From Italy and the World

Seeking to better understand more about the origins and movement of bubonic plague, in ancient and contemporary times, researchers at McMaster University, University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne, have completed a painstaking granular examination of hundreds of modern and ancient genome sequences, creating the largest analysis of its…

A University of Maryland-led team of scientists has deciphered the first comprehensive, continuous genome for a parasite responsible for transmitting Lyme disease and other serious infections to hundreds of thousands of Americans yearly. With their newly described genome for the black-legged tick, or deer tick, the researchers identified thousands of…

A class of nonvolatile memory devices, called MRAM, based on quantum magnetic materials, can offer a thousandfold performance beyond current state-of-the-art memory devices. The materials known as antiferromagnets were previously demonstrated to store stable memory states, but were difficult to read from. This new study paves an efficient way for…

Medical science has not yet been able to explain why the Epstein-Barr virus triggers infectious mononucleosis (IM) in some people with initial infections and not in others. But now, a research team led by Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stöckl, head of the Center for Virology at MedUni Vienna, has identified a specific immune…

Violence and warfare were widespread in many Neolithic communities across Northwest Europe, a period associated with the adoption of farming, new research suggests. Of the skeletal remains of more than 2300 early farmers from 180 sites dating from around 8000 — 4000 years ago to, more than one in ten…

The electrical potential across the bacterial cell envelope indicates when bacteria no longer operate as individual cells but as a collective. Researchers at the University of Cologne’s Institute for Biological Physics have discovered this connection between the electrical properties and the lifestyle of bacteria. Although bacteria are single cellular organisms,…

African rhino numbers are declining at unsustainable rates in core state-run parks which is why more than half the continent’s remaining rhinos are now on private land. Until the past decade, the largest population of rhinos was found in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. This state-run park has, however, lost…

A new study has identified the impact that fleeting natural events, such as sunrises and sunsets, can have on people, and sought to quantify their effects for the first time. Despite a large body of research examining the impacts of nature on our mental health, most studies have assessed these…

Ants are social insects and the Solenopsis invicta species — known as the fire ant — is no exception. The social interactions of this invasive insect, which comes from South America, are framed within the context of the theory of Active Matter, which would explain the ants’ group behaviour as…

In the United States, turning 45 brings with it a rather unpleasant rite of passage: the beginning of regular colonoscopies, in which an endoscope equipped with a light and a camera is used to visually check the colon for signs of cancer. Relatively slow-growing, colorectal cancer can often be treated…

Methanogens are microorganisms that produce methane when little or no oxygen is present in their surroundings. Their methane production — for example in the digestive tract of ruminants — is relevant for global carbon cycling, as methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, but can also be used as an…

Researchers have designed the first ‘living medicine’ to treat lung infections. The treatment targets Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a type of bacteria which is naturally resistant to many types of antibiotics and is a common source of infections in hospitals. The treatment involves using a modified version of the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae,…

Paris/London CNN  —  Strikes disrupted train services, flights, schools and businesses in France on Thursday as labor unions led huge protests against the government’s plans to raise the retirement age for most workers. Protests in major French cities, including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and Nice, brought transport services to a…

With rising concerns about energy and water management, microbial electrochemical technologies (METs), such as microbial fuel cells, have emerged as promising solutions. However, actual progress in these technologies have not lived up to the expectations so far. Now, in a new study, researchers from Korea, India, UAE, and Turkey have…

Even without hunting rifles, humans appear to have a strong negative influence on the movement of wildlife. A study of Glacier National Park hiking trails during and after a COVID-19 closure adds evidence to the theory that humans can create a “landscape of fear” like other apex predators, changing how…

Editor’s Note: Vanessa Hua is the author of the forthcoming novel “Forbidden City,” and of “Deceit and Other Possibilities” and “A River of Stars.” She is a former columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and has written for many publications about Asia and the diaspora. The views expressed here are…

Every American could feel the pain of Washington's next showdown Source link

Sign up for CNN’s Adulthood, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has tips to help you make more informed decisions around personal finance, career, wellness and personal connections. CNN  —  Are snacks before bed your vice? Or do you prefer to wait a few hours after you wake up…

CNN  —  The Dallas Cowboys signed Tristan Vizcaino to their practice squad after starting kicker Brett Maher endured a historically inaccurate playoff performance on Monday. Maher missed an NFL-record four extra point attempts in the Cowboys’ blowout 31-14 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of…

Editor’s Note: Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu is a communication specialist and writer based in Chicago. The views expressed here are hers. Read more opinion on CNN. CNN  —  Last week, Shakira did to her ex, former soccer star Gerard Piqué, what every person who’s been mistreated and underappreciated by…

CNN  —  One person was killed and 60 more were injured in a stampede ahead of a soccer match in the Iraqi city of Basra on Thursday, the state news agency INA reported. The stampede took place near the Jaza’a Al Nakhla Stadium, where Iraq and Oman were expected to…

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that the goal of what he calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine is to “end the war” in the eastern Donbas region, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. Speaking at a meeting with World War II veterans and survivors of the siege of…

Hong Kong CNN  —  China may be one step closer to losing its place as the world’s most populous country to India after its population shrank for the first time since the 1960s. The country’s population fell in 2022 to 1.411 billion, down some 850,000 people from the previous year,…

(CNN) — It’s nearly Lunar New Year, and Johnny Mui is finally smiling. After staring at empty tables for the last two years because of the pandemic, the owner of New York’s Hop Lee restaurant says business is slowly recovering. Mui joined the 48-year-old Chinatown establishment in 2005 as an…

CNN  —  Two New Jersey veterans say now-Congressman George Santos promised to raise funds for lifesaving surgery for one of their dogs in 2016, then became elusive and took off with the money. Santos, the embattled freshman Republican, faces growing pressure to resign after he lied and misrepresented his educational,…

A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. CNN  —  The US has been in debt and arguing about it for its entire existence. The only two years in US history when there was no debt…