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  • Near Antarctica, Saltier Seas Mean Less Ice, Study Finds – The New York Times

    1. Near Antarctica, Saltier Seas Mean Less Ice, Study Finds  The New York Times
    2. ‘Completely unexpected’: Antarctic sea ice may be in terminal decline due to rising Southern Ocean salinity  The Conversation
    3. In Deep Water off Antarctica by Jessica T. Miskelly  plough.com
    4. Researchers make stunning discoveries during 70-day expedition in Antarctica: ‘Crossing the Atlantic’  yahoo.com
    5. Antarctic Ocean losing ice faster than expected  Courthouse News

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  • Pak outplay Japan in crucial netball clash

    Pak outplay Japan in crucial netball clash

    Pakistan girls netball team continued its brilliant winning streak here on Monday when they cruised past a strong Japan netball outfit by 79-39 goals, scoring their fourth successive win in the prestigious Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship-2025 which is being played at Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium, Jeonju-si, South Korea.

    The players who stood out for Pakistan on the court were Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Haleema, Sarina Hussain, Jasmine Farooq, Farah Rasheed, Amani, Parisa, Sumayya Ahmed and Alina.

    Japan girls netball team also displayed a competitive game and scored at regular intervals against Pakistan. However, Pakistani girls proved to be superior in skills and stamina as they bounced back in all the four quarters to maintain their lead.

    Chairman, Pakistan Netball Federation, Mudassar Arian, President, Sameen Malik, Secretary General, Muhammad Riaz congratulated the Pakistan girls netball team for their brilliance and hard work in the match.

    Pakistan is now on top of Pool- B of this mega event and will play their next match against Maldives on Tuesday (today).

    Eleven teams are participating in the championship which are divided into two groups;

    Group-A; Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and India.

    Group-B; Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Maldives and Saudi Arabia

    The Asian Youth Netball Championship 2025 is being played from

    June 27 to July 4, 2025, under the auspices of Asian Netball Federation.

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  • Netanyahu to visit White House as Gaza truce pressure mounts

    Netanyahu to visit White House as Gaza truce pressure mounts

    U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves following a meeting in the White House, in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2025. File
    | Photo Credit: Reuters

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House next week for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, a U.S. official said Monday (June 30, 2025), as Washington ramps up the pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    The July 7 visit — Mr. Netanyahu’s third since Mr. Trump returned to power in January — comes after Mr. Trump said that he hoped for a truce in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory within a week.

    A Trump administration official confirmed the visit to AFP on condition of anonymity.

    White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Mr. Netanyahu had “expressed interest” in a meeting with Mr. Trump and that both sides were “working on a date.

    “This has been a priority for the president since he took office, to end this brutal war in Gaza,” Ms. Leavitt told reporters in a briefing.

    “It’s heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the president wants to see it end.”

    A senior Israeli official, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, is due to visit the White House this week for talks to lay the ground for Netanyahu’s visit, Leavitt said.

    Mr. Netanyahu became the first foreign leader to visit Mr. Trump in his second term in February, when the U.S. President surprised him by suddenly announcing a plan for the United States to “take over” Gaza.

    The Israeli premier visited again in April.

    The end of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran has provided a window of opportunity for a deal, with Trump keen to add another peace agreement to a series of recent deals he has brokered.

    “We think even next week, we’re going to get a ceasefire,” Trump told reporters on Friday. He followed up by pressing Israel in a post on his Truth Social network on Sunday to “make the deal in Gaza”.

    But on the ground, Israel has continued to pursue its offensive across the Palestinian territory in a bid to destroy the militant group Hamas.

    Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 51 people on Monday, including 24 at a seafront rest area.

    Mr. Trump meanwhile, appeared to leverage U.S. aid to Israel over the weekend as he called for that country’s prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Netanyahu.

    “The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this,” Mr. Trump posted.

    The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

    Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Of these, 49 are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

    Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

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  • Royal train to be cut in Palace cost-saving measure

    Royal train to be cut in Palace cost-saving measure

    Sean Coughlan

    Royal correspondent

    Getty Images King Charles is seen exiting the royal train in 2023Getty Images

    The royal train could be put on public display after it leaves service

    The royal train is going to be taken out of service by 2027, in a cost-saving measure announced by Buckingham Palace.

    There have been dedicated trains for monarchs since Queen Victoria’s reign, but as part of a “drive to ensure we deliver value for money” it’s been decided to decommission the historic rolling stock.

    The announcement came alongside the annual publication of royal finances, which showed that a journey on the royal train, from Gloucestershire to Staffordshire and then London, over two days in February, had cost more than £44,000.

    The Royal Family will still travel on regular train services – and the annual report showed 141 helicopter trips were taken last year, costing £475,000.

    James Chalmers, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, responsible for the royal finances, said the decision to stop the royal train would mean “the fondest of farewells”, but “in moving forwards we must not be bound by the past”.

    The royal train will be taken around the UK before it is removed from service, after which it could be put on public display. The royal train consists of nine carriages, with different locomotives hired to pull them.

    The idea of a royal train goes back to Queen Victoria commissioning special coaches in 1869, with the service being used to take the Royal Family around the country.

    “The royal train, of course, has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved,” said Mr Chalmers.

    The train had been used extensively for events during the late Queen Elizabeth’s golden and diamond jubilees – with the most recent update to the carriages taking place in the mid-1980s.

    But the latest accounts, for 2024-25, show the train only being used on two occasions, raising questions about maintenance and storage costs.

    That’s alongside other travel costs such as 55 private charter flights costing almost £600,000 and scheduled flights costing £126,000. The total cost of royal travel is £4.7 million, a rise of £500,000 from the previous year.

    The single biggest travel item was £400,000 for the King and Queen’s trip to Australia and Samoa.

    Royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace

    The Sovereign Grant is being increased to pay for Buckingham Palace renovations

    The latest financial report for 2024-25 shows the Sovereign Grant remaining at £86.3m. This grant is the public funding for the running costs of the monarchy, such as travel for official duties, staffing and the maintenance of royal buildings.

    The level of funding for 2025-26 is rising to £132.1m – with this higher level of funding staying for two years to complete renovation work at Buckingham Palace.

    The cost of this 10-year, £369m building scheme at Buckingham Palace has pushed up the Sovereign Grant – which in real terms, taking into account inflation, is now about three times higher than when the Sovereign Grant funding was introduced in 2012.

    Funding comes from the Treasury, with the amount based on a percentage of the profits of the Crown Estate.

    This year’s annual report shows the Royal Family carried out over 1,900 engagements, with almost 94,000 guests attending events at royal residences.

    There were also diplomatic occasions, such as hosting Qatar’s state visit to the UK.

    A financial report for the Duchy of Cornwall, the estates which provide an income for the Prince of Wales, showed a profit of £22.9m, slightly down on the previous year.

    There had been media criticism of the duchy’s finances – and in response Kensington Palace has said that the emphasis will be on a positive social impact.

    Will Bax, the duchy’s new secretary, said there would be a “modern, socially minded” approach, which could see some charitable organisations and community groups having their rents waived and others with 50% reductions.

    This would cost “significant sums”, said Mr Bax, but it was part of a focus on turning the duchy into a social enterprise, supporting communities and reflecting Prince William’s interest in projects such as reducing homelessness and tackling climate change.

    Anti-monarchy campaigners Republic criticised the levels of royal income at a time when there were debates about “cutting welfare for people with disabilities”.

    Republic’s chief executive Graham Smith described royal funding as a “scandalous abuse of public money”, with published figures not including costs such as security.

    Thin, purple banner promoting the Royal Watch newsletter with text saying, “Insider stories and expert analysis in your inbox every week”. There is also a graphic of a fleur-de-lis in white.

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  • Apple’s AI Siri might be powered by OpenAI

    Apple’s AI Siri might be powered by OpenAI

    Apple is considering enlisting the help of OpenAI or Anthropic to power its AI-upgraded Siri, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. As Apple continues to struggle with the development of an upgraded “LLM Siri,” it reportedly asked OpenAI and Anthropic to create versions of their large-language models to test on the company’s private cloud infrastructure.

    As reported by Bloomberg, Rockwell asked his team to test whether Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, or Google’s Gemini performs better at handling basic requests compared to its own models, with Anthropic’s apparently seen as the most promising. While Google has Gemini AI features for Android and its Pixel lineup, Samsung licenses Google’s AI model for its phones. It is also reportedly close to cutting a deal with Perplexity, which already has a tie-up with Motorola. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported Apple executives had considered acquiring Perplexity to help boost its AI ambitions.

    LLM Siri was largely absent from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, where SVP of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak admitted that the technology “didn’t hit our quality standard.” Bloomberg notes that Apple’s plans to incorporate a third-party AI model into Siri are still at an “early stage” and that it’s still considering using in-house models.

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  • Apple to Release Cheaper MacBook Air Powered by iPhone Processor, Analyst Says

    Apple to Release Cheaper MacBook Air Powered by iPhone Processor, Analyst Says

    Apple will release a cheaper MacBook Air laptop powered by an iPhone processor, according to a Monday post on X by respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities.

    According to the report, the 13-inch thin-and-light laptop will enter production in late 2025 or early 2026 and will be powered by the A18 Pro processor, the same chip powering the iPhone 16 Pro. This laptop might also give you more color options, including pink and yellow, along with the standard silver. 

    Apple is targeting a 5-7 million unit production run for 2026. While the A18 Pro chip would be a significant downgrade from the M-series chip, it’s about on par with 2020’s M1 chip, making it more than powerful enough for everyday tasks. 

    A representative for Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

    AI Atlas

    Of Apple’s 2024 Mac shipments, the MacBook Air accounted for 33% of sales, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Despite the popularity of the MacBook line, Apple only has 9.2% of global computer market share, according to Statista. Currently, Dell, HP and Lenovo all command greater share of the market than Apple, likely thanks to wider product portfolios and enterprise sales. 

    Considering the MacBook Air starts at $999, a cheaper A18 Pro-powered MacBook Air could eat away at lower-end computer sales and bring MacOS to more price-conscious consumers. And, given that the A18 Pro supports Apple Intelligence, the company’s vision of AI-enabled computing, it could introduce AI to more laptop buyers.


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  • Stand Up Comedian Earthquake to Develop Fox Sitcom with Bill Burr

    Stand Up Comedian Earthquake to Develop Fox Sitcom with Bill Burr

    Fox is about to get hit with an Earthquake.

    Variety has learned that the broadcast network is currently working with renowned stand up comic Earthquake (born Nathaniel Stroman) to develop a half-hour sitcom based on his life.

    Fox has given the multi-cam project a script commitment, though no writer is currently attached. Earthquake will star as himself.

    Earthquake will also executive produce along with his manager, Jermaine Smith. Bill Burr and Mike Bertolina will executive produce via North Hill Productions, with Dave Becky executive producing for 3 Arts Entertainment. The show will be produced by Fox Entertainment Studios and distributed by FOX Entertainment Global.

    Earthquake has been on the comedy scene for nearly 30 years. He has put out multiple comedy specials, including “About Got Damm Time,” “From the Outhouse to the Whitehouse,” “These Ain’t Jokes,” and “Chappelle’s Home Team – Earthquake: Legendary.” He has also appeared on shows like BET’s “Comic View,” HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam,” and “Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam.” As an actor, he is known for roles on shows like “Everybody Hates Chris” “Rel” (also a Fox show), “South Side,” and “The Neighborhood.” Currently, he hosts “Quake’s House” for Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network on Sirius XM Channel 96 while continuing to tour as a stand up.

    He is repped by WME and 3 Arts.

    Burr and Bertolina founded North Hill in 2024. Their first production was Burr’s Hulu stand up special “Drop Dead Years.” The company has also produced the film “Old Dads,” which was written, directed by, and starring Burr. Other projects include “Drugstore June” starring Esther Povitsky and the documentary “Patrice O’Neal: Killing is Easy.”

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  • Royal train to be retired as King Charles seeks to modernise monarchy | King Charles III

    Royal train to be retired as King Charles seeks to modernise monarchy | King Charles III

    The royal family’s private “royal train” will be decommissioned as part of King Charles’s drive to modernise the monarchy and reduce costs.

    The train has been used to transport members of the royal family around Britain’s railway network since 1840, but it has become increasingly costly to maintain and store. Rolling stock from the 1980s would need to be updated for modern railway networks, and two new more fuel-efficient helicopters offer a suitable alternative.

    James Chalmers, the keeper of the privy purse, said: “The royal train, of course, has been part of national life for many decades, loved and cared for by all those involved. But in moving forward we must not be bound by the past.

    “Just as so many parts of the royal household’s work have been modernised and adapted to reflect the world of today, so too the time has come to bid the fondest of farewells as we seek to be disciplined and forward in our allocation of funding.”

    Chalmers said a search was under way for a long-term home for the train’s historic parts.

    Prince Andrew waving from a window at left, with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward, Lady Sarah Chatto and Viscount Linley in another window of the royal train at right, circa December 1965. Photograph: Fox Photos/Getty Images

    The annual royal accounts for 2024-25, published on Monday, show that the sovereign grant, which is distributed by the Treasury to fund the official duties of the royal family, will remain at £86.3m for a fourth consecutive year.

    The grant will increase to £132m annually between 2025 and 2027. This is partly to take advantage of record offshore windfarm profits for the crown estate, which hit £1.1bn in the last financial year, and also to cover the remaining £100m costs for the final two years of Buckingham Palace’s £369m, 10-year refurbishment.

    The accounts also show that royal travel costs increased by £500,000 to £4.7m and payroll costs were up £2m to £29.9m.

    There was an increase in the number of travel journeys costing over £17,000, from 24 in 2023-24 to 43 in 2024-45, reaching a total expenditure of £2.7m. Travel costs for the king and queen’s state visit to Samoa cost £401,000 in public money.

    As part of a sustainability drive, one of the royal Bentleys is now powered by biofuels, with the other due to transition this year, and a move to electric vehicles is under consideration.

    The Duchess of Sutherland hauling the royal train across Smardale viaduct near Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria in 2005. Photograph: Don McPhee/The Guardian

    Separate accounts also published on Monday reveal that the duchy of Cornwall, which provides Prince William with a private income of nearly £23m a year, will waive rents for grassroots groups such as wildlife trusts and the St Petrocs homelessness shelter, and reduce rent for local charities by 50%.

    This follows a Channel 4 Dispatches and Sunday Times investigation last November into the prince’s duchy and the duchy of Lancaster estate, which found that the estates had secured rental agreements worth millions of pounds with the armed forces, the NHS and state schools.

    Will Bax, the duchy of Cornwall’s new secretary and keeper of records, said the duchy was also looking at including schools in the community groups that would be eligible for the rent waiver. Commercial relationships with public bodies such as the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice will not change.

    Bax said: “It would be remiss not to address the media scrutiny the duchy has experienced this past year. We’ve used these challenges as an opportunity to stop and reflect. Both the duke and I are clear that we want the duchy to be world-class in our approach to supporting people, communities and nature to flourish, and to realise that aim we must operate and communicate in a modern, socially minded way.

    “It’s clear we’ve entered an era of deep change, but we change not because we disrespect our past but precisely because we do respect it.”

    The accounts show the duchy generated profits of £22.9m, down £700,000 from £23.6m in the previous financial year.

    The annual review for the Prince of Wales omits his income, expenditure and tax payments, a move away from the transparency implemented by Charles as the previous Prince of Wales.

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  • W Hotels Expands its Signature ‘W Presents’ Series with the Unveiling of the 2025 Global Tour Lineup

    W Hotels Expands its Signature ‘W Presents’ Series with the Unveiling of the 2025 Global Tour Lineup

     Spotlighting emerging and established talent across iconic destinations, W PRESENTS makes a bold return.

    BETHESDA, Md., June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — W Hotels, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s global portfolio of over 30 extraordinary hotel brands, is continuing the momentum of its celebrated W PRESENTS live music series for a third consecutive year led by W Hotels Global Music Director, LP Giobbi. Staying true to its mission to fuse the worlds of music and luxury lifestyle hospitality, the 2025 lineup will feature more than 15 dynamic performances around the globe, handpicked by LP Giobbi and cementing the brand’s status as a cultural tastemaker and a catalyst for entertainment-driven luxury. From W Budapest to W Maldives, and W New York – Union Square to the brand’s first all-inclusive – W Punta Cana, W PRESENTS transforms each hotel into a stage – blending travel and cultural connection in sought-after destinations.

    Launched in 2023 as an innovative live music showcase, W PRESENTS has quickly become an exciting platform at the intersection of music and travel. Building on the success of its first two years, the 2025 iteration will sync with major moments across the brand’s global portfolio – turning W Hotels into vibrant cultural hubs where guests can discover the sounds and scenes shaping today’s music landscape. Rooted in the brand’s legacy as a music authority, the W PRESENTS series builds on the brand’s decades-long, steadfast support for sound, style, and cultural expression.

    “W PRESENTS is a powerful platform for W Hotels – a brand that’s always been anchored in sound, scene, and self-expression,” shares George Fleck, Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader, W Hotels. “As music-led travel continues to surge, W Hotels remains a cultural connector, setting the stage for discovery and unforgettable experiences that blur the line between performance and place. Through groundbreaking live sets and immersive experiences, we’re redefining how music and hospitality come together to create those moments that you just had to be there for.”

    Expanding the experience even further, this past May, W Hotels debuted its first ever, W PRESENTS Retreat at W Koh Samui, a weekend-long immersive extension of the series. Featuring a lineup of cutting-edge artists including Bonobo and Sofia Kourtesis, and curated multi-day programming, the retreat captures the brand’s evolved vision of hospitality: transforming live music into a deeper, more intimate experience centered around discovery and creativity.

    The W PRESENTS 2025 tour has made stops this year at W Sydney, featuring Night Tales, W Austin, featuring LP Giobbi, and W Maldives, featuring Pretty Girl, and will soon make stops at:

    W PRESENTS will also have a stage at other W Hotel properties this year, including W New York – Union Square, W Hoboken, W Hollywood, W Punta Cana, W SingaporeSentosa Cove, W Fort Lauderdale, W Dubai – Mina Seyahi, and W São Paulo, with event dates soon to be announced.

    W PRESENTS continues to amplify underrepresented voices in music through its ongoing partnership with FEMME HOUSE – the nonprofit co-founded by LP Giobbi that creates opportunities for women, gender-expansive, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ creatives in the industry. This year, the collaboration deepens with a slate of immersive programming designed to break down barriers and build community. Select W PRESENTS tour stops will host complimentary, in-person FEMME HOUSE workshops – beginner-friendly sessions in DJing and music production that are open to guests. In addition, FEMME HOUSE artists will take the stage as featured openers, providing performance opportunities, visibility, and community support. This partnership underscores the brand’s longstanding commitment to creating inclusive spaces where sound, self-expression, and storytelling converge.

    “W PRESENTS is more than a stage – it’s a statement. It’s about centering joy, diversity, and creativity in spaces that welcome all,” shares LP Giobbi, Global Music Director, W Hotels. “Through our continued collaboration with FEMME HOUSE, an organization near and dear to my heart, we’re not just showcasing talent, we’re helping shape a more equitable future for music. This year’s lineup is especially exciting because it reflects both discovery and familiarity: we’re welcoming new voices into the fold while also bringing back artists our guests already know and love. It’s a celebration of connection and the transformative power of sound.”

    Since its inception, W PRESENTS has transformed W Hotels around the world, from W Costa Rica – Reserva Conchal to W Osaka, into stages for visionary artists like Channel Tres, DJ_Dave, Neil Frances, Aluna, and more. With this series, W Hotels is not just curating live music – it’s shaping the future of luxury lifestyle hospitality experiences. By amplifying diverse voices and creating boundary-pushing experiences, the brand continues to set the standard for how music and hospitality collide, proving that true luxury lives at the intersection of creativity and community.

    To learn more, visit the W PRESENTS website and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Spotify.

    ABOUT W HOTELS
    Born from the social electricity of New York City, W Hotels has been at the forefront of lifestyle hospitality for over two decades. With 70 destinations around the world, the detail-driven design, signature Whatever/Whenever service, and buzzing Living Rooms cultivate experiences of social connectivity. Each location brings together the magnetic energy of W Hotels and the essence of local culture, creating spaces for new perspectives and freedom of self-expression. W Hotels is currently undergoing a multi-year brand evolution, to meet the needs of today’s guest and deliver a new generation of luxury lifestyle experiences. For more information on W Hotels, visit w-hotels.com and stay connected on Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and YouTube. W Hotels is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy®, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including complimentary nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com.

    ABOUT MARRIOTT BONVOY
    Marriott Bonvoy’s extraordinary portfolio offers renowned hospitality in the most memorable destinations in the world, with more than 30 brands that are tailored to every type of journey. From The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis to W Hotels and more, Marriott Bonvoy has more luxury offerings than any other travel program. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, and through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments™, or through partners for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques®. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit marriottbonvoy.com.

    ABOUT FEMME HOUSE
    FEMME HOUSE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization co-founded in 2019 by LP Giobbi and HERMIXALOT to advance equity in the music industry. Through accessible education, mentorship, scholarships, and community-building, FEMME HOUSE empowers women, gender-expansive, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC creators to thrive as artists, producers, and leaders. With innovative programming, industry partnerships, and a growing global network, FEMME HOUSE is breaking down historic barriers and building a more inclusive future for music.

    SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.


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  • Astronomers discover a galaxy frozen in time for billions of years: ‘Fossil galaxies are like the dinosaurs of the universe’

    Astronomers discover a galaxy frozen in time for billions of years: ‘Fossil galaxies are like the dinosaurs of the universe’

    Astronomers have discovered a distant galaxy that is a “cosmic fossil” which has remained “frozen in time” for billions of years.

    Just as dinosaur fossils here on Earth are used to probe the evolution of life, this cosmic fossil in the form of the galaxy KiDS J0842+0059 could be used to understand cosmic evolution.

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