Here are the top stories from domestic news, world news, good news, and science and tech.
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All sources are at the end of the post.
Republican Glenn Youngkin wins Virginia's governor race, dealing Democrats a blow:
Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin speaks at a campaign rally at the Chesterfield County Airport on Monday.
Republican Glenn Younkin became the Governor of Virginia on Wednesday morning after incumbent McAuliffe conceded. This marks the first statewide win for Republicans in Virginia since 2009. Younkin’s win could owe to his overall focus on education, specifically his ambitious plan to ban “critical race theory” in the classroom. This could act as a template for other Republicans going into the 2022 midterm elections, where the GOP has an opportunity to strip Democrats of their slim congressional majority. Younkin’s win may also owe to him distancing himself from former President Donald Trump as this allowed him to attract moderates without alienating the Republican base. This may be a sign that Democrats need to focus their campaigns on their own message rather than the problems within the GOP.
China threatens Taiwan independence supporters with criminal liability for life:
China is threatening to hold people criminally liable for supporting Taiwan’s right to independence. The democratic nation declares itself as an independent country while China holds claim to the island-nation. China has released a list of those who support Taiwan, with everyone named being barred from working with Chinese people and companies. This has only heightened tensions between the two countries as they continue to test one another’s military capabilities. China’s announcement comes in the wake of Republican Senators in the US introducing a bill to provide $2 billion per year to Taiwan to help support the country in developing its military.
The Many Health Benefits of Eating Mushrooms That Are Wild – And Picking Them Doesn’t Deplete Supply:
Wild mushrooms have been shown to have many health benefits, and recent data on mushroom harvests show that they can be picked all year round without depleting their supply. As a food item, they are excellent sources of many important micronutrients and phytonutrients such as vitamins B2, 3, and 5, a host of minerals like copper and selenium, and a variety of carotenoids, indoles, and polyphenols, which serve as anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory agents. Wild mushrooms also seem to contain large amounts of vitamin D which is rare among naturally growing food sources. Wild mushrooms have also been found to reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment and reduce the growth of toxic proteins that cause Alzheimer’s in elderly people. More specific mushrooms like the Reishi mushroom, the Chaga mushroom, and the Lions Mane mushroom have a variety of medical benefits such as protection of the liver, DNA protection, increased immune function, inhibition of allergic reactions, and more.
Scientists Discover Baby Seals Can Change Their Tone of Voice – And Mimic Sounds Like Parrots:
Seals are one of the very few mammals to change the tone of their voices, allowing them to mimic humans like a parrot, scientists have found. The sea creatures were found to change the pitch of their calls depending on the sounds of their surroundings and could be taught to copy human speech like parrots, barking catchphrases in gruff accents like “come over here.” The new information was found through tests with eight harbor seal pups being held in a Dutch rehabilitation center. The researchers recorded noises from the nearby Wadden Sea before playing them back to the pups at volumes ranging from no sound to 65 decibels but keeping the same tone height as the animal’s calls. They then recorded the pup’s spontaneous calls to see whether they changed their tone of voice to match the sea sounds. Seal pups lowered their tone of voice and kept a steadier pitch when hearing louder sea noises which seem to mimic how humans raise their voices in response to a louder noise to be understood.
Sources:
The Many Health Benefits of Eating Mushrooms That Are Wild – And Picking Them Doesn’t Deplete Supply (goodnewsnetwork.org) Scientists Discover Baby Seals Can Change Their Tone of Voice – And Mimic Sounds Like Parrots (goodnewsnetwork.org)