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The asteroid that slammed into Earth in Siberia today will turn out to be harmless, proving that humans are capable of surviving even bigger, more devastating impacts

A small asteroid, C0WEPC5, was detected heading towards Earth, creating a visible fireball over northern Siberia.
Advances in technology and dedicated programmes by NASA and ESA have increased our ability to track asteroid fly-bys.
Past asteroid events demonstrate human capacity to survive even larger, more destructive impacts.

Unsurprisingly, asteroids entering Earth’s atmosphere have a way of sparing a good deal of concern — much like the discovery of mysterious underground structures or stowaway creepy crawlies — despite humanity’s pretty strong track record of weathering unexpected celestial encounters.

Today’s news coming out of Siberia makes clear our ever-increasing ability to detect and manage these incidents. While asteroids will continue to strike with an always-unwelcome regularity, the impacts are typically manageable and far less catastrophic than some historical precedents… so far. Here are some previous incidents for perspective…

Current Asteroid Activity in Siberia
On Tuesday, northern Siberia took centre stage for a rare celestial event when a small asteroid, with the catchy nickname ‘C0WEPC5’, entered Earth’s atmosphere. The 27-inch-wide (c. 70cm) rock was on collision course with Earth, making it the fourth detected asteroid strike of 2024 and the 11th on record. The European Space Agency (ESA) was first to issue an alert early in the morning, informing the public the object would create a visible fireball in the sky but that any resulting impact would ultimately be harmless.

C0WEPC5 was identified by the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona as an “imminent impactor”, entering the atmosphere over Yakutia in northeastern Siberia at approximately 11:15 a.m. Videos shared on social media show a bright, fast-moving streak burning across the sky before dissipating, though it remains unclear at present time if any debris eventually reached the ground.

Part of a larger trend of increasing asteroid detections thanks to technological advancements and the efforts of organisations like NASA and ESA, 132 known asteroids have passed closer to Earth than the Moon since October 2023, with over 36,000 asteroid fly-bys recorded in total.

Another asteroid, 2020 XR, is set to make a “close” fly-by on Wednesday at a distance of 1.37 million miles. Although significantly larger than the Siberian object — about 1,200 feet (365 metres) in diameter— this asteroid thankfully poses no threat to Earth. Any object passing within 4.6 million miles of Earth is classed as “potentially hazardous”.

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3 Most Overrated Teams in Penultimate College Football Playoff （cfp）Top 25 Rankings

he finishing touches will be put on the College Football Playoff field this weekend when the conference champions are crowned. But the makeup of the inaugural 12-team field still maintains some uncertainty that will be sorted out in the coming days.

At the moment, No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Texas, No. 8 SMU and No. 10 Boise State are the selection committee’s projected four highest-ranked conference champions. No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 9 Indiana and No. 11 Alabama are projected to earn at-large bids.

No. 15 Arizona State is the fifth highest-ranked projected conference champion, which puts the Sun Devils in as the final team in the field. No. 12 Miami and No. 13 Ole Miss are the first teams out.

Interestingly, CFP committee chair Warde Manuel said on ESPN’s rankings release show that teams not playing in their conference championships will not be re-evaluated. That means there’s no world where the Hurricanes or Rebels end up ranked higher than the Crimson Tide. No. 14 South Carolina also does not have a chance to move up relative to other idle teams even if the Tigers team it just beat is crowned the ACC champion.

Below is the projected 12-team bracket, via ESPN:

Here is the CFP selection committee’s top 25, which features three newcomers.

  1. Oregon – 12-0 (9-0 Big Ten)
  2. Texas – 11-1 (7-1 SEC)
  3. Penn State – 11-1 (8-1 Big Ten)
  4. Notre Dame – 11-1
  5. Georgia – 10-2 (6-2 SEC)
  6. Ohio State – 10-2 (7-2 Big Ten)
  7. Tennessee – 10-2 (6-2 SEC)
  8. SMU – 11-1 (8-0 ACC)
  9. Indiana – 11-1 (8-1 Big Ten)
  10. Boise State – 11-1 (7-0 Mountain West)
  11. Alabama – 9-3 (5-3 SEC)
  12. Miami – 10-2 (6-2 ACC)
  13. Ole Miss – 9-3 (5-3 SEC)
  14. South Carolina – 9-3 (5-3 SEC)
  15. Arizona State – 10-2 7-2 (Big 12)
  16. Iowa State – 10-2 (7-2 Big 12)
  17. Clemson – 9-3 (7-1 ACC)
  18. BYU – 10-2 (7-2 Big 12)
  19. Missouri – 9-3 (5-3 SEC)
  20. UNLV – 10-2 (6-1 Mountain West)
  21. Illinois – 9-3 (6-3 Big Ten)
  22. Syracuse – 9-3 (ACC)
  23. Colorado – 9-3 (7-2 Big 12)
  24. Army – 10-1 (8-0 AAC)
  25. Memphis – 10-2 (6-2 AAC)

With the fourth College Football Playoff rankings out, we identified three teams that have not played up their rankings.

Disagree with our analysis? Let us know in the comments below.

No. 6 Ohio State

AP Rank Coaches Rank Week 14 Week 15
No. 7

No. 8

L vs. Michigan (13-10)

Idle

Two top-10 teams lost last week: Ohio State and Miami. The Hurricanes slid six spots after a back-and-forth, 42-38 road loss at Syracuse, which moved into the top 25 with its win. But the Buckeyes only fell four spots following a 13-10 home defeat to a Michigan team that remains unranked. Even Clemson fell further than Ohio State on the heels of a 17-14 home loss to then-No. 14 South Carolina.

There was no world where a loss to the Wolverines knocked the Buckeyes out of the 12-team field. Ohio State’s résumé — which includes two top-10 wins at Penn State (20-13) and at home over Indiana (38-15), as well as its 32-31 loss at undefeated Oregon — speaks for itself. This is firmly a playoff team, but the Buckeyes were hardly punished for such a poor performance last Saturday in Columbus.

Ohio State is set to host a first-round playoff game as it is ranked ahead of Tennessee, a fellow two-loss team. The Buckeyes are ranked behind the Vols in both the AP poll — where they fell five spots — and the coaches poll — where they dropped six. And as Manuel laid out, Tennessee cannot jump Ohio State with both teams idle this week.

No. 11 Alabama

AP Rank Coaches Rank Week 14 Week 15
No. 11

No. 11

W vs. Auburn (28-14)

Idle

If the current projections hold — mainly SMU beating Clemson on Saturday — Alabama will be in the first 12-team playoff. The Crimson Tide are the highest-ranked three-loss team and are now separated from fellow three-loss SEC teams Ole Miss and South Carolina with Miami wedged between them.

’Bama is a bit of an anomaly with claims to some of the best wins of any team — over Georgia (41-34), South Carolina (27-25) and Missouri (34-0) — and one of the worst losses of any CFP contender as the Tide fell 24-3 at Oklahoma two weeks ago. Of course, Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois back in September and Ohio State just lost to Michigan, but those teams not only have fewer losses than Alabama, the margins of both games were closer as well.

The Crimson Tide rose two spots with a 28-14 home win over an Auburn team that is not bowl eligible, while South Carolina only moved up a single spot after beating then-No. 12 Clemson on the road, 17-13. That disparity is inexplicable.

No. 17 Clemson

*ACC Championship in Charlotte, N.C.

AP Rank Coaches Rank Week 14 Week 15
No. 18

No. 17

L vs. South Carolina (17-13)

vs. SMU*

Clemson suffered its third loss last week, but it wasn’t a disqualifying defeat. That’s because the Tigers got the help they needed from Syracuse, which upset Miami, paving the way for Dabo Swinney’s team to return to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game. If Clemson beats the Mustangs there, they will be in the 12-team field and potentially knock Alabama out — as long as SMU doesn’t fall below the Crimson Tide.

The Tigers don’t have a win over a team in the CFP rankings. They are also 0-2 against top-25 teams, having lost to Georgia (34-3) and now South Carolina (17-13). Throw in a home loss to unranked Louisville (33-21) and BYU has a legitimate case to be ranked ahead of Clemson with one fewer loss and a road win over SMU (18-15).

Quibbling about the Tigers’ ranking this week won’t matter much if they can beat the Mustangs, though their placement relative to the winner of the Big 12 title (Arizona State or Iowa State) will matter a great deal if they do pull off the upset.

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Debbie Nelson, Eminem’s Mother, Dead at 69

Debbie Nelson, mother of rapper Eminem, died on Monday, December 2, at the age of 69, reports the New York Times. Vulture has confirmed the news with Eminem’s representative. People reports that Nelson died of complications with lung cancer. Nelson gave birth to Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, on October 17, 1972, when she was 17 years old, and he is her oldest son. Her ex-husband, Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. (who died in 2019), left their family shortly after Eminem was born, and she became a single mother with Eminem and his half-brother, Nathan Mathers. “Hatred and mixed emotions today,” Nathan posted on Instagram Stories on December 3, seemingly referencing the news. Nelson’s strained relationship with Eminem was discussed in several songs in his early music; she even went as far as suing him for defamation for the 1999’s single “My Name Is,” with lyrics like “99 percent of my life, I was lied to/I just found out my mom does more dope than I do (Damn).” She won the lawsuit and received about $25,000.

However, the lawsuit never scared Eminem from writing more songs about his mother. 2002’s “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” featured heavy criticism of both of his parents: “Now, I would never diss my own mama just to get recognition/Take a second to listen ‘fore you think this record is dissin’/But put yourself in my position, just try to envision/Witnessin’ your mama poppin’ prescription pills in the kitchen/Bitchin’ that someone’s always goin’ through her purse and shit’s missin’.” He did affectionately refer to his mother in one of his most famous lyrics (“Mom’s Spaghetti” in “Lose Yourself”) and eventually opened a restaurant and pasta line with the same name.

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The president of South Korea has lifted martial law in a cabinet meeting amid anger over his imposition of it

South Korea’s emergency martial law, declared by President Yoon Suk-yeol Tuesday night, was lifted early Wednesday at a Cabinet meeting after the parliament voted against it.

The motion to remove the martial law order was approved at an urgently convened Cabinet meeting, according to multiple media outlets.

Before the meeting, Yoon said in a televised address that martial law troops were withdrawn as the National Assembly demanded the lifting of martial law, vowing to lift the martial law at a Cabinet meeting to accept the parliamentary demand.

The president asked the National Assembly to stop paralyzing state affairs by trying to impeach government officials, slash the government’s budget for next year and launch a special prosecutor’s team for investigation into scandals involving the first lady.

Yoon declared the emergency martial law Tuesday night, marking the first martial law declaration since the country’s military dictatorship ended in the late 1980s.

The National Assembly held a plenary session, passing a resolution to lift the martial law with 18 lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party and 172 lawmakers of opposition parties in attendance and voting in favor.

In accordance with the constitution, the president should lift a mart

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Forbes 30 Under 30: Chappell Roan, Zach Bryan, Jacob Elordi, more stars make the list

The next generation of Hollywood stars are getting their flowers.

Forbes on Tuesday unveiled its annual 30 Under 30 list recognizing rising young talent in entertainment, sports, finance and more fields. To be eligible, a person must be 29 or younger as of the end of 2024.

In the 2025 Hollywood and entertainment category, Jacob Elordi (“Saltburn”), Ryan Destiny (“The Fire Inside”), Kathryn Newton (“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”), Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”), Marcello Hernandez (“Saturday Night Live”) and Kiernan Shipka (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)” all made the list.

Elordi is coming off a big 2023 that included his role in the buzzy thriller “Saltburn” and a performance as Elvis Presley in “Priscilla.” Destiny, meanwhile, was a breakthrough performer nominee at this year’s Gotham Awards for “The Fire Inside”; Centineo is starring in the Netflix series “The Recruit”; Newton starred in the horror films “Abigail” and “Lisa Frankenstein” this year; Hernandez played Domingo in one of the most popular recent “SNL” sketches; and Shipka has kept busy with roles in 2024 films like “Longlegs,” “Twisters,” “Red One” and “The Last Showgirl.”

Under the music umbrella, honorees included Shaboozey, Noah Kahan, Chappell Roan and Coco Jones, all of whom are nominees at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Roan, in particular, has experienced a surge in popularity this year with songs like “Hot to Go!” after releasing her debut studio album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” in 2023.

Chappell Roan attends the premiere of “Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour” on Oct. 25, 2024 in Los Angeles.
2024 Forbes 30 Under 30:Kendall Jenner, Latto, Dylan Mulvaney, Matt Rife make list
Forbes writers and editors create the 30 Under 30 list by looking through online submissions and recommendations from industry sources and alumni of the list, according to the magazine. Factors that are considered include “funding, revenue, social impact, scale, inventiveness and potential,” Forbes says.

Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift are among the artists who have previously been recognized on the 30 Under 30 list.

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California lawmakers begin special session to protect state laws from second Trump presidency

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers returned to the state Capitol on Monday to begin a special session to protect the state’s progressive policies ahead of another Trump presidency.

The Democratic governor, a fierce critic of President-elect Donald Trump, is positioning California to once again be the center of a resistance effort against the conservative agenda. He is asking his Democratic allies in the Legislature, who hold supermajorities in both chambers, to approve additional funding for the attorney general’s office to prepare for a robust legal fight against anticipated federal challenges.

“We will work with the incoming administration and we want President Trump to succeed in serving all Americans,” Newsom said in a statement. “But when there is overreach, when lives are threatened, when rights and freedoms are targeted, we will take action.”

Democratic Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel on Monday introduced legislation to set aside $25 million for legal fees to respond to potential attacks by the Trump administration on state policies regarding civil rights, climate change, immigration and abortion access.

Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener introduced a budget bill that includes the $25 million for the Department of Justice, which Newsom proposed, and an additional $10 million to help county and city attorneys protect policies from challenges by the federal government.

California sued the first Trump administration more than 120 times to various levels of success.

Trump often depicts California as representing all he sees wrong in America. Democrats, who hold every statewide office in California and have commanding margins in the Legislature and congressional delegation, outnumber registered Republicans by nearly 2-to-1 statewide.

Trump called the Democratic governor “Newscum” during a campaign stop in Southern California and has relentlessly lambasted the Democratic stronghold over its large number of immigrants in the U.S. illegally, its homeless population and its thicket of regulations.

Trump also waded into a water rights battle over the endangered delta smelt, a tiny fish that has pitted environmentalists against farmers, and threatened to withhold federal aid to a state increasingly under threat from wildfires. He also vowed to follow through with his campaign promise of carrying out the mass deportation of immigrants without legal status and prosecuting his political enemies.

Before the special session began, state lawmakers swore in more than two dozen new members and elected leaders for the 2025 legislative session. Lawmakers voted to convene the special session largely along party lines.

“This special session is about sticking up for Californians and for California values,” Wiener said. “It is about ensuring that the president of the United States and his administration actually follow the law.”

Hundreds of people demonstrated around the Capitol on Monday to urge the Legislature to try to stop Trump’s mass deportation plans. They carried banners that said “Not one cent for mass deportation” and “MAGA out of California.”

State Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office will protect the state’s immigration population, while Newsom last week unveiled a proposal to revive a rebate program for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration eliminates a federal tax credit for people who buy electric cars. Newsom is also considering creating a backup disaster relief fund for the wildfire-prone state after Trump’s threats.

Bonta announced legislation Monday aimed at bolstering reproductive rights in the state, including by allowing the attorney general to seek monetary penalties against local governments that infringe on those rights. The proposals are part of the state’s efforts to guarantee abortion access after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Republican lawmakers blasted Newsom and his Democratic allies over the special session. State Sen. Kelly Seyarto, a Republican representing Murrieta in Southern California, said the session would create a more adversarial relationship with the federal government.

“What we’re doing today is sending that exact message — that we are going to fight tooth and nail for everything. And you know what? That means they’re going to fight us tooth and nail for everything,” Seyarto said of the proposed legislation.

Legislators also are expected to spend the year discussing ways to protect dozens of laws expected to be targeted by the Trump administration, including one that has made California a sanctuary for people seeking abortions who live in states where abortion access has been severely limited.

California, the nation’s most populous state, was the first to mandate that by 2035 all new cars, pickup trucks and SUVs sold in the state be electric, hydrogen-powered or plug-in hybrids. The state also extends state-funded health care to all low-income residents regardless of their immigration status.

Newsom hasn’t provided details about what lawmakers will consider but said he wanted funding in place before Trump’s inauguration day, Jan. 20. The state spent roughly $42 million in litigation costs during the first Trump administration, officials said.

California is projected to face a $2 billion budget deficit next year, with bigger shortfalls ahead. Gabriel, who sued the first Trump administration in 2017 when it tried to end a program to shield young immigrants from being deported, said lining up the funding now is “a wise investment.”

California successfully clawed back $57 million between 2017 and 2018 after prevailing in a lawsuit to block the Trump administration from putting immigration enforcement conditions on certain federal law enforcement grants. Another legal victory over the citizenship question in the 2020 census forced the federal government to return $850,000 to the state, according to the attorney general’s office.

During Trump’s first presidency, Democratic attorneys general banded together to file lawsuits over immigration, Trump’s travel ban for residents of Muslim countries, the environment, immigration and other topics. But Trump has one possible advantage this time around: He was aggressive in nominating conservative jurists to federal courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court.

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Jaleel McLaughlin Leads Denver’s Backfield With Season-High 84 Yards Against Browns

For the second straight week, Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin served as the team’s lead back in the 41-32 shootout win under the lights on Monday Night Football at Empower Field against the Cleveland Browns. McLaughlin led Denver in rushing attempts (14) and rushing yards (84) while also catching one of his two targets for no gain. The 24-year-old looked like the No. 3 RB on Denver’s depth chart just several weeks ago, but he was quick and elusive on Monday night against a shaky Browns run game and deserves waiver-wire consideration for fantasy managers in need of RB help with the playoffs approaching. While McLaughlin finished with 15 touches for 84 yards, Javonte Williams and rookie Audric Estime combined for seven carries for 13 yards and one catch for three yards. Keep in mind that this was only McLaughlin’s second double-digit carry game of the year, with the first coming in Week 1.

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Michigan GOP lawmaker says gay marriage should be ‘illegal again’

ARepublican state lawmaker in Michigan said gay marriage should be “illegal again,” an inflammatory remark that prompted swift rebuke from Democrats.

State Rep. Josh Schriver (R) made the controversial statement on X on Monday, just weeks after the GOP’s strong showing in Michigan during the November election, where they wrested back control of the statehouse.

“Make gay marriage illegal again. This is not remotely controversial, nor extreme,” Schriver wrote. “America only ‘accepted’ gay marriage after it was thrusted into her by a perverted Supreme Court ruling.”

He pointed to old remarks from then-Sen. Barack Obama, saying the former president was once “more conservative on marriage than many Republicans today.” Obama first endorsed marriage equality in 2012 — the first U.S. president to do so — and later said he believed the Constitution guaranteed the right to marriage for all same-sex couples.

The Supreme Court agreed in a 5-4 ruling in 2015, a historic victory for queer Americans.

Republicans have embraced culture wars targeting queer Americans in recent years, particularly trans people. The party has pushed through laws blocking young trans kids from gender-affirming health care, barring them from school sports teams and cheered efforts to limit access to public bathrooms.

“Please explain how dissolving my marriage, or that of the hundreds of thousands of other same-sex couples living in America, provides a benefit to your constituents or anyone else,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D), who is married to a woman, wrote on X. “You’re not interested in helping Michiganders. You want only to hurt those you hate. Shame on you.”

Fellow state Rep. Jason Morgan (D), who is gay, said his colleague’s remarks were both “controversial and extreme, along with anti-family.”

Schriver has courted controversy in the past. In February, he was stripped of his office staff and committee assignments in the Michigan statehouse after sharing conspiracy theories linked to the “great replacement.” The false notion relies on racist tropes and claims white Christians are being intentionally replaced by immigrants.

At the time he said he was opposed to racism, but defended his social media posts and said he found it “strange” that there was an “agenda to demoralize and reduce the white portion of our population,” according to The Detroit News.

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