Two of the Colorado police officers accused in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain began standing trial this week on criminal charges that were filed more than two years after the 23-year-old Black man died days following a physical confrontation.

Jill Martin said, 'I have been diagnosed with breast cancer, it feels like someone else telling this story, six weeks ago, it happened really fast'

Scientists have discovered a new virus in the Pacific that is thought to be the deepest ever found in Earth’s oceans. The so-called bacteriophage virus infects and replicates inside bacteria, and was found in the Mariana Trench, which is the Pacific’s deepest point. Bacteriophages are among the world’s most abundant life forms, and are important for regulating population sizes in the oceans and releasing nutrients. This one, the catchily named vB_HmeY_H4907, was picked up at 8,900 metres below sea level. That is still some way off the 11,000 metre floor of the trench. Min Wang, a marine virologist from the Ocean University of China, said: “To our best knowledge, this is the deepest known isolated phage in the global ocean.” “Wherever there’s life, you can bet there are regulators at work. Viruses, in this case.” Scientists think this virus is likely to be distributed widely in the world’s oceans, despite the fact it has only been discovered. It has a similar structure to its host bacteria group halomonas. These are usually found in sediments and geyser-like openings on the seafloor. They also think the virus is lysogenic, which means it infects the host but does not kill it. Dr Wang said the discovery could inform further research about how viruses survive in the world’s harshest environments. “Extreme environments offer optimal prospects for unearthing novel viruses,” he added. The virus was found in the so-called hadal zone, which the study’s authors said is “the planet’s least explored and most mysterious environment, and it is the deepest habitat for life on Earth’s surface”. The area is named after Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. Researchers wrote in the study: “These findings expand our understanding of the phylogenetic diversity and genomic features of hadal lysogenic phages, provide essential information for further studies of phage-host interactions and evolution, and may reveal new insights into the lysogenic lifestyles of viruses inhabiting the hadal ocean.” The findings were published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Sam Altman, one of the most prominent figures in the world of artificial intelligence, is being forced out

A federal monitor says she has found disappointing results when she studied the legality of New York City's new initiative to combat gun violence in high-crime areas with an old tactic of stopping and frisking people

A Chinese marketing firm likely organized and promoted protests in Washington last year as part of a wide-ranging pro-Beijing influence campaign, according to new research.

Martina Navratilova is doing “OK” after being diagnosed with throat cancer and breast cancer

Ukraine's Western allies on Wednesday promised to make Russia pay for its invasion, as governments and private investors met to fund the country's reconstruction...

Another day, another retrograde. We know that Saturn, the Planet of Karma, just went retrograde — and while you may not be ready for another planetary backspin, it’s coming anyway. Neptune retrograde in Pisces begins on June 30 and ends on December 6, meaning we’re going to spend almost the entire rest of the year under this astrological influence. Are you ready?

Legal & General Investment Management is expanding the universe of assets it blacklists due to climate concerns, as

Neuralink Corp., Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, said it received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to

A possible road rage incident has left eight people hospitalised, after a car crashed into a nearby field north of Fort Collins in Colorado. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a road rage shooting that happened on Thurdsay afternoon in the area of Owl Canyon Road and US Highway 287. Shots were allegedly fired from a car to another vehicle, which then crashed and caught on fire. Six people inside the car were shot at, but only received minor injuries that resulted from the crash. A ambulance that arrived at the scene to help the injured people also caught fire. After the shooting the suspect vehicle then fled the scene. Read More Inside the notorious Fulton County Jail where Trump and 18 allies were booked over Georgia election plot Louisiana professor asked students to paint their faces to fulfil his ‘clown fetish’ After nearly 30 years, Pennsylvania will end state funding for anti-abortion counseling centers