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Step Aside, Popemobile: Pope Gets a White Purebred Arabian Horse

Pope Leo looks at a purebred Arabian horse named "Proton" given as a gift by Andrzej Michalski, owner and founder of the Michalski Stud Farm in Kolobrzeg-Budzistowo, in Poland, at the Vatican October 15, 2025. (Vatican Media/­Handout via Reuters)
Pope Leo looks at a purebred Arabian horse named "Proton" given as a gift by Andrzej Michalski, owner and founder of the Michalski Stud Farm in Kolobrzeg-Budzistowo, in Poland, at the Vatican October 15, 2025. (Vatican Media/­Handout via Reuters)
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Step Aside, Popemobile: Pope Gets a White Purebred Arabian Horse

Pope Leo looks at a purebred Arabian horse named "Proton" given as a gift by Andrzej Michalski, owner and founder of the Michalski Stud Farm in Kolobrzeg-Budzistowo, in Poland, at the Vatican October 15, 2025. (Vatican Media/­Handout via Reuters)
Pope Leo looks at a purebred Arabian horse named "Proton" given as a gift by Andrzej Michalski, owner and founder of the Michalski Stud Farm in Kolobrzeg-Budzistowo, in Poland, at the Vatican October 15, 2025. (Vatican Media/­Handout via Reuters)

Who needs a popemobile when you have a new four-legged ride that whinnies?

Pope Leo XIV was given a 12-year-old white purebred Arabian horse, "Proton", on Wednesday, a present from a Polish breeder.

The gift, whose appearance elicited a wide smile of joy from the new US pope ahead of his general audience, was given by Andrzej Michalski, founder of the Michalski Stud Farm in northwestern Poland.

"The pope was very happy; we led the horse together. He was delighted, and we were overjoyed," Michalski told Vatican News.

The gift was inspired by a photograph of the pope, formerly known as Robert Prevost, on horseback during his missionary years in Peru, it said.

Michalski intends for the horse to be auctioned, with proceeds going towards aiding the poor.

Proton, who boasts a light grey-white coat with dark spots, is the issue of two horses with impressive pedigrees: Kahil, born in the United States from a Qatari breeding program, and Pradera, whose father was raised by Princess Alia Al Hussein of Jordan.

Popes regularly receive gifts from the faithful or visiting dignitaries, which are often sold at auction for charitable purposes.

During his 12-year pontificate, Pope Francis notably received two donkeys and a Lamborghini painted in the colors of the Vatican.

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Mummified Cheetahs Found in Saudi Caves Shed Light on Lost Populations

This undated image provided by Communications Earth and Environment shows the mummified remains of a cheetah. (Ahmed Boug/Communications Earth and Environment via AP)
This undated image provided by Communications Earth and Environment shows the mummified remains of a cheetah. (Ahmed Boug/Communications Earth and Environment via AP)
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Mummified Cheetahs Found in Saudi Caves Shed Light on Lost Populations

This undated image provided by Communications Earth and Environment shows the mummified remains of a cheetah. (Ahmed Boug/Communications Earth and Environment via AP)
This undated image provided by Communications Earth and Environment shows the mummified remains of a cheetah. (Ahmed Boug/Communications Earth and Environment via AP)

Scientists have uncovered the mummified remains of cheetahs from caves in northern Saudi Arabia.

The remains range from 130 years old to over 1,800 years old. Researchers excavated seven mummies along with the bones of 54 other cheetahs from a site near the city of Arar.

Mummification prevents decay by preserving dead bodies. Egypt's mummies are the most well-known, but the process can also happen naturally in places like glacier ice, desert sands and bog sludge.

The new large cat mummies have cloudy eyes and shriveled limbs, resembling dried-out husks.

“It’s something that I’ve never seen before,” said Joan Madurell-Malapeira with the University of Florence in Italy, who was not involved with the discovery.

Researchers aren’t sure how exactly these new cats got mummified, but the caves’ dry conditions and stable temperature could have played a role, according to the new study published Thursday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.

They also don't know why so many cheetahs were in the caves. It could have been a denning site where mothers birthed and raised their young.

Scientists have uncovered the rare mummified remains of other large cats, including a saber-toothed cat cub in Russia.

It's uncommon for large mammals to be preserved to this degree. Besides being in the right environment, the carcasses also have to avoid becoming a snack for hungry scavengers like birds and hyenas.

Cheetahs once roamed across most of Africa and parts of Asia, but now live in just 9% of their previous range and haven't been spotted across the Arabian Peninsula for decades. That’s likely due to habitat loss, unregulated hunting and lack of prey, among other factors.

In a first for naturally mummified large cats, scientists were also able to peek at the cheetahs' genes and found that the remains were most similar to modern-day cheetahs from Asia and northwest Africa. That information could help with future efforts to reintroduce the cats to places they no longer live.

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Vonn Launches Social Media Search Mission After Ski Pole Goes Missing

US' Lindsey Vonn crosses the finish line to win the Women's Downhill event of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Altenmarkt Zauchensee, Austria, on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
US' Lindsey Vonn crosses the finish line to win the Women's Downhill event of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Altenmarkt Zauchensee, Austria, on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
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Vonn Launches Social Media Search Mission After Ski Pole Goes Missing

US' Lindsey Vonn crosses the finish line to win the Women's Downhill event of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Altenmarkt Zauchensee, Austria, on January 10, 2026. (AFP)
US' Lindsey Vonn crosses the finish line to win the Women's Downhill event of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Altenmarkt Zauchensee, Austria, on January 10, 2026. (AFP)

Lindsey Vonn may be dominating World Cup downhills at 41, but even the US speed queen is not immune to missing equipment.

Vonn took to social media on Thursday with an unusual plea after losing a ski pole in Tarvisio, Italy, ahead of this weekend's World Cup event.

"Someone took ‌my pole ‌in the parking ‌lot ⁠today in ‌Tarvisio. If you have seen it, please respond to this. Thank you," Vonn wrote on X, posting a photo of the matching pole complete with her initials on the ⁠hand strap.

Vonn, a favorite for the speed events ‌at next month's Milano-Cortina ‍Olympics, retired ‍from the sport in 2019 and ‍had a partial knee replacement in April 2024 but returned to competition later that year and has been enjoying a fairy-tale comeback that has defied age and expectation.

Already the oldest ⁠World Cup winner of all time, Vonn continued her astonishing, age-defying form with a downhill victory in Zauchensee, Austria last week.

That triumph marked Vonn's fourth podium from four downhills this season, cementing her lead in the World Cup standings and her status as the woman to ‌beat at next month's Olympics.

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ISS Crew Splashes Down on Earth After Medical Evacuation

FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the US during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)
FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the US during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)
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ISS Crew Splashes Down on Earth After Medical Evacuation

FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the US during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)
FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows the Moon's shadow covering portions of Canada and the US during a total solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station on Monday, Aug. 8, 2024. (NASA via AP, File)

Four International Space Station (ISS) crewmembers splashed down in the Pacific Ocean early Thursday, video footage from NASA showed, after a medical issue prompted their mission to be cut short.

American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov and Japan's Kimiya Yui landed off the coast of San Diego about 12:41 am (0841 GMT), marking the first-ever medical evacuation from the ISS.