James Webb telescope zooms in on a black hole that could reveal the truth about ‘little red dots’

A unique, X-ray-spewing black hole may help to confirm the enigmatic identity of “little red dots,” a curious class of objects that are observed mostly in the very early universe, approximately 12 billion light-years away.Astronomers have sought to classify little red dots (LRDs) since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) first spotted them shortly after it began science operations in 2022.Over the following few years, JWST discovered hundreds more of these ancient, compact curiosities, which look like little red dots partially because their light has been redshifted — stretched into longer wavelengths — as it has traveled across billions of…

Undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada opens Giants kicking competition

Better call Sauls (and Sanders). Undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada fired the opening salvo Saturday at Giants rookie minicamp in what is expected to be a kicking competition pitting him against incumbent Ben Sauls and former All-Pro Jason Sanders. Zvada went 5-for-5 on field goals, including a 55-yarder. “It’s going to…

Are we more closely related to cats or dogs?

They sleep on our beds, steal our food, and generally rule the house. Between them, cats and dogs make up two-thirds of pet ownership worldwide. But which of the two companion animals are we more closely related to?The answer depends on how you look at the question.”From an evolutionary perspective…

Mets’ Bo Bichette hitting better than woeful numbers suggest

PHOENIX — Bo Bichette’s numbers are lagging, perhaps along with his luck. The Mets infielder, still searching for his first real hot streak, entered Saturday with a disappointing .570 OPS, but his underlying numbers suggest he should be faring better. Bichette began play with a .231 batting average, but according…

Knicks have shot to repeat feat 37 years in making — sweeping rival 76ers

PHILADELPHIA — Before social media and brand marketing and everything else that’s snatched away most genuine reactions from team sports, Charles Oakley, the enforcer and spokesman of the Knicks, told a ballboy, “Go get that broom.”  The Knicks were in Philadelphia and just completed a first-round sweep of the Sixers.…

Blake Snell returns in Dodgers’ loss to Atlanta Braves

If the game was viewed as an extension of spring training, which is basically what it was for Blake Snell, the Dodgers’ 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night could be charitably classified as a success. After missing the first six weeks of the season, Snell was throwing…

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman remembers late Braves manager Bobby Cox

If the sun is blocked at some point Sunday by clouds passing over Dodger Stadium, Freddie Freeman won’t move his sunglasses to the brim of his cap. He doesn’t want his shades to obscure the Dodgers’ logo. “It will be on the back of my hat,” Freeman said. “That’s Bobby.…

SoCal Dem candidate accused of X-rated harassment by staff

An Orange County Democrat’s struggling campaign is fighting back after ex-staffers accused the candidate of turning a discussion about her fake boobs into an all-hands meeting. Janet Keo Conklin, a real estate agent and La Palma council member who is seeking to become Orange County’s next assessor, has denied allegations…

Emerging embryo-selection technologies are currently ‘little more than snake oil.’ But someday, they could widen social inequities.

The technology sounds like it’s been plucked from a science-fiction film — but it’s all too real.A number of companies now offer prospective parents the chance to “score” embryos fertilized through in vitro fertilization (IVF), based on the embryos’ genetic profiles. This technology, called polygenic embryo selection, uses genetics to…

Science news this week: China’s AI kung fu robots, physicists’ re-creation of the Big Bang soup, and a teenager buried with her father’s bones on her chest

This week’s science news was filled with some astonishing — and creepy — displays of technology’s accelerating progress.Top of the bill was a stunning demonstration of Chinese company Unitree Robotics’ humanoid robots, which somersaulted, flipped and kicked in a kung fu performance at this year’s Lunar New Year festival. The…

What is rigor mortis, and why does it happen?

After death, a series of natural processes begin within the human body. The corpse cools, pales and stiffens before it begins to decompose. The stiffening of the corpse is called rigor mortis. It’s viewed as macabre, creepy and unsettling, and it’s been used as a plot device in crime shows,…

Lakers’ win over Clippers is mixed bag when it comes  to takeaways

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ first game of the season with a fully healthy roster on Friday night against the Clippers provided all of the glimpses of optimism a stakeholder could hope for. It also highlighted some of their biggest concerns. The good for the Lakers in their 125-122 win…

Markets

More
More forecasts: Weather 30 days Sydney