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Research identifies 808,585 viral genomes belonging to what scientists estimate to be 362,802 different virusesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than a decade after the human microbiome was comprehensively mapped, scientists have now identified the vast communities of microbes that make up the Great Barrier Reef.Analysing DNA from seawater samples of 48 reefs, researchers have mapped the microbiome of the Great Barrier Reef, documenting more than 360,000 distinct viruses as well as more than 500 new bacterial species not previously known to science. Continue reading...

Jazz saxophonist – who recorded with artists Frank Sinatra, BB King and more – died in Los Angeles, reports sayUS jazz saxophonist Plas Johnson, best known for his solo riff on the timeless classic The Pink Panther Theme, has died at the age of 94, according to reports.The native of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, died on 15 July, according to a report from the Los Angeles jazz radio station KKJZ. Continue reading...

The actor, who also appeared in The Waltons and Private Benjamin, died at his home in CaliforniaHal Williams, actor best known for TV roles in Sanford & Son and 227, has died at the age of 91.His representative confirmed that Williams died on 15 July at his home in California. Continue reading...

• A multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis has been identified across the United States, though the specific source of the contamination remains unknown. • Health officials are urging individuals to report all suspected cases of the parasitic infection to their local health departments to assist in tracking. • The situation is critical as identifying the source is necessary to prevent further infections and provide guidance on patient management.

Chesley Sullenberger, 75, safely landed a US Airways flight carrying 155 people in New York’s Hudson river in 2009Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger – the pilot known for the “Miracle on the Hudson” after safely landing a US Airways flight in New York City’s Hudson river during a 2009 emergency – announced on Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.“For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey,” Sullenberger, 75, said in a statement. “This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service. And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward.” Continue reading...

Lillard, of Oklahoma, contracted polio when she was five and slept inside cylindrical metal device to help her breatheThe last known US person living with polio and relying on an iron lung has died aged 78.Martha Lillard, who contracted polio at age five and spent most of her life dependent on an iron lung machine that helped her breathe, died on 26 June in Oklahoma, according to an online obituary. Continue reading...

Data shows the rightwing party faces an obstacle in the form of urban seats – and the effect of preference flows is harder to predictGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation’s spectacular rise from a distant 6% of the vote in the last election to first or second in some recent polls has upended Australian politics. It has also made it a lot harder to predict what exactly will happen at the next election.Traditionally, pollsters and election experts would look at how preferences flowed in previous elections when estimating two-party preferred numbers, or translating polling into seat projections. This was fairly predictable when almost every seat would come down to a contest between Labor and the Coalition. Continue reading...