California has finally done it. For the first time in six years, the "glory hole" has been activated, .Please, people. There's no innuendo here. We're, of course, referring to the iconic and distinctly designed spillway in the North Bay's Lake Berryessa, a reservoir next to the Monticello Dam."It's called a glory hole spillway. That's really what the engineers called it and we shortened it to glory hole," local historian, scientist, and journalist Peter Kilkus told CBS. "Some people say, 'Oh, that's really beautiful.' Some people say, 'That's frightening.'"The drain's actual name is no less suggestive: the Morning Glory Hole spillway.But what's the deal with this thing? In a nutshell, it's an enormous 70-feet wide drain or "passive spillway," in the technical nomenclature. Whenever the water levels in the dammed-off lake exceed 440 feet, the water spills into the drain, directing overflow into an underground discharge channel.While in action, the "glory hole" looks almost otherworldly, like some portal to a magical aquatic realm or maybe a glitch in our ever-crumbling reality simulation. There's not supposed to just be a hole in the middle of water, damn it!It's not something you see every day, in other words. "Yeah, it's a big tourist draw," Kilkus,who runs the site Lake Beryessa News, told CBS. "In fact, on a heavy day on the weekend, you can't even park here."And it's rarely used. Before winding back up in February, the drain last saw action in 2019 and 2017, the Los Angeles Times reported. Before that, it was unused since 2005, Chris Lee, general manager for the Solano County Water Agency, told the newspaper.The hole and its home's histories are intertwined. Lake Berryessa was created with the construction of the Monticello Dam in 1957 (grimly burying a small community that existed there, according to Kilkus) and the hole was the only solution that could make it work. Typically, dams have spillways built into them, or right beside, churning out towering cliffs of water. But in the canyon that the dam's saddled between, there's no room for such a design. As a compromise, engineers placed a drain in the middle of the lake, plunging the water straight down some 200 feet before making a 90-degree turn and releasing the overflow into Putah Creek."Yes, this is fairly rare,"Kilkus told the broadcaster. "There are only two in California, and there are a couple others in Europe, but they're very rare."More on aquatic curiosities: Iceberg Breaks Off Antarctica, Revealing Tentacled Creatures BeneathShare This Article

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The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.NewsScienceTrump claims offshore wind energy is driving whales loco. Scientists disagreePresident Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked wind energy over alleged impacts to whales. But, NOAA says theres no tie between offshore wind and strandingsJulia Mustoin New YorkThursday 27 March 2025 16:56 GMTWhales sing after a good meal: StudySign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in healthGet our free Health Check emailGet our free Health Check emailI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read ourprivacy policyPresident Donald Trump is once again peddling a largely unfounded claim that wind energy is driving whales crazy.You know, in one area, they lost two whales, like, in 20 years washed ashore, he told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, and this year they had 17 wash ashore. So, theres something [that] happened out there, Trump alleged. Theres something driving the whales a little bit loco. Its a claim hes repeated for months. He told the same story about whale strandings in Massachusetts with different numbers in February. The wind mills are driving the whales crazy, obviously, he posited. He said the same thing in January, ahead of his inauguration, and brought the issue up during the last days of his campaign. Then, he discussed similar impacts in New Jersey. Now, theyre coming up every week. Theyre being destroyed because of the sound and the vibration, he alleged. Its so bad.But, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say there is no scientific evidence that noise resulting from offshore wind site surveys could potentially cause whale deaths and that there are no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities.President Donald Trump has repeatedly tied whale strandings to offshore wind development. Scientists say theres no evidence linking the two (Getty Images)Some advocate groups agree with Trumps stance, saying that associations between strandings and wind development should not be ruled out. Experts are still working to understand why strandings which happen around the world, and in remote areas have become more frequent, suggesting that many follow distress calls and that underwater noise pollution can be an issue, as it is for many sea creatures.But not the ones who work for the federal government. While offshore wind surveys conducted before development produce noises that may disturb marine mammals, the sounds are very different from the blasting seismic airguns used in oil and gas surveys, with lower noise and a higher frequency. Any exposure to the sounds would be at significantly lower levels and shorter duration, which is associated with less severe impacts to marine mammals, NOAA said.Even though other scientists do not dismiss effects wind development could have, they stress there has not been a link to strandings around Massachusetts or elsewhere. Massachusetts is a destination for endangered North Atlantic right whales. Scientists say strandings have occurred along the coast event within wind construction and surveys (AFP via Getty Images)Massachusetts charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation spokesperson Caroline Mowdy told the Cape Cod Times that no seismic surveys or wind construction have occurred within the group's 200-mile stranding response area, "yet we are seeing a dramatic increase in large whale strandings."Periodically we read in the news that a whale or some other large animal ends up on the shore, and a lot of times the blame immediately goes to wind turbines. People feel the problem must come from turbine construction noise. Yet when the whales drift ashore, no construction is taking place, James Miller, University of Rhode Island professor of ocean engineering and department chair, said in 2023.The National Marine Fisheries Service said in September that the Vineyard Wind wind farm off the coast of Nantucket is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered whales, including the North Atlantic right whale. Although, other activity still poses an adverse effect, according to the Boston Herald."My understanding is that whales can be negatively affected (but not killed) by the noise of the pile driving used to install some kinds of wind farm, but operational wind farms have little or no effect," Hal Whitehead, a professor of biology at Dalhousie University, told Phys.org."There is no evidence linking whale deaths to offshore wind farms or 'windmills,'" Lindy Weilgart, an ocean noise expert and policy consultant at the nonprofit OceanCare, told the site. "Europe has way more offshore wind farms and has encountered nothing of the sort."The largest human threats to whales are boat strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. However, man-made climate change is a concern that threatens the gentle giants and their food chain, with warming waters shifting prey distribution and bringing the whales closer to shore. The largest human threats to whales remain boat strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. But, climate change is also an increasing concern (AFP via Getty Images)As someone who studied large whales for my multi-decade career and who also, as a person, just really cares deeply about them the focus for protecting whales really has to be on reducing entanglements and vessel strikes, Jessica Redfern, the associate vice president of ocean conservation science at the New England Aquarium, told Boston.com.We need to minimize the effects of climate change as fast as we can. And offshore wind is one of our tools as long as it is responsibly developed, she said. Join our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesMost PopularPopular videosSponsored Features

In a growing number of Transportation Security Administration lines at U.S. airports, you may be asked to look into a camera that takes your photo.But did you even know that you can say no to the face scan? And that you may have good reason to?Since 2020, the face scan is part of TSAs screening program in select airports across America. Through its facial matching technology, TSA claims it can more efficiently and conveniently verify that the person in front of an agent is the person shown on their identification.TSA says this is an optional program for travelers on domestic flights, while some foreign nationals may have to participate to be allowed on international flights.Theoretically, there should be visible signage that notifies travelers they can proceed through airport security without doing the facial scan. In reality, not everyone will see the sign and it might not be in a language that a traveler understands.I am one of the travelers whos been agreeing to get my face scanned in airport security lines for years. But amid alarming reports of travelers experiencing bad treatment from border control officials, Im reconsidering whether I should be submitting a face scan so easily to the U.S. government.Should you, too? I talked with privacy experts about the benefits of opting out of this scan.Why You Should Opt Out Of Face Scans Especially During Trumps Second TermThe benefit to declining is you dont have to submit your picture to the government, for the government to scan it and store it under their rules, said Travis LeBlanc, a lawyer and a former member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an independent federal agency.In its 2023 privacy impact assessment about using facial identification, TSA said it only uses the biometric data to perform identity verification at the checkpoint, and to assess critical operational and technological components of this proof of concept.But the potential power of this biometrics technology is vast. In its 2022 roadmap document, TSA outlines a future where the agency expands its biometrics capabilities to validate and verify an identity and vetting status in real-time.In response to HuffPosts questions about the future of real-time biometrics, a TSA spokesperson said in a statement that a real-time picture simply means that an image is taken at the kiosk and that live photograph is matched against the image on the identification credential. The agency said there have been situations where a boarding pass was issued to a person different from the one standing at the checkpoint but did not specify how many imposters its facial recognition technology has caught.Jennifer King, a privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, said the TSAs public communications are a little vague about what they were doing with the data. That vagueness, along with her skepticism with how the Department of Homeland Security has preserved travelers privacy in the past, is what leads her to decline the face scan every time.Im sure that the dream of enforcement agencies would be to be able to track people in real time based on something like facial recognition, King said.To be clear, TSA explicitly says it is not currently using its biometrics technology for surveillance and that it does not store biographic data for any travelers. Photos are not stored or saved after a positive ID match has been made, except in a limited testing environment for evaluation of the effectiveness of the technology, TSA states.TSA is not the only agency scanning your face at the airport.Customs and Border Protection, which also does facial scans at airport checkpoints, said that if youre a U.S. citizen, CBP will keep your photo for no more than 12 hours after identity verification; if youre not a U.S. citizen, there is no guarantee that CBP will delete your airport security photo quickly.But this kind of facial recognition technology has the potential to one day be used for other purposes beyond identity verification.As LeBlanc noted, TSA is part of the Department of Homeland Security, which is also responsible for immigration enforcement. Theres lots of different uses that you could see for these images.Theres also the concerning reality that the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board which is supposed serve as a watchdog for travelers civil liberties recently had key members fired by the Trump administration.LeBlanc and the boards two other Democratic members were fired by the Trump administration in January. These firings should give you pause if you care about airport privacy, LeBlanc said. LeBlanc issuing the U.S. government for his reinstatement, saying the termination was illegal.The board is now down to one Republican appointee and cannot take on any new projects without a quorum.The public has lost the watchdog that would be there to promote transparency as well as make recommendations on changes to the system that would better balance privacy and civil liberties, LeBlanc said. He said that the board was preparing a report on TSAs use of facial recognition before the firings.How To Opt Out Of TSA Face Scans At The AirportOpen Image ModalBloomberg via Getty ImagesAbove is TSA's Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2) identity verification machine in action. Many travelers may not know this but you can exercise the right to opt of this tool's face scan. TSA should not give you a hard time for exercising your right to opt out, but there have been reported instances where people got pushback including a U.S. senator who says he was told that saying no to the face scan would cause a significant delay.Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)still declined and faced no apparent delay.Saira Hussain, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, declines the face scan every time she travels. Sometimes when Hussain refuses, she said she gets the response of, We already have your information, so its not like youre giving us anything more. And Im like, OK, well, Im choosing the opt-out option I have.If you, like me, have been obediently agreeing to airport security face scans, its not too late for us to start opting out, either. Every face scan is a unique opportunity to assert your rights, Hussain said.You can simply decline by stating to an agent that you do not want your photo taken and want to opt out of a face scan. From there, a TSA agent should follow standard procedure of looking at your ID and your face to verify your identity. You should not lose your place in line for declining a photo.As TSA itself states on its website, There is no issue and no delay with a traveler exercising their rights to not participate in the automated biometrics matching technology.Beyond asserting your individual privacy rights, saying no could send a larger message on the kind of treatment the public will tolerate at airports.TSAs Credential Authentication Technology units, which run the face scan, are currently used in nearly 84airports nationwideand are expected to be in more than 400 airports over the coming years, TSA states.If more people keep declining face scans, maybe TSA will think twice about whether its actually effective to roll out programs like these, Hussain said.If theres no pushback, then [TSA is] just going to keep instituting more and more invasive techniques, she said.EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated with comment from TSA.We Don't Work For Billionaires. We Work For You.Big money interests are running the government and influencing the news you read. While other outlets are retreating behind paywalls and bending the knee to political pressure, HuffPost is proud to be unbought and unfiltered. Will you help us keep it that way? You can even access our stories ad-free.Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.

Amazon announced this week that Jennifer Salke is stepping down as the head of Amazon MGM Studios a move that could indicate high-level dissatisfaction with the companys streaming strategy over the past few years.To be clear, Salkes boss Mike Hopkins (the head of Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video) praised her work in an email to employees and described her departure as one that allows the company to flatten our leadership structure a bit a recurring theme in recent tech company layoffs.In other words, Amazon does not intend to fill Salkes role. Instead, the heads of its film and TV studios report directly to Hopkins.But the reporting around Salkes departure highlights Amazons streaming disappointments and challenges under her leadership. Previously an exec at NBC, Salke joined Amazon Studios in 2018, as the company was looking to expand beyond critically praised movies and shows into more mainstream hits.The streamer has had its share of successes since then, including Reacher, Jack Ryan, Fallout, and The Boys. It also made a big bet on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a show whose premiere drew a record audience for Amazon, but which has not proven to be the world-conquering phenomenon that youd hope for with a reported budget of more than $1 billion.And then theres Citadel, an espionage show designed as the epicenter of a fictional universe of global spinoffs like Citadel: Diana and Citadel: Honey Bunny. Extensive reshoots reportedly turned Citadel into the second most expensive show ever made (behind only The Rings of Power), but its reception has been even more underwhelming. The Hollywood Reporter says the second season has been delayed from fall 2025 to spring 2026, with further spinoffs put on hold.Amazon has also struggled to get another James Bond film into production, following its acquisition of MGM in 2022. Producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (the offspring of longtime Bond producer Albert Cubby Broccoli) maintained creative control of the franchise, and a Wall Street Journal report in December suggested that Barbara Broccoli was particularly unhappy with Amazon she was apparently annoyed in an early meeting when Salke referred to Bond as content, and she was even reported to describe the tech giants team as idiots.Another source said that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was, in turn, so angered by the WSJ story about Broccoli that he declared, I dont care what it takes, get rid of her, with the company subsequently paying the Wilson and Broccoli to give up control.Salkes name was noticeably missing from Amazons announcement of the Bond deal. She will, however, be starting a new film and TV production company with a first-look deal at Amazon.

Welcome back to Week in Review! Elon Musk says that xAI bought X in an all-stock deal; a16z-backed 11x faked some customers; the Lumon Terminal Pro pops up on Apples website; and much more. Lets dig in!xAI buys X: X owner Elon Musk announced on X on Friday that xAI acquired X in an all-stock transaction. This combination values xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion. Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent, Musk said.Fudging the numbers: More than 20 sources including investors and current and former employees told TechCrunch that a16z- and Benchmark-backed 11x has experienced financial struggles, largely of its own making. They absolutely massaged the numbers internally when it came to growth and churn, a former employee said.Block layoffs: A leaked message by Block CEO Jack Dorsey reviewed by TechCrunch revealed that the company which owns Cash App and Square was laying off 931 people, or 8% of the company, as part of an org restructuring. Dorseys email denies that the layoffs are for financial reasons or to replace workers with AI.This is TechCrunchs Week in Review, where we recap the weeks biggest news. Want this delivered as a newsletter to your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here.NewsImage Credits:Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg / Getty ImagesWhat, me do fraud? The White House confirmed to TechCrunch on Friday that President Trump pardoned Trevor Milton, the founder of bankrupt hydrogen trucking startup Nikola who was convicted of fraud. The pardon comes just a few weeks after Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.Speaking of leaks: A leaked database seen by TechCrunch shows that China has developed an AI system that supercharges its already formidable censorship machine, extending far beyond traditional taboos like the Tiananmen Square massacre.Skunkworks spins out: Rivians skunkworks project was spun out of the company with a new name and $105 million in funding from Eclipse Ventures. The startup, called Also, will exist as a stand-alone company from Rivian.Get your computers ready: Apple announced that Worldwide Developers Conference 2025 will begin June 9. Reports have indicated that Apple has prepared dramatic software overhauls for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. We also expect iOS 19, which, according to Bloomberg, will be the biggest revamp since iOS 7.DNA debacle: DNA testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy this week. The companys co-founder and CEO, Anne Wojcicki, separately said she is leaving to become an independent bidder for the company. Your data might not be safe, so here are some ways to delete it.An act of Congress: Kat Abughazaleh, the 26-year-old who was among the people laid off from Media Matters after Elon Musk sued the company, announced this week that shes running for Congress. Im trying to be really transparent about how to run for office, because I feel like its kind of this black hole that seems a lot more difficult than it should be, she told TechCrunch.A slice of Severance: I havent watched any seasons of Severance, and based on seemingly everyone in the world, Im absolutely missing out. My colleague Sarah is among those people, and she spotted a Lumon Terminal Pro (the machine they use in the show) on Apples website.Backdoor to China: SpaceX, a defense contractor for the Pentagon, reportedly allowed Chinese investors to buy shares, as long as the funds are routed through the Cayman Islands or other offshore hubs.The Switch 2 is coming! And at Nintendo Direct, the company announced that its working on Virtual Game Cards that allow players to take their downloaded games with them to use on other devices.AnalysisImage Credits:Eugene Gologursky/The New York Times / Getty ImagesChatGPTs new image generator launched this week, and with it came a flood of images based on art by Studio Ghibli being posted online. While the debate over whether this is horrifying (Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki once said that AI is an insult to life itself) or cool, it does highlight one thing: Copyrights are still a concern when it comes to AI-generated anything. Although copying the art style isnt necessarily unlawful, OpenAI training its models on Studio Ghiblis art operates in a legal gray area.I think this raises the same question that weve been asking ourselves for a couple years now, Evan Brown, an intellectual property lawyer, told TechCrunch. What are the copyright infringement implications of going out, crawling the web, and copying into these databases?

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A bite from a black mamba in the wilds of Africa is almost always a death sentence without swift ... More medical intervention. Here are three reasons why.gettyMost people know that the black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) is an African species of elapid snake, notorious for its extraordinary length and incredibly potent venom. Some may even have heard of its ability to lunge forward with explosive speed, making it appear as if it is leaping through the air. Fewer, however, understand that its name comes from the inky black interior of its mouth, a chilling warning that says Im threatened before it strikes.But what fascinates evolutionary scientists is how every one of its traits is perfectly honed for predation. Each characteristic is terrifying on its own, but together, they create one of the most efficient, nightmarish predators in the natural world. When these key factors align, the black mamba isnt just deadly its a perfect storm of serpentine terror.1. Black Mambas Are Estimated To Move Nearly As Fast As You Can SprintThe black mamba is renowned for its exceptional speed, making it one of the fastest land snakes globally. In fact, National Geographic estimates that the snake can reach speeds of up to 12.5 mph over short distances. This agility allows the black mamba sometimes stretching up to 14 feet to effectively escape threats and swiftly pursue prey.In comparison, the average human sprinting speed varies based on fitness and training levels. For instance, average male sprinters can reach speeds of approximately 19.52 mph, while female sprinters average around 17.12 mph.This suggests that, on a smooth, controlled track designed for human sprinting, a trained athlete would outpace a black mamba. However, in a real-world encounter out in the savannas, rocky hills, and open woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa the black mambas explosive acceleration, agility, and unpredictable movements would make it a formidable presence. Its a powerful reminder of why its best to admire such animals from a safe distance in their natural habitat.The snakes primary mode of movement, lateral undulation, allows it to carve an S-shaped path through its terrain, using its muscular coils like a spring-loaded machine. Specialized scales act like tiny hooks, helping it grip and push off against the ground. Unlike clumsier species that struggle with obstacles, the black mamba leverages every surface with surgical precision, effectively turning the landscape into a series of launchpads.2. Without The Right Antivenom, A Black Mamba Bite Could Kill You In About 30 MinutesThe black mamba is notorious for its highly potent neurotoxic venom, which can lead to fatality in about 30 minutes if a severe bite goes untreated. The World Health Organization classifies it as one of the snakes of highest medical importance in sub-Saharan Africa due to the potency of its venom and the rapid onset and severity of clinical manifestations.The black mambas highly potent venom acts swiftly, shutting down nerve function and leading to progressive paralysis, respiratory failure and, ultimately, death if left untreated.A documented case in Switzerland, where a snake breeder was bitten by a black mamba, is a study in how to treat a victim. Despite being far from the snakes native range, rapid administration of antivenom was lifesaving. The case reinforces a crucial medical principle: the sooner antivenom is administered, the higher the chance of survival.Without antivenom, a black mamba envenomation carries a near 100% mortality rate. This is especially concerning because, throughout much of the species native range in sub-Saharan Africa, access to life-saving antivenom can be limited or unavailable.3. Black Mambas Can Be Frighteningly Locked In When ThreatenedDespite its fearsome reputation, the black mamba is naturally shy and avoids human encounters whenever possible. It would much rather flee than fight, using its incredible speed to escape danger. However, when cornered, provoked, or perceiving no way out, it transforms into an absolute killer.Once triggered, the black mamba unloads a relentless flurry of high-speed bites. Unlike snakes that rely on camouflage and venom yield to incapacitate prey, the black mambas strategy is shock-and-awe defense. It strikes in rapid succession, injecting large amounts of its potent neurotoxic venom with each bite.What makes this so terrifying is the speed and precision of its attack. In a fraction of a second, the snake can lash out multiple times, targeting the face, limbs, or any exposed area of its attacker. This blitzkrieg-style defense is often enough to scare off even large predators, as a single envenomation can incapacitate within minutes.Weve uncovered the traits of the black mamba that make it legendary now, what about the animal in your home? Take the Pet Personality Test to better understand your furry (or scaly) companion.