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This article is a selection from the November/December 2022 issue of Smithsonian magazineSubscribe Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, from a 15th-century woodcut. Bridgeman ImagesThe Zilbersteins were interested not in the words on the page, however, but something else—physical remnants of the prince himself, including molecule fragments from his sweat, saliva and tears. Their work harnesses breathtaking advances in a field known as proteomics, which seeks to understand the interaction of proteins within living cells and organisms. Proteins have long been studied in the context of biology and medicine, but spectacularly sensitive analytical techniques now allow researchers to...

The immunity generated from an infection was found to be “at least as high, if not higher” than that provided by two doses of an mRNA vaccine.Immunity acquired from a Covid infection provides strong, lasting protection against the most severe outcomes of the illness, according to research published Thursday in The Lancet — protection, experts say, that’s on par with what’s provided through two doses of an mRNA vaccine. Infection-acquired immunity cut the risk of hospitalization and death from a Covid reinfection by 88% for at least 10 months, the study found. “This is really good news, in the sense...

Forget nuclear war or global warming: America is still 'fundamentally unprepared' for zoonotic diseases - the biggest threat to humankind, says analysis by Harvard and NYU Infections that jump from animals to humans could spark the next pandemic, scientists have warned Experts say the US still has 'blindspots' in its regulations raising the risk of an outbreak in the country READ MORE: WHO warns nations to 'prepare' for bird flu pandemic after infections spotted in mammals With the US teetering on the brink of nuclear war with Russia and gloomy warnings about climate change, many believe these events could end...

For nearly eight months, 23 Fulton County residents met in secret to investigate a hotly contested question: did former President Donald Trump and his allies break Georgia laws by meddling in the 2020 election? On Thursday, the public got its first glimpse into what they found as a judge released five pages of their final report. Members of the special grand jury agreed unanimously that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election as Trump and his supporters had claimed. A majority of the panel also recommended that prosecutors should pursue perjury charges against at least one...

An attorney for one of the leading members of the right-wing Proud Boys group said on Thursday that they need assistance from the Justice Department to subpoena former President Trump in their ongoing seditious conspiracy trial, according to multiple reports. Norm Pattis, the attorney for Proud Boys member Joseph Biggs, said in court on Thursday that they need the government’s assistance to serve the subpoena due to the presence of Secret Service, according to the Washington Post. “At all times relevant, Trump was president of the United States, and it’s the government’s obligation to produce him,” Pattis said, per the...

When Ohio Senator JD Vance was briefing the press earlier today, he was asked about East Palestine residents being required to sign indemnity waivers, releasing Norfolk Southern Railway from legal liability, as a requirement of having their water/air tests conducted on their property. Senator Vance said he talked to a resident about it, then reviewed the contract and confirmed the indemnity demand. Vance then immediately called Norfolk Southern Railroad officials and asked them about it. According to Vance, the response from Norfolk Southern Railway was that the liability waiver was accidentally presented. ... Does anyone really believe the contingency waivers...

The United States continues to lead the world in contributions to Ukraine with nearly $200 billion in promised or sent aid, as the U.S. ally continues its fight against Russia.According to the Ukrainian government, the U.S. leads all countries with $196 billion in total military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine between Jan. 24, 2022 through Nov. 20, 2022. Germany has sent the second-most funds, with $172 billion sent in that span.In that same span, the rest of the world has contributed less than $75 billion of total aid, with most of that sum coming from the United Kingdom ($28.2...

... The California K9 bill was introduced this week by Democratic Assembly members Dr. Corey Jackson and Ash Kalra.... ... ... ... They say the practice of using police dogs in these incidents is "deeply racialized, ...

@wesyang Rachel Levine: “Medicine and science are being politically perverted around the country — this destroys human lives Clip...

So, in summary, no recession. "This means that the real question about monetary policy in the U.S. this year is not when the Fed will start easing. It is whether the Fed will decide in the summer to tighten substantially further, or to accept permanently higher inflation--in either case precipitating a second plunge in bond and equity prices," says Kaletsky.

A Hebrew Bible more than 1,000 years old and described as "one of the most important and singular texts in human history" will go on show later this month, before going under the hammer. The Codex Sassoon, dating to the late 9th to early 10th, is believed to be the earliest and most complete Hebrew Bible. It will be on show at Sotheby's in London from February 22-28, followed by an exhibition tour to Israel and the US. It will go up for auction in New York in May, where it is expected to fetch between $30 million and $50...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Small arms, ATGMs, MANPADS, loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles, trailers and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When the...

New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport's Terminal 1 will remain closed Friday due to electrical issues, the airport said late Thursday. Friday's closure comes after a Thursday night power outage at the terminal disrupted more than 100 flights at the city's busiest airport. The airport tweeted that an electrical panel failure, which caused a small fire that was immediately extinguished, was responsible for the overnight outage. image Some 30 flights into or out of JFK were canceled on Friday, according to data from FlightAware, a website that tracks flight cancellations and delays. "Travelers should check with their carriers for...

A cross-aisle bill to revoke citizenship from convicted terrorists who receive Palestinian Authority funds for their crimes passed its penultimate stage on Tuesday, receiving approval for its final two readings Wednesday on the Knesset floor. The bill applies to both Israeli citizens and permanent residents incarcerated following a conviction for terror, aiding terror, harming Israeli sovereignty, inciting war, or aiding an enemy during wartime, and enables the interior minister to revoke their status after a hearing. The bill also expands the ability to revoke citizenship from persons lacking a second citizenship, provided they have a permanent residence status outside of...

Britain’s defence minister has warned that Ukraine must learn to fight while using weapons and ammunition more sparingly, or face the possibility of running out. Ben Wallace, the UK’s Secretary of Defence, has warned that Ukraine must learn to fight like a “Western” nation, saying that the country risks running out of weapons and ammunition in its fight against Russia if it continues to fail to use its resources sparingly. The Conservative Party official’s warning comes as Ukraine’s war efforts begin to run the country’s own supply of munitions dry, but also those of a number of European nations keen...

A mother is speaking out after her son was strangled on a school bus. Taylor Brock said that the bully is an older girl who was merely suspended

‘Leaving capitalist consumerism and market economics as the dominant stewards of the only known civilization in the universe will most likely seem, in retrospect, to have been a terrible idea.’ That’s the latest criticism of the established world order from Greta Thunberg, arguably the best-known face of the climate movement and perhaps of Gen Z politics writ large. If capitalism created the crisis, as Thunberg suggests, then leaning on its mechanisms to fix the crisis is a flawed idea, she says. Her takedown of capitalism features in a new book out Tuesday. And the book suggests it’s not too late...

When Secretary of State Blinken met with PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas, he boasted of the over billion dollars in aid that the Biden administration had programmed for the terrorist territories.That aid has come with a very heavy price.In Feb 2019, President Trump’s total cutoff of aid became official. That year, 10 Israelis or people in Israeli controlled areas were killed in stabbings, shootings, rocket and other attacks, down from 12 the previous year, and 15 in 2017, and 16 in 2016.In 2020 however only three Israelis were killed.These numbers reflected the diminished capacity of the Islamic terrorists. The reduction in...

Die-hard climate skeptics are "never going to be convinced" by the need for policies to combat climate change as they are in "direct opposition" to their ideology, climate experts have said. Some Republicans frequently push back at what they see as the "climate agenda." Academics said that many of these claims—as well as some opposing views from liberals—feed into existing narratives that serve to shape the conversation towards their viewpoint. According to the Center for American Progress, no Democrats in the 117th Congress have explicitly expressed climate denial views. Tim Forsyth, professor in environment and politics at the London School...

Yet again, the Palestinians have just held, in both Gaza and the West Bank, ghoulish celebrations of the murder of Israeli civilians, including a six-year-old child. More on these celebrations can be found here: “Palestinians Celebrate Murder of Israelis in Terrorist Attack, Media Headlines Call Victims ‘Settlers,’” by Dion J. Pierre, Algemeiner, February 10, 2023:Images on social media circulated Friday of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza celebrating a terrorist attack in Jerusalem that left two Israelis dead on Friday morning, just hours before the beginning of Shabbat.In a video posted to Twitter, a man instructs children in Gaza...