Researchers from the Human Cell Atlas project are working to uncover the secrets behind the placenta and, in doing so, help tackle problems such as pre-eclampsia and miscarriages. The project aims to establish the different types of cells in the human body and already several thousand researchers from across the world are participating. Researchers are also exploring cellular secrets of the brain, lungs and other organs to understand medical conditions. To achieve this, they are using single-cell genomics to analyse cells from genetic signatures, enabling a digital model of each cell to be created.
Archaeologists in China may have discovered the world’s oldest saddle at a dig site in the Xinjiang region more than 2,700 years ago. The leather saddle was found in the tomb of a woman buried at the Yanghai cemetery site in the Turpan Basin. Swiss, Russian, Chinese, German and British researchers found the saddle contained elements that are still in use today, including two oval-shaped cushions that were filled with a mixture of deer and camel hair alongside straw. Saddle making started later than that of the earliest bridle and indicates a nod towards greater rider comfort, said the study.
French fashion designer, Vanessa Seward, has discussed the beauty of Florence and why it is so special to her. She visits the city to access the Pucci archives and describes the sense of energy and bustle that comes from the industrial sectors, which she believes adds another dimension to the traditionally romantic city. She spoke of the Palazzo Pucci, home now to the Emilio Pucci Heritage Hub and Francis Ford Coppola’s hotel Palazzo Margherita. She endorsed the antique shops on Via Maggio, including Alina Malova, which sells vintage clothing and also praised the liveliness of contemporary art exhibitions at Palazzo Strozzi.
Politicians have adopted “corpspeak” – robotic, repetitive language akin to PowerPoint presentations – which renders political discourse empty of detail, rhetoric and coherence, according to The Guardian’s Nesrine Malik. Rishi Sunak, Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have adopted this style which often uses bullet points, focuses on clients rather than people, and emphasises “measurable” goals rather than specific pledges. Sunak and the Tories focus on the economy and private business interests that serve people in work, along with messaging that steers away from the party’s previous economic and social failures and any challenge to Britain’s demographic and racial makeup. Labour, meanwhile, strives to show it is no longer hostile to business, patriotism, security or a hard line on immigration, in an attempt to win back so-called Red Wall voters.
An Australian woman named Kathleen Folbigg has been pardoned after being convicted of killing her four children, following doubts raised over whether the children had actually been killed at all. Folbigg was sentenced to prison in 2003 for the alleged smothering of the children, which prosecutors claimed could not be a coincidence. However, doubts emerged over the reliability of the conviction, prompting a recent inquiry to conclude that there was “reasonable doubt” behind each of the offenses. Geneticists also discovered rare mutations in the DNA of Folbigg and her daughters, which raised concerns over possible genetic causes for the deaths.
Over 100 bodies remain unidentified and unclaimed four days after a train crash in India which killed 275 people. The accident happened when a passenger train derailed after mistakenly entering a loop track beside the main line and hit a stationary goods train. Its derailed carriages then hit the coaches of another passenger train travelling in the opposite direction. Over 3,000 passengers, travelling on the two packed trains, were involved. The collision was this century’s worst railway incident in India.
A genetic mutation has been identified which may explain the death of four children thought to be murdered by Australian woman Kathleen Folbigg. Calmodulin regulates heartbeats by helping the movement of calcium, potassium and sodium ions. For those with the extremely rare "CALM2 G114R" genetic variant, the mutated protein can fail to bind properly with its receptors, causing dangerous arrhythmia of the heart, and putting them at serious risk of death. Researchers at the Australian National University found Folbigg carried the mutant gene, which was also present in two of her daughters, Sarah and Laura.
New research by Professor Toby Kiers, an evolutionary biologist at Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit, shows the pivotal role in curbing climate change fungi can have. Beyond the mushrooms visible above ground, Mycorrhizae fungal webs spread throughout the soil and nourish the roots of trees and plants. A study published in the scientific journal Cell Press showed that mycorrhizae draws down and stores more than 13 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, almost the annual greenhouse gas output of China and the US combined, something not fully appreciated by policymakers, investors or innovators. The study is the first to calculate how much carbon passes through these subterranean networks. More than 90% of the Earth’s soil is expected to be degraded by midcentury, along with the networks of fungi within them. Kiers' research shows a clear roadmap for action making incentives for no-till farming, increasing the funding for precision agriculture tools and developing carbon capture and storage technologies.
The 2026 RBC Canadian Open, a stop on the PGA Tour, will be held at the Oakdale Golf and Country Club, breaking a long-held tradition of playing the event on suburban or rural courses. The tournament director for the RBC Canadian Open, Bryan Crawford, said Oakdale's proximity to Toronto and spaces to draw on made it a good choice to hold a professional tournament. Over the years the course has undergone extensive renovation work that has been overseen by consulting architect Ian Andrew. It offered a composite course of 36 holes to host the Presidents Cup and other tournaments. The Oakdale Golf and Country Club has 27 holes in the heart of the city, and will host the event this year and in 2026 for its centennial. Oakdale was founded in 1926 by a group of Jewish golfers denied membership at other Toronto clubs but has since drifted away from its Jewish-dominated roots.
Scientists in Canada and Britain have identified that air pollution monitoring stations around the world are not just assessing chemicals; they are also effectively collecting DNA, as airborne genetic fragments. A pilot study extracted DNA from air pollution monitoring stations in England and Scotland and using data obtained were able to identify over 180 species of invertebrates, fungi, plants and vertebrates. The team forecasts that there is a huge trove of ecological information to be sourced by re-examining such samples globally, calling for their preservation as part of the required tools for conservation.
DNA sucked into air filters can reveal what plants and animals are nearby
The Toronto Star
23-06-05 15:14
Scientists have discovered that DNA picked up by air quality monitoring stations also reveals what animals and plants have been in the area. Air quality monitoring stations were found to pick up DNA left by animals and plants in the area like pollen, hair, and feathers. Researchers extracted DNA from pieces of these filter disks to identify more than 180 different kinds of plants and animals. The scientists hope to use this method to track ecosystems all over the world and monitor trends in biodiversity over time using existing infrastructure that helps monitor air pollution.
Saint John woman gets house arrest for fleeing see of fatal collision with cyclist
CBC
23-06-05 21:05
A 25-year-old woman has been sentenced to a year of house arrest for failing to stop after a hit-and-run accident, when it was discovered that her car had hit a 62-year old cyclist. Shantel Raeburn pleaded guilty to both the leaving the accident scene and obstruction of justice charges. The cyclist, Philip MacMillan, died that day. The court heard that Raeburn parked the car, which was registered to her partner, and asked her partner's uncle to dispose of it at a recycling plant. She later confessed to police. Raeburn was also fined $1,000 and banned from driving for three years.
Matthew Nilo, a US attorney from Weehawken, NJ, has been arrested and charged with raping four women nearly 15 years ago in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood. Nilo, who denies the charges, was identified using forensic genetic genealogy, which involves analysing DNA and combining it with public genealogy research and historical records to identify suspects. Prosecutors said that DNA from a drinking glass that Nilo had used matched that of DNA collected from three of the victims. Nilo worked for a cybersecurity firm based in New York but was suspended following his arrest.
Australian removalist platform, Muval, has booked more than AUD 50m ($38m) of moves since its foundation in Brisbane in 2018. The company was established as a means of booking the available space in trucks for inter-state moves, and has since expanded to cover insurance and energy connections, and packing and unpacking. The website was updated during the COVID-19 pandemic to include information about border closures, wait times and more. The founder, James Morrell, and the company's CEO, said Muval is "modernising the way we move" to make the process less stressful and more affordable.
Property expert and TV presenter Sarah Beeny has spoken about her experience with breast cancer and explored the history and innovation of its treatment in the UK in a new Channel 4 documentary Sarah Beeny vs Cancer. Beeny was diagnosed in August 2022, stating that the experience had enabled her to address her own fears about the disease. Beeny’s mother died of breast cancer approximately 40 years ago. The programme explores the impact of breast cancer on Beeny’s family, including husband Graham Swift and their four children Billy, Charlie, Raffey and Laurie. It also focuses on the differences in treatment capabilities between now and 40 years ago when Beeny’s mother was suffering from the disease. Beeny underwent chemotherapy every three weeks and then surgery at the Royal Marsden Hospital later. She has been given the all clear from cancer.
Kathleen Folbigg has given her first public statement since being released from prison, saying she would not have survived the ordeal without her friends and family.The 55-year-old waitress was serving a 30-year sentence after she was found guilty of smothering her four children over a 10-year period, starting in 1989. On Monday, she was granted an unconditional pardon and released from NSW's Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre when the inquiry found a predisposition to sudden unexpected death in infancy among Folbigg's children.
Moderna and Merck have reported that an mRNA vaccine administered with Merck's Keytruda cut the risk of melanoma spreading by 65% over immunotherapy alone. In combination with earlier data, the results from the mid-stage trial have left Moderna considering seeking faster approval for the treatment, Moderna President Stephen Hoge said. The trial was part of a growing field of evidence supporting mRNA technology, used to assemble personalised vaccines to train the immune system to attack patients' specific cancer cells.
The Duke of Sussex has claimed that rumours of his parentage, that suggested his real father was Major James Hewitt, were spread in an attempt to oust him from the royal family. Harry made the claims during his ongoing involvement in a case being heard against Mirror Group Newspapers over information gathering. In his statement, Harry explained that a 2002 story in The People about the stealing of a DNA sample for testing caused him “very real” hurt. He said: “Were the newspapers keen to put doubt into the minds of the public so I might be ousted from the royal family?” The Duke also spoke of his ongoing suspicion of newspapers.
Following Friday’s train collision in India that killed 275 people and injured more than 1,200, almost 100 bodies remained unclaimed on Monday. For many, the fight to identify the deceased falls into DNA testing to establish matches between the deceased bodies and available relatives. Authorities have collected DNA samples from all the dead bodies in hospitals across the state, and in cases where there are multiple claimants, family members’ DNA will be preserved, officials confirmed. At present, officials from across seven states are working to help people claim the bodies of family members and take them home.
Indian officials are appealing for help in identifying over 100 unclaimed bodies held in various mortuaries and hospitals in the wake of the country’s deadliest train crash for over two decades, which killed 275 passengers. The disaster happened last Friday when a passenger train travelling from Kolkata to Chennai came off the main track and collided with a stationary freight train, causing carriages to go airborne before plunging into the path of an oncoming express train. The death toll has continued to rise since the crash, and many victims have been left unrecognisable. The incident is the worst since a collision between two express trains in 1999 killed 290 people.
