Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08734-4Sleep-inducing neurons in Drosophila rely on Hyperkinetic, the -subunit of the KV1 channel Shaker, to monitor sleep need by translating lipid peroxidation events into changes in the oxidation state of a stably bound NADPH cofactor.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08739-zA quantum microsatellite, with a payload weighing only 23kilograms, in combination with portable ground stations that weigh merely 100kilograms, is capable of performing space-to-ground real-time quantum key distribution.

People pray for Pope Francis in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, where the Pontiff is hospitalized since Friday, Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)2025-03-19T18:04:13Z ROME (AP) Pope Francis condition continued to improve Wednesday and he hasnt needed to use the mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe, the Vatican said in signalling further progress in his recovery from double pneumonia.The 88-year-old pontiff is also reducing his reliance on high-flow supplemental oxygen during the day, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin. His pneumonia infection, while not completely eliminated, is under control, the Holy See press office said.Francis concelebrated Mass on Wednesday, which is an important feast day for the Catholic Church and is the anniversary of his installation as pope 12 years ago.Francis has been at Romes Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14 for a complex lung infection that turned into pneumonia in both lungs. He has been receiving respiratory and physical therapy to help strengthen his lungs. For two nights in a row, he hasnt needed to use the noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask, which pumps oxygen into his lungs, and doctors said its use had been suspended. Francis was put on the ventilation mask after he suffered a spate of respiratory crises in late February and early March during which he was unable to expel the mucus and fluid that had accumulated in his lungs. Suspending use of the mask means Francis lungs are working harder and better on their own.The Vatican is also again reducing its medical updates as Francis slowly continues his recovery, with the next one not expected before Monday.Italian President Sergio Mattarella commemorated the 12th anniversary of Francis installation as pope by sending him a letter praising his initiatives as pope. Mattarella offered best wishes for the continuation of his pontificate and all the more heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery. ___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This undated file photo provided by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry shows Aaron Brian Gunches, who was convicted of murder in the 2002 killing of Ted Price in Maricopa County, Ariz. (Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP, File)2025-03-19T04:06:09Z FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) An Arizona man who kidnapped and murdered his girlfriends ex-husband was executed Wednesday, the second of four prisoners scheduled to be put to death this week in the U.S.Aaron Brian Gunches, 53, was lethally injected with pentobarbital at the Arizona State Prison Complex in the town of Florence, John Barcello, deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, told news outlets. He was pronounced dead at 10:33 a.m. Gunches fatally shot Ted Price in the desert outside the Phoenix suburb of Mesa in 2002. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in 2007. The prisoner did not have any final words, Barcello said. He took a few heavy breaths and let out a snoring-type sound.By all accounts, the process went according to plan without any incident at all, Barcello said. Gunches execution had originally been scheduled for April 2023, but was called off after Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered a review of the states death penalty procedures. Late last year, Hobbs fired the retired judge she had appointed to conduct the review, and the states corrections department announced changes in the team that lethally injects death row prisoners. Gunches execution was carried out by inserting IVs into his arms, according to news media representatives who witnessed the execution. In the states two previous executions, the IV had been inserted into the prisoners femoral artery. This is probably the smoothest execution Ive seen, and I think some of that came from the resoluteness of the person being executed, said journalist Michael Kiefer of the Arizona Mirror, who has witnessed two executions and covered another nine. He said Gunches was pronounced dead 17 minutes after the injection was administered. Troy Hayden of 12News KPNX said he saw no signs of pain on Gunches face. There wasnt wincing or anything like that, Hayden said. Gunches is the second person executed this week in the U.S. Louisiana executed a man on Tuesday, and two more executions were scheduled in Florida and Oklahoma on Thursday. Arizona is the first state with a Democratic governor to execute someone since 2017, when Virginia did so under then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe.The family of Ted Price has been waiting for justice for more than two decades, Arizona Attorney General Kris Maye said at a news conference following Wednesdays execution. They deserve closure.The killingAuthorities say Prices ex-wife struck Price in the face with a phone during an argument in late 2002 at her apartment, leaving him conscious but dazed. Prices sister, Karen Price, said her brother had threatened to report his ex to child welfare authorities for doing drugs in front of their children. Gunches arrived at the apartment later. He asked two other women who were there with his girlfriend to put Price in a car and drive him to a bus station. But when they realized they didnt have enough money for a bus ticket, they instead drove into the desert, where Gunches shot Price, authorities said. Gunches was arrested in January 2003 after being pulled over by an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper near the California state line. Gunches shot the trooper, who was saved by a bulletproof vest. Bullet casings from that shooting matched ammunition that had been found near Prices body, and Gunches was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in October 2003.Karen Price described her brother as a kind and loving person who enjoyed watching the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks and riding his motorcycle. She said her family was devastated by Teds death. The end of a long, painful processTeds murder was not random, Colleen Clase, a lawyer representing Karen Price, said in a statement distributed to the news media. It was a senseless act committed because he dared to do the right thing. Nearly 23 years later, today marks the end of a long and painful legal process. While no execution can truly bring closure, it is a relief to no longer relive this nightmare in courtrooms and legal battles.Ted Prices daughter, Brittney Price said in a statement that the pain of reliving the circumstances surrounding my fathers death for over two decades has taken a significant toll on my family and me.Today marks the end of that painful chapter and I couldnt be more grateful, she said.Gunches tried to move up the executionGunches, who represented himself even though he isnt a lawyer, asked the Arizona Supreme Court in 2022 to issue an execution warrant against him to give closure to Prices family. He later withdrew the request. The execution was scheduled anyway but later postponed amid the review ordered by Hobbs.In late December, Gunches asked the states highest court to skip legal formalities and schedule his execution as soon as possible, saying his death sentence was long overdue. The court refused the request and later set his execution date for Wednesday. No reprieve grantedThere were no last-minute reprieves for Gunches, despite objections by lawyers who didnt represent him yet still asked the Arizona Supreme Court not to issue his execution warrant. The lawyers said injecting someone with pentobarbital in large amounts has been shown to cause fluid to seep into the lungs and drown people in their own fluids. The court rejected their request, saying it was not appropriate to use Gunches case to argue the merits of lethal injection. It also ruled that the necessary requirements to carry out Gunches execution had been met.___Billeaud reported from Phoenix. JACQUES BILLEAUD Billeaud is an Associated Press reporter who covers courts and law enforcement in Arizona. He previously covered immigration and the Arizona Legislature. SEJAL GOVINDARAO Govindarao covers Arizona government and politics for The Associated Press, with a focus on women in state government. She is based in Phoenix. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00747-3A datacentric approach will allow consumers and producers to make informed decisions that aid the transition to clean power.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08678-9Mandimycin, a polyene macrolide, exhibits strong antifungal activity and possesses a mode of action that is distinct from other compounds of this class.

Student negotiator Mahmoud Khalil is on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, file)2025-03-19T14:03:50Z NEW YORK (AP) A Columbia University student activist detained by the U.S. government over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations can challenge the legality of his detention, but the case should be heard in New Jersey, rather than in New York or Louisiana, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.Mahmoud Khalil, 30, a legal U.S. resident with no criminal record, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8. He was held overnight at an immigration detention center in New Jersey before being moved to an immigration facility in Jena, Louisiana.Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan called the legal challenge an exceptional case in need of careful legal review to determine whether the government violated the law or exercised its otherwise lawful authority in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner.Furman said New Jersey was the appropriate venue because Khalil was detained there when his lawyers sued the government. AP AUDIO: Federal judge says Columbia student activists case should be heard in New Jersey AP correspondent Julie Walker reports a federal judge says a Columbia University activists case should be heard in New Jersey. Federal authorities argued to move the case to Louisiana, saying Khalil was there because of a lack of available detention center beds in the metropolitan New York region and because of a bedbug infestation at a lockup in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Khalils lawyers said the transfer was a retaliatory action separating Khalil from his lawyers and an effort to find a jurisdiction where judges may be more favorable to the Republican administrations unusual legal claims. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Government lawyers had said that if the case wasnt sent to Louisiana, New Jersey was also a proper venue.In a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union, Khalils wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, called Furmans order a first step.His unlawful and unjust detention cannot stand. We will not stop fighting until he is home with me, said Abdalla, a dentist and U.S. citizen who is pregnant with their first child. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited as grounds for Khalils deportation a rarely-used statute giving him sweeping power to deport those who pose potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.The White House has accused Khalil of siding with terrorists, but has yet to provide support for the claim. President Donald Trump has described Khalils case as the first of many to come.Khalil, an international affairs graduate student, had represented student activists in negotiations with Columbia University over protests of the war in Gaza. The Trump administration is acting quickly to make an example of Columbia as it demands stronger action against allegations of anti-Jewish bias on college campuses.___Haigh reported from Connecticut. SUSAN HAIGH Haigh covers the Connecticut General Assembly, state government, politics, public policy matters and more for The Associated Press. She has worked for The AP since 2002. twitter mailto

NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore stand together for a photo enroute to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for their liftoff on a Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)2025-03-19T19:11:17Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arent the first to run late in space, and their 9 -month mission falls short of any endurance record.But never before has a quick trip morphed into such a long haul.The pair launched last June on a test flight of Boeings new Starliner crew capsule, figuring to be gone eight days. By the time they splashed down with SpaceX on Tuesday, they had spent 286 days off the planet 36 times longer than anticipated.If you look at it mathematically, by percentage of the original planned mission, this is the largest percentage extension, NASAs space operations chief Ken Bowersox. A former astronaut, Bowersox saw his own space station mission abruptly prolonged. He was up there with Don Pettit, whos currently aboard the orbiting lab, when shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry in 2003, killing all seven on board and grounding the shuttle fleet for more than two years. The reasons were terrible that we stayed longer on our mission, said Bowersox, whose planned four-month stay clocked in at more than five months.Heres a look at some others who found themselves stuck in space by choice or not along with some cool spaceflight statistics. Longest U.S. spaceflightNASA astronaut Frank Rubio saw his mission doubled in length from 6 months to 12 months after his assigned Russian Soyuz capsule took a micrometeorite hit while docked to the space station and leaked all its coolant. A replacement capsule was launched to bring Rubio and his two Russian crewmates home in 2023. His 371-day spaceflight is the longest by an American. NASAs first year-in-space astronaut was Scott Kelly; he logged 340 days at the space station in 2015 and 2016. His identical twin brother, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, also served as a NASA astronaut on short shuttle flights. Worlds longest spaceflightRussian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov spent 14 months aboard the Mir space station in the mid-1990s. He volunteered for it. As a physician, he wanted to observe the changes in the human body and mind after a prolonged period of weightlessness. His 437-day spaceflight remains a world record. Polyakov died in 2022 at age 80. Longest spaceflight by a womanNASAs Christina Koch holds the title with her 328-day space station mission in 2019 and 2020. During that same flight, she performed the first all-female spacewalk alongside Jessica Meir. Koch is currently assigned to NASAs first Artemis crew, which will fly around the moon and back as early as next year.Most experience in spaceRussian Oleg Kononenko last year became the first person to crack 1,000 days in space over the course of a career. By the time he returned from the space station last fall, hed logged an incredible 1,111 days aloft over five spaceflights a combined total of more than three years. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is Americas most experienced space flier with 675 days over three long station stints and one short private trip for Axiom Space. Shes due to lead another Axiom crew to the space station later this spring. Because of her delayed homecoming, Williams moved into the No. 2 spot with 608 days in space over three missions. Female spacewalking records Williams became the most experienced female spacewalker in the world, thanks to her prolonged mission. She ventured out twice earlier this year for station repairs and maintenance, bringing her spacewalking career total to 62 hours. Over three space station missions, she performed nine spacewalks, one less than Whitson. But Whitsons spacewalks were shorter, totaling 60 hours.Overall spacewalking recordsRetired Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev holds the overall record with 16 spacewalks totaling around 80 hours. NASAs spacewalking champ is retired astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria with 10 spacewalks for a total of 67 hours.Number of space travelersA NASA tally shows 721 people have flown in space, including tourists on short hops and military X-15 pilots. Of that total, 102 are women. The first person in space was the Soviet Unions Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961. The first American, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, followed on May 5, 1961. The first woman in space was the Soviet Unions Valentina Tereshkova in 1963. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983. Of those four, only Tereshkova is still alive. Number of current NASA astronautsNASA counts 47 on its active astronaut list. Twenty are women. That doesnt include several astronauts who have moved over to management roles at the space agency.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08687-8B cell germinal centres achieve a balance between clonal expansion and sequence diversification by suppressing somatic hypermutation during proliferative clonal bursts.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00847-0Experiments suggest that an unusual magnetic material can help harness energy from the planets rotation. But not everyone is convinced.

The streets are covered with snow after a storm on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Margery Beck)2025-03-19T16:55:25Z OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Another storm system is affecting millions of people in the middle of the U.S., leaving parts of the Midwest and Great Plains under blizzard conditions and a broad swath of neighboring states at risk of high winds and wildfires.Roughly 72 million people were under a wind advisory or warning Wednesday, with winds gusting over 45 mph (72 kph), according to Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center.At this time of year, cold air lingering in the north collides with warm air coming in from the south to produce strong, low pressure systems, Jackson said. But Wednesdays weather is the third storm system to rapidly develop in recent weeks and bring high winds to a large swath of the U.S., a very active pattern since February, Jackson said. At least 42 people died over the weekend when dynamic storms unleashed tornadoes, blinding dust and wildfires leaving behind uprooted trees and flattening hundreds of homes and businesses across eight U.S. states in the South and Midwest. Snow for someA band from southwestern Kansas up to central Wisconsin was expected to see as little as 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow or as much as 1 foot (30 cm) Wednesday. Combined with high winds, forecasters warned of whiteout conditions.The Kansas Department of Transportation closed more than 250 miles (402 kilometers) of Interstate 70 from the Colorado border east to Salina, Kansas because of winter weather. The first stretch to close 39 miles (62 km) between Goodland and Colby in western Kansas was also impacted by last weeks high winds. Eight people died after a dust storm resulted in a pileup of 71 cars and trucks.Blizzard conditions early Wednesday led to near-zero visibility in south central Nebraska, the state patrol said in a Facebook post urging people to stay off the roads. More than 160 miles (257 km) of Interstate 80 cutting east from Lincoln west to Lexington was closed. Further east, a jackknifed semi-trailer blocked two eastbound lanes on I-80, the Nebraska Department of Transportation reported Wednesday. Power outages affected households and businesses as heavy snow and high winds knocked down tree branches and led schools to cancel classes. Roughly 50,000 customers in Nebraska were without power Wednesday morning, as were several thousand in western Iowa.Crashes also caused road closures in northwestern Iowa as the fast-moving, large storm continued on. By midday Wednesday, nearly 70 miles (113 km) of Interstate 29 running along the border between eastern Nebraska and western Iowa had closed.The sudden storm left many in the region with weather whiplash, following a springlike Tuesday with temperatures in some parts reaching beyond 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). High winds and risk of firesWhere its not snowing, there are still very strong winds. Gusts combined with dry conditions from Texas and Oklahoma up through Arkansas and central Missouri bring the potential for wildfires.Before plants are growing, Jackson said, theres a lot of dry fuel out there.The fire threat ramped up Tuesday and persisted Wednesday in the region, with renewed risk in parts of Oklahoma still reeling from an outbreak of wildfires that started Friday. More than 400 homes were severely damaged or destroyed, and at least four people died due to the fires or high winds, including a person killed in a vehicle accident as a result of poor visibility due to dust or smoke, officials said.Tornadoes possibleThe potential for severe thunderstorms plagued central Illinois Wednesday afternoon with risks of hail, strong wind and tornadoes. Much of Illinois and Indiana were forecasted to be under slight risk, with lower risk further south through the Tennessee Valley.Looking ahead and eastwardJackson said the storm affecting much of the U.S. Wednesday will send a cold front across the eastern seaboard later Thursday, bringing a renewed low pressure system with the potential to dump heavier snowfall in higher elevation parts of New England.___Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa. John Hanna contributed from Topeka, Kansas.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00796-8Cells called neutrophils form gooey rings around sites where skin is punctured, study in mice shows.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00801-0A bacterium makes a molecule that kills drug-resistant fungi in an unusual way by targeting various phospholipid molecules in membranes.

Dakota Access pipeline protesters defy law enforcement officers who are trying to force them from a camp on private land in the path of pipeline construction, Oct. 27, 2016, near Cannon Ball, N.D. (AP Photo/James MacPherson, File)2025-03-19T18:57:11Z MANDAN, N.D. (AP) A North Dakota jury on Wednesday found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.The nine-person jury awarded Dallas-based Energy Transfer and its subsidiary Dakota Access more than $650 million in damages.The lawsuit had accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy and other acts.When asked if Greenpeace plans to appeal, Senior Legal Adviser Deepa Padmanabha said, We know that this fight is not over.Following the verdict, Greenpeaces senior legal adviser said the organizations work is never going stop, when asked if the amount of damages would end Greenpeace in the United States.Thats the really important message today, and were just walking out and were going to get together and figure out what our next steps are, Padmanabha said. The organization said it plans to appeal the decision.Energy Transfer called the verdict a win for residents of Mandan, North Dakota, and across the state. While we are pleased that Greenpeace has been held accountable for their actions against us, this win is really for the people of Mandan and throughout North Dakota who had to live through the daily harassment and disruptions caused by the protesters who were funded and trained by Greenpeace, the company said in a statement to The Associated Press. The company, who previously said the lawsuit was about Greenpeace not following the law and not free speech, also called the verdict a win for Americans who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law.The case reaches back to protests in 2016 and 2017 against the Dakota Access oil pipeline and its Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes reservation. For years the tribe has opposed the line as a risk to its water supply. The multistate pipeline has been transporting oil since mid-2017. Plaintiffs attorney Trey Cox has said Greenpeace carried out a scheme to stop the pipelines construction. During opening statements, he alleged Greenpeace paid outsiders to come into the area and protest, sent blockade supplies, organized or led protester trainings, and made untrue statements about the project to stop it.Attorneys for the Greenpeace entities said there is no evidence to the claims, that Greenpeace employees had little or no involvement in the protests and the organizations had nothing to do with Energy Transfers delays in construction or refinancing.Greenpeace representatives have said the lawsuit is a critical test of First Amendment free speech and protest rights and could threaten the organizations future. JACK DURA Dura covers the North Dakota state government for The Associated Press. He is based in Bismarck, North Dakota. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kenndy in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo, file)2025-03-19T20:59:40Z DALLAS (AP) Newly released documents related to President John F. Kennedys assassination in 1963 gave curious readers more details Wednesday into Cold War-era covert U.S. operations in other nations but didnt initially lend credence to long-circulating conspiracy theories about who killed JFK. Assessments of the roughly 2,200 files posted by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on its website came with a huge caveat: No one had enough time as of Wednesday to review more than a small fraction of them. The vast majority of the National Archives more than 6 million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts related to the assassination have previously been released.An initial Associated Press review of more than 63,000 pages of records released this week shows that some were not directly related to the assassination but rather dealt with covert CIA operations, particularly in Cuba. And nothing in the first documents examined undercut the conclusion that Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Nothing points to a second gunman, said Philip Shenon, who wrote a 2013 book about the assassination. I havent seen any big blockbusters that rewrite the essential history of the assassination, but it is very early. Kennedy was killed on a visit to Dallas, when his motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown and shots rang out from the Texas School Book Depository building. Police arrested the 24-year-old Oswald, a former Marine who had positioned himself from a snipers perch on the sixth floor. Two days later Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast live on television. Historians hope for new details about the man who killed JFKA year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, established by Johnson to investigate, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But critics of the commission still spun a web of alternative theories.Historians are hoping for details fleshing out Oswalds activities before the assassination and what the CIA and FBI knew about him beforehand. Shenon pointed Wednesday to previously released documents about a trip Oswald made to Mexico City at the end of September 1963. Records show Oswald intended to contact the Soviet Unions embassy there after living as a U.S. defector in the U.S.S.R. from October 1959 until June 1962. Shenon said the U.S. government may have kept information about what it knew about Oswald before the assassination secret to hide what he described as officials possible incompetence and laziness. The CIA had Oswald under pretty aggressive surveillance while he was there and this was just several weeks before the assassination, Shenon said. Theres reason to believe he talked openly about killing Kennedy in Mexico City and that people overheard him say that.Speculation about such details surrounding Kennedys assassination has been intense over the decades, generating countless conspiracy theories about multiple shooters and involvement by the Soviet Union, the mafia and the CIA. The new release fueled rampant online speculation and sent people scurrying to read the documents and share online what they might mean. Many documents already were public but information had been redactedThe latest release of documents followed an order by President Donald Trump, though most of the records were made public previously with redactions. Before Tuesday, researchers had estimated that 3,000 to 3,500 files were still unreleased, either wholly or partially. Last month, the FBI said it had discovered about 2,400 new records related to the assassination. Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination, said in a statement posted on the social platform X that much of the rampant overclassification of trivial information has been eliminated from the documents. A boon to historians of the Cold WarThe latest release also is a boon to historians of the Cold War. Timothy Natafali, an adjunct professor at Columbia University who is writing a book about JFKs presidency, said scholars now appear to have more details about U.S. intelligence activities under Kennedy than under any other president. For example, in October 1975, U.S. senators were investigating what the CIA knew about Oswald, and an October 1975 memo said they considered the agency not forthcoming. A version of that memo released in 2023 redacted the name of the CIAs security contact on Oswald in Mexico, as well as the identity of someone behind the penetration of the Cuban embassy there. The latest version shows that the security contact was the president of Mexico in 1975, Luis Echeverria Alvarez, who died in 2022, and that the Mexican government itself penetrated the Cuban embassy.Also, Nafatali said, before the latest release, the government had made public copies of President Lyndon B. Johnsons daily checklist of highly sensitive foreign intelligence in the days after Kennedys assassination, but with much of the material redacted. Now, he said, people can read what Johnson read.Its quite remarkable to be able to walk through that secret world, he said. Some records provide small details about covert operationsDocuments show that in December 1963, the CIA directors office was receiving messages from and replying to operatives in Cuba seeking to undermine the government under Fidel Castro. One, on Dec. 9, 1963, relayed a message to the director from Cuba: TODAY RECD THE MAGNUM PISTOLS BUT NO BULLETS. Youre getting both a birds-eye view of U.S. foreign policy, and youre also getting a snails eye view of covert action, right there on the ground, Nafatali said.In a previously released April 1975 memo, the CIA downplayed what it knew about Oswalds visit to Mexico City before the assassination. The memo said the CIA recorded three phone calls between Oswald and a guard at the Soviet embassy, but only in the last one did Oswald identify himself.Were now discovering how much more the CIA and the FBI knew before the assassination about Oswald, Shenon said. And the question is, why didnt they act on the information in their own files?____Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. JOHN HANNA Hanna covers politics and state government in Kansas for The Associated Press. Hes worked for the AP in Topeka since 1986. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08732-6VDAC2 deficiency elicits uncontrolled IFN-induced BAK activation and mitochondrial damage for improved cancer therapy.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08777-7Genomic evolutionary rates are decomposed to identify the dominant lineages and genes driving rate variation across the phylogeny of birds.

This image provided by NSFs NOIRLab shows the trails of stars above Kitt Peak National Observatory, where a telescope is mapping the universe to study a mysterious force called dark energy. (NSFs NoirLab via AP)2025-03-19T22:01:46Z NEW YORK (AP) Scientists are homing in on the nature of a mysterious force called dark energy, and nothing short of the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. The force is enormous it makes up nearly 70% of the universe. And it is powerful it is pushing all the stars and galaxies away from each other at an ever faster rate. And now scientists are getting a little closer to understanding how it behaves. The big question is whether this dark energy is a constant force, which scientists have long thought, or whether the force is weakening, a surprising wrinkle tentatively proposed last year. Results presented at a meeting of the American Physical Society Wednesday bolster the case that the force is weakening, though scientists are not yet certain and they still havent worked out what this means for the rest of their understanding of the universe. The updated findings come from an international research collaboration that is creating a three-dimensional map to see how galaxies have spread and clustered over 11 billion years of the universes history. Carefully tracking how galaxies move helps scientists learn about the forces that are moving them around. Called the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, the collaboration released its first analysis of 6 million galaxies and quasars last year and has now added more data, bringing the count to nearly 15 million. Their updated results, taken with other measurements exploding stars, leftover light from the young universe and distortions in galaxy shape support the idea presented last year that dark energy may be waning. Its moving from a really surprising finding to almost a moment where we have to throw out how weve thought about cosmology and start over, said Bhuvnesh Jain, a cosmologist with the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved with the research.Its not time to completely rule out the idea that dark energy is constant because the new results are still shy of the gold standard level of statistical proof physics requires. The collaboration aims to map around 50 million galaxies and quasars by the end of its survey in 2026. And other efforts around the globe have an eye on dark energy and aim to release their own data in the coming years, including the European Space Agencys Euclid mission and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. We want to see several different collaborations having similar measurements at that gold standard to be sure that dark energy is weakening, said cosmologist Kris Pardo with the University of Southern California who was not involved with the new research.If dark energy is constant, scientists say our universe may continue to expand forever, growing ever colder, lonelier and still.If dark energy ebbs with time, which now seems plausible, the universe could one day stop expanding and then eventually collapse on itself in whats called the Big Crunch. It might not seem like the cheeriest fate, but it offers some closure, said cosmologist and study collaborator Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki of the University of Texas at Dallas. Now, there is the possibility that everything comes to an end, he said. Would we consider that a good or bad thing? I dont know.-The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN Ramakrishnan is a science reporter for The Associated Press, based in New York. She covers research and new developments related to space, early human history and more. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00816-7A network of quantum satellites that communicate with ground stations could offer a solution to enable a global quantum network. A quantum microsatellite that has been developed and launched can perform space-to-ground quantum communication using portable ground stations.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00802-zIn forest experiments, tree species capable of high rates of photosynthesis grow more slowly than species with lower maximum rates of photosynthesis with implications for tree-planting projects.

Jake Heinrichs hugs his wife, Rachel Chavkin, after speaking about early-stage Alzheimer's disease while inside their home in New York, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)2025-03-19T23:31:44Z An experimental treatment appears to delay Alzheimers symptoms in some people genetically destined to get the disease in their 40s or 50s, according to new findings from ongoing research now caught up in Trump administration funding delays.The early results a scientific first were published Wednesday even as study participants worried that politics could cut their access to a possible lifeline.Its still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having, said Jake Heinrichs of New York City.Now 50, Heinrichs has been treated in that study for more than a decade and remains symptom-free despite inheriting an Alzheimers-causing gene that killed his father and brother around the same age.If blocked funding stops Heinrichs doses, how much time do we have? asked his wife, Rachel Chavkin. This trial is life. Two drugs sold in the U.S. can modestly slow worsening of early-stage Alzheimers by clearing the brain of one of its hallmarks, a sticky gunk called amyloid. But until now, there havent been hints that removing amyloid far earlier many years before the first symptoms appear just might postpone the disease. The research led by Washington University in St. Louis involves families that pass down rare gene mutations almost guaranteeing theyll develop symptoms at the same age their affected relatives did information that helps scientists tell if treatments are having any effect. The new findings center on a subset of 22 participants who received amyloid-removing drugs the longest, on average eight years. Long-term amyloid removal cut in half their risk of symptom onset, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Lancet Neurology.Despite the studys small size, its incredibly important, said Northwestern University neuroscientist David Gate, who wasnt involved with the research. Now participants have been switched from an earlier experimental drug to Leqembi, an IV treatment approved in the U.S., to try to answer the obvious next question.What we want to determine over the next five years is how strong is the protection, said Washington Universitys Dr. Randall Bateman, who directs the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimers Network of studies involving families with these rare genes. Will they ever get the symptoms of Alzheimers disease if we keep treating them?Heres the worry: Bateman raised money to start that confirmatory study while seeking National Institutes of Health funding for the full project but his grant has been delayed as required reviews were canceled. Its one example of how millions of dollars in research have been stalled as NIH grapples with funding restrictions and mass firings.At the same time researchers wonder if NIH will shift focus away from amyloid research after comments by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, nominated as the agencys new director.One of the reasons I think that we have not made progress in Alzheimers, as much as we ought to have, is because the NIH has not supported a sufficiently wide range of hypotheses, Bhattacharya told senators, responding to one who brought up an example of earlier science misconduct unrelated to current research. Scientists dont know exactly what causes Alzheimers, a mind-destroying disease that affects nearly 7 million Americans, mostly late in life. Whats clear is that silent changes occur in the brain at least two decades before the first symptoms -- and that sticky amyloid is a major contributor. At some point amyloid buildup appears to trigger a protein named tau to begin killing neurons, which drives cognitive decline.Tau-fighting drugs now are being tested. Researchers also are studying other factors including inflammation, the brains immune cells and certain viruses.NIHs focus expanded as researchers found more potential culprits. In 2013, NIHs National Institute on Aging funded 14 trials of possible Alzheimers drugs, over a third targeting amyloid. By last fall, there were 68 drug trials and about 18% targeted amyloid. Northwesterns Gate counts himself among scientists who think amyloid isnt everything, but said nothing has invalidated the amyloid hypothesis. He recently used brain tissue preserved from an old amyloid study to learn how immune cells called microglia can clear those plaques and then switch to helping the brain heal, possible clues for improving todays modest therapies.For now, amyloid clearly is implicated somehow and families with Alzheimers-causing genes are helping answer a critical question for anyone at risk: Can blocking amyloid buildup really stave off symptoms? Without NIH funding, Bateman said, that opportunity will be lost.Its absolutely insane, said longtime study participant June Ward, who lives near Asheville, North Carolina, and plans to ask friends to complain to lawmakers. Ward turns 64 in June and is healthy, two years older than when her mothers symptoms appeared. It is exciting to think about the possibility that Alzheimers disease might not be what gets me, she said.In New York, Heinrichs said he has hope that his 3-year-old son wont experience the stress and sorrow that I lived through as a young man to watch my father fade away.We need the NIH to be not politicized, added Chavkin, his wife. Its just about keeping people alive or helping them live better. And in this case, its helping my husband survive.-The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. SHELBY LUM Lum is an Associated Press video journalist based in New York. She is on the APs Health and Science team. instagram mailto

Education Secretary Linda McMahon arrives before President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)2025-03-19T22:50:05Z WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Education Department, according to a White House official, advancing a campaign promise to eliminate an agency thats been a longtime target of conservatives. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity before an announcement. Trump has derided the Department of Education as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, finalizing its dismantling is likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979.A White House fact sheet said the order would direct Secretary Linda McMahon to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely. The Trump administration has already been gutting the agency through layoffs and program cuts. Its workforce is being slashed in half and there have been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nations academic progress. The department sends billions of dollars a year to schools and oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.Currently, much of the agencys work revolves around managing money both its extensive student loan portfolio and a range of aid programs for colleges and school districts, from school meals to support for homeless students. The agency also plays a significant role in overseeing civil rights enforcement. Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets roughly 14%. The money often supports supplemental programs for vulnerable students, such as the McKinney-Vento program for homeless students or Title I for low-income schools. Colleges and universities are more reliant on money from Washington, through research grants along with federal financial aid that helps students pay their tuition.Republicans have talked about closing the Education Department for decades, saying it wastes taxpayer money and inserts the federal government into decisions that should fall to states and schools. The idea has gained popularity recently as conservative parents groups demand more authority over their childrens schooling.In his platform, Trump promised to close the department and send it back to the states, where it belongs. Trump has cast the department as a hotbed of radicals, zealots and Marxists who overextend their reach through guidance and regulation.Yet even some of Trumps allies have questioned his power to close the agency without action from Congress, and there are doubts about its political popularity. The House considered an amendment to close the agency in 2023, but 60 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.During Trumps first term, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sought to dramatically reduce the agencys budget and asked Congress to bundle all K-12 funding into block grants that give states more flexibility in how they spend federal money. It was rejected, with pushback from some Republicans.___The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. COLLIN BINKLEY Binkley covers the U.S. Education Department and federal education policy for The Associated Press, along with a wide range of issues from K-12 through higher education. twitter mailto CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00806-9The AMPA group of brain receptors have mostly been assumed to be calcium impermeable and so were not thought to contribute to the calcium-dependent mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Observations of calcium permeability in some AMPA-receptor subtypes now overturn those assumptions about these receptors properties and their roles in neuronal communication.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00581-7A Chinese team has transmitted quantum-encrypted images a record 12,900 kilometres.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08692-xUnder field conditions, acquisitive tree species generally grow slowly, whereas conservative species show generally higher realized growth, owing to their ability to tolerate unfavourable environmental conditions.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08725-5Itinerant magnetism in rhombohedral multilayer graphene shows a large excess entropy from magnetic fluctuations above its critical temperaturetypically only associated with local momentswhich implies the decoupling of charge and isospin degrees of freedom, and results in the isospin Pomeranchuk effect.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08685-wA process based on perovskite semiconductors is described to downscale micro-LEDs and nano-LEDs to below the conventional size limits, demonstrating average external quantum efficiencies maintained at around 20% across a wide range of pixel lengths.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00813-wSee images of another tiny display with pixels the size of a human hair.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08661-4Generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems can be optimized using TextGrad, a framework that performs optimization by backpropagating large-language-model-generated feedback; TextGrad enables optimization across diverse tasks, including radiotherapy treatment plans and molecule generation.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00800-1An analysis of peat from ancient wetlands provides a reconstruction of how sea level increased millennia ago and how it might rise again with global warming.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08728-2Germinal centre Bcells modify their mutation rate to preserve high-affinity receptors, thereby safeguarding high-affinity Bcell lineages and enhancing the outcomes of antibody affinity maturation.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00846-1The specialized cells that let lymph leak (and why that's a good thing)

Protestors demonstrating against the expansion of the Dakota Access Pipeline wade in cold creek waters confronting local police, near Cannon Ball, N.D., Nov. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/John L. Mone, File)2025-03-20T00:30:45Z A North Dakota jury on Wednesday found Greenpeace must pay hundreds of millions of dollars to a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.The jury found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other claims and awarded Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access more than $650 million in damages.The lawsuit accused Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy and other acts.Greenpeace said earlier that a large award to the pipeline company would threaten to bankrupt the environmental group. Following the nine-person jurys verdict, Greenpeaces senior legal adviser said the organizations work is never going to stop.The independent global campaigning network has been fighting for a wide array of environmental issues for more than half a century and has a long history of contentious legal battles.Here are some things to know: How was Greenpeace founded?Environmental activists founded the group in Vancouver, Canada, in 1971. The networks first action was to work to stop more nuclear weapons tests on Amchitka Island in the Aleutian island chain in southwest Alaska. They took a ship to the island to bear witness, which is a Quaker protest tradition.The U.S. later opted to abandon their nuclear testing grounds on the island, marking Greenpeaces first major victory. Where did the name Greenpeace come from?During initial work to stop the nuclear weapons tests on Amchitka, Canadian ecologist Bill Darnell was leaving one of the groups meetings when someone held up two fingers and said peace! according to Greenpeaces website. Darnell, who is now considered a founding member of Greenpeace, replied: Lets make it a Green Peace. The name was condensed into one word so it could fit on buttons for the groups first fundraiser. What does Greenpeace do today?Greenpeace describes itself as the largest environmental campaigning organization in the world. It is made up of dozens of independent national or regional organizations in more than 55 countries, according to its website. Its work to preserve and restore valuable ecosystems and push back on fossil fuel corporations is centered on nonviolent action. Its protests have ranged from efforts to stop Shell from drilling for oil in the Alaskan Arctic to demonstrations to put an end to Frances atmospheric tests in the South Pacific to campaigns to conserve Canadas coastal rainforest.Greenpeace and its activists have also been the target of charges and lawsuits, including in 2023 when four activists were arrested for scaling the country estate of former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and draping it in black fabric to protest his plan to expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. They were later cleared of criminal charges. Who supports Greenpeace?Greenpeace is an independent network that does not take money from governments, corporations or political parties, according to its website. Its funding comes from individual contributions, along with foundation grants.In 2023, Greenpeace USA had about $40 million in revenue and support and about $38 million in expenses, according to its online financial statement. Its website says it does not consider anyone a permanent friend or enemy. If your government or company is willing to change, we will work with you to achieve your aims, its website states. Reverse course, and we will be back.

French wine grower David Levasseur opens a bottle of champagne in his wine making facility in Cuchery, eastern France, Monday, March 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)2025-03-20T04:04:16Z CHAMPAGNE, France (AP) Across wine country in France, Italy and Spain one number is top of mind: 200%.Thats because last week U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a tariff of that amount on European wine, Champagne and other spirits if the European Union went ahead with retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. products. The top wine producers in Europe could face crippling costs that would hit smaller wineries especially hard. Europes wine industry is the latest to find itself in the crosshairs of a possible trade spat with the U.S. Among those concerned is David Levasseur, a third-generation wine grower and owner of a Champagne house in Frances eponymous region.It means Im in trouble, big trouble. We hope its just, as we say, blah blah, Levasseur said, standing in his Champagne house as he swilled a flute of his vineyards bubbly. When someone speaks so loudly, he said of Trumps 200% threat, its about the media buzz. But in any case, we think there will be consequences. Like other wine sellers and exporters, Levasseur said that a 200% tariff on what he exports to the U.S. would essentially grind to a halt his business in that country. It could be a real disaster, Levasseur said.Italy, France and Spain are among the top five exporters of wine to the United States. Trump made his threat to Europes alcohol industry after the European Union announced a 50% tax on American whiskey expected to take effect on April 1. That duty was unveiled in response to the Trump administrations tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. In France, a 4 billion euro marketGabriel Picard, who heads the French Federation of Exporters of Wines and Spirits, said 200% tariffs would be a hammer blow for Frances industry, whose wine and spirits exports to the U.S. are worth 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) annually. With 200% duties, there is no more market, Picard said. Still, he understood why European leaders responded to Trumps initial tariffs.Theres no debate about that. We agree that Mr. Trump creates and likes to create contests of strength. We have to adapt to that, he said. For Italy, its the wine at high-end restaurants they worry most about losingIn Italy, the wine industry has called for calm, hoping that negotiators in Brussels and Washington can back down from the growing trade spat.The U.S. is Italys largest wine market, with sales having tripled in value over the past 20 years. Last year, exports grew by nearly 7% to over 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) according to Italys main farming lobby Coldiretti. Strong sales at high-end restaurants, in particular, make the U.S. market difficult to replace, said Piero Mastroberardino, vice president of the national winemakers association Federvini.Mastroberardinos Taurasi Radici red wine, for example, was rated the fifth-best wine in the world in 2023 by Wine Spectator, an American wine and lifestyle magazine. It sells for around $80 a bottle retail in the U.S., roughly twice how much it costs in Italy, so any tariffs would push it to an unthinkable price point, he said.In January, Mastroberardinos U.S. import partners increased orders by about 20% in January anticipating possible Trump tariffs. But the increase in orders would not offset the impact of tariffs, particularly that high, he said, for long. It is in everyones interest to maintain a united front at the negotiating table, Mastroberardino said, especially those who are being targeted. Smooth reds from Spain, as well as bubbly CavaWine producers and industry experts in Spain, whose smooth reds are savored by tens of millions of American tourists who visit the southern European country every year, shared similar concerns about prospective tariffs.We dont think they have much logic and we hope it never comes to fruition, said Begoa Olavarra, an economic analyst at the Interprofessional Wine Organization of Spain.Spain was the fourth-largest exporter of wine to the U.S. last year in sales, and the seventh-largest by volume, according to the trade group. Spanish wine exports to the U.S. grew by 7% last year. And the wine industry represents about 2% of the countrys overall economic output, the trade group said. For Spains producers of Cava, the threat of U.S. tariffs hit especially hard. The U.S. is the largest market for the Spanish bubbly wine, which like Champagne has a designation of origin meaning it can only be made in Spain. Mireia Pujol-Busquets is owner of the Alta Alella Bodega located in Cava country just south of Barcelona. Founded by her family in 1991, she said her business and its 40 employees immediately risk losing sales of some 25,000 bottles if the American market slams shut.We spent 10 years of effort opening the American market, finding distributors and building a brand, she told the AP by phone. While the Catalan bodega and its distributors in the U.S. were able to absorb the price increase induced by Trumps 25% tariff on wines during his first term, Pujol-Busquets said that it is completely irrational to consider eating a 200% hike. The situation is pretty desperate, she said. ___Naishadham reported from Madrid. Associated Press journalists Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain; John Leicester in Paris; and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report. SUMAN NAISHADHAM Naishadham is an Associated Press reporter covering Spain and Portugal. She is based in Madrid. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08662-3Spontaneous parametric down-conversion was used to generate narrowband photon pairs with a high spectral brightness in a high-Q silicon nitride microresonator.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00742-8Clean-energy research might be booming in Asia, but the energy transition has an uncertain future.

President Donald Trump greets Ireland's Prime Minister Michel Martin as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-03-20T04:01:12Z WASHINGTON (AP) Donald Trumps shoot-from-the-lip style kept Americans on the edge of their seats during last years campaign. But now that hes speaking as a president and not as a candidate, his words are being used against him in court in the blizzard of litigation challenging his agenda.The spontaneity is complicating his administrations legal positions. Nowhere has this been clearer than in cases involving Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, the driving force in Trumps efforts to downsize and overhaul the federal government.The latest example came earlier this week, when U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled that Musk had likely violated the Constitution by dismantling the United States Agency for International Development. The lawsuit turned on the question of whether the billionaire entrepreneur had overstepped his authority. Justice Department lawyers and White House officials insist that Musk is merely a presidential adviser, not the actual leader of DOGE. But Trump has said otherwise in speeches, interviews and public remarks and Chuang quoted him extensively in his decision. Trump most notably boasted of creating DOGE during his primetime address to a joint session of Congress and said it was headed by Elon Musk. Republicans gave Musk a standing ovation, who saluted from the gallery above the House chamber.Trumps words were essential, central and indispensable, said Norm Eisen, one of the lawyers for USAID employees who filed the lawsuit. His admissions took what would have been a tough case and made it into a straightforward one. The looseness with words is a shift from predecessors like President Barack Obama, who used to say that he was careful because anything he said could send troops marching or markets tumbling. Trump has no such feeling of restraint, and neither do other members of his administration like Musk. Chuang, who is based in Maryland and was appointed by Obama, also cited social media posts from Musk, who writes frequently on X, the platform that he owns. For example, Musk posted we spent the weekend feeding USAID to the woodchipper on Feb. 3. The agency was being brought to a standstill at that time, with staff furloughed, spending halted and headquarters shut down.Musks public statements and posts ... suggest that he has the ability to cause DOGE to act, Chuang wrote in his ruling. Harrison Fields, principal deputy press secretary at the White House, said Trump was fulfilling his campaign promise to make the federal government more efficient and accountable to taxpayers.Rogue bureaucrats and activist judges attempting to undermine this effort are only subverting the will of the American people and their obstructionist efforts will fail, he said. Anthony Coley, who led public affairs at the Justice Department during President Joe Bidens administration, said statements involving civil litigation were always coordinated between his office and the West Wing. The words could be used to support what were doing or undermine what were doing, he said. Its a carefully choreographed effort to make sure there was no daylight between what was said in the court of public opinion and what could ultimately play out in the court of law. In comparison to how things were done in the past, Coley said, Trump has a ready-fire-aim approach of doing business. Trump doesnt usually let legal disputes force him to turn down the volume. During a criminal investigation over his decision to keep classified records at Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House following his first term, Trump spoke extensively about the case in an interview with Fox News. Longtime defense lawyers were startled defendants are usually encouraged to keep mum while facing an indictment. But the situation panned out for Trump. His legal team delayed the case, and the special counsels office dropped the charges after he won the election because presidents cant be prosecuted while in office. DOGE has been the focus of nearly two dozen lawsuits. Its often prevailed so far in cases involving access to government data, where several plaintiffs have struggled to convince judges to block the organizations actions. But its also run into challenges, such as a lawsuit over whether DOGE must comply with public records requests. The Trump administration asserted in court that DOGE is part of the White House, meaning its exempt. Judge Christopher Cooper, also appointed by Obama, disagreed, siding with a government watchdog group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW.Musk and the Presidents public statements indicate that USDS the original acronym for the organization that was renamed as DOGE is in fact exercising substantial independent authority, wrote Cooper, who is based in Washington. Cooper concluded that DOGE can identify and terminate federal employees, federal programs, and federal contracts. Doing any of those three things would appear to require substantial independent authority; to do all three surely does.He ordered DOGE to start responding to requests about the teams role in mass firings and disruptions to federal programs. The administration unsuccessfully asked the judge to reconsider, saying the judge fundamentally misapprehended the agencys structure. Just because Musk claims credit online for deep agency cuts, doesnt necessarily translate to DOGE having authority in the eyes of the law, Stanford Law School professor Michael McConnell argued in a recent debate on the issue.DOGE is recommending changes, he said, but its the agency heads who are actually putting them into effect. And thats all that the courts are going to care about as to what the Supreme Court is going to do, McConnell said at the debate hosted by the National Constitution Center. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto LINDSAY WHITEHURST Whitehurst covers the Supreme Court, legal affairs and criminal justice for The Associated Press in Washington, D.C. Past stops include Salt Lake City, New Mexico and Indiana. twitter mailto

Sri Indrayati, 52, removes the tattoo of the name of her first daughter that she got shortly after she gave birth to her at the age of 22, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)2025-03-20T03:59:11Z JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) Teguh Islean Septura groans in pain as each staccato rat-a-tat-tat of the laser fires an intense beam at the elaborate tattoos on his arm. But the former musicians determination to repent in the holy month of Ramadan is enough to keep him going.The 30-year-old guitarist got his back, arms and legs tattooed to look cool when he was performing in a band. But these days Septura has a newfound zeal for Islam, including the conviction that Muslims should not alter the body that God gave them. Teguh Islean Septura winces as his tattoo is removed by an Islamic charity organization to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent" during Ramadan, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Teguh Islean Septura winces as his tattoo is removed by an Islamic charity organization to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent" during Ramadan, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Teguh Islean Septura has his tattoo removed during Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Teguh Islean Septura has his tattoo removed during Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More As humans, sometimes we make mistakes. Now I want to improve myself by moving closer to God, Seputra said, as a health worker aimed the white laser wand at Septuras skin, blasting the red, green and black pigments with its penetrating light. God gave me clean skin and I ruined it, thats what I regret now.Septura is among a growing number of people in Indonesias capital who have signed up for free tattoo removal services offered by Amil Zakat National Agency, an Islamic charity organization, during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to repent. Launched in 2019, the tattoo removal program is now held every Ramadan, a month of fasting, increased worship, religious reflection and good deeds. Some 700 people have signed up for the services this year, and in total nearly 3,000 people have taken part. A Muslim displays his hand after having tattoos on his fingers removed in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) A Muslim displays his hand after having tattoos on his fingers removed in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More People take the service of a free tattoo removal service offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) People take the service of a free tattoo removal service offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More People wait to take the service for free tattoo removal offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) People wait to take the service for free tattoo removal offered by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to "repent," in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More We want to pave the way for people who want to hijrah (to move closer to God), including those who want to remove their tattoos said Mohammad Asep Wahyudi, a coordinator of the event. He added that many people cannot afford to remove their tattoos or know where and how they can do so safely. Laser removal, which takes repeated treatment and may not be completely successful, could cost thousands of dollars for tattoos as extensive as Septuras. A Muslim has his tattoo removed through service provided by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to repent. in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) A Muslim has his tattoo removed through service provided by an Islamic charity organization during Ramadan to give practicing Muslims an opportunity to repent. in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Tattooing remains strongly associated with gangs and criminality in some Asian cultures. In addition to the religious prohibitions in Muslim-majority Indonesia, ideas about tattoos also reveal oppressive attitudes toward women, who if tattooed can be labeled as promiscuous or disreputable and not worth marrying.Sri Indrayati, 52, said she tattooed the name of her first daughter on her hand shortly after she gave birth to her at the age of 22. She said she regretted it when her two grandchildren kept asking her to erase it because it looked like dirty, thick marker writing.When I take my grandson to school, (the children) whisper to each other: look at that grandma, she has a tattoo! she said. Sri Indrayati, 52, left, recovers after removing the tattoo of the name of her first daughter that she got shortly after she gave birth to her at the age of 22, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Sri Indrayati, 52, left, recovers after removing the tattoo of the name of her first daughter that she got shortly after she gave birth to her at the age of 22, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Another woman, Evalia Zadora, got a tattoo of a large star on her back and the words Hope, Love and Rock & Roll on her upper chest as a teen to gain acceptance into a gang. She wants to remove them now to move closer to God and out of consideration for her family. Bad image (against people with tattoos) is not a big deal for me, but it affected my husband and son, said Zadora, 36. They are not comfortable with my tattoos and I respect their feelings, so I want to remove it. Evalia Zadora leaves after having her tattoo removed during Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Evalia Zadora leaves after having her tattoo removed during Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08695-8Using advanced brain-recording techniques, parrots were found to have a brain organization for vocal control similar to humans, making them an important model for studying speech and for developing potential treatments for communication disorders.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08730-8In mice, learning and performance on an auditory task is driven by higher-order signals in the auditory cortex that are no longer required when the mouse has achieved expert-level performance.

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)2025-03-20T05:48:31Z DEIR-AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) Israeli strikes overnight and into Thursday struck several homes and killed at least 40 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, according to three hospitals.The strikes hit houses in the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza and the northern town of Beit Lahiya, they said.Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire that had halted the war and facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages. Israel blamed the renewed fighting on Hamas because the militant group rejected an Israeli-backed proposal that departed from their agreement.More than 400 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday alone, mostly women and children, according to Gazas Health Ministry. There have been no reports of Hamas firing rockets or carrying out other attacks.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the latest strikes. The military says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it is deeply embedded in residential areas. The European Hospital in the southern city of Rafah said 26 people, mostly women and children, were killed in strikes on two family homes overnight. One of the strikes killed a father and his seven children, it said.The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received the bodies of seven people killed overnight in an attack on a home. In northern Gaza, the Indonesian Hospital said it had received the bodies of seven people killed in a strike on a home in Beit Lahiya, a town near the border. ___Follow APs war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

In this image made from an Associated Press video, Palestinians pray over the bodies of Afnan al-Ghanam and her 13-month old son, Mohammed, at their funeral in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. They were killed before dawn on Tuesday by an Israeli airstrike. (AP Photo/ Mohammad Jahjouh)2025-03-20T05:03:49Z KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) Afnan al-Ghanam of Gaza had her first child during war, 13 months ago, while the family was still living at home.She was about to give birth again in the spring this time, while living in a squalid tent camp. But at least a tenuous ceasefire had brought a relative calm.Then, before dawn on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike smashed into the familys tent. Al-Ghanam, who was seven months pregnant, and Mohammed, her young son, were both killed.They were among more than 400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, killed when Israel launched a surprise bombardment across the Gaza Strip, according to the territorys Health Ministry. Israel said it struck Hamas targets to force the militant group to free hostages and relinquish control of Gaza.This is their bank of targets, said al-Ghanams husband, Alaa Abu Helal, as he held Mohammeds little body, wrapped in cloth, at the morgue of Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. He was born during the war in difficult conditions and also martyred in the war. Their targets are innocents, pure. They have barely seen life, he said, fighting his tears. Israels aerial assault shattered the ceasefire that began in mid-January and stunned Palestinians who had finally had a breather to start trying to rebuild their lives after 15 months of bombardment, ground offensives, dispersal and hunger. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in southern Israel. It says it does not target civilians, and blames Hamas for their deaths, saying it operates among the population.Abu Helal said he was visiting the familys home in Gazas southernmost city Rafah when the strike hit the familys tent in Muwasi, a sprawling camp for displaced families outside Khan Younis. Their home in Rafah had been damaged during the war, and he had wanted to check in on it to ensure it had not been looted. The 20-year-old al-Ghanam and Mohammed had stayed behind in Muwasi. They have gone and left me alone, he said. The unborn child is dead, too.Mohammed was born in Rafah. Soon after, the family was forced to flee the city in May, when Israeli troops ordered a mass evacuation and stormed the city. The offensive flattened much of the city as troops battled Hamas fighters.You flee during the war to keep your family and children safe. But then, here, hes dead, Abu Helal said. All of them are dead.___AP correspondents Lee Keath and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08738-0High spatiotemporal precision tracking using 3D MINFLUX shows that nuclear import and export occur in overlapping regions of the central pore, providing insight into transport across the nuclear pore complex.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08766-wCryo-electron microscopy structures of DNA helicases in various conformations provide insight into an ATP-hydrolysis-dependent entropy switch that drives unwinding of DNA for replication, with probable conservation across viral and eukaryotic systems.

Amadou Ndiaye holds a Braille tablet in Bamako, Mali, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moustapha Diallo)2025-03-20T05:10:52Z BAMAKO, Mali (AP) Amadou Ndiaye meticulously ran his fingers across bumps in a piece of paper, making sense of the world he can no longer see.Two hundred years have passed since the invention of braille, the tactile writing system that has transformed the lives of many blind and partially sighted people by offering a path to literacy and independence.Braille helped me live my life, said Ndiaye, a social worker in Mali who lost his eyesight as a child. Before, people asked themselves the question: Here is someone who cant see, how will he make it? How will he integrate into society?The West African country, with a population of over 20 million people, has long struggled to integrate blind and partially sighted people. According to eye care charity Sightsavers, around 170,000 people in Mali are thought to be blind.The 47-year-old Ndiaye was fortunate to attend the institute for the blind in Mali, where he learned to write in braille, and told himself: Really, everything that others do, I can do too. He later attended university. He said braille has allowed him to develop his main passion, playing the guitar, which also emphasizes the importance of touch. Each pressure on the strings, each movement of the finger on the neck, becomes a living note, loaded with meaning, Ndiaye said.The guitar is an integral part of Malis griot tradition, the cultural practice of storytelling through music. Musicians adapted the guitar to emulate the sounds of traditional string instruments like the kora. Local artists such as Ali Farka Tour have fused Malian melodies with elements of the blues, creating a soulful, hypnotic sound that has gained international acclaim. Iconic Malian musical duo Amadou and Mariam awakened Ndiayes passion for the instrument when he was a boy.One day, near a photography studio, I heard their music resonating through the window, which pushed me to discover this universe, he said. Known as the blind couple from Mali, the duo of Amadou Bagayoko, who lost his vision at age 16, and Mariam Doumbia, who became blind at age 5 as a consequence of untreated measles, rose to international fame in the 1990s with their fusion of traditional Malian music, rock, and blues.The couple met at Malis institute for the blind, where Doumbia was studying braille and teaching classes in dance and music.At such places, braille has allowed students to overcome educational barriers such as taking longer to learn how to read and write. They can then take the same exams as anyone else, which allows them to seek employment, said Ali Moustapha Dicko, who teaches at the institute for the blind in the capital, Bamako.Dicko is also blind. Using a special typewriter, he can create texts in braille for his students. But he says his students are still at a disadvantage.We have a crisis of teaching materials, Dicko said. He has one reading book in braille for his entire class of dozens of students.But with the development of new technologies, some blind and partially sighted people hope that educational barriers will continue to fall. There is software, there are telephones that speak, so there are many things that are vocal, said Bagayoko of the musical duo. This allows us to move forward.But Moussa Mbengue, the Senegal-based program officer for inclusive education at Sightsavers, said such advances still dont make the leap that braille did two centuries ago.It cannot replace braille. On the contrary, for me, technology complements braille, he said.___The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

A subway sign, center top, is seen at the Kodenmacho station, that was affected by a deadly sarin nerve gas attack 30 years ago, in Tokyo, as a passenger gets out of its exit Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)2025-03-20T03:40:32Z TOKYO (AP) Thirty years on from the fatal sarin nerve gas attack in Tokyos subway network, survivors and families who lost loved ones are still seeking justice. Thirteen people were killed and thousands were sickened when cult members released sarin nerve gas in the capitals subway trains on March 20, 1995. The attack remains one of the most shocking atrocities in Japan, a country known for its low crime rates.The cult, Aum Shinrikyo or Supreme Truth, has since disbanded. Its founder, Shoko Asahara, and 12 of his disciples were executed in 2018.But 1,600 former members still operate under renamed groups and have ignored an order to pay damages to survivors and bereaved families.Shizue Takahashi lost her husband, a deputy station master, in the attack. The couple was just starting to enjoy time to themselves after raising three children when tragedy struck.My life is still being ruined by Aum and its successor groups, said Takahashi, 78. We need to carry on and not let the memories fade. People gasped for air and collapsedAt 8 a.m. during the morning rush, five cult members got on separate train cars on three subway lines converging at Kasumigaseki, Japans government center, each dropping bags of sarin on the train floors. They punctured the bags with umbrellas, releasing the gas inside the train cars. Within minutes, commuters poured out of the trains onto the platforms, rubbing their eyes and gasping for air. Some collapsed. Others fled onto the streets where ambulances and rescue workers in hazmat suits gave first-aid.Kazumasa Takahashi didnt know the puddle he was cleaning on the subway car floor was sarin. He collapsed as he removed a bag a sacrifice some survivors say saved lives and never woke up.The attack sickened more than 6,000. A 14th victim died in 2020 after battling severe after-effects.The subway gassing happened after a botched police investigation failed to link the cult to earlier crimes, says Yuji Nakamura, a lawyer for the survivors and the bereaved families. It could have been prevented, he said.Two days after the gassing, Tokyo police, carrying a caged canary to detect poison, raided Aums headquarters near Mount Fuji, where the cultists lived together, trained and produced sarin. Asahara was found in a hidden compartment. Apocalyptic cultBorn Chizuo Matsumoto in 1955, Asahara founded Aum Shinrikyo in 1984. The cult combined Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and yoga, and attracted young people disillusioned with materialism. He taught that death could elevate their spirits and justified killing as a virtue.Followers paid to drink Asaharas bathwater and wore electrical head gear they believed synchronized their brain waves with the gurus. He prophesized an imminent apocalypse, which only true believers would survive.Asahara gathered doctors, lawyers and scientists from Japans top universities as his closest aides.Using donations from followers and earnings from yoga classes and health food businesses, they bought land and equipment. Asaharas scientists developed and manufactured sarin, VX and other chemical and biological weapons. In 1989, its members killed Tsutsumi Sakamoto, a lawyer who opposed the cult, his wife and baby boy. Their criminal activities escalated after their defeat in the 1990 parliamentary elections. A 1994 sarin attack in the central Japanese city of Matsumoto killed eight and injured more than 140 others.In all, Aum killed 27 people in more than a dozen attacks that culminated in the subway gassing. It was part of a plot by Asahara to hasten Armageddon, envisioning overthrowing the government. Still seeking redressShizue Takahashi attended most of the Aum criminal trials. She has lobbied for government support, winning the enactment of a law to support crime victims and government benefits of 3 billion yen ($20 million) for more than 6,000 survivors and bereaved families of the Aum crimes.The government has also enacted laws banning sarin production and possession, and restricted the activities of groups linked to mass killings. Police have since established nuclear, biological and chemical weapons units and beefed up training.Aums main successor, Aleph, has ignored a court order to pay 1 billion yen ($6.7 million) in compensation to survivors and bereaved families. The group has allegedly hidden billions of yen of income from yoga and spiritual seminars.Many of the subway gassing survivors still suffer health problems and trauma, according to support groups.Takahashi and others last week called on Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki to do more to accelerate compensation by Aleph and keep them under close watch.Survivors and their supporters say lessons have not been sufficiently shared with the public.Shoko Egawa, a journalist and expert on Aum crimes, says attention on the group has largely focused on its crimes rather than teaching people to stay away from dangerous cults. There is still a lot to learn from (the Aum problems), including how they attracted followers, so that we can prevent people from getting their lives ruined by cults, Egawa said.Takahashi recently launched a website that compiles articles and comments by survivors, lawyers and writers, including Haruki Murakamis 2007 article about his 1997 book Underground. Aums remnantsAt its peak, the cult boasted more than 10,000 followers in Japan and 30,000 in Russia and elsewhere. Aum has disbanded, but about 1,600 people belonging to Aleph and two smaller groups in Japan still practice Asaharas teachings, said the Public Security Intelligence Agency, which monitors the groups.Minoru Kariya, whose father was killed by Aum members in early 1995 while he was trying to get his sister to quit the cult, said authorities need to do much more to tackle the threat.Its scary that they still exist and are operating as organizations and recruiting new followers, he said.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08702-yRaman spectroscopy measurements of water at the interface with oil droplets show a perturbed hydrogen-bond network and evidence for a strong interfacial electric field.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08627-6Far-field mid-infrared spectroscopy reveals both the electroluminescence of hyperbolic phonon polaritons of hexagonal boron nitride excited by strongly biased graphene, and the associated radiative energy transfer through the material.

Jiang Hui, whose mother was on the missing MH370 Malaysia Airline passenger jet, wears a shirt "Remembering 239 Lives, MH370" checks his phone after talking to media on the 11th anniversary of the jet going missing Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)2025-03-20T02:58:14Z KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) Malaysias government has given final approval for a Texas-based marine robotics company to renew the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean more than a decade ago.Cabinet ministers agreed to terms and conditions for a no-find, no-fee contract with Texas-based Ocean Infinity to resume the seabed search operation at a new 15,000-square-kilometer (5,800-square-mile) site in the ocean, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in a statement Wednesday. Ocean Infinity will be paid $70 million only if wreckage is discovered. The Boeing 777 plane vanished from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysias capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane turned from its flight path and headed south to the far-southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed. An expensive multinational search failed to turn up any clues to its location, although debris washed ashore on the east African coast and Indian Ocean islands. A private search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity also found nothing. The final approval for a new search came three months after Malaysia gave the nod in principle to plans for a fresh search. Ocean Infinity CEO Oliver Punkett earlier this year reportedly said the company had improved its technology since 2018. He has said the firm is working with many experts to analyze data and had narrowed the search area to the most likely site. Loke said his ministry will ink a contract with Ocean Infinity soon but didnt provide details on the terms. The firm has reportedly sent a search vessel to the site and indicated that January-April is the best period for the search.The government is committed to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of the passengers of flight MH370, he said in a statement.