Archaeology News: Ancient Roman tombs, shrine to Hercules discovered in Rome suburb dig

Ancient Roman tombs, shrine to Hercules discovered in Rome suburb dig

While the tombs and the shrine were found within the modern city's boundaries, they would have been situated outside the ancient walls of Rome.

By Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post, January 25, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-884500

The two tombs date from the time of Rome's Republic and were found near that city's northeast Via Pietralata.

(photo credit: Italian Culture Ministry, screenshot)

Two Roman Republic-era tombs were discovered during preventive archaeological excavations ahead of an urban planning program near Via Pietralata on the northeastern side of modern-day Rome, the Italian Culture Ministry announced on January 14. 

One of the tombs contained a stone sarcophagus and three cremation urns, while the second contained a male skeleton, which, according to archaeologist Fabrizio Santi, supports the idea that the area was occupied by a wealthy family.

Alongside the two tombs, a shrine believed to be dedicated to the deified Greek hero Hercules, a prominent symbol of protection to the Romans who had been worshiped in the area, was also discovered. 

A stretch of an ancient road and two large "monumental pools" further indicated to archaeologists that the shrine may have belonged to Hercules, according to the ministry's statement.

A shrine believed to belong to the Greek hero Hercules. (credit: Italian Culture Ministry)

Two tombs discovered in Roman suburb

Santi noted that further scientific study is needed to properly understand the function of the pools, and that the two pools may have been connected to "ritual activities or, less likely, productive or water collection."

While the tombs and the shrine were found within the modern city's boundaries, they would have been situated outside the ancient walls of Rome, highlighting the "narrative of archaeological Rome as a sprawling city," according to Italian Special Superintendent Daniela Porro.

"Modern suburbs thus reveal themselves to be repositories of profound memories, yet to be explored," Porro went on, noting the importance of preventative archaeology in urban development as a tool to further knowledge and "appreciation of our heritage."

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Health & Wellness News: 'Zombie' cells may cause common form of epilepsy - study

 'Zombie' cells may cause common form of epilepsy - study

The researchers found that clearing away damaged but undying brain cells (known as zombie cells) in mouse models of epilepsy reduced the number of seizures and improved the rodents’ memory.

By Esther Davis, Jerusalem Post, January 23, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-884311

High-resolution 3D illustration of a human neuron with glowing axons and synaptic signals, symbolizing brain activity, 

neuroscience, and neural communication (photo credit: DRMEK/shutterstock)

In a peer-reviewed study published in the Annals of Neurology, researchers found that “zombie” cells may be responsible for a common form of epilepsy.

The study, “Senescent Cell Clearance Ameliorates Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Associated Spatial Memory Deficits in Mice” was published in December 2025, and studied temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in mice.

The researchers found that clearing away damaged but undying brain cells (known colloquially as zombie cells) in mouse models of epilepsy reduced the number of seizures and improved the rodents’ memory.

These findings could help researchers develop the first disease-modifying medications for TLE.

TLE is the world’s most common seizure disorder, affecting around 50 million people globally, and has previously been treated with medication to treat symptoms through reducing seizures, rather than targeting the root cause. Many patients require brain surgery or nerve-stimulation devices.

                                                                 Brain scans (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

The study researched the role of “zombified” cells in epilepsy. Typically, when cells are damaged, they undergo cell death, causing them to self-destruct.

These cells, however, don’t undergo cell death as normal, instead entering a stage called senescence. In senescence, they stop dividing as healthy cells do but refuse to die, earning them the nickname' zombie cells'.

The team noticed that these zombie cells behaved similarly to brain cells at the start of a seizure, leading to tissue scarring known as fibrosis.

TLE-affected brains possess five times as many zombie cells

The researchers searched for signs of zombified cells in TLE-affected brains, comparing brain tissue samples from patients with autopsied samples from people without TLE. Despite the non-TLE group being significantly older than the TLE group, the epilepsy group had, on average, five times as many senescent cells in their tissue samples, according to lead researcher Patrick Forcelli.

The study found that mice with seizures showed more signs of brain senescence than those without seizures. The team then attempted to remove the zombie cells from the mice using a combination of a leukemia-fighting drug and an anti-inflammatory plant.

The treatment, known as a senolytic, reduced the number of senescent cells in the mice’s brains. Trials will need to be carried out to test this treatment combination as a senolytic in humans. 

Removing senescent cells helped reduce, or even eliminate, symptoms in the mice.

"We were able to normalize the memory function of the mice and significantly reduce their seizures,” Forcelli said.

The researchers also noted that targeting senescent cells could benefit the treatment of other conditions, not just TLE.

Clinical trials suggest that up to 70 conditions could be delayed or prevented entirely with senolytics.

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Archaeology News: Human hand outline may be oldest rock art in the world, researchers say

 Human hand outline may be oldest rock art in the world, researchers say

The 67,800-year-old reddish-colored stenciled image has become faded over time and is barely visible on a cave wall, but nonetheless embodies an early achievement of human creativity.

By Reuters, January 22, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/archaeology-around-the-world/article-884150

THE FAINT image of a hand stencil, a negative outline of a human hand created by placing a hand against a rock wall surface and spraying pigment paint around it, that has been dated to 67,800 years ago, in a limestone cave called Liang Metanduno on Muna.

(photo credit: Maxime Aubert/Handout via REUTERS)

The painted outline of a human hand inside a cave on the Indonesian island of Muna represents what researchers are calling the oldest example of rock art in the world, created at least 67,800 years ago.

The reddish-colored stenciled image has become faded over time and is barely visible on a cave wall, but nonetheless embodies an early achievement of human creativity as our species spread worldwide after arising in Africa. The people responsible for this rock art, the researchers said, were part of a population that made its way from mainland Asia to the islands of Indonesia, and later may have continued on to Australia.

The hand stencil was discovered in a limestone cave called Liang Metanduno on Muna, a satellite island off the southeastern peninsula of the large island of Sulawesi east of Borneo. The researchers determined the minimum age of the image by analyzing small amounts of the element uranium in mineral layers that gradually formed atop the pigment.

The image and others like it that were discovered were made by blowing pigment over a hand placed against the rock wall, the researchers said.

"The oldest hand stencil described here is distinctive because it belongs to a style found only in Sulawesi. The tips of the fingers were carefully reshaped to make them appear pointed," said Maxime Aubert, a specialist in archaeological science at Griffith University in Australia who helped lead the research published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.

RESEARCHER MAXIME Aubert examines an ancient cave painting in a limestone cave called Liang Metanduno on Muna, a small satellite island off the southeastern peninsula of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, in this photograph released on January 21, 2026. (credit: Ahdi Agus Oktaviana/Handout via REUTERS)

"It was almost as if they were deliberately trying to transform this image of a human hand into something else - an animal claw perhaps. Clearly they had some deeper cultural meaning but we don't know what that was. I suspect it was something to do with these ancient peoples' complex symbolic relationship with the animal world," said Griffith University archaeologist and study co-author Adam Brumm.

The hand stencil is older than a cave painting depicting three human-like figures interacting with a pig dated to at least 51,200 years ago at the Leang Karampuang site in southwestern Sulawesi. It also is older than rock art in the form of a hand stencil at Maltravieso in Spain that dates to around 64,000 years ago and has been attributed to Neanderthals.

While the newly described image was barely discernible, the researchers found nearly identical images in much better shape elsewhere in the area, showing that this design was not a one-time creation. In earlier research in Sulawesi, the researchers also documented images of human figures with animal features, dated to at least 48,000 years ago.

Liang Metanduno hand stencil gives clues on Homo sapiens settlement of Australia

The researchers said the Liang Metanduno cave is a tourist site, usually visited for its large and more recent paintings. Those are attributed to Austronesian-speaking farmers who first appeared in the region around 4,000 years ago.

The scientists said their discovery of the age of the Liang Metanduno hand stencil may provide insight into how and when Australia came to be settled by Homo sapiens. They said it is probable that the people who fashioned this artwork at Liang Metanduno and around Sulawesi were part of a broader population that later would spread through the region and eventually reach Australia.

"For many years, scientists have debated when and how the first people reached Australia. One idea is called the 'short chronology.' This suggests that people arrived in Australia around 50,000 years ago. This view was supported by many archaeological sites across Australia dated to this time. Earlier genetic studies of Aboriginal Australian and Papuans' DNA also appeared to fit this later arrival," Aubert said.

"Another idea is the 'long chronology,' which proposes that people reached Australia much earlier, around 60,000 to 65,000 years ago," Aubert said.

The newly dated rock art provides the oldest direct evidence of modern humans in the region. And recent genetic research lent support to an earlier arrival time in Australia, closer to 60,000 years ago, Aubert said. 

"Together, the archaeological and genetic evidence now strongly supports the 'long chronology' and shows that the ancestors of Indigenous Australians were moving through Southeast Asia and creating symbolic art as they travelled," Aubert said.

Oldest cave painting of red claw hand could rewrite human creativity timeline

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Defense News: U.S. Military Selects Israeli HERO-90 Loitering Munition for Infantry Forces

 U.S. Military Selects Israeli HERO-90 Loitering Munition for Infantry Forces

Lightweight, precision-guided system enables a single soldier to strike armored and fortified targets autonomously, reflecting growing trust in Israeli defense technology

By Dan Arkin, Israeldefense,co.il, 18/01/2026

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/67495

        UVision's Hero 90 loitering munition, also known as suicide drone (photo credit: UVISION)

The evolution of the modern battlefield and the growing operational need for autonomous, lethal capabilities for infantry units have led the U.S. military to make a strategic decision to select the HERO-90 loitering munition system.

Photo by uvisionuav.com

Developed by the Israeli company UVision, the system was chosen as part of a rapid acquisition program designed to give soldiers on the ground the ability to strike armored and fortified targets with precision. This represents a paradigm shift in which a single soldier becomes a significant firepower asset, capable of neutralizing heavily armored threats without relying on external artillery or air support, while maintaining high mobility and a low signature.

Photo by uvisionuav.com

Following the report at the end of last September regarding the contract award, a recent update from the defense media outlet Defense Industry Europe confirmed that the American company Mistral, UVision’s strategic partner and the lead for technological integration for the U.S. Department of Defense, announced the system’s selection in the procurement competition.

According to the report, the HERO-90 was chosen as the optimal solution for the U.S. military’s requirements for a lightweight, portable, precision “suicide” munition suited for dynamic missions. The choice reflects the high level of trust the U.S. defense establishment places in Israeli technology, which has proven effective in complex combat scenarios requiring both extended range and focused destructive power.

Attendees examine a Uvision Hero-400 loitering munition at the Mistral Group, Inc. booth at Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week for defense companies, in Tampa, Florida, US, May 7, 2024. (credit: Reuters/Luke Sharrett)

The system was carefully designed for simple and rapid operation under stress, carried entirely by a single soldier, and ready to launch in under two minutes. Yoav Banai, Senior Vice President at Mistral, emphasized that the selection of the HERO-90 demonstrates the U.S. military’s focus on portability and uncompromising lethality. He added that the collaboration between the companies ensures U.S. infantry soldiers are equipped with cutting-edge technology, enabling engagement of targets beyond line of sight while retaining the ability to abort missions in real time if conditions change.

The technological superiority of the HERO-90 is evident in its integration of electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensors with AI-based processing capabilities. This technology allows for autonomous target detection and tracking while maintaining a “man-in-the-loop” principle to ensure human oversight in firing decisions and prevent collateral damage.

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Defense News: Army to field Bell MV-75 aircraft this year, integrate more drones

 

Army to field Bell MV-75 aircraft this year, integrate more drones

By Zita Ballinger Fletcher, defensenews.com, Jan.13.2026

https://www.defensenews.com/newsletters/2026/01/13/army-to-field-bell-mv-75-aircraft-this-year-integrate-more-drones/

The U.S. Army has chosen Bell’s V-280 for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program, officially designating it as the MV-75. (Bell)

The U.S. Army will field the long-anticipated Bell MV-75 tiltrotor aircraft this year ahead of its former schedule, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George announced at the Army’s Senior Leader Sitrep town hall meeting that premiered online today.

The Bell MV-75, previously designated the Bell V-280 Valor, promises greater maneuverability in the air than traditional helicopters. The aircraft was previously slated for delivery between 2031 and 2032, but George announced during the town hall that production has been accelerated.

“We said, ‘No, we need it very quickly,” George said. “At the end of this year, we will actually have those flying.”

During the town hall, George outlined priorities alongside Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer, and took questions from service members.

The accelerated helicopter delivery comes as the Army continues to overhaul its acquisition processes and seeks to rapidly integrate new technology, George explained.

“You guys all know what’s happening out there in the world and how fast technology is changing,” said George, citing a recent visit to Ukraine. He noted that the Army is transforming units to be capable of offensive drone warfare, in step with the drone combat unit recently formed by the 10th Mountain Division.

Photo by Leslie Herlick Aviation Center of Excellence

“Things are moving very rapidly. We can do the same thing and I think we’re proving that 10th Mountain is one of those units. We have units all over the Army that are proving that,” George said.

Force modernization will see every infantry combat brigade team transform into a mobile brigade in the next year to 18 months, George said, and these are set to be equipped with GM Defense’s new Infantry Squad Vehicle and next-gen squad weapons.

“All of that is coming,” he added.

George also announced that the service has been transforming its combat aviation brigades to integrate larger unmanned aerial systems classed in Groups 3, 4 and 5, with Group 5 being the size of a Reaper MQ-9 drone.

George said that the Army will proactively seek input from the troops about which technology is effective and what is working as opposed to top-down decision-making when it comes to new technology.

“We want to give things to units and let you tell us what works, what doesn’t and you guys should be the ones deciding what we buy,” George said. “It’s going to be a little different.”

This will especially apply to autonomous systems, George noted, adding that engineers will work together with service members to adapt new technology as it is used.

“We’re going to be breaching with robots,” he said. “We’re going to be doing things with autonomous systems and we need your feedback on what will work and what doesn’t.”

MV-75: Redefining Army Aviation for Multi-Mission Excellence

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Health & Wellness News: FDA clears first US trial of Israel’s EndoArt synthetic corneal implant

FDA clears first US trial of Israel’s EndoArt synthetic corneal implant

EyeYon Medical says FDA granted IDE for a multicenter study led by Scripps Clinic’s Prof. Francis Mah, with enrolment targeted to begin in March 2026.

By Jerusalem Post Staff, January 11, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-882993

ENDOART, A synthetic endothelial layer for the treatment of chronic corneal edema. (photo credit: Courtesy)

EyeYon Medical, an Israeli company that makes devices for eye treatments, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed them to start the first human clinical trial in the US for EndoArt, a synthetic corneal implant designed for chronic corneal edema. The multicenter study, led by Prof. Francis Mah of Scripps Clinic, is expected to launch in March 2026 across several US surgical centers, according to the company.

The trial will evaluate safety, effectiveness, complications, and long-term performance, with participation from at least ten leading corneal surgeons nationwide, the company said. Prof. Mah was named principal investigator.

What the device does

EndoArt is designed to restore corneal clarity by replacing the function of the endothelium, the cornea’s innermost layer, without relying on donor tissue. The Jerusalem Post previously reported the FDA cleared an IDE for EndoArt and listed it under the Breakthrough Device program.

The IDE permits clinical testing in humans in the United States. It does not confer marketing authorization. EyeYon says EndoArt is intended to proceed through the FDA’s PMA route, the most rigorous pathway for novel devices.

The implant has seen controlled use in Europe and Israel.

According to EyeYon Medical CEO Nahum Ferera, getting approval to start a clinical trial is a big regulatory hurdle: “It’s an important first step that requires the technology to go through strict testing in the US, including checks for safety, effectiveness, and long-term monitoring. However, based on the EndoArt's performance outside the US during the successful commercial roll-out in the EU and the completed pivotal trial in China, I am confident that the company can meet both safety and efficacy endpoints."

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Space News: Astronomers spot white dwarf star creating a colorful shockwave

 Astronomers spot white dwarf star creating a colorful shockwave

In the shockwave, a red hue represented hydrogen, green represented nitrogen, and blue represented oxygen residing in interstellar space.

By Reuters, January 13, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/science/article-883170

The central square image, taken with the MUSE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, shows shock waves around the dead

 star RXJ0528+2838.(photo credit: European Southern Observatory (ESO)/K. Ilkiewicz and S. Scaringi et al./Handout via REUTERS)

Astronomers have observed a white dwarf - a highly compact Earth-sized stellar ember - that is creating a colorful shockwave as it moves through space, leaving them searching for an explanation.

The highly magnetized white dwarf is gravitationally bound to another star in what is called a binary system. The white dwarf is siphoning gas from its companion as the two orbit close to each other. The system is located in the Milky Way about 730 light-years from Earth - relatively nearby in cosmic terms - in the constellation Auriga.

A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).

The shockwave - more specifically a bow shock - caused by the white dwarf was observed using the European Southern Observatory's Chile-based Very Large Telescope. The shockwave was seen in an image released by the scientists glowing in various colors produced when material flowing outward from the white dwarf collided with interstellar gas.

"A shockwave is created when fast-moving material plows into surrounding gas, suddenly compressing and heating it. A bow shock is the curved shock front that forms when an object moves rapidly through space, similar to the wave in front of a boat moving through water," said astrophysicist Simone Scaringi of Durham University in England, co-lead author of the study published on Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

This illustration shows a stage in the predicted merger between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, as it will unfold over the next several billion years. In this image, representing Earth's night sky in 3.75 billion years, Andromeda (left) fills the field of view (credit: NASA; ESA; Z. Levay and R. van der Marel, STScI; T. Hallas; and A. Mellinger)

"The colors come from interstellar gas that is being heated and excited by the shock. Different chemical elements glow at specific colors when this happens," Scaringi added.

In this shockwave, a red hue represented hydrogen, green represented nitrogen, and blue represented oxygen residing in interstellar space.

A handful of other white dwarfs have been observed creating shockwaves. But all of those were surrounded by disks of gas siphoned from a binary partner. Although this white dwarf is siphoning gas from its companion, it lacks any such disk and is releasing gas into space for unknown reasons.

The universe's most compact objects

White dwarfs are among the universe's most compact objects, though not as dense as black holes.

Stars with up to eight times the mass of the sun appear destined to end up as a white dwarf. They eventually burn up all the hydrogen they use as fuel. Gravity then causes them to collapse and blow off their outer layers in a "red giant" stage, eventually leaving behind a compact core - the white dwarf.

"There are plenty of white dwarfs out there, as these are the most common endpoints of stellar evolution," Scaringi said.

The sun appears fated to end its existence as a white dwarf, billions of years from now.

This white dwarf has a mass comparable to the sun contained in a body slightly larger than Earth. Its binary companion is a type of low-mass star called a red dwarf that is about a tenth the mass of the sun and thousands of times less luminous. It orbits the white dwarf every 80 minutes, with the two extremely close to each other - approximately the distance between the moon and Earth.

The gravitational strength of the white dwarf is pulling gas off the red dwarf. This siphoned material is being pulled into the white dwarf along its strong magnetic field, eventually landing at its magnetic poles. While this process releases energy and radiation, it cannot account for the outflow of material needed to produce the observed shockwave, Scaringi said.

"Every mechanism with outflowing gas we have considered does not explain our observation, and we still remain puzzled by this system, which is why this result is so interesting and exciting," Scaringi said.

"The shape and length of the (shockwave) structure show that this process has been ongoing for at least about 1,000 years, making it long-lived rather than a one-off event," Scaringi added.

The researchers took note of the aesthetics of the colorful shockwave.

"Beyond the science, it's a striking reminder that space is not empty or static as we may naively imagine it: it's dynamic and sculpted by motion and energy," Scaringi said.

An unexpected shock wave

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