NEW YORK (AP) — A new Tatooine-like planet outside the solar system may orbit two failed stars, scientists reported Wednesday.
Located about 120 light years away, the exoplanet appears to take an unusual path around two brown dwarfs, whipping around at a right angle. Brown dwarfs are sometimes called failed stars because they’re lighter than stars, but heavier than gas giant planets. A light year is nearly 6 trillion miles.
The brown dwarf pair was first spotted years ago. Scientists noticed that the twins eclipse each other so one is always partly blocked when seen from Earth.
In a new analysis, researchers found that the brown dwarfs’ motion was changing — a quirk that’s less likely to happen if they circled each other on their own. The research was published in the journal Science Advances.
Scientists know of over a dozen planets that orbit two stars like the fictional “Star Wars” scorching desert planet Tatooine with double sunsets that Luke Skywalker calls home.
The new planet’s odd orbit sets it apart. But it hasn’t been directly spied, and scientists say more research is needed to be sure it’s out there and figure out its mass and orbit.
“I wouldn’t bet my life that the planet exists yet,” said Simon Albrecht, an astrophysicist with Aarhus University who had no role in the new study.
Probing these wacky celestial bodies can help us understand how conditions beyond our solar system may yield planets vastly different from our own, said study author Thomas Baycroft with the University of Birmingham.
Planets circling twin stars “existed in sci-fi for decades before we knew that they could even really exist in reality,” he said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Duke’s Kon Knueppel is heading to the NBA after one college season.
The 6-foot-7, 217-pound wing announced his decision Wednesday after a season that included him being named MVP of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament while helping the Blue Devils reach the Final Four. Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists as the team’s No. 2 scorer behind Associated Press national player of the year Cooper Flagg.
“Forever a Blue Devil,” Knueppel posted on social media. “Taking the Brotherhood with me to the next chapter. #NBADraft.”
Knueppel is the first member of Duke’s touted freshman class to go pro. He’s widely projected as a lottery pick.
“He’s a guy that is really about competition,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said in social-media video posted by the program Wednesday. “He never shied away from the competitive plays that have to be made in order to win at a high level.”
Knueppel is an efficient, floor-spacing scorer who shot 47.9% from the field, 40.6% from 3-point range and 91.4% from the foul line. And while he typically played a wingman role to Flagg, he thrived in the forefront when Flagg was injured during the ACC Tournament, scoring 28 points against Georgia Tech, 17 against rival North Carolina and 18 against Louisville as the Blue Devils won a second title in Scheyer’s three seasons.
Knueppel is only the eighth freshman to win MVP honors at the ACC Tournament.
The Milwaukee native closed with 16 points in a loss to Houston in the national semifinals. His free throw with 1:14 left marked Duke’s final point as the Blue Devils faltered late with the Cougars rallying with the game’s last nine points in the final 33 seconds.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – With spring in full swing and summer right around the corner, state health officials are reminding North Carolinians to be cautious about ticks and mosquitos.
In 2024 alone, the state has already reported more than 900 cases of illnesses tied to these pesky biters. To help curb the spread, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human services is relaunching its “Fight the Bite” campaign to raise awareness and promote prevention. State public health veterinarian Emily Herring says the campaign brings awareness about vector-borne diseases.
“The goal is to help the public understand the risk of these diseases and what measures they can take to protect themselves from tick and mosquito bites,” said Herring.
April has been declared by Governor Josh Stein as “tick and mosquito” awareness month. Students across North Carolina were able to submit posters to promote the launch with the chance to get their poster featured on the N.C. Department of Health and Human services website.
“The winners are awarded prizes as well. If any students are interested and weren’t able to submit a poster this year we definitely encourage them to keep an eye out for the announcement next year and check out our website for inspiration,” said Herring.
If you start to feel symptoms after being bit by a tick or mosquito you should make an appointment with a healthcare professional.
“Usually the early symptoms of those diseases are pretty mild and include things like headaches, fatigue, joint and muscle pain and possibly a rash. If left untreated, you can develop more severe illness,” said Herring.
The risk of encounters with ticks and mosquitoes increases as the weather warms and more of us are outdoors. By staying informed and taking simple precautions, North Carolinians can enjoy the season safely while helping to prevent the spread of serious vector-borne diseases.
“The measures you can take to prevent tick bites are really pretty simple and includes things like wearing long sleeves and pants, using an EPA approved insect repellent,” added Herring. “For most of these tick-borne diseases the tick has to be attached to you for at least 24 hours to be able to transmit the disease, so you have a window where you can find and remove the tick and reduce your risk of getting one of these diseases.”
Before Swedish slow TV hit “The Great Moose Migration” began airing Tuesday, Ulla Malmgren stocked up on coffee and prepared meals so she doesn’t miss a moment of the 20-day, 24-hour event.
“Sleep? Forget it. I don’t sleep,” she said.
Malmgren, 62, isn’t alone. The show, called “ Den stora älgvandringen ” in Swedish, and sometimes translated as “The Great Elk Trek” in English, began in 2019 with nearly a million people watching. In 2024, the production hit 9 million viewers on SVT Play, the streaming platform for national broadcaster SVT.
‘The Great Moose Migration’ is inspiring mega-fans to slow down and follow the unlikely hit Swedish TV show. (AP Video)
The livestream kicked off a week ahead of schedule due to warm weather and early moose movement. Malmgren was ready.
From now until May 4, the livestream’s remote cameras will capture dozens of moose as they swim across the Ångerman River, some 300 kilometers (187 miles) northwest of Stockholm, in the annual spring migration toward summer grazing pastures.
Not much happens for hours at a time, and fans say that’s the beauty of it.
“I feel relaxed, but at the same time I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s a moose. Oh, what if there’s a moose? I can’t go to the toilet!’” said William Garp Liljefors, 20, who has collected more than 150 moose plush toys since 2020.
Slow TV success
“The Great Moose Migration” is part of a trend that began in 2009 with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK’s minute-by-minute airing of a seven-hour train trip across the southern part of the country.
The slow TV style of programming has spread, with productions in the United Kingdom, China and elsewhere. The central Dutch city of Utrecht, for example, installed a “ fish doorbell ” on a river lock that lets livestream viewers alert authorities to fish being held up as they migrate to spawning grounds.
Annette Hill, a professor of media and communications at Jönköping University in Sweden, said slow TV has roots in reality television but lacks the staging and therefore feels more authentic for viewers. The productions allow the audience to relax and watch the journey unfold.
“It became, in a strange way, gripping because nothing catastrophic is happening, nothing spectacular is happening,” she said. “But something very beautiful is happening in that minute-by-minute moment.”
As an expert and a fan of “The Great Moose Migration,” Hill said the livestream helps her slow down her day by following the natural rhythms of spring.
“This is definitely a moment to have a calm, atmospheric setting in my own home, and I really appreciate it,” she said.
Nature in your living room
The calming effect extends to the crew, according to Johan Erhag, SVT’s project manager for “The Great Moose Migration.”
“Everyone who works with it goes down in their normal stress,” he said.
The moose have walked the route for thousands of years, making it easy for the crew to know where to lay some 20,000 meters (almost 12 miles) of cable and position 26 remote cameras and seven night cameras. A drone is also used.
The crew of up to 15 people works out of SVT’s control room in Umeå, producing the show at a distance to avoid interfering with the migration.
SVT won’t say how much the production costs, but Erhag said it’s cheap when accounting for the 506 hours of footage aired last year.
Erhag said Swedes have always been fascinated by the roughly 300,000 moose roaming in their woods. The Scandinavian country’s largest animal is known as “King of the Forest.” A bull moose can reach 210 centimeters (6 feet 10 inches) at shoulder height and weigh 450 kilograms (992 pounds).
Despite their size, the herbivores are typically shy and solitary.
“We actually don’t see it very often. You often see it when you’re out driving maybe once or twice in your life,” Erhag said. “I think that’s one thing why it has been so, so popular. And then you bring in the nature to everyone’s living room.”
Hanna Sandberg, 36, first began watching the show in 2019, though she didn’t spot any moose. She tuned in the following year, finally saw some and got hooked.
“You can watch them and be a part of their natural habitat in a way that you could never be otherwise,” she said.
Moose mega-fans
After hours of showing an empty forest, a camera captures footage of a moose approaching the riverbank. Suddenly, slow TV turns urgent.
The push alert hits SVT’s app — “Första älgarna i bild!” which translates to “First moose on camera!” — as viewers worldwide tune in. The livestream’s chat explodes as commenters type encouragement for the animal, now making its way into the water.
”I would actually like to be a little fly on the wall in every household that watches the moose migration. Because I think there is about a million people saying about the same thing: ‘Go on! Yes, you can do it!’” Malmgren said.
Mega-fans like Malmgren, who is in a Facebook group of 76,000-plus viewers, are committed to watching as many hours as possible. Some viewers on Tuesday posted photos of their dogs and cats staring at their televisions, enthralled by the moose on the screen.
“I was late to school because I saw moose and my teacher was like, ‘What, you saw moose in the city?’ And I was like, ‘No, it’s on the TV,’” Garp Liljefors said ahead of Tuesday’s showing.
Malmgren said friends and family have learned not to bother her when the moose are on the move.
“When someone asks me, ‘What are you doing? Oh, never mind, it’s the great migration,’” she said. “They know.”
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and BEN FINLEY Associated Press
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge said Tuesday that she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison.
She also downplayed Monday’s comments by White House officials and El Salvador’s president that they were unable to bring back Abrego Garcia, describing their statements as “two very misguided ships passing in the night.”
“The Supreme Court has spoken,” Xinis said, adding that what was said in the Oval Office on Monday “is not before the court.”
In her written order published Tuesday evening, Xinis called for the testimony of four Trump administration officials who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
She expects the process to last about two weeks. Xinis wrote that Trump administration officials “have done nothing at all” toward returning Abrego Garcia. But, she wrote, they “remain obligated, at a minimum, to take the steps available to them toward aiding, assisting, or making easier Abrego Garcia’s release.”
The hearing came a day after White House advisers repeated the claim that they lack the authority to bring back the Salvadoran national from his native country. The president of El Salvador also said Monday that he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling “a terrorist into the United States.”
Abrego Garcia’s deportation has become a flashpoint as President Donald Trump follows up on campaign promises of mass deportations, including to an El Salvador prison. Following Tuesday’s hearing, a crowd outside the federal court house in Maryland chanted, “What do we want? Due process. When do we want it? Now!”
An attorney for Abrego Garcia said contempt proceedings could be the logical next step after the fact-finding phase. “This is still a win, and this is still progress,” Rina Ghandi said. “We’re not done yet, though.”
Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, said shortly before Tuesday’s hearing that he was working hard to achieve the American dream for his family.
“That dream was shattered on March 12th when he was abducted and disappeared by the United States government in front of our 5-year-old-child,” she said. “Today is 34 days after his disappearance … I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive.”
Meanwhile, Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said he’ll travel to El Salvador on Wednesday.
“My hope is to visit Kilmar and check on his wellbeing and to hold constructive conversations with government officials around his release,” Van Hollen said.
Abrego Garcia, 29, lived in the U.S. for roughly 14 years, during which he worked construction, got married and was raising three children with disabilities, according to court records.
A U.S. immigration judge had shielded Abrego Garcia from deportation to El Salvador in 2019, ruling that he would likely face persecution there by local gangs that had terrorized his family. He also was given a federal permit to work in the United States, where he was a metal worker and union member, according to Abrego Garcia’s lawyers.
But the Trump administration expelled Abrego Garcia to El Salvador last month anyway. Administration officials later described the mistake as “an administrative error” but insisted that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang.
Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime and has denied the allegations. His attorneys have pointed out that the criminal informant claimed he was a member of MS-13 in Long Island, New York, where he has never lived.
Xinis had ordered the Trump administration in early April to bring Abrego Garcia back. And the U.S. Supreme Court agreed last week that the U.S. government must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release.
But the White House has balked at trying to broker his return, arguing the courts can’t intrude on the president’s diplomacy powers.
Xinis ordered the U.S. on Friday to provide daily status updates on plans to return Abrego Garcia. The Trump administration responded the next day, saying he was alive in the El Salvador prison. But it has only doubled down on its decision not to tell a federal court whether it has any plans to repatriate Abrego Garcia.
In a filing Tuesday afternoon, Trump administration attorneys said the government is prepared to facilitate his return. But they said that his protection from being deported to El Salvador would be removed, and that he could be deported back to El Salvador or to a third country, they said.
In a court filing Tuesday, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers rejected the idea that the U.S. lacks the authority to retrieve him. They noted that the U.S. is paying El Salvador to hold prisoners, including Abrego Garcia, and “can exercise those same contractual rights to request their release.”
Bukele struck a deal under which the U.S. will pay about $6 million for El Salvador to imprison Venezuelan immigrants for a year. Trump has said openly that he would also favor El Salvador taking custody of American citizens who have committed violent crimes, which is likely illegal.
Preheat oven to 350° Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the parmesan cheese, cream cheese, crumbled bacon, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Using kitchen gloves or a plastic grocery sack to protect your hands, halve each jalapeño lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes using a paring knife. Spoon cheese mixture evenly into each jalapeño half.
Melt butter and pour over panko. Toss to coat. Sprinkle evenly over each popper. Place the peppers, cut side up, on a baking sheet and bake on the bottom rack until the cheese has melted, jalapeños have softened and panko is golden brown. About 30 minutes.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina trial judges heard arguments Monday from attorneys for Republican legislative leaders who insist their latest method to attempt to wrest control of the State Board of Elections from a Democratic governor is lawful — this time giving the job of appointing members to the GOP state auditor.
But lawyers for Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, who sued to stop the changes approved late last year by the General Assembly and begin in earnest next month, contend the alteration suffers constitutional flaws similar to those that caused courts to strike down previous GOP attempts.
“The General Assembly is on a mission to both enact and execute the state’s elections,” Stein attorney Jim Phillips said while urging Superior Court Judges Edwin Wilson, Andrew Womble and Lori Hamilton to strike down the latest law. The judges didn’t immediately rule after a 2 1/2-hour hearing but have signaled they would act before the chief change starts May 1.
For nearly a decade, the Republican-dominated legislature has sought to erode or eliminate a governor’s authority to appoint the board that administers elections. It’s a practice set in state law over a century ago and results in members of the governor’s party holding three of the five seats. Appointments are made from options provided by the two major political parties.
Republicans have complained that a governor has too much control over elections in the ninth-largest state, resulting in one-party decision-making and a lack of voter confidence. Democrats say the laws are a GOP power grab designed to give Republicans an unfair advantage in elections in the battleground state. The board’s importance has been apparent in the still-unresolved election for a state Supreme Court seat.
Judges have blocked at least four alterations to the board’s composition contained in laws approved by GOP lawmakers since 2016 and successfully challenged by Stein’s predecessor, fellow Democrat Roy Cooper. In addition, voters rejected a 2018 constitutional amendment that would have forced the governor to appoint members recommended by legislative leaders from both parties.
In March 2024, the same three judges — two registered Republicans and a Democrat — struck down the 2023 version of the law that would have moved board appointment authority from the governor to the General Assembly itself.
The fifth attempt to change the law — the subject of Monday’s hearing — moves appointment duties to Republican Dave Boliek, who defeated a Democrat in November to become auditor. The auditor’s position has had nothing to do with elections — it’s best known for issuing reports uncovering waste and fraud in state government.
Stein’s attorneys said the latest law also should be struck down because it interferes with the governor’s ability to carry out his responsibility in the North Carolina Constitution to “take care” that laws are “faithfully executed” through an executive-branch agency like the board.
But an attorney for Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall said shifting the job to a comparatively low-key position like auditor is different. The entire board will continue to be appointed by an executive branch official, and the state constitution says the auditor’s duties are determined by the General Assembly, the legislators’ attorneys wrote in a legal memorandum.
“The people’s representatives have made the policy call,” Matthew Tilley, a lawyer for the legislators, said of shifting the duty to the auditor. “That may result in more fair elections. It may take some of the partisan pressure off the Board of Elections.”
Hamilton, a Republican, said under the lawmakers’ arguments, all gubernatorial powers not specifically named in the constitution could be moved by the General Assembly to other officials.
“If it’s not just a barefaced power grab, why now? Why is this necessary? ” she asked Tilley. “If the General Assembly starts stacking up powers and duties under the auditor’s umbrella, it’s going to become very, very public and very, very contested very, very quickly.”
Cooper and Stein sued GOP legislative leaders in late December over the new law, which also includes changes to how the 100 county elections boards are chosen, which also with Boliek’s involvement, would likely have Republican majorities, too. The county board changes begin in June. Cooper left office at the start of this year.
Boliek, who previously said he didn’t seek the election board appointment duties, joined the lawsuit and sided with GOP lawmakers. His attorneys also argued in court Monday. The judges’ decision will assuredly be appealed.
Stein, the former attorney general, is also suing lawmakers over additional provisions in the wide-ranging law that weaken more powers of the governor and other Democratic officials.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced a settlement with a major landlord accused of illegally fixing rent prices using cutting edge technology. Landlords were using RealPage, a property management software provider known for AI-powered solutions and services that has allegedly exploited landlords’ competitively sensitive information creating a pricing algorithm that inflated rent prices and violated antitrust laws
A settlement was reached with Cortland Management LLC, which is the second-largest landlord in North Carolina with over 5,000 units statewide, including Charlotte and Raleigh. Under the settlement, Cortland agreed to stop using sensitive data from its competitors to inform its pricing model. It must also submit to regular compliance inspections.
“[Landlords] are not allowed to meet in the back of a restaurant and decide what rates to charge,” said Jackson. “They were essentially using artificial intelligence as a stand-in for that type of in-person meeting allowing them to share proprietary information to the detriment of renters.”
Rent prices are meant to be decided based on a number of factors including market analysis, property features, operating expenses, and through other professional advice. In a press release, Jackson stated this alleged illegal conduct not only harms landlords trying to follow the rules, but also North Carolinians who struggle to pay rent and keep their homes with increasing rent prices.
Jackson also said the technology is being used for other illegal purposes such as fraud, deepfakes and other financial crimes.
“Folks are getting a call from someone who sounds exactly like their grandson saying ‘Grandpa, I was just arrested and I need you to send me some bail money and I need it to be in crypto-currency’ or something like that,” said Jackson. “It’s a combination of AI plus crypto-currency that’s opened up a new tsunami for scams.”
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – A bill in the legislature seeks to crack down on drunk driving — in an effort to make driving safer.
At a Legislative Building press conference, Ellen Pitt with the Western North Carolina regional DWI task force explained one key part of the bill would lower the legal limit for blood alcohol while driving. “We can prevent the needless death and destruction, the endless waste of tax dollars, the morale killing frustration of law enforcement officers by passing North Carolina House Bill 108, the Sober Operative Act of 2025,” said Pitt.
Peggy Jean Dodson-Harris, who lost relatives in a drunk driving crash, says this bill is personal for her.
“There is no reason why anyone would not back this. None. Except for the fact that you could care less that my family was murdered, or anyone else’s family could be murdered,” added Dodson-Harris.
One key part of the bill would lower the legal blood alcohol limit while driving from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent. The measure also deals with increased enforcement and follow up for multiple offenders. In addition, the proposal would create a Class F felony charge, which is typically punishable by one to three years in prison. State Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico) says they want to send a message that driving while impaired is wrong.
“In my opinion, is too high. It’s a number that’s out there that many people are actually intoxicated because depending on your particular reaction to alcohol, it could change whether .05 or .08 actually makes you literally intoxicated and impaired,” said Kidwell. “Too many people feel its okay to go out to dinner and have a few drinks and then get behind a several thousand pound vehicle and take the lives of — not just those in their car but, the lives of everybody else on the highway in their hands.”
ATLANTA (AP) — An estimated 1 in 31 U.S. children have autism, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday, marking another jump in a long string of increases.
The CDC’s data was from 14 states and Puerto Rico in 2022. The previous estimate — from 2020 — was 1 in 36.
Boys continue to be diagnosed more than girls, and the highest rates are among children who are Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black.
To estimate how common autism is, the CDC checked health and school records for 8-year-olds, because most cases are diagnosed by that age. Other researchers have their own estimates, but experts say the CDC’s estimate is the most rigorous and the gold standard.
Autism is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. There are many possible symptoms, many of which overlap with other diagnoses. They can include delays in language and learning, social and emotional withdrawal and an unusual need for routine.
For decades, the diagnosis was rare, given only to kids with severe problems communicating or socializing and those with unusual, repetitive behaviors.
As late as the early 1990s, only 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. Around that time, the term became a shorthand for a group of milder, related conditions known as ″autism spectrum disorders,” and the number of kids labeled as having some form of autism began to balloon.
In the first decade of this century, the estimate rose to 1 in 150. In 2018, it was 1 in 44. In 2020, it was up to 1 in 36.
Why are autism numbers rising?
Health officials largely attribute growing autism numbers to better recognition of cases through wide screening and better diagnosis.
There are no blood or biologic tests for autism. It’s diagnosed by making judgments about a child’s behavior, and there’s been an explosion in autism-related treatment and services for children.
Roughly two decades ago, studies by the CDC and others ruled out childhood vaccines as a cause of autism. Since then, a lot of research has looked at variety of other possible explanations, including genetics, the age of the father, the weight of the mother and whether she had diabetes and exposure to certain chemicals.
Some researchers have theorized it may be a series of things — perhaps a biological predisposition set off by some sort of toxic exposure.
Vaccines and autism
Kennedy and anti-vaccine advocates have remained fixated on childhood vaccines, pointing at a preservative called thimerosal that is no longer in most childhood vaccines or theorizing that autism may be the cumulative effect of multiple vaccinations. A number of studies, including some with CDC authors, have not found such links.
Last week, Kennedy said HHS was launching “a massive testing and research effort that’s going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world” and identify what causes autism in less than six months. He also promised “we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.”
Kennedy and President Donald Trump both referred to the 1-in-31 estimate that CDC released Tuesday during last week’s White House meeting, and Kennedy also repeated the statistic at a meeting with FDA officials on Friday,
Kennedy’s statement followed reports that he had hired David Geier, a man who has repeatedly claimed a link between vaccines and autism, to lead the autism research effort. The hiring of Geier, whom Maryland found was practicing medicine on a child without a doctor’s license, was first reported by The Washington Post.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
