First sign of animal life on Earth may be a sponge fossil
A Canadian geologist may have found the earliest fossil record of animal life on Earth, according to a report published Wednesday, July 28 in the journal “Nature.”
Geologist Elizabeth Turner discovered the rocks in a remote region of the Northwest Territories accessible only by helicopter, where she has been excavating since the 1980s. Thin sections of rock contain three-dimensional structures that resemble modern sponge skeletons.
The dating of adjacent rock layers indicates the samples are about 890 million years old, which would make them about 350 million years older than the oldest undisputed sponge fossils previously found.
State lawmakers work to strip old ‘whites only’ covenants
Fred Ware and his son were researching the history of the home he’s owned in the Hartford, Connecticut suburbs since 1950 when they discovered something far uglier than they expected.
Tucked in a list of rules on the home’s original deed from the developer was a provision that said: “No persons of any race other than the white race shall use or occupy any building or any lot,” with the exception of “domestic servants of a different race.”
While the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948 ruled such racially restrictive housing covenants unenforceable, many remain on paper today and can be difficult to remove. In Connecticut, David Ware asked legislators to help homeowners strike the language, and a bill ultimately was signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, in July.
Death row inmate in cabin killings dealt setback on appeal
A federal appeals court has dealt a setback to a Utah death row inmate who saw his conviction overturned in connection with a string of violence at a remote cabin.
Even if Von Lester Taylor did not fire the fatal shots in a 1990 triple shooting and kidnapping case, he cannot be considered innocent because Utah law makes accomplices as guilty as perpetrators, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday, July 30.
The finding overturns a previous ruling by a federal judge in Salt Lake City who found reason to believe Taylor’s partner committed the murders. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell ruled Taylor’s trial lawyer failed him and ordered his conviction overturned.
Wilson bounces back, sparkles in his 2nd Jets camp practice
Now, that was more like it.
Zach Wilson shook off a rough training camp debut by showing off the type of eye-popping playmaking ability that made him so coveted by the New York Jets. And the No. 2 overall draft pick did it Saturday, July 31 in front of plenty of excited fans.
And teammates.
“He’s doing things you’re not expecting him to do,” left tackle Mekhi Becton said. “There’s a lot of things that he’s out there doing that you don’t expect him to do, so I can’t just key in on one thing.”
