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New livestream shows hundreds of rattlesnakes, many of them pregnant, congregating at “mega-den” in Colorado
An intimate new livestream is giving scientists a closer look into the lives of rattlesnakes, which are historically challenging to study. Positioned to face a massive “mega-den” filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of prairie rattlesnakes wedged between rocks somewhere in northern Colorado, the stream is available to watch on YouTube so interested members of the public can observe the creatures themselves, too, and even contribute to the research effort.
The Colorado livestream is part of a community science initiative called Project Rattle Cam that aims to collect real-time data on a normally enigmatic species of venomous reptile. Rattlesnakes are found almost everywhere in the continental United States, the National Wildlife Federation writes, but experts often note how researching them is difficult for several reasons, including their rugged habitats and secretive behavior.
Project Rattle Cam launched the latest livestream with funding from donors and technology designed by faculty and technicians at California Polytechnic State University’s Bailey College of Science and Mathematics, the university said. It overlooks a massive den in a remote part of northern Colorado. The exact location has not been revealed, but Cal Poly said it is on private land.
The live feed is an upgrade from Project Rattle Cam’s earlier means to involve interested people on the internet in a study of rattlesnakes in the American West, which shared time-lapse photographs from certain congregation sites online.
“This livestream allows us to collect data on wild rattlesnakes without disturbing them, facilitating unbiased scientific discovery,” said Emily Taylor, a biological sciences professor at Cal Poly who leads Project Rattle Cam, in a statement. “But even more important is that members of the public can watch wild rattlesnakes behaving as they naturally do, helping to combat the biased imagery we see on television shows of rattling, defensive and stressed snakes interacting with people who are provoking them.”
People watching the stream can tune in at any time to see the creatures as they exist in their day-to-day: piled atop one another, basking in the sun, drinking rain water, shedding their skin, interacting in other ways and sometimes receiving visitors, like small rodents attempting to attack. Dozens of rattlesnakes in the mega-den are currently pregnant, according to Cal Poly, so viewers should also be able to watch the snakes begin to rear their young later this summer. Researchers said the best times to check out the live feed are in the morning or early evening, and community observations are always welcome in the YouTube feed’s accompanying live chat.
Project Rattle Cam operates another livestream that tracks a smaller western rattlesnake den along the central coast of California. For the last three years, that feed has observed the den during warmer seasons, when the snakes emerge from their shelter, Cal Poly said. That stream is also set up at an undisclosed location and went live again on July 11.
Taylor Swift Eras Tour concerts tickets don’t come easy, or cheap. For fans of the superstar who manage to snag tickets, the thought of losing them never crosses their mind. But that’s exactly what’s happening to Swifties nationwide as hackers target Ticketmaster accounts, stealing customers’ tickets for resale on other sites.
“It was like that gut punch,” Morgen Bernius, a Maryland mom, told CBS News national consumer correspondent Usher Qurashi in describing the moment she discovered the Taylor Swift tickets she purchased for her daughter had suddenly disappeared from her Ticketmaster account.
“The tickets are gone — gone,” said Bernius, adding that she could cry just thinking about it. “It was devastating,” she added.
Ticketmaster won’t say how many people have had their tickets stolen, reported Qurashi, but accounts of ticket theft similar to Bernius’ have rippled throughout social media over the past month. “I woke up and my tickets had been ‘successfully’ transferred,” said another theft victim, using air quotes.
“The No.1 tip I could give to fans to protect themselves is to make sure they have a secure, unique password, that they are not using on other platforms,” Kaitlyn Henrich, head of global at Live Nation Entertainment, parent company of Ticketmaster, told Qurashi.
Asked if the company has failed its customers, Henrich added, “We are constantly striving to look at what’s going on and improve the experience.”
For now, that experience includes a 48-hour average wait for fans to have their tickets restored after notifying the company of their disappearance. As an added precaution, Ticketmaster is limiting ticket transfers to 72 hours before Eras Tour concerts and requiring two-factor authentication for some transactions.
“It’s a very small percent, less than a tenth of one percent,” said Henrich, “but obviously for that one fan who’s going through that, it’s a really stressful situation.”
Online ticket thefts also hurt those who unknowingly purchase tickets that had been stolen.
Karen Perry, who paid more than $4,000 for two seats on StubHub to see the Eras Tour in New Orleans, got an email from TicketMaster just weeks before the show informing her that her tickets were stolen and would be returned to the original buyer.
“The tickets that were transferred to you were acquired by someone who was attempting to steal tickets. As a result, they have been cancelled and returned to the original ticket holder,” the letter read.
“My heart dropped, like, my stomach sank,” Perry told Qurashi. “Like, I was at work and I instantly started crying.”
StubHub says Ticketmaster never informed them about the customer thefts, which it only found out about through media reports.
“I think that if there was a world where, for example, we would see Ticketmaster be more collaborative, or more transparent, about the problems they’re having, and how they’re attempting to solve those problems, we could be a partner in that effort,” Laura Dooley of StubHub told Qurashi.
What you can do to protect yourself
Experts say there are several steps ticket buyers can take to reduce the odds of getting ripped off.
- Check early and often that your tickets are still in your account and haven’t been transferred.
- Buy from sellers who offer replacement or refund guarantees.
- Take screenshots of all of your purchases.
As for Perry, who unknowingly purchased stolen tickets off of StubHub, she was able to find new seats with the help of the company, and was able to catch Swift in action in mid-October.
“We just had the best night of our entire lives,” Perry said. “Hands down. It was better than our wedding. It was so good.”
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Until recently, inflation had been high in the U.S. That, in turn, helped to drive many consumers to safe-haven investments like gold, silver and other precious metals.
These precious metals are often considered a hedge against the declining dollar and a smart safeguard of wealth, which is why investors tend to flock to them during times of economic turmoil. But today, inflation is finally close to the 2% target rate, and the Federal Reserve has begun cutting its benchmark rate as a result.
Does that mean gold and silver are still wise investments? And if so, which one is best for your money? Here’s what experts have to say.
Learn more about your gold investing options now.
When gold investing is better as interest rates are cut
Both gold and silver can be smart investments right now, pros say, but the right metal depends on your goals and budget.
“Both precious metals are used as hedges during periods of lower interest rates and periods of economic instability such as recessions, and both have performed well over these times,” Christopher Mediate, president of Mediate Financial, says.
But if diversifying your portfolio is your key goal — protecting yourself against dips in other asset classes — gold is often your best bet.
“Gold might make sense for conservative investors or even retirees who are looking for an uncorrelated asset and want to diversify away from stock and bond markets,” says Ben Nadelstein, head of content for Monetary Metals. “Gold is uncorrelated with traditional asset classes like stocks or bonds, which can help smooth out the returns of a portfolio and reduce exposure to market swings.”
If you fear a recession or other economic troubles may be coming on, gold can also be a good choice. Right now, JP Mortgage Research puts the probability of a recession by the end of 2025 at 45%.
“It would make sense for investors that want safe haven assets to ride out economic uncertainty,” Mediate says. “It’s an asset that has withstood the test of time — especially during recessionary and interest rate cut cycles.”
Add gold to your investment portfolio today.
When silver investing is better as interest rates are cut
If you’re looking for something that will potentially offer more growth than gold — and are willing to take on a bumpier ride — silver would be the right option right now.
“Silver has had a more muted reaction to Fed cuts so far, which could mean more upside potential,” Nadelstein says. “It’s a more volatile investment than gold and could be a better option for investors willing to endure more swings in exchange for greater potential price appreciation.”
Essentially, the price of silver could go further, experts say, which could mean more returns in the long haul.
“Silver has a lot of catching up to do in price to gold, as gold is at all new highs and silver is way off,” says Mike Chadwick, president of Fiscal Wisdom Wealth Management. “Silver is usually late and runs harder long term, so silver has a lot more torque than gold.”
Silver can also be a good option if you’re simply on a tight budget and have less capital to work with.
“As gold becomes more expensive, silver might also attract buyers who are getting priced out of the gold market,” Nadelstein explains.
The bottom line
Both silver and gold can be wise investments right now as the Fed adjusts its policy. The right choice depends on your goals as an investor, though, as well as your budget.
“I’d consider gold a more mature investment and silver a more adrenaline-based investment,” Chadwick says.
If you’re not sure which to invest in — or how much to buy, talk to a financial advisor or investment professional. They can help you make the best decisions for your individual portfolio, as well as help you pick the right vehicle for your investment, whether that’s a gold IRA, silver IRA, physical bars and coins, gold ETFs or another type of gold asset.