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New Mars study suggests an ocean’s worth of water may be hiding beneath the red dusty surface

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean, new research suggests.

The findings released Monday are based on seismic measurements from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which detected more than 1,300 marsquakes before shutting down two years ago.

This water — believed to be seven miles to 12 miles (11.5 kilometers to 20 kilometers) down in the Martian crust — most likely would have seeped from the surface billions of years ago when Mars harbored rivers, lakes and possibly oceans, according to the lead scientist, Vashan Wright of the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Just because water still may be sloshing around inside Mars does not mean it holds life, Wright said.

“Instead, our findings mean that there are environments that could possibly be habitable,” he said in an email.

His team combined computer models with InSight readings including the quakes’ velocity in determining underground water was the most likely explanation. The results appeared Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

If InSight’s location at Elysium Planitia near Mars’ equator is representative of the rest of the red planet, the underground water would be enough to fill a global ocean a mile or so (1 kilometer to 2 kilometers) deep, Wright said.

It would take drills and other equipment to confirm the presence of water and seek out any potential signs of microbial life.

Although the InSight lander is no longer working, scientists continue to analyze the data collected from 2018 through 2022, in search of more information about Mars’ interior.

Wet almost all over more than 3 billion years ago, Mars is thought to have lost its surface water as its atmosphere thinned, turning the planet into the dry, dusty world known today. Scientists theorize much of this ancient water escaped out into space or remained buried below.

Iowa parents need to regulate who sees those back-to-school photos

By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

Classes open in most Iowa schools in the next week or two, and Iowa parents are being warned to be careful with what you share online about your children.

Jim Temmer, with the Better Business Bureau, says those cute social media posts about your kid’s first day in their new grade give away a lot of key details that could be misused.

“Are they holding a board with their name, their age, their height, what grade they’re in, whatever it is? Maybe they’re wearing the school uniform,” Temmer says. “Scammers or predators could use that information.”

He says that could mean basic identity theft, or even using that information to gain your child’s trust.

“Make sure your home with your address and street sign are not visible so they can’t find out exactly where you live,” he says, “or there’s some landmark that everybody would know where you are.”

Temmer says if you are going to share those pictures on social media, make sure they’re only going out to actual friends.

Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“Iowans flocked to Des Moines during the first few days of the Iowa State Fair, setting an all-time single-day attendance record on Saturday thanks to beautiful weather,” said Secretary Naig. “With favorable growing conditions expected to continue, USDA’s latest projections show record-breaking corn and soybean yield potential, all of which underscores the need to further develop new and existing markets for Iowa commodities.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Crop Report
Most of the State experienced dry conditions and cool temperatures which allowed Iowa farmers 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending August 11, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.  Field activities included harvesting oats for grain, cutting and baling hay, and preparing for the fall harvest.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 3 percent very short, 20 percent short, 72 percent adequate and 5 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 3 percent very short, 16 percent short, 77 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus.

Corn silking reached 96 percent this week. Sixty-nine percent of the corn crop has reached dough stage or beyond, 1 day behind last year but 2 days ahead of the five-year average. Seventeen percent of the corn crop has reached the dent stage, 4 days behind last year but 3 days ahead of the average. Corn condition was rated 77 percent good to excellent. Ninety-four percent of soybeans were blooming, equal to the five-year average. Soybeans setting pods reached 74 percent, 5 days behind last year and 2 days behind the average. Soybean condition rated 77 percent good to excellent. Ninety-three percent of oats have been harvested, 1 day ahead of last year and 4 days ahead of average.

The State’s second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 97 percent complete. The State’s third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 45 percent, 1 week behind last year but 2 days ahead of the five-year average. Hay condition rated 75 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition rated 63 percent good to excellent.

Community Invited to Central’s Big Red Rally Aug. 22

PELLA — Central College invites the public to a free mini-block party with the Iowa Wild Hockey 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, for the inaugural Big Red Rally on the Central campus.

Iowa Wild will bring its Wild on Wheels tour to Pella, presented by Kwik Star. Iowa Wild mascot Crash and the organization will bring in street hockey, games and giveaways. Central will offer mini-golf around the pond, corn hole, inflatables, a petting zoo, balloon artist, dance lessons, and more. Food trucks will be on campus for meal purchases from Prime Country BBQ, Pho’t, Kaaswagen, Over the Top, Zimms Kettle Corn and Central Catering.

Central plans to give away prizes. Game winners will turn in tickets for raffle prizes like tickets to a Wild game, a Wild jersey, a Spirit Shoppe gift card and more.

“We were thrilled when the Iowa Wild approached us about bringing their tour to Pella. It fits perfectly with the beginning of the semester and our Welcome Week activities on campus,” says Karmen Ten Napel, vice president for student development and dean of students. “We welcome all to join in the family-friendly fun and games on campus.”

Community members may park in Central’s guest lot on University Street, south of 812 University St. Any weather-related announcement will be made by noon, Thursday, Aug. 22.

FDA approves first nasal spray to treat dangerous allergic reactions

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday approved a nasal spray to treat severe allergic reactions, the first needle-free alternative to shots like EpiPen.

The Food and Drug Administration said it approved the spray from drugmaker ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc. as an emergency treatment for adults and older children experiencing life-threatening allergic reactions known as anaphylaxis.

Anaphylaxis occurs when the body’s immune system develops a sudden, unexpected reaction to a foreign substance, such as food, insect stings or medications. Common symptoms include hives, swelling, itching, vomiting and difficulty breathing.

The device, marketed as Neffy, could upend treatment for the 33 million to 45 million Americans with severe allergies to food and other triggers. Anaphylaxis sends more than 30,000 people to emergency rooms and results in more than 2,000 hospitalizations and more than 230 deaths in the U.S. each year.

Of the 6 million prescriptions written for auto-injectors each year, more than 40% are never filled, Dr. Thomas Casale, an allergist at the University of South Florida, told an FDA advisory panel last year. Even when they are available to caregivers, many auto-injectors are used incorrectly, he said.

“There’s a real unmet medical need for a large portion of the population,” he said.

Neffy is intended for people who weigh at least 66 pounds. It is given in a single dose sprayed into one nostril. A second dose can be given if the person’s symptoms don’t improve.

The new treatment could be life-changing for people with severe food allergies, said Dr. Kelly Cleary, a pediatrician and director with the Food Allergy Research & Education, a nonprofit advocacy group.

“I have seen the look of worry or fear,” said Cleary, whose 11-year-old son has multiple food allergies. “I worry about what happens if someone hesitates.”

Requiring an injection in an emergency is as scary to some children as the allergic reaction itself. Some parents have had to restrain thrashing children to inject them, sometimes causing cuts that require stitches. About 3,500 caregivers a year are injured when they accidentally inject themselves in the hands, ARS said.

Priscilla Hernandez, of Pasadena, California said her 12-year-old son, Zacky, who is allergic to sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, avocado and other foods, was traumatized when he had a reaction at school about six years ago and a nurse treated him with an auto-injector.

“Having to do a shot creates this whole different level of anxiety,” she said.

She said, “we are over the moon” about the FDA’s approval of the spray, which Zacky will start carrying when it becomes available.

First marketed in 1901, epinephrine predates the FDA itself. Products like the EpiPen auto-injector, approved in 1987, were authorized based on chemistry and manufacturing data and were not required to prove safety and efficacy.

Clinical trials of people experiencing potentially deadly reactions are difficult for ethical and pragmatic reasons. Instead, ARS officials compared the effect of the nasal spray on biological markers to existing epinephrine treatments.

Results showed Neffy worked about as well as injected epinephrine to boost heart rate and blood pressure, which counter severe reactions. The drug is combined with a patented agent that allows it to be easily absorbed through nasal membranes.

Other needle-free epinephrine devices are being developed to treat allergic reactions. In the pipeline are nasal sprays from Bryn Pharma, of North Carolina, and Nausus Pharma, of Israel; a needle-free auto-injector from Crossject of France; and an epinephrine film that is administered under the tongue from Aquestive Therapeutics, of New Jersey.

Neffy is designed to be easy to carry and easy to use, especially for children, said Richard Lowenthal, president and chief executive of San Diego-based ARS.

“We don’t want fear. There’s no needle, there’s no pain with this product,” he said. “It’s basically like spraying saline into your nose.”

ARS didn’t immediately disclose a list price, but said it would make the spray available through certain discount programs for about $200 per two-pack. Insurance plans must still decide whether to cover the product and at what price.

Iowa State Fair dairy cattle entries stable amid bird flu precautions

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The number of exhibitors in dairy cattle shows at this year’s Iowa State Fair is nearly identical to last year, despite new bird flu testing requirements for milking cows entered in the contests.

“There was definitely an increased number of heifers. At some of the farms, their heifers happened to be on a different location didn’t have to be tested if they didn’t have cows in that location,” Mike Eilers, the superintendent for dairy cattle at the Iowa State Fair, told Radio Iowa, “but there still was roughly 120 to 130 cows here at the show which is pretty good given all they had to go through with the testing and stuff.”

Eilers grew up on a dairy farm and showed Guernsey cattle, but has what he describes as an office job now. For the past decade, he’s been managing the State Fair dairy shows to stay connected to the industry and make sure kids, in particular, have a place to showcase their work.

“Just to be able to come here and compete to see the quality of the animals they have and compare it to everybody else in the state and the other animals, and just to meet and hang out,” Eilers said. “There’s a lot of families and kids from all over the state that get to become friends just because they come to the fair.”

Mike and Rhonda Guy of Newton were in the State Fair Livestock Pavilion this weekend, watching their granddaughter show her Brown Swiss heifer in the youth dairy show “The value of this is tremendous. It teaches them a work ethic,” Mike Guy said. “It’s nice to see them do things that we did as well — carry on a tradition, to some extent.”

Rhonda Guy grew up on a dairy farm and showed Brown Swiss cattle as a kid. Watching her granddaughter in the show ring was a thrill. “It’s fun to be at the top of the class,” she said, “but just to be in the class at the Iowa State Fair is a big deal.”

Mike Guy and his brother shut down their milking operation about 20 years after deciding they either had to expand or get out of the dairy business. According to the latest data from the USDA, there were about a thousand dairy farms in Iowa in 2022.

Microgreens Presentation To be held September 6

OSKALOOSA — Microgreens; sometimes called vegetable confetti, are seedlings of specific vegetables, herbs and other plants.  They add color and nutrients to any dish you prepare.  Many like to add microgreens to soups, stews, salads, sandwiches, main dishes, and use as garnishes.  They have been appearing in grocery stores since 2010.  Are they something gardeners should consider growing their own?  Join us as Master Gardener Veronica Grim tells us about Microgreens and how to grow them. The presentation will be on Friday September 6 at 10 am and will be held at the Mahaska County Extension office, 212 North I Street Oskaloosa.

The event is free and open to the public.  Registration is not required to attend but appreciated.  To register, call 641-673-5841 or email striegel@iastate.edu.

City of Ottumwa to Host City Council Primary Election Tomorrow

OTTUMWA — The City of Ottumwa would like to remind citizens of a Primary occurring on August 13, 2024. Four candidates have filed paperwork to fill the City Council seat vacated by Sandra Pope late last year. The four candidates are Cyan Bossou, Mitch Niner, Dan Reid, and Kevin Sylvester. This Primary will reduce the field to two candidates for the Special Election being held September 10, 2024. Vote Centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on August 13 and absentee ballot written requests are being accepted for the Primary. In-person absentee ballots are available at the Wapello County Courthouse through August 12, 2024.

US men’s basketball team rallies to beat Serbia at Paris Olympics, will face France for gold medal

PARIS (AP) — Down by 11 in the fourth quarter, against what looked like overwhelming odds, the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team got a spark.

Six points in two seconds.

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker provided that wild sequence to start the comeback, Stephen Curry had a scoring night like almost none other in U.S. Olympic history, and the Americans will play for gold at the Paris Games. Curry scored 36 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:16 left, and the U.S. beat Serbia 95-91 in a semifinal classic on Thursday night.

LeBron James had the fourth triple-double in Olympic history for the U.S., which trailed by 17 points in the first half and faced an 11-point halftime deficit — the biggest one successfully overcome by an American team since NBA players were added to the Olympic mix in 1992.

“I’ve seen a lot of Team USA basketball,” Curry said. “And that was a special one.”

Serbia led by 11 with 7:19 left. The rest of the way, it was all U.S. The Americans won a game where they led for 3 minutes, 25 seconds. Serbia led for 35:12 — nearly 90% of the game.

But it’ll be the U.S. against host France for gold in a dream matchup for the host nation on Saturday, while Serbia will face Germany earlier Saturday for bronze. The gold-medal game is a rematch from the Tokyo Games three years ago, where the Americans prevailed 87-82.

“I’m really humbled to have been a part of this game,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said, tipping his hat multiple times to Serbia. “It’s one of the greatest basketball games I’ve ever been a part of. They were perfect. They played a perfect game. Our coaches were saying Villanova-Georgetown, for all of our older readers and viewers out there.

“But they played the perfect game, and they forced us to reach the highest level of competition that we could find. And our guys were incredible in that fourth quarter, and they got it done.”

Joel Embiid scored 19 points on 8 for 11 shooting and James added 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the U.S., which is now assured of its 20th medal in 20 Olympic appearances.

“Joel was everything,” said James, who has two of the four triple-doubles in Olympic men’s history; he also had one in 2012, while the Soviet Union’s Aleksander Belov in 1976 and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic in 2021 had the others. “Made every big shot.”

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 points for Serbia, which got 17 from Nikola Jokic and 15 from Aleksa Avramovic. The Serbians were 0-3 against the U.S. this summer, getting blown out in the first two meetings and then looking poised for a win of their own on Thursday.

The whole game changed in the fourth after a wild sequence saw the U.S. score six points in two seconds. Durant made a 3-pointer while Anthony Davis was getting fouled. The U.S. got another possession because of the foul, and Booker immediately made another 3-pointer.

Just like that, a 78-67 lead for Serbia was down to 78-73. The comeback was on, and Curry’s 3 put the U.S. up for good. He added a pair of free throws with 8.2 seconds left to make it a two-possession game and the Americans escaped.

Curry’s 36 points were the second-most in a game by a U.S. men’s player in Olympic history, one shy of Carmelo Anthony’s record 37 against Nigeria in 2012. And Anthony, sitting courtside, was Curry’s biggest cheerleader. When the Americans tied it with about 3:35 left, Curry gave Anthony a big smile. When the go-ahead 3 rattled home, Anthony leaped from his seat. And when it was over, the two shared a long embrace.

“That was a godlike performance,” Durant said of Curry.

Serbia coach Svetislav Petic kept saying the same thing all summer, that the team the U.S. put together for the Paris Games was better than any in Olympic history. Even the Dream Team, he insisted. His mind wasn’t changed after this one.

“They’re that good,” he said.

A barrage of Serbian 3-pointers had the Americans squarely on the ropes, until the game changed in the fourth. But in the end, the U.S. improved to 144-6 all-time in Olympic play, 63-4 since NBA players were added to the Olympics in 1992.

“Perseverance, hard work dedication, Chef Curry and Joel ‘Process’ Embiid,” James said. “Big-time win for us. We knew we were going to be challenged. We knew it was going to be the toughest game to date. Total effort.”

Gold is the goal, but that didn’t keep the U.S. from celebrating upon returning to the team hotel. Down 42-25 at one point, down 11 in the fourth, the Americans outscored the Serbians 32-15 in the final quarter.

“I know we want to win the gold, but you’ve got to celebrate the small moments, too,” Durant said in a video distributed by USA Basketball well after midnight as he grabbed a postgame meal next to his mother, Wanda. “Guarantee you, everybody in here, they’ll never forget this night. Everybody in here will remember this night for the rest of their lives. That’s how special this is.”

The comeback kept Durant’s hopes of becoming the first four-time Olympic men’s gold medalist very much alive and gave the U.S. a chance to return to the international basketball mountaintop. The Americans were fourth at the World Cup last summer, a result that spurred some NBA stars like James and Curry to be part of this team.

And of all the U.S. semifinal moments, this was like few others. The four-point final margin was the second closest in American history in the Olympic semifinals; the U.S. beat Lithuania by two in the 2000 semifinals in Sydney, on the way to gold there.

They’re one win away from another.

“I’m 39 years old, going into my 22nd season, I don’t know how many opportunities and moments I’m going to get like this to compete for something, compete for something big and play in big games,” James said. “And tonight was a big game.”

Water Summary Update: July rainfall continues positive trend

DES MOINES — After significant localized heavy rainfall and flooding in June, July continued the trend with above-average rainfall, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

July’s preliminary statewide precipitation was 5.40 inches, or 1.23 inches above normal. However, precipitation totals varied greatly across different regions of the state.

In central Iowa, Pella received nearly 14 inches of rain in July, while Rock Rapids in northwest Iowa received less than one inch for the month. The state has received more than 30 inches of rain in the last 10 months, nearly four inches greater than normal. July also showed an average statewide temperature of 72.4 degrees, one degree below normal.

“July is normally a fairly wet month in Iowa, so to finish above normal means we have continued to get needed moisture to replenish what was missed during the last four years of drought,” said Tim Hall, the DNR’s Hydrology Resources Coordinator. “If we continue to see normal to above normal rainfall for the rest of the summer and then into the fall months, our hydrologic resources should be in great shape this year.”

Although the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) showed no drought or dryness anywhere in the state as of July 16, a small region of southwest Iowa received an abnormal dryness designation due to short-term rainfall deficits in northwest Missouri and southwest Iowa. Despite this development, Iowa’s Drought Plan showed all five monitoring regions are drought free, with stabilized conditions at the end of July.

For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, visit

 www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.

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