Prehistoric mastodon jaw found in backyard of New York home
A backyard in Orange County, New York, became the site of an incredible discovery of a complete mastodon jaw — the first find like it in New York in more than 11 years. (New York State Museum)
(NEW YORK) — A backyard in Orange County, New York, became the site of an incredible discovery of a complete mastodon jaw — the first find like it in New York in more than 11 years.
The jaw, along with a piece of a toe bone and a rib fragment, was uncovered near Scotchtown by researchers from the New York State Museum and SUNY Orange.
The discovery began when a homeowner spotted two teeth sticking out of the dirt under a plant. After digging a little deeper, they found two more teeth just below the surface. Realizing the find might be something special, the homeowner called in experts, and soon a full excavation was underway.
“When I found the teeth and held them in my hands, I knew they were something special,” said the homeowner. “I’m so excited that our yard had something so important for science.”
The team of researchers uncovered a well-preserved jaw belonging to an adult mastodon, an ancient relative of today’s elephants. The jaw will now be studied to figure out how old it is, what the mastodon ate and what its life was like during the Ice Age.
“This jaw is an amazing discovery,” said Dr. Robert Feranec, an expert from the New York State Museum. “Fossils like this help us learn about ancient ecosystems and give us clues about how the world has changed over time.”
Orange County has been a great place to find mastodon fossils. In fact, about one-third of the 150 mastodon fossils found in New York have come from this area.
Dr. Cory Harris from SUNY Orange said they hope to keep digging in the area to see if there are more bones waiting to be found.
“The jaw is the most exciting part, but the toe and rib fragments might also help us learn more about this animal,” Dr. Harris explained.
The jaw will eventually be displayed at the New York State Museum in 2025, after scientists finish their research, according to Michael Mastroianni, a leader at the museum.
An ABC News graphic shows the weather forecast on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — About 265 million Americans, or nearly 80% of the population, are under cold weather alerts on Tuesday, as dangerous temperatures are felt in at least 43 states.
About 45 million Americans in the South are under winter storm alerts as the largest winter storm in decades slams the Gulf states today from Texas to Florida and up through the Carolina coast.
That storm is bringing the first-ever blizzard warning issued for Beaumont, Texas, and Lake Charles and Lafayette, Louisiana, with observed visibility down to a quarter-mile and wind gusts to 35 mph.
More than 12 million Americans are also under red flag warnings in southern California, with about 3 million tagged with a “particularly dangerous situation” as high winds and desperately dry conditions hold over the already reeling communities.
Extreme cold from coast to coast
Only five of the lower 48 states are not under cold weather alerts Tuesday morning — Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Every other state is either completely shrouded in cold alerts or partially affected.
Record lows were recorded on Monday in several cities, including Colorado Springs, Colorado, were the temperature dropped to 14 degrees below zero. Rawlins, Wyoming, hit 23 degrees below; Alliance, Nebraska, hit 22 degrees below; and Borger, Texas, tied its record low of 1 degree.
Temperatures early Tuesday are below freezing along the Gulf Coast and down to 20 below zero in the north — and those are just the actual temperatures. With wind chills, it feels near 40 degrees below zero in Fargo, North Dakota, and like 18 degrees in Houston, Texas.
Rare record-low temps are possible in Kansas City, Missouri, and in Salina, Kansas. Even this afternoon, wind chills won’t go above 15 degrees below zero in Chicago, Illinois.
On Wednesday morning, the coldest wind chill temps will reach the Northeast where wind chills near zero will hit New York City and D.C. and go below zero in Boston. Farther south in the Great Smokey Mountains, Asheville, NC will feel like -2 on Wednesday morning.
Record lows are possible on Wednesday morning in places like Corpus Christi, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Pensacola along the Gulf Coast and Cleveland and Akron in Ohio.
In the Midwest, many of these cold alerts are in effect through Tuesday morning only. In the South and East, alerts are extended through Wednesday or Thursday depending on the location.
Historic sourthern snow storm
The late 1800s saw a major snow storm along the Gulf Coast, but most of those records are not recognized by the National Weather Service, as it was before accurate reporting of snowfall was set up for these areas.
However, reports of 20 inches in Houston and 8 inches in New Orleans means this storm won’t break those historical numbers, but that was also right around the time electricity was being introduced to Southern cities — so this will likely be the most impactful storm of our modern era, and historic within the last century.
Debilitating travel conditions are expected to be widespread and power outages will be possible — which is dangerous in the life-threatening cold which could also burst pipes.
Local officials are warning residents to be prepared in case of power outage and in some communities there are suggestions to stay home and not travel if they don’t have to.
A first-ever blizzard warning has been issued for Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA and Lafayette, LA with observed visibility down to a quarter-mile and wind gusts to 35 mph. (h/t Wnek)
Already in central Texas more than an inch has fallen in Gonzales and 1 inches has been reported in Taylor. These numbers will be updating all morning as reports come in.
Radar is showing widespread snow from Austin to near Corpus Christi, which will likely see sleet, to Houston to nearly all of Louisiana and into Mississippi and Alabama this morning.
(WASHINGTON) — A group of immigrant advocacy centers and nonprofits has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for shutting down legal orientation programs for immigrants, including people detained at ICE detention facilities.
The lawsuit was filed a week after the Department of Justice told legal service providers who receive federal funding to stop providing legal orientation and other work intended to support immigrants at immigration court and detention facilities.
“With increased detentions, rapid deportation processes, and new detention centers, legal access to these detention centers to ensure these activities are being carried out following applicable laws has never been more important,” the lawsuit says. “The Programs at issue here are thus essential: they provide basic due process to noncitizens and they ensure lawyers are regularly inside detention centers to observe or be told about potential legal violations.”
The groups argue that legal orientation programs were stopped without advanced notice and that many of the nonprofits lost access to detention facilities across the country.
“By denying Program providers access, Defendants ensure that no legal service providers’ eyes are watching what the government does inside,” the complaint says.
Officials with the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment when contacted by ABC News. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the 51-page complaint, the groups argue that because immigration courts don’t guarantee individuals the right to counsel, the programs are necessary because they give noncitizens facing deportation critical access to basic legal information.
The programs that were shut down include the Legal Orientation Program; the Immigration Court Helpdesk; the Family Group Legal Orientation Program; and the Counsel for Children Initiative, which provides legal representation to children in immigration court proceedings.
“The information the Programs provide is the most basic level of the due process to which noncitizens in removal proceedings are entitled,” the complaint says.
(NEW YORK) — The chances of an asteroid striking Earth within the next decade has doubled in a matter of weeks, according to NASA astronomers.
The asteroid, discovered just after Christmas and named 2024 YR4, could strike the planet in December 2032 as it approaches during another journey around its orbit, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies.
When the detection of the asteroid was announced last month, NASA predicted just a 1.3% probability of it hitting Earth. The likelihood has increased to 2.1%.
The overall probability may be low, but a 2% chance of an asteroid strike is “uncommon,” Davide Farnocchia, navigation engineer with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told ABC News.
“Getting something with a probability this high, like 2%, which is high for us,” he said.
On the Torino scale — the method for categorizing the impact hazard associated with near-Earth objects — 2024 YR4 is ranking at three out of 10, Farnocchia said, adding that most space objects rank at a zero.
The object was discovered in late December as it made a close approach towards Earth, but it is now moving away, Farnocchia said.
The elongated shape of the orbit takes the asteroid around the sun and into Earth’s vicinity before it ventures far out between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Because of the unusual orbit, the asteroid will disappear starting in April until 2028, according to NASA.
The uncertainty surrounding this space rock is still prominent as astronomers race to find out as much as they can about the asteroid before they lose sight of it.
“We don’t want to take any chances,” he said.
The asteroid measures between 130 feet and 330 feet in diameter and large enough to potentially cause localized damage were it to strike a populated city, according to NASA.
In 1908, the Tunguska asteroid, which was a similar size, flattened trees over an area of about 1,250 miles after it exploded in the skies over Siberia.
The worldwide astronomy community is paying close attention to this asteroid and any others that could potentially impact the planet using multiple telescopes as well as measurements to detail the objects’ positions in space, Farnocchia said.
“We are tracking this object every night,” he said.
