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New reports from the FBI and Bureau of Labor Statistics show continued declines in crime and strong job growth in the U.S.

In its final annual report covering over 94% of the U.S. population, the FBI reported that violent crime dropped nationwide last year, with murders down nearly 12% from 2022 to 2023, marking the largest decrease in decades. The number of reported rapes fell over 9%, and property crime dropped an estimated 2.4%. This data included full-year contributions from all major cities with populations over a million, though agencies like the Los Angeles Police Department did not participate. Chicago’s Police Department reported a 12.9% drop in homicides for 2023 compared to 2022. A new preliminary report shows further declines, with violent crime down 10.3% from January to June 2024, including a 22.7% drop in murders and a 13.1% decrease in property crime.

The job market also beat expectations with the addition of 254,000 new jobs in September, most of them in food services, healthcare, government, social assistance, and construction. Average hourly earnings rose 4% over the past year, well above inflation, which is now back to pre-pandemic levels at 2.5%. The Dow Jones surged on this positive economic news, closing at a record high of 42,352.

Sleep, exercise, heart rate, and mood can impact our brains for up to two weeks, according to a study by Finnish researchers. They tracked one person’s brain and behavior for five months using brain scans, wearables, and smartphones.

“We wanted to look beyond one-time events,” says lead researcher Ana Triana. “Our mental states are constantly shaped by our environment and experiences, but we know little about how brain connectivity responds over different timescales.” The study found that our brains don’t react to daily life in isolated bursts. Instead, brain activity gradually shifts in response to factors like sleep, physical activity, mood, and heart rate over days. This means a workout or poor sleep from last week could still be influencing attention, memory, and cognition today. Physical activity was shown to improve brain connectivity, potentially benefiting memory and cognitive flexibility, while mood and heart rate changes left lasting effects for up to 15 days. The study also suggests tracking brain changes in real-time could help identify neurological disorders early, especially in mental health where subtle signs are often missed.

“Linking brain activity with physiological and environmental data could change personalized healthcare, enabling early intervention and better outcomes,” concludes Triana.

A new study from the University of Chicago, published in Nature, reveals an important role of RNA in how DNA is stored and organized in cells through a gene called TET2. This finding explains why TET2 mutations are linked to various cancers and diseases. Led by Prof. Chuan He, the research team found that TET2 affects RNA rather than DNA, specifically influencing RNA packaging via methylation. This process attracts the MBD6 protein, essential for organizing chromatin (DNA packaging).

In cancers, TET2 mutations lead to chromatin dysregulation, promoting uncontrolled cell growth, especially in blood and brain cells. Targeting this pathway could provide new cancer therapies, and the team is developing drugs focused on this mechanism. Beyond cancer, TET2 mutations in older adults are associated with inflammatory conditions like heart disease and diabetes, offering potential treatment avenues to remove mutant cells before they cause harm. This study also expands our understanding of chromatin regulation, suggesting RNA modifications play a broad role in gene expression.

After nearly a century of searching, archaeologists used AI to survey the Nazca Desert in Peru, uncovering an additional 303 geoglyphs in a single study period.

Nazca’s geoglyphs remain one of anthropology’s great puzzles. Why did the Nazca culture, active around the first century BCE, carve these vast patterns of animals and human figures into the desert floor? The research team—scientists and archaeologists from Japan, France, Germany, and New York—trained their AI model with only 430 known geoglyphs, unlike medical AI that studies thousands of images. When tasked with scanning aerial photographs of the desert, the AI flagged 47,000 potential matches. The team narrowed this down to 1,309 high-potential candidates and then identified 303 new geoglyphs through field verification and drone support.

Of these 303, 178 were suggested by the AI, while 125 were discovered in the field. Notably, 66 were part of an AI-identified cluster, while 59 were found independently of AI. The purpose of the Nazca lines remains unclear. Theories suggest they could be a calendar, a ceremonial site, or have played a role in communication or ritual. The symbols, classified as either line-type or relief-type, vary significantly. Line-type geoglyphs are large, geometric, and visible only from the air, averaging about 90 meters (300 feet). Relief-types, depicting humans, heads, or animals, are much smaller, often visible from the ground.

In Washington state, an 84-year-old man was saved by his dog, Gita, after he fell and couldn’t move due to a leg injury.

On September 25th, the unnamed man fell outside his home. Gita ran to a main road, where she stood in traffic to get help. Deputy Wright, who was patrolling the area in Stevens County, noticed the dog but didn’t see any houses or her owner. He tried to coax Gita into his patrol car, but she refused to move. After checking nearby residences with no luck, Deputy Wright returned to Gita, who had laid down in the center of the road.
When he attempted to move her again, she took off down a steep, unmarked side road. Wright followed her, which led him to a small cabin. There, he found the elderly man on the ground, calling for help. He had been lying there for hours and had other medical conditions requiring regular medication. If Gita hadn’t led Wright to him, the situation would have ended badly.