In April, “Yale University announced it had successfully resurrected the brains of more than 100 slaughtered pigs and found that the cells were still healthy. The reanimated brains were kept alive for up to 36 hours and scientists said the process, which should also work in primates, offered a new way to study intact organs in the lab” (Telegraph, May 6, 2018).
French President Emmanuel Macron is the man some are now calling “Europe’s leading figure” (Deutsche Welle, March 16, 2018). From his growing seat of power, he has created a new “10-nation coalition of the willing” to spearhead the European defense initiative (Politico, May 2, 2018).
Earth is described by some as a “lonely planet”—yet, scientists continue their search for extraterrestrial life. However, the quest to find life beyond Earth recently hit another roadblock. “Alien life may be more unlikely than commonly thought, according to a UK study that hints at a cosmic lack of phosphorus.
North and South Korea held serious peace negotiations last week for the first time in years, and this time it appears real progress may be made.
In recent statements, Pope Francis encouraged people not to “be scared” of tattoos. He stated, “With young people one should never be scared. Never. Because always, even behind the things that are not so good, there is something that will bring us to some truth” (The Independent, March 21, 2018).
The world has been a violent place for thousands of years, but societies around the globe appear to be getting even more violent. Last Sunday in Toronto, Canada, a 25-year-old man drove a rented truck into pedestrians, killing ten and injuring 13 more (The Independent, April 24, 2018).
In the last 15 years, France’s bird population has fallen by over 30 percent (The Guardian, March 20, 2018). The numbers of some bird species have dropped by two-thirds! Researchers believe the primary reason for the die-off “is the intensive use of pesticides on vast tracts of monoculture crops, especially wheat and corn.” The birds are not being poisoned.
Tensions are rising with the accusation that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army again used chemical weapons in contravention of the Geneva Convention (U.S. News & World Report, April 10, 2018). The U.S., the U.K.
A recent study verifies what many have observed over the last couple decades in Europe: that “Christianity as a default, as a norm, is gone, and probably gone for good—or at least for the next 100 years” (The Guardian, March 20, 2018).
Today there is growing animosity between Russia and the West—Europe, Britain and the United States. Some experts note that “China, Russia, India, Turkey, Iran, and others are seeking to carve out a new space for themselves in the newly emerging international system, as the United States is struggling to redefine its place and identity in the new world” (Oxford...
