This article is not about any of the "normal" topics of this newsletter: genealogy, history, current affairs, DNA, and related topics. However, I suspect lots of computer users will be interested in this topic.

From an article by David Nield published in TheVerge web site: 

There’s no shortage of ways to share files with other people, whether you want to send them in a group chat, attach them to an email, or ping them over via AirDrop or Nearby Share. These all work perfectly well, but they’re all best for smaller files.

If you’ve got a larger file to send to someone — like a high-res video or an archive of many different files, for example — you can start to run into problems. Email clients might reject your file for being too big, or you might be waiting a while for the file to transfer over a protocol like Bluetooth.

In addition, if you’re looking to limit the amount of time a file is available for download, or if you want to limit who has access and the kind of access they have, a more feature-filled app is probably better.

You have a couple of good options, however. All the popular cloud storage services — such as Apple iCloud, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive — come with flexible file sharing options built into them. However, if you don’t use one or would prefer not to use yours to share data, you’ll also find a number of dedicated apps that just do file sharing and nothing else.

Below, I look at the file sharing options offered by Apple, Google, and Microsoft, along with a couple of third-party apps. There are loads of the latter out there; I’ve just listed one of the most popular and one that I’ve used several times.

The rest of the article may be found at: https://www.theverge.com/23958722/files-transfer-share-large-how-to.

Comment by Dick Eastman:

I am surprised that the author of the above article did not mention the method I always use to send large files: Dropbox Transfer. I have used Dropbox Transfer for years. It allows you to share files directly from your cloud storage with anyone, or separately send up to 100 gigabytes (upgradable to 250 gigabytes) with Dropbox Transfer.

There is an interesting article in the New York Times. I am a bit surprised to see it. The Times publishes most of its articles behind a paywall, making most articles available only to subscribers. I am not a subscriber but I had no difficulty in reading this:

On Saturday, after a 12-year effort, the Department of Veterans Affairs reached a long-term goal — it enrolled the millionth veteran in a genetic database, the Million Veteran Program.

According to the V.A., the Million Veteran Program is the largest such database in the world. It includes not only genetic information but also is linked to the department’s electronic medical records and even contains records of diet and environmental exposure.

The department says its data are available for now only to V.A. doctors and scientists, most of whom also have academic appointments. They have published hundreds of studies using what has already been collected.

A Moment That Sums It Up: 3:46 p.m.

The millionth vet joined the database on the afternoon of Nov. 8. Employees who had waited a dozen years for this moment wept.

As the goal approached, the department had started an intensive email campaign, encouraging vets to sign up online or at V.A. medical centers. In the few weeks building up to the millionth vet, what had been a few hundred enrollees a day turned into thousands. The department created a ticker, which it posted online, showing the numbers.

“This is a gift to the world,” said Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the under secretary for health in the Department sVeterans Affairs.

The V.A. will continue to enroll more vets to the database, but this was a symbolic moment.

The rest of the article may be found at: https://tinyurl.com/45rtfkn.

File this under "things that are changing in my lifetime." As a genealogist who studies your own ancestors and their lives, you might want to preserve items of possible interest to your descendants. Perhaps you should save some newspapers so that you descendants can see them. They probably will have heard of newspapers but maybe have never seen one. 

From Axios:

The decline of local newspapers accelerated so rapidly in 2023 that analysts now believe the U.S. will have lost one-third of the newspapers it had as of 2005 by the end of next year -- rather than in 2025, as originally predicted. There are roughly 6,000 newspapers left in America, down from 8,891 in 2005, according to a new report from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. "We're almost at a one-third loss now and we'll certainly hit that pace next year," said the report's co-authors -- Penelope Muse Abernathy, a visiting professor at Medill, and Sarah Stonbely, director of Medill's State of Local News Project. Of the papers that still survive, a majority (4,790) publish weekly, not daily.

Over the past two years, newspapers continued to vanish at an average rate of more than two per week, leaving 204 U.S. counties, or 6.4%, without any local news outlet. Roughly half of all U.S. counties (1,562) are now only served with one remaining local news source -- typically a weekly newspaper. Abernathy and Stonbely estimate that 228 of those 1,562 counties, or roughly 7% of all U.S. counties, are at high risk of losing their last remaining local news outlet.

There isn't enough investment in digital news replacements to stop the spread of news deserts in America. The footprint for alternative local news outlets is tiny and they are mostly clustered around metro areas that already have some local coverage. The report estimates that -- for outlets focused on state and local news -- there are roughly 550 digital-only news sites, 720 ethnic media organizations and 215 public broadcasting stations in America, compared to 6,000 newspapers.

The authors argue that the dynamic between those with access to quality local news and those who don't "poses a far-reaching crisis for our democracy as it simultaneously struggles with political polarization, a lack of civic engagement and the proliferation of misinformation and information online."

Comment by Dick Eastman:

The local weekly newspaper in my home town ceased publishing on paper several years ago after publishing for more than 100 years. However, it continues to publish on the web. Does this count as a "lost newspaper?" I don't think so. Instead, I think the “paper" simply changed its distribution method. I especially like that as I now live more than 1,000 miles away from that town and yet I can easily get all the news from "back home" on my computer.

The following is a press release issued by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and CRISPR Therapeutics:

- First regulatory authorization of a CRISPR-based gene-editing therapy in the world –

- CASGEVY is indicated for the treatment of sickle cell disease in patients 12 years of age and older with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises who have the βS/βS, βS/β+ or βS/β0 genotype, for whom hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is appropriate and a human leukocyte antigen matched related hematopoietic stem cell donor is not available -

- CASGEVY is indicated for the treatment of transfusion‑dependent beta thalassemia in patients 12 years of age and older for whom hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is appropriate and a human leukocyte antigen matched related hematopoietic stem cell donor is not available -

BOSTON & ZUG, Switzerland----Nov. 16, 2023-- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) and CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP) announced today that the United Kingdom (U.K.) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted conditional marketing authorization for CASGEVY™ (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel]), a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited therapy, for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT).

CASGEVY has been authorized for the treatment of eligible patients 12 years of age and older with SCD with recurrent vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) or TDT, for whom a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched related hematopoietic stem cell donor is not available. There are an estimated 2,000 patients eligible for CASGEVY in the U.K.

“Today is a historic day in science and medicine: this authorization of CASGEVY in Great Britain is the first regulatory authorization of a CRISPR-based therapy in the world,” said Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Vertex.

“I hope this represents the first of many applications of this Nobel Prize winning technology to benefit eligible patients with serious diseases,” said Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics.”

In two global clinical trials of CASGEVY in SCD and TDT, the trials met their respective primary outcome of becoming free from severe VOCs or transfusion independent for at least 12 consecutive months. Once achieved, these benefits are potentially expected to be life-long. The safety profile of 97 SCD and TDT patients treated to date with CASGEVY in these ongoing studies is generally consistent with myeloablative conditioning with busulfan and hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

“This authorization offers a new option for eligible patients who are waiting for innovative therapies, and I look forward to patients having access to this therapy as quickly as possible,” said Professor Josu de la Fuente, Principal Investigator in the CLIMB-111 and CLIMB-121 studies, Professor of Practice (Cellular & Gene Therapy) at Imperial College London, and Consultant Haematologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

In the U.K., exa-cel was granted an Innovation Passport under the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) from the MHRA, and Vertex is already working closely with national health authorities to secure access for eligible patients as quickly as possible.

About Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that affects the red blood cells, which are essential for carrying oxygen to all organs and tissues of the body. SCD causes severe pain, organ damage and shortened life span due to misshapen or “sickled” blood cells. People with SCD can experience painful blood vessel blockages, also known as vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), that can lead to acute chest syndrome, stroke, jaundice and symptoms of heart failure. Individuals may also experience anemia, which can result in end-organ damage and premature death. VOCs are the hallmark of SCD, often resulting in severe and debilitating pain. Current standard treatment options for SCD are largely symptomatic treatments and do not adequately address the burden of disease or alleviate the need for chronic care. Most often, treatment is focused on relieving pain, minimizing organ damage, maintaining hydration and addressing fevers, requiring medication and sometimes monthly blood transfusions and frequent hospital visits. The only cure for SCD today is a stem cell transplant from a matched donor, but this option is only available to a small fraction of people living with SCD. SCD requires lifelong treatment and significant use of health care resources, and ultimately results in reduced life expectancy and reduced lifetime earnings and productivity. In the U.K., the mean age of death for people living with SCD is around 40.

About Beta Thalassemia
Beta thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that affects the red blood cells, which are essential for carrying oxygen to all organs and tissues of the body. A lack of red blood cells, also known as anemia, is the primary manifestation of beta thalassemia. Because of this anemia, people living with beta thalassemia may experience fatigue and shortness of breath, and infants may develop failure to thrive, jaundice and feeding problems. Complications of beta thalassemia can also include an enlarged spleen, liver and/or heart; misshapen bones; and delayed puberty. Treatment for beta thalassemia is personalized and depends on the severity of disease that each person experiences. Many people have to get regular blood transfusions to deliver healthy donated blood to their body. This requires many hospital visits and can also lead to an unhealthy buildup of iron. Today, stem cell transplant from a matched donor is a curative option but is only available to a small fraction of people living with beta thalassemia. Beta thalassemia requires lifelong treatment and significant use of health care resources, and ultimately results in reduced life expectancy, decreased quality of life and reduced lifetime earnings and productivity. In the U.K., the mean age of death for people living with TDT is around 55.

About CASGEVY™ (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel])
CASGEVY™ is a genetically modified autologous CD34+ cell enriched population that contains human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells edited ex vivo by CRISPR/Cas9 at the erythroid-specific enhancer region of the BCL11A gene.

The latest data from the ongoing pivotal trials was presented at the European Hematology Association Congress in June 2023.

Exa-cel is also under review by the European Medicines Agency, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has granted Priority Review for SCD and Standard Review for TDT and assigned Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action dates of December 8, 2023, and March 30, 2024, respectively.

About Conditional Marketing Authorizations
Conditional marketing authorizations (CMAs) are for medicines that fulfill a significant unmet medical need such as being for serious and life-threatening diseases, where no satisfactory treatment methods are available or where the medicine offers a major therapeutic advantage. A CMA is granted where comprehensive clinical data is not yet complete, but it is judged that such data will become available soon. CMAs are valid for one year and renewable annually with ongoing regulatory review of data.

About the Vertex and CRISPR Collaboration
Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics entered into a strategic research collaboration in 2015 focused on the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to discover and develop potential new treatments aimed at the underlying genetic causes of human disease. Exa-cel represents the first treatment to emerge from the joint research program. Under an amended collaboration agreement, Vertex now leads global development, manufacturing and commercialization of exa-cel and splits program costs and profits worldwide 60/40 with CRISPR Therapeutics.

About Vertex
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has approved medicines that treat the underlying causes of multiple chronic, life-shortening genetic diseases — cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia — and continues to advance clinical and research programs in these diseases. Vertex also has a robust clinical pipeline of investigational therapies across a range of modalities in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including APOL1-mediated kidney disease, acute and neuropathic pain, type 1 diabetes and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

Vertex was founded in 1989 and has its global headquarters in Boston, with international headquarters in London. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Latin America. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including 14 consecutive years on Science magazine's Top Employers list and one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. For company updates and to learn more about Vertex's history of innovation, visit www.vrtx.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter/X.

About CRISPR Therapeutics
CRISPR Therapeutics is a leading gene editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary gene editing technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. CRISPR Therapeutics has established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology, regenerative medicine and rare diseases. To accelerate and expand its efforts, CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic collaborations with leading companies including Bayer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and ViaCyte, Inc. CRISPR Therapeutics AGis headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., and R&D operations based in Boston, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California, and business offices in London, United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.crisprtx.com.

CRISPR THERAPEUTICS® standard character mark and design logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of CRISPR Therapeutics AG. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

(VRTX-GEN)

Vertex Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including, without limitation, the statements by Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., and Professor Josu de la Fuente in this press release, and statements regarding our expectations for and the anticipated benefits of CASGEVY, including the expectation for certain life-long benefits of CASGEVY for patients, the estimated eligible patient population in the U.K., Vertex’s efforts to secure access for eligible patients as quickly as possible, and Vertex’s plans and expectations for the ongoing clinical trials evaluating exa-cel. While Vertex believes the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are accurate, these forward-looking statements represent the company's beliefs only as of the date of this press release and there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that data from the company's development programs may not support registration or further development of its compounds due to safety, efficacy, and other reasons, that obtaining authorization and commercializing exa-cel in Europe, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. may not occur on the anticipated timeline, or at all, that adequate pricing and reimbursement for CASGEVY may not be achieved on the anticipated timeline, or at all, that the MHRA’s conditional marketing authorization may not be renewed annually, or at all, and other risks listed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Vertex's most recent annual report and subsequent quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and available through the company's website at www.vrtx.com. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Vertex disclaims any obligation to update the information contained in this press release as new information becomes available.

(CRSP-GEN)

CRISPR Therapeutics Forward-Looking Statement

This press release may contain a number of “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements by Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., and Professor Josu de la Fuente in this press release, as well as statements regarding: (i) plans and expectations for the commercialization of, and anticipated benefits of, CASGEVY, including the longevity of such benefits for patients, the estimated eligible patient population in the U.K., and the speed by which access for eligible patients may be secured; (ii) expectations regarding the ongoing exa-cel clinical trials, including potential implications of clinical data for patients; (iii) timelines for and expectations regarding additional regulatory agency decisions; (iv) expectations for the benefits of CRISPR Therapeutics’ collaboration with Vertex; and (v) expectations regarding the therapeutic value, development, and commercial potential of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technologies and therapies. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although CRISPR Therapeutics believes that such statements are based on reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations, existing and prospective investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, are neither promises nor guarantees and not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Actual performance and results may differ materially from those projected or suggested in the forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, that: the clinical data from ongoing clinical trials of exa-cel will not continue or be repeated in ongoing or planned clinical trials or may not support regulatory authorization or renewal of conditional authorization; adequate pricing or reimbursement may not be secured to support continued development or commercialization of exa-cel following regulatory authorization; future competitive or other market factors may adversely affect the commercial potential for CASGEVY; CRISPR Therapeutics may not realize the potential benefits of its collaboration with Vertex; there are uncertainties regarding the intellectual property protection for CRISPR Therapeutics’ technology and intellectual property belonging to third parties; and those risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in CRISPR Therapeutics’ most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and in any other subsequent filings made by CRISPR Therapeutics with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. CRISPR Therapeutics disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, other than to the extent required by law.

Call for Proposals

Forensic Genealogy Foundations 2024 

Online Genealogy Event - April 27th, 2024

Sponsored by the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy

The Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (https://www.forensicgenealogists.org) invites genealogy enthusiasts, researchers, and professionals to submit proposals for our upcoming online genealogy event, scheduled for April 27th, 2024. This event promises to be a dynamic exploration of cutting-edge topics in forensic genealogy, featuring practical applications and hands-on components to enhance participants' skill sets.

Event Date: April 27th, 2024

Submission Deadline: December 15th, 2023

Topics of Interest to our Members:

Heir Searching: Explore strategies, tools, and case studies in heir searching, highlighting the challenges and successes in locating rightful heirs to estates, assets, and legacies.

Adoption Research: Delve into the complexities of adoption research, including methodologies, legal considerations, and ethic in the world of adoption. Share success stories and innovative approaches to uncovering hidden family ties.

Military Repatriation: Examine the role of genealogy in military repatriation efforts. Discuss techniques for identifying and honoring fallen soldiers, tracing military lineage, and reuniting families with their military service members.

Investigative Genetic Genealogy: Navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of investigative genetic genealogy. Present case studies, ethical considerations, and best practices for leveraging DNA testing to solve mysteries and uncover familial connections to solve criminal and civil matters.

Quiet Title Actions in Real Estate: Explore the intersection of genealogy and real estate through quiet title actions. Discuss the role of genealogical research in resolving property ownership disputes and providing clear title histories.

Finding Living People: Address the challenges and techniques involved in locating living relatives, from distant cousins to immediate family members. Share innovative search strategies, online resources, and ethical considerations.

Other topics of interest are welcome if applicable to the study and practice of forensic genealogy.

Submission Guidelines:

Each proposal should include a clear and concise abstract (300 words maximum).

Each proposal should include a title not exceeding fifteen words. Additionally, a presentation summary not to exceed twenty-five words for the event brochure.

A one-time speaker biography should be included not to exceed twenty-five words. 

Emphasize a strong hands-on component to encourage audience participation and skill-building. Interactive elements may include case studies, live demonstrations, or practical exercises with the use of instructional technology.

Each Presentation is to last 50 minutes with 10 minutes at the end for questions.

How to Submit:

Email your proposal to board@forensicgenealogists.org by December 15th, 2023, with the subject line: "Genealogy Event Proposal - [Title of Presentation] [Your Last Name]."

Speakers who wish to submit lecture proposals may submit up to four proposals electronically. PDF format please.

Speaker's full name, mailing address, telephone, and email address.

Lecture outline, not to exceed 1500 words.

Speaker's recent lecture experience, including a listing of national or regional conferences where the speaker has presented in the last three years.

Selection Process:

Proposals will be reviewed by our board of directors, and selected presenters will be notified by January 20th, 2024. Preference will be given to members of the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy. 

Join us for a Day of Discovery:

This event promises to be a unique opportunity to share knowledge, engage with fellow genealogists, and advance the field of forensic genealogy. We look forward to receiving your proposals and creating a memorable and educational experience for all participants.

For inquiries and additional information, please contact  board@forensicgenealogists.org

The International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, is home to one of the largest slave ports in the world. After opening its doors in early June, the institution now honors enslaved Africans by helping visitors connect with their family roots through advanced genealogy.

According to PBS News Hour, the museum has the broadest genealogical collection, with around 400 million records from before the 1870 census, which was the first to include African Americans by name. However, African Americans still struggle to trace their family history due to the lingering effects of slavery.

Malika Pryor-Martin, the museum’s chief learning and engagement officer, shared its mission to help families track their loved ones through state-of-the-art technology.

“Help folks break down what we refer to in the genealogy world as that brick wall of 1870. It’s both myth and reality, because the myth, the records are there. The reality, access is tough. So, it’s natural to think about the kinds of records that you would search for people,” Pryor-Martin said.

He continued: “However, in an antebellum period, the overwhelming majority of people of African descent here in the United States or what becomes the United States are not people. They’re considered property. So we are really interested in investing in digitizing and working and partnering with other institutions to digitize them to make what they digitized available.”

You can read more in an article by Jahaura Michelle published in the Yahoo News web site at: https://news.yahoo.com/international-african-american-museum-honors-173927425.html. 

From an article in theconversation.com:

The Native Mounted Police operated in Queensland for 80 years, starting in 1849. It consisted of small groups of between six and 15 Aboriginal troopers under the command of white officers. The troopers were typically recruited from areas far from where they were sent to serve.

For seven years, we have been reconstructing the activities of the Native Mounted Police in order to help Queenslanders begin to understand this history.

In our research, we combed through archaeological work on Native Mounted Police camps and artefacts, examined historical documents (newspapers, colonial government documents, private diaries, hospital records and maps) from public archives and libraries, and conducted oral histories with a range of people, including descendants of Native Mounted Police officers and troopers, and descendants of massacre survivors.

We have organised all of our findings – nearly 20,000 documents in total – in an online database to shed light on the lives of the 450 officers and over 1,000 Aboriginal troopers who made up the Native Mounted Police, and the violence they administered.

Some people question why Aboriginal boys and men would enlist in a force whose job was to hunt down and kill other Aboriginal people. As we discuss at length in a research article, the reasons are varied and many. Some were directly or indirectly coerced through threats of violence or reduced prison sentences, but many seemingly “volunteered”. Many recruits may have had few, if any, other viable options - in essence, they were faced with a “choiceless choice”.

Like other native policing forces used by the British in Africa and India, the Queensland Native Mounted Police also deliberately exploited the fact that Indigenous people from one part of the country often regarded those from another as strangers, if not enemies.

You can read the full story at: https://tinyurl.com/3t8z32f5.

From an article by Sérgio Dávila published in the Google Blog:

Over 10,000 photographs showing landmark moments in history, culture and society by Folha de S.Paulo, the iconic Brazilian newspaper, now online for the first time.

For almost three decades, I have been working at Folha de S.Paulo, a São Paulo-based newspaper founded in 1921 that grew into one of the most influential and reliable sources of news in Brazil. Since 2019, I have led the newsroom as its editor-in-chief. Folha has covered all the most important moments in Brazilian history throughout the 20th century and we remain a trustworthy source of information for Brazilians by delivering high quality news every day, in real time.

In 2021, Folha celebrated its 100th anniversary and, throughout our history, we have built one of the most complete photographic archives in Brazil. This collection of photos, which helps us to understand the history of Brazil, is now available on Google Arts & Culture with over 10,000 images and 60 curated stories. The project offers a century-long perspective on Brazilian history and society, also serving as a unique view into world events from a Brazilian standpoint.

As we announce this project, we are proud to say that Folha is the first active newspaper to open up our archive on the platform through an immersive online experience where you can dive into our collection. You can explore stories from Brazilian cultural celebrations to historic sporting achievements and bold photographs that capture history in the making, along with the whimsical cartoons that graced our pages.

You can read more at: https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/folha-de-spaulo-photos-brazil-history/. 

There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight.

152 years ago, a great fire roared through the city of Chicago. No one knows for sure whether a lantern-kicking cow of the O'Leary's was really responsible for starting the Great Chicago Fire on October 8, 1871. In fact, some believe the fire was started by a comet from outer space.

The fire started in the cow barn at the rear of the Patrick O'Leary cottage at 137 DeKoven Street on Chicago's West Side. The blaze began about 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, 1871. By midnight the fire had jumped the river's south branch, and by 1:30 a.m. the business district was in flames. Shortly thereafter the fire raced northward across the main river. With the limited firefighting equipment of 1871, the city's fire department was helpless as the flames jumped from building to building. 

The waterworks were evacuated although the tower was not badly damaged and still stands. During Monday the fire burned as far as Fullerton Avenue. Rainfall started about midnight and helped put out the last of the flames. Three hundred Chicagoans were dead, 90,000 people (about 20 percent of the city's residents) were homeless, and the property loss was $200 million. Four square miles of the city burned to the ground.

Chicago quickly rebuilt, and by 1875, little evidence of the disaster remained. You can read more about this cataclysmic event on the Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory web site, sponsored by the Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University. Look at https://www.greatchicagofire.org/. 

Other sites of interest include:

The official inquiry and the exoneration of Mrs. O'Leary: https://www.greatchicagofire.org/oleary-legend/

A photograph of the O'Leary house: https://greatchicagofire.org/landmarks/oleary-home/ 

While many of the neighboring residences (not to mention a third of the entire city of Chicago) went up in smoke, the home of the O'Learys escaped destruction. The infamous barn behind the house and most of the animals within it—a horse and the five cows that provided the milk that Catherine O’Leary sold locally—were not so fortunate (a calf was saved). 

Ironically, the Chicago Fire Academy now stands on the O'Leary property.

Finally, did a comet cause the Great Chicago Fire of 1871? Don't laugh. It seems that other fires occurred on the same day in Wisconsin and Michigan, burning an area the size of Connecticut and killing more than 2,000 people. Many of the deceased included people who showed no signs of being burned, consistent with either the absence of oxygen or the presence of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide above lethal levels, both conditions that could happen in a comet strike. 

You can read more about the comet theory at https://rense.com/general69/comet.htm.

In a recent research letter published in the journal Nature Genetics, researchers performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer has been the most common non-skin cancer in males. The incidence of prostate cancer varies across populations, with the highest in African males, and its risk is highly influenced by genetics. GWASs have identified 278 prostate cancer risk variants, albeit most samples were from people of European ancestry. Multi-ancestry analyses have been suggested to improve risk prediction for prostate cancer.

The study and findings

The present study performed a GWAS meta-analysis of prostate cancer in people of multiple ancestry groups. The study included 122,188 European, 10,809 East Asian, 19,391 African, and 3,931 Hispanic prostate cancer cases. A fixed-effect meta-analysis was performed per ancestry group. In total, > 42.4 million variants with minor allele frequency (MAF) > 0.1% were assessed for associations with the risk of prostate cancer.

The team identified 451 risk variants, including 187 novel variants, with genome-wide significance. MAF of most risk variants (84% to 95% across ancestry groups) was > 1%. Of these, five (African), 19 (European), and three (Asian) risk variants were population-specific, with MAF ≤ 1% in other populations. There were 370 risk variants with MAF above 1% in all populations.

Of these, 125, 208, 247, and 369 were nominally significant in Hispanic, Asian, African, and European populations, respectively. The effect sizes for risk variants with MAF above 1% were correlated across populations. The heterogeneity in effect sizes was significant for 78 variants. Many lead risk variants were implicated in the expression of genes in prostate tissues and cell lines.

Next, they performed a permutation test controlling for linkage disequilibrium patterns and MAF to determine the extent to which risk variants exhibited prostate-specific regulatory function. Risk variants were enriched in regions of prostate-specific regulatory activity across candidate cis-regulatory elements and splicing (sQTLs) and expression (eQTLs) quantitative trait loci.

Further, proteome- (PWAS) and transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) were performed to explore the molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer risk. This revealed 746 associations across 230 genomic regions and 528 genes, with the highest contribution (47%) from expression in normal prostate. Of the 451 GWAS genomic risk regions, 237 co-localized within 250 kilobases (kb) of proteome- or transcriptome-wide significant associations.

You can read more in an article by Tarun Sai Lomte published in the news-medical.net web site at: https://tinyurl.com/yv7wvucp.