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Lead: Researchers at the Geogenomic Archaeology Campus Tübingen (GACT) are extracting ancient DNA from sediments in Hohle Fels cave, Germany, to reconstruct who and what occupied ice‑age Europe. Over recent decades lab automation and next‑generation sequencing have transformed sedimentary DNA into a tool that can detect animals, microbes and human traces spanning tens of thousands … Read more

Pat Finn, the American character actor and veteran comedian, died at age 60, his family announced on Dec. 24, 2025. The Washington, D.C.-reported release said Finn had been battling bladder cancer that returned after a 2022 remission and subsequently metastasized. Best known for recurring television work across network sitcoms, Finn’s career spanned stage improv, television … Read more

Lead: In Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio and Phil Simms released their latest head-to-head picks, with Simms extending a recent hot streak. Last week Simms went 14-2 straight up while Florio finished 11-5; season totals now stand at Florio 156-83-1 and Simms 162-77-1. Against the spread Simms was 8-7-1 last … Read more

Lead Massachusetts public health officials on Wednesday warned that an out-of-state visitor diagnosed with measles may have exposed others at multiple sites in Boston and Westborough during Dec. 11–12 travel. The person arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, stayed at the … Read more

Lead: A multi-institution team led from Case Western Reserve and University Hospitals reports that rebalancing a key cellular energy molecule, NAD+, reversed advanced Alzheimer’s pathology and fully restored memory in multiple mouse models. Published December 22 in Cell Reports Medicine, the study used the laboratory compound P7C3-A20 and found normalized phosphorylated tau 217 levels alongside … Read more

On December 24, 2025, Rob Sheffield published his year-end roundup for Rolling Stone, naming the 20 albums that defined his year in music. The selection spans pop, rock, hip-hop, indie and experimental releases from both established veterans and emergent acts, and it reflects albums Sheffield listened to most and found most vital in 2025. Across … Read more

Massachusetts health authorities on Dec. 24, 2025, alerted the public to potential measles exposure after a visitor from Texas traveled through Boston on Dec. 11–12 and later tested positive. The Department of Public Health identified the traveler’s routes, including time windows at Logan Airport terminals and a Westborough hotel, and urged anyone present during those … Read more

One of the season’s biggest headlines arrived Wednesday as the Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.7 billion after no top prize winner emerged Monday night. The run that produced Wednesday’s drawing is the 47th consecutive drawing with an unclaimed jackpot, the longest stretch in the current sequence. Powerball officials say the annuity jackpot translates … Read more

San Antonio reinforced its rising status Tuesday night, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 130-110 in a game that tightened an emerging rivalry and set up a Christmas Day rematch (Dec. 25, 2:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN). The Spurs turned a close three-quarter contest into a dominant fourth quarter, outscoring OKC 43-28 after opening the period on … Read more

Since Huawei expanded the Mate XT Ultimate beyond China in February 2025 and Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z TriFold at the APEC CEO Summit last October, both companies have pushed the idea of a three‑panel foldable. I tested the Mate XT intermittently since February and later handled Samsung’s TriFold during a brief hands‑on session in … Read more

December 24, 2025 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined a revised, U.S.-backed peace draft in Kyiv that contemplates Kyiv pulling its forces back from territory claimed by Moscow in eastern Ukraine. The proposal would turn much of the Donbas — currently held by Russian forces — into a demilitarized “free economic zone,” while preserving Western … Read more

Lead On Dec. 24, 2025, an explosion in southern Moscow killed three people, including two traffic police officers, officials said. The blast occurred just days after a car bomb killed Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov in the same district on Monday. Investigators said the officers had been approaching a “suspicious individual” when the device detonated and … Read more

Lead: A coalition of 19 states and the District of Columbia filed suit on Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the department’s inspector general, seeking to block a recent HHS declaration that labeled puberty blockers, hormone therapy and related treatments for minors as unsafe … Read more

Lead Google has launched a limited-time promotion that reduces annual Google One plans by 50%, including the 100GB, 2TB storage tiers and the premium Google AI Pro plan. The discounted prices drop the 100GB plan to $10/year, the 2TB storage-only plan to $50/year, and Google AI Pro — which bundles 2TB with expanded Gemini limits … Read more

Lead: On Dec. 24, 2025, a federal judge declined to halt demolition tied to President Trump’s proposed 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, allowing work to continue while ordering limited procedural filings. The National Trust for Historic Preservation had sued to impose pre-demolition safeguards after parts of the East Wing and its connecting corridor were dismantled in … Read more