DNA

An Italian court on Monday convicted three Egyptian security officials for their involvement in the 2016 kidnapping of Giulio Regeni, the Cambridge University student whose tortured body was found on a Cairo roadside days after he disappeared. The verdict is a landmark in Italy's years-long effort to establish accountability, though Egypt has consistently denied involvement and the defendants were tried in absentia.

The Israeli military says it is preparing for a possible Hamas attempt to kidnap soldiers along the Yellow Line, the ceasefire deployment line inside the Gaza Strip. The warning highlights continued tensions despite the truce, with troops deployed in the area said to be on heightened alert for ambush or abduction attempts.

An Italian court has convicted three Egyptian security officers in absentia for the kidnapping of Giulio Regeni, the Cambridge University student tortured and killed in Egypt in 2016. The verdict marks a rare step toward accountability in a case that has strained Italy-Egypt relations for years. Rome continues to press Cairo for answers about who ordered and carried out the killing.

Three Egyptian security officials have been convicted in connection with the kidnapping of Giulio Regeni, the Italian student who was found dead near Cairo in 2016. The verdict, reported by the New York Times, marks a rare holding of Egyptian officials accountable in a case that has strained relations between Italy and Egypt for years.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres used his final address to the UN General Assembly to warn that superpowers alone cannot solve the world's problems, touching on climate change and global cooperation. The speech, covered by The Guardian, is being shared widely as it marks the end of his tenure and delivers a pointed message to major powers about shared responsibility.

Israeli forces have killed a global jihadist terrorist involved in the kidnapping of Noa Argamani during the October 7 attacks, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post. Argamani became one of the most recognisable hostages of the Hamas-led assault before being rescued in June 2024. The killing of the abductor is drawing attention as Israel continues operations against those responsible for the attacks.

An Italian court has convicted three Egyptian security officials for their role in the kidnapping of Giulio Regeni, the Cambridge University student tortured and killed in Egypt in 2016. The verdict delivers partial justice, as none of the defendants were present at trial and no one has been convicted for Regeni's murder itself. The case has long strained relations between Italy and Egypt.

Israeli forces say they have killed a militant involved in the kidnapping of Noa Argamani during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Argamani, whose abduction was captured in widely shared footage, was later rescued by Israeli troops in June 2024. The reported killing is drawing attention as Israel continues operations linked to the attack.

An Italian court has convicted three Egyptian security officials in absentia of kidnapping Giulio Regeni, the Cambridge doctoral student tortured and killed in Egypt in 2016. The verdict is the first judicial outcome in a case that strained relations between Italy and Egypt for years and has drawn attention from human rights groups and Italian media.

Nepal has filed a $20 million claim under the UN loss-and-damage fund for flooding, but analysis shows this covers only about 0.7% of the country's actual flood-related costs. The gap highlights how international climate finance falls far short of the real damage developing countries face, raising questions about the fund's scale and adequacy as more nations submit claims.

Across the United States, people have been showing up in immigration courtrooms to accompany immigrants and deter ICE from detaining people at hearings. Among them is Sister Rose Patrice, a Catholic nun, whose presence supporters say can influence outcomes, since faith leaders standing beside defendants has been shown to affect how cases proceed. The practice has spread as a form of peaceful accompaniment.

Researchers, including Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics, report that theoretical physics methods have helped reveal how extra-chromosomal DNA behaves inside tumour cells. These circular DNA fragments, separate from chromosomes, are known to drive cancer growth and drug resistance. Applying physics-based modelling to their molecular mechanisms offers new insight that could inform future cancer research and treatment strategies.

Improved DNA detection methods are said to be creating a harder scientific question rather than simply solving existing ones. The claim, reported by European Scientist, suggests that as technology identifies smaller traces of genetic material, researchers face new challenges interpreting what those findings mean. Details of the specific methods or questions involved were not provided.

Mongabay has published an interview with Katie Heineman of the Frozen Zoo, the biobank that stores genetic samples from endangered and extinct wildlife species. Heineman discusses how preserved DNA and cell lines can support conservation research, breeding programmes and the long-term survival of threatened animals as habitats and populations decline worldwide.

A Nature study reports that the p53 protein, best known as a tumour suppressor, prevents chromothripsis — the shattering of chromosomes — by keeping transcription and DNA replication in balance. When p53 is missing or inactive, these processes collide, causing catastrophic genome damage that can drive cancer development. The finding links a classic cancer gene to a new mechanism of genome protection, and researchers say it may refine how tumour evolution and genome instability are understood.

A landmark genetic study suggests Earth's earliest bats did not originate in the region long assumed, prompting talk of a new 'garden of Eden' for the species' evolutionary origins. Researchers say DNA evidence rewrites the map of where bats first emerged, with implications for understanding mammal evolution. Science writers and animal enthusiasts are sharing the finding widely, calling it a surprising rethink of bat history.

In Minnesota, volunteers known as citizen sleuths are collecting environmental DNA samples from lakes to detect the presence of zebra mussels, an invasive species that damages ecosystems and water infrastructure. By analyzing genetic traces in the water, they can spot infestations earlier than traditional visual checks, helping officials respond faster to protect the state's lakes.

The leader of the Word of Faith religious group in North Carolina is set to face a retrial on assault and kidnapping charges, according to a regional news report. The case, which has drawn attention because of the group's controversial history, will again be heard in a North Carolina court after earlier proceedings did not produce a final resolution.

Researchers have found that bacteria living on the gills of coral reef fish carry genes for chemosynthesis, the process of making food from chemicals rather than sunlight. DNA analysis revealed these genetic pathways in the gill microbes, suggesting reef fish may host bacteria capable of producing nutrients in ways previously associated with deep-sea ecosystems rather than sunlit reefs.