By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, AP Science Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have discovered a new dinosaur from Argentina with powerful claws, feasting on an ancient crocodile bone.

The new find was possibly 23 feet (7 meters) long and hailed from a mysterious group of dinosaurs called megaraptorans. They prowled across what’s now South America, Australia and parts of Asia, splitting off into different species over millions of years.

Megaraptorans were known for their stretched-out skulls and “huge and very powerful claws,” said Lucio Ibiricu with the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Paleontology, who was part of the discovery team.

But it’s not yet clear how these creatures hunted and where they fall on the evolutionary timeline — mainly because the fossils recovered so far were incomplete.

In a new study, researchers said they uncovered part of a skull as well as arm, leg and tail bones from the Lago Colhué Huapi rock formation in Patagonia. They noticed unique features in the bones that made them realize this could be a new species.

This latest member of the megaraptoran clan named Joaquinraptor casali “fills a major gap by providing one of the most complete skeletons yet,” Federico Agnolin with the Argentine Museum of Natural Science Bernardino Rivadavia said in an email. Agnolin was not involved with the research, which was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

The creature likely lived between 66 and 70 million years ago — close to the time dinosaurs went extinct — and was at least 19 years old when it died, though scientists don’t know what killed it.

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The front leg bone pressed against its jaws — belonging to an ancient relative of crocodiles — could yield some clues to its diet and whether it was the top predator on the humid prehistoric flood plains.

Ibiricu named the new dinosaur in memory of his son Joaquin. While Joaquin was very young and hadn’t yet developed a fascination with dinosaurs, Ibiricu still thinks he would have appreciated being named after one.

“All children love dinosaurs so he would probably be a fan too,” he said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By RONALD BLUM

NEW YORK (AP) — Robot umpires are coming to the big leagues in 2026 after Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee on Tuesday approved use of the Automated Ball/Strike System.

ABS will be introduced in the form of a challenge system in which the human umpire makes each call, which can be appealed to the computer. Robot umpires have been tested in the minor leagues since 2019, with recent testing done at Triple-A since 2022, MLB spring training this year and at this summer’s All-Star Game in Atlanta.

Here’s what to know about MLB’s robot umps.

How does the Automated Ball-Strike System work?

Stadiums are outfitted with cameras that track each pitch and judge whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. In early testing, umpires wore ear buds and would hear “ball” or “strike,” then relay that to players and fans with traditional hand signals.

The challenge system adds a wrinkle. Human umps call every pitch, but each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game. Teams that burn their challenges get one additional challenge in each extra inning. A team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for big league teams with video reviews, which were first used for home run calls in August 2008 and widely expanded to many calls for the 2014 season.

Only a batter, pitcher or catcher may challenge a call, signaling with the tap of a helmet or cap; and assistance from the dugout is not allowed. A challenge must be made within 2 seconds, and the graphic of the pitch and strike zone is shown on the scoreboard and broadcast feed. The umpire then announces the updated count.

MLB estimates the process averages 17 seconds.

What is the technology?

A Hawk-Eye pose-tracking system of cameras tracks pitches and whether they are within a strike zone based on the height of each batter, who is measured without shoes before a team’s first test game. MLB estimated the calibration process at less than one minute for each player.

While the strike zone actually called by big league umpires tends to be oval in shape, the ABS strike zone is a rectangle, as in the rule book.

Developing a consensus on what a computer strike zone should be has been an issue.

So what is the MLB strike zone?

MLB has changed the shape of the ABS strike zone several times.

It started with a 19-inch width in 2022, then dropped it to 17 inches — matching the width of home plate. Narrowing the strike zone led to an increase in walks and only small changes in strikeout rates.

The top of the strike zone was 51% of a batter’s height in 2022 and 2023, then raised to 53.5% in 2024 after pitchers complained. The bottom of the strike zone has been 27% since 2022 after initially being set at 28%. A batter’s stance is not taken into account.

ABS makes the ball/strike decision at the midpoint of the plate, 8 1/2 inches from the front and 8 1/2 inches from the back. The contrasts with the rule book zone called by umpires, which says the zone is a cube and a strike is a pitch that crosses any part. Big league umpires call roughly 94% of pitches correctly, according to UmpScorecards.

Where has ABS been tested?

ABS, which utilizes Hawk-Eye cameras, has been tested in the minor leagues since 2019. The independent Atlantic League trialed the system at its 2019 All-Star Game and MLB installed the technology for that’s year Arizona Fall League of top prospects. The ABS was tried at eight of nine ballparks of the Low-A Southeast League in 2021, then moved up to Triple-A in 2022.

At Triple-A at the start of the 2023 season, half the games used the robots for ball/strike calls and half had a human making decisions subject to appeals by teams to the ABS.

MLB switched Triple-A to an all-challenge system on June 26, 2024, then used the challenge system this year at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams for a total of 288 exhibition games. Teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges (617 of 1,182) challenges.

At this year’s MLB All-Star Game, four of five challenges of plate umpire Dan Iassogna’s calls were successful.

How successful are teams at challenging?

Success rate have hovered around 50% in the minors. At Triple-A this season, the success rate dropped to 49.5% from 50.6%. Defenses — usually catchers — have been more successful, winning 53.7% of challenges compared to 45% by batters. Challenges increased to 4.2 from 3.9 per game through Sunday.

in 2024 at Triple-A, just 1.6% of first pitches were challenges, but the figure increased to 3.9% for two-strike pitches, 5.2% for three-ball pitches and 8.2% for full counts.

Challenge percentages were higher later in the game. While 1.9% of pitches were challenged in the first three innings, 2.5% were challenged from the fourth through the sixth, 2.8% in the seventh and eighth and 3.6% in the ninth.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

By SHAWN CHEN and JULIE WALKER

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Secret Service has found and is quietly dismantling a massive network of “SIM farms” across the New York area just as world leaders gather for meetings at the United Nations.

Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office, said agents found multiple sites filled with servers and stacked SIM cards, of which more than 100,000 cards were already active. Though the investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made, he described it as a well-funded, highly organized enterprise and possibly run by nation-state actors — perpetrators from particular countries.

Officials also warned of the havoc the network could have caused if left intact. McCool compared the potential impact to the cellular blackouts that followed the Sept. 11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing, when networks collapsed under strain.

So what are these SIM farms and what are they capable of?

What the tech does

SIM farms are hardware devices that can hold numerous SIM cards from different mobile operators. These devices then exploit voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology to send and receive bulk messages or calls.

While initially developed for legitimate purposes, such as low cost international calling, the technology has become a cornerstone of organized fraud targeting mass audiences — phishing texts and scam calls.

“Scams have become so sophisticated now. Phishing emails, texts, spoofing caller ID, all of this technology gives scammers that edge,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.

In this case, the devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the U.N. building. The investigation is ongoing, but McCool said forensic analysis currently believe the system could have been used to send encrypted messages to organized crime groups, cartels and terrorist organizations.

How these farms pose a threat to telecom networks

Anthony J. Ferrante, the global head of the cybersecurity practice at FTI, an international consulting firm, said the photos show a very sophisticated and established SIM farm that could be used for any number of nefarious activities, including the potential to overwhelm cellular networks with millions of calls in just a few minutes.

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“So if you can imagine that type of magnitude on cellular networks, it would just overwhelm them and cause them to shut down,” Ferrante said in an interview. He also notes that it’s possible the system could be used for surveillance operations, given its proximity to the United Nations, “potentially that equipment could be used to either intercept communications, eavesdrop on communications, or actually, clone devices, as well.”

Ferrante, who previously served in key security positions at the White House and the FBI, says he’s awaiting the results of the investigation before drawing any conclusions about the nature of the setup, but he emphasizes that the scale of the operation shows how simple tools can pose real risks to critical infrastructure.

“The masterminds could have set this up a long time ago and be operating from thousands of miles away,” he said. “It’s a stark reminder of how deeply interconnected our world has become, where local vulnerabilities can be exploited globally.”

In addition to loons and lakes, Minnesota is also home to a one-of-a-kind competition that for this week, has pitted Classic SPAM against a personal aircraft.

With two weeks to go until one product is crowned the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota,” voters have their work cut out for them as the head-to-head matchups become increasingly more difficult with just eight products left in the running.

Presented by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and BMO, the competition is in its fourth round of voting this week with the public allowed to cast just four votes.

“Reaching the top eight is no small feat,” said Doug Loon, president and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber, in a news release. “These products have risen to the top thanks to an outpouring of support from voters across Minnesota.”

Here are the matchups competing for your votes this week:

SPAM vs. Cirrus

Made in Austin, Minn., since its founding in 1937, SPAM Classic from Hormel Foods is taking on the SR Series G7+ Aircraft, which is built in Duluth and features an autonomous emergency landing system, from Cirrus Aircraft.

Polaris vs. Toro

Constructed in Roseau, Minn., the MRZR from Polaris, an all-terrain military vehicle with infrared and blackout lighting, is competing against the GrandStand mower from Toro. Manufactured in Windom, the mower can blow leaves, plow snow, sweep sidewalks and move mulch.

Duluth Pack vs. ATZ

Trackchair, an all-terrain wheelchair from Marshall-based ATZ that can navigate through sand, mud, snow and up to 10 inches of water, is stacked up against the Wanderer, a spacious canvas backpack from Duluth Pack.

Vistabule vs. NorthUp Sauna

A luxury camper with a galley kitchen and queen-size sleeping area, the St.Paul-based Vistabule Teardrop Trailer is competing against the NorthUp Sauna, an affordable, ultra-light, multi-purpose sauna.

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Voting open

“What makes this round exciting is seeing how the contest showcases the diversity of what we make and putting a well-deserved spotlight on Minnesota’s manufacturing strength,” Loon said.

The final four products will be announced Monday and the winner will be crowned at the 2025 Manufacturers’ Summit on Oct. 7.

Round four voting is open now. To cast your vote, go to http://pipr.es/CcOxwe4.