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Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck’s close pal Jason Mewes ‘would be shocked’ if they split amid divorce rumors

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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s close friend Jason Mewes has weighed in on the divorce rumors surrounding the couple. The “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” star, 49, was asked about the duo’s relationship and if he thinks they’ll be going their separate ways soon. “I would be shocked,” Mewes told TMZ Wednesday. Affleck and Lopez’s marriage has been plagued by split rumors in recent weeks. GC Images Mewes’ friendship with the Oscar winner spans over two decades when they co-starred in “Dogma,” and “Chasing Amy,” as well as other comedy classics. In August 2022, Mewes attended Bennifer’s lavish nuptials at Affleck’s Georgia home. Explore More “I’m being sappy,” Mewes told the outlet when asked about the pair’s wedding. “When you were there watching their interactions, the singing — she sang to him — it just seemed after 20 years and them and everything that’s going on, [to be] very sincere and real.” Mewes cast doubt on reports that the pair are living apart despite having not kept in touch with Affleck and the “On The Floor” hitmaker, 54, since they tied the knot. “Maybe he’s busy working and she’s working and it’s too much with the kids,” he shared. “I’m not saying that’s what it is — I don’t know.” Mewes’ friendship with Affleck, 51, spans over two decades. Getty Images The actor’s comments come just hours after Lopez shut down a reporter who asked her to address the divorce rumors during a panel in Mexico City for her forthcoming film “Atlas.” “You know better than that,” she responded with a brief smile, per a video posted to Instagram by El Gordo y la Flaca’s account. Her co-star Simu Liu then chimed in to shut the reporter down. On Wednesday, Lopez shut down a reporter who asked her to address the divorce rumors during a panel in Mexico City. ISAAC ESQUIVEL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock A day prior, the mom of two attended the film’s second premiere solo once again — while the “Argo” actor was photographed leaving hotspot Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, Calif., later that night. Just hours before the first “Atlas” premiere, a source told Page Six exclusively that Affleck has “come to his senses” about the pair’s marriage. “If there was a way to divorce on grounds of temporary insanity, he would,” an insider told us Monday. On Monday night, Lopez attended the premiere of “Atlas” alone. FilmMagic The following night, Lopez walked the red carpet alone for the second time. Zuma / SplashNews.com “He feels like the last two years was just a fever dream, and he’s come to his senses now and understands there is just no way this is going to work.” Affleck’s apparent absence from the red carpet came exactly two weeks after the pair first sparked split rumors when Lopez showed up to the 2024 Met Gala without him — despite serving as one of the event’s co-chairs. The Oscar winner reportedly started staying at a home in the Brentwood neighborhood of LA — less than 30 minutes from his and Lopez’s $60 million Beverly Hills mansion — two weeks ago. Page Six learned that Affleck has been quietly house-hunting around the LA area. Getty Images Page Six later learned that Affleck has been quietly house-hunting around the LA area. He was also spotted without his wedding band on Saturday. ...

NASA PREFIRE Postponed: Arctic Heat Mission Launch Delayed Due to Severe Storms

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NASA’s PREFIRE mission, in collaboration with Rocket Lab, is now rescheduled for no earlier than May 25 due to adverse weather conditions at the launch site in Mahia, New Zealand. The mission’s objective is to deploy two CubeSats into near-polar orbits to investigate thermal energy loss from the Arctic and Antarctica, with a second launch planned following the first. Credit: NASANASA and Rocket Lab have postponed the launch of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission to no earlier than Saturday, May 25, due to a severe weather system affecting Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand. The team will stand by until the weather clears.The mission aims to deploy two CubeSats into asynchronous, near-polar orbits to investigate the amount of Earth’s heat lost to space from the Arctic and Antarctica. Following the successful deployment of the first CubeSat, a second launch will be scheduled.This artist’s concept depicts one of two PREFIRE CubeSats in orbit around Earth. The NASA mission will measure the amount of far-infrared radiation the planet’s polar regions shed to space – information that’s key to understanding Earth’s energy balance. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechPREFIRE, which stands for Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment, is a NASA mission designed to investigate Earth’s thermal energy dynamics, specifically focusing on how much heat is lost to space from the Arctic and Antarctica. The mission utilizes two CubeSats, small research satellites, which are deployed into asynchronous, near-polar orbits. By measuring the far-infrared radiant energy emitted from these polar regions, PREFIRE aims to enhance our understanding of Earth’s energy balance and contribute valuable data to climate science, particularly in terms of understanding and predicting changes in polar ice and cloud dynamics. The data collected by PREFIRE will also help improve climate models, providing a more accurate prediction of future climate scenarios.

The Disease Detectives Trying to Keep the World Safe From Bird Flu – The New York Times

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The Disease Detectives Trying to Keep the World Safe From Bird Flu  The New York TimesOpinion: How to prepare for our latest viral threat  CNNPublic Health Preparedness for Bird Flu Varies Widely Across the U.S.  Medpage TodaySurvey: States and territories able to test for highly pathogenic H5N1  University of Minnesota Twin CitiesAnalysis | I was there when bird flu first appeared. It's different today.  The Washington Post

Science Made Simple: What Is Plasma?

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Plasma, making up 99% of the visible universe, exists predominantly in stars and space. It forms when electrons detach from atoms, creating ions and free electrons, a state that can conduct electricity and exhibits complex behaviors.What Is Plasma?Plasma is one of the four fundamental states of matter, alongside gases, liquids, and solids. While most people don’t think about plasma in their daily lives the way they think about other states of matter, plasma constitutes 99% of the visible matter in the universe. This includes astrophysical plasma found in outer space, such as within nebulae and stars like the Sun.In plasma, some of the electrons separate and become free from neutral atoms (atoms that have an equal number of protons and electrons and thus a neutral charge). The resulting free electrons make plasma different from the other states of matter, where the electrons remain closely held to nuclei.When the atoms in plasma separate from their negatively charged electrons, they no longer have a neutral electrical charge. Instead, the atoms become ions—positively charged particles. Therefore, plasma is an ionized state made up of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons. The aurora borealis forms from particles colliding in waves in plasma in the Earth’s atmosphere. Credit: Frank OlsenThere are several reasons why electrons in atoms can separate and form plasma. In laboratory experiments, scientists can blast the atoms with high-voltage electricity, lasers, or electromagnetic fields to form plasma. In space, plasma may form from high-energy photons including gamma rays striking atoms. Plasma can also form in space when gravity increases pressure so much that the pressure superheats gases. The high temperatures cause atoms to collide with each other, resulting in the electrons separating from the atoms, creating plasma and the beginnings of a star.This process of gases being superheated to create plasma suggests that gases and plasma have a relationship similar to how liquid can be a heated form of a solid. This analogy is not always correct. For one, unlike gas, plasma can conduct electricity. Also, in gases, all the particles behave in similar ways. In plasma, however, electrons and ions behave and interact in very complex ways, which creates waves and instabilities.Plasmas come in several types. Most plasma in the universe is what researchers call high-temperature plasmas. In these high-temperature plasmas, temperatures can be more than 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and all the atoms can be fully ionized. Low-temperature plasmas are different. The atoms are only partially ionized, and they can be incredibly cool—even room temperature. Another unusual type of plasma is high-energy density plasma, which scientists create in laboratories to study their unusual properties.Fast FactsDOE Office of Science: Contributions to Plasma ResearchStudying plasma helps scientists understand matter. It also helps them progress toward the goal of fusion energy. The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science supports research into plasma through its Fusion Energy Sciences and Nuclear Physics programs. DOE-funded research on plasma has also improved the manufacturing of the semiconductors found in everything from phones and computers to cars. Expertise in plasma helped researchers at the DOE National Laboratories develop ways to control the creation of semiconductors on an atom-by-atom level.

Britney Spears admits she wants butt injections as she shares video on the beach without bikini

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She wants her behind to work, bitch. Britney Spears revealed she’s been contemplating getting butt injections Wednesday as she posted — and then deleted — an Instagram video of herself lying in the ocean with no bikini. “Say hello to my ASS !!! Raised my ass a little higher so I have more booty !!!” her original caption read. “Thinking of getting injections on my ass to make it fuller like that.” Britney Spears revealed that she’s thinking about getting injections in her rear end. “Thinking of getting injections on my ass to make it fuller like that,” she captioned an Instagram video Wednesday night. The video showed her frolicking in the ocean water without a swimsuit. The Princess of Pop later reposted the same video with a different caption. “Hello to my ass !!!” she simply wrote the second time. Explore More After quickly taking down the clip, she reposted the same footage about an hour later. But the second time around, the pop star, 42, simply captioned it, “Hello to my ass !!!” Earlier in the evening, Spears also shared and deleted another post addressing the “serious nerve damage” she allegedly sustained during her controversial conservatorship, which ended in November 2021. “There was a time when I was held in a spot against my will for a very long time,” the “Circus” singer wrote. “I haven’t been the same since.” Earlier in the evening, Spears claimed she suffered from nerve damage in another deleted post. She explained, “I portray myself as very together on IG but there are a lot of people who don’t know what my body physically went through!!!” She also wrote that it’s “extremely hard” to forgive her parents. She went on, “I portray myself as very together on IG but there are a lot of people who don’t know what my body physically went through!!!” After writing that she still struggles with “extremely deep” trauma, Spears gave herself grace by adding, “its okay to be upset some days or not be okay.” She concluded, “I have to be the bigger person and forgive my own parents… but that’s extremely hard!!! I will do my best to let it go and not let others down by my anger.” Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! Spears’ conservatorship started in 2008. Britney Spears/Instagram It was terminated in November 2021. Britney Spears/Instagram Spears has previously been open about the alleged physical and mental abuse she endured during her 13-year conservatorship. The Princess of Pop’s since-deleted post about nerve damage came shortly after she broke her foot in an incident at the luxe Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles. Earlier this week, she claimed her foot was “already better,” saying that it healed without medical attention. Spears also recently shared on social media that she broke her foot, which she claimed healed without medical attention. Instagram/@britneyspears She allegedly broke it during an altercation with boyfriend Paul Richard Soliz at Chateau Marmont. “Well I was stubborn and did it my way !!!” she wrote on Instagram. “I didn’t listen to a motherf–king soul !! I even wore heels at night and danced with the saints !!!” Spears’ foot was injured when she got into an altercation with her housekeeper-turned-boyfriend Paul Richard Soliz. The pair have been romantically involved since last fall. ...

ADHD diagnoses are rising. 1 in 9 U.S. kids have gotten one, new study finds – NPR

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ADHD diagnoses are rising. 1 in 9 U.S. kids have gotten one, new study finds  NPRView Full Coverage on Google News

‘Deny, denounce, delay’: the battle over the risk of ultra-processed foods – Financial Times

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'Deny, denounce, delay': the battle over the risk of ultra-processed foods  Financial TimesEating Ultra-Processed Foods Linked To Stroke And Cognitive Decline, Study Suggests  ForbesICMR classifies bread, butter, and cooking oil as ultra-processed foods: Full report  ETHealthWorldUltra-Processed Foods Could Be Harming Your Brain  U.S. News & World ReportCommon Snack Foods Raise Risk of Cognitive Problems, Neurologists Warn  Newsweek

Kourtney Kardashian details ‘traumatic’ emergency fetal surgery: It was ‘terrifying’

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Kourtney Kardashian described the “trauma” of her emergency fetal surgery for the first time. The reality star opened up about the experience on Thursday’s Season 5 premiere of “The Kardashians,” which she filmed while 31 weeks pregnant. “We had planned a scan at home so all the kids could see the baby,” she said in a confessional, noting that her husband, Travis Barker, was “about to leave for tour” with his band, Blink-182. She detailed the “terrifying” and “traumatic” procedure on “The Kardashians.” HULU She was 31 weeks pregnant while filming. Hulu Explore More When “a high-risk doctor who is really detailed and thorough at looking for everything” did the scan, “something caught his eyes.” The doctor sent Kardashian, 45, “to see a couple specialists,” which resulted in her “terrifying” surgery. She did not detail the specific problem but called it a “super rare thing,” clarifying that her doctor said it wasn’t “age-related” and the expectant star did “nothing wrong.” The issue, which she did not identify in specificity, was a “super rare thing.” Kourtney Kardashian / Instagram The reality star clarified that it wasn’t “age-related.” Kourtney Kardashian / Instagram Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! Because the little one was operated on in utero, the Poosh creator remained on strict bed rest through the rest of her pregnancy. “There’s a hole in the amniotic sac from where they had to go in,” she explained. “I’m not allowed to drive. I’m not allowed to stand for more than 20 minutes. I’m really not leaving the house.” At the time, Kardashian’s hospital stay made headlines as Barker, 48, left the European leg of his tour to support his wife. Barker left his Blink-182 tour to support her at the time. kourtneykardash/Instagram Kardashian was subsequently on bedrest. Poosh/Kourtney Kardashian Barker “His Wifi was broken on the plane so the whole time he couldn’t get updates,” the Hulu personality recalled on the show. “He couldn’t get anything. He kept checking every two hours.” The drummer blamed his September 2023 absence on a “family emergency,” and Kardashian waited two months to reveal the reason for her hospitalization via Instagram. Kourtney Kardashian fans also love… Her followers were “so grateful that she shared” the scare publicly, Kardashian told viewers. “So many people don’t feel comfortable even telling their friends or family members because they’re like did they do something wrong,” she said. She couldn’t stand for more than 20 minutes. kourtneykardash/Instagram The Poosh creator gave birth to son Rocky in November 2023. Instagram/@kourtneykardash Her and Barker’s baby boy, Rocky, was born in November 2023. Kardashian is also the mother of Mason, 14, Penelope, 11, and Reign, 9, with ex Scott Disick, while Barker shares Landon, 20, and Alabama, 18, with ex-wife Shanna Moakler. New episodes of “The Kardashians” premiere Thursdays on Hulu. ...

Nikki Haley says she’ll vote for Donald Trump in 2024 presidential race

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Nikki Haley said on Wednesday that she will vote for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 general election during her first public appearance since dropping out of the GOP primary.  “I put my priorities on a president who's going to have the backs of our allies and hold our enemies to account who would secure the border,” Haley said during a discussion on foreign policy at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank.  “Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I've made that clear many, many times.” she said. “But Biden has been a catastrophe. So I will be voting for Trump.” But Haley also urged her former Republican opponent to do do a better job of courting her supporters. Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they're just going to be with him," she said. "And I genuinely hope he does."Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter GuideAlthough she dropped out of the GOP presidential primary in March, Haley is continuing to rack up a notable share of votes against Trump in states across the country. Just last week, the former Ambassador to the United Nations received 20% of the vote in Maryland, 17.9% in Nebraska and 9.4% in West Virginia.Haley was the last candidate standing against Trump in the GOP race. In the weeks leading up to her exit from the race, Haley ramped up attacks against Trump – at one point describing him as a “a disaster” for the Republican Party.  The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Haley's foreign policy warningHaley’s comments on the 2024 election came after a nearly 30-minute foreign-policy speech in which she drew sharp comparisons between the current moment and the dawn of World War II. “Such a crisis is closer than we think,” Haley said. “Joe Biden is rushing toward it, and some Republicans would move us toward war as well."Her sharpest condemnations in the address were targeted at the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas War. Haley admonished the Democratic president for threatening to withhold weapons from Israel, arguing that such an action thrusts the U.S. closer to direct conflict. "Israel is fighting America’s enemies. Not just Hamas, but also Hezbollah, the Houthis, and most of all, Iran.” she said. “Biden gave our enemies a green light for more bloodshed.” Biden earlier this month said he would halt the shipment of weapons to Israel, after acknowledging that some had been used to kill civilians in Gaza. The Democratic president's administration says it has only withholding one weapons system over concerns about a major ground operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had been sheltering.Haley during her speech also addressed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash on Sunday.The former diplomat said the "crash couldn’t have happened to a worse person," adding that, "the people of Iran are better off without him."And Haley directed some ire toward Republicans in Congress, who for months opposed a funding package that would have boosted Ukraine’s ability to fight. While Haley said she supported the GOP lawmakers' goal of decreasing U.S. foreign aid, she argued that funding for countries like Israel and Ukraine isn’t the same.  “It’s an investment in a world in which authoritarian dictators cannot run roughshod over free countries,” she said.“We can turn inward, but the outside world won’t leave us alone,” Haley warned. “Failing to act is the worst action of all. And delaying will only lead to more difficult decisions—and a greater chance of catastrophe.” Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY

Australia’s first human case of bird flu confirmed in a child who got the infection while in India – The Times of India

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Australia's first human case of bird flu confirmed in a child who got the infection while in India  The Times of IndiaAustralia reports first human avian flu infection  Reuters.comAustralia reports imported human H5N1 avian flu case and unrelated high path poultry outbreak  University of Minnesota Twin CitiesAustralia's First Human Case Of Bird Flu Reported In Child  Forbes