A new domestic cat genome assembly based on long sequence reads empowers feline genomic medicine and identifies a novel gene for dwarfism (Translation: Good news for new medicines for cats!)

The generation of Felis_catus_9.0, a new high quality reference genome for the domestic cat, helps facilitate the expansion of genomic medicine into the Felis lineage. Using Felis_catus_9.0 we analyze the landscape of genomic variation from a collection of 54 cats within the context of human gene constraint.

Source: A new domestic cat genome assembly based on long sequence reads empowers feline genomic medicine and identifies a novel gene for dwarfism

At 12, She’s a Covid ‘Long Hauler’ – The New York Times

More than seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, it has become increasingly apparent that many patients with both severe and mild illness do not fully recover. Weeks and months after exposure, these Covid “long-haulers,” as they have been called, continue experiencing a range of symptoms, including exhaustion, dizziness, shortness of breath and cognitive impairments. Children are generally at significantly less risk than older people for serious complications and death from Covid-19, but the long-term impacts of infection on them, if any, have been especially unclear.

Although doctors recognize that a small number of children have suffered a rare inflammatory syndrome shortly after infection, there is little reliable information about how many who get Covid-19 have prolonged complaints like Maggie Flannery. That could change as the proportion of children who are infected rises.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children represented 10.9 percent of reported cases nationwide as of mid-October, up from just 2.2 percent in April.

US Ice officers ‘used torture to make Africans sign own deportation orders’ | US immigration | The Guardian

According to multiple accounts, detainees were threatened, choked, beaten, pepper-sprayed and threatened with more violence to make them sign. Several were put in handcuffs by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers, and their fingerprints were taken forcibly in place of a signature on documents called stipulated orders of removal, by which the asylum seekers waive their rights to further immigration hearings and accept deportation. Source: US Ice officers ‘used torture to make Africans sign own deportation orders’ | US immigration | The Guardian

One Of Those Nights

yaskhan

When I am on the brink of sleep
Like a nomad trespassing the indigo night
This journey that takes me to a new morning.
When, in the fold of sleep, I hear
Birds sigh to the moon's lyre
As the glitter of nova floats
To the wind's ballad pealing the eventide
The amber of whispering breeze fades
To the hum of Cereus blooms..

In the calm of a turquoise night
Even as I sleep...
My quill lies awake
Writing the gentlest of dreams for me.

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Alabama lieutenant governor tests positive for COVID-19 | TheHill

Alabama’s lieutenant governor tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday after previously criticizing a statewide mask mandate.

“After being notified this afternoon that a member of my Sunday school church group had acquired the coronavirus, I was tested out of an abundance of caution and received notice that the results proved positive,” Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth (R) said in a statement.

Source: Alabama lieutenant governor tests positive for COVID-19 | TheHill

Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump | TheHill (Iran/Russia together trying to undermine US faith in democracy… Iran helping their friend Putin?)

“I’m not saying what he told me in their briefing, I can tell you that from the briefing I had the strong impression it was much rather to undermine confidence in elections and not aimed at any particular figure, but rather to undermine the very wellspring of our democracy,” he said.

“That was my strong impression at the meeting. I did not get the impression it was aimed at any political figure, and I’m surprised that DNI Ratcliffe said that at this press conference,” he added.

Source: Schumer says briefing on Iranian election interference didn’t convince him effort was meant to hurt Trump | TheHill

How Facebook censorship helps suppress dissent in Vietnam – Los Angeles Times

Believing a confrontation was inevitable, the 40-year-old Thuan condemned the country’s leaders in a Jan. 7 post. “Your crimes will be engraved on my mind,” he wrote. “I know you — the land robbers — will do everything, however cruel it is, to grab the people’s land.”

Facebook blocked his account the next day at the government’s insistence, preventing 60 million Vietnamese users from seeing his posts.

Source: How Facebook censorship helps suppress dissent in Vietnam – Los Angeles Times

Judge dismisses third-degree murder charge against officer in Floyd death | TheHill (2nd degree homicide charge still in place)

Chauvin still faces the more serious charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Cahill also ruled against dismissing the aiding and abetting charges of Kueng, Lane and Thao.

Cahill has yet to decide on whether the four officers will be tried together in a single trial and if the trial will take place outside of Hennepin County.

Source: Judge dismisses third-degree murder charge against officer in Floyd death | TheHill