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WASHINGTON (AP) — Ancient DNA has revealed a genetic link between the cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Researchers sequenced whole genomes from the teeth of a remarkably well-preserved skeleton found in a sealed funeral pot in an Egyptian tomb site dating to between 4,495 and 4,880 years ago. Four-fifths of the genome showed links to North Africa and the region around Egypt. But a fifth of the genome showed links to the area in the Middle East between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, known as the Fertile ...

Health Matters: The many faces of heel pain

ESCANABA — A priest walks into a bar and asks the bartender why his heel hurts. The barkeep responds by telling him he must have plantar fasciitis, an inflamed arch ligament. Obviously, this could be the lead for some bad joke but a discussion of heel pain is a common occurrence in homes and businesses. Some estimates claim three out of every four Americans will have plantar fasciitis at some point in their lives. An appropriate question is why so many people have pain from the bottom of the heel. Discomfort from this region of the body leads to over a million medical visits per ...

Michigan announces second measles outbreak

Michigan has its second measles outbreak of the year, Utah has seven cases and health workers in New Mexico are rushing to contain an outbreak in a county jail. But for the first time in months, Texas confirmed no additional measles cases this week tied to a major outbreak that raged through the late winter and spring. There have been 1,227 confirmed measles cases this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. There are three other major outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,212 cases from mid-October through June ...

How to stay cool in the heat wave hitting the US

The first big heat wave of 2025 has arrived, coinciding with the official start of summer. More than 40 million people in the U.S. were under heat alerts, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the Midwest are expected to crest well into the 90s Fahrenheit (30s Celsius) this weekend. Triple-digit highs could pop up in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Denver. The peak will likely hit the East Coast early next week. Meanwhile, British health officials are also issuing heat warnings for the U.K. Climate change has been exacerbating heat waves, and the problem ...

Health Matters: New treatments for ingrown nails

ESCANABA — Sandra, a tall, athletic 14 year old, was thought to have escaped the family curse until she started playing basketball on the team. Not long after starting practices, she began to experience an obvious throbbing pain from her big toes, after all the running and jumping involved in a typical after-school session. Like her mother and her sister, who had battled with it for years, she was now experiencing the dreaded ingrown nail. In contrast is Tom, a young man who recently joined the work force after graduating from school. Tom had a nasty habit of trimming his toenails ...