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[h=4]The Short List: National Spelling Bee; our new ancestor; biolab accidents[/h]Out of the loop today? We've got what you missed.
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Out of the loop today? We've got what you missed.(Photo: Andrew Harnik, AP)
Cancel all your plans. Tonight is the National Spelling Bee
For word nerds, tonight is pretty much the Super Bowl. It's the finals of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington. The competition kicked off this week, and if you've watched so far thinking "who are these kid geniuses?!" we've got some fun stats about the contestants. (More girls than boys are competing, and more than half the contestants are in public school.) Other things you might enjoy: glorious one-liners ("can I buy a vowel"), exotic foods front and center (Oolong, Persimmon, Pappardelle and Etouffée) and shots of the sleepiest bees (spelling is hard work, but so is staying awake). Oh, and in honor of all of this year's "spellebrities" (portmanteau, courtesy of the contestants), here's a look back at the role that spelling bees have played in pop culture, from Akeelah to Jason Bateman's foul-mouthed, 40-year-old middle-school dropout. Enjoy. Nay, jubilate.
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Spellers talk about the experience of being on stage at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Jenny Leonard, USA TODAY
A prince challenges world soccer's top dog for FIFA presidency. Can he win?
Even with FIFA's terrible Wednesday, probably not. If you missed what happened, here's a quick recap: The U.S. launched an investigation into a massive corruption scandal involving FIFA, the governing body for global soccer. It was bad timing for FIFA president Sepp Blatter (who wasn't charged), because he's hoping to be re-elected to his fifth term on Friday. The 79-year-old was expected to win by a vast majority, but that was before the U.S. authorities released its indictment of 14 people, before several FIFA executives were dramatically arrested in Zurich and before multinational sponsors got nervous. Blatter is up against Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan. He'll probably keep enough support from his strongholds in Africa, Asia and the Americas to stay in power. But support in Europe is waning, with the big question being whether it can spread fast enough around the globe for Prince Ali to capitalize.
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USA TODAY Sports' Martin Rogers discusses the recent arrests of FIFA officials. USA TODAY
New from Google, at I/O: Inbox opens up, unlimited photos, the Internet of Things
Nobody likes email, but it's not going away any time soon. So Google wants to make it better — especially on your phone. Get ready for the new Gmail. It's called Inbox. Google says it's a smarter way to sort through the daily torrent of messages. Among the cool features: You can take back an email right after you send it if you have second thoughts (been there). It highlights useful information that isn't in the email, say the real-time status of a flight (helpful!) or a package being delivered (hello, Amazon). It organizes things like bank statements and photos. (Speaking of photos, Google is going big with a new app for unlimited photo sharing, too. More here.) If you like your Gmail the way it is, fret not: Google is not pitching Inbox as a replacement for Gmail — at least not yet. Instead it's positioning Inbox, which actually has been around since October as an invite-only app but went public today, as email "for the next decade." Google talked about Inbox and Gmail and all kinds of Googly things at its annual developers conference, taking place this week in San Francisco. We've got the latest from I/O here. Read this take on Google and the Internet of Things.
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Google just launched its all-new Photos app which offers free, unlimited photo and video storage along with a few unique features for organization and sharing. Jefferson Graham previews. Sean Fujiwara
Humans have a new ancestor we never knew about
Looks like we may have to revise that family tree. Researchers have discovered fossils in eastern and central Africa that show a distant human ancestor we never knew about walked the earth around 3 million years ago. The latest has been unearthed in Afar, Ethiopia, according to a paper published online Wednesday in the journal Nature. Our ancestor appears to be one of four different species of hominins living at the same time, according to the BBC. Its name is a mouthful: Australopithecus deyiremeda, which means "close relative of all later hominins" in the Afar language. It lived at the same time as the species Australopithecus afarensis. We know that mouthful as "Lucy."
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Scientists uncovered what they believe may be a new species: Australopithecus deyiremeda, and we could all be related.
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#mustread: USA TODAY Network investigation reveals hundreds of biolab accidents, safety violations across USA
Vials of bioterror bacteria have gone missing. Lab mice infected with deadly viruses have escaped. Cattle infected in a vaccine experiment were slaughtered and their meat sold for human consumption. And that's just for starters. We're aghast at what a very important USA TODAY Network investigation has revealed: Hundreds of safety violations, accidents and close calls have occurred at secretive biolabs across the country in recent years, often with little or no public disclosure. The investigation led by @alisonannyoung and @npenzenstadler shines a light on safety and security issues at more than 200 #USAbiolabs that have put scientists, lab workers and the public at risk. We assure you it's a #mustread. Nick and Alison will take questions Friday in a Reddit AMA and via @USATODAY Periscope. Follow them on Twitter for more details. Is there a biolab near you? Browse this interactive database.
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A USA TODAY Network investigation identifies more than 200 biosafety level 3 and 4 lab facilities that work with dangerous pathogens -- and reveals safety records that some of them fought to keep secret. (USA NEWS, USA TODAY)
Too tired to read? Sit back and listen:
Today in elections: George Pataki joins a crowded GOP presidential field. And a new poll has five Republicans tied for first.
Stories you're clicking on today:
Ex-trooper: Duggars hid full extent of abuse
Man reportedly dies of venomous snake bite
Hero K9 saves deputy from ambush attack
Woman survives death row but apparently kills self
J.K. Rowling defends tweet to Westboro Baptist
Extra Bites:
Totally sober. Swipe through more great shots from the Day in Pictures.
Russian Border Guard veterans with flags gesture while bathing in a fountain in Moscow's Gorky Park as they celebrate Border Guards Day in Moscow on May 28, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Pavel Golovkin, AP)
Forget winter, the Warthogs are coming. See the Detroit Zoo's new piglets — Daenerys, Sansa and Cersei, Tyrion and Hodor — make their debut:
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Forget winter, the warthogs are coming! The Detroit Zoo's new adorable warthog piglets have made their debut and each one is named after a character from HBO's 'Game of Thrones' show. VPC
The Golden State Warriors brushed off the Houston Rockets last night night to set up the NBA Finals we deserve. Yes, we deserve this. We've waited 82 regular season games and a mundane playoffs for this type of drama and it's about time.
It's time to stuff your beach bag with this summer's hottest reads. Check out these 25 picks.
What else is on our reading list:
Former House Speaker Hastert indicted for illegal cash withdrawals
Feds subpoena records from maker of medical scopes
A month after quake, Nepal struggles to return to normal
We all need a little distraction at some point during the day (what else are smartphones for?), so add DISTRACTME on the YO app. It'll be fun, we promise.
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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Nick Penzenstadler, Alison Young, Jayme Deerwester, Emily Brown, Jefferson Graham, Jessica Guynn, Brett Molina, USA TODAY; Lindsay Deutsch, Jessica Durando, USA TODAY Network; Martin Rogers, Mike Foss, Avery Stone, USA TODAY Sports; Anna Arutunyan, Special for USA TODAY
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