Armed police threatened a peaceful protester with arrest under the Terrorism Act for holding a Palestinian flag and having signs saying “Free Gaza” and “Israel is committing genocide”, accusing her of supporting a proscribed organisation.

Officers told Laura Murton, 42, that her demonstration in Canterbury, Kent, on Monday evening expressed views supportive of Palestine Action, which was banned under terrorism legislation earlier this month...

He went on to say that the phrase “Free Gaza” was “supportive of Palestine Action”, adding it was an offence “to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely Palestine Action is an offence under section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act”. The officer told her she had committed that offence...

Tom Southerden, Amnesty International UK’s law and human rights director, described the footage as “very concerning”. He added: “We have long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. This video documents one aspect of exactly the kind of thing we were warning about.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/17/armed-police-threatened-to-arrest-kent-protester-for-holding-palestinian-flag

...Nearly one-quarter of the adult patients had genetic diagnoses pertinent to their symptoms in the ICU, the researchers found—and half of those people had not previously been aware of these genetic disorders. The team also found Black patients were far less likely than white patients to receive these personalized diagnoses before or during their ICU stay...

The study found similar rates of genetic diagnoses among younger and older patients, which challenges the prevailing dogma among disease geneticists...

moz-extension://a6e7ca96-1bf5-45d7-9d20-b41077fe566f/data/reader/index.html?id=20&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.science.org%2f Content%2f Article%2Fgenetic-testing-critically-ill-adults-can-yield-surprises-and-reveal-disparities

Trying the above link from DU get error. The Science newspiece has doi: 10.1126/science.zlo6ntr

The results of this study investigating genomic sequencing in the critically ill adult population serve as a pivotal advancement in our understanding of the impact of monogenic disease on adults. Nearly 25% of all UPHS ICU-admitted patients aged 18–40 years have a Mendelian genetic diagnosis related to their ICU admission. For over 75% of these patients, their genetic diagnosis confers specific care-altering management recommendations. The implication here is profound: the clinical benefits of broad genomic testing in critically ill adults are greatly underrecognized, and the implementation of exclusion-based genomic testing in this population could dramatically transform patient care and outcomes.

Our findings challenge the dogma that the likelihood of uncovering actionable genetic diagnoses decreases with increasing age.35 Our diagnostic rate of 24.4% is consistent with similar studies in the critically ill neonatal and pediatric populations (diagnostic yields: 21%–38%),2,3,4,9,10 suggesting that critical illness is a strong predictor of Mendelian disease across the lifespan...

In conclusion, the evidence for the utility of broad, exclusion-based exome or genome sequencing in critically ill adults is compelling, with new diagnoses and potential management changes identified in more than 10% of all adult patients aged 18–40 years admitted to any ICU. As precision medicine continues to revolutionize healthcare delivery, it is incumbent upon us to not only recognize the importance of Mendelian genetic disease in adult morbidity and mortality but also to actively incorporate this knowledge into routine clinical practice to alleviate healthcare disparities and improve healthcare outcomes across the board.

https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(25)00238-1

Humm. For some reason when trying the above link from DU get "an error has occurred". The Citation export from the article is

Exclusion-based exome sequencing in critically ill adults 18–40 years old has a 24% diagnostic rate and finds racial disparities in access to genetic testing
Gold, Jessica I.Mansfield, Adam J.PoindeTxter, Afiya et al.
The American Journal of Human Genetics, Volume 0, Issue 0

"Volume 0, Issue 0" makes one a bit suspicious. There is no DOI. The American Journal of Human Genetics is a long standing and (at least formerly) valid journal established in the middle of the last century. No idea of what the problem may be.

Thought this would be an interesting, QUICK post!?

Fish make hanging motionless in the water column look effortless, and scientists had long assumed that this meant it was a type of rest. Now, a new study reveals that fish use nearly twice as much energy when hovering in place compared to resting...

...In particular, the scientists measured the physical separation between the fish's center of mass, which is determined by weight distribution, and its center of buoyancy, which is related to the shape and location of its swim bladder. All these measurements provided a way to quantify how stable or unstable each fish was...

"Hovering is a bit like trying to balance on a bicycle that's not moving," said Di Santo...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250708045658.htm

Fresh concerns have emerged about the platelet studies underpinning the FDA approval of ticagrelor, AstraZeneca's multibillion-dollar heart drug. A new BMJ investigation reveals data discrepancies, missing lab readings, and questions about the integrity of the trial process. Notably, key results reported in a major cardiology journal were inaccurately presented, and some study contributors were omitted or denied involvement. With generics on the horizon, critics say these revelations highlight potential dangers, including severe rebound effects and bleeding risks, that were never properly disclosed…

It finds that the "primary endpoint" results (the trial's key measurement) for both clinical trials were inaccurately reported in the leading cardiology journal Circulation, and reveals that more than 60 of 282 readings from platelet machines used in the trials were not present in US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) datasets.

What's more, one active trial investigator never became a study author, while one author told The BMJ he was not involved in the trial, and most investigators, including the principal investigator, were unreachable or declined to be interviewed.

Victor Serebruany, an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University and ticagrelor's most renowned critic, told The BMJ that "there are episodes of skyrocketing rebound and profound platelet inhibition after ticagrelor making patients prone to thrombosis or bleeding. If doctors had known what happened in these trials, they would never have started using ticagrelor."...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/06/250621233811.htm

Three experts have now resigned from a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee after the agency approved an Alzheimer's drug called Aduhelm [monoclonal anti-beta-amyloid antibody] against the wishes of nearly every member on the panel [since Phase-3 trials gave conflicting and unclear results]…

"Accelerated Approval is not supposed to be the backup that you use when your clinical trial data are not good enough for regular approval," Kesselheim said via Twitter on Monday as the FDA issued its OK for Aduhelm…

The drug will be administered through infusions every four weeks, resulting in a yearly cost of about $56,000, the companies said. That's the list price, which doesn't necessarily reflect the out-of-pocket costs for someone who has insurance and/or Medicare. Preliminary estimates suggest patients' copayments for the drug could cost around $11,500 annually.,,,

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/11/1005567149/3-experts-have-resigned-from-an-fda-committee-over-alzheimers-drug-approval...

When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, lava, ash, and debris left the landscape barren for miles. It was obvious that recovery would take decades. But one team of scientists had an unconventional idea to help jumpstart the process: send a few gophers on a one-day mission to the mountain...

"With the exception of a few weeds, there is no way most plant roots are efficient enough to get all the nutrients and water they need by themselves ... The fungi transport these things to the plant and get carbon they need for their own growth in exchange."...

Two years after the eruption of Mount St Helens, local gophers were sent to the area in what must have been quite a confusing day trip, even if the animals were not aware of the news. The gophers were placed in enclosed areas for the experiment and spent their day digging around in the pumice.

Despite only spending one day in the area, the impact they had was remarkable. Six years after their trip, there were over 40,000 plants thriving where the gophers had gotten to work, while the surrounding land remained, for the most part, barren. Studying the area over 40 years later, the team found they had left one hell of a legacy...

https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-dropped-gophers-on-mount-st-helens-for-24-hours-four-decades-later-the-impact-is-astonishing-79573