INTERNACIONAL
University of Alabama student suffers ‘severe head injury’ while on family vacation in Caribbean
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A University of Alabama student reportedly suffered multiple skull fractures and other injuries after he fell while on vacation with his family in the Caribbean.
A GoFundMe page set up for Matthew Polaski and his family reads, «What should have been a joyful time together quickly became every parent’s worst nightmare.»
«Mike, Steph, Matthew, and Evan were on a family vacation in the Dominican Republic during the holidays while Matthew was home on winter break from his freshman year at the University of Alabama,» the GoFundMe page added.
«On December 28th, Matthew suffered a severe head injury after a fall. He was rushed to a local hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery to relieve swelling on his brain and save his life. He remains in critical care and was placed in a medically induced coma,» it continued. «Once stabilized, Matthew was transported by international medical flight to Miami, where his treatment continues.»
POLICE SHOULD BE TAKING ‘CLOSER LOOK’ AT COLLEGE STUDENT’S DEATH AFTER MOTHER’S ALLEGATIONS: FORMER PROSECUTOR
Matthew Polaski, left, is recovering after suffering a fall while on a family vacation to the Dominican Republic, a GoFundMe page said. (GoFundMe)
The circumstances of the fall were not immediately clear. Fox News Digital also has reached out to the University of Alabama for comment.
The GoFundMe describes Polaski as a «hardworking, respectful young man with a deep passion for gymnastics.»
«He recently began his college journey at Alabama, joined Sigma Pi fraternity, and has his whole future ahead of him. Mike and Steph have always been unwavering in their support — traveling to countless meets, tournaments, and college visits to help Matthew pursue his dreams,» it added.
AMERICAN TOURIST ATTACKED BY SHARK IN VACATION HOT SPOT
Matthew Polaski was vacationing with his family in the Dominican Republic when he suffered the fall, the GoFundMe page said. (iStock)
An update posted Wednesday on the GoFundMe page described how Matthew Polaski suffered «skull fractures, fractured pelvis and lower back vertebrate fractures.»
«They reduced sedation and checked motor responses, both arms and legs responded on chest stimulation, another good early sign. Much is still being determined with mostly with the head injury for unknowns,» the update added. «Probably the most emotional update as a parent, Matthew started motion on his own, opened his mouth, and squeezed Steph’s hand in responses. I can’t imagine how many tears Steph had in that moment.»
The Robbinsville Police Department in New Jersey said Matthew’s father used to be its chief.
The GoFundMe page said Matthew Polaski’s medical bills in the Dominican Republic have reached nearly $75,000.
Polaski is a first-year student student at the University of Alabama, according to the GoFundMe page. (Getty Images)
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«International medical transport costs alone are estimated between $35,000 and $55,000. Unfortunately, insurance provides very limited coverage for international medical care, and even with insurance, medical expenses in the U.S. add up quickly. This is only the beginning,» it said.
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INTERNACIONAL
Investigadores revelaron cómo llegaron los cerdos domésticos a Oceanía desde Asia hace 4 mil años
Los cerdos de las islas del Pacífico tienen una historia que se conecta con antiguos viajes humanos.
Un equipo internacional encontró que la mayoría de los cerdos domésticos y libres desde Filipinas hasta Hawái desciende de animales que grupos de habla austronesia llevaron desde el sudeste de China y Taiwán hace unos 4.000 años.
Esa llegada dejó una marca clara en la fauna de las islas. Los cerdos viajaron junto a los humanos en canoas por largas distancias y, al establecerse en nuevas islas, se integraron a los ecosistemas locales.
El estudio publicado en la revista Science, de la Asociación Estadounidense para el Avance de la Ciencia (AAAS) muestra que estos cerdos no se mezclaron con especies silvestres locales en las islas al llegar.
Los investigadores afirmaron: “los cerdos en Oceanía carecen de mezcla genética con especies silvestres nativas presentes a lo largo de la ruta de dispersión austronesia en Filipinas, Sulawesi y otras islas”.
Solo los descendientes que quedaron en Wallacea (una región de islas en el sudeste asiático, situada entre Asia y Australia) y se volvieron salvajes llegaron a cruzarse con especies locales.
David W. G. Stanton lideró la investigación junto a científicos de la Universidad Queen Mary de Londres, el Instituto de Ciencia Evolutiva de Montpellier, la Universidad de Oxford, la Universidad de Estocolmo y otras instituciones del Reino Unido, Francia, Suecia, Alemania, Estados Unidos, Filipinas, Australia, Nueva Zelanda, Islandia, Bélgica, Brunei, Vietnam, Bután, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu e Indonesia.
Durante mucho tiempo, la presencia de cerdos en islas lejanas como Hawái fue un misterio para la ciencia. Las personas han movido animales durante siglos, pero el origen real de los cerdos del Pacífico seguía sin respuesta.
Los investigadores quisieron saber si estos animales llegaron en una sola ola migratoria o en varias etapas. Buscaron aclarar si los cerdos del Pacífico se mezclaron con otras especies o si mantuvieron su linaje original.
Para responder, el equipo analizó el ADN y la forma de los dientes de cientos de cerdos modernos y antiguos. Así lograron reconstruir los recorridos y cambios de los cerdos en el Pacífico durante casi 3.000 años.
El hallazgo ayuda a entender cómo los movimientos humanos pueden transformar la vida animal y el ambiente en las islas.
El equipo estudió 117 genomas de cerdos modernos, antiguos y de museos y más de 700 dientes.
Los datos muestran que los cerdos llevados por los austronesios permanecieron aislados de las especies silvestres durante siglos.
Los investigadores escribieron: “los cerdos en Oceanía carecen de mezcla genética con especies silvestres nativas de las islas a lo largo de la ruta migratoria”.
Identificaron un grupo genético especial, el “Clado del Pacífico”, en la mayoría de los cerdos desde Wallacea hasta Hawái.
Ese grupo se identifica en la mayoría de los cerdos al este de la Línea de Wallace (un límite biogeográfico que separa las especies animales de Asia y Australia en el sudeste asiático) y también en algunos animales de Java, Sumatra y el sudeste asiático continental.
La forma de los dientes fue una pista clave. Los cerdos del Pacífico tienen una dentadura diferente, que los distingue de otras poblaciones. Este rasgo surgió por el aislamiento y la adaptación a nuevas islas.
Los primeros cerdos domésticos que llegaron al Pacífico no se mezclaron con especies salvajes locales. Solo después, algunos de estos cerdos se volvieron salvajes en Wallacea y se cruzaron con otras especies.
Durante la época colonial, llegaron cerdos europeos a Papúa Nueva Guinea y Nueva Caledonia. Esto generó nuevas mezclas genéticas.
Los investigadores escribieron que “la ascendencia europea se introdujo en estas regiones, probablemente por cerdos domésticos europeos durante y después del periodo colonial”.
El análisis reveló que, aunque algunos cerdos de Sumatra, Java y otras islas mezclaron linajes, la mayoría de los cerdos del Pacífico mantiene el linaje traído por los austronesios.
Los resultados muestran que la dispersión de los cerdos estuvo marcada por cuellos de botella genéticos y adaptación.
Los investigadores afirmaron: “su peculiar morfología dental y el aislamiento genético inicial pueden reflejar que estos cerdos introducidos tenían rasgos domésticos que facilitaron su transporte y manejo por grupos de habla austronesia”.
El equipo científico expresó que se debería analizar más genomas antiguos y modernos para entender mejor la historia de los cerdos en el Pacífico.
“Las futuras investigaciones con genomas de alta cobertura y análisis funcionales serán clave para entender el éxito de estas poblaciones ferales”, mencionaron.
Aún faltan muestras de ADN antiguo en partes de Asia. Esto impide conocer todos los detalles de las rutas que siguieron los cerdos.
Pero con los resultados obtenidos ya se puede afirmar que la historia de estos cerdos muestra cómo los viajes humanos dejan huellas en los animales y en los ambientes. El estudio reveló una historia de traslados, aislamiento y cambios en islas lejanas.
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Protests in Iran entered a fifth consecutive day on Thursday, with demonstrations and clashes reported across Tehran and multiple provincial cities as authorities, state-linked media and rights groups cited additional deaths overnight.
According to Reuters, several people have been killed since the unrest escalated, based on reports from Iranian media and human rights groups. Iranian authorities have confirmed at least one death, while other fatalities have been reported in different provinces.
Opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) told Fox News Digital in a statement that protests and street clashes continued Thursday morning in Tehran and in cities including Marvdasht, Kermanshah, Delfan and Arak, and claimed that two protesters were killed by direct fire in Lordegan. Fox News Digital could not independently verify the deaths.
ANTI-IRAN REGIME PROTESTS GROW ACROSS COUNTRY AS TRUMP ADMIN BOOSTS DEMONSTRATORS OFFERING SUPPORT
Protesters push back security forces in Tehran on Dec 30, 2025. (NCRI)
The protests began on Sunday after shopkeepers and merchants demonstrated against soaring inflation, unemployment and the sharp depreciation of Iran’s currency. The unrest quickly spread beyond bazaars to include students and wider public demonstrations in cities across the country.
In Lordegan, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, clashes intensified overnight. Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported that crowds threw stones at government buildings, including the governor’s office, the judiciary, the Martyrs Foundation, the Friday prayer complex and several banks. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters, and multiple buildings were heavily damaged. Fars said two people were killed during the clashes, without specifying whether they were protesters or security personnel.
The Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that protesters in Lordegan were killed by security forces. In Kuhdasht, authorities said a member of the Basij volunteer paramilitary force was killed, and 13 others wounded during clashes, blaming demonstrators. Hengaw disputed that account, telling Reuters that the individual was a protester killed by security forces. Reuters said it could not confirm either version.
Iran protests force nationwide shutdown as President Masoud Pezeshkian closes businesses and offices across 21 provinces amid mounting public anger. (MEK/ People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran)
Separately, Iran International reported that a 37-year-old man was shot dead in Fooladshahr, in Isfahan province, during overnight protests. Iran International said it verified the man’s identity and reviewed video footage, while provincial police confirmed the death of a 37-year-old citizen without providing further details.
IRANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS AT ‘TOTAL WAR’ WITH THE US, ISRAEL AND EUROPE: REPORTS
Six women who were detained during protests in Tehran have been transferred to the women’s ward of Evin prison, U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
President Donald Trump and other administration officials voiced support for the demonstrators this week. Speaking Monday, Trump pointed to Iran’s economic collapse and long-standing public discontent, while stopping short of explicitly calling for regime change.
Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, issued a statement on the continuing protests, noting: «The four-day uprising by merchants, students, and other sectors of society signals the Iranian people’s determination to be free from religious tyranny. This wretched regime is doomed to be overthrown by the risen populace and rebellious youth. The final word is spoken in the streets by the people and the rebellious youth, those with nothing left to lose. This regime must go.»
The last major protests seen in Iran followed the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police, in Tehran, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Middle East Images, File)
The unrest comes as Iran’s economy remains under severe strain from years of international sanctions, high inflation and currency depreciation. Authorities declared a nationwide shutdown on Wednesday, officially citing extreme cold weather, and said the government offered to hold talks with representatives of merchants and trade unions over what it described as «legitimate demands.»
Another influential dissident leader, the exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the late Shah of Iran, took to X and appealed to the international community «to stand with the people of Iran.» He continued in part, «The current regime has reached the end of the road. It stands at its most fragile: weak, deeply divided, and unable to suppress the courage of a rising nation. The growing protests show this year will be the definitive moment for change.»
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Iran has faced repeated waves of unrest over the past decade. While nationwide protests in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini centered on women’s rights and state repression, the current demonstrations are rooted primarily in economic grievances, with protesters in several cities now openly directing their anger at Iran’s political leadership.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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