📌New Orleans Tragedy, Happiness Study, More

A US Army veteran plowed into New Orleans' crowded French Quarter on New Year's Day, killing 15 people in an attack.

The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US citizen from Texas who once served in Afghanistan, was killed in a shootout with police after ramming the crowd. The attack injured about 30 other people, including two police officers wounded by gunfire from the suspect.

Police found weapons and a potential explosive device in the vehicle, while two potential explosive devices were found in the French Quarter and rendered safe, the FBI said.

An ISIS flag was attached to a staff protruding from the trailer hitch of the rented vehicle, prompting an investigation into possible links to terrorist organizations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

”We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates," FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan told reporters, adding that investigators were looking into a "range of suspects.”

US President Joe Biden condemned what he called a “despicable” act and said investigators were looking into whether there might be a link to a Tesla truck fire outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas. So far, there was no evidence linking the two events, Biden said.

As police swept parts of the city looking for explosive devices and converged on neighborhoods in search of clues, officials postponed the Sugar Bowl, the college football game played in New Orleans each year on New Year's Day, until 4 p.m. ET today. The city will also host the NFL Super Bowl on Feb. 9.

Researchers are launching the largest happiness study, involving over 1,000 scientists from more than 70 countries.

The “Global Happiness Megastudy” will recruit at least 30,000 participants worldwide to undergo daily “happiness interventions.” These include activities like yoga, high-intensity interval training, and social interactions such as calling a relative.

Participants will be divided into control groups and intervention groups, with activities designed to be completed at home in under 25 minutes.

The study aims to identify universal trends in happiness by including participants from diverse backgrounds and nationalities. Earlier studies have shown that people in small, indigenous communities report high levels of happiness despite economic poverty.

The research challenges the assumption that higher GDP and income are the primary determinants of happiness, suggesting social connections and nature may be more important. The study aims to provide insights into effective, low-cost strategies for improving happiness globally.

Professor Elizabeth Dunn emphasizes the study's goal to be the most comprehensive and diverse experiment on happiness ever conducted.

Resolutions to shed weight and feel younger may consider a plant-based diet, staying active, and weekly strength training.

A spate of studies published over the last year suggest that certain diet and exercise regimens might help reduce a person’s “biological age.” The term refers to indicators of one’s physiological health rather than how many birthdays they’ve had.

A study of identical twins found those on a vegan diet showed significant decreases in biological age than those on omnivorous diets. Consuming antioxidant-rich or anti-inflammatory foods — vegetables, olive oil, and whole grains — is linked to a younger biological age and higher sugar intake to an older biological age.

In another study, a calorie-restricted, plant-based diet for five days a month over three months resulted in a biological age reduction of two-and-a-half years.

A study of physically active subjects found those who took part displayed a mental speed four years younger than they showed after periods of inactivity. The activity could have been as simple as walking the dog, doing chores, or playing with kids.

In October, a study found that doing 90 minutes of strength training each week — exercises like using weights or resistance to strengthen muscles — was associated with a nearly four-year reduction in biological age.

Five Democratic-run state legislatures now require coverage of abortion services, pregnancy care, and paid sick leave.

At the state level, Democratic legislatures across the country enacted bills aimed at widening insurance coverage and increasing workers' ability to take time off to see a healthcare provider.

Delaware joined 17 other states in mandating Medicaid coverage for all abortion-related services. Pennsylvania enacted legislation requiring Medicaid coverage for birthing and postpartum doulas.

New York introduced a first-of-its-kind paid prenatal care leave policy, effective in 2025, allowing pregnant women 20 extra hours of paid sick leave for pregnancy care and abortions.

Connecticut expanded its mandatory sick leave policy to cover more employees, reducing the threshold for coverage over the next few years. Washington state broadened its paid sick leave policy to include more family members and emergency school or daycare closures.

Healthcare was a major issue in the 2024 election and likely will feature in the legislative agenda at the federal level under President-elect Donald Trump's second administration.

Researchers found 35 buildings along the coasts of Miami's barrier islands have sunk by 2–8 cm from 2016 to 2023.

The study’s lead authors, Farzaneh Aziz Zanjani and Falk Amelung Shirzaei, say subsidence isn't usually factored into future flooding estimates. Combining it with sea-level rise projections, they estimate up to 518,000 people will be exposed to high tide flooding by 2050 in up to 288,000 more properties.

After the 2021 collapse of the Champlain South Condominium Tower in Surfside, Florida, which killed 98 people, researchers began to wonder whether the ground beneath was part of the problem. They found the subsidence of other buildings was associated with nearby construction.

The limestone underground might be interspersed with sandy layers in the barrier islands. Vibrations from construction could cause the sand grains to shift and give way under the buildings' weight.

The researchers are seeking funding to study Miami's sediments and investigate uneven subsidence, where different parts of a building sink at different rates.

They said satellite remote-sensing could be a diagnostic tool to scan specific regions — such as Miami's barrier islands — for buildings tilting on uneven land subsidence. Then, investigators can target at-risk spots and, if necessary, suggest structural reinforcements.

Old DNA has revealed waves of human migration across Europe during the first millennium AD.

A data analysis method called Twigstats allows for precise measurement of differences between genetically similar groups, uncovering details of migrations in Europe. The study analyzed over 1500 European genomes from the Iron Age to the Viking Age, revealing significant migration patterns.

Germanic-speaking groups migrated south from Northern Germany or Scandinavia early in the first millennium, mixing with pre-existing populations in southern Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, and southern Britain.

An individual in 2nd–4th century York, Britain, showed 25% Scandinavian ancestry, indicating a Scandinavian presence in Britain before the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods.

A later northward migration into Scandinavia occurred at the end of the Iron Age, with Viking Age individuals in southern Scandinavia carrying Central European ancestry. Viking Age individuals outside Scandinavia showed local and Scandinavian ancestry, supporting historical records of Viking expansion.

Peter Heather, a medieval history professor at King's College London and study co-author, said historical sources indicated migration helped restructure western Eurasia’s “human landscape,” but the extent has been “hotly disputed.” He said Twigstats may help to resolve “crucial questions.”

When police in England routinely stopped a driver, he was found to have used an expired provisional license for nearly 50 years.

Lancashire Police's roads policing unit stopped the driver of a Range Rover in Preston because the vehicle did not have a road safety certificate.

After further checks, they found the driver, who was not identified, to have been driving on an expired provisional license for 49 years.

The driver was reported for motoring offenses, and the car was seized.