The Race to Translate Animal Sounds Into Human Language  WIRED
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Singer Mubarak Al Rashed sings Saare Jahaan Se Accha at PM Narendra Modi’s community event in Kuwait. Watch  Hindustan Times
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(Photo: CroCube)
ZAGREB, 22 December 2024 (Hina) – Croatia’s first satellite, CroCube, was successfully launched into space on Saturday from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA.
The satellite has already established its first communication with Earth, marking a historic step as Croatia enters the era of space technology, the CroCube mission announced.
CroCube was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket operated by the space company SpaceX as part of the Bandwagon-2 mission in the United States.
With this milestone, Croatia has joined a list of over 80 countries with their own satellites in space, said Daniela Jović, the mission leader for CroCube.
The successful launch commenced at 12:34 pm Croatian time, and by 2:16 pm, CroCube had successfully deployed from the rocket, reaching its permanent equatorial orbit around Earth at an altitude of approximately 550 km, where it will remain operational for about two years.
Later in the afternoon, at 3:05 pm, CroCube made radio contact, successfully transmitting its first signal back to Earth. A recording of the rocket launch can be viewed on SpaceX’s official YouTube channel (Bandwagon-2 mission).
“CroCube is in nominal, good condition. We are monitoring its telemetry data through the global SATNOGS network, which brings together amateur radio enthusiasts with advanced ground stations, enabling satellite tracking worldwide. The public can already follow CroCube via our mobile app, available for free on the App Store and Play Store,” said mission leader Jović.
Croatia Enters the Space Era with CroCube
CroCube is a nanosatellite measuring 10 x 10 x 10 cm and weighing 1.1 kg. From its orbit at 510 km, it will photograph Earth and conduct scientific measurements over the next two years.
(Photo: CroCube)
This historic event has ushered Croatia into the space era, overcoming numerous administrative, technological, and logistical barriers along the way, emphasised Jović.
The primary goal of the project is to drive technological development in Croatia and increase public interest in astronomy and space projects, alongside the advancement of STEM sciences and high-tech entrepreneurship.
A secondary objective is to gather data using the Croatian-made scientific module Astrotron 1000, embedded in CroCube. This module collects information on the degradation of microelectronics under high radiation and extreme temperature conditions.
Future Croatian space companies will be able to base their commercial projects on the data derived from these measurements.
The launch of CroCube is the result of three years of work by dozens of volunteers in Croatia, led by mission leader Daniela Jović. In collaboration with the Czech company Spacemanic and the Association for Education Beyond Frameworks (EVO), this volunteer team successfully designed, assembled, and launched Croatia’s first satellite. However, they emphasise that the satellite launch is just the beginning.
“As challenging as these first three years of work leading to the launch have been, the real work begins now. We volunteers have proven that Croatia is capable of entering the space sector, removing administrative and logistical barriers. Now it’s time for others to step up and become part of an industry projected to be worth $1 trillion by 2030. Some Croatian companies partnered on this project have already begun developing their first commercial ventures in the space business, and we are ready to share our knowledge, experience, and support with others interested,” said Daniela Jović.
She added that they are in the process of setting up an educational and presentation centre in Zagreb to offer further support.
Information about the CroCube satellite can be found on the website www.crocube.hr.
A press conference to discuss the success of the CroCube mission and the reception of its first signals will be held on Monday, 23 December, at 10:00 am at ZICER, located at the Zagreb Fairgrounds. All those involved in Croatia’s first space mission are expected to attend, the mission team announced.

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The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 21, 2024, results for each game:
01-12-17-21-58, Powerball: 01, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
12-16-21-35-43, Cash Ball: 02
Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.
09-19-30-39-44, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Morning: 8-9-1, Wild: 5
Midday: 4-0-8, Wild: 0
Evening: 8-1-7, Wild: 2
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Morning: 0-4-6-8, Wild: 0
Midday: 2-1-9-0, Wild: 9
Evening: 3-4-7-6, Wild: 8
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
13-16-26-34-35
Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
29-45-46-51-59, Powerball: 03
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:
Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Every time we think we’re close to fully understanding the human body, something fresh and unexpected shows up. Recently, a team of researchers stumbled upon strange entities, or obelisks, living inside of human bodies that had escaped notice until now.
Their surprising presence challenges assumptions and raises pressing questions about what else might be lurking unseen inside us.
These new visitors appear smaller than the viruses most people learn about in basic biology classes. Rather than behaving like familiar microbes, they introduce themselves as something different.
Their discovery came about when researchers began analyzing massive genetic libraries, searching for patterns that did not match any known organisms.
This unusual find was led by Nobel Prize winner in Medicine Andrew Fire, from Stanford University.
What the researchers uncovered are entities they have chosen to call “obelisks.” They do not resemble typical life forms, and their name comes from their distinctive shape.
“The more we look, the crazier we see,” said Mark Peifer, a cell and developmental biologist at the University of North Carolina.
They resemble what scientists call viroids, which are infectious loops of RNA known for their effects on plants.
Obelisks share certain traits with these plant pathogens, yet they appear in human-associated bacteria.
According to Matthew Sullivan, an integrative biologist at Ohio State University, the health implications for humans remain unclear.
RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is a vital molecule that plays several important roles in all living cells. Think of it as the messenger that helps turn the genetic instructions stored in DNA into the proteins that build and repair your body.
Unlike DNA, which usually forms a double helix, RNA is typically single-stranded and can fold into different shapes to perform various functions.
There are different types of RNA, such as messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) which is a key component of ribosomes, the cell’s protein factories.
But RNA isn’t just about making proteins — it also helps regulate how genes are expressed and can even act as a catalyst in certain chemical reactions.
For example, some RNA molecules can turn genes on or off, controlling what proteins are made and when. This regulation is crucial for everything from development to responding to changes in your environment.
Viruses often have protective shells made of proteins. Obelisks seem to lack that familiar coat. Instead, they carry RNA instructions around in tiny loops.
Unlike standard viruses, they do not appear to encode protein shells. These differences suggest that life’s definitions might need some rethinking.
It is not just a single type of obelisk. Thousands of unique varieties have turned up when scientists comb through genetic datasets.
Discoveries have emerged from multiple locations around the world, indicating that these intruders are not rare oddities tucked away in one place.
Not only are these obelisks found far and wide, they also appear in different parts of the human body. They have cropped up in bacteria from the mouth and in those dwelling in the intestinal tract.
The genetic signatures hint that distinct types prefer particular regions. This suggests an intricate relationship with our internal ecosystems, though it is too soon to say what they are doing there.
Their unusual nature stirs questions about how viruses, viroids, and these newcomers might be related.
A persistent puzzle has always been whether today’s viruses originated from simpler RNA forms or if they started out more complex and shed traits over time.
Entities like obelisks add color to these debates, leaving scientists wondering how ancient these forms might be and how they took shape during the planet’s biological history.
Obelisks do not slide neatly into existing categories. They are not standard viruses, not classic bacteria, and not exactly viroids either.
Their discovery hints that we may be missing entire classes of RNA-based life that challenge current textbooks. This complicates efforts to catalog and understand the full range of microbial life.
This investigation involved scanning colossal gene catalogs derived from human-associated microbes. Researchers used new computational tools to spot circular RNA molecules.
These approaches required careful filtering to ensure what they found was not just random noise. The effort paid off, revealing a strange world that had gone unnoticed.
“This is one of the most exciting parts of being in this field right now,” said Simon Roux, a computational biologist at the DOE Joint Genome Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
These sentiments reflect a general feeling among experts who are sifting through molecular data and finding surprises.
The study that introduced obelisks was posted on January 21st on bioRxiv, sparking interest among scientists who study microbial communities.
While researchers piece together the story of obelisks, the potential impact on humans remains uncertain. They know these RNA circles live inside bacterial cells that, in turn, inhabit our bodies.
If these entities influence bacterial behavior, they could, by extension, shape aspects of our own biology. Nobody can say yet what the long-term implications will be.
The human body is more than organs and tissues; it is a crowded universe of tiny creatures, many of them strangers we have not fully met before.
Obelisks may be just one example of what can happen when scientists look at genetic data in new ways. There could be more discoveries ahead, each one forcing us to adjust how we describe life and its building blocks.
Until then, researchers continue to watch, learn, and puzzle over these miniature visitors that have managed to hide in plain sight.
The full study was published in bioRxiv and Royal Society Open Science.
Current research on circular RNA:
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ADRIAN — Onsted’s Todd Warner has been appointed the new president and CEO of Gleaner Life Insurance Society, becoming the 11th such person to hold that role in the society’s 130-year history.
Warner has deep family roots with Gleaner Life, the insurance society said in a Tuesday, Dec. 17 news release. His maternal grandfather was a leading Gleaner agency manager in western Ohio. His father, the late Bill Warner, joined the agency and eventually became a senior vice president and chair of Gleaner’s board of directors. Todd’s mother, Sharon, lives in Blissfield as does his older brother who owns William O. Warner Insurance Agency.
Todd Warner became Gleaner Life’s senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer in 2019. He and his wife, Andrea, live in the Onsted area. He also serves with the Greater Lenawee Chamber of Commerce as treasurer and a board member.
“My vision for Gleaner is to honor our legacy by building on our strong foundation and working together with our staff, agents and other partners to develop the products and services our members need,” Warner said. “By upholding our commitment to fraternalism, we will foster a supportive and united community.”
Gleaner Life Insurance Society was founded in 1894 and is a nationally recognized nonprofit fraternal benefit society that assists its members in achieving their financial security goals through a broad range of life insurance and annuity financial solutions. It is headquartered and based in Adrian at 5200 W. U.S. 223. As a fraternal organization, Gleaner provides volunteer opportunities and supports outreach programs that “make a difference in the lives of our members and the communities where they live, work and serve.”
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The appointment of Warner as president and CEO was unanimous and was reported Dec. 12 by board of directors Chair Margaret Noe, saying she was “happy and excited and honored” to make the announcement. Noe also praised Kevin Marti, who served as interim president and CEO while a thorough search for a successor was conducted by Chicago-based insurance recruitment firm The Jacobson Group.
“We have grown in such incredible ways that have served us well, and we will be forever grateful for your tenure from day one,” Noe said of Marti, who after 10 years of leading Gleaner Life himself, retired from his position in April 2022, only to return in the most recent interim role. During the transition period of Marti’s retirement more than two years ago, Noe was named interim president and CEO, becoming the first woman interim chief of the society. She served for four months.
From May 2022:Gleaner Life CEO Kevin Marti retires; Margaret Noe named interim CEO
Anthony Clark, a 26-year insurance executive and a former Gleaner Life staff member, was named the 10th president and CEO beginning work on Aug. 12, 2022, after being selected by the life insurance society’s board of directors.
Warner graduated from Adrian College in 1986 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. He spent 29 years in accounting and finance with Toledo-area hospital system Mercy Health Partners. His tenure included three years as the chief financial officer and three years as chief operating officer of Mercy Health Physicians. He joined Gleaner Life’s board of directors in 2013, stepping aside after six years to fill Gleaner’s CFO and treasurer positions.
An act of giving around the holiday season was seen recently when Gleaner Gives, a charitable portion of Gleaner Life Insurance Society, donated almost $80,000 to support the Lenawee Cares campaign, a program of the Lenawee Community Foundation.
Marti presented a check to Lenawee Community Foundation President and CEO Bronna Kahle in support of Lenawee Cares, which helps fuel local efforts to provide food, shelter and critical resources throughout the community. Lenawee Cares was established in 2016 and is an annual campaign, driven by the community, dedicated to addressing fundamental needs by providing financial support to local nonprofit organizations.
— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LenaweeHeineman.

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Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR) has quickly emerged as a top artificial intelligence (AI) stock pick for many investors. The stock has more than quadrupled in 2024 and has a huge following.
But with all that success comes an obvious question: Is Palantir still a top AI pick for 2025? I think the business is primed to succeed in the coming year, but there are also some high expectations baked into the stock price.
Palantir makes AI software for its clients that provides the most up-to-date information possible to those with decision-making capabilities. This originally saw use in the government sector but has since expanded to the private sector.
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The Kumbh Mela offers devotees a chance to purify their souls.
Pilgrims take holy dips in the Ganges for spiritual renewal and salvation.
It unites millions from different backgrounds, fostering harmony and spiritual growth.
Kumbh Mela attracts devotees from around the world, promoting spiritual tourism and unity.
The festival traces its origins back thousands of years in Hindu mythology.
Colorful processions, music, dance, and art display India’s rich cultural heritage.

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overcast clouds
The global payments landscape is undergoing a rapid transformation. New technologies coupled with the rising demand for seamless, secure, and efficient transactions has spurred on an exciting new era of innovation and growth. With 2025 fast approaching, here are important trends that will shape the future of payments:
Until recently, real-time payments have been used in Africa for cross-border mobile money payments, but less so for traditional payments. We are seeing companies like Mastercard investing in this area, as well as central banks in Africa putting focus on this.
In 2025, we will see the continued acceleration of cashless payments across Africa. B2B payments in particular will also increase. Digital payments began between individuals but are now becoming commonplace for larger corporate transactions.
In the cryptocurrency space, we will see an increase in the use of stablecoins like United States Digital Currency (USDC) and Tether (USDT) which are linked to US dollars. These will come to replace traditional cryptocurrencies as their price point is more stable. This year, many countries will begin preparing for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), government-backed digital currencies which use blockchain.
The increased uptake of digital currencies reflects the maturity of distributed ledger technology and improved API availability.
As adoption of digital currencies will increase, governments will also put more focus into monitoring these flows. In particular, this will centre on companies and banks rather than individuals. The goal of this will be to control and occasionally curb runaway foreign exchange (FX) rates.
In 2025, we will see many business leaders buying into AI through respected providers relying on well-researched platforms and huge data sets. Most companies don’t have the budget to invest in their own research and development in AI, so many are now opting to ‘buy’ into the technology rather than ‘build’ it themselves. Moreover, many businesses are concerned about the risks associated with data ownership and accuracy so buying software is another way to avoid this risk.
In payments, the proliferation of AI will continue to improve user experience and increase security.  To detect fraud, AI is used to track patterns and payment flows in real time. If unusual activity is detected, the technology can be used to flag or even block payments which may be fraudulent.
When it comes to user experience, we will also see AI being used to improve the interface design of payment platforms. The technology will also increasingly be used for translation for international payments platforms.
To get more from their platforms, mobile network operators are building comprehensive service platforms, integrating multiple payment experiences into a single app. This reflects the shift of many users moving from text-based services to mobile apps. Rather than offering a single service, super apps are packing many other services into a single app. For example, apps which may have previously been used primarily for lending, now have options for saving and paying bills.
Recent major technological changes will force business leaders to focus on much shorter prediction and reaction cycles. Because the rate of change has been unprecedented in the past year, this will force decision-makers to adapt quickly, be decisive and nimble.
As the payments space evolves,  businesses, banks, and governments must continually embrace innovation, collaboration, and prioritise customer needs. These efforts build a more inclusive, secure, and efficient payment system that supports local to global economic growth – enabling true financial inclusion across borders.

Feature Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
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