Author: damazah@gmail.com

New DNA analysis has revealed a remarkably complex biological record preserved on the Shroud of Turin, adding fresh detail to the history of one of the world’s most closely examined and controversial historical artifacts. Published in Scientific Reports, the study is the first to use advanced genomic sequencing methods (rigorous PCR-free next-generation metagenomic sequencing) on official samples taken from the Shroud in 1978. By examining genomic DNA embedded in the linen fibers, researchers produced the most detailed account yet of the biological material that accumulated on the cloth through centuries of handling and environmental exposure. A Complex Archive of Human…

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open as he continues to recover from a wrist injury.The world number two has not played since he pulled out of the Barcelona Open in April, missing Wimbledon and the chance to defend his French Open title.After winning the event in 2025, Spain’s Alcaraz was due to return at the Cincinnati Open as part of preparations for his defence of the US Open, which begins on 30 August.Instead, the organisers of the Ohio event – which starts on 11 August – said that “an ongoing wrist injury” will prevent the 23-year-old from taking…

Jonas will appear as a coach alongside Queen Latifah and Riley Green, with Palmer replacing Carson Daly as host Joe Jonas and Keke Palmer have been announced as cast members of a new celebrity edition of NBC‘s popular competition series The Voice. Jonas will join the cast as a coach, according to Deadline. Palmer will help launch the celebrity-driven spinoff as its host, replacing Carson Daly, who has hosted The Voice since the original series first aired in 2011. Daly will remain onboard for The Voice: Celebrity as a producer on the show. The Voice: Celebrity cast will also include…

By SUNNY IKHIOYA David Umahi is an intelligent man, and everyone can see this from his interactions, especially as they concern construction engineering, but how he manages to get into trouble with people, including the press, is what keeps baffling people. He came in, hands on, prepared for the job, with his performance record in Ebonyi State and a successful private engineering background, but it did not take too long for him to get into trouble, beginning with his handling of the Lagos-Calabar express road, which has attracted so much criticism. Is it that he is not aware of the…

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday sentenced a bureau de change (BDC) operator, Dabo Ardi, to two months in prison for engaging in foreign exchange transactions outside the official market. Trial judge, F.N. Ogazi, convicted Mr Ardi after he pleaded guilty to a one-count filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The judge, however, gave him the option of paying a N80,000 fine. The EFCC, in a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, explained that Mr Ardi was prosecuted for engaging in an illegal foreign exchange transaction. bureau de change…

Oando Plc has recorded a 20 per cent increase in revenue to N2.1 trillion for the half-year ended June 30, driven by higher crude oil production, improved operational efficiency and cost optimisation. The company disclosed this in its unaudited financial results released on Tuesday in Lagos. It also reported an eight per cent increase in profit after tax to N68.6 billion, while gross profit surged by 331 per cent to N101 billion during the review period. The company’s average daily production rose by 16 per cent to 42,789 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), from 36,836 boepd recorded in…

A freeloading tanuki, mounting debt, and a town full of possibilities will sound familiar to fans of Animal Crossing. Alas, while you won’t find accountability from Tom Nook, Kyoto-based studio Denkiworks has stepped in to heal your financial trauma with a BMX-filled adventure in which a mammal finally pays the price for their years of bad behaviour. “Even Japanese people ask why it’s a tanuki,” jokes Liam Edwards, a game designer at Denkiworks. “They have such a mythological background to them; they’re almost like dragons in terms of their mythology.”In Tanuki: Pon’s Summer, you play as an adorable but irresponsible…

Karen Newman, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, criticised the move, saying “it beggars belief”.She said: “We have contacted the Conservative Party to set out our concerns and call on them to rescind his selection and review their vetting processes.”Liberal Democrat MP Adam Dance, whose Yeovil constituency includes Crewkerne, said: “Residents deserve to feel confident in those seeking to represent them.”Public service is built on trust and elected representatives have a responsibility to bring communities together and uphold the highest standards in public life.”It is now for the Conservative Party to explain why it believes this…

As Homer tells us, Odysseus made an epic journey, against the odds, from Troy to his home in Ithaca. He visited many lands, but mostly dwelt with the nymph Calypso on her island. We can imagine that his wife, Penelope, would have asked him about that particular time. Odysseus might have replied, “It was nothing. In fact, it was less than nothing. Negative five years I dwelt with Calypso. How else could I have arrived home after only ten years? If you don’t believe me, ask her.” Quantum particles, it turns out, are just as wily as Odysseus, as we…

The 2026 World Series of Poker main event began July 2 at the Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas and is streaming live on ESPN+. Check daily for updates as the field grows and then shrinks to the final table, which air on ESPN live Aug. 3-5. Lance Bradley have the updates all tournament long.August 4: Han Feng surges into second as two players eliminatedLucas Jumalon, the 22 year old poker pro from Spokane, Washington finished the first day of the 2026 World Series of Poker main event final table in the exact same place he started it. On…