Health

James Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped spark a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics, has died, according to his former research lab. He was 97.  ]

As France marks 10 years since the November 13 attacks, a new study is examining how trauma is still rippling through affected families and reshaping the lives of the next generation who were children when the violent attacks tore through Paris.  ]

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, warned that "rapid and abrupt" cuts in US funding for AIDS programmes were threatening the advances made in fighting the epidemic in recent years. She expressed hope that some of the programmes that had been suspended by the Trump administration were being reinstated, but noted that "steady declines" in funding from Europe and other donors were putting fragile populations, especially "in low-income countries of Africa", at risk of "more new infections and more deaths". ]

Youth-led demonstrators in Morocco took to the streets on Thursday for a sixth straight night despite fears of more violence after police killed three people the night before. Story by Eliza Herbert. ]

Argentina's struggling President Javier Milei suffered a new setback Thursday as Congress overturned his vetoes of laws increasing funding for public universities and pediatric care. Story by Daniel Quinlan. ]

It’s a promising medical discovery that could help researchers fight cancer. New research published in the journal Nature has found that patients with some forms of advanced cancer who received a COVID mRNA vaccine lived significantly longer than those who didn't. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Christiano Marconi, cancer researcher at the University of Florida. ]

Mount Athos, in northern Greece, is the beating heart of the Orthodox Christian faith and home to 2,000 monks. But for the past year, it has also become a place of refuge and pilgrimage for Ukrainian soldiers. For these men, wounded at war and suffering from deep trauma, Mount Athos's retreats offer them a respite from the front lines. The goal is to heal their trauma through faith and soothe their invisible wounds before returning to battle. Eric de Lavarène and Alexandros Kottis report. ]

Preliminary research published in Nature suggests that COVID-19 vaccines, particularly Pfizer and Moderna, may offer unexpected benefits for cancer patients. People with advanced lung or skin cancer who received the vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived significantly longer. Researchers found that the mRNA in the vaccines might enhance the immune system’s response to cancer treatments, independent of any virus-related effects. ]

Israel's military said Wednesday that the ceasefire was back on in Gaza after it carried out heavy airstrikes overnight across the Palestinian territory that killed 104 people, including 46 children, according to local health officials.  The strikes — the deadliest since the ceasefire was enacted on Oct. 10 — marked the most serious challenge to the tenuous truce to date.  ]

Celebrated Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai has just been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature which casts a spotlight on the power of books, even as surveys show that fewer people are reading. Yet neuroscience is clear: reading is a mental workout that strengthens the brain. “It forges new neural pathways, generates new brain cells, and builds cognitive reserve,” says Grégoire Borst, Full Professor of Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience of Education at Université Paris Descartes. Fiction hones empathy and theory of mind, while nonfiction builds critical thinking and analytical depth. Reading activates working memory, sustained attention, and perspective-taking, skills vital for a flourishing democracy and social cohesion. Studies even link regular reading to reduce...