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.

WWII veteran and Navajo Code Talker Peter MacDonald Sr. is photographed at his home on the Navajo reservation in Tuba City, Ariz., April 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)2025-03-20T01:04:51Z PHOENIX (AP) The Pentagon restored some webpages highlighting the crucial wartime contributions of Navajo Code Talkers and other Native American veterans on Wednesday, days after tribes condemned the action.The initial removal was part of a sweep of any military content that promoted diversity, equity and inclusion, or commonly referred to as DEI. Following President Donald Trumps broader executive order ending the federal governments DEI programs, the Defense Department deleted thousands of pages honoring contributions by women and minority groups. Department officials say the Navajo Code Talker material was erroneously erased.In the rare cases that content is removed either deliberately or by mistake that is out of the clearly outlined scope of the directive, we instruct the components and they correct the content so it recognizes our heroes for their dedicated service alongside their fellow Americans, period, Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot said in a statement. Several webpages on the Code Talkers landed on a 404 - Page not found message Tuesday. Some were back up Wednesday although any that also mention Native American Heritage Month remain down. Thousands of other pages deleted in the DEI purge are still offline. White House officials informed the Navajo Nation that an artificial intelligence-powered automated review process looking for content with DEI initiatives led to the elimination of anything mentioning Navajo, according to a statement from Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. Nygren, who sent a letter to the Defense Department requesting clarity on the issue, said hes pleased by the resolution.I want to assure the Navajo people that we remain in close communication with federal officials to ensure the legacy of our cherished Navajo Code Talkers is never erased from American and Navajo history, Nygren said. He also pointed out the 574 federally recognized tribes across the U.S. are sovereign nations and not defined by DEI classifications, a stance broadly supported by other Native American leaders who also sent letters to the Trump administration.The U.S. Marine Corps initially recruited 29 Navajo men to develop a code based on the unwritten Navajo language in World War II. Using Navajo words for red soil, war chief, clan, braided hair, beads, ant and hummingbird, for example, they came up with a glossary of more than 200 terms, later expanded, and an alphabet. To convey the word send, Code Talkers would say the Navajo words for sheep, eyes, nose and deer.Hundreds of Navajos followed in their footsteps, sending thousands of messages without error on Japanese troop movements, battlefield tactics and other communications crucial to the wars ultimate outcome. The code stumped Japanese military cryptologists. The Code Talkers participated in all assaults the Marines led in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945 and are credited with helping the U.S. win the war. Hundreds of Native Americans from more than 20 tribes also served as code talkers during World War I and World War II, according to the Smithsonians National Museum of the American Indian. Among them were Choctaw, Cherokee, Osage, Chippewa and Hopi speakers. Among those alarmed to hear of the missing Navajo Code Talker webpages was Peter MacDonald, 96. He and Thomas H. Begay are the only two Navajo Code Talkers still living today. That code became a very valuable weapon and not only saved hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but it also helped win the war in the Pacific, MacDonald said by phone from his home in Tuba City in the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation. And it has absolutely nothing to do with DEI.A Republican who voted for Trump, MacDonald said he thinks the current administration needs to better walk the line between getting rid of DEI and ignoring history.Thats why Im very concerned that communication from the Pentagon down to the various military units should be taught or learn that this information is history, and you dont want to hide history, MacDonald said. The Defense Department has had to issue reassurances that it is not omitting historic achievements by servicemen and women of color. Besides the Code Talkers, the agency also on Wednesday restored a webpage describing baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinsons military service after it was missing earlier in the day. Last week, pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were also restored. Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop, Ullyot said. We do not view or highlight them through the prism of immutable characteristics, such as race, ethnicity or sex. Michael Smith, whose father, Samuel Jesse Smith Sr., was a Navajo Code Talker, questioned why these pages were removed at all.I dont know how taking Navajo Code Talkers off the Department of Defense website is saving the United States any money because thats not consistent with the presidents order, said Smith, who helps organize annual celebrations of the Code Talkers.Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona also expressed disappointment, claiming there was missing content relating to all Native American veterans, including Ira Hayes. Hayes was an enrolled member of the tribe and one of six Marines featured in an iconic 1945 Associated Press photograph of U.S. forces raising an American flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima.Even with some being reposted, he remains worried web content removal is the tip of the iceberg.The way it looks in the (executive) order, this language is skewed and made to sound like the diversity programs are the ones that are unethical, Smith said. TERRY TANG Tang reports on race and ethnicity issues, including Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, for The Associated Press. She is based in Phoenix and previously covered breaking news in the Southwest. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08686-9All-electrical excitation of the hyperbolic phonon polaritons in hexagonal boron nitride by drifting charge carriers in nearby graphene results in electroluminescence at mid-infrared frequencies.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00680-5Neural recordings from parrots and songbirds reveal the ways in which vocal production is encoded in the brain, highlighting remarkable similarities between how parrots and humans learn to produce sounds.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks, during a joint press conference with Finland's President Alexander Stubb, at the Presidential Palace, in Helsinki, Finland, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva via AP)2025-03-20T09:40:30Z KYIV, Ukraine (AP) Senior officers from countries across Europe and beyond were due to meet Thursday at a military headquarters on the outskirts of London to flesh out plans for an international peacekeeping force for Ukraine as details of a partial ceasefire are worked out.U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the coalition of the willing plan, led by Britain and France, is moving into an operational phase. But its unclear how many countries are willing to send troops, or whether there will be any ceasefire to protect.Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after President Donald Trump spoke with the countries leaders this week, though it remained to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be off limits to attack.The tentative deal to partially rein in the three-year war came after Russian President Vladimir Putin rebuffed Trumps push for a full 30-day ceasefire. The difficulty in getting the combatants to agree not to target one anothers energy infrastructure highlights the challenges Trump will face in trying to fulfill his campaign pledge to quickly end to the war. Despite the negotiations, hundreds of drone attacks were launched overnight by both sides, causing several injuries and damage to buildings. Ukraine said Russia had launched 171 long-range drones and it shot down 75 while another 63 decoy drones disappeared from radar after likely being jammed. Russia said it destroyed 132 Ukrainian drones in six Russian regions and the annexed Crimea. If peace comes to Ukraine, the size of any force that might help enforce it is vague. Officials have cited figures of between 10,000 and 30,000 troops. Only Britain and France have said they are willing to send troops, though countries including Australia, Canada, France and Finland say they are open to being involved in some way. Around 30 leaders were involved in a video meeting on Saturday including Macron, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leaders from Australia, Canada and New Zealand and officials from NATO and the European Union.Russia has said it will not accept any troops from NATO countries being based on Ukrainian soil. And Trump has given no sign the U.S. will guarantee reserve firepower in case of any breaches of a truce. Starmer says the plan wont work without that U.S. backstop.___Lawless reported from London.___Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine HANNA ARHIROVA Arhirova is an Associated Press reporter covering Ukraine. She is based in Kyiv. twitter instagram mailto JILL LAWLESS Lawless is an Associated Press reporter covering U.K. politics and more. She is based in London. twitter mailto

Subscribe nowOver the last week, lawmakers have (finally) started to clap back against the Trump administration and other far-right politicians' efforts to erase trans people from society. On Tuesday, an Ohio court partially overturned a ban on gender-affirming care for LGBTQ youth, allowing doctors to continue prescribing puberty blockers and hormone therapy and declaring that stripping these medications from trans kids violates the Health Care Freedom Amendment in Ohios Constitution. At the national level, a federal judge blocked Trumps transgender military ban, ruling that its soaked in animus and that the administration had mischaracterized medical studies to justify the ban. And last week, after a Republican Representative grossly misgendered trans-Congresswoman Sarah McBride, Democratic Representative Bill Keating pushed back, saying his language was not decent and refusing to continue the meeting until he accurately gendered McBride.These are unprecedented times. Unpredictable times. Times where institutional dehumanization by the federal government of the trans and nonbinary community is happening at a relentless pace. For folks who arent affected by these inhumane policies and laws, its so much easier to turn off the TV, ignore the headlines and focus on their own well-being by pretending this isnt happening.But for people committed to protecting human rights and advocating for the underdog, this is not the time to disengage. Now more than ever is the time to act up and act out. The judges and the courts are beginning to push back in the name of the Constitution and in the name of human decency.Every single one of us should feel emboldened to speak up for queer minorities whose rights are being removed and whose existence is being questioned by the people who run the so-called free world.As Harvey Milk famously said in his speech at the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade, "We will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets."Subscribe for LGBTQ-focused, accountability journalism. Hungary's New Anti-LGBTQ+ Law Bans Pride Events and Sparks Protests (AP)A new anti-LGBTQ law banning Pride events and allowing authorities to use facial recognition software to identify those attending the festivities was passed in Hungary on Tuesday, leading to a large demonstration on the streets of Budapest.Judge Blocks Trumps Effort to Ban Transgender Troops (Politico)The Pentagon cannot enforce President Donald Trumps order banning transgender people from serving in the military, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying it is soaked in animus and unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of sex.Theres a Name for What Trump is Doing to Trans People: Denationalizing (The New York Times)City Council Declares Boston a Sanctuary City for Transgender Community (NBC News)The resolution's sponsors said "Boston is not going to back down" amid harmful anti-transgender rhetoric coming from President Trump and the White House.Were switching up our schedule! Dont worry, well still be releasing two originally reported stories a week, but now you can look out for them on Tuesdays and Saturdays. If you dont follow us on Instagram and Bluesky, you should check us out! We give breaking news updates about the LGBTQ community on the daily.Follow Us!Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting: When Eli and Joanna Morningstars child Daisy, assigned male at birth, first expressed a desire to be a girl at just three years old, the Brooklyn-based parentswho are both trans themselveschose to listen and affirm their daughters identity. While Daisy is thriving, the current political climate toward trans kids and their parents can make life tricky to navigate. In this in-depth piece, Emma Paidra explores the Morningstars journey and the debate surrounding gender identity in young children. Since becoming President Donald Trumps White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt has become a household name. But what is her track record when it comes to LGBTQ issues and other minority groups? As Ben Land discovers, her record isnt great. Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas! Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief spencer@unclosetedmedia.comIf objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media

Nature, Published online: 20 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00593-3Some early-career researchers report feeling pressure to use animal models to meet journal and grant requirements, even in disciplines and projects that dont require them.

Nature, Published online: 20 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08836-zAuthor Correction: Observation of an ultra-high-energy cosmic neutrino with KM3NeT

Former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and police officers who allegedly surrendered to M23 rebels arrive in Goma, Congo, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, file)2025-03-20T09:27:33Z GOMA, Congo (AP) Rwanda-backed M23 rebels entered the strategic town of Walikale in eastern Congo late Wednesday, according to residents and civil society leaders, a day after the Congolese and Rwandan presidents called for an immediate ceasefire.The information is confirmed: the rebels are visible at the monument and at the Bakusu group office, Prince Kihangi, a former provincial deputy elected for the Walikale territory told The Associated Press over the phone, referring to locations in the centre of Walikale. This confirms the presence of the M23 in the territorial capital.By taking control of Walikale, the M23 rebels seized a road linking four provinces in the east of the country: North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo and Maniema, cutting off Congolese armys positions.Heavy artillery fire could be heard throughout the day but ceased in the evening, giving way to sporadic gunfire, Fiston Misona, a civil society activist in Walikale, told the AP over the phone. Our Congolese army is no longer fighting, he said. Its as if we were being sacrificed.There was no immediate comment from the M23 or the Congolese government. The escalation in fighting comes a day after the presidents of Congo and Rwanda held unexpected talks in Qatar and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.The meeting followed a failed attempt to bring Congos government and M23 leaders together for ceasefire negotiations on Tuesday. The rebels pulled out Monday after the European Union announced sanctions on rebel leaders. The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo escalated in January when the Rwanda-backed rebels advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma, followed by Bukavu in February.M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda, in a conflict that has created one of the worlds most significant humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced. The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N. experts, and at times have vowed to march as far as Congos capital, Kinshasa, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) to the east.The U.N. Human Rights Council last month launched a commission to investigate atrocities, including allegations of rape and killing akin to summary executions by both sides.The Walikale area is home to the largest tin deposits in Congo and to several significant gold mines. The Bisie tin mine, around 60 kilometers (35 miles) northwest of the town, accounts for the majority of tin exports from North Kivu province. Last week, its operator Alphamin Resources said it was temporarily halting mining operations due to the rebels advance.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00837-2Physicists had long assumed that the elusive force has constant strength. But the latest results from a project to map the Universes expansion challenge this idea.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00803-yComprehensive maps of mutations in healthy and diseased gastric tissue give clues about how cancer arises and could inform early-detection strategies.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00744-6Insights from the Nature Index show that the boom in research related to affordable and clean energy is not a global trend.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00831-8New metric assesses how AI is getting better at completing long tasks but some researchers are wary of long-term predictions.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to the media during a press conference at Canada House in London on Monday, March 17, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)2025-03-20T12:33:03Z TORONTO (AP) New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will call an snap election on Sunday, a Canadian government official familiar with the matter said Thursday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly said the vote is expected to take place on April 28. The official says Carney will go to the governor-general on Sunday and request to dissolve Parliament. The governor-general holds a constitutional and ceremonial role as the representative of Canadas head of state, King Charles III. Carney was sworn in as Canadas new prime minister on Friday as the country faces a trade war brought by U.S. President Donald Trump and threats of annexation. Carney, 60, replaced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remained in power until the center-left Liberal Party elected a new leader. The governing Liberals had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared economic war. He has repeatedly said Canada should become the 51st state of the U.S. Now the party and its new leader could come out on top.Carney has not had a phone call yet with Trump despite being sworn in last Friday. He ha s said hes ready to meet with Trump if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty.

Drake players warm up during practice for the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)2025-03-20T11:12:45Z WASHINGTON (AP) In East Lansing, Michigan, college sports often dominate conversations especially in March, when everyone seems to be filling out their NCAA brackets. Jessica Caruss would know; she has lived in the area for most of her life. She loves sports, and shes a Michigan State fan, but she wont be drawing up a March Madness bracket that shows her team (or any team) winning it all. Oh, Im aware. I just dont do brackets or anything, Caruss said. I dont gamble; I dont see the appeal of it. For me its not a rush. Its stressful.Shes far from alone in bypassing the brackets. As the annual tournament kicks off, some Americans skip the madness or at least they dont try to predict who will win. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they never fill out a bracket for the NCAA mens or womens basketball tournament. This group leans more female: About 6 in 10 bracket avoiders are women.Im probably not going to watch. I have not really been into it in quite some time, Caruss said. Ive never understood the March madness. Other bracket avoiders plan to watch tournament games but wont predict winners. Chris Lara lives in Belvidere, Illinois, but supports UCLA because of his California roots. Both the UCLA womens and mens basketball teams will be competing in the NCAA tournament, and he plans to cheer them on. But he doesnt feel confident in his ability to determine the winners for every match-up in a bracket. I dont have the knowledge to pick the teams correctly or to know the ones that are the best, Lara said. I would just go with my heart and pick teams. ... And then it wouldnt work out well.For some people, the madness is barely registering.Justin Campbell, a 29-year-old from Brookhaven, Mississippi, said hes never followed sports closely. Hes not tracking the NCAA tournament, let alone making a bracket. He might tune into a game if its on at a restaurant hes at, but basketball takes a back seat to football in his corner of southern Mississippi. Im sure if I was in a different town where it was all we talked about, it might be different, Campbell said. But where I am, football is more the big thing.Even among the sliver of U.S. adults who fill out a mens or womens bracket at least some years, about two-thirds of that group say the fact that other people were doing it was a major or minor reason for their participation. In the suburbs of Seattle, Laura Edain said shes not interested in March Madness, either, and does not plan to seek out any games. Edain, 55, used to work in an office that may have had more discussion of March Madness and brackets as it happened or she would overhear references to Gonzaga Universitys many tournament runs but the bracket predictions have never appealed to her.I dont think I would have participated, even then, Edain said. And now, I just am not in any kind of circle that really talks about it at all. ___Visual Storytelling News Editor Panagiotis Mouzakis in London contributed to this report. ___The AP-NORC poll of 1,112 adults was conducted Feb. 6-10, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. LINLEY SANDERS Sanders is a polls and surveys reporter for The Associated Press. She develops and writes about polls conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and works on AP VoteCast. twitter

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08757-xIntegration of spatial transcriptomics data with data from genome-wide association studies enables spatially resolved mapping of cells associated with human diseases and other complex traits.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08717-5Results of a multicentre phase 1 clinical trial evaluating treatment with the engineered herpes simplex virus VG161 in advanced liver cancer indicate a good safety profile and promising efficacy.

This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows Venus taken from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)2025-03-20T13:45:01Z NEW YORK (AP) Venus will pass between the Earth and sun on Saturday during whats called an inferior conjunction. But dont plan on seeing the linkup. The sight is extremely difficult to spot without special equipment and a trained eye.The glare from the sun makes it really, really difficult to see, said Michelle Nichols with Chicagos Adler Planetarium.A conjunction happens when two celestial bodies appear close together in the sky. It could be two planets, or a planet and the sun. An inferior conjunction of Venus happens when the planet swings between the sun and Earth.Such an alignment happens about every 19 months because of how Venus and Earth orbit the sun. The moment of inferior conjunction happens around 9 p.m. EDT. Some people call that a Venus kiss because were extremely close together, said astronomer Geary Albright with James Madison University. Venus has phases just like the moon. Before and after the conjunction, Venus looks like a thin crescent though only telescopes can see it. Those looking for signs of the transition can watch Venus move from the evening to morning sky Sunday. In the nights leading up to the conjunction, find a flat area and look near the horizon just after sunset to glimpse Venus before it sets. It appears as one of the brightest objects in the sky.After the conjunction, Venus will be visible in the morning sky just before sunrise. Take precaution to not stare directly at the sun. While this weekends event isnt much of a visual spectacle, scientists say its an opportunity to track how the planets shift in space. Get a chance to get to know Venus, said Nichols.Paul McCartneys The Kiss of Venus was partly inspired by a book chapter describing the inferior conjunction. And two upcoming NASA missions will put a spotlight on Venus, investigating how it formed and why it turned out so different from Earth.-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

Sun, beats, and unapologetic queer joy Winter Party Festival 2025 was a revolution in motion!Returning to the sun-kissed, high-glam Miami Beach for its 32nd celebration on Feb. 26 this year, the National LGBTQ Task Forces Winter Party Festival served up a dazzling, rhinestone-studded spectacle of music, movement, queer magic, and winter heat for seven days straight (Well, not really if you know what I mean).The radiant Miami Beach sunshine set the perfect stage for Winter Party Festival 2025, said festival co-chair Jason Hellinger in a statement. This years theme, Dance is Revolution, reminds us that every step on the dance floor is an act of freedom, a celebration of authenticity, and a movement toward meaningful change. More than a dozen high-energy events took place at 10 of the citys most iconic venues. Internationally acclaimed DJs, including Karsten Sollors, Dawson, Deanne, Micky Friedmann, Chus, Erik Vilar, and more, served electrifying beats to more than 10,000 attendees from around the world. Hundreds of passionate volunteers made this years Winter Party Festival possible, transforming Miami into the ultimate queer playground.There is nothing more powerful than standing at the pinnacle of our signature event, the Beach Party, looking out at a sea of people whove come together in pure queer joy, said Hellinger. Its in those moments that I turn to our volunteers and say WE made this happen.A significant portion of the festivals proceeds, along with those from its sister event, the National LGBTQ Task Force Gala, supports grassroots LGBTQ+ organizations in South Florida through the LGBTQ+ Equity Fund, a philanthropic partnership with the Task Force, Our Fund Foundation, and the Miami Foundation. Since 2005, Winter Party has reinvested over $4 million into more than 100 community organizations while bolstering national social justice efforts.Read more about this celebration of LGBTQ+ joy HERE, and scroll below for all of the glittering photos capturing the magic of this years festivities in anticipation for next years triumphant return on Feb. 25 purchase your passes starting at $305 and join the revolution HERE today!This story is brought to you by our partners at the National LGBTQ Task Force.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08736-2GluA2-containing AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are not Ca2+ impermeable, and their ability to transport Ca2+ is shaped by the subunit composition of AMPAR tetramers as well as the orientation of transmembrane AMPAR regulatory proteins and cornichon auxiliary subunits.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08769-7An early Holocene sea-level curve based on data from the North Sea reveals two phases of accelerated sea-level rise owing to meltwater from the North American and Antarctic ice sheets.

This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo)2025-03-20T14:09:42Z WASHINGTON (AP) An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist has been released by the Taliban in a deal with the Trump administration that Qatari negotiators helped broker, the State Department said Thursday.George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January. He was seized by the Talibans intelligence services in December 2022 and was designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained the following year.In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Glezmann was on his way back to the United States to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra. He also praised Qatar for steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts that he said were instrumental in securing Georges release.Georges release is a positive and constructive step. It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained around the world, Rubio said. Glezmann was being accompanied back to the U.S., through Qatars capital, Doha, by Adam Boehler, who has been handling hostage issues for President Donald Trumps administration. Qatar has hosted negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban over the years. The release of Glezmann is part of what the Taliban has previously described as the normalization of ties between the U.S. and Afghanistan following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Most countries still dont recognize the Talibans rule. Glezmanns release follows a separate deal, arranged in the final days of the Biden administration and also mediated by the Qataris, that secured the releases of Ryan Corbett and William McKenty. The Talibans Foreign Ministry in Kabul said at the time that those two U.S. citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two life terms in 2008 after being convicted under U.S. narco-terrorism laws. Unlike in that arrangement, the U.S. did not give up any prisoner to secure Glezmanns release, which was done as a goodwill gesture, according to an official briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.The Taliban disclosed earlier Thursday that Boehler had been meeting on hostage issues with a delegation that included Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.President Joe Biden contemplated before he left office an earlier proposal that would have involved the release of Glezmann and other Americans for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But Biden told families during a call in January that he would not support trading Rahim unless the Taliban released Afghan-American businessman Mahmood Habibi. U.S. officials believe the Taliban is holding Habibi, but the Taliban has denied it.___Associated Press writers Victoria Eastwood in Cairo and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto

UNC Greensboro head coach Trina Patterson directs her team in the first half of a semifinal NCAA college basketball game for the Southern Conference tournament, March 6, 2020, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek, File)2025-03-20T10:00:07Z Follow APs full coverage of March Madness. Get the AP Top 25 womens college basketball poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) The Columbia womens basketball team plays in an intimate 2,700-seat gym nestled in Manhattan that is nowhere to be found on the national sports landscape. Now the Lions and all the other starry-eyed dreamers in the NCAA Tournament are being serenaded just like former national champions UConn, South Carolina or Tennessee.And this year, theyre all getting paid to be there.The star treatment this year goes beyond charter flights, hotel accommodations and coveted swag. For the first time, womens teams are getting an individual share of the profits, a perk mens teams have enjoyed for years.It should be this way. We should be able to fly charter, said UNC Greensboro coach Trina Patterson, whose Spartans will take a charter flight to play a game for the first time. We are all playing in the same March Madness, the treatment for the men and women should be equal. We get a unit! Thats correct, each womens team in the tournament will get a unit money that is paid to conferences when one of its teams appears in the NCAA Tournament. The formula and definition of a unit can be complicated, but the bottom line is conferences will receive $113,000 for each game one of its womens team plays in the tournament. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Columbia reached the tournament last year, but neither the Lions nor the Ivy League received money for the appearance.You got to start somewhere and I think weve been so far behind, said Columbia coach Megan Griffith. I think of Sedona Prince and its really cool to see that shes still able to play at a high level on a big stage. This is more like the whipped cream. I think the cherry on top is going to keep coming, but this its really good so far. Princes video from 2020 that shed light on the inequalities between the mens and womens tournament helped spearhead change in the tournament. Patterson is now with UNCG but she knows what its like to be one of the marquee teams. She played at Virginia in the 1980s when Geno Auriemma was an assistant at the school. Patterson then went on to be an assistant coach at Stanford for a few years under Tara VanDerveer.Her 16th-seeded team will enjoy the comforts of the cross-country charter flight from Greensboro to Los Angeles, where they will try to knock off JuJu Watkins and No. 1-seeded Southern California. Its UNCGs first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1998.This is all new for William & Mary, which is making its first appearance but has the chance to earn two financial units. They are in the play-in game against High Point on Thursday with the winner facing No. 1 seed Texas. It should have always been that way. Womens basketball has been fighting for equality for a very long time, said William & Mary coach Erin Dickerson Davis, who was the associate head coach at Wake Forest, an assistant at Georgetown and has also coached at Towson, Illinois State, La Salle and Furman.Ive been in this business for many, many years, Davis said. I played college basketball, its a long time coming. It is the Tribes first trip to March Madness in either mens or womens basketball.Everyone is so excited about the experience, going from the bus directly to the plane, everyone was so happy, Davis said. Yes, were here on a business trip and we want to win. But just to be able to have these experiences for them that no one has done at William & Mary is special.Several of the players at Columbia can relate. They arent in Chapel Hill for spring break. They are here to win. But that doesnt mean they arent taking time to enjoy the moment.It was cool going to the charter and weve been taking it all in, junior Perri Page said. But its a business trip and we have a goal in mind.The Lions schedule this week has mirrored most schools travel itinerary. There was the building anticipation on the bus ride from their New York campus to Newark Airport for their pride-filled one-hour charter flight to Chapel Hill and the giddiness that comes with picking up that tournament swag on Wednesday. Yes, there is a game to be played Thursday night. A pretty big one at that.But what a ride to get here with a paycheck looming to top it off.Weve been enjoying the whole season, Page said, adding, Its great we can make money for the school now.Patterson, the former Virginia Cavalier, Stanford Cardinal and now UNCG Spartan summed it up when she said: Its great for womens basketball.___The Associated Press women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. 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.___AP March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00851-4A geneticist gently prises open the branches of family trees to reveal hidden kinships. Plus, the world's oldest crater and a proposed energy plant in Chile threatens the dark skies over some of the world's most powerful telescopes.