FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL The Oversight Project is calling for the Justice Department to keep incarcerated prisoners whose Biden autopen clemencies were voided by President Trump. The watchdog

NEW YORKFormer aide to New York governors Linda Sun has been on a month-long trial over allegations that she acted as a Chinese agent while employed by the state.The prosecution presented evidence

Officials are actively investigating the possibility of a link between the murder of a prominent MIT professor and Saturdays shooting at Brown University that left two students dead and nine others

Yinika PerstonArchaeologists found dozens of these Aboriginal tulas, which were usually attached to a handle and used for woodworking.In 1988, a cache of stone tools made by Aboriginal people was discovered in Queensland, Australia. Now, researchers have found a second, much larger, cache of Aboriginal stone tools just a few miles from the first one.These stone tools, known as tulas, were customarily attached to a wooden handle and used for woodworking. But they were also an important item for trade between Aboriginal groups.Its unknown why the more recent cache of tulas was buried, and not traded, but researchers suspect that it might have something to do with the arrival of Europeans to the area in the 19th century.The Cache Of Aboriginal Stone Tools Found In QueenslandAccording to a statement from Griffith University, the tulas were first discovered in 2023, when a group of researchers spotted them sticking out of the soil north of Boulia in Central West Queensland, Australia.Upon excavation, the researchers uncovered 60 tulas, flaked stone tools made by Aboriginal groups. Tulas were important tools, used across Australia to make boomerangs, wooden coolamon dishes, shields, and clapsticks. Because the Pitta Pitta Aboriginal group holds the Native Title for the land where the tulas were found, researchers suspect that the tools were originally constructed and buried by Pitta Pitta ancestors.Griffith UniversityAboriginal groups would affix tulas to wooden handles, as seen here.This is the second cache of tulas found on Pitta Pitta land. As the researchers explained in their study concerning the 2023 discovery, published in the journal Archaeology in Oceania, another cache was discovered nearby in 1988. That cache contained 34 tulas, whereas this second cache contains 60.So why were the tulas buried?We think the Pitta Pitta ancestors were likely planning to trade the tools in these caches when the time came, the studys lead author Yinika Perston remarked, but for some reason never retrieved them.The Mystery Of The Buried Tula Cache Unearthed Near BouliaIndeed, Perston explained that while the tulas were important tools for woodworking, they were also valuable objects for trade especially for the Pitta Pitta, who lived in a harsh environment.This regions climate is harsh, Perston explained in the statement, noting that the excavation of the tulas was challenging because of the threat of bushfires and floods. Innovation and connection helped the Pitta Pitta people survive the regions harsh climates. If they could not find resources locally, they bartered along vast trade routes. Its possible this cache was a bundle of specially-made artifacts that were intended for trading.Griffith UniversityThe excavation of the tulas was threatened by both floods and bushfires.So if the tulas were intended for trading, why werent they traded?To make an educated guess, the researchers set out to determine the age of the tools, which they did by studying quartz grains in the soil. After collecting samples, they determined, with a 95 percent probability, that the tulas were buried between 1793 and 1913.This is a long period of time, to be sure, and one that includes an important shift for the region: the arrival of Europeans. The nearby town of Boulia was established around 1879, for instance, which may have disrupted the Pitta Pittas trade.One possible reason for this may be due to disruption caused by European arrival, Perston said, but the dates arent precise enough to be sure.Though while the exact story behind the newly-uncovered cache of 60 tulas is unknown, it remains an exciting discovery nevertheless. These types of tools, which first appear in the historical record around 3,700 years ago, played an important role in Aboriginal life as both woodworking instruments and objects for trade. And the cache of tulas found on Pitta Pitta land also offers insights into how this Aboriginal group navigated their largely inhospitable environment in modern-day Queensland.What we can say, Perston remarked, is that this cache reveals how planning, resource management and collective cooperation allowed Aboriginal people to not only survive, but thrive, in this harsh environment.After reading about the Aboriginal stone tools found in Australia, discover the story of the Yowie, the Bigfoot-like cryptid thats said to roam the wilds of Australia. Then, go inside the strange saga of the Great Emu War, when Australians fought against the local emu population and lost.The post Archaeologists In The Australian Outback Just Unearthed A Trove Of Stone Tools Buried By Aboriginal Peoples 170 Years Ago appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Summit Sothebys International RealtyThe impressive house includes six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.A home inspired by The Lord of the Rings is up for sale in Utah. The 23,000-square-foot mansion boasts design elements intentionally picked out to make the space feel reminiscent of Middle-earth, including a hobbit door and breathtaking towers. The house also includes luxurious amenities like a whimsical library, a climbing wall, a golf simulator, and a sauna. The property is located in the South Fork area of Provo Canyon, with a stunning view of the nearby Mount Timpanogos. With all of those features, plus six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, its no surprise that the home is selling for a pretty penny. The mansion has been listed for $43 million.A $43 Million Tolkien-Inspired Home In UtahSummit Sothebys International RealtyA whimsical nook sitting above the mansions library.The home was built in 2014, initially designed for a young couple. That couple has since moved to Hawaii, and the current owners purchased the house in 2017. Since theyre looking to downsize, the mansion is back on the market.According to Summit Sothebys International Realty, the six-bedroom, 10-bathroom house was designed by Michael Upwall. Upwall described the landscape of the property as a really magical place.That otherworldliness took me to Middle-earth a little bit, he told Homes.com of visiting the area for the first time. This sense of wonder helped inform the homes hobbit dwelling-inspired features. One of the most obvious sources of inspiration is Bilbo Baggins circular front door, which was adopted as the main entrance of the Utah home. Summit Sothebys International RealtyThe entryway of the Middle-earth-inspired home.But thats not where The Lord of the Rings inspiration ends. The home also has tower elements though it does not draw from the Barad-dr or the Dark Tower. Instead, the tower designs are supposed to invoke the magical lands of hobbits, elves, and giants from across J.R.R. Tolkiens fantasy world. There are definitely vertical elements that kind of hopefully pepper your experience, Upwall said. All of this should be happening subconsciously. You dont want any of these to jump out and say, I am a tower from The Lord of the Rings, or I am Bilbo Baggins door.'The designs are all meant to make the owners and visitors feel comfortable. And while the space has plenty of rustic, fantasy-inspired details, the home still offers numerous modern perks, like a climbing wall, golf simulator, racquetball courts, a game lounge, and an outdoor pool with a pool house.The Lord Of The Rings House Is Among The Most Impressive Homes In UtahSummit Sothebys International RealtyThe house sits on about 30 acres of secluded and serene property.After the house was completed in 2014, the first couple who owned the property sold it only three years later, opting for a home in Hawaii instead. The 2017 sale reportedly broke records at the time when it sold for $13.5 million, making it the most expensive home in Utah outside of Park City. Julie and Greg Cook are the current owners of the property. The couple reportedly use the property as a second home, and they decided to sell it in an effort to downsize. (Greg Cook is the co-founder of doTERRA, a multi-level marketing aromatherapy company based in Pleasant Grove, Utah.)While purchasing this now $43 million home may require all of Erebors gold, its actually not the most expensive house on the market in Utah. Currently, that title belongs to a home in the mountains of Morgan County, which went up for sale back in June for a whopping $72.5 million. In addition, a large home near Utahs Deer Valley that was used as the backdrop in the HBO film Mountainhead recently sold for $60 million in 2024. That property was originally listed for $65 million.Next, see some of J.R.R. Tolkiens drawings of his famous fantasy worlds, which were recently released by his estate. Then, learn about the first-edition copy of The Hobbit that recently sold for $57,000.The post An Otherworldly <em>Lord Of The Rings</em>-Inspired Mansion Is Up For Sale In Utah For $43 Million appeared first on All That's Interesting.

FacebookThis is one of the six fermentation jars. It weighed around 220 pounds and wouldve weighed twice as much when filled with beer.In 2008, archaeologist Rodrigo Esparza discovered a plethora of artifacts near the 2,000-year-old Guachimontones circular pyramids in Mexico but was unable to determine what exactly they were until now. After 12 years of careful restoration, it turns out that one of these artifacts was a 500-year-old jug meant for fermenting corn beer. The jug wouldve weighed 440 pounds, or as much as a blue whales heart, when full.According to Mexico News Daily, Esparza and his team accidentally found numerous bowls, figurines, various jewelry, five ovens, six burials, and six large urns when they first began construction on a museum. We chose that land, Esparza said, because we believed there was nothing of archaeological importance there, but we could not have been more mistaken.One discovery truly confounded them, a mostly intact 500- to 700-year-old jug that was three feet high and just as wide. There were six such jars and Esparza and his team initially figured that they had been funerary urns.Wikimedia CommonsThe Guachimontones circular pyramids were part of the Teuchitln society, which existed from 300 B.C. to around 900 A.D. Esparza believes that the fermentation jars are evidence that this society didnt simply die out as previously thought.The pot was found in 350 fragments and according to Archaeology, it took 12 years for ceramics restoration expert Cecilia Gonzlez and her students at Mexicos Western School of Conservation and Restoration (ECRO) to piece them back together. But once they did, they made a fantastic discovery.Esparza had almost forgotten about the jug by the time Gonzlez called him to let him know what it was really for. He was stunned to find out it wasnt meant for the dead, but rather for a tart kind of ancient beer brewed from corn.Phil Weigand, the man who discovered Guachimontones, originally suggested that the jars were likely used to ferment and store tejuino, which is a type of beer made from sprouted corn still popular in various parts of the country today. He noted that the degraded interiors of the six large urns were evidence that they were affected by alcohol. But they couldnt be sure until they were restored and tested.Mexico News DailyArchaeologists Cyntia Ramrez and Rodrigo Esparza waited 12 years to learn the real history behind the giant jugs they found.Miguel Novillo, a student of Esparzas at the Colegio de Michoacn, chose to do his thesis on what he now calls the Guachimontones Fermentation Jars. After chemically analyzing them, Novillo confirmed the presence of carbohydrates and starches from maize within the jugs. But he also found starch from sweet potatoes, which he posited were used because of their high sugar content which would have sped up the fermentation process. Further analyses showed that some of the jars had been used over a fire while others were used strictly for fermentation or storage for the final product.It may seem surprising, but it appears that jars of this size were commonly used in those days and every home may have had not just one, but two or three jars this size, said Esparza. In our excavations, we have normally found these pots all in pieces, not well preserved like our big jar, which we found 85 percent intact.But perhaps the most amazing discovery at the 10-meter site was that the pieces they found were from every archaeological period from the pre-classic to the post-classic. This was highly important, Esparza said, as it seemed to indicate that contrary to our previous beliefs the Teuchitln civilization did not suddenly die out. Its obvious that this site had been continuously inhabited for over 2,000 years.FacebookThough the Guachimontones Interpretive Center is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Esparza hopes to display the fermentation jars there once things return to normal.In a frustrating turn of events, the jar was in the middle of being readied for transportation to the Guachimontones Interpretive Center when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.When things go back to normal, said Esparza, the jars will be delivered to the museum and we hope to create an exhibition on tejuino and the other fermented drinks used in pre-Hispanic times and during the first years of the colonial period.Further studies might determine whether tejuino was a staple in every household or merely reserved for festive gatherings Weigand called mitotes. Until then, the drink is still widely available across Jalisco, Chihuahua, Guadalajara, and other Mexican cities. Tejuino brewer Osmar Carmona makes a non-alcoholic version but explained that other sellers ferment it until it reaches an alcohol content of up to five percent. Carmona believes that the drink is not only a delicious beverage but also a healthy alternative to supplements or Kombucha-like products.If you drink it regularly, it will replace the pathogenic bacteria in your colon with probiotics: live bacteria and yeasts that are good for you and will keep your tripas healthy, he recommends.Next, read about this ancient Canadian settlement thats older than the pyramids. Then, learn about the brewers who used yeast found in a 220-year-old shipwreck to create the worlds oldest beer.The post Gargantuan 500-Year-Old Jug Uncovered In Mexico Is A Fermentation Jar For Corn Beer appeared first on All That's Interesting.

Temu sells tech at such cheap prices that even giants like Amazon find it hard to match. Here's the reason why most Temu tech is so affordable.

Apple says it can now collect any money a developer owes the tech giant at any time.

A cat who was found hiding her kittens in a closet is finally living the good life she's always longed for. McGonagallTheStrayCatClubAbout two months ago, a cat wandered into a yard and gave birth to a litter of kittens.Not long after, she managed to sneak into the house and hide her newborns in a closet. "She was desperate for safety, doing the only thing she could to protect them," shared The Stray Cat Club, a volunteer-run rescue. Unfortunately, the situation inside was unsafe, and by the time rescuers arrived, only two kittens had survived.The mother cat clung to her remaining kittens as they were transported to a foster home, where warmth and comfort awaited them. TheStrayCatClub"She needed kindness, patience, and a safe place a day earlier. If you see a cat in need, reach out, offer food, and give them shelter."In the weeks that followed, the surviving kittens, Viktor and Cedric, thrived under their mother's devoted care and unconditional love. They blossomed into curious, playful little souls, as though they had never known a life without affection. Viktor and CedricTheStrayCatClubTheir mother, McGonagall, could finally take some time for herself, but the moment she heard a kitten cry, she hurried to their side. Her maternal instincts remained strong as long as her babies were near.She watched over them every step of the way, doing everything in her power to keep them safe. TheStrayCatClub"McGonagall has settled beautifully into foster care and is such a devoted, gentle mother. Viktor and Cedric are growing fast, gaining weight, becoming confident little kittens, and hitting all the milestones we could hope for."From the moment she gave birth, McGonagall always put her kittens first, often neglecting her own needs to ensure theirs were met. TheStrayCatClubAs the kittens grew into tiny whirlwinds, dashing, tumbling, and getting into all sorts of mischief, McGonagall was finally able to relax. She watched proudly as they chased toys, wrestled one another, and even pounced on her tail in playful bursts."It's hard to believe the situation they were found in, from cold, scared, and at risk to warm, safe, and deeply loved." TheStrayCatClubWhen playtime ended, the kittens curled up beside their mom, leaning in as she groomed them before drifting off to sleep, lulled by the sound of their purrs. "Their future is finally looking bright. Fostering truly saves lives."After several weeks in foster care, Viktor and Cedric were ready to spread their wings and begin their next adventure. TheStrayCatClubThe two feline brothers were quickly adopted, while their mom patiently waited for her turn. For the first time in a long while, she no longer had kittens depending on her and could focus entirely on herself. She soon discovered just how freeing that felt."She's enjoying not being a mom and has come a long way now that the kittens have left her." TheStrayCatClubMcGonagall began playing like a kitten again and seeking affection from her humans, allowing her true personality to shine. "She's a gentle soul who takes things slowly, observing quietly and choosing calm moments to come forward for a stroke or reassurance.""She is a cat who builds trust steadily, and once she does, you see just how soft and loving she truly is." TheStrayCatClubOnce a timid stray, McGonagall has embraced her indoor life, soaking up all the love and attention she's always hoped for."Now that her kittens have flown the nest, it's finally her turnher turn to have a home where she's cherished, and her turn to learn that life isn't something she has to survive. It's something she gets to enjoy." TheStrayCatClubShare this story with your friends. More on McGonagall and The Stray Cat Club (in London) on Instagram @thestraycatclub and Facebook.Related story: Cat Finds Someone to Help Him After Years on the Street, His Eyes Light Up and He Blooms into True King

Give your old PC new lease on life for just $10 TL;DR: Give a PC an affordable upgrade with this Microsoft Windows 11 Home license, now just $9.97 (reg. $139). When was the last time you updated your Windows OS? If you’d like to show your old PC a little TLC, this Microsoft Windows 11 Home license should do the trick. It gives your...