2026

Representative Image (AI-generated) What looked like an ordinary overnight shipment turned into a scam intervention after a Minnesota shipping company worker became suspicious of a woman’s unusually urgent request. The woman had arrived at Graphic Mailbox in Northfield, Minnesota, last week hoping to send a package to Texas. She was prepared to pay $500 for…

The schemes involve cryptocurrency, timeshares and gift cards. (Representational AI photo) Four seniors in Petaluma, California, have reported separate scams within just 24 hours, with suspected losses adding up to more than $315,000.The cases involved cryptocurrency, timeshares and gift cards. Petaluma police said officers responded to four separate reports from seniors who had been targeted…

A fungus that infects house flies has evolved a remarkable way to send spores towards new hosts. Entomophthora muscae grows inside an infected fly and, after the insect dies, it produces microscopic stalks that emerge from its body. Each stalk forms a single spore at its tip. Instead of simply dropping away, the spore is…

Six decades ago, Dutch elm disease swept across the United States, killing an estimated 100 million American elms that once shaded streets, parks and college campuses from coast to coast. The fungus, carried by bark beetles, turned majestic, vase-shaped trees into dead standing skeletons and changed the look of countless towns. Now, in a bold…