Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow, 6 more weeks of ...

On average, Phil has gotten it right only 40% of the time over the past 10 years.

This is the 136th year that Phil has made his prediction.

Groundhog Day's origins lie in an ancient European celebration of Candlemas.

Well, the groundhog has spoken, so it's official: Six more weeks of winter, according to Punxsutawney Phil, the world's most famous weather-prognosticating groundhog.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle – a group that organizes the event and cares for Phil – brought Punxsutawney Phil out of his den in front of a large crowd as cameras beamed his image around the world.

The group reported that Phil communicated in "groundhogese" that he saw his shadow, meaning we'll see at least a month and a half more of miserable cold and snow.

So how much can we trust Phil's forecast?

Unfortunately, based on weather data, "there is no predictive skill for the groundhog during the most recent years of the analysis," according to a report last year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In fact, on average, Phil has gotten it right only 40% of the time over the past 10 years

LATEST ON WINTER STORM:Massive winter storm dumps ice, freezing rain and up to 18 inches of snow across US

GROUNDHOG DAY EXPLAINED:Can a fuzzy rodent predict the weather better than a meteorologist?

Last year, Phil forecast a "long winter" when he saw his shadow and predicted an additional six weeks of wintry temperatures, according to NOAA. In fact, the contiguous United States saw below-average temperatures in February and above-average temperatures in March.

So Phil was 50/50 on his forecast in 2021.

2021 A DEADLY YEAR FOR WEATHER:20 disasters killed more than 600 Americans

This year, the official forecast for the U.S. for the rest of February is for milder-than-average weather across the southern and eastern U.S. and cooler-than-average weather in the northwestern part of the country.

Though Groundhog Day is just some midwinter fun, climate records say winter probably isn't over, according to NOAA. Climatologically speaking, the three coldest months of the year in the U.S. are December, January and February, so winter typically still has a ways to go when the groundhog comes out Feb. 2.

WHAT IS A BOMB CYCLONE?A winter hurricane, explained.

This is the 136th year Phil has made his prediction.

Although Phil is the most famous hog, other furry forecasters include West Virginia's French Creek Freddie, Georgia's Gen. Beauregard Lee, Ohio's Buckeye Chuck, North Carolina's Sir Walter Wally, Louisiana's Cajun Groundhog, Alabama's Smith Lake Jake, Wisconsin's Jimmy and New York's Staten Island Chuck (full name: Charles G. Hogg).

Groundhog Day's origins lie in an ancient European celebration of Candlemas, a point midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox – the exact midpoint of astronomical winter.

IS IT SLEET, FREEZING RAIN OR HAIL?Learn the difference

Superstition has it that fair weather predicted a stormy and cold second half to winter, as noted in this Old English saying:

"If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Winter has another flight.

If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,

Winter will not come again."

Are Groundhog Day results accurate? Phil's record over the years

It's that time of year, when the fate of the nation's weather outlook rests on not whether a woodchuck could chuck wood, but if a woodchuck can cast a silhouette.

Every Feb. 2, the world's most famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil rises from its burrow in Pennsylvania for Groundhog Day to give the prediction on what type of weather the U.S. could expect to see in the coming weeks.

It's simple:

If Phil sees his shadow, he predicts six more weeks of winter.

If Phil doesn't see his shadow, he predicts an early spring.

The tradition of weather predicting dates back over 130 years ago, but for something that has lasted since the 19th century, how often is the famed groundhog right?

Groundhog Day, explained:Can a rodent predict the weather better than a meteorologist can?

When is Groundhog Day 2023?: Here’s when to expect the furry forecaster to seek his shadow

Groundhog Day, who?:These animals are also used to forecast weather in the US

How often is Punxsutawney Phil right?

Sadly, the groundhog is often wrong when it comes to his predictions.

Since making his first prediction in 1887, Punxsutawney Phil has been right 39% of the time, according to the Stormfax Weather Almanac.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information looked at the most recent predictions and found from 2012-21, Phil was right 40% of the time when comparing the national temperature averages.

"Predicting the arrival of springtime for an entire country, especially one with such varied regional climates as the United States, isn’t easy," the center said. "Phil’s track record is evidence of that."

The Farmers' Almanac says it'll be a 'soggy, shivery' spring: What will the weather be in your state?

How many times has he predicted a longer winter or early spring?

Since 1887, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted the weather outlook 127 times, as there have been only 10 instances where it was not recorded or he did not appear.

He has seen his shadow the most, as he has predicted a longer winter 107 (84%) times. Here's are all of his results since 1887:

Saw shadow (six more weeks of winter): 107

No shadow (early spring): 19

Partial shadow: 1

No record: 10

Did not appear: 1

Punxsutawney Phil's recent predictions and Groundhog Day results

Here are the past 10 predictions made by Punxsutawney Phil:

2013: No Shadow

No Shadow 2014: Shadow

Shadow 2015: Shadow

Shadow 2016: No Shadow

No Shadow 2017: Shadow

Shadow 2018: Shadow

Shadow 2019: No Shadow

No Shadow 2020: No Shadow

No Shadow 2021: Shadow

Shadow 2022: Shadow

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, 6 more ...

CNN —

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Wednesday, meaning that if you believe in a groundhog’s ability to predict the weather – we’re in for six more weeks of winter.

Phil and his friends at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, have been predicting the seasons since 1887, according to his website.

Though Phil has no meteorology degree, every year on February 2, the United States tunes in for his prediction.

Legend has it that if Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter and if he doesn’t, spring will arrive sooner. In 2021 the groundhog did see his shadow, calling for six more weeks of cold.

Turns out he was only half correct, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which manages “one of the largest archives of atmospheric, coastal, geophysical, and oceanic research in the world.”

“The contiguous United States saw below average temperatures in February and above average temperatures in March of last year. Phil was 50/50 on his forecast,” the NCEI said.

Phil’s track record is not perfect, the agency noted. “On average, Phil has gotten it right 40% of the time over the past 10 years,” it said.

Phil’s fans beg to differ. On his website, the “weather predictor extraordinaire” is said to be “accurate 100% of the time.”

Groundhog Day 2018 forecast: Will Punxsutawney Phil see his ...

Joel Shannon

York Daily Record

YORK, Pa. — If the meteorologists are right, the nation's most famous groundhog is set to predict an early spring on Groundhog Day, which falls on Friday this year. In fact, he might be covered in a dusting of snow.

Who's Phil?

Punxsutawney Phil is a prognosticating groundhog based in this small town of about 6,000 people in west central Pennsylvania. If Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

That's how the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club describes the Feb. 2 tradition, marking the midway point of winter.

Is the tradition scientific? Absolutely not.

Are there other furry, weather-predicting animals? Certainly.

But the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club has declared Phil the authoritative groundhog in this quirky myth.

What's the forecast?

Forecasters predict clouds and snow for Friday in Punxsutawney.

The National Weather Service predicts a bitterly cold day with a high of 18 degrees and a 50% chance of snow in the morning.

The Weather Channel predicts snow, but is less confident, placing it at a 20% chance. The channel also predicts highs in the upper teens.

Accuweather isn't predicting snow, but it does predict clouds and a cold temperature in the teens.

Local news is on the same page: WJAC-TV predicts temps in the teens and a 40% chance of morning snow showers.

But Groundhog Day is still several days out, and forecasts can certainly change — or be wrong.

How do I watch?

A broadcast will be available on VisitPa's website: visitpa.com/groundhog-day-live-stream/

What else should I know?

You should know there are a lot of weird traditions surrounding Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. A. Lot.

And you should know there are a few explanations for why a sunny day means a prediction of more winter.

Related:

'Happy Death Day' is like a 'Groundhog Day' reboot

The 7 best moments from 'Groundhog Day'

Follow Joel Shannon on Twitter: @JoelShannonYDR

Groundhog Day 2023 livestream: Punxsutawney Phil makes his ...

To shadow, or not to shadow?

That is the question the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, asked Thursday morning, as Punxsutawney Phil made his annual weather prediction.

The famed groundhog rose from his burrow on Groundhog Day and saw his shadow, predicting we will have an additional six weeks of winter here in the U.S.

Unfortunately for Phil, he's not the most accurate when it comes to predicting weather.

Here's what to know about Groundhog Day 2023:

Did the groundhog see his shadow? Get the results of Punxsutawney Phil's winter forecast

Can a rodent predict the weather better than a meteorologist can? Groundhog Day, explained

The Farmers' Almanac says it'll be a 'soggy, shivery' spring: What will the weather be in your state?

When is Groundhog Day?

Groundhog Day is every Feb. 2.

What did Punxsutawney Phil predict last year?

In 2022, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted a longer winter. It was the 106th time he saw his shadow in 126 years he has made a prediction.

Is Punxsutawney Phil always right?

Unfortunately, no.

Since making his first prediction in 1887, Punxsutawney Phil has been right only 39% of the time, according to the Stormfax Weather Almanac. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information found from 2012-21, Phil was only right 40% of the time.

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

Groundhog Day 2020 results: Phil predicts early spring, sees no ...

YORK, Pa. – The results are in: On Groundhog Day 2020, Punxsutawney Phil could not find his shadow. And as the legend goes, this means we're in for an early spring.

The Pennsylvania groundhog isn't the only weather-predicting rodent in this quirky American tradition, but he is the most famous.

And according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, his opinion is the only one that matters.

This is only the 20th time out of 124 in his recorded history (there are 10 years where no record remains) that Phil hasn't been able to find his shadow.

Even so, Phil is usually wrong, and meteorologists aren't too sure Phil's suspicions this year are right either.

What happened this morning?

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle – a group that organizes the event and cares for groundhog Phil – brought Punxsutawney Phil out of his den in front of a large crowd as cameras beamed his image around the world.

They reported that Phil communicated in "groundhogese" that he could not find his shadow.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club traces the tradition's roots back to Candlemas Day in Europe – the Christian "festival of lights" that falls on Feb. 2, midway between the start and end of winter.

According to the modern-day legend:

If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

Groundhog Day 2023 results: Did Punxsutawney Phil see his ...

It's official: We will have a longer winter, according to America's beloved groundhog meteorologist.

Punxsutawney Phil rose from his burrow and saw his shadow Thursday morning in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in front of a large Groundhog Day crowd as the nation anxiously waited to see what he would predict.

Phil's prediction was made official after speaking with Groundhog Club president Tom Dunkel in "Groundhogese," who then translated the prediction for the world.

Phil spotting his shadow means we will have six more weeks of winter. The prediction comes as much of the country is dealing with another major winter storm.

Groundhog Day 2023 livestream:Watch Punxsutawney Phil make his annual weather prediction

More:Every Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil predicts the future weather. How often is he right?

This year marks the third straight year the groundhog has spotted his shadow, something he has done often since his first prediction in 1887. Of the 127 recorded times Phil has predicted the weather, he has now seen his shadow 107 times (or 84% of the time). His longest streak of seeing his shadow remains at 31, when he saw it every year from 1903 to 1933.

It'll take some time to figure out whether Phil's prediction is right, but given his history, he's probably wrong.

According to the Stormfax Weather Almanac, Phil has been right only 39% of the time, and his track record is evidence that trying to predict the weather is hard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information says.

"Predicting the arrival of springtime for an entire country, especially one with such varied regional climates as the United States, isn’t easy," the center said.

Still, it doesn't prevent the The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle – the group that puts on the annual event and takes care of Phil – from celebrating its hero. The group says the groundhog's prediction is right "100% of the time, of course!"

The Farmers' Almanac says it'll be a 'soggy, shivery' spring: What will the weather be in your state?

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day.

Punxsutawney Phil's recent predictions and Groundhog Day results

Here are the past 10 predictions made by Punxsutawney Phil:

2014: Shadow

Shadow 2015: Shadow

Shadow 2016: No shadow

No shadow 2017: Shadow

Shadow 2018: Shadow

Shadow 2019: No shadow

No shadow 2020: No shadow

No shadow 2021: Shadow

Shadow 2022: Shadow

Shadow 2023: Shadow

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow. It's six more ...

Not even the COVID-19 pandemic, nor snow, could keep Punxsutawney Phil from getting his job done on Groundhog Day on Tuesday.

The great weather-predicting groundhog could not be stopped, forecasting six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow during the annual spectacle at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Over the 135 year-tradition, it is the 106th time Phil has seen his shadow.

While the event usually draws thousands to the borough in Jefferson County northeast of Pittsburgh, this year's festivities were all virtual.

The exception: About a dozen members of Phil's "Inner Circle," a group of men in top hats who organize the event each year. Some cardboard cutouts of some previous attendees were placed around the tiny hill just outside Punxsutawney.

Here a look at the celebration that has gained a foothold in lore across the U.S:

The shadow tradition explained

Tradition says Phil seeing his shadow is a sign that the next six weeks will bring wintry weather.

If Phil doesn't see his shadow, it means an early spring.

More on Phil:Groundhog Day give a pandemic-stressed nation some hope?

Groundhog Day isn't scientific (in fact, Punxsutawney Phil's weather predictions are wrong most of the time).

If we're being honest, it even defies common sense.

The legend is simple: the groundhog's shadow on Feb. 2 predicts the weather for the next six weeks, until the start of spring.

A sunny day means the groundhog will see his shadow — this is taken as a sign that the next six weeks will bring wintry weather. A cloudy day means the opposite.

What keeps Punxsutawney Phil going?

In Punxsutawney, 1886 marked the first time that Groundhog Day appeared in the local newspaper. The following year brought the first official trek to Gobbler's Knob. Each year since then has seen a steady increase in participation of the celebration from people all over the world.

It's been the same Punxsutawney Phil for all 135 years of the tradition, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. That's over 15 times longer than the upper end of a groundhog's typical lifespan. That's an old groundhog.

Groundhog Day:5 bizarre things you don't know about this quirky tradition

Those at the club say a special diet keeps Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog coming back each year, according to groundhog.org.

The club's Inner Circle, 15 members tasked with protecting and perpetuating the legend of the great weather-predicting groundhog, claim they keep him immortal by feeding him the 'groundhog punch' every year.

In the late summer, the club makes a Trek to Phil's Stump at Gobbler's Knob to feed him his “Elixir of Life,” members say. The elixir is made from a secret recipe and provides Phil with the potion that has sustained his longevity and youthful good looks, they said.

Phil's predictions of years past

Phil's first official shadow sighting came in 1887, followed by several years of no official recordings.

The first front page coverage came in 1908, when Phil saw his shadow. In 1913, John Frampton was the first to grab photo for the newspaper of Phil spotting his shadow.

His longest stretch of seeing his shadow is 21 years, which came between 1913 and 1933. His longest streak of not seeing his shadow — two years between 2019 and 2020.

The only time he did not make an appearance came in 1943 during the middle of World War II.

Groundhog Day 2019 results: Phil predicts early spring, sees no ...

On Groundhog Day 2019, Punxsutawney Phil could not find his shadow. And as the legend goes, this means we're in for an early spring.

The Pennsylvania groundhog isn't the only weather-predicting rodent in this quirky American tradition, but he is the most famous. And according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, his opinion is the only one that matters.

This is only the 19th time out of 123 in his recorded history (there are 10 years where no record remains) that Phil hasn't been able to find his shadow.

Even so, Phil is usually wrong, and meteorologists aren't too sure Phil's suspicions are right either.

It's hard to imagine that spring is right around the corner after the polar vortex this past week, but we'll just have to wait and see.

At least one other prognosticating groundhog disagreed with Phil on Saturday: New Jersey's Milltown Mel predicted a longer winter after reportedly seeing his shadow. Mel has been giving predictions for the past 10 years.

The Groundhog Day shadow legend

The legend goes that if the groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2, there will be wintry weather for the next six weeks (just about until the start of spring). If he doesn't see his shadow, that means fairer weather is on the way.

What happened at Gobbler's Knob this morning?

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle — a group that organizes the event and cares for groundhog Phil — brought Punxsutawney Phil out of his den in front of a large crowd as cameras beamed his image around the world.

They reported that Phil communicated in "groundhogese" that he could not find his shadow. According to legend, that means there will be an early spring.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club traces the tradition's roots back to Candlemas Day in Europe – the Christian "festival of lights" that falls on Feb. 2, midway between the start and end of winter.

Contributing: Nick Muscavage, Bridgewater Courier News

Groundhog Day 2023: When is it and what happens if Phil sees ...

You may know Groundhog Day from the 1993 film in which a TV weatherman finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. This classic movie, where Bill Murray’s character reports on the annual celebration over and over, subsequently put Punxsutawney, Pa., on the map.

According to Variety, the town of Punxsutawney typically saw about 15,000-30,000 tourists for the holiday, but that number rose to 35,000 the year after “Groundhog Day” was released. Since then, Punxsutawney and Woodstock, the nearby town where the movie was filmed, host Groundhog Day events for tourists.

When is Groundhog Day 2023?

Groundhog Day is on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Though not a federal holiday, Americans tune in to see if the famed groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, sees his shadow every year on the same day, Feb. 2.

The festivities will begin at sunrise at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club celebrates with talent shows, banquets and performances leading up to and after the festivities.

Groundhog Day, who?:These animals are also used to forecast weather in the US

30 years later:'Groundhog Day' actor recounts making the iconic movie

What is Groundhog Day?

The American tradition of Groundhog Day sees the nation’s most well-known groundhog take a stance on the season ahead. If he sees his shadow, he predicts six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, it’s a forecast of an early spring.

Groundhog Day’s roots are in the Christian holiday Candlemas, the midway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. During Candlemas, Christians honored the changing of the seasons and lit candles to predict how long winter would last.

The first official Groundhog Day happened on February 2, 1887, in the very town it is celebrated in today. The celebrations made a permanent home at Gobbler’s Knob the following year. According to History.com, it was a newspaper editor and groundhog hunter who declared Phil, a groundhog from Punxsutawney, the true predictor.

Today, the ceremony is overseen by a group of men who form the “Inner Circle” of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The Inner Circle also cares for and feeds the groundhog carrying out the responsibilities of Punxsutawney Phil.

Relive the classic:Celebrate Groundhog Day with these 7 moments from the film

What will happen if the groundhog sees its shadow?

If Phil sees his shadow, theoretically, we can expect six more weeks of cold. Last year the groundhog predicted a longer winter.

Unfortunately for Phil fanatics, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the groundhog has “no predictive skill.” In fact, he’s only gotten it right about 40% of the time.

You’d have more luck monitoring NOAA's seasonal temperature outlook, which predicts the northwestern states will see temperatures leaning below historic norms in February, March and April. The southern states will likely experience normal temperatures and the northeast may see the same.

When is the first day of spring?:What to know about moving past winter in 2023

Just Curious?:We try to answer some of life's everyday, common questions


Scientists trying to bring dodo bird back from extinction

The list of extinct species that genetic engineering company Colossal wants to bring back to life is growing. The latest addition: the dodo.

Colossal gave life to real-world visions of Jurassic Park in 2021 with its mission of bringing back the woolly mammoth. In August 2022, the company, which has offices in Boston, Dallas and Austin, Texas, said it also planned to de-extinct the Australian thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger.

This new project, announced Tuesday, would bring back a species that's historically highlighted as a case of how humans can contribute to the extinction of an animal species.

Previously:Scientists are trying to bring back the Tasmanian tiger nearly a century after extinction

Another incident at Dallas Zoo:2 monkeys missing from Dallas Zoo believed to be taken; fourth incident to occur this month

When did the dodo become extinct?

The last dodo was killed in 1681, according to Britannica.com. Portuguese sailors discovered the dodo on the island of Mauritius, which is off the east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, more than five centuries ago.

The birds, which were larger than turkeys, were killed for food, the site says. Pigs and other animals brought to the island ate dodo eggs.

“The dodo is a prime example of a species that became extinct because we – people – made it impossible for them to survive in their native habitat," said Beth Shapiro, lead paleogeneticist and a member of Colossal's scientific advisory board, in the announcement.

Shapiro, a professor at the University of California-Santa Cruz, led a group that announced in March 2022 it had sequenced the dodo genome. "I am thrilled to collaborate with Colossal and the people of Mauritius on the de-extinction and eventual re-wilding of the dodo," she said. "I particularly look forward to furthering genetic rescue tools focused on birds and avian conservation.”

How are scientists trying to bring back extinct species like the woolly mammoth?

Colossal's biotech and genetic engineering teams are combining woolly mammoth and elephant DNA to recreate a next-generation mammoth capable of surviving in the Arctic and helping restore that ecosystem. "These embryos will be implanted into healthy female elephant surrogates with our first calves expected in 5 years," accounting for the 22-month gestation period, Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal, told USA TODAY.

A similar process is being used with the Tasmanian tiger's genome and similar mammal DNA to bring back that predator – exterminated in the early 20th century – to the island off the southeast tip of Australia.

Colossal is creating an Avian Genomics Group to bring back the dodo and, eventually, other extinct bird species "through genetic rescue techniques and its de-extinction toolkit," the company said in its announcement. Colossal also announced $150 million in investments, boosting to $225 million its funding since the company's September 2021 debut.

What other benefits might Colossal's research yield?

Gene editing and biotech advances used for de-extinction "will inevitably have utility in the human healthcare field," Lamm said. Gene editing technology such as CRISPR is already being used to correct genetic mutations found in diseases. "We'll be building new tools to enable more complex editing protocols which will advance the state of the art when compared to what is available in the healthcare industry," he said.

What is CRISPR? What to know about the transformative gene-editing tool

After a decade, CRISPR gene editing is a 'revolution in progress':What does the future hold?

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

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Scientists are trying to bring back the Tasmanian tiger nearly a ...

In addition to bringing back the woolly mammoth, genetic engineering company Colossal is also looking to resurrect another extinct species: the Tasmanian tiger.

Teaming up with Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences to bring back the Australian thylacine (Tasmanian tiger), a predator exterminated in the early 20th century, is the University of Melbourne's Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research, or TIGRR, Lab.

Scientists will use CRISPR gene editing technology and the TIGRR Lab's complete Tasmanian tiger genome from a preserved specimen to eventually create an embryo. The lab has also identified other surviving mammals with similar DNA to provide needed cells for the process.

“With this partnership, I now believe that in ten years’ time we could have our first living baby thylacine since they were hunted to extinction close to a century ago," said Prof. Andrew Pask, who oversees the TIGRR Lab, in a description of the project on the university's website.

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Colossal, which has offices in Boston, Dallas and Austin, Texas, got attention last year when it announced plans to bring back the woolly mammoth by using elephant DNA.

"Some people classify us as a mammoth company, but we're really a de-extinction company, so our goal is to focus on bringing back species that can have a positive impact on various ecosystems, and the Tasmanian tiger is definitely one of those species," Colossal CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm told the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network.

In other news straight out of Jurassic Park, researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Shantou University in China recently revealed plans to resurrect a smaller mammal, the Christmas Island rat.

Back to Tasmania

For the Tasmanian tiger, the ultimate goal is to reestablish it on the island of Tasmania – also the home of the Tasmanian devil, an endangered species – located off the southeast tip of Australia.

Had the tiger not been killed off – the predator threatened sheep and livestock – it could have helped prevent the spread of a facial tumor disease that is eliminating the Tasmanian devil population, Pask said in the university's online journal Pursuit.

"If we look at the modern-day habitat in Tasmania, it has remained relatively unchanged," wrote Pask, who has joined Colossal’s scientific advisory board. "This means it provides the perfect environment to reintroduce the thylacine, enabling it to reoccupy its niche."

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'A long dog with stripes'

The Tasmanian tiger typically grew to 20-27 inches tall and 39-51 inches in length, weighing as much as 65 pounds. It could run as fast as 24 mph, and fed on birds, lizards and small mammals, according to Colossal's site.

"It had an iconic wolf or dog-like appearance, often described as a long dog with stripes, because it had a long, stiff tail and a big head," Pask said in Pursuit.

A marsupial, the tiger's young would reside and suckle milk in the mother's pouch. That means an embryo can be implanted in a host species and when born can be bottle-fed. "We can generate living animals in a range of host species and potentially without the need for a host at all," he said.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

Scientists plan the resurrection of an animal that's been extinct since ...

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CNN —

Almost 100 years after its extinction, the Tasmanian tiger may live once again. Scientists want to resurrect the striped carnivorous marsupial, officially known as a thylacine, which used to roam the Australian bush.

The ambitious project will harness advances in genetics, ancient DNA retrieval and artificial reproduction to bring back the animal.

“We would strongly advocate that first and foremost we need to protect our biodiversity from further extinctions, but unfortunately we are not seeing a slowing down in species loss,” said Andrew Pask, a professor at the University of Melbourne and head of its Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research Lab, who is leading the initiative.

“This technology offers a chance to correct this and could be applied in exceptional circumstances where cornerstone species have been lost,” he added.

The project is a collaboration with Colossal Biosciences, founded by tech entrepreneur Ben Lamm and Harvard Medical School geneticist George Church, who are working on an equally ambitious, if not bolder, $15 million project to bring back the woolly mammoth in an altered form.

About the size of a coyote, the thylacine disappeared about 2,000 years ago virtually everywhere except the Australian island of Tasmania. As the only marsupial apex predator that lived in modern times, it played a key role in its ecosystem, but that also made it unpopular with humans.

European settlers on the island in the 1800s blamed thylacines for livestock losses (although, in most cases, feral dogs and human habitat mismanagement were actually the culprits), and they hunted the shy, seminocturnal Tasmanian tigers to the point of extinction.

The last thylacine living in captivity, named Benjamin, died from exposure in 1936 at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania. This monumental loss occurred shortly after thylacines had been granted protected status, but it was too late to save the species.

Genetic blueprint

The project involves several complicated steps that incorporate cutting-edge science and technology, such as gene editing and building artificial wombs.

First, the team will construct a detailed genome of the extinct animal and compare it with that of its closest living relative – a mouse-size carnivorous marsupial called the fat-tailed dunnart – to identify the differences.

“We then take living cells from our dunnart and edit their DNA every place where it differs from the thylacine. We are essentially engineering our dunnart cell to become a Tasmanian tiger cell,” Pask explained.

Once the team has successfully programmed a cell, Pask said stem cell and reproductive techniques involving dunnarts as surrogates would “turn that cell back into a living animal.”

“Our ultimate goal with this technology is to restore these species to the wild, where they played absolutely essential roles in the ecosystem. So our ultimate hope is that you would be seeing them in the Tasmanian bushland again one day,” he said.

The fat-tailed dunnart is much smaller than an adult Tasmanian tiger, but Pask said that all marsupials give birth to tiny young, sometimes as small as a grain of rice. This means that even a mouse-size marsupial could serve as a surrogate mother for a much larger adult animal like the thylacine, at least in the early stages.

Reintroducing the thylacine to its former habit would have to be done very cautiously, Pask added.

“Any release such as this requires studying the animal and its interaction in the ecosystem over many seasons and in large areas of enclosed land before you would consider a complete rewilding,” he said.

The team hasn’t set a time line for the project, but Lamm said he thought progress would be quicker than the efforts to bring back the woolly mammoth, noting that elephants take far longer to gestate than dunnarts.

The techniques could also help living marsupials, such as the Tasmanian devil, avoid the thylacine’s fate as they grapple with intensifying bushfires as a result of the climate crisis.

“The technologies we are developing to de-extinct the thylacine all have immediate conservation benefits – right now – to protect marsupial species. Biobanks of frozen tissue from living marsupial populations have been collected to protect against extinction from fires,” Pask said via email.

“However, we still lack the technology to take that tissue – create marsupial stem cells – and then turn those cells into a living animal. That is the technology we will develop as a part of this project.”

Hybrid animals

The path forward, however, is not cut-and-dried. Tom Gilbert, a professor at the University of Copenhagen’s GLOBE Institute, said there are significant limitations to de-extinction.

Recreating the full genome of a lost animal from DNA contained in old thylacine skeletons is extremely challenging, and thus some genetic information will be missing, explained Gilbert, who is also director of the Danish National Research Foundation’s Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics. He has studied resurrecting the extinct Christmas Island rat, also known as the Maclear’s rat, but isn’t involved in the thylacine project. The team won’t be able to exactly recreate the thylacine but instead will end up creating a hybrid animal, an altered form of thylacine.

“We are unlikely to get the full genome sequence of the extinct species, thus we will never be able to fully recreate the genome of the lost form. There will always be some parts that can’t be changed,” Gilbert said via email.

“They will have to cherry pick what changes to make. And thus the result will be a hybrid.”

It’s possible, he said, that a genetically imperfect hybrid thylacine could have health problems and might not survive without a lot of help from humans. Other experts question the very concept of spending tens of millions of dollars on de-extinction attempts when so many living animals are on the brink of disappearing.

“To me the real benefit of any de-extinction project such as this is the awesomeness of it. Doing it seems very justified to me simply because it will excite people about science, nature, conservation,” Gilbert said.

“And we sure as hell need that in the wonderful citizens of our world if we are to survive into the future. But … do the stakeholders realize what they will get will not be the thylacine but some imperfect hybrid? What we don’t need is yet more people disappointed (or) feeling cheated by science.”

Rep. George Santos, classified documents, winter storm: The Short ...

Rep. George Santos resigned from his House committee seats amid increased legal scrutiny about his campaign finances and an ethics complaint. The prices of some Super Bowl snacks will cost less this year. And scientists are trying to resurrect an extinct bird.

👋 Happy Tuesday! It's Julius. Let's get into today's news, shall we?

But first: A group of brave otters. 🦦 A viral video shows a bevy of otters circle a deadly cobra in Singapore.

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Santos quits committee seats amid calls for his resignation

Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos resigned from his House committee seats Tuesday as pressure mounts for him to step down from Congress. But Santos – who has defied criticism and pledged to serve his term despite admitting that he lied about his background – indicated recusing himself from committees may be a temporary move and that he would return to his positions once his legal and ethical reviews resolve. His resignation from the House Small Business and Science, Space and Technology committees comes a day after he had a meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Read more about Santos' decision.

What we know: Companies linked to embattled congressman George Santos draw scrutiny.

FBI searched Biden's former DC office after first document discovery

The FBI searched President Joe Biden's former Washington, D.C., office after the president's lawyers initially alerted the National Archives about the discovery of classified documents at the location, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday. No search warrant was issued in connection with the previously undisclosed action, which involved the consent of the president's legal team, said a source who is not authorized to comment publicly on the investigation. The search was conducted in November after lawyers discovered an initial batch of documents at the think tank office that Biden used after serving as vice president. It was not immediately clear whether additional documents were recovered at the time. Read more.

More politics updates: Trump invokes Fifth repeatedly in deposition video.

What everyone's talking about

The Short List is free, but several stories we link to are subscriber-only. Consider supporting our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

Severe winter storm thwarts travel

Winter storm warnings and weather advisories stretched from Texas to New York on Tuesday as snow, sleet and freezing rain snarled air traffic and brought havoc to roadways. More than 50 million Americans were under some sort of winter weather warning or watch Tuesday. Almost 3,000 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed or canceled before 10:30 a.m. In Texas, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field issued ground stops Tuesday morning because of snow and ice. See the latest weather updates.

Super Bowl foods may be cheaper this year

Although inflation has driven up prices for at-home food by 11.8% over the past year, some Super Bowl party staples like chicken wings and guacamole will cost less this year, according to a new report from Wells Fargo. The report shows a decline in price for foods like chicken wings means the grocery bill for this year's game should cost less than last year for savvy shoppers. “The last two years have been a real shock to a lot of people, but we're starting to see a lot of things start working in our favor again," said Michael Swanson, Wells Fargo's chief agricultural economist. Conversely, the report says goods such as beer, chips and soda are more expensive this year. Read more on the prices of Super Bowl favorites.

'Egg-scuse me, this carton is how much?'Here's why egg prices are soaring across the U.S.

Real quick

Scientists are trying to resurrect the dodo

Genetic engineering company Colossal wants to bring the dodo back to life. “The dodo is a prime example of a species that became extinct because we – people – made it impossible for them to survive in their native habitat," said Beth Shapiro, lead paleogeneticist and a member of Colossal's scientific advisory board. The last dodo was killed in 1681, according to Britannica.com. Colossal said it is creating an Avian Genomics Group to bring back the dodo and other extinct bird species "through genetic rescue techniques and its de-extinction toolkit." Read more about Colossal's efforts to resurrect extinct species.

More on Colossal: Scientists are trying to bring back the Tasmanian tiger nearly a century after extinction.

A break from the news

Woolly mammoth may return to Arctic after company edits elephant ...

A company launched on Monday wants to resurrect an animal that went extinct thousands of years ago: the woolly mammoth

Colossal, founded by Ben Lamm, a technology and software entrepreneur, and George Church, a biologist at Harvard Medical School, hopes to “rapidly advance the field of species de-extinction,” according to a news release from the company.

That goal includes using gene editing “to restore the woolly mammoth to the Arctic tundra,” according to the release.

The research will involve reprogramming elephant DNA with mammoth characteristics, like thick hair and layers of fat, to help the hybrid animals survive in the Siberian tundra, according to multiple reports. Researchers have targeted 60 genes that make up the mammoth’s distinctive characteristics, and they will use elephant eggs or tissue.

Researchers believe that if the mammoths can be created, they could revitalize grasslands in the Arctic. Colossal said Monday that the project could have “major climate change-combatting properties including carbon sequestering, methane suppression and light reflection.”

Lamm told USA TODAY that reintroducing woolly mammoths to the Arctic tundra "will allow mammoths to trample the taiga and slow growing plants, fertilize the ground, uproot trees, and allow for grasslands to return, which in turn support more life."

Woolly Mammoths:World's oldest DNA discovered in 1.2-million-year-old mammoth teeth

'Completely preserved':Ice Age cave bear carcass found by reindeer herders in Russia

Researchers hope to produce mammoth calves within four to six years, Lamm told USA TODAY.

"We are working hard to scale up not only our genomic editing capabilities but also artificial womb research that will support the development of hundreds and potentially thousands of woolly mammoths at the same time," he said.

The project is not new territory for Church, who is a genetics professor at Harvard Medical School and a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. For eight years, he has been leading a group researching methods of creating mammoths, The New York Times reported.

Colossal was launched with $15 million in funding, including investments from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twins who rose to fame after suing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The project has garnered concerns from other researchers. Victoria Herridge, an evolutionary biologist at the Natural History Museum in London, told the Guardian, “My personal thinking is that the justifications given – the idea that you could geoengineer the Arctic environment using a heard of mammoths – isn’t plausible.

“The scale at which you’d have to do this experiment is enormous. You are talking about hundreds of thousands of mammoths which each take 22 months to gestate and 30 years to grow to maturity.”

Lamm noted that "there have been some questions raised on whether the revival of the woolly mammoth can be done at the required speed needed to make a positive impact on the degrading Arctic ecosystem."

"We are confident that Colossal is up to this challenge as we have brought on world renowned scientists and researchers that are passionate about bringing the woolly mammoth back and successfully rewilding them into the Arctic."

Gareth Phoenix, a professor of plant and global change ecology at the University of Sheffield, also told the Guardian, “While we do need a multitude of different approaches to stop climate change, we also need to initiate solutions responsibly to avoid unintended damaging consequences.”

“Mammoths are proposed as a solution to help stop permafrost thaw because they will remove trees, trample and compact the ground and convert landscapes to grassland, which can help keep the ground cool,” he said. “However, we know in the forested Arctic regions that trees and moss cover can be critical in protecting permafrost, so removing the trees and trampling the moss would be the last thing you’d want to do.”

Gas prices, Rudy Giuliani, Liz Cheney, Tasmanian tiger resurrection ...

Gas prices are dropping. Liz Cheney lost her primary — but could run for higher office. And a team of scientists wants to resurrect a predator that has been extinct nearly a century.

👋 Hey! Laura Davis here. It's Wednesday. Ready for the news?

But first, eyes to the sky! 🤩 If you live across the far northern U.S., make plans to get outside tonight and hope for clear skies. The aurora borealis, or northern lights, may be making a rare appearance as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon. Find out how to see them here.

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🌤 What's the weather up to in your neck of the woods? Check your local forecast here.

Liz Cheney for president?

Rep. Liz Cheney, Trump's most prominent Republican critic, said she's intent on keeping him out of the Oval Office and may consider a presidential run herself. Hours after her stinging defeat in her GOP primary in Wyoming, she said a 2024 campaign "is something I’m thinking about and I’ll make a decision in the coming months." She did not mention party affiliation, and there has been speculation she could run as an independent. But analysts are skeptical, saying Cheney is unlikely to beat Trump or even be a viable independent candidate. Keep reading.

Liz Cheney, from Trump backer - then critic - to considering 2024 run.

- to considering 2024 run. What are Cheney's political positions? What happened in her Wyoming primary? Everything you need to know.

🗳 Wyoming, Alaska primaries recap: Cheney loses to Hageman in Wyoming; Alaska's Murkowski and Palin advance to general.

Giuliani appears before grand jury

Rudy Giuliani departed a Georgia courthouse Wednesday, declining to comment following a nearly six-hour session before a special grand jury investigating interference in the 2020 election. Giuliani’s attorney, Robert Costello, declined to say whether former President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer invoked his right against self-incrimination after being designated by prosecutors as a target of the inquiry. Giuliani had made wide-ranging claims that voting systems altered Georgia ballots while ignoring a hand-count audit that confirmed President Joe Biden's victory in the state. Giuliani is the closest Trump associate known to have been summoned before the Fulton County grand jury, and demands for the testimony of others are pending. Here's the latest on Trump's investigations.

What everyone's talking about

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How low can gas prices go?

After the national average for gas surpassed $5 per gallon in June, U.S. drivers are finally finding some relief. As of Wednesday, AAA data showed the average price per gallon in 29 states was below $4, and a handful of Southern states are inching closer to $3. But experts warn that prices could spike again. See what gas prices look like in each state.

Why are gas prices falling? Lackluster demand among drivers and oil released from the strategic petroleum reserve have helped, but the majority of the savings come from the drop in oil prices.

Lackluster demand among drivers and oil released from the strategic petroleum reserve have helped, but the majority of the savings come from the drop in oil prices. Will they go below $3? Wholesale gasoline futures indicate gas prices in "quite a few" areas could fall under $3 around Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to Tom Kloza, the global head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service. This includes regions in Oklahoma, Kansas and Gulf Coast states like Texas.

Female athletes stiffed on scholarships

Under Title IX, schools are required to distribute athletic scholarship dollars equitably between men and women. But each year, thousands of the nation's top college female athletes get the short end of the same stick. And unlike some aspects of Title IX that are subjective and complex, the scholarship requirement is relatively straightforward. USA TODAY analyzed the 107 public universities with top football programs. Only 32 complied. Read the investigation here.

Real quick

Resurrecting the Tasmanian tiger

The Tasmanian tiger hasn't roamed Earth in nearly 100 years. But a genetic engineering company called Colossal is looking to resurrect it. In a project that sounds like it's straight out of Jurassic Park, scientists will use gene-editing technology and a complete Tasmanian tiger genome from a preserved specimen to create an embryo. The ultimate goal is to reestablish the animal on the island of Tasmania, off the southeast tip of Australia. The predator was exterminated in the early 20th century because it was a threat to livestock. Keep reading.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Breakfast food: 34 cereals no longer available in stores

Josie Green

24/7 Wall Street

Oh, the days when it was socially acceptable to eat pure sugar in ice cold milk for breakfast. For those of us who grew up on breakfast cereal, the nostalgia runs deep for our old favorites, especially those we’ll likely never taste again.

24/7 Tempo compiled a list of breakfast cereals that are no longer available. While it is by no means a complete archive of discontinued flavors, it includes many cereals that were released in conjunction with a popular movie or cartoon and subsequently disappeared when the hype died down. Also revealed are cereals that have since been reformulated to appeal to changing tastes or, surprisingly, to address parental concerns over the color of their children’s stool.

It is not always clear when some of the cereals were discontinued. We contacted customer relations representatives to confirm each cereal was in fact removed from the market. For cereals without an exact end year, we listed the decade.

Major food companies employ virtual armies of chefs, food scientists, and marketing gurus dedicated to rolling out new products. They please us with their vivid flavors and attractive textures – and when they eventually disappear from the shelves, as many of them do, we end up missing them – here are 40 popular discontinued snack foods we really miss.

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34 cereals no longer on the shelf

Vanilly Crunch

• Years available: 1971 - early 1980s

• Manufacturer: Quaker

• Description: Birthday cake flavored Cap'n Crunch balls

Pink Panther Flakes

• Years available: 1972 - 1974

• Manufacturer: Post

• Description: Neon pink frosted corn cereal

Fruit Brute

• Years available: 1975 - 1983

• Manufacturer: General Mills

• Description: Fruit flavored cereal pieces with lime flavored marshmallows

Moonstones

• Years available: 1976 - 1977

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Fruit flavored, space-shaped cereal of stars, half-moons and planets

Donkey Kong Crunch

• Years available: 1982 - 1984

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Barrel-shaped crunchy corn cereal

Unhealthy menu:These are the unhealthiest items at every major fast-food chain in the U.S.

Strawberry Honeycomb

• Years available: 1983 - 2002

• Manufacturer: Post

• Description: Strawberry flavored, honeycomb-shaped cereal

*Temporarily made a come-back in 2015

Pac-Man

• Years available: 1983 - 1988

• Manufacturer: General Mills

• Description: Corn cereal with Pac Man-shaped marshmallows

Smurf Berry Crunch

• Years available: 1983 - 1988

• Manufacturer: Post

• Description: Red and blue corn puffs in berry flavor

Mr. T Cereal

• Years available: 1984 - 1993

• Manufacturer: Quaker

• Description: Corn and oat cereal pieces shaped like the letter T

C3POs

• Years available: 1984 - 1986

• Manufacturer: Kellogg's

• Description: Infinity-shaped, honey sweetened oat, wheat and corn cereal, that basically tasted like Lucky Charms but without the marshmallows

Ghostbusters Cereal

• Years available: 1985 - 1990

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Oat cereal shaped like the Ghostbusters logo with ghost-shaped marshmallows in a glow-in-the-dark box

Nerds

• Years available: 1985 - late 1980s

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Featured two separate tangy flavors divided in one box, like the candies

Rainbow Brite Cereal

• Years available: 1985 - 1990

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Fruit flavored, rainbow-shaped cereal pieces in multiple colors

Spiderman Cereal

• Years available: 1985 - 1990s

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Spiderweb-shaped cereal with marshmallows

Yummy Mummy

• Years available: 1987 - 1993

• Manufacturer: General Mills

• Description: Fruit flavored cereal with vanilla flavored marshmallows

Smurf Magic Berries

• Years available: 1987 - early 1990s

• Manufacturer: Post

• Description: Fruit flavored multigrain cereal with marshmallow stars

Morning Funnies

• Years available: 1988 - 1989

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Fruit flavored cereal shaped like goofy faces, in a box covered in comics

Dunkin' Donuts Cereal

• Years available: 1988 - late 1980s

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Shaped like donuts, came in glazed donut and chocolate flavors

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal

• Years available: 1989 - 1995

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Net-shaped cereal with crunchy marshmallows that left your milk green

Batman Cereal

• Years available: 1989 - 1990

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Bat-shaped corn cereal

Breakfast with Barbie

• Years available: 1989 - early 1990s

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Multigrain fruit flavored cereal in the shape of hearts, bows, cars, stars, and the letter B

Bill & Ted's Excellent Cereal

• Years available: 1990 - 1991

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Toasted oat squares with music note-shaped marshmallows

Tiny Toon Adventures

• Years available: 1990 - early 1990s

• Manufacturer: Quaker

• Description: Corn, oat, and rice cereal in the shape of Ts, Os, and Ns

Cinnamon Mini-Buns

• Years available: 1991 - 1993

• Manufacturer: Kellogg's

• Description: Corn and oat cereal shaped and flavored like swirled cinnamon bun

The Addams Family Cereal

• Years available: 1991 - early 1990s

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Spooky-shaped cereal with a memorable lack of flavor

WWF Superstars

• Years available: 1991 - early 1990s

• Manufacturer: Ralston

• Description: Vanilla flavored, star-shaped cereal

Jurassic Park Lost World Crunch

• Years available: 1997 - late 1990s

• Manufacturer: General Mills

• Description: Oat and corn cereal with dinosaur-shaped marshmallows

Reptar Crunch

• Years available: 1999 - 1999

• Manufacturer: Post

• Description: Purple rice crisps with green Reptar-shaped pieces

Homer's Cinnamon Donut Cereal

• Years available: 2001 - 2002

• Manufacturer: Kellogg's

• Description: Donut-shaped cinnamon flavored cereal

Bart's Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch

• Years available: 2001 - 2002

• Manufacturer: Kellogg's

• Description: Peanut butter chocolate flavored orbs

Monopoly Cereal

• Years available: 2003 - mid-2000s

• Manufacturer: General Mills

• Description: Cinnamon flavored cereal with marshmallow houses, hotels, and deeds

FiberPlus Berry Yogurt Crunch

• Years available: 2010 - 2013

• Manufacturer: Kellogg's

• Description: Wheat and rice flakes with berry yogurt flavored clusters

Cupcake Pebbles

• Years available: 2010 - 2011

• Manufacturer: Post

• Description: Cake batter flavored rice cereal

Sesame Street C is for Cereal

• Years available: 2011 - 2014

• Manufacturer: Post

• Description: Apple flavored oat and corn cereal pieces shaped like Xs and Os, made for toddlers

24/7 Wall Street is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news and commentary. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.