The US could soon lose its title as the world's biggest exporter of the crop, which could have global consequences.

This is an exciting week astrologically, cosmic beings. It begins with the Gemini new moon taking place Sunday 18, just three days before the solstice and the start of Cancer Season. All zodiac signs would benefit from approaching life with the spirit of “the beginner’s mind” — assume you know nothing, and be open to learning everything.

Ancient Mayan culture referred to the Orion Nebula as the cosmic fire of creation. Contemporary

While Usher was decked out in red and black polka dots for Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday, it was Erykah Badu who captured attention for her accessory of choice. On 27 September, the “On & On” singer was seated next to Usher and French singer Aya Nakamura at the spring 2024 Marni show in Paris, where Nakamura gave a not-so-subtle reaction to Badu’s oversized, wide rim grey hat with black polka dots. The three celebrities dressed their best for the occasion, as Usher complemented his red and black outfit with matching red sneakers, red gloves, and black sunglasses as well as a silver brooch and necklaces. While Badu’s large hat was the main attraction, the R&B singer also wore a black and yellow patterned suit with a similar checked shirt layered underneath. She completed the look with braids that went all the way down to her feet. As for Nakamura, the French pop singer wore a thigh-high slit dress with various shades of blue, as well as a silver choker and earrings. Prior to the fashion show, Usher performed at La Seine Musicale in France on Monday 25 September. The news comes after it was announced this week that the ”My Boo” singer will be headlining next year’s Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas. The music megastar, who has won eight Grammys, said he’s looking forward to performing on the NFL’s biggest stage. “It’s an honour of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” Usher said in a statement. “I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before.” Usher, 44, is currently performing his “Usher: My Way” residency in Las Vegas, which has drawn sold-out shows and rave reviews. He is expected to wrap up his residency in early December, before making his Super Bowl halftime debut in early 2024. Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Usher the ultimate “artist and showman” and was the person to call him with the good news, according to an interview with radio DJ Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “When I got this call, he said: ‘It’s time, it’s magic time. You know, it’s time for you to have that moment,’” Usher recalled Jay-Z telling him over the phone. However, the “I Don’t Mind” hitmaker had no idea what Jay-Z was talking about, and the rapper had to clarify that he was calling about the Super Bowl halftime show. In response, Usher told Jay-Z that he was prepared and excited to do something he’s always dreamed about doing. “Ever since his debut at the age of 15, he’s been charting his own unique course,” Jay-Z said of Usher, who released his debut self-titled album in 1994. In total, he’s released eight studio projects filled with hits, including, “U Got It Bad”, “U Remind Me”, “You Make Me Wanna”, “Nice & Slow” and “Love In This Club”. ​​“Beyond his flawless singing and exceptional choreography, Usher bares his soul,” Jay-Z continued. “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can’t wait to see the magic.” Read More Dior triumphs with Parisian runway melding women's past and future Balmain’s creative director claims more than 50 of his Paris Fashion Week pieces were ‘hijacked’ Usher to headline the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas Kim Kardashian wears Chanel Barbie necklace in new Super Bowl ad with Usher Angelina Jolie says she’s figuring out her style as she opens up about being ‘hurt’ Sarah Jessica Parker’s custom 2014 Met Gala dress goes up for auction

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German authorities have warned people in Berlin’s southern suburbs to watch out for a potentially dangerous animal, suspected to be a lioness, that is on the loose

Bianca Censori, 28, flaunted her jaw-dropping figure in a semi-sheer catsuit which left almost nothing to the imagination

This year has already brought us a crop of stunning, stylistically varied animated films like

It looks like Elon Musk may be backing away from offering Starlink access to Palestinians

In the final moments of the premiere episode of AMC's Interview With the Vampire reboot,

A chemical reaction that gives food flavour could have helped evolution, one study suggests. According to New Scientist, the Maillard reaction is when the temperature between sugars and amino acids rises above approximately 140°C. It often occurs in food such as toasted bread, meats and roasted vegetables. Caroline Peacock at the University of Leeds wanted to explore whether it could happen at lower temperatures. To do this, scientists added iron or manganese minerals to a solution made up of sugar glucose and the amino acid glycine. When the substance was incubated at 10°C, the process was sped up by around 100 times. The temperature is said to be similar to the seabed at the edges of continents. Peacock and the team discovered that the Maillard reaction also occurs on the ocean floor, where iron and manganese minerals are often found. If this is the case, it could cause the carbon in sugars and amino acids to be stored in "large, complex polymers that microbes find harder to ingest," Peacock said, as per the publication. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "If you can get your carbon through the 1-metre danger zone [at the top of the sea floor], where carbon generally is attacked and degraded and turned back into carbon dioxide by microbes, that will lock it away from the atmosphere," she explained. The team estimated that the minerals could lock away roughly 4 million tonnes of carbon every year. If this process didn't exist, the atmosphere could have warmed by a further 5°C over the past 400 million years, the study suggested. "This process has such a profound impact on atmospheric oxygen," she says. "Because complex life forms require higher levels of oxygen, as they’re more energetically demanding, we think it’s reasonable to surmise this process had a hand in creating conditions required for complex life." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Barely making a buzz, a two-seat helicopter powered by an electric battery landed softly on the tarmac at the Paris Air...