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Joint UCSC study provides insights into ancient Incan society

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — A recently published study, co-authored by UC Santa Cruz Anthropology Professor Lars Fehren-Schmitz, analyzing the 500 year-old DNA of those buried near Peru’s iconic Incan citadel Machu Picchu, shows that the servant class that lived and died there — forcefully relocated to the structure by the Incan empire — hailed from more diverse backgrounds than scientists had anticipated.“The people that we are actually looking at are servants to the royal family,” said Fehren-Schmitz. “The Inca had a very complex system of forced relocation that they also used to control the places that they occupied and to maintain their political relationships.”The recently published study, titled “Insights into the genetic histories and lifeways of Machu Picchu’s occupants,” was conducted over a 12-year span, and included researchers from Yale, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Tulane University, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in addition to UCSC and...

Lt. Gov. Kounalakis, CSU students discuss proposed tuition hike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

With many California State University students, faculty and staff opposing the system’s proposed 6% annual tuition hike over the next five years,  Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis met with student leaders at Cal State Los Angeles on Friday to discuss anticipated impacts of the embattled increase.“My first response was shock, and mostly because the trustees did a study on how much money they need to operate the system — which is valid — but they have not studied what the impact of our system as a whole is going to be on increasing tuition,” Kounalakis said, in an interview after the roundtable concluded.The CSU Board of Trustees’ Committee on Finance weighed the proposal on July 11 and decided to send it to the full board for final approval. CSU officials say is necessary to help offset a $1.5 billion funding gap.The board will likely hear the item in September, though the date won’t be confirmed until the agenda for that month’s meeting is released.A CSU workgroup first identified the mass...

14 people involved in fight in San Rafael street

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

(KRON) -- A large group of people drinking alcohol in the street ended up in a violent fight on Friday night, the San Rafael Police Department said. Taylor Swift fans break VTA ridership record Police began receiving 911 calls about a large physical fight around 10:40 p.m. in the area of Winward Way, police said. Witnesses stated that at least 14 people were involved and people in the group were throwing beer bottles at one another. Officers at the scene found a man with a cut on his face, he had been struck by what witnesses initially called a machete. The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Investigators later learned the man was struck by a knife inside a sheath, not a machete. Witnesses pointed to two men who they said were responsible for the man's facial injuries. The two suspects were identified as Joselito Miguel Vasquez and Selvin Alvarado Vasquez; both men were detained at the scene. Police later learned that a large group had been drinking the the area whe...

Boca Juniors signs Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Argentina club Boca Juniors announced Saturday it has signed 36-year-old Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani on a free transfer. The club said it has an 18-month deal which will see the veteran player compete in the knockout stage of this year’s Copa Libertadores.“We are happy to have you here,” Boca Juniors said on social media, posting a highlight reel of Cavani’s career and an image of a Boca No. 10 shirt with the Uruguayan’s name on it.Earlier, Spanish team Valencia said in a statement it had terminated its contract with Cavani, which was due to expire next year. Cavani has struggled with several muscular injuries in the recent past. He played only 28 matches for Valencia and scored seven goals. His career in Europe began in 2007 at Palermo, where he played for three years. He then enjoyed impressive stints at Napoli (2010-2013) and Paris Saint-Germain (2013-2020). The Uruguayan also played for Manchester United (2020-2022) before moving to Valen...

High temperatures start to drop in DC region with thunderstorms rolling in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

Listen live for the latest weather updates on the 8s on WTOP. The sweltering temperatures from the three-day heat wave are starting to drop Saturday in the D.C. region with thunderstorms coming in. Here’s what you need to know.The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of Northern Virginia and Maryland until 5:45 p.m. with storms coming in from the Northwest.Also, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued until 9 p.m. across the area. According to 7News meteorologist Mark Peña, strong storms will come in and bring the threat of gusty, damaging winds that may knock over trees and power lines.Already there’s a report of trees and powerlines down in Loudoun County.A heat advisory is still in effect until 8 p.m. on Saturday, with residents urged by local leaders to stay cool and hydrated.A cold front should move into the region on Saturday night, finally offering relief from the heat. WTOP meteorologist Steve Prinzivalli says that north...

Los soldados de Wagner avanzan hacia la frontera polaca y podrían intentar cruzar a escondidas, dice el primer ministro

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

(CNN) — Más de 100 soldados del grupo mercenario ruso Wagner avanzan hacia una estrecha franja de tierra entre Polonia y Lituania, dice el primer ministro de Polonia, quien advirtió que podrían hacerse pasar por inmigrantes para cruzar la frontera.El primer ministro polaco Mateusz Morawiecki dijo el sábado que su gobierno recibió información de que los mercenarios de Wagner no estaban lejos de Grodno, una ciudad en el oeste de Belarús cercana a la tierra, también conocida como la brecha o corredor de Suwalki.Según los informes, miles de tropas de Wagner se encuentran en Belarús luego de un levantamiento militar fallido en Rusia.Morawiecki reiteró las acusaciones de que Belarús, un aliado clave de Rusia, ha estado enviando inmigrantes hacia el oeste en un intento de abrumar a las fuerzas fronterizas polacas.Lo que Ucrania debe hacer para ganar en su avance hacia el sur, y lo que Rusia tiene en reservaLos movimientos de soldados, dijo Morawiecki, parecían ser otro elemento en es...

Reddick wins pole at Richmond; points leader Truex to start 10th

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Tyler Reddick won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway.Reddick turned a fast lap and 113.689 mph on the 0.75-mile oval Saturday to win his first pole position of the season and the fifth of his career. The midday session was held in sunshine that pushed the temperature to nearly 100 degrees.Kyle Busch, the leader among active drivers with six career victories at Richmond, will also start on the front row after qualifying second, with Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace completing the top five.“We’ve been really strong when we’ve had the opportunities to qualify this year, and it is nice to get that first pole as a team,” Reddick said.Points leader Martin Truex Jr. will start 10th. William Byron who trails Truex by 30 points, will start sixth.The race is the first of five remaining in the regular season before the 10-race playoffs.___AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Spo...

Carlos Santana added to Brewers’ active roster, expected to make debut vs. Braves

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Veteran slugger Carlos Santana joined the Brewers’ active roster on Saturday and was expected to make his debut with Milwaukee in a game against the Atlanta Braves later in the day.The Brewers acquired the first baseman in a Thursday trade that sent minor league infielder Jhonny Severino to the Pittsburgh Pirates.Santana, 37, is hitting .235 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs in 94 games.To make room for Santana, the Brewers sent reserve infielder Jahmai Jones to Triple-A Nashville. Jones appeared in seven games for the Brewers this season and was 2 for 10 at the plate.The Brewers also placed pitcher Justin Wilson on the 15-day injured list. Wilson was set to make his first appearance of the season on Friday night after recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he injured his left lat or triceps warming up in the bullpen in the seventh inning.Right-hander Trevor Megill, who was sent down on Thursday to Triple-A Nashville to make room for Wilson, was recalled.___AP MLB:...

James Rodriguez happy to play in Brazil with Sao Paulo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — Attacking midfielder James Rodríguez signed for Sao Paulo on a free transfer in a move announced by the Brazilian club on Saturday. The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich player agreed a two-year contract. He has been out of action since he left Greek club Olympiakos in April. The 32-year-old Colombian said in a video posted online that he was happy to return to Brazil, where he impressed at the 2014 World Cup.“It was here that I was shown to the world,” he said. “I could not miss the feeling of wearing the ‘heaviest’ shirt of this magical place. The shirt of the Brazilian club with most international titles. Amazing things happen here in Brazil. Amazing things happen here at Sao Paulo.”He also played for Colombia at the 2018 World Cup. He has made a total of 90 appearances for Colombia, scoring 26 goals.Rodríguez joined Portuguese club Porto in 2010. He left for Monaco three years later before moving to Madrid in 2014 as one of the most promising players in world...

Unapologetic Hamlin says NASCAR’s point system encourages in-race urgency and aggression

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:50:43 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Denny Hamlin is not offering any apologies for the move he made last weekend at Pocono that caused Kyle Larson to hit the wall and let Hamlin sail on to victory.Truth be told, it’s what NASCAR was hoping to see more of when it established the system that divides races into three stages, rewards drivers with points for doing well in those stages and allows them to accrue playoff points, Hamlin said.“That is what it was geared to do — give us the sense of urgency to ramp up and that regular season performance matters to get to the final four with a shot,” he said at Richmond Raceway. “The system is doing what it was designed to do.”Hamlin also has changed, he said, after getting spun several times while leading.“If you have one person willing to be aggressive and one person not, aggressive will win every time,” he said.Larson, who said things are “fine” between he and Hamlin after they exchanged text messages Friday night, agreed that the point s...