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Scientists Create Comprehensive Circuit Diagram of Mammalian Brain (Maria)
The author writes, “The most comprehensive circuit diagram of neurons in a mammalian brain has been created by scientists, providing groundbreaking insights into the mystery of how the brain works. The map is of a speck of a mouse’s visual cortex, smaller than a grain of sand, and traces the structure of 84,000 neurons linked by half a billion synapses and approximately 3.3 miles of neuronal wiring. The 3D reconstruction of the cubic millimeter of brain is helping uncover how the brain is organized and how different cell types work together, and could have implications for the understanding of intelligence, consciousness and neuronal conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism and schizophrenia.”
Who Is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Man ICE Mistakenly Deported to an El Salvador Prison? (Reader Steve)
From the AP: “As it stands, Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s story begins and ends in his native El Salvador. When he was a boy, a local gang extorted his family, tried to indoctrinate him and threatened to kill him, according to his immigration case. He fled to the U.S. at 16. He was forced back last month at 29, mistakenly deported by President Donald Trump’s administration to a notorious prison that observers say is rife with abuse. In between was his American life: Working construction, getting married and raising children with disabilities, according to court records. He was also accused by local police in Maryland of being an MS-13 gang member.”
Destruction of Ukraine Dam Triggered Toxic ‘Time Bomb,’ Researchers Say (Laura)
The author writes, “The destruction of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam in June 2023 exposed lake bed sediment containing more than 90,000 tons of dangerous heavy metals, setting off what researchers say is a toxic ‘time bomb.’ An early-morning blast on June 6, 2023, sent torrents of water surging through a breach in the mammoth Soviet-era structure, which had been in Russian hands since the year before. … The rush of water out of one of Europe’s largest reservoirs submerged local flora and fauna, upending fragile ecosystems along the riverbank and in the Black Sea. Industrial pollutants, untreated sewage and waste from flooded factories and cities downstream were swept into the river, contaminating drinking water and arable soil. The rising water — which reached a depth of 15 feet in some areas — obscured marked minefields and swept explosives into new locations.”
Frustrated With a ‘No-Show’ Congress? Blame Winner-Take-All Elections (Dana)
From AL.com: “As President Trump, Elon Musk, and their allies cause chaos and threaten essential services like Social Security, Americans are rightly concerned. Republicans in Congress don’t seem to mind. This ‘no-show’ majority has abdicated its responsibility to represent the people. … Even as DOGE threatens federal employment, the representatives of the workers and families who are doing those jobs have no interest in meeting with their constituents.”
In Trump Cases, Supreme Court Retreats From Confrontation (Al)
The author writes, “The court led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. over the last two decades has not been known for its modesty or caution. Its signature move has been bold assertions of power backed by sweeping claims about the meaning of the Constitution. It gutted campaign finance laws and the Voting Rights Act, overturned the constitutional right to abortion, did away with affirmative action in higher education, and adopted a new interpretation of the Second Amendment that protects an individual’s right to own guns. But as the first wave of challenges to President Trump’s blitz of executive orders has reached the justices, a very different portrait of the court is emerging. It has issued a series of narrow and legalistic rulings that seem calculated to avoid the larger issues presented by a president rapidly working to expand power.”
‘It Won’t End Like Jurassic Park!’ The Man Who Wants To Bring the Mammoth and Dodo Back to Life (Sean)
From The Guardian: “Colossal Biosciences founder Ben Lamm is working to revive the woolly mammoth and the dodo — but he wants to make clear the ending will be different to that of Steven Spielberg’s gory dinosaur epic Jurassic Park. … Colossal Biosciences, Lamm’s latest company, which has labs in Dallas, Texas; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Melbourne, Australia; recently announced that it had completed a $200m funding round. Past investors have included Lord of the Rings film-maker Peter Jackson. He reiterates the company’s claim that it hopes to bring the first woolly mammoth calf into the modern world — born to a surrogate elephant mother — by late 2028. ‘We’re still on track for that, which is amazing.’”
