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France has become the first country in the world to enshrine the right to an abortion in its constitution. The change comes after a pledge made by President Emmanuel Macron in the wake of the historic overturning of Roe v Wade in the US in 2022‚ and is the first amendment to the French constitution since 2008.Both houses of parliament came together in a rare meeting at the Palace of Versailles yesterday afternoon (March 4) for the vote. Before things got underway‚ the BBC reports Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told the congress‚ “We're sending a message to all women: your body belongs to you and no one can decide for you.”Abortion was decriminalized in France in 1975‚ and since then nine further updates to the legislation have been passed to broaden access to the procedure. In 2022‚ two parliamentary votes in quick succession extended the legal limit for all-circumstance abortion to 14 weeks of pregnancy and expanded access to medical abortion via telemedicine up to seven weeks. But while a number of countries allow legal termination of pregnancy‚ and some mention reproductive rights in their constitutions‚ France’s constitution is now the first to explicitly guarantee access to abortion.“I want to send a message to feminists outside of France. Everyone told me a year ago it was impossible‚” Green Party senator Mélanie Vogel‚ who strongly backed the change‚ told the New York Times‚ adding‚ “Nothing is impossible when you mobilize society.”The news was welcomed by many in the international medical community‚ including on social media platform X by the Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.   IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The majority of French people are also in favor of the change. Recent data from pollsters Ipsos put France second only to Sweden in terms of the percentage of the population who agree abortion should be legal (82 percent).That’s not to say that the political journey of this amendment always ran smoothly. There were some concerns it might not pass the conservative-dominated Senate – a necessary step before it could be put to the lower houses – after some debate about the wording‚ but a compromise was reached. The topic of abortion does not always provoke the same controversy in France as it continues to in the US. France24 reports that none of the major political parties‚ either right- or left-leaning‚ were seriously questioning the morality of abortion during the process of passing this amendment. It is perhaps noteworthy that France’s 14-week limit is lower than the proposed 15-week limit that’s been cropping up as a conservative talking point as the US revs up for its presidential election later this year. However‚ in stark contrast to the US‚ abortion care in France is fully reimbursed by the country’s statutory health insurance system. Going forward‚ this amendment ensures that future governments will be able to do little to roll back the rights of pregnant people in France to seek abortion care.    

For the first time‚ scientists have succeeded in creating organoids from cells shed by fetuses in the womb. The so-called “mini organs” were grown from lung‚ kidney‚ and small intestine cells found in amniotic fluid‚ and could pave the way toward better diagnostics and treatments for various congenital conditions.Organoids are 3D bundles of cells that mimic the structure‚ function‚ and biological complexity of organs but on a much smaller and simpler scale. Usually‚ they are created from cells taken from biopsies that are reprogrammed into stem cells. Organoids of many tissue types have been grown before now‚ including the brain‚ heart‚ even testicles‚ and are typically used to model diseases and test drugs.Previous efforts have been limited to samples obtained from the termination of pregnancies‚ and so this marks the first time that organoids have been grown directly from cells taken from ongoing pregnancies‚ study co-author Mattia Gerli told Nature in a news article.By using amniotic fluid as a source of living cells‚ the team behind the breakthrough could bypass some of the issues that have thwarted previous efforts‚ and were able to study fetal tissue at later stages of development.Their technique involved lung‚ kidney‚ and intestinal cells taken from amniotic fluid collected from 12 pregnancies between the 16th and 34th weeks of gestation. These cells were then grown on a dish in the lab‚ and coaxed into forming bundles of tissue. Each organoid expressed the genes and proteins of the organ it originated from.While the researchers haven’t yet attempted to treat any children with the technique‚ they say their findings could one day help to study and treat various serious birth defects‚ which affect between 3 and 6 percent of infants worldwide‚ according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.They even suggest that the organoids‚ created months before a baby is born‚ could be used in personalized medicine interventions‚ to help diagnose and treat congenital conditions before birth.To explore their potential future uses‚ the team also created lung organoids from fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)‚ a disorder where the diaphragm fails to close as it should. The condition can be treated while the fetus is in the uterus‚ and the team found that organoids from CDH babies before and after treatment developed very differently‚ suggesting a successful treatment.“This is the first time that we’ve been able to make a functional assessment of a child’s congenital condition before birth‚” Paolo De Coppi‚ one of the researchers‚ told The Guardian.The approach could therefore be used to monitor the efficacy of such treatments. Although this‚ and other possible applications‚ are likely still a way off‚ the team hope that with more research these innovative organoids may live up to their potential in regenerative medicine and personalized disease modeling.The study is published in Nature Medicine.

What’s the difference between a dog and a horse? Well‚ look past the more obvious distinctions – the hooves; the mane; the lack of woofing – and you’ll find the two species are actually a lot more similar than they seem.Humans’ best friendsOf all the species humanity has domesticated over the millennia‚ dogs and horses undoubtedly stand out from the rest. We’ve grown closer to these species than almost any other – only the kittycat can compete‚ really‚ but they simply refuse to take orders like their equine and canine brethren.But while we’re used to the idea of our dogs loving us‚ we don’t often think of horses as having the same kind of connection to our species. That’s partly because dogs simply express their emotions in a way that’s more readily interpretable to humans: “Dogs jump on us and invite us to play and seek security with us‚” Elke Hartmann‚ a researcher in the Department of Animal Environment and Health at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala and first author of a pilot study into horse-human bonding‚ told The Horse in 2021. “Is that how horses would show attachment? I don’t know.”Admittedly‚ the small amount of research that has been done hasn’t found any conclusive evidence that our equine pals feel for us the same way we do them – but neither has it been ruled out. “We just don’t know enough about it yet‚” Hartmann said.Perhaps the problem is that we’re being too human-centric‚ however. “Horses show similar physiological and behavioral responses to humans as they do to horses‚” pointed out horse ethologist Renate Larssen. “We know that human-directed friendly behaviors are mediated through the hormone oxytocin […] which plays a role in social bonding.” Studies have also found that‚ like dogs‚ horses consider humans a “safe haven”‚ and stress out when their owner is absent. “However‚ there was no difference in how the horses responded with their owners or with an unfamiliar person‚” Larssen noted‚ “which means that it may be more due to a generalized positive association with humans than ‘love’.”But some other clues show just how attuned horses are to our species. In yet another point for the “horses are just three dogs in a trenchcoat” column‚ they’re able to understand the human pointing gesture – an ability so far unknown outside of our little tri-species club. Equally‚ they’re able to direct our attention to something of horsey interest: they “appeared to use both indicative (pointing) and non-indicative (nods and shakes) head gestures in the relevant test conditions‚” found one 2016 study‚ and “elaborated their communication by switching from a visual to a tactile signal” to get their point across.Like dogs‚ horses can distinguish between positive and negative facial expressions in humans – they can even be surprised by the juxtaposition of a happy voice with a sad face. And they’re sensitive to even more subtle human cues‚ too: just consider Clever Hans‚ after all – the horse that had the world convinced he could speak German and perform complex mathematical calculations‚ but in fact was just a master at reading the body language of the humans around him.But to really cement the similarities between dogs and horses‚ consider this: humans may actually be the third wheel in the relationship. Just like our pups‚ horses like to run and play – and in very similar ways: both species signal their openness to friendship with open mouths and behavioral mimicry. In fact‚ the two animals are so in tune that they even play like this with each other: “despite the difference in size‚ the phylogenetic distance‚ and differences in the behavioral repertoire‚ dogs and horses are able to fine-tune their actions thus reducing the probability of misunderstanding and escalating into aggression‚” concluded one 2020 study.“It shows how two animals who look and behave so differently can nevertheless manage to negotiate how to play in a way that’s comfortable for both‚” Barbara Smuts‚ a behavioral ecologist at the University of Michigan‚ told National Geographic at the time. “It’s even more noteworthy given the large size difference between horses and dogs‚” she added. “The dog is vulnerable to injury by the horse‚ and the horse has a deeply ingrained tendency to fear animals who resemble wolves.”Engineered for successIt’s hard to think of any species whose history is quite as entwined with our own as dogs and horses. But while we tend to think of the two species as filling pretty different niches‚ the truth is that there’s some surprising overlap. Consider the greyhound‚ for example: the fastest of all dog breeds‚ they have been bred to have sleek bodies‚ powerful hind leg and back muscles‚ large hearts and lungs‚ and plenty of other specialized physiological characteristics that help them reach top speeds of up to 72 kilometers per hour (45 miles per hour). Compare those traits with the thoroughbred horse – generally known as the fastest of all horse breeds‚ and capable of extremely similar speeds to the greyhound – and you may notice some similarities. Big hearts; specialized coats; jacked-up hind muscles – they’re all there‚ helping the beast perform that same ecological niche (enabling human gambling) as their canine pal.And that’s barely the start. For almost every role one species has been bred for‚ so too has the other: if you can’t get your hands on a carthorse‚ for example‚ there are huskies and sled dogs; for those who don’t want a guide dog‚ meanwhile‚ a seeing-eye horse makes a neat substitute. “They want to please you‚” guide horse trainer Katy Smith told The Guardian in 2018. “It’s the way they watch you and want to be with you […] Get some panniers and they can also carry your shopping.”Much like dogs‚ too‚ horses come in all different shapes and sizes – and much like dogs‚ that’s directly due to human meddling. “Domestication has made both species highly successful and widespread all over the world‚” wrote Juliane Bräuer‚ head of the DogStudies Lab at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology‚ in a 2023 article for Psychology Today. “Dogs and horses are used for many purposes and undergo extensive training in various human cultures‚” she added. “Although horses were domesticated much later than dogs – about 4‚000 years ago – they have also evolved special skills to communicate with humans.”The fuzzy of it allOf course‚ as useful and practical as our domesticated animal friends are‚ that’s probably not why most of us keep them close to us. We don’t just like petting dogs‚ we get measurable health benefits from it; equally‚ we don’t just enjoy looking after horses‚ we gain a sense of peace and safety from doing so‚ making both species valuable as therapy animals.But aside from all that‚ horses also share some unexpectedly cute characteristics with their canine pals. They get the zoomies‚ for example; they’re super-social and enjoy hugs and affection; they even like to roll around in the snow and create snow Pegasuses.So is it weird to think of horses as just big dogs? Not really. As we’ve seen‚ they have quite a lot in common – and for some cultures‚ that has always been obvious: “in the Ioway language‚ a horse is called a ‘big dog’‚” Bräuer pointed out. “The link between horses and dogs in Ioway and other Indigenous languages underscores something important‚” she wrote. “In some way‚ one can consider the horse as a big dog – at least one of the very few animals that are willing to form a close relationship with us.”

In Norway‚ investigators dedicated to explaining phenomena such as UFOs demonstrate remarkable persistence. Seventy-seven years after a report of a flying object over a lake‚ they are now employing extensive resources to unravel the mystery. As reported by Rtbf.be‚ the incident dates back to 1947 when the mayor of Roros village witnessed the descent of an unusual object near his location. This story has endured through the years. Rue Røstad‚ a photographer‚ recollects‚ “It looked like a rocket and made a lot of noise. It turned 180 degrees and landed in the lake behind us.” Despite previous fruitless searches‚ this photographer has taken a more substantial approach. “We found an object right below this hole. It measures fourteen meters long and three meters wide.” Initial sonar images are promising‚ suggesting the presence of an object at the location. The ongoing search has captivated UFO enthusiasts‚ drawing the attention of investigators and visitors alike. Arnulf Løken‚ a member of the Norwegian UFO center‚ exclaims‚ “It’s really exciting. This is one of the largest UFO search operations in the history of Norway.” A film crew is documenting the event‚ with plans for a documentary detailing the entire adventure. Divers are manually probing the lake bottom‚ yet success has proven elusive so far. Investigators are left speculating. “I think it’s something known‚ not something unknown from space. Something terrestrial‚ but who knows…” predicts Arnulf Løken. The question remains: Is the unidentified flying object of extraterrestrial origin? The answer awaits its retrieval to the surface‚ a matter expected to unfold in the coming days or weeks. The post Norwegian researchers explore lake in search of UFO spotted 77 years ago appeared first on Anomalien.com.

School choice will hit a milestone or be crushed under a millstone in Texas on Tuesday. The Texas House of Representatives last fall defeated a bill to implement education savings accounts. The legislation would have let taxpayer dollars follow each child to the school or other education services of the family’s choice. It would have been a vital boost for Texas families whose children are stuck in underachieving‚ unsafe‚ union-ruled‚ child-indoctrinating‚ government-run public schools. More teachers in government schools equals more money for the union. The unions benefit from governments keeping children trapped in these schools. “Gold-standard” randomized control trials consistently show that school choice improves academic achievement among the students who enroll in these programs. Choice even improves education outcomes in the government-run schools‚ as the latter rush to improve to meet the competition. Everybody wins. Everyone‚ that is‚ except the teachers’ unions‚ and they have a lot of money to spend on elections. These unions are behind the powerful opposition to this much-needed reform in Texas. The Texas Senate passed the bill last fall‚ and the legislation was then blocked in the House by rural Republicans and anti-choice Democrats (which was all of them). Twenty-one Republicans voted with the Democrats against the plan‚ throwing away a victory for the state’s children and families that the GOP could have achieved easily. Governor Greg Abbott had strongly supported the choice plan and called multiple special sessions to push the House to vote on the legislation. The legislature went out of session without passing the bill‚ and it does not meet this year. There will be a general election in Texas this November‚ and the primary election to select candidates is Tuesday. Voters can decide whether representatives who opposed school choice will get a chance to deny education opportunities to the state’s children and families again next year. Following the lead of fellow Republican Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa‚ Abbott has endorsed primary challengers to Republicans who voted against the choice plan. Abbott said 89% of Texas Republican voters approve of school choice. A recent story in the Texas Tribune reported a poll found 60% of GOP primary voters said they would be less likely to vote for state House members who opposed the school choice plan last year. It is important to note that the Texas legislation would have raised teacher salaries across the board. Government schools would have ended up with more money per pupil than before. It turns out‚ however‚ that the education establishment does not just want more money per student — or per teacher. Teachers and education administrators want access to all the children they can rope into their rotten institutions of indoctrination and mental torture. Thus‚ they oppose choice even if it provides their schools with more money. The teachers’ unions are the central player here. Each teacher in a government school typically ends up in the union — the unions and schools make it as difficult as possible for teachers to opt out‚ even though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that teachers cannot be forced to join unions. More teachers in government schools equal more money for the union. The unions benefit from governments keeping children trapped in these schools. The media openly side with the unions. The Dallas Morning News predictably depicts the Texas Republican school choice opponents as heroes‚ describing them as “stalwart‚” “defiant‚” “nonpartisan‚” “respected incumbents‚” and concerned about “the future of conservative‚ rural life.” The story claims that school-choice opponents are the real conservatives. “There’s nothing more conservative than supporting our public schools‚” the story quotes anti-choice Republican Glenn Rogers as saying. If that is true‚ there’s also nothing more conservative than massive government deficits‚ Obamacare‚ social media censorship‚ forcibly ending fossil fuel use‚ encouraging urban crime‚ and drag queen story hours. Texas Republicans who vote against family freedom may have ulterior motives: “Many of these legislators oppose school choice because the largest interest group in their district is the public school system‚” writes Texas Tech economics professor Alexander William Salter. “School choice won’t harm students or schools‚ but teachers’ unions‚ education bureaucrats‚ and others are worried it will diminish their government-granted privileges.” In voting with the unions and the self-interested education establishment‚ these Republicans go against the interests of their constituents‚ “often while taking campaign contributions from teachers unions and sending their own kids to private school‚” as Salter notes. The system is fighting as hard as it can‚ with teachers intent on stuffing the ballot boxes (legally‚ one presumes) for school choice opponents‚ Fox 7 Austin reports: “According to the [Texas American Federation of Teachers] poll‚ 92% said they will be voting in the March primary‚ and a large majority listed school choice as an issue of concern.” Texas has open primary elections‚ meaning the Texas AFT’s 66‚000 members might save the day for Republican anti-choice candidates. What is at stake in Texas is whether the state’s children will be forced into a system run for adults at the expense of children‚ parents‚ and taxpayers‚ or whether they will finally be freed from it. We will find out soon whether what worked for Reynolds in Iowa will work for Abbott — and Texas schoolchildren.