Happy Lunar New Year! Today marks the occasion on lunisolar calendars, and the Year of the Snake has slithered in. Specifically this is the Year of the Wood Snake, which seems like it would be a favorite of Beavis and Butthead. So happy new year, though I'm sure for a couple of weeks I'll still be writing Year of the Dragon on my checks.

In other festive news, Jackie, one of the residents of the Big Bear Bald Eagle Nest, dropped her third egg overnight (thanks Frans). Here's the clip of the event. You can't really see the egg drop, but at around the 3:20 mark she moves and you can see all three eggs. But while you can't see it, you can sure hear it, as labor involved an incredible amount of bird queefing. Poor girl sounds like a whistling teakettle for a while there. Anyway, bald eagle clutches tend to be one to three eggs, so presumably she's done with bird labor. Now comes the anxiety of waiting for hatchlings. The typical incubation process is around 35 days, so we're looking at the first week in March to see how things work out this year. Fingers crossed.

Obituary: 'The Voice' Alum Ryan Whyte Maloney Dead By Suicide at 44 - TMZ.

Snakey Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Breakfast Link

• Doomsday Clock - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. "It's 11:59, and I want to stay alive." - Blondie. Thanks RedEye9.

Stories

• For the first time, a privately developed aircraft has flown faster than sound - Ars Technica.
• See you latte- Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu - NPR.
• GRRM Shares His Glowing Review Of New Game Of Thrones Show, But Warns Certain Fans "This One May Not Satisfy" - ScreenRant. Wonder if he'll ever figure out the one thing that *would* satisfy fans. Thanks RedEye9.

Science

• JWST shocks the world with colliding neutron star discovery - Big Think.
• This Blood Vessel Was Grown in a Lab With Real Human Cells - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Exercise Doesn't Burn as Many Calories as You Think, Experts Say - ScienceAlert.

Media

• Why Super Glue Is Perfect For Gluing Skin - Veritasium.

Follow-up

• More frequent marijuana use may damage an important memory skill – CTVNews.

The Funnies

• Savage Chickens.