Author: Benjamin Hughes

Bird flu case with "flu-like symptoms" reported in Colorado, 1 person hospitalized

Bird flu case with “flu-like symptoms” reported in Colorado, 1 person hospitalized

Benjamin Hughes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed a third U.S. bird flu hospitalization, Wyoming’s health department said Friday after a woman was admitted to a healthcare facility in neighboring Colorado.  The patient was experiencing “flu-like symptoms” and had “health conditions that can make people more vulnerable to illness,” Wyoming’s health department said. She

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Federal workers express shock, anger over mass firings: "You are not fit for continued employment"

Federal workers express shock, anger over mass firings: “You are not fit for continued employment”

Benjamin Hughes

Probational federal employees who lost their jobs on Thursday as part of the Trump administration’s mass firing of government workers expressed shock and anger at the terminations, which they contend will hurt the government’s ability to provide services.  President Trump is moving quickly to shrink the U.S. federal government — the nation’s largest employer — saying he

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U.S. Army bars transgender people from enlisting, ends gender-affirming care services

U.S. Army bars transgender people from enlisting, ends gender-affirming care services

Benjamin Hughes

The U.S. Army will no longer allow transgender people to enlist, and will stop providing gender-affirming care for service members, it announced on social media Friday. “The #USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members. Stay tuned for

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Researchers take a whiff of ancient Egyptian mummified remains: "We were surprised at the pleasantness"

Researchers take a whiff of ancient Egyptian mummified remains: “We were surprised at the pleasantness”

Benjamin Hughes

At first whiff, it sounds repulsive: sniff the essence of an ancient corpse. But researchers who indulged their curiosity in the name of science found that well-preserved Egyptian mummies actually smell pretty good. “In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” said Cecilia Bembibre, director of research at University College

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Federal layoffs start with huge number of probationary workers and warnings of bigger cuts on way

Federal layoffs start with huge number of probationary workers and warnings of bigger cuts on way

Benjamin Hughes

Washington — The Trump administration on Thursday intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nation’s largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who hadn’t yet gained civil service protection – potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers. In addition, workers at some agencies were

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Whale swallows kayaker and spits him out — and it's all captured on video: "I thought I was dead"

Whale swallows kayaker and spits him out — and it’s all captured on video: “I thought I was dead”

Benjamin Hughes

A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed. The incident, caught on camera, quickly went viral.  Last Saturday, Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, in Bahía El Águila near the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan when a humpback whale surfaced, engulfing Adrián and

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