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Colombia's best-known drug trafficker, Pablo Escobar, may have been killed in 1993 but his influence continues to be felt in the country, sometimes in unexpected ways. Hippopotamuses brought to Colombia as part of Escobar's private zoo at his ranch, Hacienda Napoles, have bred so successfully that there is serious concern over their environmental impact and human safety, according to a new study by researchers at Mexican and Colombian universities. Source

TORONTO -- Scientists have discovered that ancient and extinct sabre-toothed cats have something in common with many parents today: they have offspring that stay at home longer than expected. Adolescent Smilodon fatalis, a large long-toothed predator found through much of North America and South America, including Canada, were “more momma’s cubs than independent warriors,” according to a press release from the Royal Ontario Museum. Source

LONDON -- Britain's policing minister said Monday that “human error” led to hundreds of thousands of DNA records and other data on criminal suspects being erased from the national police computer. Kit Malthouse told lawmakers in the House of Commons that the mishap occurred during a “regular housekeeping process” on the computer, which holds 13 million records. Source

Parler's website suddenly reappeared online Sunday afternoon with a message from its CEO, John Matze: "Hello world, is this thing on?" The message, dated January 16, implies that the social network popular with members of the far right has found a new online hosting platform, after Parler was booted from Amazon Web Services on January 10 in the wake of the Capitol siege. Source

TORONTO -- Life found in ancient water flowing through a northern Ontario mine could eventually help scientists unlock the mystery about whether there was ever life on Mars, according to a scientist at the University of Toronto. Source

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit reached space on Sunday, eight months after the first demonstration flight of its air-launched rocket system failed, the company said. A 21.34-metre-long (70-foot-long) LauncherOne rocket was released from beneath the wing of a Boeing 747 carrier aircraft off the coast of Southern California, ignited moments later and soared toward space. Source

The U.S. government is warning that groups could rely on radio equipment as an alternative to social media to plan future criminal activities. In a stark warning Sunday, the Federal Communications Commission's enforcement bureau said people coordinating or conducting criminal activity over radio waves are breaking the law. Source

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES -- A newly elected Republican congresswoman known for promoting QAnon conspiracy theories accused Twitter of censorship on Sunday after her account was temporarily suspended for "multiple violations." Marjorie Taylor Greene was hit with the 12-hour suspension after she tweeted claims of alleged election fraud in Georgia, her home state. Source

Scientists still researching whether vaccine prevents COVID-19 transmission The National9 hours agoVideo 4:44 Source

TORONTO -- Looking for an excuse to turn your camera off during the next virtual meeting, besides Zoom fatigue? Tell the boss it’s saving the planet. A new environmental study -- from Purdue University, Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- found turning off the camera during Zoom or video meetings helps reduce a person’s carbon footprint by 96 per cent. Source