WhatsApp introduces a bubble to activate voice chats in groups

The night sky will offer a notable astronomical event at the end of June. That month’s Full Moon, known as the Strawberry Moon, will reach its maximum splendor on Monday, June 29, according to the specialized portal Star Walk.

When and how to see it?

The full moon will occur exactly at 5:57 in the afternoon, central Mexico time. It will be the first full Moon after the summer solstice, which according to the same source will happen on Sunday, May 21. The satellite will be fully illuminated from June 28 to 30.

The origin of the name

Despite what its nickname suggests, the Moon does not take on a pinkish or reddish hue. The name “Strawberry Moon” comes from the native North American peoples, who named it that way because it coincided with the harvest season for this fruit in various regions of the continent.

In other cultures, this same full moon receives names such as:

• Moon of Moras
• Honeymoon
• Rose Moon
• Moon of Ripening Berries
• Garden Moon
• Green Corn Moon
• Windy Moon
• Birth Moon
• Moon When the Buffalo Bellows

All of these nicknames are linked to natural phenomena typical of the same time of year.

Scientists have identified the earliest evidence of plague known so far: traces of bacterial DNA in the teeth of hunter-gatherers buried near Lake Baikal in Siberia. Carbon dating indicates that the disease caused outbreaks about 5,500 years ago, about 200 years earlier than previously thought.

Finding in Siberia

A team led by geneticist Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen analyzed remains from four cemeteries. They found traces of Yersinia pestis in the teeth of 18 individuals. The dating revealed two episodes of infection.

“To understand our own history, understanding the history of the plague is extremely important,” Willerslev said.

The prehistoric plague spread in stages. According to the authors, it was probably transmitted from marmots—native rodents—when people consumed their raw organs or handled infected skins. It also spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing.

Many of the deceased were children between 8 and 11 years old. Three girls were buried together; two were cousins. An aunt and her nephew were found in another mass grave. “There were people who buried the dead and who knew who they were. It’s a very human element,” said co-author Ruairidh Macleod, an expert in ancient DNA at the University of Oxford.

Implications of the study

The researchers note that children may be at greater risk due to still developing immune systems. The presence of multiple victims suggests that the prehistoric plague caused both isolated cases and outbreaks, said geneticist Aida Andrades Valtueña, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, who was not involved in the study.

This ancient strain evolved long before the bubonic plague responsible for the medieval Black Death. However, there is evidence that earlier plagues were just as serious. The disease not only affected populous cities, but also small nomadic groups.

“Understanding the steps the bacteria took to become the deadly pathogen we know today can provide clues about how pathogens could emerge in the future,” wrote Andrades Valtueña.

The study was published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Advances in brain-computer interfaces

Two investigations published in Nature Medicine confirm that neurotechnology is no longer science fiction. A man with severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) managed to communicate from home thanks to an implantable chip, used for two years. The study, led by Sergey Stavisky and David Brandman (University of California, Davis), is the first to demonstrate that these devices can be operated outside the laboratory.

“It is an important step forward, although it remains to be seen whether it can be generalized,” said Luca Berdondini, a researcher at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa.

In the second study, coordinated by the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), 40 Parkinson’s patients improved their gait. A chip combined with artificial intelligence interprets brain activity in real time and adjusts electrical stimulation autonomously. The technique, used for 30 years, is now becoming much more adaptable.

The challenge of bringing technology to the clinic

Both cases reflect a global career. Berdondini warns that “Europe risks falling behind the United States and China” due to regulatory barriers. Although European research has advanced, the transition from trials to clinical application needs to be accelerated, respecting ethics.

The arrival of Elon Musk’s Neuralink accelerated the pace. “These results are a stimulus for companies, because they show that the path is viable,” concluded the researcher. The challenge now is to bring these findings to more people and ensure that technological competition does not leave Europe behind.