Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

A new study suggests that Jezero Crater’s mysterious “Margin Unit” records a far more complicated history of water than scientists expected, involving ancient lakes, groundwater, and later hydrothermal activity. When NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived at the inner rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater in September 2023, researchers expected to encounter sedimentary rocks along what was once the shoreline of a Martian lake. Such rocks form as layers of material accumulate over long periods of time. On Earth, sedimentary rocks made from clay and silt can be especially valuable because they are capable of preserving evidence of ancient microbial life. Scientists were…

With illegal logging and agricultural expansion closing in on their lands, four Indigenous Wounaan and Emberá-Wounaan villages in Panama’s Darién forest started a biodiversity monitoring project to document their forests’ conservation status, reports Mongabay contributor María Paula Rubiano A. Their biodiversity monitoring project recorded more than 200 species across 18,000 hectares (44,500 acres) of threatened forest, including three “umbrella” species: Jaguars (Panthera onca), Baird’s tapirs (Tapirus bairdii) and crested eagles (Morphnus guianensis). At least 15 of the species they documented are classified as threatened. The communities are now using the data as a baseline for joining the biodiversity…

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the end of the U.S. military intervention in Iraq, a stabbing attack on a FlyDubai flight en route to Israel, and Russia’s nuclear threats against NATO. Who Stands to Gain? U.S. forces have finally left Iraq. Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the end of the U.S. military intervention in Iraq, a stabbing attack on a FlyDubai flight en route to Israel, and Russia’s nuclear threats against NATO. Who Stands to Gain? U.S. forces have finally left Iraq. Iraqis celebrated the United States’ long-awaited withdrawal on Wednesday, as…

Claim: The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is cutting access to student loans for degrees that have low earning potential, including social work. Rating: Context The new rule, first announced in April 2026, was finalized in June 2026 and will take effect in 2027. The Department of Education will begin denying loans for degrees that fail its “earnings test” in both 2027 and 2028 in time for the 2028-29 academic year. In September 2026. a rumor spread that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was planning to cut access to student loans for candidates pursuing degrees in programs…

Donald Trump has launched “America”, an AI chatbot designed as a digital portal for US government information. But its responses appear to be changing. The chatbot initially challenged several of Trump’s claims, including on the 2020 election and inflation, providing evidence and links. More recently, it has refused to answer some of the same questions. Other responses still contradict Trump, while some echo his views. Vedika Bahl tests the chatbot, and its varying answers in Truth or Fake. Donald Trump has launched a new AI-powered government chatbot, America.gov, which he has described as a “one front door for every single…

Is this the sketch my father would have wanted? Not something I have previously given much thought to. He died 15 years before I even started this job. But my guess is that it is. He was the loveliest of men who only ever wanted for me what I wanted for me. He was stupidly proud of even my most forgettable successes. I still see him in my dreams, cheering me on. He’d almost certainly be embarrassed, but secretly pleased, to find himself in the first paragraph.But that’s enough about my father issues. Time now to talk about Andy Burnham’s.…

After the hopeful good vibes in Liverpool, here comes a reminder of what is coming this winter: a mighty new year shock in energy bills, hitting the poorest hardest, that the government looks unprepared for.From the quarterly price cap level of £1,723 that will apply from Thursday for an average dual-fuel household, take your pick from a range of forecasts for the first three months of 2027. The energy consultancy Cornwall Insight says £1,999. The big supplier EDF thinks £2,076. Split the difference and we’re talking about an 18% quarter-on-quarter rise in the unit rate at the worst time of…

Matan Grinberg, co-founder and CEO of the AI coding startup Factory, said in a post on X on Wednesday that he fired VC Chris Degnan from role as a board advisor. Grinberg alleges that Degnan shared confidential information with Factory’s biggest competitor, Cognition. Two hours later, Degnan announced on both X and LinkedIn that he has joined Cognition as its chief revenue officer. Degnan was Snowflake’s first sales hire and later spent 11 years as the data company’s chief revenue officer. He has spent the last five months as a partner with RPT Partners, a Newport Beach, California-based investor in…

The Russian state actor Star Blizzard has been using a new malware installation tactic dubbed “RedFlick” to deploy its signature CosmicPulse backdoor. Although the tactic is not a new cybersecurity technique, it is a new delivery approach for the threat actor, allowing it to further automate attacks and reduce victim interaction. Microsoft researchers say that Star Blizzard expanded its phishing operations and streamlined malware delivery in 2026. Star Blizzard, active since 2017, is known for exploring new payload delivery avenues like ClickFix or WhatsApp, and for continually developing and deploying new malware families. New RedFlick technique RedFlick attacks begin with…

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has opened applications for crypto firms to become authorized, bringing the sector under full regulation for the first time. In a Wednesday announcement, the watchdog said companies can apply so that the crypto industry has “clarity and legitimacy.” The UK is in the process of drafting a sweeping new crypto bill. The FCA finalized its regulatory framework for cryptoassets in June, and the regime is due to take effect in October 2027.   “The UK’s new crypto regime will give consumers greater protections and firms a clear framework to operate in. Firms can now apply for…