If your nightmares have been feeling a little bland and repetitive recently, don’t worry, we bring you something that’ll be sure to add a fresh smattering of terror – jumping leeches.The existence of leaping leeches has been a matter of debate since Victorian-era naturalists were kicking about, with some providing field notes of encounters with their acrobatics, whilst others said the parasitic worms had likely dropped down on them from above.That over 100-year-old debate has now been settled by footage that researchers Mai Fahmy and Michael Tessler believe is the first conclusive evidence that at least one land-dwelling leech species can jump.In both June 2017 and October 2023, during fieldwork in Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park and the Ivohiboro Protected Area, Fahmy caught video footage of leeches from the Chtonobdella genus – which is widespread across the island, as well as the Seychelles, Malay Archipelago, and South Pacific Islands – “intentionally jumping off a leaf and onto the ground”. The leeches do so in a way that the researchers compare to a spring, pulling themselves back in a way that likely maximizes potential energy before launching themselves toward the ground, keeping their bodies extended as they fly.“Essentially, it executes a graceful jump but with a seemingly hard landing,” said Tessler in a statement.“We do not know how often this may happen or whether these leeches use this ability to seek out hosts, but, given that we caught multiple jumps in two short recordings, this behavior may be common for this species,” said Tessler.Given the wealth of anecdotes from a variety of regions over the years, the duo also posits that it “certainly is possible” that other jumping leech species may exist.Though the widespread existence of jumping leeches might sound like the plot of a Sharknado-esque class of horror film, it’s not something to worry about – as the researchers mention in the study describing the finding, it’s only a small subset of species within the family of jawed land leeches that might be able to jump.There’s also more to these spring-like bloodsuckers than meets the eye; their discovery is likely to prove significant for conservation efforts.“If we can identify how leeches find and attach to hosts, we can better understand the results of their gut content analyses,” Fahmy explained. That can give scientists a better idea of what other kinds of animals are present in the area.Even leeches themselves might be vulnerable. “Leeches are also often overlooked and understudied, and, as a natural part of the ecosystem, leeches themselves may be in need of conservation protection,” Fahmy added.The study is published in Biotropica.

Democrats and their media pals are over the moon over a new poll out from Fox News. It’s the first since October to show President Joe Biden ahead of former President Donald Trump and comes just on the heels of the latest inside-the-Democrat-meltdown story (this time from Axios). But is there true cause for celebration? Not really. Trump is currently up among the voters most motivated to vote in November. That’s crucial and somewhat surprising. Any good news is welcome news when you’re down and out, and your own team is beginning to get jittery (and back-stabby). A decent news cycle on a slow day is always nice. Any real relief, however, is more than a little premature, both in terms of the data actually hiding in the polling, and in the vindication of the Biden campaign’s strategy. First, Trump is up in the swing states, according to an Ipsos poll also released Thursday. And not just one or two, or even four; Trump is ahead in all seven: Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. To put that in perspective, in 2020, Biden won every one of those except for North Carolina. Heck, the Real Clear Politics average has Trump down by only 2.3 points in Minnesota. To put that in perspective, the last time Minnesota went Republican was for President Richard Nixon in 1972. The Land of 10,000 Lakes was the only state in the union to vote against President Ronald Reagan’s re-election in ’84. Second, Trump is currently up among the voters most motivated to vote in November. That’s crucial and somewhat surprising given his historic ability to motivate Democrats to the polls, but it’s true. For all the Democratic rhetoric, voters in the swing states are worried a whole lot more about inflation, followed by immigration, in the regions Biden should be most worried about. (Those in the White House somehow missed that memo, given the president’s Tuesday amnesty announcement. Or maybe they're just so desperate to bring Hispanic men back into the fold they’ll trade broader losses for those married to illegal immigrants.) Then finally, there’s the Biden campaign’s entire “convicted felon” messaging. It’s been three weeks since Trump’s guilty verdict in a Manhattan court, and just a little longer since the White House began its concerted push to use those convictions to move votes. Democrats bet big on this campaign, in part because they need to. How’s that going? With three weeks of incubation and nearly nonstop corporate coverage, we might have our answer: Three points nationally in a poll of registered voters. The news cycle moves fast, and there are few things not already baked in about the president of the free world and the most famous man in it. If this is the apex, Democrats worried about strategy shouldn’t breathe easy just yet. Axios: Top Dems: Biden has losing strategy Daily Caller: Frank Luntz Impressed Trump ‘Making It Close’ In ‘Reliable’ Dem State After Conviction Forbes: Trump Leads Biden In All Seven Swing States—As Inflation And Immigration Top Voter Concerns, Latest Survey Shows Byron York: Can Biden make the election about Jan. 6? Sign up for Bedford’s newsletterSign up to get Blaze Media senior politics editor Christopher Bedford's newsletter.The fire rises: Blaze Original: Inside one Democrat's 20-year crusade to save the world from Anthony Fauci — Part 1: 2001-2014. Most of us knew very little about Dr. Anthony Fauci before 2020. This new head of our national response, we were told in reports and profiles that began to appear in outlets around the country, was a brilliant AIDS doctor, an expert in infectious diseases and outbreaks. He’d know what to do. It would take years before the broader public would catch on to his lies and his games. But there were people who knew the doctor before his big debut. Among them, Dr. Richard Ebright, a fierce critic of the Bush administration’s bioweapons program and a Biden voter who for decades tried to warn the world of the dangerous nature of Fauci’s hubris — and his research. Blaze News’ Leon Wolf reports: For years, Ebright and Fauci carried out a silent war, waged in print, visible mostly only to members of the small community of research scientists who conduct serious chemical and biological research. Over and over again the same refrain played out: Ebright warned the public that this research was making the public less safe, and Fauci insisted it was making the public more safe. As we know now, Ebright was almost certainly right. However, it has taken four years — thanks to the concerted efforts of Fauci and his team — for the public to slowly come around to that realization. But to understand where we are, it is first necessary to understand how we got here.

Despite their routine concern-mongering about threats to democracy, Democrats have worked hard in recent months to eliminate President Joe Biden's rival from contention ahead of the 2024 election. Some have referred to this effort to deny voters a choice and thereby decide the election by undemocratic means as "lawfare." Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) revealed Thursday that such attacks will not go unanswered. Bailey noted on X that he would be "filing suit against the State of New York for their direct attack on our democratic process through unconstitutional lawfare against President Trump. It's time to restore the rule of law." According to the Republican, the efforts of "rogue prosecutor" New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg to "take a presidential candidate off the campaign trail ... sabotages Missourians' right to a free and fair election." Last week, Bailey testified before the House Judiciary Committee. He noted in his written statement that the "left has prioritized its hatred of President Trump above the rule of law." 'The prosecution was politically motivated and replete with legal error.' "Government officials at the federal and state levels have censored President Trump, filed civil suits in order to sanction him, illegally removed him from the ballot, and perverted the law in order to prosecute him," wrote Bailey. The Missouri AG indicated further that Bragg's prosecution of Trump, in particular, "represents one of the most morally abhorrent volleys in the left's on-going barrage of lawfare. The prosecution was politically motivated and replete with legal error." Among the issues Bailey highlighted with Trump's prosecution in New York — which are likely to be raised in his forthcoming lawsuit — were: Bragg's "disqualifying impropriety," reflected in part by his refusal to recuse himself despite an obvious self-interest in the case; the indictment charges' "reference to an unspecified and unidentifiable other crime," which altogether "constitutes a deprivation of due process by denying the defendant his Sixth Amendment right to be informed of the crimes with which he is charged"; the prosecutor's efforts to have Trump silenced with an "unconstitutional gag order"; Bragg's perversion of "the law to meet the facts rather than objectively apply the facts to the law," namely through the expansion of the charges beyond the text of the statute at issue in order to criminalize "that which he does not like rather than that which the law forbids"; and Bragg's failure to "correct the Court's error in instructing the jury that unanimity was not required as to the predicate offense that forms the basis for the fallacious charges." Bailey further highlighted in his testimony the apparent "collusion" between the Biden Department of Justice and the New York District Attorney's Office regarding the initiative to take Trump off the board. Bailey's office expects that lawsuit will go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court and will be titled "Missouri vs. New York," reported Fox News Digital. Extra to announcing that Missouri would be suing New York Thursday, Bailey filed an amicus brief with 23 other red states urging the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which is overseeing Trump's classified documents case, to reject Special Prosecutor Jack Smith's request for an "unconstitutional gag order" on Trump. Smith asked Judge Aileen Cannon that the conditions permitting Trump to await trial outside of jail should be updated to include a gag order, prohibiting him from commenting about details of his case, particularly about the raid on his Mar-a-Lago residence. Trump's attorneys said in a filing last week, "Like Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Smith seeks to restrict President Trump’s campaign speech as the first presidential debate approaches at the end of this month," reported CNN. The amicus brief filed by Bailey and other Republican attorneys general, stressed that fair and free elections "depend on candidates' ability to speak about important issues of the day." "When agents of one candidate seek a court order to muzzle discussion on matters relating to important electoral issues, that restraint raises even more fundamental First Amendment concerns," continued the brief. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Want to know all of the Elden Ring Ashes of War locations? You can equip these powerful abilities onto specific weapon types to change their unique skills. They can also change the properties of your armaments, making just about every weapon in the game a viable option. Not only can you customise the best Elden Ring weapons with the Ashes of War, but switching these abilities and properties may make the difference in constructing the best Elden Ring builds. The locations of the Ashes of War are fixed on the open-world game's map, making it reasonably easy to create a strong build capable of defeating all of the Elden Ring bosses. Here’s everything you need to know about Elden Ring Ashes of War, including where you can find them and what they do. Continue reading Elden Ring Ashes of War locations MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Elden Ring builds, Elden Ring bosses, Elden Ring weapons

Looking for an Elden Ring Blackgaol Knight boss guide? In a game known for its punishing difficulty, it’s no surprise that one of the first bosses you encounter in the latest expansion is such a pain to fight. The Blackgaol Knight is equipped with a greatsword and a crossbow, capable of dealing considerable damage both up close and from a distance. It’s important to note that if you are struggling in the Elden Ring expansion, you should try to collect as many Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes right away to strengthen your character. Not only will this help you against the Blackgaol Knight, the benefits remain active throughout your time in the Realm of Shadows, helping you take down all the Elden Ring bosses. Here’s what you need to know to take down the Elden Ring Blackgaol Knight boss. Continue reading Elden Ring Blackgaol Knight boss guide MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Elden Ring builds, Elden Ring bosses, Elden Ring weapons

While, at its core, League of Legends is very much a competitive PvP experience, Riot has dropped a few PvE modes in its lifetime that absolutely slap. I remember the good ol' days of Star Guardian's Invasion mode, and I still rock the Odyssey Sona skin over the iconic DJ one because of just how fond my memories are. So when Riot invited me to check out its highly anticipated PvE mode ahead of launch, I was far too excited. In a room bathed in purple backlighting from a shining Anima Squad-inspired archway, I stepped into the chaotic world of League of Legends Swarm, and it's the most fun I've had playing League in a long time. Continue reading New League of Legends mode Swarm is a leveled-up Odyssey MORE FROM PCGAMESN: League of Legends ranks explained, League of Legends Mythic shop rotation, League of Legends tier list

Riot has finally unveiled League of Legends' four-player Vampire Survivors style mode, Swarm. Fully PvE, you and three friends (or just you, whatever you prefer) are thrust into the colorful shoes of the Anima Squad and tasked with fending off legions of cascading Primordians. League of Legends Swarm is the first non-PvP mode we've seen in quite a while, with Odyssey: Extraction being the last one back in 2018. At an exclusive event in Riot HQ in sunny Santa Monica, Los Angeles, I ask the team why they've decided to bring back PvE after all this time. Continue reading League of Legends Swarm fixes LoL’s summer event problem MORE FROM PCGAMESN: League of Legends ranks explained, League of Legends Mythic shop rotation, League of Legends tier list

Scott Wiener Writes a Check His Butt Can't Cash Going After Riley Gaines and BOY HOWDY Was THAT Ever Dumb

The Left Is Above the Law: DA Bragg DROPS Charges Against Columbia Protesters, Citing 'Lack of Evidence'

Ted Cruz Shares DAMNING Thread Exposing Biden DHS' Push to Target Trump Supporters As Domestic Extremists