Archeologists uncovered nearly 400 previously unknown ancient earthworks beneath the southwestern Amazon rainforest, revealing what is believed to be evidence of complex societies that flourished long before Spanish and Portuguese colonists arrived. The findings, published this week in the journal Nature, identified circles, squares, and other geometric formations that archeologists call geoglyphs dating from 600 B.C. to 850 A.D. using lidar, a laser-scanning technology capable of seeing under dense forest canopy. Sprawling across 1,700 square miles, the newly uncovered structures add to mounting evidence that the Amazon basin was once home to vast, densely populated societies centuries before Columbus. “This is an important and ambitious study... which reveals the remarkable scale of pre-Columbian landscape modification in southwestern Amazonia,” said José Iriarte, an archeologist at the University of Exeter who was not involved in the research. Lead author Martti Pärssinen told The New York Times that the earthworks likely hosted “festivities, political occasions, ceremonies, dance, music and also competition like ball games.” Anna Roosevelt, a professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois Chicago who was not part of the research team, told the paper, “Nobody has totally figured out” the exact purpose or meaning of the geoglyphs.

CBS Sports has put NFL analyst Tony Romo on leave after he was arrested in Wisconsin last week for allegedly driving under the influence, the network announced. “Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice,” the network told the Daily Beast in a statement. Romo, 46, was pulled over on July 23 after allegedly illegally passing cars while driving south on Interstate 43. Romo, who had participated in the Wisconsin Amateur Championship golf tournament earlier that day, was booked and released after “performing poorly” on field sobriety tests, and was cited for refusing “to take test for intoxication after arrest,” according to Milwaukee County Sheriff’s records. Romo has a scheduled court date of September 21. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, who retired in 2016, has been with CBS since 2017, and in 2020 signed a $180 million, 10-year contract extension. CBS NFL analyst J.J. Watt, the 37-year-old former Houston Texans defensive end, will replace Romo on air. The first game of the regular season on CBS is on September 13. A representative for Romo could not immediately be reached.

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There are plenty of purchases I’ve justified over the years in the name of “self-care,” but few have delivered quite as much immediate gratification as my Lola Blanket. Whether you’re settling in for a TV marathon, reading in bed, cuddling with your partner (or, more realistically in my case, your pet), or just trying to survive an overzealous air conditioner in the middle of summer, a great throw blanket is one of those everyday luxuries we often overlook. Lola Blankets have very much earned their reputation as the internet’s favorite blanket, and after wrapping yourself in one, it’s not exactly hard to understand why.

Dubbed the “softest blanket ever,” the brand’s premium faux-fur throws have amassed more than 30,000 five-star reviews, making them among the most beloved blankets online. Available in an impressive range of colors, patterns, and four different sizes (along with weighted and pet-friendly versions), there’s a Lola Blanket for just about every sofa, bed, and perpetually chilly person. The ultra-soft blankets strike that rare balance of looking elevated enough to leave draped over your couch while still being the blanket everyone instinctively reaches for the second they sit down.

Lola Original Faux-Fur Blanket

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Of course, softness is only part of their appeal. Unlike many faux-fur throws that require delicate care (or immediately look worse after one wash), Lola Blankets are machine washable, stain-resistant, and built to withstand everyday life. That makes them especially ideal for homes with kids, pets, or anyone who’s been known to enjoy dinner, wine, or an entire sleeve of cookies on the couch (*shamefully raising my hand*).

Each blanket is crafted with OEKO-TEX Standard 100-certified faux fur, therapeutic four-way stretch that makes sharing with a partner (or a pet) a little easier, and reinforced double-hemmed edges for added durability. Best of all, they’re shed-proof, so your furniture, clothes, and floors won’t end up looking like you’ve adopted a very fluffy new pet.

Two men questioned early in the investigation of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance are preparing to sue the Arizona sheriff leading the case for $3.25 million. The legal action comes as the search for Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother reaches the six-month mark with no suspects identified. Guthrie was last seen at her Tucson home on February 1, with authorities believing she was kidnapped. Carlos Palazuelos and Daniel Maddox filed a notice of claim against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and one of his detectives this week. The filing alleges wrongful arrest, reputational and property damage. Palazuelos, who was detained and later released without charges, is seeking $2.5 million. He claims his home was “ransacked” and that the sheriff’s public statements made him appear to be a suspect. Maddox, who was handcuffed and questioned, is seeking $500,000. His mother is seeking an additional $250,000 for alleged damage to her home during a search. Savannah Guthrie called her mother’s disappearance “a nightmare that will not end” and is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to Nancy Guthrie’s recovery. The FBI has added a $100,000 reward.

A 29-year-old man has died of aggressive leukemia days after ICE released him from custody as he lay in intensive care. Prisciliano Trejo Ricano, brought to the U.S. from Mexico at the age of three, spent weeks pleading for help inside the CoreCivic-run Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, PunchUp reports. “This week I’ve been dealing with a severe sore throat, coughing up blood morning and night, and very bad migraines, and I still haven’t been treated or given any medication,” the Daily Beast’s sister Substack PunchUp reported that he wrote on Facebook on July 10—his birthday. Advocates say a July 6 request for care went unmet until he was hospitalized on July 13. He then slipped into a coma two days later and was cut loose from ICE custody on July 16. Trejo died on July 24. “When an individual is no longer in ICE custody, ICE is no longer responsible for them,” the Department of Homeland Security told PunchUp in a statement. CoreCivic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tom Latchem exposes the secrets, scandals, and stories that powerful people and institutions want to keep under wraps. Follow all of his reporting at PunchUp on Substack.

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When it comes to cookware, few brands have earned as much credibility among professional chefs as Made In. Designed in collaboration with some of the world’s top culinary talent, the premium cookware company has established itself as a staple in restaurant kitchens and home kitchens alike thanks to its professional-grade performance and heirloom-worthy construction. Whether it’s the brand’s award-winning Stainless Clad collection, its naturally seasoned Carbon Steel pans, or the convenient ceramic nonstick options, there’s a reason the brand has developed such a devoted following.

Now, Made In is making it even easier to shop its healthiest cooking essentials with the launch of a dedicated Clean Cooking collection. The lineup brings together the brand’s PFAS-tested and non-toxic cookware in one place, making it simple to upgrade your kitchen without sifting through dozens of products.

Made In Clean Cookware Collection

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According to the brand, it’s the largest collection of independently tested clean cookware available, spanning everything from PTFE-free CeramiClad cookware and naturally seasoned Carbon Steel to Stainless Clad, Cast Iron, and Enameled Cast Iron pieces. Each collection has undergone third-party testing for PFAS, lead, cadmium, BPA, and other common contaminants.

Plus, unlike many “clean” cookware options that favor safety at the expense of performance, Made In’s pieces are still engineered with serious cooking in mind (regardless of your level). You can expect restaurant-quality heat distribution, durable materials built to last for years (if not decades), and thoughtful, chef-approved designs that make everyday cooking feel a little more elevated. Thanks to Made In, you no longer have to choose between avoiding toxic chemicals and a perfectly seared steak.

A former child pop star is suing Singapore Airlines after she allegedly suffered lasting vocal cord injuries when a wooden splinter from an in-flight chicken satay skewer lodged in her throat. According to a lawsuit filed July 24 in federal court in Los Angeles, Briohny Smyth, 44, was flying business class from Singapore to Los Angeles when part of a wooden skewer allegedly broke off as she ate her meal. The complaint, first reported by The Independent, claims she unknowingly swallowed the jagged fragment, triggering immediate pain, violent coughing, and choking. Court filings allege Smyth spent much of the flight trying to remove the object before eventually coughing up a wooden shard measuring about 1.5 inches long. The lawsuit says Smyth later sought treatment from a throat specialist, who found scarring and trauma to her vocal cords. Since the incident, she has allegedly experienced persistent throat pain, vocal fatigue, raspiness and discomfort while speaking and singing. Smyth argues she was eating the meal as intended and was not responsible for the incident. Smyth became a platinum-selling singer in Thailand at age 13 and now works as a yoga instructor in Los Angeles. She claims the injuries have harmed her career and is seeking damages for medical expenses, lost income, and emotional distress.

North West, 13, has announced that her joint tour with Molly Santana “isn’t happening anymore,” with the dates now marked as canceled on Ticketmaster’s website. The eldest daughter of Kim Kardashian, 45, and rapper Kanye West, 49, was set to embark on her first headlining tour alongside Santana, 21, on August 5 in Dallas. But on Thursday, West revealed on her Instagram story that the 14-day “Kimokawaii Tour” would no longer be going ahead. “I was really excited to go on tour w molly santana sadly it isn’t happening anymore but i have something special for u guys see ya soon,” she wrote. Santana also confirmed the cancellation on social media, apologizing to fans who had been looking forward to the shows. West first revealed she would be following in her father’s musical footsteps in June, announcing the North American tour was set to hit major cities. Her self-produced debut EP, N0rth4evrs, was released in May and featured six short tracks with a combined runtime of just under 12 minutes. In 2024, she became one of the youngest artists ever to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 after making her recording debut with her father’s supergroup ¥$.

The wife of a coach for the Atlanta Falcons NFL team has died after a battle with cancer. Cristina Ulbrich, who first met her husband, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich in 1997 while he was recruiting at the University of Hawaii, died at the age of 48 on Thursday. Jeff, who spent four years with the New York Jets before joining the Falcons in 2025, is understood to have been absent from training sessions for much of the week. The team paid tribute to Cristina in a statement released Friday. “She was a constant source of love and support to Jeff, their family, and the broader Falcons community,” they said. Arthur Blank, who owns the team, shared a similarly touching tribute. “It was always evident how deeply Cristina loved her family and how fiercely she supported them,” he said. “She faced every challenge with extraordinary courage, strength and grace, inspiring so many through the way she lived and the way she fought.”

A Connecticut man celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary in the Bahamas ended up needing 26 stitches after a shark attacked him while snorkeling last Friday. John Schweizer, 69, was swimming with Caribbean reef sharks when one of them suddenly pulled him underwater and bit his left shin. He was treated by an emergency doctor aboard the cruise ship where he was vacationing with his wife, Marcy, and their two sons. “It was so fast, so immediate that you knew it happened. No doubt about it,” Schweizer told NBC Connecticut. His son, Tom, who was snorkeling alongside him, reportedly spotted the shark before his father did and screamed for help after seeing him get bitten. “We used many, many towels and tourniquets to hold and keep the blood at bay,” Schweizer said, describing the efforts to control the bleeding after he made it back aboard the cruise ship. He received stitches on board before being transported to a hospital in Miami, Florida, where he was treated and released the following day. When Schweizer returned to his hometown of Niantic, his neighbors welcomed him back wearing shark costumes. Shark attacks in the Caribbean are extremely rare, and most encounters with sharks in the region are harmless, according to TwistTour.

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Whether for college, at the office, or just daily life, unless you’ve got the memory of an elephant, taking notes is a must. Remarkable has built a name for itself with innovative tablets that cut out distracting apps and focus on productivity. In fact, a study by Remarkable found that users experience 35 percent less stress and 20 percent more focus when using a paper tablet compared with working on a PC. The brand’s Remarkable Paper Pure is its latest model, allowing users to experience the feel of taking notes with old-fashioned pen and paper, with modern upgrades like Google and Microsoft integration, AI summary functionality, handwriting conversion, and so much more.

The Paper Pure is designed with a 10.3-inch screen, a three-week battery life on a single charge, and a super-crisp black-and-white canvas display. Writing on the Remarkable Pure Paper feels just like writing on paper, with the digital ink appearing in as little as 21 milliseconds—faster than the blink of an eye.

Remarkable Paper Pure Paper Tablet

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The next-level tablet also comes with a custom-made marker that can be used as a ballpoint pen, pencil, or even highlighter. Plus, since the tablet is held together with screws and snaps (not glue), repairs aren’t a headache for professionals.

Need a weekly planner? There’s a template for that. Want a notebook with ruled lines? There’s a template for that, too. You can even connect with productivity apps like Outlook, Slack, Google Drive, and OneDrive to pick up writing on your laptop. Whether you’re using it for work, school, or just as a journal, the Paper Pure is an all-in-one note-taking device.

Bobby Hunt, who played in the first-ever Super Bowl, has died at 85. The Kansas City Chiefs starter’s death was announced on Wednesday by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame & Museum on Facebook. “The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame mourns the passing of 2015 Inductee Bobby Hunt,” the tribute reads. Hunt was a star on both offense and defense, playing quarterback and defensive back for the Auburn University Tigers from 1959 to 1961. He was picked in the 11th round of the 1962 draft by the Dallas Texans, the same year he led his team to win the championship and received First-Team All-Pro honors. The Texans were later sold and rebranded as the Kansas City Chiefs, on which Hunt remained until his final season in 1967. The Hall of Famer is best known for his 1964 four-interception game, for which he is tied for the most interceptions in a single game in all NFL history, and for his appearance in the first-ever Super Bowl. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” the post continues. There has not been a confirmed cause of death.

Dramatic footage has emerged of a loose tire slamming into the front of an SUV as it drove down a Pennsylvania highway. The video, obtained by NBC10 News and WPVI, captures the moment an out-of-control tire bounces across Interstate 76 in Philadelphia and hits the front of the gray Nissan vehicle. The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday near Girard Avenue. It is unclear if there were any injuries. The shocking footage was recorded by a Tesla driver, who told WPVI’s Action News that his car’s cameras caught the moment the loose tire struck the SUV behind him, as he was traveling westbound on the Schuylkill Expressway. Separate video from the same incident showed the tire bouncing by the side of the interstate, narrowly avoiding other cars, before it eventually hit the front of the SUV. State police said they were investigating where the tire came from and whether anyone was injured following the collision. Social media users describe their shock at the clip after NBC10 posted it on Instagram. “If they never braked it would’ve went straight into the windshield smh! That’s so dangerous thank god they’re ok because that def had to total the car,” one person wrote.