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magic seaweed ocean city nj Unai Emery felt his Aston Villa side restored confidence by returning to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Brentford in the Premier League. Morgan Rogers’ fourth goal of the season, an Ollie Watkins penalty and Matty Cash’s finish put Villa 3-0 up after 34 minutes. Mikkel Damsgaard pulled one back for Brentford in the second half but the damage had been done as Villa ended their eight-match winless run in all competitions. Emery was relieved to end the unwanted streak but quickly turned his attention to the next fixture against Southampton on Saturday. “We broke a spell of bad results we were having,” the Villa boss said. “We started the first five or 10 minutes not in control of the game but then progressively we controlled. “Today we achieved those three points and it has given us confidence again but even like that it’s not enough. We have to keep going and think about the next match against Southampton on Saturday. “The message was try to focus on each match, try to forget the table. How we can recover confidence and feel comfortable at home. Today was a fantastic match.” Tyrone Mings returned to the starting line-up in the Premier League for the first time since August 2023. Emery admitted it has been a long road back for the 31-year-old and is pleased to have him back. He added: “Mings played in the Champions league but it’s the first time in the league for a year and three months. “I think he played fantastic – he might be tired tomorrow but will be ready for Saturday again. “It was very, very long, the injury he had. His comeback is fantastic for him and everybody, for the doctor and physio and now he’s training everyday.” Brentford fell to a sixth away defeat from seven games and have picked up only a solitary point on the road this season. They have the best home record in the league, with 19 points from seven matches, but they have the joint worst away record. Bees boss Thomas Frank is confident form will improve on the road. He said: “On numbers we can’t argue we are better at home than away, but on numbers it’s a coincidence. I think two of the seven away games have been bad. “The other games we performed well in big spells. I’m confident at the end of the season we will have some wins away from home.” Frank felt Villa should not have been given a penalty when Ethan Pinnock brought Watkins down. He added: “I want to argue the penalty. I don’t think it is (one). I think Ollie kicked back and hit Ethan, yes there is an arm on the shoulder but threshold and all that – but that’s not the reason we lost.”

Arcane ‘s second and final season has not only meant a lot to its fans and League of Legends -maker, Riot Games , it’s also meant a lot to the people behind the scenes who brought the Emmy award-winning animated series to light. Moreover, the show, which is widely regarded as one of the best video game adaptations ever , also has the added benefit of centering its epic narrative around a queer couple, Vi and Caitlyn Kiramman . To gain insights into the intimacy, love, and conflict in Arcane ‘s final season (and get juicy details about the CaitVi ship straight from the source ), we spoke with lead writer Amanda Overton and asked her how she, Riot Games, and Fortiche worked together to bring the show’s most resonant moments to life. The interview has been edited for brevity. Isaiah Colbert, io9: Video game adaptations often walk the line for fans with how well they follow their source material and whether or not they go to the beat of their own drum. What was your guiding principle for writing Arcane ’s second and final season? Amanda Overton: The guiding principle was always to make the best TV show possible. We were really fortunate that Riot was behind us in saying, “We know this is a TV show, not a game. You do you when it comes to making the best TV show you can.” Christian [Linke] and Alex [Yee] had been at Riot Games since there were only 40 people at that company. Alex actually helped create a lot of the champions that everybody loved. And they really loved the game, really loved the fans. We always wanted to be inspired by the game, and there was an element of how much of the game and the lore we could draw from so that fans would recognize things that they loved in the show as well. One of the funniest examples for me is creating the Z-Drive for Ekko in episode seven. He had this lore of having crafted the Z-Drive, the magic from these different shards of magic crystals, and we were like, “Oh, we have shards of magic crystals that might be left in the wall of that exciting event in our series.” We thought it would be fun if it was something that ended up in that alternate reality killing Vi, one of our favorite characters, then it would take Powder overcoming her emotional trauma in order to help him with that. It was a way to be inspired by the lore and add that emotional dimension we had crafted in the television series. io9: Arguably, one of Arcane ’s most gratifying moments was the canonization of Caitlyn and Vi. In a medium that’s often been accused of queerbating, fetishizing, burying its gays, or outright censoring them, as was the case with The Legend of Korra ’s Korrasami, queer animation fans have gotten used to getting the short end of the stick with their romances either being heavily implied or flatly denied. Online, you’ve become known as a soothsayer with your credits on shows like Monarch and Severance, with their queer representation. What went into your mind when writing an explicitly queer representation in one of the most prominent video game-adapted television shows between Caitlyn and Vi? Overton: In the very first week of the writer room, I was like, “OK, where’s the romance in the show?” And [Linke and Yee] were like, “It’s going to be Cait and Vi. They’ve been hinted at in the game, but they’ve never been made canon. So we want our show to make them canon.” And I was like, “I can help you with that” because I always loved video games my whole life. I loved these big, massive IP shows and stories. And I think the first time I saw [ The Last of Us: ] Left Behind , I sobbed. I sobbed for like 24 hours straight because it felt like a queer relationship in a space that I had loved so much for so long. It’s really hard to recognize the absence of a thing, but then when you finally see it for the first time, that makes a huge difference to me to see and feel that. For me, it was just a huge responsibility to tell an epic series-long romance. We were going to make them endgame. So we had to make, for me, the most satisfying things are the journeys that are most difficult to come by. I was like, “Well, we’ve got to make this as hard as possible. If Caitlyn’s an enforcer, what if enforcers killed Vi’s parents?” That was something we invented in the first week of the room so they would have the hardest possible journey to come together. But we also needed to understand how they could fall in love. That needs to be based on mutual respect. The first hurdle we had was Caitlyn. She’s an enforcer [with] a life of privilege. She didn’t have to fight, but she chose to fight. Whereas Vi, for her whole life, felt like to get anything, she always had to fight. So, she could look at someone who didn’t have to fight and chose to fight anyway. That was the kernel of, “Oh, she could respect that in Caitlyn.” If we could find some reason that these two very opposite people could respect each other, then we could find a way to make them fall in love. io9: Can you describe what it was like seeing the giant CaitVi mural in Brazil? Overton: No (laughs)! It was so overwhelming. I couldn’t even find words for it. It really was. The mural at the finale event when the scene of them getting together finally happens—the sex scene—the fan reaction was the loudest of the entire end of the series. It was as loud as a jet engine, the sound guy told me. To see people cheering so much for two queer characters to get together, that’s never happened to me before. You see a giant mural of two women in love in the center of a giant city. That’s never happened to me before. My 16-year-old self, who felt awkward and weird and loved video games and Star Wars , and never felt like she belonged. If she saw this, she would feel like she belonged. That’s the reason I write stories now, so it means the world to me. io9: One point of contention fans have had with the season is its pacing in the second act. Many fans were hoping Caitlyn’s turn to fascism would last longer and be challenged in a big way—likely by Ekko (though he’s noticeably absent). Caitlyn does come to grips with her fall from grace by saying “I know” rather than “I’m sorry” when Vi holds her feet to the fire in their confrontation in act three. What does Caitlyn’s “I know” signify to you? Overton: I think we always try to show with actions—I think actions are far more powerful than words. So we always knew that Caitlyn’s apology to Vi would take place in the way she was able to forgive Jinx. She had Jinx in custody. She could have gotten the justice that she always wanted. Instead, she chooses Vi. In letting Vi escape and have the key, there’s a world where Vi and Jinx disappear, and she never sees either of them again. So she very selflessly gave up anything she wanted at that moment to try and take an action that would be doing the right thing—that would be atoning for those mistakes. Like she says, you can never take back the mistakes. You can only try to make up for them. And so, I think that “I know” is her acknowledging to everyone that “I made mistakes, and I can’t take them back, but I can certainly take action to try and fix that.” And in the end, she gives her eye. She’s willing to die and give her eye to try again, to try and keep making up for those mistakes. io9: Maddie was a character Arcane fans loved to hate this season because she served as Caitlyn’s rebound from Vi. From a writer’s perspective, was Maddie’s purpose in the show—to give fans something to hate, or was there an added layer of reasoning to put her as a foil to Caitlyn and Vi’s romance? Overton: The biggest romances need obstacles. One of the things that Caitlyn was struggling with this season was, “Who am I now that my mom’s gone and I’m the head of the Kiramman family? Do I have to do what my mom wanted me to do? Do I have to live the Kiramman name like my mom did, or can I make it my own?” And so, in the beginning, she leans into the council and the leadership that her mom did. I didn’t just want it to be professional, I wanted it to also be personal. What would it look like if she dated someone her mom might’ve approved of? And so, I think for her, she’s trying on things to see if they fit and realizes they don’t. And that helps her understand what she really wants. io9: Obviously, this interview has become the CaitVi interview, so I’ve got you cornered here to ask some of those questions. It goes without saying that Caitlyn and Vi always dug each other in the first season, whether it be through visual tells like their many microexpressions, stolen glances at each other, match-frame shots. This season ramped things up in a big way in a scene where Caitlyn held Vi prisoner and—instead of whipping Vi’s spit away from her mouth like a normal person—Caitlyn wiped it across her lips. It behooves me to ask, did you have a hand in concocting that scene? And if so, what was going through either person’s mind at that moment? Overton: The spit scene or the sex scene? io9: The spit scene. We’ll get to the other one. Overton: I think a storyboard artist or an animator did that. That’s not something that I had a hand in. The whole team knew from the beginning that this couple was gonna be the endgame. There were 400 people working on the show, pitching ideas and figuring out ways to make them together from the length of time they embrace to which direction they move their hands. Every single person was in on this together. That’s another reason there are so many special little moments between them: because it was such a team effort to bring this to life. io9: Now we’ve arrived at the sex talk! Arcane ’s eighth episode sees Caitlyn and Vi finally culminating their romance. Were there any hard lines or notes you had as deal breakers for how the intimacy of the love scene would be depicted, and what it absolutely needed to have incorporated into it? If so, what and why? Overton: Another person that really helped bring that to life was the storyboard artist, Silvia [Martelossi]. She, like everybody, put all of their ideas of what they wanted to see in there. Our guiding light was that this was the culmination of love and a romantic relationship in our series, so it had to be better than that Jayce and Mel sex scene. It had to show more. It had to bring to life everything that these characters were and had done. I always approach writing a sex scene the same way I approach writing an action scene [and] a dialogue scene. There have to be dramatic twists and turns that happen in that action that reveals something about the characters, from how playful they are, how vulnerable they are, and the way they look at each other. Every single moment of that, you had to learn something new about their relationship. It says a lot about the action of the apology, the action of Cait having regret for having hit Vi at the end of episode three. All of that is in there. That’s why I’m really proud of how much that scene says about them, the climax of their arcs, and the forgiveness that they’re both willing to have for each other in that moment. To me, that the most important thing to do. And again, that whole team came together. Our storyboard artist, Silvia, really worked hard. She crafted a lot of wonderful beats, [and gave them] a lot of texture there. The episode’s directors also helped. Christian, Alex, everybody had a say. They also really listened to me. They’re like, “Amanda, what do you think?” And I was like, “Well, as the lesbian in the room, what about this?” And they respected, helped, empowered, and rallied around me to make it feel as authentic as it could. I know everyone has a different perspective, but to me, it felt like something the world hadn’t seen before in a story like a big video game IP. They just didn’t exist. I think we were able to put every single thing into that scene that we wanted to put into it. io9: What is the significance of their first time being in a jail cell? Overton: Honestly, the first time that was pitched to me—it wasn’t my original idea—I was like, “Really, the jail cell?” Whenever you strongly react to something, I think that’s an indication that you need to lean into it and explore. That’s what storytelling is: having strong emotional reactions to something and then figuring out why. And I was like, “Oh, well, this could be a way for Vi to reclaim that space for herself and use that to work through some of her past trauma or to reframe things that had been negative in her life to something positive.” I was like, “We’re gonna have to work really hard, you guys, to make this the right place for this moment.” I think with the lighting, the framing, and the way that the directors orchestrated everything felt beautiful. When we got to see her tattoo for the first time—everyone wanted to see her whole tattoo— I was like, “Well, that’s gonna happen in that scene.” The way we reveal that got to be really beautiful and special for both of them—Cait’s reaction to seeing my tattoo [and] Cait’s reaction to everything in that moment. Everybody worked really hard to make that location work and I think everyone has a visceral reaction to that. That’s what you want as a writer. You want your audience to feel something visceral when they see something. So I was really proud of the team for making that work. io9: Aside from CaitVi, Arcane season two has also done stellar work with other dynamics—with confirmed ships like Jinx and Ekko or an implied alt-universe romance between Silco and Vander. But one of the biggest ships to come out of Arcane outside of CaitVi is a ship between Jayce and Viktor, thanks in major part to the intimacy of their writing throughout the show and how they go out, as the fans say, in a “cosmic yaoi” style. Was the writing of Jayce and Viktor’s relationship intended to be strictly platonic, or are fans justified in reading it as romantic? Overton: Fans are always justified in reading things the way they want to because that’s part of making art. When you do a thing for it based on you, it doesn’t actually have meaning until other people give it their own meaning. My backstory is very different from your backstory and my experiences are very different from yours so I can only speak from my experience. When I put a thing that I’ve written out in the world, then everyone brings their own different experiences to it. We were writing them as a loving, brotherly relationship that unambiguously [had] love between them. When it got to that final moment, it was so romantic and beautiful to me when I saw it for the first time—the way Fortiche put it together—I was like, “Oh, well maybe there is hope [for] these guys to have some future beyond what the show intended.” That was really cool for me to see. If people want to imagine that, I think they can, and that’s wonderful. Now that the show is over, if there’s the potential for that out there, then that’s potential that our fans can realize for themselves. io9: On Twitter, you mentioned that episode seven, “Pretend Like It’s the First Time,” was your favorite episode. Going by the outpouring of fan art and Stormae’s song topping the global charts, it’s safe to say the feeling is mutual. What makes the episode such a standout for you as a writer? Overton: What makes it such a standout is that you really can only do a standalone or an episode that exists outside the structure of a show when you successfully establish the structure of a show. We were able to come up with a very consistent version of how Arcane feels, how Arcane is paced, and the stories that we’re telling. Then we were able to step outside of that for one episode and make something a little bit different than what Arcane is: something more hopeful, something more colorful, and something kind of more of a rom-com. It still has all the seeds of Arcane , but I always called it the ’90s romance episode of Arcane. I was like, “Yes, that’s something I can totally do. Teen romance, I love it.” We’ve seen a lot of alternate universes now and how string theory has percolated with the Marvel infinite universe television shows doing that. We said, “Let’s take that and do our version.” Because everyone’s so familiar with this right now, we don’t have to spend much time explaining the multiverse. People will just instantly get “multiverse,” which means we can lean into what the potential of this relationship could be. Ekko gets to see Benzo again; he gets to see Vander again, and he gets to see Milo and Clagger if they grew up. And most importantly, he gets to see a version of Powder who grew up not becoming Jinx. I think [that’s] what was great about that episode. We got to see and imagine a future for all these characters that didn’t have one in our series. For Powder in particular, we got to show that there’s always some Jinx in Powder. Which is important because in the other timeline we got to show that there’s always gonna be some Powder in Jinx. That was exciting for us, to be able to give more depth to both of those characters and give Ekko everything he needs in the other timeline to kind of complete his arc. He got disillusioned with the darkness of Zaun and from having to fight so long. We were able to use the romance and love in that episode to bring hope back into Ekko’s life so that he would be fighting from a place of hope again. io9: Endings are hard, though it’s a testament to the show and your writing that the major complaint from a majority of fans is that they wish they had more time with the show. If you could expand anything from the show, what element of the show would you have liked to have had more time exploring and why? Overton: The second season took four years for us to write and produce. So, we combed over and spent a lot of time putting in every scene we thought was important, tracking every arc [and] storyline that we could. We’re very proud of how much all of those stories landed for people and how people felt emotional connection and understanding of the arcs that we chose to tell. It’s wonderful to hear that people’s biggest complaint is they wish they had more time with these characters. That’s a very flattering, humbling thing for a writer to feel like we’ve crafted characters and stories that people resonate with so much and so deeply. If I could just write a novel or write something else outside of the context of Arcane , I really loved Viktor’s character. He had one of the biggest arcs in the whole series. I would want to dive into his mindset a little bit more and his past. We had a lot of ideas about who he was when he lived in Zaun, who his parents were, [and] how that shaped who he was. So, maybe the Viktor backstory novel would be something that would be interesting. io9: What does Caitlyn’s question about Vi “still being in the fight” mean to you? Overton: I think the best endings have always left things unsaid and open to interpretation. Those are the endings where I’m like, “But what did they mean by that?” I was like, “Ooh, we nailed that final line.” So many people think one thing, but other people can think another thing about Jinx’s fate and things like that, and why they made the choices they made. But I think what Caitlyn [said], what I took away from that was, the things that they have to do are just beginning rather than being over. The characters are quite young in our series. They’re like in their early 20s or 20 years old. And me being in my 40s, I’m like, “That’s a whole ‘nother lifetime with things that you guys have to do together.” And the things that I’ve learned in the past 20 years, I’d say that’s most of what I’ve learned in my whole life. So we wanted to say that their stories are just beginning together and what they’re going to do next is—it’s kind of now up to the audience to decide and imagine. io9: You’re set to develope Fortiche’s upcoming sci-fi Greek mythology story, Penelope of Sparta . What should fans expect out of the series given what you’ve accomplished with Arcane ? Overton: We’re trying to use that the signature Fortiche style to develop a new IP that they do on their own. This was an idea that Fortiche had that they came to me and pitched. They wanted to do a prequel to The Odyssey . They wanted to do something set in a Greek mythology-inspired world, but with the Fortiche twist on it. We’ve been working on that project now for a year, developing what’s the story that we like in a different world that isn’t the Runeterra and League of Legends universe. I think you can expect romance, you can expect trauma, and tragedy. Like all good Greek epics, it is about how a personal family story affects the political on a big scale. You can expect a lot of tragedy with a little bit of hope. io9: With Arcane bookended, what are your hopes moving forward for future writing projects? Are there any dream projects in the wings? Overton: Obviously, Arcane was a dream project for me, to get to work on a video game adaptation being such a big video game fan. [ Arcane is] such a huge expansive massive world-building show. Those are things I love to bring to life. Getting to have that canon queer couple as at the center of the show, those are all my boxes checked off in one project. But I think moving forward, I would like opportunities to tell more stories in spaces like that. There’s been a lot of really great adaptations of video games coming out recently. I’m really excited by the potential future storytelling for those adaptations and I hope that Arcane can kind of pave the way and open the door to get to do more stories like that. All episodes of Arcane are streaming on Netflix.

House passes bill limiting energy efficiency mandates on home laundry machinesAliens among us? The recent drone sightings over northern New Jersey have raised suspicions among residents, prompting widespread speculation about the potential causes of the mysterious events. The White House has officially ruled out the involvement of foreign adversaries or hobbyists in the drone incursions, leaving many to wonder if extraterrestrial forces could be responsible. Bizarre Sightings and Theories Social media has been flooded with videos and images showing bright orbs and triangular-shaped drones soaring through the night sky, performing erratic flight patterns that defy normal expectations. George Noory, the host of Coast-to-Coast AM and a prominent figure in the field of unexplained phenomena remarked, “It’s bizarre. There’s something else very, very nefarious about this.” Noory noted that the drones seem to be avoiding detection, sometimes turning off their lights and flying undetected. He speculated that this could even be an act of war, saying, “They shut their lights off, they are undetectable in some cases. It’s very, very bizarre. This could be an act of war for all I know.” However, when questioned about the possibility of extraterrestrial involvement like alines, Noory dismissed the idea, stating, “I’m going to rule out extraterrestrial. It doesn’t sound like that. It sounds more like a military effort than anything else.” Pentagon Weighs In As Aliens Possibility Trends Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed that the initial assessment ruled out foreign adversaries as the source of the drone activity. “This is not the work of a foreign adversary or a foreign entity,” she stated. In response to growing concerns, the FBI and Homeland Security have launched investigations, while local politicians have offered varying opinions on the matter. White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby clarified that many of the drones reported are actually manned aircraft being operated lawfully. The drone activity first gained attention in northern New Jersey, particularly around Morris County, in November. Residents described sightings of drones flying in groups at night, often with their lights off. These drones appear to evade detection by helicopters and other monitoring systems while netizens question whether these are aliens. Drones or aliens! Noory highlighted several locations that have been the focus of the drone activity, including the Picatinny Arsenal, a military research facility, and Bedminster, where former President Donald Trump’s golf course is located. In addition, critical infrastructure such as water reservoirs, electrical transmission lines, police stations, and military bases have also been surveyed by the drones. Drones are legal in the U.S. as long as they are registered with the FAA, and specific guidelines govern their operation in certain areas. However, there are no-fly zones around airports, military installations, nuclear plants, and certain other locations, such as stadiums during sporting events. The FAA has issued a temporary flight ban over the golf course and military base after requests from federal agencies. Noory speculated that the lack of official communication from the government could indicate a more serious underlying issue, suggesting, “Maybe there’s something that’s a little more nefarious, a little more dangerous and they don’t want to alert and panic the public.” He expressed hope that the government is investigating thoroughly, adding, “I have to assume they are — they’re just not letting us all know what’s going on.” Government Action and Public Response One of the most striking elements of the sightings has been the size and sophistication of the drones, which Noory emphasized are unlikely to be operated by hobbyists. “They obviously are not from hobbyists. There’s not a bunch of kids flying these little toys around,” he remarked. Politicians, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, have called for aggressive action, with some suggesting the drones should be shot down if necessary. When asked about the feasibility of such action, Noory confidently replied, “Oh, yeah, we’ve got the technology to take these out. There’s no question.” Despite these calls for action, the government has not yet disclosed its plans for dealing with the drones, leaving residents and observers to speculate about the next steps. Noory predicted that the situation may eventually lead to the drones being targeted, stating, “I think we may be watching them right now. But eventually, we’re going to take action and probably start shooting these things down.” As the mystery deepens, a Facebook group with over 32,000 members has emerged, where individuals share theories and concerns about the drone activity including the presence of aliens . One group member, Madison Leigh, suggested that the drones might be leaving chemtrails behind them. Meanwhile, others, like Jenna Diehl from Pohatcong, New Jersey, have shared their own unsettling encounters with the drones. Diehl reported seeing hundreds of drones over her home in a single night, writing, “These are not manmade drones. These are huge. We are being watched and we are being invaded.” While theories about the origin and purpose of the drones continue to circulate, the true nature of the invasion remains unclear. As investigations continue, the public waits for answers regarding the mysterious drone sightings that have sparked both fear and fascination. Also Read: Cyclone Chido: Hundreds Feared Dead As The Storm Rips Through French Island Of MayotteAI was everywhere in 2024. Here are the biggest stories of the year.

Distinguished by its unusual morphology and a reproductive system based on something called "sexual ... [+] parasitism," the anglerfish represents a study in how life adapts to severe environmental constraints. The deep-sea, shrouded in perpetual darkness, extreme pressure and scarcity of resources, is high on the list of the most inhospitable ecosystems of our planet. Surviving here isn’t easy, and finding a mate can be next to impossible—an isolation that has driven unique adaptations like deep-sea gigantism , slow metabolism and extraordinary reproductive strategies . Of the various mating strategies employed by deep-sea creatures, the “sexual parasitism” of the anglerfish stands out as possibly the most disturbing. But first things first, what is an anglerfish? The Deep-Sea Anglerfish Is A Predator Built For Success The anglerfish, a member of the Lophiiformes order of fish, includes over 200 species, each adapted to life at depths ranging from approximately 656 to 6,562 feet below sea level. This means anglerfish call the twilight zone home, regularly venturing even deeper into the midnight zone. These depths are characterized by minimal light penetration, which causes the species that thrive here to develop unique adaptations for feeding, reproduction and survival. In fact, anglerfish exhibit a suite of morphological features optimized for feeding in this light-limited environment, including sharp, needle-like teeth and a remarkably elastic jaw, enabling them to capture and consume prey of varying sizes. The midnight zone is not a place for picky eaters. Mystery Drones Over New Jersey And Nearby States: Mayorkas Says ‘We Are On It’—But No Known Foreign Involvement (Updating) Gmail Account Deletion Warning—Act Now To Save Your Email In 2025 Northern Lights Forecast: Aurora Borealis May Be Visible In These 10 States Tonight The most iconic feature of the anglerfish, however, is its bioluminescent lure, an appendage derived from a modified dorsal spine. This “fishing rod,” (which is where the fish derives its name from) hosts symbiotic bioluminescent bacteria and serves as a lure that attracts prey close to the anglerfish’s mouth. This illustration shows how the bioluminescent lure of the anglerfish works. Creatures, like ... [+] lanternfish, bristlemouths, hatchetfish and small squid, are drawn to the glowing lure, mistaking it for prey, only to be swiftly captured by the anglerfish's sharp, needle-like teeth. This adaptation is especially significant given the energetic limitations of the deep sea; by luring prey rather than actively hunting, the anglerfish minimizes energy expenditure—a critical advantage in a resource-scarce ecosystem. Female Anglerfish Are Way Larger Than Males, Who Only Have One Job Anglerfish display pronounced sexual dimorphism , with females significantly out-sizing males. Female anglerfish, some of which can reach lengths of up to four feet, possess the primary adaptations for hunting and growth. Males, by contrast, are markedly smaller, less morphologically complex and specialized for a singular function: locating and attaching to a female in order to fulfill their reproductive role. In the vast, sparsely populated deep-sea environment, where encounters with potential mates are rare, anglerfish males have evolved a unique reproductive strategy known as sexual parasitism . Sexual parasitism begins with the male locating a female, typically by following chemical cues released as pheromones. Upon finding a female, the male attaches to her body by biting into her skin. This initial attachment triggers a biochemical process that facilitates tissue integration between the two fish—essentially the male’s head melts into the female’s body in a process called obligate parasitism. Soon, the male’s circulatory system merges with that of the female, effectively creating a shared blood supply. This fusion results in the atrophy of the male’s non-reproductive organs, ultimately transforming it into a permanent appendage that provides sperm on demand for fertilizing the female’s eggs. Why Sexual Parasitism Works For Both Male And Female Anglerfish Sexual parasitism represents an extreme solution to the challenges posed by the deep sea’s environment. By merging physically with the female, the male anglerfish no longer needs to forage independently or search repeatedly for a mate, as he is sustained entirely by nutrients derived from the female’s blood. For the female, this arrangement ensures a reliable supply of sperm, allowing her to reproduce without the need to seek additional mates. This reproductive system thus minimizes the energy costs and risks associated with mate-seeking behaviors, maximizing reproductive efficiency. The adaptability of this system across various species reflects the evolutionary advantage that sexual parasitism confers in the deep sea. Additionally, not all anglerfish species practice permanent attachment; some employ temporary attachment or non-parasitic mating behavior, which shows us just how diverse the reproductive strategies within this taxonomic order can be. From an evolutionary perspective, the phenomenon of sexual parasitism in anglerfish illustrates how environmental pressures can drive the development of highly specialized and interdependent relationships. The extreme dependence of the male on the female challenges traditional notions of symbiosis, as the male effectively forfeits his autonomy for the guarantee of survival and reproduction. This interdependence raises compelling questions about the nature of biological individuality, symbiotic relationships and the adaptive value of extreme specialization in isolated ecosystems. Observations of anglerfish behavior in their natural habitat are limited due to the difficulties associated with deep-sea research. A deep-sea lanternfish glows in the foreground, illuminated by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in ... [+] the background. Advances in deep-sea submersible technology are shedding new light on this mysterious underwater realm of darkness. However, advancements in deep-sea exploration technology, such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and submersibles, have allowed researchers to gather rare insights into these elusive species . Each encounter with anglerfish provides an opportunity to better understand the adaptive strategies employed by organisms in extreme environments and contributes to our understanding of how life persists under extraordinary conditions. The Deep Sea Is A Trove Of Evolutionary Insights The anglerfish’s unique evolutionary trajectory highlights the broader importance of preserving deep-sea ecosystems. These remote environments, once thought to be beyond human influence, are increasingly impacted by climate change, pollution and deep-sea mining activities. Protecting these habitats is essential not only for maintaining biodiversity but also for preserving the evolutionary innovations found within them. Each species in the deep sea represents a distinct solution to the challenges of survival in, arguably, the most extreme environment on Earth, offering insights that could add to various scientific fields. The fascinating adaptations of the anglerfish reveal just how interconnected life is, even in the most extreme environments. Understanding our own relationship with nature is just as important for preserving these incredible ecosystems. Take a test to explore your connectedness to nature now: Connectedness To Nature ScaleAI was everywhere in 2024. Here are the biggest stories of the year.

The Republican-led House Resolution 1612 , or Liberty in Laundry Act, would prohibit the Secretary of Energy from enforcing energy conservation standards for clothes washers or dryers that “are not cost-effective or technologically feasible.” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., who introduced the legislation, said the move is a response to the “slew of woke, ‘environmental’ nonsense rulemaking attempts” by the Biden administration and U.S. Department of Energy. “I have spent much of my time in Congress fighting back the federal government’s vast overreach into the lives of hardworking Americans,” Ogles announced after the bill’s passage Tuesday. “Americans should be able to do their laundry in peace without the input of Big Brother.” Earlier this year, the DOE finalized new updated standards for residential clothes washers and dryers which aim to cut costs and pollution. It estimates the regulations will reduce nearly 71 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions–equivalent to the combined annual emissions of nearly 9 million homes–and up to $39 billion on Americans’ energy and water bills over the next 30 years. House Democrats opposed the legislation's passage, saying "absolutely no one" stands to benefit from the law and accused Republicans of trying to curry favor with special interest groups. "H.R. 7673 guts popular energy efficiency standards for laundry machines – standards that save Americans money on their utility bills and reduce dangerous greenhouse gas pollution at the same time," said Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., D-N.J. "These efficiency standards create certainty for manufacturers and they protect consumers from rising costs. And, in the case of these laundry machine standards, they also reduce water use – a benefit that could greatly aid drought-prone regions around the nation." But the less electricity and water laundry appliances use, the less effectively they tend to perform, according to an Oct. 2024 report by the Institute for Energy Research. “Historically, appliances meeting Energy Department standards have often underperformed and have higher costs,” the report stated. “The Biden-Harris administration is imposing a series of regulations that are raising appliance prices and compromising quality for homeowners.” Unless the bill is signed into law, laundry appliance makers have until March 2028 to comply with the new rules.A New Brunswick doctor who admitted to touching a woman's buttocks, pelvis and breasts without her consent while out socializing in 2022 has been given a conditional discharge and sentenced to a year of supervised probation. Rémi Poitras, 30, of Edmundston, who specializes in family medicine and emergency medicine and now lives in Quebec, pleaded guilty in October to common assault . He was originally charged with sexual assault. The victim, who was a fourth-year student at the New Brunswick medical training centre in Moncton at the time, said she continues to be "deeply affected" and is disappointed Poitras pleaded guilty to the reduced charge. "By reporting the assault, I hoped to obtain some justice — not only for myself, but for the person that I could have been if all of this had not occurred, for the dreams that were delayed and broken, the missed opportunities, the difficult relationships and the destroyed confidence," she told the Moncton courtroom in French during a sentencing hearing Wednesday. But Rosalie Genest, now 28 and a resident physician in pediatrics in Quebec City, is still glad she came forward, and requested the court-imposed publication ban on her identity be lifted. "Throughout my healing process, I realized that it's not up to me to be ashamed of that," she explained in an interview with Radio-Canada after after the hearing, during which provincial court Judge Luc Labonté agreed to lift the ban. Judge accepts joint recommendation According to an agreed statement of facts, Genest was at the Tide & Boar bar on Main Street in Moncton on Oct. 29, 2022, when Poitras grabbed her buttocks. He then placed his hands on her hips and pelvis. Genest left the bar and got into a car driven by Poitras's female roommate to go home. Poitras joined them in the vehicle and Genest pretended to be asleep. That's when Poitras touched her breasts. On Wednesday, the judge accepted a joint sentencing recommendation from the Crown and defence. One act when you're drunk ... should not define you for the rest of your life. - Judge Luc Labonté "You're an important member of society that people look up to, so it's important that your actions always are appropriate," Labonté told Poitras. "Having said that, one act when you're drunk ... should not define you for the rest of your life either. And I understand that," he said, adding he believes Poitras is "truly remorseful." The conditional discharge means the offence will be removed from Poitras's criminal record in a year, unless he violates his probation. The conditions include not having any contact with the victim and following any treatment recommended by his probation officer. "I don't think the public at large will be shocked that you receive a discharge given the fact situation here," the judge said Victim still haunted by flashbacks Earlier in the hearing, Genest told the court via video conference how the offence has affected her mental health and her career. She considered her attacker to be someone she could trust — a colleague of her then-fiancé, a teacher at the medical training centre where she was studying for exams and even her doctor during an emergency consultation in 2021, she said. Following the incident, Genest said, she no longer felt safe. She was "terrorized by the idea of being alone," she said reading from a victim impact statement, which an interpreter then relayed to the court in English. The sentencing hearing was held at the Moncton courthouse Wednesday. (Kate Letterick/CBC News) Two years later, flashbacks still haunt her several times a day, she said. "These vivid remembrances still cause me the same panic, the same distress and the same helplessness that I felt during the crime." Stress and fear forced her to study only part time, she said. She couldn't work and even began to question her dream of becoming a doctor. Her monthly debts remind her just how much this assault has cost her, she said. Her life was once confident and "full of promise and possibilities." Today, she feels "broken and unrecognizable." Poitras describes 'mutual dance' Poitras's defence lawyer Carolyne Albert urged the judge to reject the victim's entire statement. Labonté opted instead to not take into consideration certain information that was not part of the agreed statement of facts. Meanwhile, Poitras told the court his version of the events that night, starting with what happened at the bar. "While dancing together, I touched her hips with my hands. And she touched me in return with her hands," he said. "We had both [been drinking] alcohol. There was no sexual intention. "There was never a moment where Ms. Genest used verbal language nor body language to indicate that she didn't want to dance together." Poitras, pictured outside the Moncton courthouse on Nov. 27, said he was surprised and scared to face a 'life-altering charge' for what he felt was a 'mutual dance.' (Pascal Raiche-Nogue/Radio-Canada) During the car ride, Genest rested her head on his chest and he placed his arm around her, he said, adding she interacted with the two other people in the vehicle for the entire trip. This contradicts the agreed statement of facts, when Poitras admitted to grabbing the victim's buttocks at the Tide & Boar and touching her breasts in the vehicle. "To say I was surprised to hear that I was being accused of an assault after this night would be an understatement. ... Facing a life-altering charge for what I felt like a mutual dance scared me," he said. "I feel deeply sorry that Ms. Genest feels I touched her without her consent. This would never be my intention." Poitras and his lawyer both declined to comment at the end of the hearing. College imposes conditions on medical licence When he pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, Poitras had no conditions on his medical licence. Restrictions have since been added, according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick's website. He is prohibited from engaging with any medical students or postgraduate trainees. In addition, all interactions with female patients are to be conducted in the presence of a chaperone, it says. Dr. Laurie Potter, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, confirmed the conditions on Poitras's licence but declined to discuss them, citing privacy. (College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick) Poitras's New Brunswick licence expires at the end of the month, according to the website. The Collège des médecins du Québec's website had no information about restrictions or disciplinary action.

A New Brunswick doctor who admitted to touching a woman's buttocks, pelvis and breasts without her consent while out socializing in 2022 has been given a conditional discharge and sentenced to a year of supervised probation. Rémi Poitras, 30, of Edmundston, who specializes in family medicine and emergency medicine and now lives in Quebec, pleaded guilty in October to common assault . He was originally charged with sexual assault. The victim, who was a fourth-year student at the New Brunswick medical training centre in Moncton at the time, said she continues to be "deeply affected" and is disappointed Poitras pleaded guilty to the reduced charge. "By reporting the assault, I hoped to obtain some justice — not only for myself, but for the person that I could have been if all of this had not occurred, for the dreams that were delayed and broken, the missed opportunities, the difficult relationships and the destroyed confidence," she told the Moncton courtroom in French during a sentencing hearing Wednesday. But Rosalie Genest, now 28 and a resident physician in pediatrics in Quebec City, is still glad she came forward, and requested the court-imposed publication ban on her identity be lifted. "Throughout my healing process, I realized that it's not up to me to be ashamed of that," she explained in an interview with Radio-Canada after after the hearing, during which provincial court Judge Luc Labonté agreed to lift the ban. Judge accepts joint recommendation According to an agreed statement of facts, Genest was at the Tide & Boar bar on Main Street in Moncton on Oct. 29, 2022, when Poitras grabbed her buttocks. He then placed his hands on her hips and pelvis. Genest left the bar and got into a car driven by Poitras's female roommate to go home. Poitras joined them in the vehicle and Genest pretended to be asleep. That's when Poitras touched her breasts. On Wednesday, the judge accepted a joint sentencing recommendation from the Crown and defence. One act when you're drunk ... should not define you for the rest of your life. - Judge Luc Labonté "You're an important member of society that people look up to, so it's important that your actions always are appropriate," Labonté told Poitras. "Having said that, one act when you're drunk ... should not define you for the rest of your life either. And I understand that," he said, adding he believes Poitras is "truly remorseful." The conditional discharge means the offence will be removed from Poitras's criminal record in a year, unless he violates his probation. The conditions include not having any contact with the victim and following any treatment recommended by his probation officer. "I don't think the public at large will be shocked that you receive a discharge given the fact situation here," the judge said Victim still haunted by flashbacks Earlier in the hearing, Genest told the court via video conference how the offence has affected her mental health and her career. She considered her attacker to be someone she could trust — a colleague of her then-fiancé, a teacher at the medical training centre where she was studying for exams and even her doctor during an emergency consultation in 2021, she said. Following the incident, Genest said, she no longer felt safe. She was "terrorized by the idea of being alone," she said reading from a victim impact statement, which an interpreter then relayed to the court in English. The sentencing hearing was held at the Moncton courthouse Wednesday. (Kate Letterick/CBC News) Two years later, flashbacks still haunt her several times a day, she said. "These vivid remembrances still cause me the same panic, the same distress and the same helplessness that I felt during the crime." Stress and fear forced her to study only part time, she said. She couldn't work and even began to question her dream of becoming a doctor. Her monthly debts remind her just how much this assault has cost her, she said. Her life was once confident and "full of promise and possibilities." Today, she feels "broken and unrecognizable." Poitras describes 'mutual dance' Poitras's defence lawyer Carolyne Albert urged the judge to reject the victim's entire statement. Labonté opted instead to not take into consideration certain information that was not part of the agreed statement of facts. Meanwhile, Poitras told the court his version of the events that night, starting with what happened at the bar. "While dancing together, I touched her hips with my hands. And she touched me in return with her hands," he said. "We had both [been drinking] alcohol. There was no sexual intention. "There was never a moment where Ms. Genest used verbal language nor body language to indicate that she didn't want to dance together." Poitras, pictured outside the Moncton courthouse on Nov. 27, said he was surprised and scared to face a 'life-altering charge' for what he felt was a 'mutual dance.' (Pascal Raiche-Nogue/Radio-Canada) During the car ride, Genest rested her head on his chest and he placed his arm around her, he said, adding she interacted with the two other people in the vehicle for the entire trip. This contradicts the agreed statement of facts, when Poitras admitted to grabbing the victim's buttocks at the Tide & Boar and touching her breasts in the vehicle. "To say I was surprised to hear that I was being accused of an assault after this night would be an understatement. ... Facing a life-altering charge for what I felt like a mutual dance scared me," he said. "I feel deeply sorry that Ms. Genest feels I touched her without her consent. This would never be my intention." Poitras and his lawyer both declined to comment at the end of the hearing. College imposes conditions on medical licence When he pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, Poitras had no conditions on his medical licence. Restrictions have since been added, according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick's website. He is prohibited from engaging with any medical students or postgraduate trainees. In addition, all interactions with female patients are to be conducted in the presence of a chaperone, it says. Dr. Laurie Potter, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, confirmed the conditions on Poitras's licence but declined to discuss them, citing privacy. (College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick) Poitras's New Brunswick licence expires at the end of the month, according to the website. The Collège des médecins du Québec's website had no information about restrictions or disciplinary action.Unai Emery feels confidence returning after Aston Villa end winless runAll-star goalie Thatcher Demko will return to the Vancouver Canucks lineup Friday. Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said Demko will backup Kevin Lankinen as Vancouver hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets. It will be Demko’s first game since April 21 when the Canucks beat the Nashville Predators 4-2 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. He suffered an injury to the popliteus muscle in his knee during the game and has been working his way back ever since. When the 28-year-old netminder from San Diego, Calif., gets a start remains to be seen, but having Demko back in uniform is an important step, Tocchet said. “He’s a leader on the team. He’s a different type of leader,” the coach said after morning skate Friday. “The guy works awfully hard. He’s spent a lot of time by himself working out, he’s here at 7 a.m. working with one trainer. So I think the what it’s contagious to me is the hard work he does. The young guys see this stuff how dedicated he is. I see that really helps our locker room.” Demko had a 35-14-2 record with a .918 save percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts in regular-season play last year and played in the all-star game for the second time in his career. Vancouver inked Lankinen to a one-year, US$875,000 deal during training camp and he has split the crease with Arturs Silovs to start the season, with the pair backstopping the Canucks to a 13-7-4 record.