Faizan Zaki overcomes a shocking, self-inflicted flub and wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee

May 31, 2025

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Faizan Zaki’s enthusiasm for spelling nearly got the better of him. Ultimately, his joyful approach made him the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion. The favorite entering the bee after his runner-up finish last year — during which he never misspelled a word in a conventional spelling round, only to lose a lightning-round tiebreaker that he didn’t practice for — the shaggy-haired Faizan wore the burden of expectations lightly, sauntering to the microphone in a black hoodie and spelling his words with casual glee. Throughout Thursday night’s ...

Traditional forest medicinal plant ghost pipe used differently today

May 24, 2025

UNIVERSITY PARK — Despite a long history of traditional medicinal use in the United States, the collection, consumption and efficacy of the peculiar forest plant aptly named ghost pipe, scientific name Monotropa uniflora, remains a mystery. Now, with social media and the internet driving a ...

Markers in blood and urine may reveal how much ultraprocessed food we are eating

May 24, 2025

Molecules in blood and urine may reveal how much energy a person consumes from ultraprocessed foods, a key step to understanding the impact of the products that make up nearly 60% of the American diet, a new study finds. It’s the first time that scientists have identified biological ...

How many Americans believe in astrology and rely on fortunetelling? A new survey has answers

May 24, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of American adults — about 3 in 10 — make use of astrology, tarot cards or fortunetellers at least once a year. But only a small fraction of them rely on what they learn from these practices to make major decisions. That’s according to a nationwide survey ...

As more Argentines go childless, pampered dogs become part of the family

May 24, 2025

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Venus gazes in bewilderment at the candles flickering on her mini birthday cake. The partygoers crowd around her in expectant silence, but she doesn’t blow them out. Dogs can’t blow candles, after all. So Venus’ owner intervened, drawing a breath and ...

Meteorology students develop workforce readiness in collaboration with WPSU

May 17, 2025

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State meteorology students are better prepared to communicate the complexities of the weather to the public through a new collaboration with WPSU. WPSU, which is a PBS member station, and the Penn State Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science provided ...