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Star Dunes -  Addyson Ward Current Event

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Star Dunes -  Addyson Ward Current Event

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In the remote deserts of Morocco, scientists were puzzled by the strange, small luminescent pieces in the sand. These bits of sand resembled small stars that could confuse travelers of what was sand and what was sky. Scientists have no discovered that these bits of sand are radioactive. While these sand dunes are not dangerous scientists have said they are a thing of natural beauty. Professor Duller commented "As you climb, you go up two and slide back one. But it's worth it - they're absolutely beautiful from the top,". This would be a wonder alike with black sand beaches and bright blue lagoon water. These sands have also inspired a number of travelers, would you travel to Morocco to see these terrestrial stars?

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The Lala Lallia star dune in Morocco is 100m high

The age of one of Earth's largest and most complex types of sand dune has been calculated for the first time.

Star dunes - or pyramid dunes - are named after their distinctive shapes and reach hundreds of metres in height.

They are found in Africa, Asia and North America, as well as on Mars - but experts had never before been able to put a date on when they were formed.

Now scientists have discovered that a dune called Lala Lallia in Morocco formed 13,000 years ago.

Star dunes are created by opposing winds that change direction. Understanding their age helps scientists understands those winds and unpick the climate of that era, says Prof Geoff Duller at the University of Aberystwyth, who published the research with Prof Charles Bristow at Birkbeck University.

Lala Lallia (an indigenous Amazigh name meaning highest sacred point) is located in the Erg Chebbi sand sea in south-east Morocco. It is 100m high and 700m wide with radiating arms.

After its initial formation, it stopped growing for about 8,000 years and then quickly expanded in the past several thousand years.

Normally deserts can be identified in Earth's geological history, but star dunes were absent until now.

Prof Duller says this may be because they are so large that experts did not realise they were looking at one distinct dune.

"These findings will probably surprise a lot of people as we can see how quickly this enormous dune formed, and that it is moving across the desert at about 50cm a year," he adds.

The scientists used a technique called luminescence dating to work out the age of the star dune.

The star dunes' radiating arms give them their name

The method calculates when the grains of sand were last exposed to daylight.

Samples of sand were taken in the dark from Morocco and analysed in a lab in dim red light conditions similar to an old-fashioned photography workshop.

Prof Duller describes the mineral grains in the sand as "little rechargeable batteries". They store energy within the crystals that comes from radioactivity in the natural environment.

The longer the sand is buried under ground, the more radioactivity it is exposed to and the more energy it builds up.

When the grains are exposed in the lab, they release the energy in light form and scientists can calculate their age.

"In our dark laboratory, we see light from these sand grains. The brighter the light then the older the sediment grains and the longer it is since they've been buried," says Prof Duller.

Other examples of these huge dunes include Star Dune in Colorado, North America, which is the joint-highest dune in the US, measuring 225m from base to top.

Climbing these dunes is hard work, Prof Duller explains. "As you climb, you go up two and slide back one. But it's worth it - they're absolutely beautiful from the top," he says.

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Star dune: Scientists solve mystery behind Earth's largest desert sands

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Scientists collected radioactive sand grains in the dark to understand when they formed.

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A New Drug for Food Allergies - Kinsley West

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A New Drug for Food Allergies - Kinsley West

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The FDA has approved the use of Xolair in adults and children over one year old. In situations where an allergen is inadvertently consumed or exposed to, it lessens the possibility of reactions, including the potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction. When it comes to treating food allergies, Xolair is revolutionary. Xolair belongs to a class of medications known as monoclonal antibodies. It functions by attaching itself to IgE, the antibody that triggers allergic reactions in people who consume allergens. People on Xolair may be able to tolerate tiny amounts of foods that they had previously suffered allergies to. It is hard to determine when Xolair starts to work due to the study's restricted duration and the absence of a meal test challenge until 16–20 weeks. Even with Xolair's clearance, carrying an EpiPen and avoiding foods that trigger an allergic reaction are still crucial for people with severe food allergies.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240229-xolair-asthma-drug-new-hope-for-food-allergies

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Xolair, a brand name for the asthma drug omalizumab, receives FDA approval for severe food allergies. The researchers whose work led to the announcement claim it is a "game-changer" for allergy sufferers.

Ehab Youssef became aware of his daughter Ayesha's food allergies when she was just six years old. Any time Ayesha consumed eggs or foods containing eggs - even the tiniest amounts - Ayesha developed hives and itching. Sometimes the reaction was even more serious and led to difficulty breathing.

It wasn't long before the San Francisco resident found himself scrutinising the ingredient labels on all foods being served in their home in order to protect his daughter. Social situations were even problematic.

"One of the biggest challenges I face is navigating everyday activities where eggs are prevalent," says Youssef, a licensed clinical psychologist. "Birthday parties, school events and family gatherings often involve egg-containing dishes, which can be incredibly stressful."

Educating teachers, caregivers and other parents about his daughter's severe food allergy rapidly became part of everyday life for Youssef, who finds himself continually advocating for his daughter's safety. All of which has taken a big toll on the family.

"Emotionally, the impact on my daughter has been profound," he says.

But there is new hope for families like Youssef's. The FDA has just approved use of the drug Xolair, a brand name for the drug omalizumab, which is made by Genentech and Novartis, for adults and children aged one and older who have food allergies.

Available since 2003 to those who suffer from asthma, Xolair is an injection that's administered once or twice per month. When used by those who have food allergies, Xolair reduces the likelihood of having any reaction in cases of accidental exposure to or ingestion of their allergen, including minimising the risk of life-threatening anaphylaxis. (It does not, however, mean that people would be free to ingest food with allergens.)

"It is definitely a game-changer, because we have had so little treatment to offer before this," says Robert Wood, director of the Eudowood Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, and the principal investigator for a new study that resulted in Xolair's approval in the US for use with food allergies. "The vast majority of people with food allergy have had one treatment up until now, which is to avoid the food that they're allergic to."

"A tremendous breakthrough for food allergy treatment"

While there's not a great deal of reliable information about the prevalence of serious food allergies globally, a 2018 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health indicates that the problem is increasing in Western and developing countries and disproportionately impacts children.

In the UK, food allergies show up in about 4% of children who are less than five years old, while in Denmark the figure is 3.6% and in Norway it's as high as 6.8%. Separate data, from the Centers from the Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), show that about 5.8% of children in the United States have a food allergy. (Read more about why food allergies are on the rise, in this article that predates the Xolair approval.)

Moreover, there is no cure for food allergies. Only those who suffer from peanut allergies have a treatment option available - Palforzia - which is an oral immunotherapy product that can be used by individuals who are 4-17 years old to mitigate allergic reactions including anaphylaxis, according to the FDA.

As the FDA explains in its announcement about Xolair, for those who suffer additional food allergies the "current treatment requires strict avoidance of the food(s) the patient is allergic to, and prompt administration of epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis should accidental exposures occur."

Xolair however changes the landscape for allergy treatment significantly, particularly for those who suffer from Type 1 food allergies, which produce immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, says Wood and other allergists.

Part of a drug class called monoclonal antibodies, Xolair works by binding to IgE, which is the antibody that's responsible for causing an allergic reaction when individuals ingest allergens. Xolair prevents IgE binding from taking place.

"Xolair is an anti-IgE. It works directly on that pathway to block IgE receptors from being stimulated," explains Ruchi Gupta, founding director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "IgEs are the things in your body that go crazy when they detect an allergen. Xolair stops them."

"It offers a kind of baseline protection and it stops your body from reacting to even the smallest amounts of allergens," adds Gupta, who calls it a "tremendous breakthrough for food allergy treatment."

The way Xolair works, as a method of prevention, is a significant and important departure from the way the widely used epinephrine - or EpiPens - function for those with life-threatening food allergies, Gupta explained. EpiPens are designed to address reactions that are already occurring. In other words, they're not a preventative measure, they're for emergencies.

If someone is having an allergic reaction, an EpiPen can help stop it, explains Gupta, but it does not offer "baseline protection" as Xolair would.

Allergist Jay Lieberman, a member of the board of Directors for the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, also stresses that critical point.

"The EpiPen is very different. It would still be used for an acute allergic reaction. But Xolair is a preventative drug. It has been shown to raise the threshold of reactivity to a point where you would worry less about accidental ingestions leading to reactions," he explains.

It's also important to underscore that Xolair functions with multiple food allergies, not just peanuts. That too is a step forward for those who are impacted by a variety of food sensitivities. Additional common food allergies include eggs, sesame, shellfish, cow's milk and wheat.

"Obviously it's not a cure, but it definitely gives you more peace of mind because it protects you should accidental ingestions occur. And it does that for multiple foods, not just one," says Gupta. "In this case, you have peace of mind for multiple allergies"

While the availability of Xolair represents important progress for those who suffer from Type 1 food allergies, there are also some questions that remain unanswered by the study Wood led, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The trial involved following 180 patients who had allergies to peanuts and two additional types of food, such as cashew, milk, egg, walnut, wheat and hazelnut. After 16 to 20 weeks of Xolair, study participants were able to tolerate small amounts of foods that had previously triggered an allergic response.

But because the study was limited to just a few months, it remains unclear how those with food allergies who rely on Xolair for prevention may fare over the long term.

"We don't know what happens if you go off of Xolair, or if you miss a dose," says Gupta. "Unfortunately, it's not a perfect treatment, but it's definitely a first step."

Because the study did not conduct a test challenge of foods until 16-20 weeks, it's also hard to say when exactly the Xolair becomes effective, whether that's immediately after the first injection, or sometime later.

"We did not look at what happens after one dose or two doses," Wood says. Though a separate study was previously conducted, he adds, on just 14 patients who were given one to two doses of Xolair and it "appeared to have its full effect." But he acknowledges that the question of when exactly Xolair starts working is important and needs to be studied further.

The bottom line, according to all three doctors, is that it will still be important for those who suffer from severe food allergies to carry an EpiPen. Similarly, the approval of Xolair does not mean those impacted can suddenly start eating foods they are allergic to.

"As of right now, the recommendation is you should still avoid the foods you have a reaction to and have your EpiPen with you," says Lieberman. "But if you actually eat something you're allergic to, your threshold will be so much higher before you will have a reaction."

The FDA's approval of Xolair for food allergies brings another important benefit beyond the critical health implications. It also paves the way for US insurance companies to provide coverage of the medication, says Gupta.

The list price for the drug ranges from $2,900 (£2,300/€2,700) a month for children to $5,000 (£3,960/€4,600) a month for adults, according to the Associated Press.

Gupta says that for the Xolair approval to reach its full potential among those with food allergies, it's important to ensure that there are no disparities in who has access to the drug because of the cost.

"Now that the FDA has approved Xolair we need to make sure that all payers, including Medicaid, can cover it. We need to make sure everyone has access and that means we all need to work with policy makers so we don't face an accessibility gap," says Gupta.

For families like Youssef's, ensuring that products like Xolair are not cost-prohibitive can offer important relief from the day-to-day stress of living with a life-threatening allergy.

"Managing my daughter's allergy has been a journey of learning and adaptation for my family," says Youssef. "It's forced me to become an advocate for food allergy awareness and safety and to prioritise my daughter's health and well-being above all else...to ensure that my daughter can live a full and happy life while staying safe."

If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter - a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news delivered to your inbox every Friday.

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Xolair asthma drug new hope for food allergies

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Xolair receives FDA approval for severe food allergies. The researchers whose work led to the announcement claim it is a "game-changer" for allergy sufferers.

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Madison Munz- Current Event: Why South Korean Women aren't having babies

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Madison Munz- Current Event: Why South Korean Women aren't having babies

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South Korea currently has the lowest birth rate and continues to decrease each year. In the year 2023, it fell by 8% to 0.72. This puts the South Korean population in an unsteady position and if this continues, their population will halve by the year 2100. So, if this is causing such a huge impact then why are they doing this? Well women like Yejin and Stella have their own opinions on why they aren't bearing children. Yejin wants to focus on her career and tradition Korean work hours are very long, this leaves no room for having a child. She fears that "if she were to take time off to have a child, she might not be able to return to work." Yejin doesn't want to put her job at risk because she is so passionate about it. So as we see, women have fought hard to be able to have the right to work and they don't want to give that up. Stella Shin is a teacher for young children and loves her job. Stella loves children but made the decision that she doesn't want to have any. Her reasoning is because she has a full schedule and realized "her lifestyle makes it impossible." There have been financial incentives to try and convince women to get married and have children, for example, couples have had their bills and financial struggles covered for having children. This didn't work for women in South Korea just want to be heard and hear their needs. This makes me wonder, how will South Korea get their birth rate back up?

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The singer we all know and love has finally made a decision to leave American Idol after being on the show since 2018. Katy Perry, who is now 39, had an interview with Jimmy Kimmel where he asked her how long she planned to stay on the show. Granted, she has been on this show for going on 7 years so it is a valid question. Perry said in her explantion that she wanted to "go see the world" and fans are hoping that this means she will be releasing new music and potentially go on tour again.

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Katy Perry to leave American Idol after seven seasons

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The singer reveals this season of the talent show will be her last after seven seasons.

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The Nascar race in Atlanta this past weekend would end in one of the most phenomenal finishes since the sports inception in 1948. As the field entered the back half of the speedway a wild push from Bubba Wallace #23 would send Kyle Busch #8 into a three-way battle for the lead. The field stormed off of turn four at speeds of around 188 miles per hour three wide for the lead. Daniel Suarez #99 on the outside, Kyle Busch on the inside, and Ryan Blaney #12 on the inside. The three were quickly praised for almost perfectly recreating the scene from the first Cars movie where three cars cross the finish line dead even. Suarez would take the win over Blaney by an astonishing 0.003 seconds, the third closest finish in the history of the sport, and Kyle Busch was only 0.007 seconds behind them. It was without a doubt a wonderful end to a spectacular showing of speed and engineering, possibly one of the best races in Nascar history.

Article Link:

https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/sports/nascar/2024/02/26/2024-nascar-cup-series-earnhardt-jr-others-react-to-atlanta-finish/72742686007/

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'Holy (expletive), that was so close!' Sports world reacts to historic NASCAR Atlanta finish

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NASCAR saw its third-closest finish ever on Sunday with Daniel Suarez winning a three-wide battle at the line. Here's how social media reacted.

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Stephanie Wacholz - Current Event: Young Adults are growing ill 

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Stephanie Wacholz - Current Event: Young Adults are growing ill 

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According to a study held by Mr. Siva, there are claims that social media is the one of the leading causes to making young adults grow ill. This can be supported based on the amount of time people spend scrolling and the findings that appear on their "for you page", and how it affects their self esteem. As social media becomes more popular, people are leaning more towards it to talk about both the ups and downs in their life, more so the ups than the downs. This is where the problem comes in, because when people see these things on social media, they tend to compare it to their personal lives to what they see on their phone or computer. This, over time, can cause the individuals to feel like they are not worthy of who they are or feel like they are a failure. Not to mention, Mr. Siva also adds that, "Kids look to their mates on social media for likes or followers for validation and worth". This quote adds more in-depth commentary to the main topic because it is not just adults experiencing this issue, it is also found in children too. So maybe instead of bragging about the amazing things in our personal lives, we could look for ways to encourage each other, rather than bring ourselves and each other down using social media.

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People in their early 20s are more likely to be not working due to ill health than those in their early 40s, a report has found.

This is "radically different" from the past, the Resolution Foundation said, when the older you were the more likely you were to not work due to sickness.

Poor mental health among young people is on the rise, official figures show.

This can hamper their education and lead to them being in lower-paid jobs or unemployed, the report said.

One in 20 young people (5%) were economically inactive due to ill health in 2023, it said.

According to the report, young people now have the poorest mental health of any age group - a reversal from two decades ago when they had the lowest incidence of common mental disorders.

In 2021/22, 34% of young people aged 18 to 24 reported symptoms of a mental disorder, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.

In 2000 that figure stood at 24%.

As a result, more than half a million 18 to 24 year olds were prescribed anti-depressants in 2021-22.

Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said attention had more often been on mental health in higher education, but "what should most worry us is when poor mental health comes together with poor education outcomes".

"The economic consequences of poor mental health are starkest for young people who don't go to university, with one in three young non-graduates with a common mental disorder currently workless," she said.

The study found that young women fare worse, and are one-and-a-half times more likely to experience poor mental health as young men (41% compared with 26%).

The research also found that 79% of 18 to 24 year olds who are "workless" due to ill health only have qualifications at GCSE level or below.

This compares with 34% of all people in that age group.

If children aged 11 to 14 suffer poor mental health they are three times more likely not to pass five GCSEs including English and Maths compared with healthy children, the report said.

Off the back of the study the Resolution Foundation, which campaigns for better living standards for those on low and middle incomes, is calling for better mental health support in colleges and sixth forms, and for more to be done to make it so that less young people leave compulsory education with low qualification levels.

The research has been produced by the Resolution Foundation, but is funded by the Health Foundation - a charity which says it aims to bring about better health and care.

The director of the Health Foundation, Jo Bibby, said that the "building blocks of health" are things like "good employment and education" and "cross-government action" was needed to stop the creation of a "lost generation" due to poor mental health.

Many of the findings are based on the Labour Force Survey, which has recently been stopped by the Office for National Statistics because the numbers taking part had fallen.

However, the Health Foundation has previously said it believes the data is still accurate enough for its analysis.

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More people in early 20s out of work from ill health than early 40s - study

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A Resolution Foundation report is calling for action to support young people's mental health.

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This current event/link talks about how on February 22, 2024, a Chinese hacking firm is likely to release private information shortly. The business has already been connected to a number of security lapses and has a history of cyber attacks. The website explores the possible threat the Chinese hacking firm will release sensitive data. The company's history of cyberattacks and its role in other security lapses give rise to worries about how this impending disclosure would affect privacy and national security. Sensitive information about government activities, national security, or the personal information of individuals may be included in the leaked papers. The revelation may have significant repercussions for both federal agencies!

Today, U. (2024b, February 22). Leaked documents from Chinese hacking company I-Soon reveal insight into state surveillance. USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/02/22/chinese-hacking-company-i-soon-document-leak/72696462007/

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AI is becoming more prevalent in our world every single day. We use it for many things that we might not even know about. Something that is starting to adapt to the changing world is our airlines. In this article, an Air Canada chatbot promised a discount to a passenger that wasn't actually available. The passenger was told that he could book a full-fare flight and then apply for the bereavement fare after. When he did as the chatbot said they denied the request and the airline said the chatbot had been wrong, that the passenger had to submit the request before the flight. The airline claimed that the chatbot is "responsible for its own actions" and that if the passenger clicked on the link provided, he would have seen the actual policy. In the end, the airline had to pay the passenger $812.02 for damages and tribunal fees. It brought about the controversy of if the airline was responsible and the conclusion was that it makes no difference where the information comes from. If it comes from a chatbot that is associated with your airline, then it should have the same information as the website and the passenger is not at fault. This has not been the first time that an AI has been wrong, nor will it be the last. Something that we can learn from this situation is to not trust everything AI tells us. AI will continue to improve but as of right now, it is not perfect. This goes to show that not everything can be done with technology and sometimes you still have to use "old-fashioned human help."

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Airline held liable for its chatbot giving passenger bad advice - what this means for travellers

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When Air Canada’s chatbot gave incorrect information to a traveller, the airline argued its chatbot is “responsible for its own actions”.

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Today, the US military intercepted a high-altitude balloon over Utah. This is not the first time this has occurred. Last February, another high-altitude balloon belonging to China was destroyed off the coast of South Carolina after flying all the way across the United States. This balloon episode sparked a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Beijing. The balloon caught the eyes of most citizens, making them worry and raising national security concerns. Last year, the Chinese authorities had denied it was a spy aircraft, describing it as a weather ship blown astray. However, as of today the origin and purpose of the balloon over Utah is unknown. I believe the United States should heighten their security awareness and not even allow a balloon or any type of aircraft to enter into the United States unknown. Even if it poses a no harm risk, it is still unacceptable and causes concerns among the American people. We simply do not know what other countries are capable of.

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US military aircraft have located a high-altitude balloon flying over the western part of the country, according to the BBC's media partner CBS News.

The object has been determined to be non-threatening, but its origin and purpose is unknown.

A US official told CBS the balloon was seen earlier over Colorado, drifting east.

A year ago, the US shot down a Chinese balloon after it crossed the US from Alaska to the east coast.

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US tracks high-altitude balloon spotted over Colorado

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The object has been determined to be non-threatening, but its origin and purpose is unknown.

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Over 74,000 individuals were without cell phone service on Thursday morning. AT&T customers across the United States were very upset when they woke up to find out they had lost their lines of communication. Cell phone users were not able to call, text or use the internet from their handheld devices and there was much frustration. The Federal Communications Commission is investigating the outage. They are still not sure what exactly happened. Customers who had Verizon and T-Mobile service also had some sporadic outages as well, but this could have been attributed to not being able to reach AT&T customers and not a direct result of those networks having issues.

The issues started around 4 am and then leveled off and by 2 pm. At 2 pm fewer than 5,000 customers were still reporting issues. The customers were encouraged to use Wi-Fi calling by AT&T until the problem could be restored. As a result of the outage AT&T’s stock value fell more than 2% on Thursday.

AT&T did not provide an official reason for the outage, but it is speculated that it is related to how cellular services hand off calls from one network to the next known as peering. There is no indication or reason to think that the outage was related to a cyber-attack, but many agencies have become involved in the investigation including the FCC, US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Homeland Security Bureau, as well as White House National Security. These agencies will work closely with AT&T to determine the cause of the outage and look into its impacts. They will continue to provide assistance as needed.

It is of note that anytime there is an outage the cell phone carriers seem to be very cautious about discussing the reason behind the outages. There have been times that networks have had outages due to accidents where cables were cut or issues with programming errors or in fact human errors. The FCC continues to monitor and investigate the situation and there may be fines associated with 911 outages as customers who can’t contact 911 in an emergency could have been in danger.

Overall, this was a significant interruption to the daily activities of many individuals, companies and government agencies and could have been dangerous in serious situations that required immediate help. There will be more information about this story in the next few weeks as more information becomes available.

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AT&T customers report a massive outage. Verizon and T-Mobile are also down for some | CNN Business

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AT&T's network went down for many of its customers Thursday morning, leaving customers unable to place calls, text or access the internet. Verizon and T-Mobile customers reported some network outages, too.

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Bryce Pedicini, a US Navy sailor stationed in Japan, is accused of spying on a foreign government by disclosing classified material. Pedicini allegedly tried to give foreign agents pictures of military computer screens and gave documents to them on several occasions between 2022 and 2023. This took place in Hampton Roads, Virginia, as well as Japan. The US Navy is taking these acts seriously, and as a result, Pedicini was arrested and has been in custody since May 2023. He is accused of bringing personal electronics into secure areas, transporting classified material, and neglecting to report foreign contacts.

This case is similar to current concerns in the US military about foreign influence and espionage. Following another incident in which sailor Wenheng Zhao admitted to giving information to Chinese intelligence while he was stationed at a naval base in California, it happened soon after. The military still faces difficulties in protecting classified material, as shown by Zhao's case. These events are severe reminders of the need for extreme attention to safeguard national security concerns.

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Bryce Pedicini was assigned to a Japan-based guided missile destroyer at the time of his arrest.

A Japan-based US Navy sailor has been charged with espionage for allegedly passing classified information to a foreign government.

Bryce Pedicini is alleged to have given documents to foreign agents at least seven times in 2022 and 2023.

The US Navy also accuses him of trying in May 2023 to hand over photographs showing the screen of a military computer.

He faces a court martial while the investigation continues.

The accused is a chief petty officer fire controlman assigned to a Japan-based guided missile destroyer, the USS Higgins.

He has been in custody since May 2023, just days after the last alleged incident in Japan.

The other incidents took place over a period of four months in Hampton Roads, Virginia, in late 2022 and early 2023, say US investigators.

The document alleges that he was handing over information "with reason to believe that it would be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation".

It is unclear what country he was allegedly attempting to pass documents to, or what those files contained.

The charging sheet notes only that the information was "relating to national defence".

Mr Pedicini was assigned to the USS Higgins, a guided-missile destroyer, at the time of his arrest.

Commander Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesman for US Naval Surface Force, said in a statement: "The incident remains under investigation and legal proceedings continue."

CPO Pedicini's military records show that he enlisted in the US Navy in 2009 and served on several naval vessels.

In addition to charges of espionage and communicating defence information, CPO Pedicini is accused of failing to report foreign contacts to his superiors, failing to report solicitation of classified information, transporting classified information and taking a personal device into a secure room.

The charges were referred to a court martial in January.

Also last month, a 26-year-old sailor, Wenheng Zhao, pleaded guilty to passing on information to Chinese intelligence while working at a California naval base. He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

Zhao was arrested in August alongside another sailor, 22-year-old Jinchao Wei, who was accused of conspiring to send defence information to a Chinese agent.

Mr Wei - who had access to sensitive information about his ship - was allegedly approached by a Chinese agent in early 2022, when he was going through the process of becoming a US citizen.

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Japan-based US Navy sailor accused of espionage

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Bryce Pedicini is alleged to have handed documents to a foreign government at least seven times.

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Are sports in the United States becoming too serious? The Kansas City Chiefs brought home their 3rd Super Bowl victory in the past 5 years, and though the NFL (National Football League) fans loved them in 2019, the love is over. At the Chiefs celebratory parade last week, some people who were frankly sick of the Kansas City success, took it upon themselves to take revenge, and committed a mass shooting at the Parade. As of the time of this article, 1 person has lost their life, and 22 others were injured, and yet social media doesn't seem to believe this should be considered a mass shooting, and other fanbases have gone as far as to down-play the events that happened. The shooters claim self defense was the primary purpose for shots being fired, though the people they were "defending" themselves from may or may not have drawn guns. Speculations still rise as does the anger of the general public. Lyndell Mays (one of the shooters) when reminded that the person he was aiming for was in fact running away, simply replied "I know".

(This is a remedial padlet from last week)

Article Link:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/kansas-city-chiefs-parade-mass-shooting-2-adults/story?id=107379141

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Two adults have been charged in connection with the mass shooting at the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade last week, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Both men are being held on charges including second-degree murder, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said at a news conference.

One person was killed and 22 were hurt in Wednesday's mass shooting, which police said appeared to stem from a dispute.

Two juvenile suspects were taken into custody last week on gun-related charges and resisting arrest, officials said.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Saturday in remembrance of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the radio DJ who was killed in the shooting.

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Kansas City Chiefs parade mass shooting: 2 adults arrested for murder

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Two adults have been charged in connection with the mass shooting at the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade last week.

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Current event- Four new films, all the beatles

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Current event- Four new films, all the beatles

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Oscar award winning director Sir Sam Mendes has been granted full permission and music rights to proceed with a beatles film project. Mendes project is to be comprised of four films, each from the perspective of a different beatle and their feelings and experience in the band "the four new films would "explore each Beatles unique story and to bring them together in a suitably captivating and innovative way."". The films, set to release in 2027, will, according to producer Dame Pippa Harris "be a uniquely thrilling, and epic cinematic experience".

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By Mark Savage and Steven McIntosh Entertainment reporters

Apple Corps said the films would "explore each Beatle's unique story"

Director Sir Sam Mendes is to make four separate films about The Beatles - one from each band member's perspective.

Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison have all granted permission and music rights for the four films.

The Oscar-winning director said he was "honoured to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time".

He added that he was "excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies".

The films, made by Sony Pictures and Sir Sam's Neal Street Productions, will be released in cinemas in 2027.

It is not clear whether the four films will be released at once or have a staggered rollout, but Sony said they would have an "innovative release cadence" which would be announced at a later date.

The project marks the first time that The Beatles and their company Apple Corps have granted full life story and music rights for a scripted film, according to a statement.

Sir Sam has previously directed films such as 1917, American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, Empire of Light and two James Bond movies - Skyfall and Spectre.

The Beatles are widely considered the greatest British band of all time thanks to a string of classic albums such as Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road.

Sir Sam Mendes (left) most recently directed Empire of Light starring Olivia Colman and Toby Jones

Their best known hits include Yesterday, Hey Jude, A Hard Day's Night, Eight Days A Week, Let It Be, Come Together, Here Comes The Sun, Twist and Shout, Love Me Do and Help!

The majority of their songs were written by Lennon and McCartney. Harrison was often said to have felt frustrated that his own compositions were not given equal weight by his bandmates.

Last year, the Beatles released what was described as their "final song". Titled Now and Then, the first bars were written by John Lennon in 1978, but could not be completed until software advances allowed the remaining band-members to extract his vocals from a rough demo cassette.

The track topped the UK singles chart in November, making the Beatles the act with the longest gap between their first and last number ones.

Apple Corps said the four new films would "explore each Beatle's unique story and to bring them together in a suitably captivating and innovative way".

Producer Dame Pippa Harris said: "We intend this to be a uniquely thrilling, and epic cinematic experience.... To have The Beatles' and Apple Corps' blessing to do this is an immense privilege."

The Fab Four on film

The Beatles are no strangers to the silver screen, starring in several of their own films back in the 1960s - from the madcap comedy of A Hard Day's Night to the surreal psychedelia of Yellow Submarine.

Post break-up, they inspired dozens of feature-length tributes, from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (a disastrously garish musical starring the Bee Gees) to the touching coming-of-age tale I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

The latter, which followed a group of teens trying to gain entry to the Beatles' seminal performance on Ed Sullivan's TV show, marked the directorial debut of Back To The Future's Robert Zemeckis. And he's not the only big-name director to be seduced by the Fab Four's allure.

The Beatles are widely considered the greatest British band of all time

Peter Jackson's epic, four-part documentary Get Back repurposed footage shot during the recording of the band's final album; Martin Scorcese put together a revelatory documentary about "quiet Beatle" George Harrison in 2011; while Sam Taylor-Johnson dramatised John Lennon's early life in the stark-but-compelling Nowhere Boy.

Danny Boyle's Yesterday imagined a world where everyone forgets The Beatles, except for one struggling musician who takes credit for all their songs (hilarity ensues).

And Julie Taymor's Across The Universe used the band's music as the backdrop for a 1960s romcom that featured Bono in a very peculiar moustache singing I Am The Walrus. It was very, very not good.

Perhaps the best of the bunch is 1994's Backbeat - an independent film, directed by Iain Softley, that told the story of The Beatles' pre-fame days in Hamburg. By focusing largely on the story of the band's original bassist, Stuart Sutcliffe, it was unencumbered by the colossal cultural baggage of the band's subsequent output.

Coincidentally, Backbeat was turned into a novel by music journalist Alan Clayson - who later published a four-volume box set, telling the Beatles' story from the perspective of each individual band member. Sound familiar?

Still, Clayson's unauthorised biographies - with their tales of infidelity and drug use - are unlikely to be the starting point for Mendes' films, which have been rubber-stamped by the almighty Beatles Corporation.

But if there's any lesson from those books, it's that George Harrison and Ringo Starr's volumes are much more compelling, simply because we're less familiar with the story beats.

Perhaps the biggest question is, can Mendes fix it so that each of his Beatles films will synch up when they're played simultaneously, like The Wizard Of Oz and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon?

Because that would really be worth a ticket to ride. Or four.

Correction: An earlier version of this story credited the story of Backbeat to Alan Clayson. The film was written by Iain Softley, Michael Thomas and Stephen Ward. Clayson's book was a novelisation of the screenplay.

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The Beatles: Sir Sam Mendes to direct four films - one about each band member

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Four separate films will tell the story of the band from the perspectives of all four members.

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Pollution in the air has become all the more prevalent throughout the years as modern technology has increasingly industrialized. According to statistics, only one percent of the global population lives in an area with truly clean, purified air. The other ninety-nine percent finds themselves in essentially every part of the world, breathing in harmful particles on a daily basis. Although progress has been made in establishing air pollution protocols so as to better air quality, experts expect for air quality to only worsen in the coming years. According to expert opinion, by 2050 it is expected that the amount of people regularly exposed to harmful air quality will increase by over fifty percent. An impactful force in such air pollution recently has been wildfire smoke. In regard to breathing in harmful particles, PM2.5 is the air pollution of reference. PM2.5 consists of particles that are practically microscopic, measuring in at 2.5 micrometers in width. Such matter may be comprised of solid or liquid components, the inhalation of which can cause respiratory inflammation, and may even create concern for neurological health. For instance, Siberian wildfires in 2023 resulted in great amounts of smoke, the effects of which made their way into Alaska, and other northwestern US territories. Meaning, wildfire smoke and its effects don't only impact the specific area in which the wildfire occurs, rather, the harmful effects reach areas around the world. Such effects vary, but in connection with the potential for causing neurological damage, matter found in some wildfire smoke, such as PM2.5, can affect the brain in a manner that leads one to develop poor judgment, resulting in potentially severe bad decisions, increased crime rates, and more. To show such effect, many of the poorest communities in the world are ones that suffer from poor air quality. Such communities often also suffer from high crime rates, lower educational levels, and a lower quality of health. Although limited availability of beneficial resources within these communities may also contribute to these effects, research has shown that poor air quality factors in as well. With this in mind, we understand that depending on where one lives and what the environment is like, not everyone is going to have access to the best air quality. This is why we as a universal society must continue diligently in our efforts to better air quality by whatever protocol and means necessary, so as to provide more areas and communities with better air quality, and consequently, better living conditions, health, and quality of life.

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By Isabelle Gerretsen, Richard Gray and Martha Henriques Features correspondent

In 2023, Canadian wildfires caused significant decline in air quality in New York, and much further afield (Credit: Getty Images)

The air we breathe can have profound effects on our physical and mental health. Is there any way of protecting yourself from this pervasive problem?

More than 25% of the US population is exposed to air considered "unhealthy" by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a report by the climate non-profit First Street Foundation. By 2050, the number of people exposed to "unhealthy" days is set to increase by more than half. The worst days of air pollution ("hazardous" or maroon, under the EPA's system) are expected to rise by 27%.

Wildfire smoke is one of the factors driving this trend. One study of PM2.5 (see fact box: What is PM2.5?) from wildfire smoke found that levels had increased by up to 5 micrograms per cubic metre in the western US in the past decade - enough to reverse "decades of policy-driven improvements in overall air quality", the authors concluded.

What is PM2.5?

PM2.5 is a type of air pollution made up of "particulate matter" measuring 2.5 micrometres across or less - roughly 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

To put this in context - one study found that a quarter of the US's PM2.5 pollution was caused by wildfire smoke. In western regions, as much as half was caused by smoke. In 2023, large portions of the US saw significant dips in air quality and visibility as smoke from wildfires north of the Canadian border billowed across the continent. With climate change expected to increase the risk of wildfires around the world, it is likely that air quality will also suffer.

People who have existing respiratory conditions and newborns with developing lungs are the most affected by wildfire smoke. (See factbox: "How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke".)

As climate change makes wildfires more intense, here are some of the profound and unexpected ways air pollution affects our bodies, and what we can do to minimise exposure.

The far-reaching effects of wildfire smoke

Wildfire smoke is contributing a large share of PM2.5 pollution in New York (Credit: Getty Images)

The health risks that come with wildfire air pollution depend in part on what's on fire - in Siberia, 2020, it was resinous boreal forest and peat, releasing record-breaking quantities of pollution, including high quantities of mercury. Another typical pollutant released in wildfires is PM2.5, particulate matter that measures 2.5 micrometres across or less, linked to respiratory conditions. (Read about the risks of PM2.5 and nanoparticle pollution here, and the link between air pollution and respiratory disease here.)

How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke

Sometimes you may not know if there is elevated wildfire smoke in your area. If there is a wildfire nearby, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise taking steps to limit your exposure where possible:

Choose a room to close off from outside air

Wear a tightly fitting respirator, if it is safe for you to do so

Keep track of fires nearby using services such as AirNow's fire and smoke map

Pay attention to health symptoms and seek medical care if needed

"Even if someone is far away from a fire source, they may still experience adverse health outcomes from the inhalation of highly diluted and oxidised smoke," Athanasios Nenes, an atmospheric chemist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne told Allison Hirschlag for BBC Future.

Read Allison Hirschlag's full story on the health impacts of wildfire smoke.

How air pollution affects your brain

But the picture is not a simple one. Exposure to air pollution is far from equal - despite how it might seem, we don't all breathe the same air. Often the most polluted areas in a city, for example, are in the poorest neighbourhoods. These are areas also afflicted by other problems that affect health, educational achievement and crime levels. Confounding factors such as investment in education, diet, smoking, drug use and alcohol consumption can also have an effect.

Nonetheless, researchers are increasingly concerned about the effect that air pollution may be having on our brains, as Melissa Hogenboom explains in this feature, where you can learn more about the emerging evidence.

How dirty air is polluting our minds

Learn more about how city life affects your health and happiness in this feature by William Park.

Air pollution is harming our sense of smell

Hazardous air pollution levels in cities contributes not just to respiratory problems, but conditions including type 2 diabetes (Credit: Getty Images)

Scientists say that pollution particles trigger inflammation and slowly wear away the nerves in the olfactory bulbs, which transmit smell information from the nose to the brain.

Read more in our feature by Tim Smedley on how air pollution is causing us to lose our sense of smell.

Clean air is not an option for everyone

Almost everyone in the world now breathes air that is polluted in some way. But those who are worst hit by air pollution are also those who are least able to be able to protect themselves or escape from it. An estimated 716 million people with the lowest incomes globally live in areas with unsafe levels of air pollution. Even in the relatively wealthy, developed nations of Europe and North America, the toll taken by air pollution is borne predominantly by those who are least well off or from minority communities that face systemic inequalities.

In the US, PM2.5 pollution is the largest environmental health threat, with black and minority groups facing greater exposure than non-Hispanic white people. The poorest regions in Europe too tend to experience levels of PM2.5 concentrations that are a third higher than the richest. (Read about the young people fighting the worst smog in Europe.)

Where can you find the world's cleanest air?

To map the long journeys that air pollution takes in atmospheric currents, scientists rely on monitoring stations that take near constant samples of air quality. One of those is the Zeppelin Observatory above the tiny town of Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard, Norway.

The tiny village of Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard, Norway, is one of the few places in the world with extremely clean air (Credit: Alamy)

This settlement, which boasts a population of just 45 people in winter and is 765 miles (1,230km) from the North Pole, grew up around the coal-mining industry in the first half of the 20th Century. Today, it has some of the cleanest air on the planet.

But that is also changing - levels of methane have been growing in the air around the town, while levels of sulphate, particulates and metals are also spiking.

Other remote clean air sites around the world include Mauna Loa station in Hawaii, Macquarie Island and Casey Station in Antarctica.

But for those 99% of us who live far from this pristine air, some of the most impactful changes to help bring down air pollution include lowering emissions in cities from road transport, moving to cleaner ways of cooking, rapidly reducing the use of fossil fuels and a range of ways to prevent wildfires in the first place.

If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter - a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news delivered to your inbox every Friday.

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The far-reaching impacts of wildfire smoke - and how to protect yourself

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The air we breathe can have profound effects on our physical and mental health. Is there any way of protecting yourself from this pervasive problem?

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For decades El Salvador has been known as the “murder capital of the world”. They have many gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 who have kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered innocent people. They forced the communities to pay reparations or else the citizens would feel the wrath of these gangs. However, their current president, Nayib Bukele, created an impenetrable fortress for these gang members to live out the rest of their days. Cecot (Center for the Confinement of Terrorism) was established on January 31, 2023. Each cell can hold 10 prisoners, but to cram as many in as possible, they force up to 20 into a single. Within these four walls all they have access to are two sinks and two toilets which the inmates have to use without any privacy. There are no blankets, utensils, workout equipment, or even mattresses to sleep on because they could become makeshift weapons. The prisoners have to eat with their hands and are only allowed outside for 30 minutes each day in order to get at least a little exercise. Every inch of this prison, which is as large as seven football stadiums, is well maintained. Beyond these walls there are two more concrete walls, two electrified fences, and 19 watch towers which stay on high alert for anyone who might try to escape. Due to his idea of reducing crime, President Bukele received over 80% of the presidential votes for the whole country. This prison allowed El Salvador to become one of the most peaceful places in the world. Those who commit the simple act of guarding guns for the cartels and gangs are arrested as well because even if they were being threatened, they still aided those who only try to harm innocent citizens. The people of this country were tired of living in fear every day and they wanted to put a stop to all of it. Also, some people claim citizens have been unlawfully imprisoned simply because they seemed a little suspicious. Even those who suffer from gang violence admit that there are some people imprisoned who did not commit a single crime. Aside from the “concrete and steel pit” there are other prisons which are in much worse conditions. They aren’t well maintained and inmates aren’t just dying from violence, but from the poor physical conditions they are living in. People who aren’t incarcerated can live happy lives, but those inside the prison system see things from an entirely different perspective. No one will ever truly know which side is telling the truth because there are very few people who are even allowed to visit the regular prisons, let alone the grand concrete fortress.

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By Leire Ventas Special correspondent, BBC News Mundo, El Salvador

In the cells, the prisoners sleep in bunk beds with four tiers

Hundreds of eyes are upon us. With shaven heads, dressed in pristine white, and heavily tattooed, the prisoners know they are being watched and return the gaze from the other side of the bars.

We are in Cecot (Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism), a maximum security jail built a year ago by the Salvadoran government to imprison "high-ranking" members of the country's main gangs.

A gargantuan complex constructed in the middle of nowhere, it symbolises President Nayib Bukele's controversial security policy more than any other project.

Critics of the president have called it a "black hole of human rights", where international guidelines on prisoner rights are flouted.

Miguel Sarre, a former member of the United Nations Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, has described it as a "concrete and steel pit".

And referring to the fact that no-one has so far been released from the jail, Mr Sarre warned Cecot appeared to be used "to dispose of people without formally applying the death penalty".

But in a nation where notorious gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha and the two factions of Barrio 18 - the Revolucionarios and the Sureños - have wreaked deadly havoc, the jail has been a major reason behind President Bukele's huge popularity and his success in the polls.

"Here are the psychopaths, the terrorists, the murderers who had our country in mourning," announces the director of the centre during a carefully choreographed tour of the cells organised by the government for international media.

"Don't look them in the eyes," the director, who does not want to be named but allows himself to be filmed, warns us.

The director of Cecot was the tour guide for foreign journalists

It is the middle of the night, but in here, the artificial lights are never turned off.

A waft of air filters through the lattice ceiling, providing a brief respite from the heat. The temperature in the cells can reach 35C during the day and there is no other source of ventilation.

The prison may have been called "the Alcatraz of Central America" but it is not run down - everything is new, smooth, recently painted.

Hooded guards keep watch from above, gun in hand.

Below, the prisoners climb onto the four-storey bunks on which they sleep. Without any mattresses or sheets, they have to lie on bare metal.

They eat the food they are given - rice, beans, hard-boiled eggs or pasta - with their hands.

"Any utensil can be [fashioned into] a deadly weapon," the director explains.

Watch: Rare video shows El Salvador inmates in their cells in mega-jail

There is nothing else within the cell's three cement walls apart from two sinks for prisoners to wash in and two toilets, which inmates have to use in plain sight of everyone else.

And there is nothing else to do but watch time go by.

Inmates only get to leave these cells for 30 minutes a day to exercise - using only their own bodyweight - in the central corridor of Block 3, which is the one our group of journalists is allowed to inspect.

There are seven other blocks like this one within the enormous complex, which covers the equivalent of seven football stadiums.

The compound is surrounded by two electrified fences and two reinforced concrete walls, and guarded by 19 towers.

Cecot is located in Tecoluca, 74km (46 miles) south-east of the capital, San Salvador

According to the government, Cecot can hold up to 40,000 inmates.

But it is not clear how many are currently locked up there. Nor on what grounds those who are there have been selected for this facility.

Asked directly about the number of prisoners, the director responds: "We can't provide that information."

"What is the maximum capacity of each cell?" we insist.

"Where you can fit 10 people, you can fit 20," the director says, appearing to smile from behind his anti-Covid mask.

The BBC and other media gained access to Cecot during a carefully managed guided tour

Since the jail opened on 31 January 2023, the BBC had repeatedly requested access to the mega-prison.

It was finally granted two days after President Nayib Bukele claimed victory in the presidential election held on 4 February with more than 80% of the votes.

In his victory speech - delivered from the balcony of the presidential palace to cheering crowds - Mr Bukele congratulated himself for having turned El Salvador, which was once the murder capital of the world, into one of the safest countries in the region.

President Bukele spoke to his supporters from the balcony of the National Palace on the day of the election

He also attacked those who have accused his government of human rights abuses.

Allowing international journalists to tour the prison which has become emblematic of his "iron fist" security policies appeared to be another attempt to sway those who doubt him.

After all, there has been no shortage of criticism from human rights groups.

El Salvador now has the highest incarceration rate in the world.

More than 70,000 people have been detained under the "state of exception", an emergency measure granting draconian powers to the police and military that has been in force for two years.

Local and international human rights groups warn that thousands of those detained under the state of exception have no discernible links to gang crime.

Others were forced to collaborate with the gangs - they acted as lookouts or hid guns or drugs for them out of fear for their lives, rights group point out.

Security measures in the prison include an x-ray machine to detect hidden items that shows even internal organs

The conditions within prisons have also come under criticism.

Cristosal, the primary human rights organisation in the Central American country, has documented torture cases and more than 150 deaths in state custody since the government declared a "state of exception" in 2022.

Amnesty International (AI) warns El Salvador is experiencing the "gradual replacement of gang violence with state violence".

In a report published in December, AI accused the Salvadoran authorities of adopting "a systematic policy of torture towards all those detained under the state of emergency on suspicion of being gang members".

"Among the gravest consequences are deaths in state custody," it says. But Amnesty says that "many others are the result of inhumane conditions of imprisonment or denial of medical care and medicine".

The prison director says that no external institutions or NGOs are allowed to visit the prison.

He insists that it complies with international standards, but we have no way to check this for ourselves nor do we have access to any parts of the jail not shown to us as part of the tour.

The government argues that it is dealing with hardened criminals guilty of heinous crimes and gruesome violence.

On our tour of the prison, we are brought face to face with five prisoners selected to drive home this point.

This inmate's tattoos indicate that he is a member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang

With their arms and legs shackled, they are led from their cells and made to crouch facing the wall.

They are not allowed to talk.

"Come here. Turn around, please. Take off your shirt," a guard orders the first inmate.

We are told the prisoner is a "hitman for the Mara Salvatrucha" who was sentenced to 269 years in prison for kidnapping, torturing and murdering - along with other gang members - four soldiers.

A man convicted of the femicide of a 16-year-old schoolgirl also has to show us his torso bearing the tattoos which are typical for gang members.

One of the Salvadoran photographers who is part of our group later tells me that the girl was held captive and brutally murdered, her body dumped in a canal.

Prisoners at Cecot spend all but 30 minutes of their day inside their cells

Salvadorans are not strangers to brutal crimes like those the inmates are serving time for.

In the days leading up to the election, people in street markets, on beaches, in city hotels and in poor neighbourhoods told me about the influence gangs had wielded before the government cracked down on them.

"Every month a boy used to come to charge us," María de la Luz Paniagua, who owns a grocery store in Santa Ana, said of the frequent extortion demands.

"If you didn't pay, they threatened you with a knife."

Others recalled not being able to move freely because whole neighbourhoods were under gang control.

Many spoke out in support of the state of emergency imposed by President Bukele.

"Since it is in place, there are no gang members and we really feel relieved," María says.

"There are always little things that don't work," she concedes, saying that some people have been unjustly detained.

But for her, it is a price worth paying.

"Before, we lived in fear. Not anymore."

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Coming face to face with inmates in El Salvador's mega-jail

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The BBC's Leire Ventas is granted rare access to Cecot, a secretive maximum security prison.

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With zombie fires raging under the heavy layers of snow at an unusual rate, Canada's winter is having a record-setting wildfire season which has raised concerns about the next summer. Zombie fires, also known as overwintering fires, are caused by peat moss and many layers of snow, which allow flameless smolders to slowly burn under the surface and support themselves. Concerns regarding the upcoming wildfire season have been raised by the extremely high number of 106 active zombie fires that occurred in British Columbia in January. Winter fire activity has increased throughout the province drastically. At the start of February, there were 57 active which is about ten times the number as reported five years before. One reason for the large amount of zombie fires in British Columbia is the disastrous wildfire season since most of them were out of control because of a lack of resources. Also, with a lack of snowfall in the province, ski resorts were forced to close for the season. Although officials keep an eye on these fires, there is still worry that they can flare up again in the spring if there isn't much snow or rain.

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‘Zombie Fires’ burning at an alarming rate in Canada

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Canada’s wildfire season is not over, with dozens of winter fires still burning beneath the soil.