Federal Workers Are Being Told to Blame Democrats for the Shutdown

At the Department of Housing and Urban Development, employees were instructed to set an out-of-office message that reads, “The federal government’s spending authority expired at 11:59 on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, therefore, most HUD programs have been temporarily interrupted, and most HUD employees have been told they cannot work…We regret any inconvenience the government lapse…

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The ‘Lonely Runner’ Problem Only Appears Simple

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Picture a bizarre training exercise: A group of runners starts jogging around a circular track, with each runner maintaining a unique, constant pace. Will every runner end up “lonely,” or relatively far from everyone else, at least once, no matter their speeds? Mathematicians conjecture that…

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Peacock Feathers Are Stunning. They Can Also Emit Laser Beams

Peacock feathers are greatly admired for their bright iridescent colors, but it turns out they can also emit laser light when dyed multiple times, according to a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports. Per the authors, it’s the first example of a biolaser cavity within the animal kingdom. As previously reported, the bright iridescent…

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The Men Behind Your Favorite AI Gay Thirst Traps

With his deep brown eyes, wide grin, and almost comically chiseled body, Jae Young Joon is the platonic ideal of a hunky male influencer. On Instagram, where he has more than 320,000 followers, he regularly posts himself trying on sheet masks at home, enjoying soju and karaoke with his friends, or posing in front of…

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How to Clean Your Keurig (and When)

It can be tricky to figure out how to clean your Keurig, but it’s important work. If your household is like mine, your pod coffee maker runs anywhere from three to seven times per day. All of that use can cause buildup and gunk, which can affect the taste of your coffee and the lifespan…

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The EPA Plans to ‘Reconsider’ Ban on Cancer-Causing Asbestos

Despite touting ambitious goals of making America healthier, the Trump administration on Monday revealed in court documents that it is backpedaling on a ban on cancer-causing asbestos. Last year, under the Biden administration, the Environmental Protection Agency took a long-awaited step to ban the last type of asbestos still used in the US—chrysotile asbestos, aka…

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