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OWINGS MILLS — The biggest question facing the Baltimore Ravens right now has little to do with Lamar Jackson or even a defense that started the season poorly. It’s about a kicking conundrum that has turned into a crisis. Can the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl with Justin Tucker? One of the more surprising subplots of this NFL season has been Tucker’s decline from one of the greatest of all time to a week-in, week-out liability. Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia might have been the nadir — he missed two field goals and an extra point in a game the Ravens ultimately lost 24-19. “Points were at a premium in the game. They have been in a few of these games. Sometimes we haven’t made the most of our opportunity to score points,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “We’re racking our brains, talking to Justin, looking at what we’re doing. I’m very confident that it’s going to get fixed. I believe it will. It has to. “And he’s the guy to get it fixed.” Harbaugh has given every indication he’s standing by Tucker, who is in his 13th season and is under contract through 2027. When he’s at his best, he’s the type of kicker that gives his team a clear advantage in close games, but this season he has missed eight field goals. Sunday showed that against a good defensive team, the Ravens (8-5) can’t simply assume their excellent offense will pile up points. There almost certainly will be close games in the weeks to come. Tucker’s ability to come through will be tested again, and it’s hard for Baltimore to feel too confident at the moment. “When he was hitting, three or four years ago, hitting bombs, we were going 57, 58, 56 pretty regularly,” Harbaugh said. “That’s tightened up a little bit.” The Ravens continue to do a good job stopping the run. Although Saquon Barkley did eventually surpass the 100-yard mark late in the game, Baltimore held the Eagles to 140 yards on the ground, well below their usual output. Even beyond Tucker’s problems, Sunday wasn’t a great showing by Baltimore’s special teams. Tylan Wallace was shaky returning punts, and the Ravens had to start four drives inside their own 20 and two inside their own 10. “They had great bounces, and they downed right down in there,” Wallace said. “I’m pretty sure we’ll come back and talk about those and see what we can do to avoid those.” The Ravens’ defense continued to show signs of improvement, holding Philadelphia to 252 total yards. “I think we’ve just locked in on some things, and we’re playing our deep coverages better, bottom line,” Harbaugh said. “You watch the coverage, you watch the guys’ spacing, positioning, eyes, the communication, the checks that get made, and you just keep chasing doing the right things. It’s not (that we) changed the defense. We’re just playing it a lot better.” Harbaugh was vague on receiver Diontae Johnson’s situation. He was active Sunday but didn’t play, and he has only one catch in four games since the Ravens acquired him in a trade from Carolina. “I’m going to have to wait just to clarify it,” Harbaugh said. “There’s some moving parts there that we’re going to have to figure out and explore and just see where we’re at. I know that’s not the answer you want, but that’s the best I can do in fairness to everybody right now.” The Ravens were missing pass-rushing ace Kyle Van Noy (hamstring/neck) on Sunday, and WR Rashod Bateman was dealing with knee soreness. Through his first 12 seasons, Tucker made field goals at a 90% clip. That’s dropped to 70% this season. He had a 95% success rate from under 50 yards, and that’s dipped to 83%. The Ravens have this week off before a Dec. 15 road game against the New York Giants. Then comes a home matchup with Pittsburgh that may determine whether Baltimore has any shot to win the AFC North.Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away
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Space exploration's most stunning photos in 2024 READ MORE: Shocking truth about the most iconic photos from space revealed By ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 14:39 EST, 27 December 2024 | Updated: 14:58 EST, 27 December 2024 e-mail View comments This year was historic for space research and exploration, and we have the photos to prove it. In 2024, rare astronomical events captured the attention of sky watchers across the US, including a total solar eclipse , aurora that stretched as far south as Florida and striking meteor showers . There were stunning accomplishments in the world of spaceflight, too. SpaceX performed the first commercial spacewalk and caught a giant rocket with a pair of 'chopstick' arms , NASA completed the first flight of an aircraft on Mars , and International Space Station astronauts beamed amazing images back to Earth . Telescopes in space and on Earth snapped some incredible shots too, capturing stars, other planets and even entire galaxies in unprecedented detail. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and European Southern Observatory (ESO) are just a few of the highly-sophisticated imaging instruments that changed our understanding of the universe this year. Below, DailyMail.com highlights some of 2024's most jaw-dropping space photos. Star-forming region NGC 604 JWST captured this near-infrared view of the star-forming region NGC 604, which sits in the Triangulum galaxy 2.7 million light-years from Earth JWST 's NIRcam instrument is a powerful near-infrared camera that can capture images of distant nebulae in astonishing detail. This year, the telescope snapped this photo of the star-forming nebula known as NGC 604. This enormous cloud of gas and dust is located 2.7 million light-years from Earth in the Triangulum galaxy. Stretching almost 1,500 light-years across, NGC 604 is nearly 100 times larger than the Orion Nebula in our own galaxy. NHC 604 contains more than 200 hot, massive young stars — significantly more than the Orion Nebula's four. This JWST image shows the nebula's arms of gas and dust, which serve as a nursery for young, still-forming stars. Starlink satellites captured by ISS astronaut Don Pettit, a NASA astronaut aboard the ISS, shared this photo he took in November, which shows Starlink satellites streaking by In November, NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared this image taken from the ISS, which shows Starlink satellites streaking by. In a post on X , Pettit compared the satellites to 'a miniature version of the monolith from '2001: A Space Odyssey', where the large flat face of the monolith points towards earth and the solar panel protrudes outward like the fin on the back of a Dimetrodon.' He described the image, saying: 'Compared to the well-defined streaks from star trails, this time exposure shows wonky streaks flashing ISS. 'These are Starlink satellites reflecting pre-dusk or pre-dawn sunlight off their solar panels. They are only seen from 5 to 18 degrees preceding or trailing the sun. 'They create bright flashes, perhaps lasting for a few seconds each due to the orientation of their outward pointing solar panels.' Pettit is well-known for his orbital astrophotography, which he creates from the unique vantage point of the ISS. SpaceX's 'chopsticks' rocket catch SpaceX achieved a historic spaceflight maneuver this year when the Mechazilla launch tower's 'chopstick' arms caught the Super Heavy booster in mid-air, executing a bull's eye landing Elon Musk's SpaceX made spaceflight history in October with the successful execution of a 'chopstick' maneuver. It was the fifth time the spaceflight company launched its 400-foot-tall Starship rocket, but this launch was anything but routine. In a world's first, SpaceX aimed to return the rocket's Super Heavy booster directly to its launch mount, snatching it out of mid-air with a pair of 'chopstick' arms attached to the launch tower. Just seven minutes after liftoff, Super Heavy executed a bull's eye landing, hovering near the 'Mechazilla' launch tower as the metal arms caught it. The bold, historic maneuver marked a major achievement for SpaceX and the spaceflight industry at large. 'Are you kidding me?' SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot added from the launch site following the event. 'Even in this day and age, what we just saw — that looked like magic.' Supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* In 2024, astronomers captured the first image of the polarized light and magnetic fields that surround Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way This year, astronomers captured the first image of the polarized light and magnetic fields that surround Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole that sits at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This image was made using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a global network of radio telescopes that can observe a supermassive black hole's event horizon, or the boundary where the velocity needed to escape exceeds the speed of light. At just 26,000 light years from Earth, Sagittarius A* is one of very few black holes in the universe where astronomers can actually observe the flow of matter around it. This historic image provides the first direct visual evidence of this supermassive black hole's existence. Although we cannot see the black hole itself — as it is completely dark — the glowing whirls of gas around it reveal a telltale signature: a dark central region (or 'shadow') surrounded by a bright ring-like structure. The image therefore shows light bent by the black hole's extreme gravity. HP Tau: An infant star The Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of the infant star HP Tau this year, located 550 light-years from Earth The Hubble Space Telescope snapped this stunning photo of the infant star HP Tau this year. HP Tau is located roughly 550 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. At just 10million years old, it is the youngest among its neighbors. It can be seen at the top of a trio of stars captured in this Hubble image. These three stars reside within a hollow cavity in a huge cloud of gas and dust, 'looking like a glittering cosmic geode,' as NASA described it. HP Tau is a T Tauri star, a type of young variable star that has not begun nuclear fusion yet, but will eventually evolve into a hydrogen-fueled star similar to our sun, according to NASA. At 4.6 billion years old, our sun is far older than this infant. First-ever commercial spacewalk Tech billionaire and SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman made history when he emerged from the Polaris Dawn capsule to complete the first civilian spacewalk In September, SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew made history by executing the first privately-funded spacewalk. The achievement marked a major milestone for the commercial spaceflight industry, of which SpaceX is a key leader. In this image, tech billionaire and Polaris Dawn mission commander Jared Isaacman can be seen emerging from the Crew Dragon capsule 434 miles above Earth's surface as the sun rises over the eastern portion of the US. He spent 12 minutes testing the mobility and functionality of SpaceX's new extravehicular activity (EVA) suits, which had never been used in space before. After Isaacman retreated back into the capsule, Polaris Dawn mission specialist Sarah Gillis, emerged and performed the same EVA test maneuvers. 'Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do,' said Isaacman as he looked down at our planet. 'But from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.' 'Doomed' star Eta Carinae The Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of the unusual nebula that surrounds Eta Carinae, a star that is likely to explode at any time This 2024 image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope brings out details in the unusual nebula that surrounds Eta Carinae, a star that may be about to explode. Scientists aren't sure exactly when this explosion could occur. According to NASA, it could be next year, or it could be a million years from now. But when it does blow, it will likely cause a supernova — the biggest type of explosion known to man. Eta Carinae is about 100 times more massive than our sun. Located 7,500 light-years away in the Keyhole nebula, its violent death would not impact Earth. But still, Hubble has been monitoring Eta Carinae for the last 25 years, waiting for it to explode. In this image, two distinct lobes of the surrounding Homunculus Nebula encompass the hot central region, while some 'strange' radial streaks are visible in red extending toward the right, according to NASA. Total solar eclipse On April 8, skywatchers in 15 US states witnessed a total solar eclipse On April 8, millions of Americans looked up at the sky in unison to witness a total solar eclipse. All of North America experienced at least a partial solar eclipse. But 15 US states from Texas to Maine were in the 115-mile-wide path of totality, which also stretched through Canada and Mexico. In this area, spectators experienced several minutes of near-total darkness as the sun disappeared behind the moon's shadow. Images of the eclipse were shared widely on social media, including this one which shows solar prominences erupting from the sun's surface - the squiggly red lines that appear to be jetting out from the perimeter of the sun. Solar prominences are eruptions of solar plasma, a hot gas made of electrically charged hydrogen and helium. US sees far-reaching aurora The aurora borealis is typically only seen at northern latitudes. But in October, this dazzling light display stretched as far south as Florida In an extremely rare event, the aurora borealis — also known as the northern lights — stretched as far south as Key Largo, Florida in October. The dazzling light display was triggered by a severe geomagnetic storm, or a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when an outburst of solar radiation impacts out planet. This storm was a G5, the most severe class of geomagnetic storm. Aurora were visible at much lower latitudes than usual, with spectators sharing images from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and other southern states. Perseid meteor shower This long exposure photo shows the Perseid meteor shower over Osijek, Croatia on August 11 In August, the Perseid meteor shower streaked across the night sky, allowing stargazers to capture striking long-exposure photos like this one taken in Osijek, Croatia. The Perseid meteor shower occurs annually, and is considered the best meteor shower of the year. It can produce 50 to 100 shooting stars per hour, which frequently leave long 'wakes' of light and color behind them, according to NASA. This meteor shower results from the Earth passing through debris, or bits of ice and rock, left in the wake of the comet Swift Tuttle, which last passed close to Earth in 1992. The peak of the shower is from August 11 through 12, when our planet travels through the densest part of this debris trail. Share or comment on this article: Space exploration's most stunning photos in 2024 e-mail Add commentSadiq Khan ‘to be knighted in new year honours’
The BC SPCA Kamloops animal centre has recovered several adult cats and kittens from a property, and is getting ready to receive between 15 and 25 more cats from the same property over the next few weeks. The animals were prioritized for recovery, with a female cat, her four kittens, and five other adults in the first intake. Sadly, two of the adult cats needed to be euthanized, while the kittens tested positive for coccidia and one of the adult cats tested positive for giardia. All the cats immediately went into quarantine and were treated. “This happens all too often when a kind person feeds a stray cat,” says Daria Evans, manager of the BC SPCA’s Kamloops animal centre. “In this case the finders began feeding stray cats in their community during the pandemic, and in no time at all the number of cats in their home more than doubled. “They became overwhelmed and reached out to us, and we are currently in the process of bringing all the cats into our care.” Evans adds that it’s likely that all of the cats in the home will require treatment, so the Kamloops centre is preparing for that. Coccidia and giardia are parasitic infections of the intestinal tract and are typically treated with oral medications and intravenous fluids if required. Although quite common and very treatable, they are both contagious. Once the cats clear quarantine, they will be placed with a BC SPCA foster carer or — if they are ready — made available for adoption. “Our goal is to bring all these babies into our care and treat them as soon as possible,” says Evans. “The kittens are very playful and sweet. They were a little grumpy when we gave them their coccidia baths, but that is to be expected. They now seem to be much happier and content.” The adult cats appear to be a mixture of indoor and outdoor animals. Staff at the centre have been pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the cats are around people, even though some may not have had as much human socialization as others. “They are very affectionate and love it when staff comes around to feed and care for them," says Evans. She notes that this case is a reminder that people should reach out if there are stray cats in their area, and the earlier the better. “It is amazing how quickly a cat population can explode.” The cats and kittens currently in care will be available for adoption later in December. You can help them — and other animals in need at the BC SPCA — by making a donation at .
The secret to making successful financial New Year’s resolutionsAs the holidays approach, smartwatches and fitness trackers are popular gift ideas for health-conscious loved ones. These wearable devices continuously monitor metrics such as heart rate, oxygen levels and sleep patterns, offering insights into overall well-being. But are they merely novelties or truly beneficial health tools? Dr. Joshua Parker, a heart rhythm specialist, and Dr. Liuba Soldatova, an ear, nose and throat specialist, both employees at Cone Health, see potential benefits in wearable technologies. "There's value in wearing a monitoring device outside of the hospital," Parker said. "We only see patients for a short time. You may seem normal at the clinic but then experience issues like an irregular heartbeat at home that we'd miss without a wearable device." Soldatova highlights the Apple Watch as especially useful for tracking health data. "If your goal is insights into heart rate, oxygen levels during sleep and sleep patterns, the Apple Watch is probably the best wearable option," she said. "These devices have features for screening and monitoring certain data." Certain models from Fitbit and Garmin also track these same metrics. For patients with conditions like abnormal heart rhythms, the data can provide reassurance, Parker said. "Many of my patients feel empowered tracking their symptoms," he said. "Instead of guessing if something is wrong, they can see concrete data about what's happening." While not replacements for medical care, wearables as complementary tools, he said. "They supplement traditional care, giving patients more involvement in managing their health," Parker said. However, both doctors caution against becoming too fixated on the numbers. "Wearables are screening tools, not diagnostic devices," Soldatova said. "Don't overreact to normal variations." Ultimately, wearables offer new potential for preventative care, Parker said. "We can get continuous data year-round across different settings," he said. "That's valuable for developing personalized treatment plans." Soldatova said there are many wearable options for different lifestyles and goals. "Used responsibly, these technologies help people better understand their bodies and take a proactive role in personal wellbeing," she said.
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