Despite the fact most of us tie knots every day, we fail to guess their strength.

Whatever image pops into your head when we say “chemical reaction”, you can throw it right out of the window.

In 2021, a freezer malfunctioned at a public health virology lab in Queensland, Australia. This incident led to the hurried relocation of hundreds of vials containing deadly viruses to another storage chamber. However, the transfer was conducted hastily and without proper documentation. By August 2023, authorities discovered that the whereabouts of many of these vials were unknown. Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, John Gerrard, revealed earlier this week that a total of 323 vials had been lost. He stated that the vials “may have been removed from this secure storage facility and are now lost or otherwise unaccounted for.” The missing vials include nearly 100 samples of the Hendra virus, two of hantavirus, and 223 of lyssavirus—each posing significant risks to human health. Hendra virus, primarily transmitted by bats, usually affects horses but can infect humans, where it has a mortality rate of approximately 57%. Hantavirus is spread through rat feces, urine, and saliva. In humans, it causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, characterized by fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, and fluid-filled lungs, with a fatality rate of about 38%. Lyssavirus, a form of rabies, is 100% fatal once symptoms appear, as no cure exists. Despite the alarming nature of these viruses, Gerrard sought to reassure the public, emphasizing that there is no evidence of an immediate threat. “It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the public could be at risk. It is important to note that samples of these viruses become non-infectious very quickly outside of a low-temperature freezer and are typically destroyed through autoclaving, a standard laboratory practice, although this may not have been properly documented,” he explained. He also highlighted that Queensland has reported no human cases of Hendra virus or lyssavirus in the past five years and no recorded cases of hantavirus in Australia’s history. Social media has erupted with speculation and panic. Some fear that the vials may have been inadvertently discarded with regular laboratory waste, potentially putting people at risk if the discarded material is ever encountered. There are also darker theories, suggesting that the vials may have been intentionally stolen and could be used in a bioterrorist attack. The post Australian Lab Loses Hundreds of Deadly Virus Samples appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The leader of the Media Research Center issued a warning to Congress about a “Trojan horse for the left’s agenda.” In a statement posted today on X, MRC founder and president Brent Bozell cautioned Congress not to pass the new version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) introduced by Sen.Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). Bozell instead advised Congress to either enact the House of Representatives’ version of KOSA, which protects First Amendment liberties, or to wait to reform Big Tech until the new year. Bozell explained: “Months ago, the House Energy & Commerce Committee passed a version of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) that both protected First Amendment rights and ensured the safety of our children. … Disturbingly, instead of embracing the House’s leadership on this issue, Senator Richard Blumenthal released an entirely different version of KOSA that acts as a Trojan horse for the left’s agenda.” A Senate version of KOSA, authored by Blumenthal and endorsed by President Joe Biden, passed the U.S. Senate in July. This legislation would have made tech companies liable if the content shared on their platforms caused a child “psychological distress” or “anxiety.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) slammed the proposed statute as “very problematic” and indicated he would not bring it for a vote. Blumenthal released yet another version of KOSA this weekend, which he claimed would assuage First Amendment concerns. While this updated version adopted some of the House’s language barring “viewpoint” discrimination, it still used vague and amorphous phrases that could incentivize more Big Tech censorship. Big Tech platforms have been interfering in our elections, censoring speech they don’t like and spreading an anti-American plague throughout our nation. Exploiting children and profiting off of their vulnerabilities is one of Big Tech’s worst sins. Months ago, the House Energy &… — Brent Bozell (@BrentBozell) December 10, 2024 Bozell explained: “Blumenthal’s new version of KOSA pressures tech companies to censor any content that could be a ‘contributing factor’ to ‘anxiety.’ These nebulous terms enable government censors and state prosecutors to coerce tech platforms into expanding their already extensive censorship operations.” Bozell advised the Senate to either stick to the House version of KOSA or “wait to conduct Big Tech reform until after the inauguration.” President-elect Donald Trump is set to take the oath of office on January 20.  Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand they not cave to Senator Blumenthal’s demand for censorship. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Luigi Mangione — the suspect in last week's fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City — is now charged with murder.Manhattan prosecutors late Monday filed murder and other charges against the 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, the Associated Press reported, citing an online court docket. The New York Times, citing court records, reported that the initial murder charge is for second-degree murder.Mangione remained jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery, and providing false identification to police, the AP said.The outlet added that a McDonald's customer in Altoona — which is about two hours east of Pittsburgh — spotted Mangione on Monday morning, notified an employee, and soon police arrived to question him.Police indicated in a criminal complaint that they recognized Mangione as soon as he pulled down his mask at their request in the restaurant. When they asked Mangione if he'd been in New York City recently, police said he was quiet but started shaking. Later Monday, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters that Altoona police arrested Mangione on firearm charges and that he was believed to be “our person of interest."'Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming'The AP — citing a law enforcement official unauthorized to discuss the investigation publicly and who spoke with the outlet on the condition of anonymity — said a three-page, handwritten document found in Mangione’s possession includes a line in which he claims to have acted alone.“To the feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our country. To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn’t working with anyone,” the document said, according to the official who spoke with the AP.The document also contains the following line, the AP reported: “I do apologize for any strife or traumas, but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming.”According to the Times, the 262-word "manifesto" also says that as UnitedHealthcare’s market capitalization has grown, American life expectancy has not — and it condemns companies that “continue to abuse our country for immense profit because the American public has allowed them to get away with it.”Mangione reportedly had back surgery last yearThe paper added that friends said Mangione lived with significant, sometimes debilitating, back pain, which prevented him from surfing and negatively affected his romantic life; he underwent surgery for it last year. The Times said R.J. Martin — a friend of Mangione who had lived with him in Honolulu — asked via text how his surgery went, and Mangione replied, “Long story,” and did not elaborate.“His spine was kind of misaligned,” Martin told the paper. “He said his lower vertebrae were almost like a half-inch off, and I think it pinched a nerve. Sometimes, he’d be doing well and other times not.”Nino Mangione — a Maryland state delegate and a cousin of Luigi Mangione — told the Times in a statement on behalf of the Mangione family that they “only know what we have read in the media” and that they were “shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest.” The paper said the statement adds that "we offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson, and we ask people to pray for all involved.”Anything else?Bullet casings found at the scene of Thompson's killing in front of a Manhattan Hilton hotel Wednesday — which New York City police called a "brazen" and "premeditated, preplanned targeted attack" — apparently were inscribed with words referring to health insurance claim denial tactics.Just hours after the fatal shooting, Thompson's wife said her husband had been threatened. Paulette Thompson told NBC News in a phone call that "there had been some threats. Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Football fans weren't sure why they were watching an episode of "The Simpsons" when they turned on their televisions to watch the Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.As part of a partnership between Disney+ and ESPN+, "Monday Night Football" was traced with characters from the long-running series and broadcasted as if it were set in Springfield.This was not just a single segment, however; the entire game was broadcasted separately from the original broadcast on ESPN+, with characters like Homer Simpson and Krusty the Clown routinely being injected into the game.Characters were put in place of real players throughout the game, standing in for names like quarterback Joe Burrow or kicker Evan McPherson."They're putting Homer Simpson at quarterback!" ESPN's Drew Carter said at one point during the broadcast. "Krusty has already hit a field goal from 37 yards," he later said.The animation feat was accomplished by tracking the movement of the real players from the broadcast, then layering the cartoon stand-ins over each player, to present them as characters from "The Simpsons."While the broadcast was funny at times, it seemed largely unpalatable for most fans to watch at length:"This is hard to watch," a fan wrote on X.This is hard to watch— Aa-Mac (@BearsTitansfan) December 10, 2024 "[Not going to lie] this sucks," said another.Ngl this sucks ?— Buddy Boy Bets (@Buddyboybets) December 10, 2024 There was support, however, for tongue-in-cheek moments where characters made fun of themselves, real-life players, or different colleges. For example, Krusty the Clown said he went to "Clown College," also known as Arizona State. As well, Bart took over officiating at one point and said, "The ruling on the field stands, Homer stinks!" through 20 megaphones lined up behind each other.Plenty of fans at the same time were confused with the broadcast, saying it was too "delayed" or wondering, "Who asked for this?"The Brodcast Is So Delayed ???— Devin (Grimlin) (@DevinCook69) December 10, 2024 The Bengals eventually took home the 27-20 win after the Cowboys blocked a punt but still lost possession due to a fumble fiasco. While the animation of the pivotal play was hilarious, for some reason none of the iconic yellow characters were on the field for this part of the game with less than two minutes left.Had Bart blocked a punt that Ralph Wiggum eventually recovered for the Bengals after it hit Moe's arm, fans might be singing a different tune with one of the greatest NFL highlights of all time.who asked for this?— FanAlert (@FanAlert0) December 10, 2024 The canonical justification of the broadcast, according to cartoon announcer Stephen A. Smith, was the entire event was inside Homer's dream while sleeping on the couch as football played on the TV.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former Washington Post writer Taylor Lorenz frequently concern-mongers about theoretical harms, such as those supposedly generated by unmasked Americans "raw dogging the air." It appears that Lorenz's compassion runs dry in the face of real harm and tragedy. After a masked man walked up and fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Wednesday, Lorenz posted on the liberal X knockoff Bluesky an apparent justification for the killing of the father of two. Despite significant backlash, Lorenz then followed up with more controversial commentary, underscoring in a blog post titled "Why 'we' want insurance executives dead" that "it's normal" to wish death on executives in the health insurance sector. Lorenz — a blogger who has peddled plenty of fake news, doxxed Libs of Tiktok in 2022, and called President Joe Biden a war criminal for supporting Israel's war on Hamas terrorists — doubled down on her comments Monday, telling Piers Morgan of "Piers Morgan Uncensored" that she "felt, along with so many other Americans, joy" upon learning of Thompson's slaying. "Joy? Seriously?" said Morgan. "Joy at a man's execution?" 'It feels like justice in this system.' Lorenz suggested that if not joy, then the feeling was "certainly not empathy." "We're watching the footage. How can this make you joyful? This guy is a husband. He is a father," said Morgan. "And he has been gunned down in the middle of Manhattan." Lorenz tried justifying her schadenfreude by accusing the deceased of committing mass murder, then broadening her smear by suggesting that tens of thousands of Americans "died because greedy health insurance executives like this one push policies of denying care." "So should they all be killed, then?" responded Morgan, taking his guest's argument down the rails. "Would that make you even more joyful?" Laughing, Lorenz said that the extermination of health insurance executives would not make her more joyful. The blogger suggested that the execution of the unarmed executive was, however, useful, stating, "It is a good thing that this murder has led to ... the media elites and politicians in this country paying attention to this issue for the first time." Toward the end of the segment, Lorenz interrupted to clarify that she was not joyful about the slaughter but "celebratory." "I take that back. 'Joyful' is the wrong word, Piers," said Lorenz. "Vindicated, celebratory — because it feels like justice in this system when somebody responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans suffers the same fate as those tens of thousands of Americans who he murdered." 'We should not necessarily go around shooting people in the street.' Another guest on the show, conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, suggested that to "celebrate the murder of a husband and a father simply because you disagree with his position at a company, or you disagree with the company, or you disagree with the system of health care that we have in the U.S., is, quite frankly, sick, twisted, and disgusting." "It also goes to show that the left and many on the left have a tendency to believe that violence like this, political violence, is necessary, it's a means to an end," continued Lahren. A poll conducted by Scott Rasmussen's RMG Research for the Napolitan News Service in September highlighted this politically charged bloodlust on the left. The survey asked, "While it is always difficult to wish ill of another human being, would America be better off if Donald Trump had been killed last weekend?" While 69% of respondents said no, a staggering 28% of Democrats answered "yes." Lorenz appeared to chuckle while Lahren spoke, prompting a response from Morgan: "Taylor, I don't mean to be rude, but why the f*** are you laughing all the time? I don't get it. Sorry, apologies for my language, but honestly, I find it unbelievable." The leftist blogger suggested that she found Lahren's characterization amusing, then noted, "I agree we should not necessarily go around shooting people in the street." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The “Unashamed” audience has been wondering where Phil Robertson has been. Their steadfast leader seemed to suddenly disappear from the podcast overnight. While the Robertson brothers have informed fans that their dad has been under the weather, it wasn’t until recently that they shared what’s really been going on. Phil “has some sort of blood disease that's causing all kinds of problems” and is in “early stages of Alzheimer’s,” Jase revealed in an “Unashamed” episode over the weekend. Since this sad revelation, fans across the country have sent prayers and well wishes by the thousands. Many expressed that they learned more about Jesus and the Bible from Phil Robertson than they learned from years of attending church. Others pointed to Phil as the reason they returned to their faith. “The outpouring of love, of support, of prayer just is ... it's almost been overwhelming for me,” says Al. “Once my phone started going off, it pretty much hasn't stopped for the last 72 hours,” adds Jase. Phil is certainly grateful for the love and support he’s received as well. “Dad's famously not connected to tech, but he does love to hear that out there in ‘computer land,’ as he puts it, there are people that are expressing their love and their appreciation for everything that he's meant to them in their lives,” says Al. These prayers, it seems, are having a real impact — not just on Phil’s spirit but also on his physical well-being. “He has had some reprieve in his pain, and I got to think that that's the prayers of millions of people that went up over the last four days,” says Jack Dasher. Even though the brothers know that decline is inevitable, they want everyone to remember what’s outlined in 2 Timothy 4:7-8. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing,” Al reads. One thing is absolutely certain — Phil Robertson has fought the good fight and kept his faith. The Robertsons hope we will do the same as Phil continues his battle. To learn more, watch the episode above. Want more from the Robertsons?To enjoy more on God, guns, ducks, and inspiring stories of faith and family, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

As the cold weather settles in and you’re preparing to keep warm by staying indoors, there’s no better time to dive into a new game - especially one that sends you on a globe-trotting adventure. Fortunately, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the new FPS and RPG built by Wolfenstein's MachineGames, and published by Fallout and Skyrim legend Bethesda, perfectly fits the bill. If you're planning on buying it, there’s a better price on Fanatical than anywhere else. Continue reading Here’s where to get Indiana Jones and the Great Circle at its lowest price MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle release date, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle length, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Game Pass

Here at PCGN, we have a lot to say about PC gaming and hardware, from strongly held opinions on the latest releases to what should and certainly should not go into your rig. If you're a regular reader or just want to meet some like-minded PC gamers, we've now created our very own PCGN community Discord. Continue reading Join PCGamesN’s community Discord for the latest in PC gaming and hardware