A robot inspired by Cheerios releasing alcohol fuel with a fluorescent dyeJackson K. Wilt et al. 2024The same phenomena that let beetles float across ponds and cause Cheerios to clusterOne of these, the Marangoni effect, arises when a fluid with a lower surface tension rapidly spreads out across the surface of a fluid with higher surface tension. This effect is exploited by Stenus beetles, which have evolved to zip across ponds by secreting a substance called stenusin, as well as soap-powered toy boats.To investigate how this could be used by engineers,Jackson Wilt at Harvard University and his colleagues 3D-printed round, plastic pucks around a centimetre in diameter. Inside each was an air chamber for buoyancy and a tiny fuel tank containing alcohol, which has a lower surface tension than water, in concentrations from 10 to 50 per cent. The alcohol gradually leaks out from the puck, propelling it across the surface of the water.AdvertisementThe team used alcohol as a fuel because it evaporates, unlike soap which eventually contaminates the water and spoils the Marangoni effect. It turned out that the stronger the alcohol, the better the result. Beer would be quite bad, says Wilt. Vodka is probably the best thing you could use. Absinthe youd have a lot of propulsion. At peak speeds, the robots moved at 6 centimetres per second, and some experiments saw the pucks propelled for as long as 500 seconds.By printing pucks with more than one fuel outlet and by sticking them together the researchers could also create larger devices that traced out wide curves or spun on the spot. Using multiple pucks also let the researchers investigate the Cheerios effect, which is when the cereal or other similar floating objects cluster. This occurs because they form a meniscus, or curved surface, in fluid, and these surfaces are attracted towards each other. The latest science news delivered to your inbox, every day.Sign up to newsletterWilt says that the 3D-printed devices could be useful in education to help students intuitively grasp concepts related to surface tension, but could also see applications in environmental or industrial processes if carefully designed to create more complex and elegant behaviour.For instance, if there was a substance that needs to be dispersed throughout an environment that could also serve as a suitable fuel, the robots could spread it around automatically. Lets say you have a body of water where you need to release some chemical, and you want to distribute it more evenly, or you have some chemical process in which you need to deposit the material over time, says Wilt. I feel like theres some really interesting behaviour here.ReferencearXiv DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2411.16011Topics:3D printing

A trackway of footprints thought to have been left by a Paranthropus boisei individualNeil T. RoachPreserved footprints in Kenya appear to record two different species of ancient humans walking over the same muddy lakeshore, probably within days of each other. It is one of the most dramatic demonstrations ever found that the world was once home to multiple hominin species living side by side.Its really exceptional that we find this evidence for two different species walking across that surface, says Kevin Hatala at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The footprints were found in 2021 in Koobi Fora, Kenya, near the eastern shore of Lake Turkana. They were first spotted by team member Richard Loki at the Turkana Basin Institute, says Hatala: It was a team of Kenyans who were working there originally.AdvertisementPreserved in a dried-out layer of sand and silt, the team found a trackway consisting of 12 footprints (see image, above), evidently left by one individual walking in a straight line. There were also three isolated prints near the main group, seemingly made by three different individuals. The lack of signs of mud cracking or overprinting of tracks with others indicate that the prints were all made at about the same time. These sites probably capture a window of time anywhere from minutes to a few days or so, says Hatala.The sediment has been dated to about 1.52 million years ago. The isolated tracks resemble those left by modern humans: the heel struck the ground first, then the foot rolled forwards before pushing off with the sole. Hatala and his colleagues suggest that these were made by Homo erectus, which are known to have lived in the area. Keep up with advances in archaeology and evolution with our monthly newsletter.Sign up to newsletterIn contrast, the continuous trackway was made by a more flat-footed hominin. Hatala and his colleagues suggest this could have been Paranthropus boisei, another kind of hominin that lived in the region.The fossil footprint on the left with a deeper heel imprint is thought to have been made by a Homo erectus, the more flat-footed one on the right by a Paranthropus boiseiKevin Hatala/ChathamWith footprints, you can never be 100 per cent sure who made them, says Ashleigh Wiseman at University College London, who wasnt involved in the study. However, H. erectus and P. boisei are the only hominins whose remains have been found preserved in the area, so we can make an informed guess that it is those two.If the trackway really was made by a P. boisei individual, it shows that they walked bipedally, says Wiseman. While skulls, arm and leg bones have been attributed to Paranthropus, she says, we have never found a skull in association with the rest of the skeleton. That means we know little about their bodies apart from their heads, and their walking style has been a mystery. The trackway changes that: Its unequivocal evidence of walking on two legs.These two species were very different. H. erectus was one of the earliest members of our genus, Homo. They had larger brains than earlier hominins and became the first of the clade to travel outside Africa. In contrast, P. boisei were small-brained with large teeth and jaws, apparently adapted to eating chewy foods like grasses and sedges.Hatala and his team then looked at other known footprints discovered in the same region and time period and found that they seemed to match either one species or the other. We see a similar pattern at multiple other sites, and they might span more than 100,000 years, he says. It seems like these two species were coexisting on this same immediate landscape with one another for a very prolonged period of time.Were guessing that there was maybe low to neutral levels of competition between them, if they were able to coexist for more than 100,000 years, says Hatala. Previous research has suggested the two ate different foods. Unlike P. boisei, H. erectus is thought to have eaten a varied diet that included hunting large animals.Both of them could carve out their own existence in this shared landscape, says Hatala. Later, environmental shifts may have driven P. boisei to extinction, while the more adaptable H. erectus survived.Journal referenceScience DOI: 10.1126/science.adt8033Topics:

This is today's edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. Whats next for NASAs giant moon rocket? NASAs huge lunar rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), might be in trouble. As rival launchers like SpaceXs Starship gather pace, some are questioning the need for the US national space agency to have its own mega rocket at allsomething that could become a focus of the incoming Trump administration, in which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is set to play a key role. SLS has been in development for more than a decade. The rocket is huge, and about 15% more powerful than the Saturn V rocket that took the Apollo astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 70s. It is also expensive, costing an estimated $4.1 billion per launch. It was designed with a clear purposereturning astronauts to the moons surface. And while it seems likely the rocket will at least launch Artemis II next September, beyond that its future is less certain. Read the full story. Jonathan O'Callaghan This piece is part of MIT Technology Reviews Whats Next series, looking across industries, trends, and technologies to give you a first look at the future. You can read the rest of them here. This startup is getting closer to bringing next-generation nuclear to the grid This is a busy time of year for all of us, and thats certainly true in the advanced nuclear industry. MIT Technology Review released our list of 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch less than two months ago. Since then, awardee Kairos Power has had three big announcements about its progress toward building next-generation nuclear reactors. Each of these bits of news represents an interesting aspect of the process. So lets dig into the announcements and what they mean for where nuclear technology is going. Read the full story. Casey Crownhart This story is from The Spark, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things climate and energy. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A Chinese ship may have sabotaged critical data cables By dragging its huge anchor along the Baltic seabed for over 100 miles. (WSJ $)+ Swedish authorities are investigating the bulk carrier. (FT $) 2 The FTC is probing Microsoft Its a wide-ranging antitrust investigation into its cloud computing, AI and security arms. (NYT $)+ The FTC has been preparing for this for a full year. (WP $)+ Its notable its been signed off in the Biden administrations dying days. (The Information $)+ Meanwhile, Google is hoping to have its recent antitrust ruling thrown out. (Bloomberg $)3 RFKs Make America Healthy Again movement is in trouble Just days into the project, cracks are already beginning to show. (FT $)+ The MAGA policy agenda is extremely skeptical of actual scientific evidence. (NYT $)+ Americas opioid crisis probably played a role in Trumps reelection. (New Yorker $)4 TikTok is blocking beauty filters for teenagers But the restrictions arent exactly difficult to circumvent. (The Guardian)+ Filters will be required to specify the nature of the tweaks they make, too. (The Verge)+ The fight for Instagram face. (MIT Technology Review)5 Who is applying to join Elon Musks DOGE?Everyone from students to tech CEOs, apparently. (Forbes $) + The division is highly likely to clash with the US governments budget office. (WSJ $)6 Interpol has arrested 1,000 potential cyber criminals across Africa Theyre suspected of extorting victims using ransomware, phishing schemes and scams. (WP $)7 Heres all the tariffs Chinas tech industry is facingIts not just the US thats increasing its restrictions. (Rest of World)+ Buckle up: China is likely to face even greater chip restrictions from next week. (Wired $) + How Trumps tariffs could drive up the cost of batteries, EVs, and more. (MIT Technology Review)8 Mark Zuckerberg has been hobnobbing with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago Which is interesting considering that Trump has threatened him with life imprisonment. (The Information $)+ Zuckerberg has been on a charm offensive to repair their relationship for almost two years. (NYT $)+ But the President-elect has a history of holding grudges. (NY Mag $)9 Distributed computing is the next big thing We can achieve more when we work together, after all. (Quanta Magazine) 10 How those massive Macys Thanksgiving parade balloons stay afloat The greater the mass, the greater the weight. (Wired $)Quote of the day The main advice I have to give is stay true to yourself and hit post. TikToker Leah Halton dispenses some sage advice after winning an award for video of the year at Australias TikTok awards, the Guardian reports. The big story A day in the life of a Chinese robotaxi driver July 2022 When Liu Yang started his current job, he found it hard to go back to driving his own car: I instinctively went for the passenger seat. Or when I was driving, I would expect the car to brake by itself, says the 33-year-old Beijing native, who joined the Chinese tech giant Baidu in January 2021 as a robotaxi driver. Liu is one of the hundreds of safety operators employed by Baidu, driving five days a week in Shougang Park. But despite having only worked for the company for 19 months, he already has to think about his next career move, as his job will likely be eliminated within a few years. Read the full story. Zeyi Yang We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.) + If youve ever admired the incredible Co Rentmeester picture of Michael Jordan leaping through the air, heres the story behind the iconic image.+ If you look to the skies in Alaska, you might just see a Thanksgiving turkey being thrown out of a plane.+ Talking of Thanksgiving, if you want to cook the ultimate turkey, look no further.+ Move over, the hot artists are coming.

This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Reviews weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. This is a busy time of year for all of us, and thats certainly true in the advanced nuclear industry. MIT Technology Review released our list of 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch less than two months ago. Since then, awardee Kairos Power has had three big announcements about its progress toward building next-generation nuclear reactors. Each of these bits of news represents an interesting aspect of the process. So lets dig into the announcements and what they mean for where nuclear technology is going. First, a quick refresher on Kairos Power: While nuclear plants today overwhelmingly use pressurized water to keep reactors cool, Kairos is using molten salt. The idea is that these reactors (which are also smaller than those typically built today) will help generate electricity in a way thats safer and more efficient than conventional nuclear power. When it comes to strategy, Kairos is taking small steps toward the ultimate goal of full-size power plants. Construction began earlier this year on Hermes, the companys first nuclear test reactor. That facility will generate a small amount of heatabout 35 megawatts worthto demonstrate the technology. Last week, the company announced it received a construction permit for the next iteration of its system, Hermes 2. This plant will share a location with Hermes, and it will include the infrastructure to transform heat to electricity. That makes it the first electricity-producing next-generation nuclear plant to get this approval in the US. While this news wasnt a huge surprise (the company has been working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for years), any day that youre getting a permit or a license from the NRC is an unusual and special day, Kairos CEO Mike Laufer told me in an interview. The company is developing a plan to work on construction for both Hermes and Hermes 2 at the same time, he added. When I asked if Hermes is still on track to start up in 2027 (as we reported in our profile of the company in October), Laufer said thats an aggressive timeline. While construction on test reactors is rolling, Kairos is forging ahead with commercial dealsin October, it announced an agreement with Google to build up to 500 megawatts worth of power plants by 2035. Under this agreement, Kairos will develop, construct, and operate plants and sell electricity to the tech giant. Kairos will need to build multiple reactors to deliver 500 MW. The first deployment should happen by 2030, with additional units to follow. One of the benefits of building smaller reactors is learning as you go along and making improvements that can lower costs and make construction more efficient, Laufer says. While the construction permit and Google deal are arguably the biggest recent announcements from Kairos, Im also fascinated by a more niche milestone: In early October, the company broke ground on a salt production facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that will make the molten salt used to cool its reactors. Salt is one of the key areas where we do have some unique and specialized needs, Laufer says. And having control over the areas of the supply chain that are specialized will be key to helping the company deliver electricity reliably and at lower cost, he adds. The companys molten salt is called Flibe, and its a specific mix of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride. One fun detail I learned from Laufer is that the mixture needs to be enriched in lithium-7 because that isotope absorbs fewer neutrons than lithium-6, allowing the reactor to run more efficiently. The new facility in Albuquerque will produce large quantities of high-purity Flibe enriched in lithium-7. Progress in the nuclear industry can sometimes feel slow, with milestones few and far between, so its really interesting to see Kairos taking so many small steps in quick succession toward delivering on its promise of safe, cheap nuclear power. Weve had a lot of huge accomplishments. We have a long way to go, Laufer says. This is not an easy thing to pull off. We believe we have the right approach and were doing it the right way, but it requires a lot of hard work and diligence. Now read the rest of The Spark Related reading For more details on Kairos and its technology, check out our profile of the company in the 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch package from October. If youre dying for more details on molten salt, check out this story I wrote in January about a test system Kairos built to demonstrate the technology. STEPHANIE ARNETT/MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW | GETTY, ADOBE STOCK Another thing Donald Trump pledged to enact tariffs on a wide range of products imported into the US. The plans could drive up the cost of batteries, EVs, and more, threatening to slow progress on climate and potentially stall the economy. Read more about the potential impacts for technology in the latest story from my colleague James Temple. Keeping up with climate The UN climate talks wrapped up over the weekend. In the resulting agreement, rich nations will provide at least $300 billion in climate finance per year by 2035 to developing nations to help them deal with climate change. (Carbon Brief) This falls well short of the $1 trillion mark that many had hoped to reach. (MIT Technology Review)Utilities might be spending a lot of money on the wrong transmission equipment on the grid. Dollars are flowing to smaller, local projects, not the interstate projects that are crucial for getting more clean energy online. (Inside Climate News) Sustainable aviation fuel is one of the only viable options to help clean up the aviation industry in the near term. But what are these fuels, exactly? And how do they help with climate change? Its surprisingly complicated, and the details matter. (Canary Media) Automakers want Trump to keep rules in place that will push the US toward adoption of electric vehicles. Companies have already invested billions of dollars into an EV transition. (NewYork Times) Theres a growing chasm in American meat consumption: The number of households that avoid meat has increased slightly, but all other households have increased their meat purchases. (Vox) Trump has vowed to halt offshore wind energy, but for some projects, things take so long that a four-year term may not even touch them. (Grist)

The FDA said organic eggs sold in some Costcos are being recalled for Salmonella concerns.Handsome Brook Farms found that eggs not intended for distribution were packaged and sold.No illnesses have been reported so far. Salmonella can cause hospitalization.It's time to check your fridge if you picked up organic eggs during your last Costco run.Due to Salmonella concerns, organic eggs sold at Costco are being recalled in five states.On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced that 10,800 retail units of 24-count organic eggs sold under Costco's Kirkland brand are being recalled.The announcement came after Handsome Brook Farms, based in New York, determined that eggs "not intended for retail distribution" were packaged and sold in 25 Costco stores starting on November 22.The recall specifically applies to Costco organic eggs with the Julian code 327 and a "Use By" date of Jan 5, 2025. The eggs were recalled from Costcos in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.So far, the FDA said there are no illness complaints. Salmonella symptoms usually include diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever and some past Salmonella outbreaks led to hospitalizations.The FDA said that in rare cases, Salmonella can be fatal in very young children, older people, and those with weakened immune systems.

In 2018, at 46, Chris retired and left Chicago for Bangkok.He spent two years planning and saving for his move by investing in real estate.He enjoys the affordability of living in Bangkok and how easy it is to make friends.As he soaked in the pool of his Airbnb in Bangkok, Chris wondered, "How can I make this my home permanently?"It was 2016, and he had spent the past 25 years in the toy industry overseeing product development. His routine was the same: wake up, go to work, come home, play a video game, and sleep. At 44, retirement was weighing on his mind."There was nothing else I needed to really do," said Chris, now 52, who asked to be identified only by his first name to protect his privacy. "I mean, could I have worked longer to buy a cooler car? Maybe. Could I have bought a bigger house? Maybe. But nothing like that was really important to me."At the same time, Chris knew he didn't want to retire in his home state of Illinois. He loved the city but couldn't stand the long and bitter winters. Most of his friends unlike him were married with kids. He wanted to challenge himself with a hard reset.Chris had taken many businesstrips to Asia and started to love that part of the world. So, he mapped out a plan to save up, quit his job, and then live there full-time.The first thing he did was tell no oneHe didn't want to deal with negative reactions, he said. So, he kept his plan a secret for almost two years.But behind the scenes, Chris worked feverishly to make his plan a reality.First, he ramped up his real estate investments. Chris got more involved in theHe decided to invest in more property. By 2018, he had nine properties earningHe also visited Thailand eight times to ensure it was where he wanted to be. He had considered Hong Kong and Japan but eventually decided against them due to the higher cost of living."I wouldn't do touristy things. I would sometimes spend days just hanging out at the condo I was renting as if I already lived here," he said.By September 2018, he had a six-figure safety net in the bank in case he "didn't survive" and hadfrosty Chicago for sunny Thailand.The first six months were hardChris said he was used to being in a job where he had a team and worked on multiple projects."It was very strange to be fully retired and not have any responsibilities at a young age," he said. "I definitely, in the beginning, had some panic attacks where I'd wake up at 3 in the morning and be like, 'What did I just do?'" he recalled.Things improved when he followed a friend's suggestion to explore a site for meeting people with the same interests. Through meetup.com, Chris was able to connect with other expats and make Thai friends. Playing pickleball was a great way to connect with new people, he said."Bangkok is such a massive city. It's so easy to walk up to almost anybody and say hello," he said. "I don't do it as much as I used to because I have a lot of friends now. I'm like, I can't handle more friends," he said with a laugh. Chris met his girlfriend while living in Thailand. Chris Living in Thailand is more affordableChris lives in an 882-square-foot two-bedroom apartment in Thonglor, a hip neighborhood in Bangkok with trendy bars and shopping centers. His rent is 62,000 Thai baht, or around $1,785 a month.Before he left the US, he had set a budget of around $3,000 a month based on three factors: his age, lifestyle, and health. Describing his lifestyle as "semi-luxury," Chris said that he's increased his budget year after year to adjust to his changing circumstances. Now, his budget is at $3,800.Still, it's almost half of what he spent in Chicago, which was over $6,000 a month.Chicago is the most expensive place to live in the Midwest. Among 32 Midwestern cities, Chicago has the highest Cost of Living Index score, the Council for Community and Economic Research found last October."I get so shocked every time I go home once a year to visit my mom and see how it's gone up even more exponentially over the last couple of years," said Chris, who would spend a few weeks with his 82-year-old mom.He recalled that his parents were more shocked about his early retirement than his move."I think this is important for people that move away from family," he said. "You can't think of it as how many years you have left with somebody. You have to think about it as how many visits you have left with that person."Thailand is a popular retirement destinationChris is not the only one who has found a retirement haven in Thailand.According to the World Bank, the number of foreigners over 50 who received retirement visas to stay in Thailand doubled between 2013 and 2018 to nearly 80,000.Retirees enjoy the country's slow pace of life and low cost of living.John Walker, 73, moved from Australia to Chiang Mai, a province in northern Thailand, in 2019. He lives on an annual pension of around $18,000 and saves around 40% of his income. "People from all different countries come here," he told BI. "It's got a huge retirement community."Similarly, Jeffrey Odgen, 75, decided to retire in Hua Hin, a beach town south of Bangkok. "The people here are very respectful. They respect their elders, whereas you don't get that in other European countries," said Odgen, who is originally from the UK. Chris also travels to other parts of Thailand for vacation. Chris For Chris, being able to live any type of lifestyle is his favorite part of living in the city."If you want to be a recluse and just hide in your condo all day and get everything delivered, you can do that. If you want to explore the city, the public transportation is amazing," he said. "There's a lot of great culture, and everything is just right at your fingertips."Although he's been in the city for six years, Chris says it only feels like six minutes."It has been the fastest and the best six years of my life living here," said Chris, who has since extended his visa for 20 more years. "I absolutely want to stay as long as I possibly can."Do you have a story about moving abroad to retire that you want to share? Get in touch with the reporter, Erin: eliam@businessinsider.com.

Thanks to a new Netflix docuseries from true crime mainstay Joe Berlinger, audiences across the nation are asking a question true crime fans never really let go of.The new series, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBent Ramsey, doesnt actually spend all that many of its three hour-long episodes speculating about its title question. Instead, it spends most of them arguing a hot take thats less hot than you might think that JonBents own parents didnt do it. Following JonBents violent death which occurred sometime during the early morning hours of December 25 and 26, 1996, in her familys massive home in Boulder, Colorado that was a very popular theory. During the ensuing media frenzy, many members of the public looked at John Ramsey and his wife Patsy (who died in 2006) and assumed the case was open and shut. The victim was an eerily sexualized 6-year-old pageant queen; her face graced the tabloid magazine covers at every checkout line in America. In 1997, no single news story was bigger than this one; by 1998, the Los Angeles Times labeled her the nations most famous murdered child since the Lindbergh baby. And although a 2003 federal ruling supported the Ramseys innocence, and they were formally exonerated in 2008, many people remain convinced that one or both of JonBents parents were the culprits and suggest they did it to cover up a horrible accident committed by their 9-year-old son. A hugely influential 2016 CBS series about the case confidently made that argument. Yet in recent years, many experts, including several featured in Berlingers documentary, have argued that an intruder committed the crime a theory that the original police investigation never really seemed to take seriously, and which led to deep divisions among Boulder police, the district attorney, and the FBI. Much of the confusion stems from the problem that the original investigation was botched from the beginning, with police allowing the crime scene to be completely contaminated, evidence to be moved around and tampered with, rooms to be cleaned, and a string of visitors to traipse throughout the house for hours after the Ramseys called 911. This negligence torpedoed the integrity and reliability of nearly every piece of evidence in the case. As a result, even decades later, every detail remains up for debate. As for a list of potential suspects, while there are several primary contenders, including the Ramseys, its often difficult to have an even-handed discussion about them. Thats likely all because of a single piece of evidence, one of the most infamous in true crime history: the ransom note. For most people who look into the JonBent case, how they view the ransom note determines how they view the rest of the case, including who did it. Thats because the ransom note itself is so inexplicable that it immediately, and perhaps permanently, biased and derailed the entire investigation. The strangest ransom note everThe first weird thing about the ransom note is where Patsy claims to have found it lying unobtrusively on the floor of a back spiral stairwell in the early-morning hours of December 26. She gave conflicting stories about the sequence of events: In one version, she checked JonBents room first and noticed she was missing, and then found the ransom note; in the more frequently repeated version, she found the note first, then ran upstairs to check on JonBent, only to discover her missing. The next weird thing about the ransom note is... well... everything about it. Here is the text in full:Mr. Ramsey,Listen carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction. We [the word do has been scribbled out] respect your bussiness [sic] but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our posession [sic]. She is safe and unharmed and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter.You will withdraw $118,000.00 from your account. $100,000 will be in $100 bills and the remaining $18,000 in $20 bills. Make sure that you bring an adequate size attache [sic] to the bank. When you get home you will put the money in a brown paper bag. I will call you between 8 and 10 am tomorrow to instruct you on delivery. The delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested. If we monitor you getting the money early, we might call you early to arrange an earlier delivery of the money and hence a [sic] earlier [delivery is scribbled out] pick-up of your daughter.Any deviation of my instructions will result in the immediate execution of your daughter. You will also be denied her remains for proper burial. The two gentlemen watching over your daughter do not [not has been inserted between words] particularly like you so I advise you not to provoke them. Speaking to anyone about your situation, such as Police, F.B.I., etc., will result in your daughter being beheaded. If we catch you talking to a stray dog, she dies. If you alert bank authorities, she dies. If the money is in any way marked or tampered with, she dies. You will be scanned for electronic devices and if any are found, she dies. You can try to deceive us but be warned that we are familiar with Law enforcement countermeasures and tactics. You stand a 99% chance of killing your daughter if you try to out smart [sic] us. Follow our instructions and you stand a 100% chance of getting her back.You and your family are under constant scrutiny as well as the authorities. Dont try to grow a brain John. You are not the only fat cat around so dont think that killing will be difficult. Dont underestimate us John. Use that good southern common sense of yours. It is up to you now John!Victory!S.B.T.CTheres a lot to unpack here: The strange ransom amount $118,000 corresponded to Johns year-end bonus that year from the lucrative tech company he ran. The notes over-the-top language seems to be referencing well-known quotes from movies that feature abductions and ransoms, including Dirty Harry, Ransom, Ruthless People, and Speed. The foreign faction is very obviously not real, and S.B.T.C. has never been linked to any existing group.The final oddity about the note is where it came from a notepad belonging to Patsy. The notes author not only used the notepad, they wrote a draft version of the note originally addressed to Mr. & Mrs. before directing the note just to John. They even used a Sharpie from the house that they then helpfully returned to the correct pen holder. Patsy participated in a string of handwriting analysis sessions, over which multiple analysts concluded it was probable, but not definitive, that she wrote the note. However, the modern understanding of handwriting analysis generally holds that its a shaky forensic arena prone to significant cognitive bias, and that less experienced analysts are more likely not only to be wrong, but to be more confidently wrong than their peers. Other handwriting analysts have since offered totally different opinions about who wrote it. Behavioral analysts, too, tried to analyze the note with dubious results. To give you an idea of the kind of hysteria that surrounded this case, one official psychological profile claimed that SBTC could have meant Saved by the cross, and argued that Patsy was a delusional sociopath who committed the murder as part of an arcane religious ritual. The ransom note is so strange that for many people its impossible to get around the sheer improbability of anyone writing it at all. After all, what purpose could it serve an intruder to linger in the house after the crime, taking their time to write multiple drafts of a note, for a kidnapping that had not taken place?One argument against this is that the intruder could have written the note before the crime. The Ramseys were away for hours at a Christmas party that evening, which gave a potential predator hours to enter the house, familiarize themselves with the homes layout, and play around with creative writing exercises while waiting for the family to return and settle in for the night. But the question of motive why? seems to lead, for most people, away from an intruder and straight back to a Ramsey: The note is so fantastical that the most glaringly obvious conclusion is that it was written by someone who was desperate to divert attention away from the home and away from the family. For a while, if that was the motivation, it worked: Boulder police assembled at the house but then left without securing it as a crime scene, leaving only one officer there throughout the day until JonBents body was ultimately found by her father in the basement. Yet if this was really a cover-up by the family, the question of motive still remains: Why would the family leave (or place) JonBents body in the basement if they wanted the police to think shed been abducted? Why write such an elaborate ransom note or ask for such a specifically incriminating amount? Either way you look at it, the ransom note just doesnt make sense. For most people, theres only one way to read the ransom note: Patsy wrote it. What else could it be?One alternate way for us to think about this ransom note comes to us via The Consult, a recent podcast hosted by former members of the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit, of Mindhunter fame. We know criminal profiling is as pseudoscientific as every other cool-but-actually-junk forensic tool, so we have to take this analysis with many grains of salt. But in their two-part series studying the ransom note earlier this year, host Julia Cowley and her guest Robert Drew made interesting observations about the mindset of the letter writer by honing in on the fact that they were really into movies about abduction. That sounds like an obvious point, but the profilers used it to make a salient point about the kind of person who could commit this crime. Every film referenced in the note involves a villain who, at the moment hes making ransom demands, fully has the upper hand over the hero. Hes not only calling the shots, but doing so gleefully and maliciously, exactly as the letter writer may be attempting to do with John. The former FBI profilers argue that the letter is a fantasy of having control over someone rich and powerful that its not an anomaly, but rather an extension of a crime scene created by a sadistic child abuser.This isnt the only way to read the note, of course, but its a reasonable way to think about how the note fits into an intruder scenario. And given the resurgence of interest in the case, maybe this truly bizarre piece of evidence will finally start making some sense.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team have yet to sign the customary documents allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct background checks on his nominees for important government posts, and its unclear whether those nominees will receive FBI background checks at all. The background checks flag any serious concerns about the nominees not just criminal activity but financial issues or relationships that could compromise their ability to carry out their jobs. They are also the basis for security clearances necessary for high-level national security officials tasked with handling sensitive information. The checks are meant to reveal whether theres reason to believe these potential officials might misuse the power of their offices or if they have any vulnerabilities that might be exploited, either by US citizens or foreign adversaries. Its possible that the FBI will be asked to do background checks next year. According to a report in the Guardian, Trump will request the background checks once his own officials are posted at the Department of Justice, which oversees the FBI. The transition team is reportedly relying on internal vetting as well as outside law firms and unspecified allied groups to conduct the background checks, but the FBI is better equipped and has the training and capacity necessary to conduct these investigations. An FBI background check for political appointees is only customary; theres no legal backing for it. No other branch of government can compel the nominees to undergo them. Trump himself has been skeptical of the FBI, so its not that surprising that hes eschewed the background checks. But they do serve several important purposes.Heres what you need to know about the FBI background checks.Whats the standard background check process?The FBI background check process is straightforward, if arduous. First, the incoming administration signs a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Justice outlining what kinds of information they are looking for about their nominees and what resources the DOJ can provide to help uncover that information. Nominees who will be working in national security have to fill out a special form (the same one the Department of Defense uses in evaluating staff for security clearances).The FBI can question the nominee and their contacts if necessary but cannot collect documents or compel evidence. Cooperation is voluntary, but as Llewelyn Engel, an attorney at the Washington, DC, firm Emery Will & Henry, told Vox, From an interview perspective, if the FBI calls you to ask about somebody, you might be more forthcoming than with a law firm or other private entity conducting investigations. Once complete, the full background check then goes to the president-elect who, based on the findings, can either refer the nominee to the Senate or decide to withdraw the nomination. If the nomination is for a high-level position, like a Cabinet member or an ambassador, the investigations go to the appropriate Senate committee for example, the Senate Armed Services Committee for a Defense secretary nominee.The Senate committee is in charge of looking at all this information, so theyll get a big binder of all the material, and they can also do their own investigations as well, Engel said. They can always request that more information is collected about this individual.Again, the process isnt mandated by law. The practice started when President Dwight Eisenhower chose to have his nominees subject to a background check and has continued since then.Is Trump following the usual process?Thus far, Trump has deviated from the usual process, although the incoming administration did sign other important transition agreements with the Biden White House on Tuesday. The Biden administration told Politico that progress has been made towards an agreement between the Trump team and the DOJ, but how much progress remains unclear.The Trump-Vance transition lawyers continue to constructively engage with the Biden-Harris Administration lawyers regarding all agreements contemplated by the Presidential Transition Act, Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for Trumps transition team, told NPR. We will update you once a decision is made.The Justice Department said in a statement that it is prepared to deliver briefings to the transition team on our operations and responsibilities, and we stand ready to process requests for security clearances for those who will need access to national security information.Why isnt Trump following the standard process?No other president-elect has eschewed the FBI background check process in recent memory, Heath Brown, a professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told Vox. And Trump hasnt said why he hasnt tasked the FBI with doing background checks.He does, however, have a noted distrust of the FBI following investigations into his handling of secret documents after he left office in 2021, as well as FBI investigations into the January 6, 2021, insurrection and attempt to overturn the 2020 election. And as previously noted, theres no law requiring Trump to follow the normal process. Reps. Ted Lieu of California and Dan Beyer of Virginia introduced a bill in November to codify the practice in the law, but it hasnt passed yet.Instead of following the typical process, Trumps transition team plans to have the FBI checks go forward only after he has taken office that is, after he is in control of the agency and has his own appointees in place, the Guardian reported Wednesday. According to that report, Trump also plans to grant blanket security clearances, though its unclear whether or how the DOD will be involved in that process. What happens now?Without the FBI background checks, the various Senate committees can conduct their own investigations into nominees, according to Engel and Jennifer Selin, associate professor at the Arizona State University Sandra Day OConnor College of Law. Those investigations may or may not become public.Even without FBI investigations, potential red flags with nominees will sometimes emerge through reporting. The press resurfaced allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of former Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz. And Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseths alleged sex crime also came to light through news stories. Both men have denied wrongdoing.The media is in some ways a good ally for the Senate because its not just the senators delving into and using their subpoena power and their background and connections with various agencies to get information and to conduct their own investigations, Selin said. The Senate will ideally begin confirmation hearings with or without the FBI reports before Inauguration Day on January 20, 2025.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

In a special gaming event at Waterloo in London, Bjetka Zmelikova and Jacob Stewart finally met in person after first meeting online in 2020

Xbox and PC owners will no doubt be looking to find out what new games will be available in December, but we already know about one major AAA addition