A group of 38 scientists working in nine countries has sounded an alarm about the potential creation of mirror bacteria — synthetic organisms in which the molecular structure found in nature is reversed and could put humans, animals and plants at risk of exposure to dangerous pathogens. While the science and technology necessary to create mirror bacteria in a laboratory is a decade or more away, the scientists argued that the possibly lethal risks posed by this new field of research are “unprecedented” and “overlooked.” “Driven by curiosity and plausible applications, some researchers had begun work toward creating lifeforms composed entirely of mirror-image biological molecules,” the researchers wrote in a report published in the December 12 edition of the journal Science . “Such mirror organisms would constitute a radical departure from known life, and their creation warrants careful consideration.” A fundamental feature of all known life is a uniform chirality, or handedness. For example, DNA and RNA are made from “right-handed” nucleotides, and proteins are made from “left-handed” amino acids. Just as a right-handed glove cannot fit a left hand, interactions between molecules often depend on chirality. While the authors, who included experts in immunology, plant pathology, ecology, evolutionary biology, biosecurity and planetary sciences, had initially been skeptical that mirror bacteria could pose major risks, the experts said they had now become “deeply concerned.” “It’s a genie you don’t want to let out of the bottle,” said report coauthor Jonathan Jones, a group leader at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, United Kingdom. “The risk of something bad happening is low, but the consequences of something bad happening are really awful,” he added. Unless compelling evidence were to emerge that mirror life would not pose extraordinary dangers, research with the goal of creating mirror bacteria should not be permitted, and funders should make clear that they will not support such work, the scientists recommended. Risks of mirror bacteria The authors based the Science paper on a 300-page technical report that detailed the feasibility and risks of mirror bacteria. The report said that creating mirror life was a longer-term aspiration of multiple laboratories and major funders of research as part of efforts to better understand life and potentially aid in the development of drugs and other therapeutics. Many synthetic biologists seek to understand how cells could be created from their constituent molecules with the aim of shedding light on how life first arose and understanding what other kinds of life might be possible. The report said that if a cell with natural chirality can be created from lifeless molecules, then, in theory, a mirror-image cell could be created from mirror-image molecules using the same methods. No imminent threat exists, the report stressed, and there are currently sizable technical hurdles to creating mirror bacteria. Doing so within a decade would require substantial, coordinated efforts similar in scale and budget to the Human Genome Project , which mapped 92% of the human genome over the span of 12-and-a-half years. Organisms vulnerable to infection Immune systems rely on recognizing specific molecular shapes found in invading bacteria. If these shapes were reflected — as they would be in mirror bacteria — recognition would be impaired and immune defenses could fail, potentially leaving organisms vulnerable to infection. “We cannot rule out a scenario in which a mirror bacterium acts as an invasive species across many ecosystems, causing pervasive lethal infections in a substantial fraction of plant and animal species, including humans,” the scientists argued in the Science report. “Even a mirror bacterium with a narrower host range and the ability to invade only a limited set of ecosystems could still cause unprecedented and irreversible harm.” Transmission via animals and humans could enable the spread of such bacteria into different ecosystems. Jones, an expert in plant immune systems, said that mirror bacteria would be extremely difficult to detect in plants. “Even if it didn’t grow very well initially, mutations would kick in and there’d be selection for something that grew better. That’s the way evolution works,” Jones explained. Tom Ellis, a professor of synthetic genome engineering at Imperial College’s Centre for Synthetic Biology and department of bioengineering, said that mirror life was still very much science fiction rather than science fact. “Broadly I agree with the concerns, although they are very speculative considering research is currently at a very early stage and a long way from being any threat,” said Ellis, who wasn’t involved in the research. Scientists had been trying to create synthetic life using non-mirror molecules for more than a decade, Ellis said, but they were still a “long way” from having self-sustaining cells that can divide, replicate and evolve. “This ‘synthetic cell’ work is challenging enough already when (scientists) use normal molecules, enzymes and chemicals. When they have to do all that but only with mirror molecules, that all need to be made and invented, then it makes it ... 1000 times harder,” he said via email.A bullet was discovered just metres from a Melbourne synagogue targeted by arsonists last week as Jewish community members prepare to gather in solidarity against the anti-Semitic attack. The bullet was found by a boy outside the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea on Saturday afternoon. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Bullet found at firebombed synagogue Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today It isn’t clear how long the bullet was there for and police have confirmed they are investigating. The discovery came a day after the building was significantly damaged in a firebombing attack in the early hours of Friday morning . Two of its three buildings were gutted after it was set alight by two masked men in what police have described as a targeted attack. Two congregants who were inside at the time preparing for morning prayers were evacuated, one suffering minor injuries. More than a thousand community members are expected to meet at an undisclosed location in Ripponlea to “stand against hate” on Sunday. The rally will finish with flowers being laid at the synagogue. “This rally is a moment to unite, reflect and reaffirm our shared commitment to resilience and togetherness in our community,” organisers J-United said. Orthodox Jewish parents and children walking through the Ripponlea neighbourhood in Melbourne’s southeast on Saturday paused to take in the damage. The attack on a place of worship, which was built by Holocaust survivors, has led to a heightened sense of fear in the community, Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan confirmed increased police patrols to bolster safety into the coming week and pledged $100,000 towards rebuilding. Despite condemning the attack, she is not expected to attend Sunday’s rally. Politicians and religious leaders unanimously condemned the anti-Semitic arson attack, with Albanese offering to send in Australian Federal Police to help with the Victoria Police investigation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the attack on the Labor Government’s “extreme anti-Israeli position” saying the two were “impossible to separate”. “The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism,” he wrote on X. “I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future.” He said the governments decision to support the United Nation’s call to end Israel’s presence in Gaza was “scandalous”. “Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism,” he said. In response, the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network said any attack on a place of worship was an unacceptable act of hate via social media but accused Netanyahu of seeking to sow division as a distraction from his government’s actions. Former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to set up a police task force devoted to stamping out anti-Semitism and declare the Ripponlea attack a terrorist act. A pro-Palestine rally is expected to be held outside the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne CBD on Sunday that will end with a march through the CBD. That rally has been running weekly for the past year. - With Molly Magennis
CLEVELAND (AP) — Germain Ifedi became the fourth left tackle to start this season for the Cleveland Browns, lining up Thursday night against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. Ifedi moved up the depth chart and into the lineup after starter Dawand Jones broke his left leg last week at New Orleans and had surgery. He'll be responsible for blocking quarterback Jameis Winston's blindside. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.
However, some state workers failed to return to their jobs and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt”. Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighbouring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Mr Assad’s brutal rule. There were already signs of the difficulties ahead for the rebel alliance now in control of much of the country. The alliance is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant, who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said they would not tell women how to dress. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said in a statement on social media. Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services had shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the UN official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also met with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali for the first time. Mr Jalali stayed in Syria when Mr Assad fled and has sought to project normalcy since. “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said that judges were ready to resume work quickly. “We want to give everyone their rights,” Mr Haddad said outside the courthouse. “We want to build a new Syria and to keep the work, but with new methods.” But a UN official said some government services had been paralysed as worried state employees stayed at home. The public sector “has just come to a complete and abrupt halt,” said Adam Abdelmoula, UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, noting, for example, that an aid flight carrying urgently needed medical supplies had been put on hold after aviation employees abandoned their jobs. “This is a country that has had one government for 53 years and then suddenly all of those who have been demonised by the public media are now in charge in the nation’s capital,” Mr Abdelmoula told The Associated Press. “I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again.” In a video shared on a rebel messaging channel, Mr al-Sharaa said: “You will see there are skills” among the rebels. The Kremlin said Russia has granted political asylum to Mr Assad, a decision made by President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Mr Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Mr Putin did not plan to meet with him. Damascus was quiet Monday, with life slowly returning to normal, though most shops and public institutions were closed. In public squares, some people were still celebrating. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food stores. There was little sign of any security presence though in some areas, small groups of armed men were stationed in the streets.Breaking News Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. Christmas Day is one of the most violent days of the year and most common for breaches of family violence intervention orders in Victoria, new police data shows. “While Christmas is a time to get together and celebrate, we know it’s not always the case for some families, as perpetrators use the time together to control or harm family members,” Family Violence Command Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway said. Victoria Police figures show family violence incidents spike about 33 per cent on Christmas Day. Assistant Commissioner Lauren Callaway says some domestic abusers use Christmas to manipulate their families. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele On December 25 last year, police recorded 91 order breach offences and 79 assaults. For the month of December 2023, police logged 8668 family violence incidents across the state. “Whether it’s perpetrators breaching orders by either attending the victim’s home or using technology to make contact or committing assault – the behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Ms Callaway said. “This festive season we will also continue to conduct proactive patrols and checks to let perpetrators know they won’t get away with it.” Police will be making proactive checks across the state this December as families gather. Picture: NewsWire / Wayne Taylor Organisations such as Safe Steps can be called or emailed 24/7. It runs an online direct message service from 9am to midnight. No to Violence runs a men’s referral service. “If you are concerned that your behaviour is putting the safety of family members at risk there are services to call who can help you to change,” Ms Callaway said. “Maybe making that call is the best gift you can give your family this Christmas.” GET HELP Safe Steps • 1800 015 188 • safesteps@safesteps.org.au • Web chat available on weekdays from 9am – midnight, at safesteps.org.au/chat Men’s referral service • Operated by No to Violence • 1300 766 491 Originally published as Family violence spikes 33 per cent on Christmas Day in Victoria More related stories Breaking News Student, teacher killed in US school shooting Student, teacher killed in US school shooting Read more Breaking News Canada deputy PM quits in tariff rift with Trudeau Canada deputy PM quits in tariff rift with Trudeau Read moreNone
None
Every gift company that has heard of me — many I've never heard of — is suggesting a list of gifts for my family and friends. Unburdened by any of the emails I've opened, I thought what if we at “Trivially Speaking” created a possible recommended “TS Gift Suggestions.”The Patriots are out of the playoff picture with five games remaining in the season — including two against the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. And while they pose a tough task for New England, Drake Maye doesn’t see the matchups as daunting ones. “I think it’s an opportunity. Patriots and Bills, two in-Division opponents, I think you’re always going to be excited to play those guys,” the rookie quarterback said during his weekly appearance on WEEI. “And there’s going to be some cold-weather games and football-weather games, so I think that’d be fun to get a chance to go against a great team. And what they’ve done this season is a challenge us and see what we see what we got on our team, especially these last couple weeks. So we definitely go in and take it as a challenge and be ready to go.” Although the Patriots are 3-10 going into their Week 15 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals , Maye has given the fanbase optimism for the future. While he’s struggled at times and made rookie mistakes, Maye has also shown growth every week. Turnovers remain a problem for the 22-year-old — he has eight interceptions in as many starts — but he wants to put emphasis on ball security in the pocket for the remainder of the season. However, he still believes New England is doing a lot of things right despite its record. “At the same time I’m trying to win the game. It’s not like I’m trying to throw interceptions,” Maye said. “... At the end of the day I think we’re moving the ball well, we got guys making plays. We’re fighting, we’re staying in games.” The Patriots will miss the playoffs for a third straight season as well as finish with a losing record. They can still finish the season on a high note over the next five weeks, and Maye can continue to show growth as he looks to end his rookie season in positive fashion. More Patriots ContentPresident-elect Donald Trump was welcomed back to the world stage on Saturday, sitting down with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron with a dramatic backdrop: the reopening of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. With Trump set to return to the White House in January, the three leaders met at the Elysee Palace in Paris with diplomacy on the war in Ukraine in flux. Officials close to Macron and Zelenskyy said the meeting was positive, without providing details. “The world is going a little crazy right now and we’ll be talking about that,” Trump told reporters as he arrived for an initial two-way meeting with Macron. Macron had sought to engineer the talks to initiate a discussion on how to end the war in Ukraine, an official in his office said. Later, the French president hosted guests, including heads of state and global business leaders, at the cathedral that was painstakingly restored after a catastrophic 2019 fire. For Macron, the day’s events offered a brief fillip as he seeks a new prime minister after his government collapsed this week in a show of force by far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Almost three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy and his allies are anxiously watching Trump for signs of how he plans approach the conflict. U.S. weapons and financial aid have been a vital crutch for Kyiv, but Trump had promised he would engineer a swift end to the war on the campaign trail. That’s fueled concerns in Kyiv and other European capitals that the next U.S. administration might roll back support for Ukraine to pressure Zelenskyy to compromise. On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces have been on the back foot for most of the year and Russian gains have been accelerating in recent weeks. The incoming U.S. president faces a daunting range of geopolitical challenges, including war in the Middle East and long-running tensions with China. Shortly before arriving at the presidential palace, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform about the conflict in Syria, where rebels opposed to President Bashar Assad have made rapid advances. A withdrawal of its troops that are helping support Assad might be “the best thing that can happen” to Russia, he said. The U.S., he added, “should have nothing to do with it. This is not our fight.” The visit to Paris is Trump’s first trip abroad to meet with world leaders since he won back the White House in November and is a coup for Macron, who’s seen his political program decimated by the domestic opposition who forced out his prime minister with a no-confidence vote on Wednesday. Macron worked hard to engage Trump through his first term, despite Trump’s occasional barbs, inviting the U.S. leader to the Bastille Day ceremony in 2017 and taking him to dinner at the Eiffel Tower. Trump called Macron weak after the “Yellow Vest” protests broke out in 2018 and attacked him for cozying up to China. On Saturday, Macron deployed all his experience of dealing with Trump, welcoming him with a red-carpet ceremony at the Elysee and making him effectively the guest of honor at the cathedral. Trump was seated in the front row next to Macron and the two men were seen chatting during the service. Regardless of Macron’s domestic struggles, the meeting was testament to the unique soft power of France and the president’s ability to wield it. As Trump and Zelenskiy were speaking, an exclusive list of guests were arriving at the cathedral, which has been rebuilt at a cost of 700 million euros ($740 million). Bernard Arnault, Europe’s richest man, was among the early arrivals. Kering SA Chief Executive Officer Francois-Henri Pinault came with his wife, the actor Salma Hayek. Both men were major donors to the reconstruction effort. Billionaire John Elkann, who chairs automaker Stellantis SA, was also in attendance as was FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni chuckled as she posed for the cameras with Macron and his wife Brigitte. Zelenskyy embraced Macron as he arrived and appeared to say “thank you” to the French leader. The Ukrainian was given an ovation by the guests as he entered the nave. Trump was among the last of the grandees to be greeted by Macron outside the cathedral, though Elon Musk, a close ally of the president-elect, arrived shortly afterward, scurrying across the square in the rain. First lady Jill Biden followed soon before the ceremony started. After the ceremony at the cathedral, a select group of guests will attend a dinner back at Macron’s presidential palace. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Legacy of S M Krishna: A Tribute to a StatesmanNone