A 70-year-old biology professor and conservationist in Australia has mastered imitating and understanding the shrills, croaks and whistles of frogs. Dubbed “the frog whisperer”, Michael Mahony told Reuters: “Sometimes you forget to work because, you know, you just want to talk to the frogs for a while and it’s sort of good fun.” His students, however, have mixed feelings about the croaking chatter. “I’ve never been into yelling at them to find out where they are,” said one.
‘New planet’ discovered
Astronomers have discovered a vast, previously unknown comet or minor planet entering the solar system. The “mega-comet”, which is expected to reach the orbit of Saturn in around 2030, has been given the snappy title of 2014 UN271. It is estimated to measure between 60 and 230 miles across. “This is the coolest thing we’ve found”, said Pedro Bernardinelli, leader of the team at the University of Pennsylvania that made the discovery.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bezos petition gathers pace
A petition with over 114,000 signatures is demanding that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos be denied re-entry to Earth after he launches into space next month. The petition compares Bezos to the Superman villain Lex Luthor, adding: “Billionaires should not exist... on earth, or in space, but should they decide the latter, they should stay there.” Bezos is set to fly with his brother and two others on the first crewed flight of the autonomous New Shepherd rocket.
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black KeysFeature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Blue Origin all-female flight: one giant leap back for womankind?Talking Point 'Morally vacuous' celeb space crew embody defeat for feminism
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
