From the surface of Mars to the FBI National Academy, this week gave us plenty to talk about. Here are five stories you might have missed, rounded up in one place.
NASA Drops New Photos As Curiosity Rover Hits 5,000 Martian Days
The Curiosity rover just hit 5,000 Martian days on the red planet, and NASA marked the occasion with new photos from the surface. One wide panorama from sol 5,000 shows the rover parked at a sand ridge called “Chocolatal” on lower Mount Sharp in Gale Crater, captured over two days in late August and early September.
The image is stitched together from the rover’s black and white navigation cameras, then colorized to show which parts were shot in morning light and which in the afternoon. Curiosity landed back in 2012 and is still climbing, still working, and still sending postcards from another world.
Shaq Is Now An Honorary FBI Special Agent
Shaquille O’Neal added another title to the collection. The NBA legend was named an honorary FBI special agent at the graduation of Session 299 at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia on September 17. FBI Director Kash Patel made the announcement during the ceremony, and Shaq took the podium in front of 265 graduates.
It is ceremonial, not a badge and a gun, but Shaq is no stranger to the uniform. He has served as a reserve officer in Miami Beach and worked with police departments in Los Angeles and Doral, and spent time as a community relations chief in Henry County, Georgia. He even joked that if anyone sees Charles Barkley, they should arrest him.
Converse Pulls Ad After Backlash Over KKK And Lynching Imagery Claims
Converse pulled a campaign for the Chuck 70 X collection after backlash over imagery critics said resembled a Ku Klux Klan hood and a lynching. The ad starred Karina of K-pop group Aespa, holding the sneakers up in a shot that some viewers said looked like dangling feet, with lighting on her white skirt that read like a pointed hood to others.
Converse apologized and scrapped the campaign, saying the company got it wrong. A Louisiana congressman, Troy Carter, publicly demanded answers from the brand.
A Record 30.4 Million American Men Are Unmarried
A record number of American men are flying solo. A new analysis from the Institute for Family Studies puts 30.4 million unmarried men between the ages of 20 and 39 in 2025, up from 20.7 million in 2000. Over the same stretch, married men in that age group fell from 18.1 million to 15.4 million, widening the gap from 2.6 million to 15 million.
The takeaway making the rounds: 47 percent of men in their 20s and 30s are unmarried. The one silver lining in the data, about 68 percent of young single men say they still want to get married.
Meet Bakari, The New Silverback At Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a new silverback in town. Bakari, a 21 year old western lowland gorilla, arrived from the Saint Louis Zoo earlier this summer through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. He succeeds Gino, who led the troop for nearly 30 years before his death late last year.
Guests can already spot Bakari on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. Disney also marked the occasion with a 100,000 dollar donation to gorilla conservation tied to World Gorilla Day on September 24.
That is the week that was. Back to your regularly scheduled scrolling.