ] via [ TechCrunch ]

Kento Kawaharazuka from JSK Robotics Laboratory at the University of Tokyo wrote in to share this paper, just accepted at RA-L, which (among other things) shows a robot using its flexible hands to identify objects through random finger motion.

[ Paper accepted by IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters ]

Thanks Kento!

It’s one thing to make robots that are reliable, and it’s another to make robots that are reliable and repairable by the end user. I don’t think iRobot gets enough credit for this.

[ iRobot ]

I like competitions where they say, “just relax and forget about the competition and show us what you can do.”

[ MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge ]

I kid you not, this used to be my job.

[ RoboHike ]




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Dismantle the 'Environmental Justice' Juggernaut

Eliminating this pernicious policy should be on the Trump administration's first week to-do list.




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Sony's PS5 Pro comes with a secret feature for PlayStation fans but it may disappoint



Aside from offering a more powerful console, the PS5 Pro also packs a sneaky theme for PlayStation fans to uncover - something Sony hadn't previously discussed.




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How E. coli infections wreak havoc on the body, causing dangerous disease — particularly in kids

Certain strains of E. coli are capable of causing severe disease, by rapidly spreading through the human digestive system, wreaking havoc throughout the bloodstream, and eventually damaging the delicate kidneys. That's the situation right now during a large outbreak in Alberta, with hundreds of children now affected.




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After dismal start, UN hosts 'halftime summit' in bid to save development plan

After a dismal start, the UN is hosting a "halftime summit" about its 15-year plan to meet a series of human-development targets by 2030. Delegates will try to focus on problems like extreme poverty and gender equality while watching for sparks between the representatives of Ukraine and Russia.




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Nova Scotia biologist adapting COVID-19 technology to detect oyster disease

A biologist at Cape Breton University is hoping a piece of technology used to keep people safe in the pandemic can help protect Nova Scotia's oysters against the effects of warming waters.



  • News/Canada/Nova Scotia

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Speaker Johnson could face challenger amid simmering GOP discontent

House Speaker Mike Johnson is seeking a smooth re-election to another term wielding the gavel, but a small group of discontent conservatives are again vying to shake things up at the top.




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Republican Rep. David Valadao wins reelection in heavily Democratic California district

Republican Rep. David Valadao has won reelection in California's 22nd Congressional District, defeating Democrat Rudy Salas for the second time.




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Adam Peaty accused of disrespecting Commonwealth Games after roaring into breaststroke final

Adam Peaty roared back at those writing him off after cruising through his 50 metres breaststroke semi-final – but was later accused of being disrespectful towards Commonwealth Games competitors.

]]>




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Contrite Adam Peaty fights back to win Commonwealth Games gold after ‘disrespect’ controversy

  • Adam Peaty is right about Commonwealths not being the pinnacle
  • Peaty accused of disrespecting Games after roaring into 50m final
  • British Cycling ‘confident’ they can replace Kenny if she retires
  • Englishman Jake Jarman wins fourth gymnastics gold medal
  • Daily Games schedule – plus key events to watch out for
  • ]]>



    • topics:events/commonwealth-games
    • structure:sport
    • topics:events/birmingham-commonwealth-games-2022
    • topics:people/adam-peaty

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    New dinosaur species similar to T. rex found in Asia: 'One of the most significant' discoveries

    A new species of Jurassic dinosaur related to Tyrannosaurus rex has been discovered by paleontologists in Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia.



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    'Incredible' 2,000-year-old Roman road discovered in London



    Archaeologists have discovered a "remarkable" section of one of Britain's most important Roman roads in southeast London.




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    New Oviraptorosaur Species Discovered in China

    A new genus and species of early-diverging oviraptorosaurian dinosaur has been identified from two specimens found in Inner Mongolia, China.

    The post New Oviraptorosaur Species Discovered in China appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.




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    Paleontologists Discover New Species of Ankylosaurid Dinosaur

    A new genus and species of ankylosaur has been identified from an articulated and partial skeleton found in 1986 in southern China.

    The post Paleontologists Discover New Species of Ankylosaurid Dinosaur appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.





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    New Species of Hermit Crab Discovered in Australia

    Marine biologists at Queensland Museum Kurilpa have described a new species of hermit crab, Strigopagurus fragarchela (common name is the strawberry-clawed hermit), from the continental shelf off south‑east Queensland, Australia.

    The post New Species of Hermit Crab Discovered in Australia appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.




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    Earliest-Known Maya Salt Works Discovered in Belize

    Jay-yi Nah is an underwater archaeological site dating to the Early Classic Maya period (250-600 CE) that focused on salt production for local use or perhaps local production for down-the-line trading.

    The post Earliest-Known Maya Salt Works Discovered in Belize appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.




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    A visually rich documentary packs a punch about how we see disease

    Dis-Ease by Mariam Ghani uses strong visuals and compelling interviews to argue that how we see and describe disease affects how we deal with it, says Simon Ings




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    Lyme disease test gives hope for a speedier diagnosis

    A new test spots Lyme disease faster than the existing go-to approach and, if approved, could reduce the risk of complications




    dis

    Nobel prize for medicine goes to the pair who discovered microRNA

    The 2024 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has gone to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery that tiny pieces of RNA called microRNAs play a key role in controlling genes




    dis

    Dazzling images illuminate research on cardiovascular disease

    The British Heart Foundation’s Reflections of Research competition showcases beautiful images captured by researchers studying heart and circulatory disease




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    Experts explain approach to estimating foodborne diseases

    Scientists have shared details of how they are going about updating foodborne infection figures that will be published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2025. As part of the process to update estimates on the burden of foodborne diseases published in 2015, WHO is conducting a global source attribution... Continue Reading



    • For Public Health Professionals
    • World
    • Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG)
    • foodborne illness estimates
    • source attribution
    • World Health Organization (WHO)

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    Will Canada Post deliver? A look inside the labour dispute, the stakes and what comes next

    Canada Post workers might soon be putting down their mailbags and grabbing picket signs




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    Betsy DeVos joins Trump’s call to 'disband' the Department of Education and 're-empower' families

    Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos discusses what a second Trump term could mean for U.S. education on "The Story with Martha MacCallum."



    • 2426f898-56cb-51b3-9650-47f0ef4cf50e
    • fnc
    • Fox News
    • fox-news/media
    • fox-news/topic/fox-news-flash
    • fox-news/us/education/dept-of-education
    • fox-news/politics/elections/presidential/trump-transition
    • fox-news/shows/v-full-ep-the-story
    • fox-news/media
    • article

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    Republican Gabe Evans wins Colorado's 8th Congressional District, beating incumbent Yadira Caraveo

    The Associated Press has declared a winner in Colorado's 8th Congressional District which has been one of the most closely watched races in the country.



    • a466e502-3378-573c-8ecc-0e628d1b45ea
    • fnc
    • Fox News
    • fox-news/politics
    • fox-news/us/us-regions/west/colorado
    • fox-news/politics/elections
    • fox-news/politics/house-of-representatives
    • fox-news/politics
    • article

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    Republican David Valadao wins re-election to US House in California's 22nd Congressional District

    Incumbent Republican David Valadao is projected to emerge victorious in California's 22nd Congressional District. The highly contested race was considered to be a tossup.



    • 4451eb0e-c159-5978-bbc9-ce2be1359320
    • fnc
    • Fox News
    • fox-news/politics
    • fox-news/us/us-regions/west/california
    • fox-news/us/congress
    • fox-news/politics/elections/house-of-representatives
    • fox-news/politics
    • article

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    Comment on Preventing Hair Loss: How Diwali Commitments Disrupt Women’s Hair Care Routine by Emlakçılık Belgesi

    https://maps.google.co.in/url?q=https://yukselenakademi.com/kurs/detay/emlakcilik-belgesi-seviye-5




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    The Seven Most Interesting Discoveries We’ve Made by Exploring Saturn

    Scientists continue to learn new things about the planet, its sweeping rings and its many moons




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    In a Landmark Study, Scientists Discover Just How Much Earth's Temperature Has Changed Over Nearly 500 Million Years

    Researchers show the average surface temperature on our planet has shifted between 51.8 to 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit




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    The Seven Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made About Pluto

    Though technically not a planet, it has as rich geology as any of its planetary siblings in the solar system




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    From Prolonging Wallaby Pregnancies to Disorienting Hatchling Turtles, 11 Ways Artificial Lights Affect Animals

    From the busy cities to ocean waters, our need to illuminate the world has had some strange and tragic consequences




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    The Six Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made About Neptune

    Despite the lack of a dedicated mission to the planet, scientists have learned plenty through ground observations and space telescopes