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Overnight News Digest: September 10, 2025 [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-09-10
Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, doomandgloom and FarWestGirl. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man (RIP), wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, JeremyBloom, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw. OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos since 2007, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
Here we go again...
Did NASA's Perseverance rover find evidence of ancient life on Mars? The plot thickens.
Space.com
Since February 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover has been exploring a region on Mars known as Jezero Crater, a huge cavity believed to have once hosted a lake. It's considered one of the most promising places to look for evidence of ancient life on the Red Planet (life as we know it, at least) — and there has been an update in the search. On Wednesday (Sept. 10), researchers presented a study that describes how Perseverance found intriguing minerals on the western edge of Jezero Crater, in the clay-rich, mudstone rocks of a valley called "Neretva Vallis." "When we see features like this in sediment on Earth, these minerals are often the byproduct of microbial metabolisms that are consuming organic matter," Joel Hurowitz, a planetary scientist at Stony Brook University in New York and lead author of the new study, said during a NASA press conference held on Wednesday.
Scientists find evidence of flowing water on Ryugu’s ancient parent asteroid. 'It was a genuine surprise!'
Space.com
Liquid water flowed across the surface of the asteroid that birthed the near-Earth object (NEO) Ryugu much later than scientists had thought possible, a new study finds. The discovery that water existed in liquid form a billion years after the parent body of Ryugu formed came from the study of rock samples collected from the NEO by Japan's Hayabusa2 probe between 2018 and 2019, and returned to Earth on Dec. 5, 2020. Carbonaceous asteroids like the spinning-top-shaped Ryugu have long been known to form from ice and dust in the outer solar system as the planets were forming around the infant sun around 4.6 billion years ago. Thus, objects like Ryugu are thought to contain a "fossil record" of unspoiled material from the dawn of our planetary system. However, before this research, scientists had thought that asteroid water activity only lasted for the earliest moments of solar system history.
On this day in space! Sept. 10, 2011: NASA's GRAIL mission launches to the moon.
Space.com
On Sept. 10, 2011, NASA's GRAIL spacecraft launched on a mission to the moon! GRAIL, which stands for Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, was sent to the moon to map its gravitational fields. Scientists could study the moon's interior structure by looking at maps of the moon's gravity. Holy GRAIL! Photos From NASA's Moon Gravity Mission Asteroid impacts from billions of years ago left dense pockets of material under the lunar surface, which can exert extra gravitational pull on spacecraft orbiting the moon. So by measuring that gravitational pull, the GRAIL mission could reveal information about what lies beneath the surface. The mission actually consisted of two twin spacecraft named Ebb and Flow, which would fly in tandem around the moon to map variations in its gravitation field. Both lifted off on the same Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida and arrived in lunar orbit almost four months later.
Private lunar landing: How Blue Ghost measured the moon's electric and magnetic fields.
Space.com
After achieving a touchdown in early March within the moon's Mare Crisium impact basin, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander became an on-duty robotic scientist. Kicking up dust and rocks, the Blue Ghost Mission-1's March 2 moon landing marked the start of executing NASA-backed Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) instruments. (346 hours of daylight) and worked just over five hours into the super-chilly lunar night — checkmark accomplishments after performing the first fully successful commercial moon landing. One of those investigations involved a distinctive deep dive into studying the interior of the moon.
Is water really a necessary ingredient for life? Aliens may swim in truly exotic pools.
Space.com
Here on Earth, liquid water is key to life. But elsewhere? That might not be the case. A new study suggests that other liquids might be able to support life on worlds beyond our own. "We consider water to be required for life because that is what's needed for Earth life. But if we look at a more general definition, we see that what we need is a liquid in which metabolism for life can take place," study leader Rachana Agrawal, a postdoctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said in a statement. Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life. Per the researchers' laboratory experiments, ionic liquids can likely form from ingredients found on rocky planets and moons.
Poland ‘closer to military conflict than at any time since WW2’ as Nato allies weigh response to Russian drones.
The Guardian
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said the country is closer to military conflict “than at any time since the second world war” as Warsaw and Nato allies weighed a response to an incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace. Poland scrambled its own and Nato air defences, shooting down at least three drones, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine spread to Nato territory early on Wednesday in the most significant way since the full-scale invasion more than three years ago. In the aftermath, Warsaw said Nato allies had made concrete proposals to bolster the country’s air defences. The UK is considering deploying Typhoon jets as part of an enhanced air policing mission to protect the alliance’s eastern flank. There had been at least 19 violations of Polish airspace overnight, said Tusk, and some of them had entered Poland from Belarusian territory. Four Polish airports, including the two that serve Warsaw, were closed to traffic during the incursion. The prime minister of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, said F-35 jets from his country took part in the mission to intercept the drones. At least three drones were shot down.
Israeli airstrikes ‘killed any hope’ for hostages in Gaza, says Qatari prime minister.
The Guardian
Qatar’s prime minister has said that Benjamin Netanyahu “killed any hope” for the remaining hostages in Gaza following Israel’s extraordinary strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha on Tuesday. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani called the deadly strike in the Qatari capital an act of “state terror”. Israel’s attack the previous day killed six members of Hamas who were negotiating a ceasefire deal brokered by the US and other Gulf countries. “He needs to be brought to justice,” al-Thani said of the Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu has responded defiantly to international criticism for the attack, including a White House statement that the “unilateral bombing” inside Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals.” In a video statement, Netanyahu accused Qatar of harbouring terrorists and suggested he reserved the right to continue attacks in the future. “I say to Qatar and all nations who harbour terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice,” he said. “Because if you don’t, we will.”
Irish woman with green card faces US deportation over $25 bad cheque.
The Guardian
An Irish grandmother who has lived in the US for most of her life and holds a green card is facing deportation because she wrote a bad cheque for $25 in 2015. Donna Hughes-Brown, 58, was detained in July after landing in Chicago on a flight from Dublin and is being held in isolation in a detention centre in Kentucky. She has lived in the US since 1977, has five children and grandchildren, and ran a horse farm in Troy, Missouri. Her husband, Jim Brown, a US citizen and military veteran, told reporters his wife was not a criminal and that he “100%” regretted voting for Donald Trump as president. He said she had been detained on a misdemeanour relating to a $25 cheque she signed a decade ago and for which she made restitution and received probation. She was detained under legislation amended on 4 July as part of Trump’s sweeping “one big beautiful bill” act. The couple visited Ireland that month for a funeral. When they landed at Chicago’s O’Hare airport on 29 July a police officer was waiting for her on the ramp.
Dramatic footage shows 67 cargo cases toppling off ship into California port.
The Guardian
Dramatic footage has captured the moment that more than 60 containers toppled off a cargo ship on Tuesday morning in the Port of Long Beach, one of the busiest ports in the US. The shipping containers fell off a vessel named the Mississippi shortly before 9am at the port, located about 20 miles (32km) south of Los Angeles. Video on social media showed a huge stack of containers tumbling overboard and into the waters below. No injuries have been reported, according to a Port of Long Beach spokesperson, Art Marroquin. About 67 containers were in the water, the US Coast Guard said on Twitter/X. The containers appeared to be carrying products from China, ranging from shoes to electronic goods, according to local news reports. Long Beach is one of the most highly trafficked seaports in the country, with 40% of all shipping containers in the US coming through it or the Los Angeles port.
Misinformation, fear and politics – how a South Dakota county drove away millions in solar energy.
The Guardian
Like most of South Dakota, Walworth county is built on farming. To the east of Selby, the county seat, vast fields of soybeans and wheat grow between roads that run straight to the horizon. To the west, beyond the county line, the Standing Rock Indian reservation spreads across miles of rumpled green prairie studded with creamy erratics and dark clumps of trees. Like many farming regions, Walworth’s deeply conservative population has been steadily declining and aging, from roughly 8,000 in the 1960s to 5,200 today. The grain elevator that towers over Main Street in Selby is among the busiest in the region, but most of the squat brick buildings in its shadow are weathered and lifeless. When the Good Samaritan Society announced it was pulling out of town in 2018, residents collected donations to keep the elder care center open. When Selby’s last grocery store shuttered in late 2023, the city became the center of a food desert that stretches 73 miles (117km), from Ipswich to Mobridge. And in May, the area lost another high school due to lack of enrollment. The most immediate economic challenge, however, is the jail. Selby must accommodate prisoners countywide, but its jail was condemned after prisoners sued over unsafe conditions. Without the funds to replace it, Walworth spends more than $50,000 a month transporting and boarding prisoners at facilities as far as 70 miles away.
New French PM Sébastien Lecornu promises ‘profound break’ with past politics.
The Guardian
The new French prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has promised a “profound break” with past politics as he took over from the unpopular centrist François Bayrou, who was ousted this week over a proposed budget squeeze. Lecornu, 39, who said “humility” was the key approach, now faces the difficult task of gaining enough support from France’s divided parliament to pass a budget if he is to avoid being swiftly ousted in the same way as Bayrou, and before him, the rightwing Michel Barnier, who only lasted three months. “We will get there … no path is impossible,” Lecornu said on Wednesday. Lecornu is the third French prime minister in only one year as the country has gone through a period of instability and political crisis since the centrist president, Emmanuel Macron, called an inconclusive snap election last year. The parliament remains divided between the three blocs: the left, the far right and the centre, with no clear majority. A budget for next year must be agreed within the coming weeks, even though the political parties are at loggerheads.
Charlie Kirk shot dead: FBI director Kash Patel says person detained from scene released; investigation continues.
Times of India
Federal Bureau of Investigation director Kash Patel on Wednesday said that the subject in custody has been released after interrogation. Several videos emerged on social media, showing an elderly person being detained by police shortly after right-wing activist and US President Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk was shot at Utah University. Taking to X, Patel wrote, "The subject in custody has been released after an interrogation by law enforcement. Our investigation continues, and we will continue to release information in the interest of transparency."
Pakistan: Floods force suspension of train operations on five sections in Punjab.
Times of India
Floods and heavy rains in Punjab have suspended train services on five sections and damaged power infrastructure, Dawn reported. Pakistan Railways is repairing breached tracks and bridges, while Lesco said over 73,000 consumers were hit, with 13,000 still without electricity. Other Discos also reported massive losses. Train operations on five rail sections in Punjab have been suspended due to damage caused to railway tracks and infrastructure by ongoing floods and heavy rains in the province, Dawn reported. According to an internal report compiled by the Pakistan Railways (PR) and cited by Dawn, the Narowal-Sialkot section has remained closed since August 27 after floodwater breached a portion of the track. The report said a Girder Span of bridge No 7 near Aik Nullah was also misaligned, allowing floodwater to maintain a high level and overtop the track. Repair works are underway and operations are expected to resume by September 12.
Nepal unrest: Gen Z-army talks stall over interim leadership.
Times of India
Nepal's youth-led Gen Z movement on Wednesday suspended its protests after two days of violence that left 30 people dead, 1,033 injured, and forced PM K P Sharma Oli to resign. About 15 Gen Z representatives met army officials at Bhadrakali base in the morning. Delegates proposed names for a transitional civilian leadership, including former chief justice Sushila Karki, Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, ex-speaker Onsari Gharti Magar, lawyer Om Prakash Aryal, Dr Govinda KC, Brig Gen Prem Shahi, and former chief election commissioner Neel Kantha Upreti. Talks hit a hurdle after delegate Raksha Bam walked out, saying the army had suggested including businessman Durga Prasai and Rastriya Swatantra Party in the dialogue. Prasai has supported restoring the Hindu monarchy and has led rallies calling for the dissolution of federal democratic structures. RSP, a centrist party formed in 2022, has been accused by some youth groups of co-opting anti-corruption slogans while defending institutional status quo.
Poland invokes Nato Article 4 after Russian drone incursion: What is it and what does it mean?
Times of India
Poland has formally invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty after reporting multiple violations of its airspace by Russian drones. Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament on Wednesday that Poland had recorded 19 such incidents overnight, shooting down at least three drones. “The allied consultations I am referring to have now taken the form of a formal request to invoke Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty,” Tusk said. T he North Atlantic Council, Nato’s main decision-making body, met on Wednesday morning for its regular weekly session but agreed to hold the talks under Article 4 provisions.This marks the eighth time Article 4 has been triggered since Nato was founded in 1949 and the third occasion in relation to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty allows any member state to call urgent consultations if it believes its territorial integrity, political independence or security is under threat. The text states: “The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”
How Qatar has become an effective peace broker.
Times of India
Israel carried out a strike on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday. The Gulf state is trying to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. What makes Qatar so effective in diplomatic negotiations? Qatar has a history of helping to resolve global conflicts. The small, resource-rich Gulf state has helped negotiate deals to release United States citizens held in Iran, Afghanistan and Venezuela, and return Ukrainian children to their families after they were taken to Russia. Qatar has also presided over diplomatic breakthroughs between Sudan and Chad, and Eritrea and Djibouti, as well as the 2011 Darfur peace deal. In 2020, Qatar helped negotiate the US's withdrawal from Afghanistan with the extremist Taliban group.
Maps: Israel has attacked six countries in the past 72 hours.
Al Jazeera
On Tuesday, Israel launched a targeted air strike on a Hamas leadership compound in Qatar’s capital, Doha, during a meeting to discuss a US-proposed ceasefire for Gaza. The strike killed six people, including the son of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, the director of al-Hayya’s office, three bodyguards and a Qatari security officer. However, its top leaders are reported to have survived the attack. The attack was part of a wider wave of Israeli strikes extending beyond its immediate borders, and marked the sixth country attacked in just 72 hours and the seventh since the start of this year.
Canada is evaluating ties with Israel after Qatar attack: Foreign minister.
Al Jazeera
Canada is evaluating its relationship with Israel after the attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, its foreign minister has said, in the latest sign of unhappiness with the Israeli government. Anita Anand on Wednesday said the country considered the attack in Doha to be unacceptable, especially given Qatari attempts to facilitate peace in the Middle East. “We are evaluating our relationship with Israel,” Anand told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the governing Liberal Party in Edmonton, when asked whether Canada might follow the lead of the European Commission. Earlier today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to cut support for Israel and implement sanctions.
Belgium asks US not to destroy millions in contraceptives bound for Africa.
Al Jazeera
Belgium has called on the administration of United States President Donald Trump to abandon a plan to destroy a massive stockpile of contraceptives for women as part of its rollback on foreign aid. In an interview on Friday, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the stockpile was mostly bound for sub-Saharan Africa. The Trump administration confirmed last month that it planned to destroy the supplies, which are unexpired and had been purchased by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under former President Joe Biden. “We continue through diplomatic channels to vigorously advocate against such waste,” Prevot told the Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency. The stockpile is estimated to be worth about $10m. It includes implants and intrauterine devices, long cornerstones for the humanitarian community’s birth control drives.
Ethiopia opens Nile dam despite concerns from Egypt and Sudan.
Al Jazeera
Ethiopia has inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Africa’s largest hydro power project. Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith says the dam is a source of national pride but remains contentious among downstream nations including Egypt and Sudan.
ICC opens war crimes hearing against Ugandan rebel Joseph Kony.
Al Jazeera
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is slated to hear evidence against fugitive Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony two decades after his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) gained international infamy for atrocities in northern Uganda. The Tuesday hearing, known as a “confirmation of charges”, is the Hague-based court’s first-ever held in absentia. Kony faces 39 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection to the LRA’s campaign against the Ugandan government between 2002 and 2005, which prosecutors allege was rife with rape, torture, and abductions of children. Kony has eluded law enforcement since the ICC first issued an indictment in 2005, making the hearing a litmus test for others in which arresting the suspect is considered a far-off prospect, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
How North Korea frames its soldiers' deaths in Ukraine.
Deutsche Welle
The death toll is rising among North Korean troops sent to fight for Russia against Ukraine and the regime in Pyongyang has resorted to tried-and-trusted techniques of propaganda to guarantee loyalty from North Koreans. Late last month, North Korean state media broadcast a documentary detailing the actions of troops serving in Ukraine, which did not shy away from the deaths of its military personnel. According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the program told of two soldiers — Yun Jong-hyuk, 20 and Woo Wi-hyuk, 19 — who found themselves surrounded but chose to kill themselves by detonating a grenade rather than be captured. The soundtrack described the young men's deaths as "heroic sacrifices." While tales of brave soldiers sacrificing themselves for the motherland and young people urged to enlist in the military to become "bullet and bomb suicide squads" would fall on deaf ears elsewhere, analysts say the vice-like grip the North Korean government has over domestic media means that there are virtually no alternative narratives available to the public.
How Erdogan's rival could be barred from Turkey's election.
DW
For about a year, Turkey's judiciary has come down hard on the largest opposition party, the Republican People's Party(CHP). Sixteen mayors and hundreds of their employees and party officials have been arrested. Ekrem Imamoglu, the former mayor of Istanbul and the opposition's most promising presidential candidate, has been locked up in the high-security prison of Silivri since March. The 54-year-old rival of President Recep Tayyip Edogan faces various charges, with accusations ranging from defamation to corruption. On September 11, Imamoglu will be in court on charges of forgery. Although the accusation sounds trivial, a conviction could have far-reaching consequences.
Burkina Faso's Traore: A hero to some, autocrat to others.
DW
In the three years since Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in Burkina Faso, he has become something of an internet sensation. On social media, he's often compared to iconic leaders of Africa's independence movements. But human rights organizations tell a very different story. So how can this stark contrast be explained? A new chapter began for Burkina Faso on September 30, 2022, when a group of military officers led by Captain Ibrahim Traore staged a coup. His predecessor, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, had only months earlier ousted the last democratically elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, and declared himself head of state. Traore justified his own takeover by citing the worsening threat of terrorism. He promised to defeat the extremists within six months and hold democratic elections within a year. Neither promise has been fulfilled. Instead, Traore has systematically consolidated power, restructuring the military, appointing loyalists to government posts and clamping down on opposition voices and the press. Just six months after taking control, he announced that elections were "not a priority."
Germany's state-owned KfW bank linked to rights violations.
DW
You've probably never heard of KfW. It's a national development bank — the world's largest — backed by the German state and established to funds projects around the world, ranging from roads in Africa to water systems in Asia. But what happens when projects backed by the lender displace a village, pollute a river, or silence dissent? A new report on KfW Bank’s human rights record says these aren't just hypotheticals; they're real risks and they're not being handled well enough. Known by the slogan "Responsible Banking," KfW is backed by billions in public money. So those failures aren’t seen as just tragic; they're paid for by German taxpayers.
Space law crisis: Outer space security in an insecure world.
DW
Of all the threats in space, it's what the UN calls "a blurring of the line between civilian and military uses" that fires the imagination most. But there are other concerns: collisions between satellites, flight congestion, space debris hitting other spacecraft or falling to Earth, asteroids... Viewed as a mass of problems, it may seem as though we're "staring at a perceived wild tiger," says Helen Tung, a space lawyer and lecturer based at the University of Huddersfield, UK. "It automatically engages our fear mechanisms," she told DW. But you get what you want, Tung added: If you want war, you do everything to get war. If you want peace, you do what you can to get peace. "I don't think we can say we want space development, that we want to engage more countries, we want peace and prosperity, and yet act contrary to that," said Tung. "If the intention is there, there must be a way to say, 'What can we do to move things forward?' And I think it's the private space sector which is going to push the legislation and states to change." And change they must. A significant set of space treaties and legal frameworks for space exploration, science and communication are stuck in the past.
Tiny prairie dwellers outshine bison in keeping soil and plant nutrients cycling.
Phys.org
Soil nutrients support plants, and the animals who consume plants return these nutrients to the soil, creating a nutrient cycle. In a new study published in Ecology, scientists from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) found that in prairie grasslands, the smallest herbivores—namely prairie dogs and grasshoppers—increase rates of nutrient cycling to a greater degree than larger herbivores such as bison and cattle. Grasslands cover 25–40% of the land on Earth and provide many benefits to the environment, including sequestering carbon, controlling erosion and hosting a diversity of life. Yet grasslands are some of the most threatened terrestrial ecosystems, and herbivores, which play critical roles in nutrient cycling in grassland ecosystems, face many conservation challenges. In North America, both bison and prairie dogs likely number only 1–2% of the populations of animals that roamed the Great Plains prior to European arrival. In the interest of identifying how these herbivores shape grassland ecosystems, researchers examined the contributions of prairie dogs, grasshoppers, bison and cattle on grass and soil nutrition across 15 shortgrass prairie sites in northeast Montana, an area of active research representing a collage of conservation, ranching and agricultural landscapes.
Giant DNA discovered in people's mouths could impact oral health, immunity and even cancer risk.
Phys.org
Researchers, including those at the University of Tokyo, have made a surprising discovery hiding in people's mouths: Inocles, giant DNA elements that had previously escaped detection. These appear to play a central role in helping bacteria adapt to the constantly changing environment of the mouth. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, provide fresh insight into how oral bacteria colonize and persist in humans, with potential implications for health, disease and microbiome research. You might think that modern medical science knows everything there is to know about the human body. But even within the last decade, small, previously unknown organs have been discovered, and there's one area of human biology that is currently going through a research renaissance, the microbiome. This includes familiar areas such as the gut microbiome, but also the oral microbiome.
Europe hyperloop test hits new speed record in Dutch trial
Phys.org
A Dutch tech startup said Wednesday it had set a European speed record for its futuristic hyperloop transport system and could reach 700 kilometers (435 miles) per hour once longer tracks are built. Hardt Hyperloop said its vehicle had reached 85 kph at the 420 meter (1,378 feet) European Hyperloop Center test track in the Netherlands and had carried out a complex lane switching test. It said the lane switching maneuver—essential for networked routes—showed there were no technical barriers to operating at aircraft-like speeds.
Electric shocks disrupt drug-resistant yeast's cell walls to boost antifungal treatment.
Phys.org
Resistant to most antifungal drugs, the yeast Candidozyma auris is spreading globally and has caused recent outbreaks in US hospitals. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies it as an urgent threat. To meet the need for better treatments, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are developing a novel way to combat drug resistance. There are currently few methods to control C. auris infections, which spread through contact. Most infections start on the skin and can enter the bloodstream if unchecked. The mortality rate is high for immunocompromised individuals. In Chemical Engineering Journal, Tagbo Niepa, Camila Cué Royo, and collaborators demonstrate the potential of electrochemical therapy to treat C. auris, both alone and in combination with currently available antifungal drugs.
Waste plant fibers could reduce construction costs and improve sustainability.
Phys.org
Earth mortar could be more resilient, flexible and stronger by adding plant fibers to the mix. The finding comes from research to better understand the strength and performance of raw earth mortar, which has been carried out by the University of Portsmouth's School of Civil Engineering and Surveying. The work is published in the Journal of Building Engineering. Dr. Muhammad Ali, Associate Professor in Materials and Environmental Innovation at the University, said, "The focus of research in construction using earth has increased in response to demand for low-cost and sustainable building materials. However, while the properties of compressed earth blocks have been widely investigated, there has been less attention given to the make-up of earth-based mortar—a rudimentary mix of water with natural earth consisting of sand, silt and clay." Building using materials where raw earth is the fundamental component is typically seen in middle and low income countries around the world. Earth-based mortars are widely used to bind together compressed earth blocks mainly because the materials are structurally compatible, breathable and, when combined, help interiors stay warm or keep cool as needed. The two materials are also sustainable and have the appeal of giving the finished structures a pleasing, natural appearance.
New Homo naledi evidence supports intentional burial practices.
Phys.org
Anthropologist Lee Berger and his team at the University of the Witwatersrand, working within the Rising Star cave system in South Africa, have published their most extensive evidence yet of deliberate burial by Homo naledi, a small brained hominin that walked the Earth with several current modern human cousins over 240,000 years ago. It began with a Facebook call for short, skinny and fit anthropologists who "must not be claustrophobic." There is a backstory to the beginning of course, but it is here in this Facebook advert for the smallest in stature and bravest of heart to drop everything and fly to South Africa where the team was assembled. Their task: delve 30 meters down and explore an over 100 meter-long topography of a treacherous and at times impossibly narrow cave system. The original announcement of the find in 2015 was met with amazement, some skepticism and a hint of controversy. Amazing because it was impossible to imagine the discovery of a new species of hominin, not by a single bone or fragmented skull, but by a trove of over 1,500 well-preserved fossilized bones from a minimum of 15 individuals, many articulated in place, buried in a cave that had been undisturbed for possibly more than 300,000 years.
Scientists find quasi-moon orbiting the Earth for the last 60 years—and it's not the first one.
Phys.org
Everyone who has ever lived on Earth has been well-aware of the moon, but it turns out Earth also has some frequent temporary companions. These "quasi-moons" are small asteroids that enter into a kind of resonance with Earth's orbit, although they aren't technically orbiting Earth. In August, this small group of asteroids, called Arjunas, offered another companion to add to the list. Astronomers at the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii discovered the new quasi-moon, referred to as "2025 PN7," on August 2, 2025. Their research was recently published in Research Notes of the AAS. Using JPL's Horizons system and Python tools, they analyzed the orbital data and compared it to other Arjunas and quasi-satellites. The team found that 2025 PN7 had been in a quasi-orbit for about 60 years already and would likely be nearby for another 60 or so years before departing. Compared to other quasi-moons, this period is relatively short. The quasi-moon Kamo'oalewa has an expected near-Earth orbit of around 381 years, while the total time for 2025 PN7 is 128 years.
I added a couple of extra science articles to balance the heavy stuff.
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