As a NASA spacecraft whizzed away from Earth at 40,265 mph, it took a brief moment to look over its robotic shoulder at how far it’s traveled.
Psyche, a mission and orbiter named after its space destination, is traveling to a metal-rich asteroid that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter in the main asteroid belt. While the spacecraft won’t reach the asteroid Psyche until 2029, it is already more than 180 million miles away — a distance double the stretch between Earth and the sun.
The new image, which shows Earth along with an even smaller point of light coming from the moon, harkens back to Carl Sagan’s famous Pale Blue Dot image, a shot the Voyager 1 spacecraft took in 1990 on its way out of the solar system. That historic photo has come to represent the vastness of space and humanity’s humble place within it.
The purpose of this new image taken in July, presented below, was to test the spacecraft cameras’ ability to capture relatively dim objects, whose light is actually reflected sunlight, just like the Psyche asteroid. Other dots in the frame are stars sparkling from the constellation Aries.
“We are up and running, and everything is working well,” Bob Mase, the mission’s NASA project manager, said in a statement.
It’s rare to see the Earth and moon together in a photo. This one was taken this summer by NASA’s Psyche spacecraft on its way to an asteroid. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU
That the orbiter’s instruments and systems are operating as expected comes as a relief for the space agency. In April, engineers paused the spacecraft’s four electric thrusters to investigate a surprising drop in pressure. They discovered that a faulty valve that manages the flow of xenon fuel to the engines was to blame.
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Fortunately, the orbiter has another fuel line. After the team switched to using the backup, the spacecraft was able to resume firing its thrusters.
SEE ALSO:
Webb telescope just peeked at Uranus and got mooned, literally
The spacecraft is headed to Psyche because scientists believe it is made of the same stuff found in metallic planet cores, like Earth’s. It’s most likely battered from many violent ancient collisions. Asteroids are the rocky rubble left over from the formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. Studying this asteroid may provide researchers with clues about what’s in our own planet’s core and how the rocky planets orbiting the sun formed.
That’s important, scientists say, because it’s impossible to get to Earth’s core, roughly 1,800 miles below the surface, due to its extreme heat and pressure level. The most cutting-edge drilling instruments, which reach a maximum of 7.5 miles down, haven’t gone anywhere close to that deep underground. Arizona State University is leading the mission for NASA.
Psyche’s meandering spiral path through the solar system will give the spacecraft the gravity assists it needs to arrive at its asteroid destination in 2029. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech diagram
Psyche is a potato-shaped asteroid, stretching 173 miles long and 144 miles wide, while being 117 miles thick. No one has seen the giant rock up close — the radar observations are pixelated — so scientists won’t know what it looks like until the orbiter arrives.
Though the spacecraft is already quite far from home, the journey will take much longer. Its next major milestone will be a flyby of Mars in May 2026 to get a propulsion boost from the Red Planet’s gravity.
The team will likely take more sightseeing images to continue testing the cameras along the way.
“We’re sort of collecting solar system ‘trading cards’ from these different bodies,” said Jim Bell, Arizona State’s imager instrument lead for the mission, in a statement, “and running them through our calibration pipeline to make sure we’re getting the right answers.”
Duolingo, the world’s most popular language-learning app with over 34 million daily active users, has apologised after JK Rowling was described as ‘mean’ in one of its German lessons.
The controversial prompt appeared in an exercise where learners were asked to choose the correct translation for the sentence “Do you like books with Harry Potter as a character?” The correct answer displayed was “Yes, but in my opinion the author is mean.”
Journalist Gaby Koppel highlighted the issue on X (formerly Twitter), calling the sentence “gratuitous” and questioning its relevance to learning German. She noted that Rowling was the “first and only real life person” criticised in her five months of using the app.
Shame on you @duolingo: learning German and I came across the sentence “Yes I like Harry Potter but the author is mean”. How woke do you have to be to let #trans ideology infect a language lesson? @jk_rowling
Duolingo has since apologised, with a company spokesman stating: “We apologise for any offence caused and will remove this content from the app.”
Rowling, best known for creating the Harry Potter series, has become a divisive public figure due to her outspoken gender-critical views.
Critics have labelled her a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), while supporters argue she is standing up for women’s rights. The term has followed her across public debates, with Rowling frequently responding to critics on social media and in essays published on her website.
Planetary scientists have a good idea which planets and worlds of our Solar System are likely to have – or once have had – conditions to support life.
Icy moons like Enceladus and Europa, with their liquid subsurface oceans, are a good bet; so too moon Titan with liquid methane lakes and rivers on its surface.
Also Mars, which we know once had liquid water flowing on its surface, and therefore could have hosted life in its ancient history.
Dwarf planet Ceres, as seen by NASA’s Dawn mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
But what about Ceres, a dwarf planet and the largest object in the asteroid belt?
Looking at this barren, frozen, grey world, we might be forgiving for thinking it the last place likely to host life in our Solar System.
But appearances can be deceiving.
Today Ceres is a frozen, airless dwarf planet, but billions of years ago, it may have had the right combination of ingredients for life: water, organic molecules and chemical energy.
Image of fractures near the centre of the large Ezinu Crater on Ceres, captured by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft on 2 September 2018. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
An energy source beneath Ceres’ surface
Scientists have discovered evidence that Ceres’ interior once provided a steady flow of chemical energy, the kind that can power microbial metabolisms on Earth.
The study, published in Science Advances, modelled how heat and water moved inside Ceres over time.
About 2.5 billion years ago, radioactive elements decaying in the dwarf planet’s rocky core could have produced enough heat to drive hydrothermal activity.
An image of the Occator crater on Ceres, and strange bright deposits, created using data from the Dawn mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Hot water carrying dissolved gases may have seeped into Ceres’ subsurface ocean.
“On Earth, when hot water from deep underground mixes with the ocean, the result is often a buffet for microbes, a feast of chemical energy,” says Sam Courville, lead author of the study.
“So it could have big implications if we could determine whether Ceres’ ocean had an influx of hydrothermal fluid in the past.”
Bright features on the floor of Ceres’ Occator Crater, part of the Vinalia Faculae. The faculae are deposits of salts, possibly flowing up through fractures connecting the surface to a deep reservoir of salty liquid. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The spacecraft that visited Ceres
NASA’s Dawn spacecraft orbited Ceres between 2015 and 2018, and this study builds on discoveries made by that mission.
Dawn saw bright, reflective patches on the surface of the dwarf planet that turned out to be salt deposits, left behind by briny water that had erupted from beneath the surface.
In 2020, scientists confirmed these salty outflows came from a huge underground reservoir.
Dawn also detected organic carbon molecules on Ceres: essential building blocks for life.
With water, carbon and now evidence of long-lasting energy, that means Ceres has – or once had – three major properties common to habitable worlds.
Could Ceres once have hosted life in its liquid ocean? Image of the dwarf planet captured by NASA’s Dawn mission, showing the strange, bright deposits on its surface. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
When Ceres was most habitable
Ceres today is too cold and icy to support life.
Its radioactive heat source has mostly burned out, and the remaining underground water is now concentrated brine, locked beneath thick layers of ice.
But scientists think the period between 2.5 and 4 billion years ago is the time when Ceres was most habitable.
That’s when its rocky core was at its hottest and could send warm, mineral-rich fluids into its hidden ocean.
This doesn’t mean scientists believe Ceres did host life during that time, but rather it’s the time when Ceres most fulfilled the conditions necessary for habitability.
Unlike moons such as Europa or Enceladus, which are still heated by gravitational tug-of-war with their giant planets, Ceres now has no external energy source to keep things warm.
Illustration showing the interior of dwarf planet Ceres and the transfer of water and gases from the rocky core to a reservoir of salty water. Carbon dioxide and methane are among the molecules carrying chemical energy beneath Ceres’ surface. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
What Ceres teaches us about other ocean worlds
Ceres may be just one example of a bigger story in our Solar System.
Many small, icy bodies – including dwarf planets and moons – might have gone through a similar ‘warm and wet’ phase billions of years ago.
That means the search for life beyond Earth isn’t only about places that are habitable now.
Worlds like Ceres remind us that habitable environments may have come and gone in the past, leaving behind chemical fingerprints for scientists to uncover.
Read the full paper at www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt3283
As the 2025 Asia Cup approaches with just weeks to go, anticipation is at an all-time high. The tournament, taking place from September 9 to 28 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, will be played in the T20I format. Despite the hype, some star players were omitted by the selectors and will not be be part of the squads. Here’s a look at the best players excluded from the Asia Cup 2025.
Matías Zagazeta is next to take on our would you rather questions and the DAMS Lucas Oil driver rises to the challenge.
The Peruvian talks space, spoons and why a different kind of race could be on the cards soon.
BE A FAMOUS SINGER OF ACTOR?
“I think famous actor. I’ve always wanted to do a bit of acting. When I was younger, I was in some drama classes and had to do a play. It wasn’t great, but my singing is worse!”
WIN YOUR HOME GRAND PRIX ONCE OR THE MONACO GP MULTIPLE TIMES?
“Oooh, I don’t have a home Grand Prix at the moment, but if we did, I would for sure want to win my home race. No doubt. It would be the best experience of my whole life, a national holiday incoming for sure!”
WIN THE INDY 500 OR THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS?
“24 Hours of Le Mans, 100% and it’s a race I really want to do. With DAMS being based there, you get a little bit of the vibe of it. Hopefully one day.”
PERMANENT TRACK OR STREET CIRCUIT?
“Hmm it depends. I think my favourite track is either Melbourne or Monaco, so I think street track.”
KARAOKE OR DANCE OFF?
“Karaoke.”
FRONT ROW AT FASHION WEEK OR THE OSCARS?
“Front row at the Oscars. I’m not very interested in fashion week, and I like movies more.”
WIN THE TITLE WITHOUT A WIN OR TAKE MULTIPLE WINS AND MISS THE TITLE?
“I want to win the title. I think that’s what everyone wants to do.”
TOO HOT OR TOO COLD
“Too hot. I think in Peru, we’re a bit more used to warmer weather and I hate when it’s too cold. I’ve lived in the UK, and I know what it’s like to be too cold.”
BECOME A ROCKSTAR OR ASTRONAUT
“Astronaut. I’m already prepared for the rocket launch and the G-Forces.”
DISCOVER A NEW ISLAND OR FIND A NEW PLANET IN SPACE
“Discover a new planet for sure. Like the last question, if I’m being an astronaut, I’d rather fly to space and find a new planet.”
READ MORE: One pink and one green but filled with special memories: Mari Boya on his 2025 Helmet
EAT WITH A SPOON OR A FORK FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
“Fork. Wait, no! I’m not sure… if I’m eating something with sauce, I want a spoon… oh my god, spoon! More versatile.”
READ PEOPLE’S MINDS OR KNOW EVERY LANGAUGE
“Know every language in the world. I don’t really want to know and invade people’s minds. If you know every language in the world, you could talk to anybody.”
DRY TYRES ON A WET TRACK OR WET TYRES ON A DRY TRACK
“Dry tyres on a wet track. It’s way more fun. You get a bit more sideways but if you have wet tyres on a dry track, you just understeer off with no grip.”
TRAIN FOR 100-METRE SPRINT OR MARATHON
“I think probably a marathon. I want to do one at some point, so I’d say marathon. I think Mari does the most running in the paddock, but I could train for one.”
UNDERDRESSED OR OVERDRESSED
“Overdressed for sure. Got to be looking sharp no matter what.”
Hedgehogs are being brought into rescue centres dehydrated because of the recent hot weather
Here’s our daily pick of stories from across local websites in the West of England, and interesting content from social media.
Our pick of local website stories
Our top three from yesterday
What to watch on social media
People are getting creative in Yate where some are turning items, such as shields and plaques, into St George’s flag pieces.
Fans of National League football club Forest Green Rovers are revelling in a 4-0 win over Sutton United on Wednesday.
And many are still paying their respects to KFC’s longest serving worker, Pauline Richards from Taunton, known as Miss KFC, whose funeral took place on Wednesday.
Hormone replacement therapy using vaginal estrogen tablets was not associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke for postmenopausal women who have already had a stroke, according to a data analysis from a health registry in Denmark.
This is one of the first studies to analyze the risk of recurrent stroke for postmenopausal women using vaginal estrogen.
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DALLAS, August 21, 2025 — Using vaginal estrogen tablets was not associated with an increased risk of recurrent ischemic stroke among postmenopausal women in a registry in Denmark, according to research published today in Stroke, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.
Unlike oral estrogen or transdermal formulations such as creams and patches, the women in this registry-based study had prescriptions for estrogen tablets designed for vaginal use. These tablets dissolve locally, and the estrogen is absorbed through the vaginal mucosa to help manage common menopausal symptoms, such as vaginal dryness and discomfort during intercourse. In healthy women, this mild increase in estrogen in the bloodstream from vaginal tablets doesn’t seem to cause problems. However, it was previously unknown whether the vaginal estrogen tablets posed a risk to women with a history of stroke, a group considered more vulnerable to recurrent strokes.
“It is well known that taking systemic hormone replacement therapy, such as oral estrogen tablets, may increase the risk of stroke after menopause. While other studies have not detected an increased risk of stroke associated with the use of vaginal estrogen in healthy postmenopausal women, there is no data on whether vaginal estrogen tablets pose an increased risk for women who have already had a stroke,” said the study’s lead author Kimia Ghias Haddadan, M.D., affiliated with the department of cardiology at Copenhagen University Hospital – Herlev and Gentofte in Copenhagen, Denmark.
This study examined prescription data for more than 34,000 postmenopausal women, aged 45 and older, who had experienced a first ischemic stroke in a national registry in Denmark. Women who used vaginal estrogen before their first stroke were excluded. During the 10-year study, researchers compared the rates of recurrent stroke in women who used vaginal estrogen tablets with the rates of women who did not use the vaginal treatment.
The analysis found:
The use of vaginal estrogen tablets was not associated with an increased risk of having a second stroke in postmenopausal women with a previous stroke.
When compared to not using vaginal estrogen tablets, there was no significant association among current use, recent use or past use of the vaginal estrogen tablets with a second stroke.
Similarly, no increased risk of a second stroke was found between high-dose current use or low-dose current use.
Even women with higher cumulative use of vaginal estrogen tablets did not have a higher risk of a second stroke compared to non-users.
“We were cautiously hopeful about the findings, and it was reassuring to discover that the use of vaginal estrogen did not raise the risk of recurrent stroke in this high-risk population,” Haddadan said. “U.S.-based studies, such as the Women’s Health Initiative and the Nurses’ Health Study, have shown no increased stroke risk with vaginal estrogen in healthy women. Our study extends this reassurance to women with a history of stroke.
“It is important to note that these findings suggest that vaginal estrogen is likely safe for this high-risk group of women who have already had a stroke; however, they do not imply that vaginal estrogen prevents strokes,” she said.
Haddadan said the findings should be applicable to postmenopausal women in the U.S. and other countries, especially where similar vaginal estrogen products are used. The study’s strengths include its large, nationwide design, which provided a comprehensive view of real-world clinical outcomes in a high-risk population. By using Danish registries, researchers could accurately track stroke diagnoses, prescriptions and relevant health and demographic information across the entire population.
“As an epidemiologist, I see this study as a valuable contribution because it focuses on a population often excluded from hormone therapy research, midlife women with a prior stroke, and examines an increasingly used route of administration: vaginal tablets. While the study did not find a statistically significant association with stroke recurrence, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Real-world data can’t account for all clinical and behavioral factors, and prescription fill records don’t confirm whether the medication was actually used. Still, studies like this allow us to explore important questions that are often not feasible to address in clinical trials,” said Samar R. El Khoudary, Ph.D., M.P.H., FAHA, chair of the American Heart Association’s 2020 Statement on Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention. El Khoudary, who was not involved in this study, is a professor in the department of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.
The study has several limitations. Women who used vaginal estrogen might have been healthier overall, which could affect the results. However, researchers adjusted for a range of health and demographic factors, such as medications, medical conditions, income and education, to reduce the impact of this issue. Estrogen use was determined from prescription records, which indicate the medication was dispensed but not necessarily taken as prescribed; therefore, actual use or adherence cannot be confirmed. And the study focused solely on one form of treatment, vaginal estrogen tablets, because it is the most common mode of treatment in Denmark. The findings may not apply to other estrogen formulations, such as vaginal creams, patches or rings. Cost is also not an issue, because Denmark provides free universal health care to all citizens.
Study details, background and design:
A nationwide study using health records identified 56,642 women who had experienced a stroke between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017.
A total of 34,274 women ages 45 or older (median age of 75) were included in this analysis, while 22,368 women were excluded for various reasons. Exclusions included women under the age of 45, those with a history of vaginal estrogen use, and women who had used systemic hormone therapy within one year before their first stroke.
3,353 women who experienced a second stroke were compared to an equal number of women who did not experience a second stroke.
Using prescription data, researchers assessed whether the women had used vaginal estrogen tablets and categorized their use as current (within 3 months), recent (3-24 months) or past (more than 24 months before the study).
To evaluate whether vaginal estrogen use was linked to the risk of a second stroke in postmenopausal women, researchers compared each woman who’d had a second stroke (case group) with a woman of the same age who did not (control group).
The study did not include data on race because that information is not collected about patients in Denmark.
“We hope our findings reassure health professionals caring for postmenopausal women with a history of stroke. For these women, especially those with troubling menopause symptoms, the study shows that this type of therapy may be a safe choice. It could improve their quality of life without raising the risk of another stroke,” Haddadan said.
Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the manuscript.
Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives more than 85% of its revenue from sources other than corporations. These sources include contributions from individuals, foundations and estates, as well as investment earnings and revenue from the sale of our educational materials. Corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations to the Association. The Association has strict policies to prevent any donations from influencing its science content and policy positions. Overall financial information is available here.
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About the American Stroke Association
The American Stroke Association is devoted to saving people from stroke — the No. 2 cause of death in the world and a leading cause of serious disability. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat stroke. The Dallas-based association officially launched in 1998 as a division of the American Heart Association. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-888-4STROKE or visit stroke.org. Follow us on Facebook, X.
For Media Inquiries and AHA/ASA Expert Perspective: 214-706-1173
Federal government to fully digitize PM&DC for transparency – Daily Times
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Seasonal distribution and abundance of host-seeking malaria vectors
A total of 39,863 mosquitoes consisting of four different genera were collected using HLC across all study sites during the sampling period: Anopheles (52.54%, 20,945/39,863), Culex (42.10%, 16,742/39,863), Aedes (3.74%, 1,491/39,863) and Mansonia (1.72%, 685/39,863). About 41.75% (16,642/39,863) of mosquitoes were collected during the dry season [Anopheles (30.47%, 5,071/16,642), Culex (64.46%, 10,727/16,642), Aedes (1.44%, 240/16,642), Mansonia (2.55%, 424/16,642)] and 58.25% (23,221/39,863) in the rainy season [Anopheles (68.36%, 15,874/23,221), Culex (25.90%, 6,015/23,221), Aedes (4.61%, 1,071/23,221), Mansonia (1.12%, 261/23,221)]. Overall, Anopheles dominated (52.54%, 20,945/39,863), followed by Culex (42.00%, 16,742/39,863), Aedes (3.74%, 1,491/39,863), and Mansonia (1.72%, 685/39,863). Among the Anopheles, the highest abundance was An. gambiae s.l. (99.93%, 20,931/20,945), with smaller proportions of An. funestus s.l. (0.02%, 4/20,945), An. pharoensis (0.03%, 6/20,945), and An. rufipes (0.02%, 4/20,945) (Table 1).
Table 1 Distribution and abundance of host-seeking mosquito species collected from all sites
Among the site categories, irrigated urban farming (IUF) had the most abundant of An. gambiae s.l. (48.85%, 10,224/20931), followed by peri-urban (PU) (17.86%, 3738/20931), and the lowest was from low socioeconomic (LS) (2.84%, 595/20931). The rainy season had a higher abundance of Anopheles gambiae s.l. in all sites categories when compared to the dry season [IUF (dry = 3,067, rainy = 7,157), PU (dry = 805, rainy = 2,933), LS (dry = 127, rainy = 468), MS (dry = 469, rainy = 2,402) and HS (dry = 598, rainy = 2,905)]. Among the individual sites, Tuba in the irrigated urban farming category recorded the highest abundance of An. gambiae s.l. in both dry and rainy season [dry (47.55%, 2,409/5,066), rainy (38.20%, 6,061/15,865)], whereas Chorkor in the LS categories had the lowest abundance of mosquitoes in both seasons [dry (1.11%, 56/5,066), rainy (1.32%, 210/15,865)]. An. funestus species were exclusively collected from Medie in the peri-urban site category (Table 1) during the dry season.
Among the sampled anophelines collected, only 0.07% (14/20,945) comprised of other Anopheles species (Table 1). These species consist of An. rufipes (28.57%, 4/14), An. funestus (28.57, 4/14) and An. pharoensis (42.86%, 6/14). An. pharoensis species were exclusively collected during the rainy season, whereas, An. funestus were sampled during the dry seasons.
Seasonal distribution and abundance of resting malaria vectors
A total of 1,884 resting mosquitoes were collected from all sites. The most abundant genera of mosquitoes sampled were the culicines (57.22%, 1,078/1,884), followed by the anophelines (31.26%, 589/1,884) and then Aedines (11.52%, 217/1,884). More Anopheles gambiae s.l. were sampled during the rainy season (77.08%, 454/589) compared to the dry season (22.92%, 135/589) (t = −0.0405, df = 587, P = 0.48). Tuba, from the irrigated urban farming site category, had the highest abundance of resting An. gambiae s.l., 26.49%, 156/589 (rainy = 116, dry = 40), with the least sampled from East Legon from the HS site category, 1.70%, 10/589 (rainy = 7, dry = 3).
Indoor and outdoor abundance of resting Anopheles gambiae s.l.
Of the total (n = 589) resting Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquitoes that were sampled during the study period, significantly abundant Anopheles gambiae s.l were collected indoors (60.44%, 356/589) as compared to outdoors (49.56%, 233/589) (t = 1.9103, df = 587, P = 0.03). Among the sites, Tuba (IUF) had the highest abundance of An. gambiae s.l. in both indoor (24.72%, 88/356) and outdoor (29.18%, 68/233), whereas the least indoor (1.40%, 5/356) and outdoor (2.15%, 5/233) abundance were recorded in East Legon (HS) (Table 2).
Table 2 Seasonal, indoor and outdoor distribution and abundance of resting An. gambiae s.l. from all sites
Species discrimination in host-seeking Anopheles gambiae complex
From the host-seeking An. gambiae s.l. collected, a subsample of 2,232 from all the study sites in both seasons were randomly selected and used to discriminate the sibling species. An. gambiae s.s (68.86%, 1,537/2,232) was the most abundant species followed by An. coluzzii (27.24%, 608/2,232), and hybrids of An. gambiae s.s. and An. coluzzii (3.90%, 90/2,232) (Table 3). With respect to socioeconomic characterization, more An. coluzzii was collected from LS [An. gambiae s.s. = 26.14% (40/153); An. coluzzii = 67.97% (104/153); hybrids = 5.88% (9/153)] and MS [An. gambiae s.s. = 36.65% (103/281); An. coluzzii = 62.28% (175/281); hybrids = 1.07% (3/281)] site categories. However, An. gambiae s.s. was more abundant in the other site categories [PU, HS, IUF] (Tables 3).
Table 3 Species discrimination of host-seeking An. gambiae s.l. from all sites
Species discrimination in resting Anopheles gambiae complex
With resting mosquitoes, the total An. gambiae s.l. (n = 589) from all the study sites were used to discriminate the sibling species. An. coluzzii (64.52%, 380/589) were the most abundant, followed by Anopheles gambiae s.s, (26.99%, 159/589) and then Hybrids of An. coluzzii and An. gambiae s.s. (8.49%, 50/589). During both seasons, An. coluzzii was the most abundant sampled, Dry [indoor (48); outdoor (41)]; Rainy [indoor (164); outdoor (127)], followed by An. gambiae s.s, Dry [indoor (24); outdoor (9)]; Rainy = [indoor (85); outdoor (41)], and then hybrids; Dry [indoor (8); outdoor (5)] Rainy = [indoor (22); outdoor (15)], (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2
Indoor and outdoor seasonal distribution of resting Anopheles gambiae species
Biting times of An. gambiae s.l. in the study sites
An. gambiae s.l. exhibited the highest biting activity during the late evening (LE) at 71.64% (14,995/20,931), followed by the early morning (EM) at 17.56% (3,675/20,931), and the lowest during the early evening (EE) at 10.80% (2,261/20,931). This pattern was consistent across all sites and site categories. Notably, significantly higher biting activity was recorded in the LE for both the dry (72.21%, 3,658/5,066) and rainy seasons (71.45%, 11,337/15,865) [F (2, 27) = 6.03, P = 0.019, 95% CI 135.2691–1388.731] (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3
Biting patterns of An. gambiae s.l according to site categories
Biting activity varied across site categories, with a non-significant trend of higher activity observed in the irrigated urban farming site category, particularly during the late evening, peaking between 02:00 and 03:00 h [F (4,10) = 1.36, P = 0.176, 95% CI −793.9493–3781.949].
The human-biting activity of An. gambiae s.l. displayed a similar pattern across all study sites, showing a bimodal distribution. The first and highest peak occurred between 02:00 and 03:00 h (15.52%, 3,248/20,931), while a secondary peak was observed in the early morning between 04:00 and 05:00 h (12.09%, 2,530/20,931). Although biting activity was higher in the early morning hours compared to the early evening hours, biting activity steadily declined from 05:00 to 06:00 h.
Blood meal sources of resting An. gambiae s.l. mosquitoes collected
Out of the 589 An. gambiae s.l. mosquitoes collected, 70.63% (416/589) were found to have fed on blood from various sources. The Human Blood Index (HBI) was consistently higher across all site categories and species at 86.30% (359/416), compared to the Bovine Blood Index (BBI), which was 29.33% (122/416). Hybrids collected indoors at the Peri-Urban (PU) site exhibited the highest HBI of 100% (2/2), while the highest BBI, 50% (5/10), was observed among hybrids collected outdoors at the Irrigated Urban Farming (IUF) site.
Mixed blood meal sources were recorded sporadically, with the highest occurrences at irrigated urban farming and peri-urban site categories. An. gambiae s.s. exhibited consistently high HBI across all site categories, particularly for indoor feeding: LS (indoor = 57%, outdoor = 57%), MS (indoor = 52%, outdoor = 100%), HS (indoor = 100%, outdoor = 0%), IUF (indoor = 54%, outdoor = 46%), and PU (indoor = 82%, outdoor = 79%).
Similarly, An. coluzzii demonstrated strong anthropophilic tendencies with high HBI across all site categories: low socioeconomic (indoor = 66%, outdoor = 65%), middle socioeconomic (indoor = 47%, outdoor = 0%), high socioeconomic (indoor = 100%, outdoor = 72%), irrigated urban farming (indoor = 52%, outdoor = 45%), and peri-urban (indoor = 88%, outdoor = 68%) (Table 4).
Table 4 Blood meal source of resting An. gambiae s.l. mosquitoes from site categories
Sporozoite infection rate in host-seeking An. gambiae s.l.
A subsample of 2,472 [dry = 1,670; rainy = 802] An. gambiae s.l. mosquitoes collected through HLC were also tested for Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP). Overall, 2.1% (54/2,472) were positive for P. falciparum CSP. There was higher sporozoite rate in the rainy season compared to the dry season [dry = 1.25% (21/1,670); rainy = 4.11% (33/802)] (χ2 = 14.8, df = 13, P = 0.320). The highest sporozoite rate was recorded in Dansoman (MS) (5.8%, 7/121) and Medie (PU) (4.3%, 8/184), whereas the least was recorded in Tantra hill (HS) (0.5%, 1/216). Among the sites categories, sporozoite rates did not vary significantly (χ2 = 59.0, df = 52, P = 0.235) (Table 5).
Table 5 Entomological transmission indices of host-seeking An. gambiae s.l. across various study sites
Sporozoite infection rates in resting Anopheles gambiae s.l.
All the resting Anopheles gambiae s.l sampled (n = 589) were analyzed for the presence of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP). Of the 4.24% (25/589) that tested positive, those collected from indoors had higher sporozoite infectivity (4.56%, 16/351) as compared to those collected from outdoors (3.78%, 9/238) (X2 = 6.7818, df = 1, P = 0.009). Tuba from the IUF site category recorded the highest frequency of CSP positive Anopheles gambiae s.l. (5.77%, 9/156), [indoor = 6.82% (6/88); outdoor = 5.88% (4/68)]. And the least was recorded in Dansoman (2.70%, 1/37) [indoor = 2.94% (1/34); outdoor = 0.00% (0/3)] (Table 6).
Table 6 Sporozoite infection rates detected in resting Anopheles gambiae s.l. in all study sites
Entomological inoculation rate of host-seeking An. gambiae s.l.
The study identified significant variations in malaria transmission indices across different study sites. The overall average Entomological Inoculation Rate (EIR) was 1.526 infective bites per person per night (ib/p/n). Seasonal differences were observed, with EIR values of 0.191 ib/p/n during the dry season and 2.862 ib/p/n during the rainy season (χ2 = 18.80, df = 15, P = 0.331).
During the rainy season, Tuba, an irrigated urban farming (IUF) site, recorded the highest transmission risk, with an estimated 12.787 infective bites per person per night (ib/p/n), while Chorkor a lower socioeconomic (LS) site had no infective bite. In the dry season, Oyarifa, a peri-urban (PU) site, had the highest entomological inoculation rate (EIR) with 0.602 ib/p/n, whereas Nima (LS), Teshie and Dansoman (MS), and Tantra Hill (HS) had no infective bites.
Overall, the highest malaria transmission risk was recorded in Tuba (IUF), with the highest Human Biting Rate (HBR) of 176.458 and EIR of 2.647 ib/p/n, followed by the two Peri-urban (PU) sites, Medie (HBR: 30.792, EIR:1.324 ib/p/n,) and Oyarifa (HBR:47.083, EIR:1.224 ib/p/n). In contrast, Nima (HBR: 6.854, EIR: 0.110 ib/p/n) and Chorkor (HBR: 5.542, EIR: 0.188 ib/p/n) in the low socioeconomic (LS) category had the lowest malaria transmission risk (Table 5).
Insecticide resistance mutation genotypes in resting Anopheles gambiae s.l.
All Anopheles gambiae s.l. samples (n = 589) collected from indoor and outdoor environments were genotyped to detect insecticide resistance mutations: L1014F, L1014S, and G119S Ace-1.
The L1014F allele was present at a frequency of 100% across indoor and outdoor environments and all An. gambiae s.l. species, except in An. gambiae s.s., where it was observed at a slightly lower frequency of 90%. The L1014S mutation was detected at a very low frequency (10%) and was limited to An. gambiae s.s. and hybrids.
For the G119S Ace-1 mutation, the allele frequency was 70% in indoor samples and 60% in outdoor samples. Among the species, G119S was observed at a frequency of 70% in both An. coluzzii and An. gambiae s.s., and 50% in hybrids (Table 7).
Table 7 Frequency distribution of kdr L1014F, L1014S and Ace-1 G119S among resting An. gambiae s.l
Emily Wheldon was one of the participants in the study
Researchers behind a new study into phantom limb pain believe it could change how the phenomenon is treated.
The universities of Cambridge and Pittsburgh followed three people due to have one of their hands amputated.
Phantom limb pain is experienced as a sensation or itch seemingly coming from the limb that is no longer there.
The academics’ work found the brain’s internal map of the body, in the somatosensory cortex, remained unchanged even after amputation.
They revisited the participants three months, six months, and up to five years after amputation and found their brains still lit up in the same areas that controlled the now absent limbs.
Senior author Prof Tamar Makin, from the University of Cambridge, said previous studies may have misinterpreted what was happening.
“Because of our previous work, we suspected that the brain maps would be largely unchanged, but the extent to which the map of the missing limb remained intact was jaw-dropping,” she said.
“Bearing in mind that the somatosensory cortex is responsible for interpreting what’s going on within the body, it seems astonishing that it doesn’t seem to know that the hand is no longer there.”
As well as the possibility of better treatments, researchers said it suggested building robotic limbs to connect to the brain could be more straightforward than previously thought.
Tamar Makin/Hunter Schone
The study looked at the hand and face maps of individuals, like Emily Wheldon (pictured), both before and after amputation
It was a commonly accepted view among neuroscientists that the brain rewired itself after an amputation.
Current treatment approaches focus on trying to restore representation of the limb in the brain’s map, but randomised controlled trials to test this approach have shown limited success.
Co-author Dr Hunter Schone, from the University of Pittsburgh, said the most promising therapies involved rethinking the amputation surgery, like grafting the nerves into a new muscle or skin, so they have a new home.
“This study is a powerful reminder that even after limb loss, the brain holds on to the body, waiting for us to reconnect,” said Dr Schone.
Research is also under way into how movement and sensation could be restored to paralysed limbs or if amputated limbs might be controlled by a brain interface.
“Our findings provide a real opportunity to develop these technologies now,” said Dr Chris Baker, from the National Institute of Mental Health.
