Researchers have developed a new machine-learning model to detect cancers that are in their early stages of disease by examining DNA fragments from cancer cells in the blood.

A University of Wisconsin­–Madison research team was able to detect cancer in the bloodstream in most of the samples tested, it said. 

Muhammed Murtaza, professor of surgery at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health based in Madison, Wisconsin, led the study, which was published recently in Science Translational Medicine, a medical journal from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, according to the study’s press release.  

"We’re incredibly excited to discover that early detection and monitoring of multiple cancer types are potentially feasible using such a cost-effective approach," said Murtaza in the press release. 

Earlier detection of many cancers will lead to better outcomes for patients, the release noted.

"We’re incredibly excited to discover that early detection and monitoring of multiple cancer types are potentially feasible using such a cost-effective approach," says the lead author of a new study. (iStock)

Although other scientists are also developing blood tests to detect cancer earlier, the present technology has limitations, such as cost and the "sensitivity" of the test.

Sensitivity, in this case, refers to the ability of the test to correctly detect the presence of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

How is the test done?

When cells die as part of the body’s natural process of cell turnover, fragments of DNA are released outside the cells. These start to circulate in the bloodstream — namely, the plasma, which is the liquid portion of the blood, according to the researchers. The research team hypothesized that cancer cells have DNA fragments that are different from healthy cells, specifically where the DNA strands "break." Nucleotides, which are the "building blocks of DNA," surround these break points. 

The research team used a special technique that the study named Genome-wide AnaLYsis of FRagment Ends — or GALYFRE — to analyze the "cell-free" DNA from 521 samples.

You can read more in an article by Shiv Sudhakar published in the Fox News web site at: https://www.foxnews.com/health/cancer-blood-test-dna-hope-earlier-detection-researchers.

The following press release was written by American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society:

American Ancestors Announces Annual Young Family Historians Essay Contest Now Accepting Essays for 2023 Contest, Cash Prizes for Grades 4–12

Accessible, Student-Centered Curriculum Offers K–12 Educators Practical, Classroom-Ready Lessons for Teaching History Through Family Stories and Connections

January 23, 2023—Boston, Massachusetts—The 2023 American Ancestors Young Family Historians Essay Contest is now open! This national essay contest, sponsored by American Ancestors, a non- profit genealogical organization, is open to any student currently enrolled in grades 4–12. Home- schooled students are also eligible to participate.

The contest asks students across the nation to

• explore what they’ve learned about themselves,
  
• the community, and the nation by reflecting on a
  
• story from their personal family history. Essays
  
• must be submitted by April 1, 2023, and six winners will be announced in early June 2023.
  

Genealogy requires students to engage in historical thinking and it empowers them to create historical narratives for themselves. Students can explore their roots and make real-world, personal connections to history, while developing critical research skills such as chronological thinking, supporting claims with evidence, and identifying lessons from the past.

Cash prizes will be awarded for the best essays. Six essays will be awarded, in three categories (grades 4-6, grades 7-8, and grades 9-12). Winners will receive $500, and Semifinalists will receive $250.

American Ancestors, the world’s oldest and largest genealogical society, is dedicated to youth education and supporting educators, both in the classroom and at home. Teachers, librarians, and at-home instructors can use lessons and inclusive teaching strategies from our free Family History Curriculum to help students explore their roots.

Family History Curriculum experience.

The American Ancestors Family History Curriculum offers inclusive teaching strategies and easy- to-use lesson plans for classroom teachers, informal educators, after-school programs, and homeschool educators. The lessons are designed to foster the development of critical thinking and research skills that students can use to make meaningful connections to the past.

The curriculum is available to all educators for free in the form of an online download at

AmericanAncestors.org/family-history-curriculum

“As leading educators in the family history space, we are committed to supporting teachers with the tools to get young people excited about history,” said Dustin Axe, curriculum author and head of youth programming at American Ancestors.

“This curriculum is the first of its kind—a detailed but flexible plan teachers can easily incorporate into their existing approach to classroom instruction. As a licensed social studies teacher who has taught in museum and cultural institutions for almost two decades, I can empathize with teachers who need practical materials that work right away,” added Axe.

Lessons are designed to be accessible to students of all backgrounds, cultures, religions, and family configurations. The curriculum defines genealogy in the broadest possible terms, and encourages students to define family for themselves, fostering an environment in which students feel comfortable exploring their roots. Students can personalize their research based

A new, innovative educational curriculum aims to empower students of all backgrounds to discover their personal connection to history. Developed over several years by a team of professional educators and genealogists at American Ancestors—a national center for the study of family history, heritage, and culture— the American Ancestors Family History Curriculum leverages genealogical research methods that any student, regardless of ancestral origins and family configuration, can use to learn more about our shared human on their unique history and they can research anyone they consider part of their family, including close friends.

According to James Triesler, an award-winning educator from Virginia with more than twenty years of classroom experience, incorporating genealogy into the classroom has a demonstrably positive effect: “Educators are not just teaching history, they're creating historians. This new curriculum encourages students to make connections with the past, strengthen relationships in the present, and leave a record for the future. This will change both the way history is taughtand the way that students view history.”

The curriculum contains multiple lesson plans for grades 4 through 6 and teaching strategies that can be used to enhance genealogy lessons for any grade. Teachers can freely download the full curriculum as a PDF or they can download it lesson-by-lesson at AmericanAncestors.org. Handouts and activities are provided as editable Google Docs, which can be personalized to the needs of any student. A letter to parents and guardians about the aim and scope of the curriculum is available in English and Spanish.

Teachers interested in learning more can also take advantage of free one-on-one or department-level Teacher Trainings with the Education & Programming staff at American Ancestors, who will help teachers create personalized plans to incorporate content, lessons, and teaching strategies into existing curricula. Training is available to teachers in grades K through 12.

Created for Educators, by Educators

The American Ancestors Youth Education Program for Family History was developed by a team of professionals with extensive expertise in genealogy, experience with adult and youth education, and familiarity with schools across the country. The curriculum took nearly three years to complete, with experts providing strategic input and recommendations for the research, development, evaluation, and expansion of all trainings, lessons, and materials.

About American Ancestors and New England Historic Genealogical Society

American Ancestors is a national center for family history, heritage, and culture. It is the global brand of New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), America's oldest and largest genealogical society (founded in 1845). American Ancestors serves more than 350,000 members and millions of online users engaged in family history nationally and around the world through its website AmericanAncestors.org with more than 1.4 billion names in its databases. Located in Boston’s Back Bay, NEHGS is home to a world-class research center and archive, an expert staff, and the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center. It maintains a publishing division which produces original genealogical research, scholarship, and educational materials, including the Register, the flagship journal of American genealogy since 1847; American Ancestors, its award- winning magazine; and Mayflower Descendant, a quarterly journal of Pilgrim genealogy and history.

From the blog of the Illinois State Genealogical Society:

The Illinois Death Certificates searchable database at ilsos.gov has been updated to include death certificate entries for the years 1951-1971!

CLICK HERE to visit the NEW 1951- 1971 Death Index Database!

This is a long-awaited update that is sure to help many Illinois family historians! The updated database is listed separately from the earlier death indexes, so now when you visit the State Archives Databases page at ilsos.gov, you will see the marriage index plus three death index options:

The information you will find in the new database is very similar to the 1916-1950 database- 

This information can be used to contact the county clerk for a copy of the death certificate. Death certificates prior to 1916 or after 1947 can be obtained through the county clerk's office where the certificate was filed.

Archeologists in Norway have discovered the world's oldest dated runestone, featuring runic inscriptions from up to 2,000 years ago.

Researchers at the University of Oslo's Museum of Cultural History found the stone while investigating a burial ground in the municipality of Hole in eastern Norway in fall 2021, according to the museum.

The stone has been named "Svingerudsteinen," or "the Svingerud Stone," after the site where it was found.

Burnt bones and charcoal from the cremation pit where it was discovered revealed that the writing was carved into the reddish-brown sandstone boulder, measuring about a foot in height and width, between 1 and 250 AD.

Runes are the oldest known form of writing in Scandinavia, and the alphabet was widely used from the beginning of the Common Era (CE) and throughout the Viking Age until the late Middle Ages, according to the university.

Scandinavia has several thousand runestones from the Viking Age -- between 793 and 1066 AD -- but there is less evidence of runes from earlier times.

Of the runestones found in Norway, only about 30 are believed to date from earlier than around 550 AD.

Svingerudsteinen is the only stone found by archeologists that dates to before 300 AD. It contains the first three letters of the runic alphabet -- "f," "u" and "th" -- on one of its sides, according to the museum.

You can read more in an article by published in the CNN.News web site at: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/worlds-oldest-runestone-norway-intl-scli-scn/index.html.

Taking care of relatives' graves is an extremely important part of Seto culture. However, in recent years, many Setos living in Estonia have been unable to get to their ancestors' burial sites on the Russian side of the border to ensure their upkeep. Now, a new database has been established to help keep track of the Seto and Estonian graves in neighboring Petserimaa.

According to Ahto Raudoja, director of the Seto Institute, the Estonian-Russian border has never been as closed as it is right now. Under Raudoja's leadership, however, an extensive database of cemeteries in eastern Petserimaa has been created. The database can help people find the graves of loved ones who are buried on the Russian side of the border.

The graves of thousands of Setos and Estonians are located in the cemeteries of Petserimaa, on the Russian side of the border. Most of the graves can be found in the cemeteries of the Lutheran and Orthodox churches in the city of Petseri. Others are in Orthodox cemeteries in the towns of Taeluva, Saalessa, Mõla and Pankjavitsa.

"The Petseri Lutheran cemetery was established in 1911. The Estonians and intellectuals who lived and worked (in Petseri), are mostly buried there. However, Setos are buried in the Orthodox cemetery," said Raudoja.

In Seto culture, it is said that the path leading to an ancestors' grave cannot become overgrown. However, Setos living in Estonia have not been able to get to the graves of their ancestors buried on the Russian side of the border in order to tend to them, for several years. First, due to the coronavirus pandemic and now as a result of Russia's war in Ukraine.

You can read more in an article by Mirjam Mõttus published in the ERR.EE web site at: https://news.err.ee/1608854477/new-database-helps-setos-find-graves-of-relatives-on-russian-side-of-border.

The iconic Clerys clock was unveiled today as part of a major restoration of the landmark department store on O’Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland.

Dubliners looked on as the emerald green clock face with gold roman numerals was unveiled by Dublin’s Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy and clockmaker Philip Stokes.

To mark the restoration, a new archive of documents, artefacts, objects and images opens to the public tomorrow and will tell the story of the store, with rescued artefacts dating back to 1847.

Before the clock was unveiled, former Clerys workers exchanged warm embraces as they recalled memories of the store in its glory days.

“It’s a great buzz, I’m more than delighted,” said John Crowe, a former Clerys worker of 40 years who attended the opening.

You can read more in an article by Amy Blaney published in the Independent,ie web site at: https://tinyurl.com/mvzys92k.

You can also watch a YouTube video of the occasion at: https://youtu.be/AQypXSMoYCY.

A staggering 706,009 pages have been added to the newspaper archive this week, with 11 new titles and many more updated. 

New titles: 

·         Blaydon Courier, 1929 

·         Evening Echo (Cork), 1904, 1909, 1914 

·         Football Echo (Sunderland), 1956 

·         Islington News and Hornsey Gazette, 1918 

·         Manchester City News, 1901-1902, 1904, 1906, 1910, 1914, 1937 

·         Southport Guardian, 1901, 1906, 1921 

·         Sports Post (Leeds), 1925 

·         St. Pancras Guardian and Camden and Kentish Towns Reporter, 1881, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1918 

·         Thomson’s Weekly News, 1933 

·         Whitehaven Advertiser and Cleator Moor and Egremont Observer, 1918 

·         Yorkshire Evening News, 1907, 1914 

Updated titles: 

·         Accrington Observer and Times, 1920 

·         Aldershot News, 1907, 1909 

·         Ashby Mail, 1999 

·         Atherstone News and Herald, 1986 

·         Axholme Herald, 1993 

·         Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 1778 

·         Birmingham Daily Post, 1902-1909 

·         Birmingham Mail, 1919-1920, 1992 

·         Birmingham News, 1999 

·         Cambridge Town Crier, 1999 

·         Cannock Chase Post, 1999 

·         Caterham Mirror, 1999 

·         Catholic Times and Catholic Opinion, 1903 

·         Cheltenham News, 1999 

·         Chertsey & Addlestone Leader, 1999 

·         Cheshire Observer, 1863 

·         Chester Chronicle (Frodsham & Helsby edition), 1997 

·         Coleshill Chronicle, 1981 

·         Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser, 1999 

·         Dorset County Chronicle, 1929 

·         Durham Chronicle, 1916 

·         Ealing & Southall Informer, 1999 

·         East Kilbride News, 1992 

·         East Sussex Focus, 1992 

·         Esher News and Mail, 1986-1987, 1989, 1992-1993, 1996-1998 

·         Evening Despatch, 1950 

·         Evening Herald (Dublin), 1949 

·         Faversham Times and Mercury and North-East Kent Journal, 1998 

·         Gainsborough Target, 1998-1999 

·         Gateshead Post, 1979, 1983, 1990, 1995, 1997-1999 

·         Grimsby Daily Telegraph, 1992 

·         Harrow Informer, 1999 

·         Hertford Mercury and Reformer, 1953 

·         Hinckley Times, 1989 

·         Horncastle Target, 1998 

·         Hounslow & Chiswick Informer, 1983, 1985 

·         Huddersfield and Holmfirth Examiner, 1875-1876, 1881, 1884, 1887 

·         Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 1875-1876, 1880, 1883-1884, 1887 

·         Hull Daily Mail, 1974-1977, 1982-1983, 1986, 1990, 1994-1995, 1999 

·         Huntingdon Town Crier, 1999 

·         Irvine Herald, 1980-1981, 1983-1985 

·         Lanark & Carluke Advertiser, 1999 

·         Leatherhead Advertiser, 1998-1999 

·         Lincoln Target, 1999 

·         Lincolnshire Echo, 1951, 1953, 1956-1958, 1960, 1962-1964, 1967-1976, 1978-1983, 1985, 1988-1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997-1998 

·         Liverpool Daily Post, 1879, 1904 

·         Liverpool Daily Post (Welsh Edition), 1979 

·         Liverpool Evening Express, 1901 

·         Loughborough Echo, 1989 

·         Maghull & Aintree Star, 1999 

·         Middleton Guardian, 1918 

·         Newcastle Daily Chronicle, 1924-1925 

·         Northampton Herald & Post, 1999 

·         Rhondda Leader, 1991 

·         Rhyl, Prestatyn Visitor, 1999 

·         Rossendale Free Press, 1999 

·         Ruislip & Northwood Gazette, 1999 

·         Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser, 1999 

·         Solihull News, 1986 

·         South Wales Echo, 1993, 1995-1996 

·         St Neots Town Crier, 1999 

·         Staines Leader, 1999 

·         Stanmore Observer, 1999 

·         Stockport Express Advertiser, 1998 

·         Stockport Times, 1999 

·         Sunbury & Shepperton Herald, 1998-1999 

·         Surrey Herald, 1999 

·         Surrey Mirror, 1961, 1963-1968, 1970, 1997, 1999 

·         Surrey-Hants Star, 1999 

·         Sussex Daily News, 1917 

·         Sutton Coldfield Observer, 1999 

·         The People, 1999 

·         Thetford & Watton Times, 1914-1916 

·         Uttoxeter New Era, 1893-1894, 1904, 1907 

·         Wellingborough & Rushden Herald & Post, 1999 

·         Winsford Chronicle, 1990 

·         Worcester Journal, 1907 

·         Yorkshire Evening Press, 1905 

·         Yorkshire Gazette, 1903 

·         Holborn and Finsbury Guardian, 1891 

·         Luton News and Bedfordshire Chronicle, 1926, 1958 

·         Lynn Advertiser, 1978-1979 

An online resource holds records of human tissue held in more than 300 local United Kingdom museums.

Honouring the Ancient Dead (HAD) has completed the first major edition of its Your Local Museum database, which brings together records of ancient human remains held in more than 300 museums. All the museums seem to be in   the British Isles.

Each entry records how many ancestral remains the museum has in its collection, whether any are on display and what policies the museum may have for their care.

The resource is open for anyone to use and can be maintained by museums themselves through the HAD website, or via the organisation’s team. HAD uses the term “ancestors” rather than human remains in order to emphasise that human tissue, such as bones, skulls and cremated ash, belonged to individual people who may be ancient relatives of Britain’s modern-day population.

HAD was founded in 2004 to advocate for the respectful treatment of the bodies of the UK’s ancient dead and their related funereal artefacts, usually in the context of archaeological excavations and subsequent storage or display.

The new online database, which has been 14 years in the making, was created with the aim of understanding the scale of ancestral remains stored in British museums and allowing anyone to discover what is held at their own local museum.

In a statement the organisation said: “HAD would like to take this opportunity to thank all those museums, and their busy staff, for providing the responses that made compiling this database possible over the last 14 years. It is a credit to the museum profession that so many obviously care deeply about the ancestors in their care.”

You can read more at: https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2023/01/honouring-the-ancient-dead-completes-database-of-ancient-human-remains/#.

For further details and access to the database visit HAD’s website at http://www.honour.org.uk/.

Hundreds of court documents from the 1692 Salem Witch Trials are being transferred from the Salem museum where they have been stored for more than four decades to the newly expanded Judicial Archives facility in Boston.

The 527 documents — which include transcripts of testimony and examinations, depositions, warrants for apprehension and other legal papers — were moved to the Peabody Essex Museum in 1980 for safekeeping, officials said Thursday.

Although the museum had acquired some documents on its own, most had been stored at the clerk’s office at Essex County Superior Court, the museum said.

To properly preserve them, the documents need to be stored under the proper environmental conditions, including at or below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), at 50% relative humidity, and in low-light conditions, Dan Lipcan, director of the museum's Phillips Library in Rowley, said in a statement. They are also kept in acid-free folders and boxes and in fireproof cabinets.

“We are grateful to PEM for its capable stewardship of these invaluable documents and gratified that the state can now welcome the Salem Witch Trials documents home to the Judicial Archives,” Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly Budd said in a statement. “The court deeply appreciates the extraordinary public service that the museum has provided in caring for this unique collection for more than 40 years."

The SJC, the state's highest court, traces its origins to the witch trials. Originally the Superior Court of Judicature, created in November 1692, one of its first tasks was hearing the cases of 26 people accused of witchcraft. Twenty-three were found not guilty, and the other three were later pardoned, according to the court's history.

The witch trials were fomented by superstition and fear of disease, outsiders and Native Americans, and were stoked by petty jealousies and personal vendettas involving several families. Of the 20 people convicted of witchcraft and subsequently put to death, 19 were hanged and one was crushed to death by rocks.

The story and tragedy of the trials resonates to this day.

You can read more in an Associated Press article at: https://www.wral.com/hundreds-of-salem-witch-trials-documents-get-new-home/20670428/.

Comment by Dick Eastman: I have used some of these documents at the Peabody Essex Museum many, many years ago. (None of my ancestors were mentioned in the papers except one reference to one of my ancestors supplying an affidavit to the court stating that he believed one the accused witches was innocent. 

I do believe the new move of the documents is a good thing as the new location has better climate control that will preserve the documents for many more years.