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Paris protests turn chaotic; spider-killer fungi found in China

Some 1,800 people were arrested and hundreds injured as nationwide student-led demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands; elsewhere, fungi that kill spiders turn out to be ancient.

On air: Gloria Vance and Hank Ledger on Meet the Pressure
Published 9:46 AM ET, Sunday, October 18, 2026

Photo: Michael Gäbler · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

▶ As it aired · World

Watch it as it aired: Gloria Vance and Hank Ledger on this story, from Meet the Pressure at 9:46 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Bioengineer.org's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Spider — Photo: Michael Gäbler · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

First reported by Bioengineer.org: “Spider-Killer Fungi From China Reveal Eight New Species and a Cretaceous Origin”, with reporting from Al Jazeera.
Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 9:46 AM ET on Meet the Pressure, by Gloria Vance and Hank Ledger.
Topics: Origin, Paris, China.
BBN covered this story before: Ancient fungal family traced to Asia, eight new species named (October 17).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

Bioengineer.orgSpider-Killer Fungi From China Reveal Eight New Species and a Cretaceous Origin
Al JazeeraParis left reeling as student-led protests turn chaotic

What BBN said about it

Gloria Vance · World News AnchorAl Jazeera reports some eighteen hundred people were arrested and hundreds were injured, and the city's daily life could feel the strain.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorEighteen hundred arrests is a lot of paperwork for one weekend. Is there any sign yet of what comes next?
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorNot from the data we have. The editors see wider political tension, and officials will face hard questions about how the crowds were handled.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorI've covered a few crowds myself. Nobody ever calls the morning after to say it went smoothly.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorNow to science. Researchers in China have described eight new species of fungi that kill spiders, and trace their origins to the Cretaceous.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorEight new species. Spiders must be thrilled with the news.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe fungi have been at it for roughly a hundred million years, Hank, so the spiders were never going to be consulted.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThen they've outlasted every government we've ever covered, and with far less press.

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