Provides

• The U.S. government has provided doses of an experimental antibody drug developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Congo. • This decision marks a shift in policy, as the U.S. previously stated the treatment would only be available to high-risk American citizens. • The provision of these doses allows for the drug to be used in clinical trials, accelerating the process of determining its efficacy against the virus.

Discovery in Siberia suggests bacterium from raw marmots devastated hunter-gatherer tribes about 5,500 years agoThe earliest evidence for an outbreak of plague has been uncovered at late stone age cemeteries in south-eastern Siberia where dozens of hunter-gatherers and their children were buried.Ancient DNA collected from the remains suggests the disease tore through the sparse communities in devastating waves that began about 5,500 years ago, at least two centuries after the bacterium responsible, Yersinia pestis, first emerged. Continue reading...

• Finnish quantum hardware company IQM secured a €50 million financing facility from BlackRock-managed funds to fuel R&D and U.S. market expansion. • The funding supports IQM's preparations for a potential US stock market listing, enhancing its position in quantum computing technology. • This investment underscores growing Wall Street interest in quantum breakthroughs amid competition in advanced computing sectors.

President offered new federal loan guarantees and an update to renewable fuel standards to boost US agricultureDonald Trump is offering aid to farmers and food suppliers as they face a fresh set of challenges amid the US-Israel war on Iran, the White House announced Friday.After a White House event with farmers on Friday, Trump introduced several new measures, including new federal loan guarantees and an update to renewable fuel standards, meant to boost US agriculture as the conflict in Iran continues. Continue reading...

Recording of humpback whale from 1949 could also provide new understanding of how the huge animals communicateA haunting whale song discovered on decades-old audio equipment could open up a new understanding of how the huge animals communicate, according to researchers who say it’s the oldest such recording known.The song is that of a humpback whale, a marine giant beloved by whale watchers for its docile nature and spectacular leaps from the water, and was recorded by scientists in March 1949 in Bermuda, said researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Continue reading...