The Los Alamos Historical Society has announced its upcoming lecture May 13 in the Pajarito Room at Fuller Lodge Author Tom Ribe will speak on the 25th anniversary of the Cerro Grande Fire Ribe is a writer and environmental advocate based in northern New Mexico He is the author of Inferno by Committee: A History of the Cerro Grande Fire which offers a compelling and meticulously researched account of the prescribed burn that turned into one of the most destructive wildfires in New Mexico history Inferno by Committee was re-released in 2025 as Inferno by Committee II and includes more interviews as well as detailed accounts of the 2011 and 2022 Northern New Mexico fires A former staff member at the National Park Service and Los Alamos National Laboratory Ribe draws on deep institutional knowledge and years of field experience in fire management and environmental policy He is on staff at the Bradbury Science Museum co-owner of Great Southwest Adventures and Executive Director of Caldera Action a conservation group focused on the Valles Caldera National Preserve He is working on a new book about cattle and water in the Southwest Ribe’s lecture will be based on his book Inferno by Committee II He will review the Cerro Grande Fire of 2000 that burned 250 homes in Los Alamos and burned 58,000 acres of Wildland around Los Alamos Ribe will talk about the specific reasons the fire happened and why it escaped from government control He will then look at the Cerro Grande Fire in the context of much larger and more severe fires that have happened since The Las Conchas Fire in the Jemez Mountains and the Hermit Peak Fire in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains reveal how climate warming is altering wildfire from what it was over the last century He will talk about the federal firefighting agencies and their struggles to adapt to mega-fire Following his lecture will be a book signing In remembrance of the historic Cerro Grande and Las Conchas fires the Los Alamos Historical Society exhibit now displayed in the Municipal Building features a Cerro Grande Fire timeline panels of the community pulling together in the midst of tragedy and community photographs of the Las Conchas Fire The Los Alamos Historical Society asks the community to share their stories through posts on the Los Alamos Historical Society’s social media or by emailing archives@losalamoshistory.org The Historical Society will also feature a small special exhibit on the night of the lecture at Fuller Lodge The Los Alamos Historical Society extends heartfelt appreciation to TechSource for their generous sponsorship of the 2024-2025 Lecture Series and thank them for their continual commitment to supporting the preservation of Los Alamos history To view lectures online, visit the Los Alamos Historical Society YouTube Channel. Copyright © 2012-2025 The Los Alamos Daily Post is the Official Newspaper of Record in Los Alamos County This Site and all information contained here including graphs and graphics is the property of the Los Alamos Daily Post Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted provided that the Los Alamos Daily Post and author/photographer are properly cited columnists and other contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Los Alamos Daily Post The Los Alamos Daily Post newspaper was founded Feb Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights David Nikel is a travel writer covering cruising and Scandinavia.Follow AuthorMar 31 10:25am EDTShareSaveComment@font-face{font-family: "Schnyder"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders/schnyders-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Merriweather"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Euclid"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/euclidcircularb/euclidcircularb-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/euclidcircularb/euclidcircularb-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Schnyder"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-light-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-light-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Merriweather"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-regular-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-regular-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Euclid"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/euclidcircularb/euclidcircularb-regular-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .color-accent{color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.color-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .color-base{color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.bg-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .bg-base{background-color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.font-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .font-base{} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.font-size #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .font-size{font-size: 54px;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.color-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .color-accent{color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .font-accent{font-family: Euclid,"Noto Sans","Droid Sans","Helvetica Neue",Corbel,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.font-size #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .font-size{font-size: 26px;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.color-body #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .color-body{color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.color-body-border{border-top-color: rgba(51,51,51 #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .color-body-border{border-top-color: rgba(51,51,51 0.8);} .bg-body{background-color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .font-accent{font-family: Euclid,"Noto Sans","Droid Sans","Helvetica Neue",Corbel,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.color-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .color-accent{color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.color-base #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .color-base{color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.bg-base #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .bg-base{background-color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .font-accent{font-family: Schnyder,"Noto Sans","Droid Sans","Helvetica Neue",Corbel,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.font-size p #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .font-size p{font-size: 36px;}The beautiful river and medieval backdrop of Ribe Ribe is a must-visit destination for history lovers and travelers seeking an authentic glimpse into Scandinavia’s Viking Age history and legacy Ribe offers a journey through time unlike anywhere else in the country Ribe is the oldest town not just in Denmark but in the whole of Scandinavia linking Scandinavia with the rest of Europe a UNESCO-listed tidal area that has shaped the region’s landscape and economy for centuries a North Sea port and Denmark’s fifth-largest city making it easily accessible for visitors exploring Denmark One of the best ways to experience Ribe’s Viking heritage is by visiting the Ribe Viking Center this open-air museum offers a recreated Viking settlement Traditional handicrafts are demonstrated at the Ribe Viking Center The interactive nature of the museum makes it an excellent stop for families: Try your hand at archery Regular reenactments and storytelling sessions further immerse visitors in the town’s early medieval past For those looking for a deeper understanding of Ribe’s significance during the Viking Age Museet Ribes Vikinger (The Ribe Viking Museum) is another must-visit The museum showcases archaeological finds from the region One of the most remarkable discoveries in Ribe was an ancient marketplace where archaeologists unearthed evidence of trade with distant lands Artifacts from as far away as the Middle East and the British Isles reveal Ribe’s role in the vast Viking trade network Interactive exhibits provide insight into Viking trade and the town’s transformation over the centuries Ribe is not only known for its Viking past The town played a central role in one of Denmark’s darkest chapters—the witch trials of the 16th and 17th centuries The HEX! Museum of Witch Hunt offers a unique and chilling insight into the fear of witches that swept across Europe and led to trials a tailor’s wife who was burned as a witch in 1641 The museum’s interactive exhibits explore the reasons behind the witch hunts and why it was often women who faced conviction offering a compelling look at a time when fear and superstition ruled As Christianity gradually took hold in Denmark stands as a magnificent testament to this era of change the cathedral features stunning Romanesque and Gothic architecture Climbing its tower provides panoramic views of the town and surrounding lowlands giving visitors a chance to appreciate the beauty of Ribe from above There's an impressive view from the tower of Ribe Cathedral Wandering through Ribe’s old town feels like stepping into a medieval painting The town is filled with colorful half-timbered houses and charming squares is one of Denmark’s oldest municipal buildings Another highlight is the Jacob A. Riis Museum dedicated to the Danish-American journalist and social reformer who was born in Ribe played a crucial role in improving living conditions for immigrants in the late 19th century and the museum helps educate Danes about the man who is a virtual unknown in his home country Beyond its Viking heritage, Ribe is also a gateway to Wadden Sea National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site This vast coastal landscape is famous for its unique ecosystem and the mesmerizing phenomenon known as the Black Sun where thousands of starlings create breathtaking aerial displays at sunset Visitors to Ribe can take guided tours into the Wadden Sea to explore the tidal flats and learn about the region’s ecological importance is now board chairwoman for Santa Fe’s International Folk Art Market “The world comes to Santa Fe for four days — it’s exhilarating,” she said Ribe said she would like IFAM to enable artists to find their voices and reach a greater audience on a year-round basis Email notifications are only sent once a day and the International Folk Art Market has a role to play in shaping public understanding of that evolution Helena Ribe said the annual summer market will remain the organization’s focus but she also wants IFAM to help expand the definition of folk art folk art has been defined solely by the beauty and quality of the work noting that folk art creators speak for many who have no one else to speak for them “It’s not just beautiful things on a shelf,” she said adding that folk art now is a vessel through which an entire way of life or a culture can be conveyed Ribe said she would like IFAM to enable the artists with whom it works to find their voices and reach a greater audience on a year-round basis which is scheduled for July 10-13 this year in Santa Fe’s Railyard Park She took over as board chair in January after serving on the board for the two previous years and as a volunteer for the market since its inception and they are very grateful for the interest people show in their crafts.” has a deep understanding of the richness of many of those cultures She holds a doctorate from Yale in economics and spent 30 years as an international development economist with the World Bank It was a career that took her from Asia to Africa to Latin America allowing her to work with a wide variety of people in their own language and culture She had many memorable experiences along the way but what she remembers most is her travels in rural Guatemala and seeing the fundamental goodness of the people there “You would see the parents coming to school with their kids And the parents were so eager to be more involved.” Ribe said she had an extremely rewarding experience in Zimbabwe where she worked to help change the way local governments interact with individual communities by giving residents a greater voice in determining which infrastructure projects to build Those residents often chose to build water wells and it was not unusual for the women of a village to take the lead in learning how to maintain them “It is an incredibly powerful experience” to see people in such situations take on those kinds of responsibilities Ribe said she came to love working with people all over the world and learning to navigate cultural differences Those experiences have positioned her well for the challenges she faces as the IFAM board chair “Connecting people and connecting cultures is something I have always enjoyed doing especially when you’re working with a purpose to provide more economic opportunities for people.” Ribe said much of her work will focus on “the perennial challenge of fundraising,” although she noted the market is doing quite well in that respect IFAM strives to raise half its revenue through the philanthropic community and the other half through revenue from the annual market Ribe said she will work to develop greater sales opportunities for the artists with whom IFAM works while also making inroads with more foundations and potential sponsors Ribe said she learned during the coronavirus pandemic when virtual communication became so important that it had become much easier to stay in touch with people around the world than it was during her career with the World Bank “Even the most remote artists in the most remote village have cellphones,” she said Ribe acknowledged she worries about how tariffs imposed by the Trump administration could affect artists and whether their ability to travel to the market will be impacted “But I also see the opportunity for the market to demonstrate to people the beauty and value of multiple cultures.” Keep up with what's going on in the local business scene Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Receive a list of headlines from the latest edition of The New Mexican in your inbox every morning get a preview of The New Mexican's big Sunday stories and review highlights from the week Stay informed of the latest local news by receiving emails as soon as news is posted online Stay up to date with news from the Capitol during the legislative session and follow New Mexico politics throughout the year A guide to outdoors opportunities and profiles on peoples' connections with places Receive the latest episode of "Conversations Different" in your inbox every Tuesday.  Taking the temperature of New Mexico's environmental issues local prep sports and more every Wednesday Contests and special offers from The Santa Fe New Mexican and advertising partners Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account The disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki a 20-year-old pre-med student from the University of Pittsburgh and a resident of Virginia has left her family and authorities desperate for answers during her spring break trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with investigators naming him a 'person of interest.' Riibe was reportedly the last person spotted with Konanki before she went missing in Punta Cana on 6 March While some have raised questions about his involvement Joshua Steven Riibe stayed at the same resort as Konanki and her friends Konanki reportedly mingled well with Riibe during her visit and they were spotted together at the resort he was also on a trip to the Dominican Republic with his friends While his family insists that he 'wouldn't hurt a fly,' Riibe has come under scrutiny Although Ribe has not been formally named as a suspect investigators have named him a 'person of interest.' He has been questioned by the authorities in the nation multiple times as he was the last person spotted with her before her disappearance Surveillance footage from the resort shows her walking with Riibe and a group of friends towards the beach around 4:00 a.m leaving Konanki and Riibe alone on the shore The other major factor raising suspicion against Riibe is that during questioning, he gave three different versions of his account of what happened on 6 March he told police that he and Konanki went swimming and were caught in a wave he became ill and returned to his hotel room Ribe stated that strong waves hit him and Konanki he stated that he saw Konanki walking along the beach heading toward a lounge chair where she had left her cover-up reports suggest that surveillance footage reveals that Riibe returned to his hotel at 8:54 a.m there has been no video evidence showing Konanki after 5:55 a.m Authorities have made it clear that Riibe is not being questioned as a suspect and Konanki's disappearance is being investigated as a case of missing persons 'We are not going to comment about other persons but we do believe that (Riibe) may have been the last person to see or be with the missing person,' sheriff's spokesman Thomas Julia said in a statement 'This is still a missing person investigation so he is not a person of interest nor suspect for that latter purpose.' his family has officially spoken in his defence Riibe is the middle child of Mike and Tina Riibe While speaking to Daily Mail, one of their neighbours 'There was no way he would harm her or have anything to do with her disappearance He wouldn't hurt a fly.' According to reports Meanwhile, as the investigation intensifies, Konanki's family, especially her father Subbarayudu Konanki, is pushing the authorities to investigate the case from all angles While authorities believe drowning is the most likely explanation the last person to see Sudiksha Konanki Chowdary the Indian tourist missing since March 7 at the Riu resort in Bávaro he and Chowdary were swimming with five other foreign friends when the group decided to return to their rooms leaving only him and the missing woman on the beach Ribe stated that strong waves pulled them into the water he last saw Chowdary with water up to her knees This version is included in the official complaint filed by her father RIU Hotels & Resorts issued a statement expressing deep concern over Sudiksha’s disappearance The hotel chain noted that she was last seen at […] Local March 10 The hotel chain noted that she was last seen at 4 a.m The disappearance was reported to hotel staff at 4 p.m prompting an immediate search operation in collaboration with local authorities including the National Police and the Dominican Navy Authorities continue to investigate the case Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" She was last seen with water up to her knees and somehow the local authority are thinking that she might been pulled away by a strong wave That is not consistent with someone who might drowned at knee deep you can get wipped out by a wave and drown They were very foolish for swimming alone in the dark Stay out of the ocean when there are no life guards The only possible explanation to her disappearing completely is in the ocean Why did he wait so long to come forth with his story Because like many spring breakers at that hour Economy North Coast Local Sports Health DominicanToday.com - The Dominican Republic News Source in English We are excited to welcome Manuel Arbiol and Marianne Ødegaard Ribe to the company’s Board of directors Manuel has been an observer on the Board since 2020 and brings a wealth of experience as an investment professional at Ferd Capital – Elopak’s former parent company and largest shareholder with ~52% ownership Ferd manages a portfolio of 20 companies across multiple industries Manuel graduated from ESADE Business School (Barcelona) with a degree in business administration and holds an MBA from London Business School Marianne has enjoyed a fascinating career in retail and other industries covering fast-moving consumer goods She has a strong track record in innovation Marianne has previously served as President of NorgesGruppen Servicehandel and is currently the CEO of Ringnes AS Norway’s largest beverage supplier and part of the Carlsberg Group Marianne holds a master’s degree in business and economics from the Norwegian School of Management We spoke to Manuel and Marianne to learn more about their background and hear why they’re excited to be joining the Elopak team What appealed to you in taking up this role and what makes you excited to be joining the Elopak team Manuel: There are many elements to be excited for at Elopak Today the company enjoys a strong foundation as demonstrated by its solid operational and commercial performance in 2023 supported by its successful strategy execution and strengthened positioning It is very positive to see the company delivering ahead of the targets communicated during the IPO in June 2021 combined with a robust balance sheet with low debt levels Marianne: I am drawn to Elopak’s long and proud traditions and its solid financial performance coupled with strategic growth initiatives I strongly believe in integrating the perspectives of people planet and profit in the long term and sustainable value creation What particular experience will you bring to the Elopak Board of Directors and capital allocation are some of the topics where I can contribute the most I am a Spanish national with previous international work experience and serve as a board member in another Ferd portfolio company in Finland which enables me to bring an international perspective to the topics discussed Marianne: I will bring my experience in innovation along with many years of leadership in various regional and global organizations what does the change from board observer to member mean for you It is a significant step up in responsibility for me A board observer is not a board member but an individual who can attend and actively participate in the board of directors meetings They have access to all the information provided to other board members during meetings but a board observer is not allowed to vote on topics up for discussion Becoming a board member means being a part of the governing body of Elopak overseeing the business performance and management and ensuring a sustainable future for the organization and all of its stakeholders (e.g I have been an observer on the Board since 2020 and this has given me the possibility to get to know the company and the industry in detail and hence allows me to contribute as a board member from the start What do you think makes Elopak a leading company in the packaging sector Manuel: Elopak has a long history in the carton sector dating back to its origins in 1957 when it was started by Johan H Andresen and Christian August Johansen and its key product The company has showed a strong focus on sustainability and product innovation for a number of years as demonstrated by product launches such as cartons with Natural Brown Board in 2017 and the Pure-Pak® eSense carton in 2022 to name a few Marianne: The combination of innovative packaging solutions a customer-centric approach and ongoing technological advancements what important consumer trends do you think Elopak is capitalizing on Elopak should stay attuned to general consumer trends as they are integral to everyday life I believe sustainability and environmental consciousness as well as convenience and on-the-go consumption what has surprised you since joining Elopak and why Cartons are a much more complex and advanced product than one might initially think I had the chance to visit the Elopak Technology Center in Spikkestad and was impressed by the breadth and depth of knowledge of the Elopak employees developing and testing existing and new products I also visited the Elopak plant in Terneuzen and was impressed by the automation and efficiency level throughout the entire production process what are you most looking forward to at Elopak I am looking forward to working with the management team and the Board to continue Elopak’s strong performance and drive sustainable value growth Manuel: I am a father of two young kids aged 7 and 4 so a lot of time goes to family matters so I try to spend the winter skiing as much as possible (both downhill and cross-country) and playing padel tennis in the summer months Marianne: I like spending time with family and friends and doing various outdoor activities and a warm welcome to Elopak’s Board Follow Elopak on LinkedIn for business updates and other relevant news. Read more news and blogs posts here. URLelopak.com/canada_en/2024/07/05/elopak-welcomes-manuel-arbiol-and-marianne-odegaard-ribe-to-the-board/Stick to the top of the blogAuthor Copy to a new draft Rewrite & RepublishMove to trash Readability analysis: Needs improvement SEO analysis: Needs improvementImprove your post with Yoast SEO BlogPress releasesProduct newsUncategorizedAdd New Category Elopak welcomes Manuel Arbiol and Marianne Ødegaard Ribe to the Board is now live View PostAdd New Post SEO performanceLearn more about the SEO performance feature.(Opens in a new browser tab) We’re a global company that operates in more than 40 countries and have customers in over 70 countries Santo Domingo.- An investigation by The Report with Alicia Ortega detailed the events leading up to the disappearance of Sudiksha Konanki in Punta Cana Konanki arrived on March 3 with five friends and later met two American tourists she had her last contact with family before being seen at a hotel disco with her group After more than three hours without surveillance footage Konanki was officially reported missing at 4:00 p.m Her disappearance has launched an extensive search operation utilizing advanced technology Local March 11 MISSING student Sudiksha Konanki was last seen by an American man who claimed they kissed at the beach before she disappeared in the Dominican Republic Joshua Riibe was caught on camera with the now missing University of Pittsburgh spring breaker as cops have failed to rule out the possibility of foul play being involved in her vanishing Konanki was last seen in the early hours of March 6 near the Riu Republica resort in Punta Cana Riibe was left alone with the Pitt student after surveillance cameras captured five women and one man leaving the beach at around 4:55 am The 24-year-old from Iowa was interviewed by cops but has not been named as a suspect in this case He told police they had just met and decided to go to the beach, according to a transcript of his interview from Noticias SIN He said: "We were in waist-deep water The senior also claimed he saved Konanki from drowning while in the water while explaining he was previously a lifeguard Riibe added: "A big wave came and hit us both He added: "It took me a long time to get her out Riibe told cops he was able to pull Konanki until she was "knee-deep and walking at an angle out of the water" The senior said he called out to ask if the student was ok but didn't hear a response before he was sick on the beach I thought she had grabbed her things and left." Riibe claimed he passed out on a beach chair and was told the next day that the Pitt student was missing shoeless Riibe leaving the beach and returning to the resort at around 8:55 am The 24-year-old refused to answer eight questions from local cops including whether Konanki could swim and what he told his friends "My lawyers advise me not to answer that question and I follow their advice." The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, located in Konanki's hometown in Virginia has named Riibe a person of interest in the case disappeared during a spring break trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic Here's a timeline of her last known movements who was also staying at the Riu hotel at the time a person of interest because he may have been the last person to have seen Konanki the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office stressed Riibe has not been charged with a crime and is not considered a suspect A sheriff's official added: "We want to be clean "Person of interest does not mean suspect It's still an active investigation." The Dominican Republic's national police said it believed Konaki might have drowned in the ocean Ginette Bournigal, a senator of Puerto Plata and the president of the Senate Tourism Commission, doubled down on the police's early speculation, according to Su Mundo TV What were those young people looking for with a red flag at four in the morning on the beach." © NEWS ENTERPRISES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP THE student who vanished on a Spring Break trip to the Dominican Republic may have not been found yet for a tragic reason insisted he saved her from drowning in the ocean - but she hasn't been seen since Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old US resident, disappeared in the early morning hours of March 6 in the Dominican Republic during a Punta Cana spring break trip with her friends Before she vanished, the University of Pittsburgh student was at the beach alone with Riibe Riibe told police they talked and kissed in waist-deep water before he saved Konanki from drowning "A big wave came and hit us both. And when the water returned, it swept us out to sea," Riibe told police, according to a transcript of his interview obtained by Dominican news service Noticias SIN told police it took him a long time to get Konanki out of the water But he was able to drag her until she was "knee-deep and walking at an angle out of the water." It's still unclear what happened to Konanki after that as Riibe said he called out for her but didn't hear a response throwing up ocean water he swallowed during the rescue I thought she had grabbed her things and left," he told police Dominican authorities quickly suspected that she’d drowned Vice Admiral Agustín Morillo Rodríguez, the commander of the Dominican Navy, told Noticias SIN Konanki's body may not have surfaced yet because she could be stuck in coral reefs offshore "The body may be stranded on the reefs which is why the Navy has deployed a team of Navy and local divers to comb the entire area where there are reefs or corals," he said we have not been able to find the young woman." The Navy commander then painted a gruesome image of what could have happened to Konanki's body they lose air from their lungs and fill with water the organs begin to decompose and fill with gas He said the process lasts 36 hours to a week DR authorities said they weren’t ruling out foul play The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Konanki's hometown in Virginia told The U.S Sun they consider Riibe a person of interest because he may have been the last person to have seen Konanki the sheriff's office emphasized that Riibe has not been charged in the case and is not considered a suspect The investigation remains a missing person case Konanki was staying at the Riu República Hotel with five of her female friends before she went missing Venmo transactions viewed by The U.S. Sun showed Konanki made two payments on March 5 hours before her disappearance One transaction shortly before 3 pm was just described using a sailboat emoji which may mean she was slated to go out on an excursion on a boat The other transaction made just before 3:38 pm was captioned Coco Bongo a popular nightclub and show venue in Punta Cana Konanki was seen on surveillance video with a group of people as they walked toward the beach near their resort—where Konanki was last seen Five women and one man were seen on video leaving the beach shortly before 5 am as Konanki and Riibe stayed behind Riibe was seen on video leaving the beach and returning to the resort shortly before 9 am There were eight questions from local police that Riibe refused to answer and instead said "My lawyers advise me not to answer that question and I follow their advice," according to the interview transcript from Noticias SIN One of the questions he refused to answer was whether Konanki knew how to swim He was also asked if the college student made any gestures or cries while she was swimming Authorities inquired about whether Riibe told authorities or his friend what happened to him and Konanki at the beach Riibe also refused to answer when police asked him what he told his friend when he asked about Konanki He was also asked more general questions about the case like how he feels about the situation what he thinks about Konanki's disappearance and how police can verify that everything he has said is truthful Riibe's family asked for privacy during this "very difficult time." our family is going through a very difficult time right now and we're experiencing a lot of sadness and pain," the Riibe family said in a statement "We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate this challenging moment together...We appreciate your cooperation and understanding," they added they urged rescuers to ramp up efforts and shared fears she may have been kidnapped the family was still desperately waiting for answers Medievalists.net You can now see what a medieval church looked like during the 9th century Ribe VikingeCenter in Denmark has unveiled the interior of its Ansgar Church with 50 murals one of Europe’s leading centers for living history and experiencing the Viking past Ansgar Church itself is a recreation of a church as it would have looked in the year 860 and is based on knowledge from the first church in Ribe a Christian missionary who later became Archbishop of Hamburg The Carolingian style was chosen for the murals as it was the predominant style in Christian Europe during the ninth century Church decorations and manuscripts from this period were used by visual artist Trine Theut to create the murals which we know from the oldest preserved churches in Denmark the Carolingian style is far more lively and dramatic The style has challenged visual artist Trine Theut’s modern logic  several times when for instance the same person is depicted twice in the same painting or when initially illogical and imprecise details actually support a perspective of value and increase the dramatic effect The carefully selected motifs for the murals were both known and depicted in the 9th century They derive from some of the few remaining church walls from that time John Abbey Church in Müstair in Switzerland with its well-preserved 9th-century frescoes has been the primary source of inspiration All other models have been adapted to the style and paint method to keep the overall impression consistent It may come as a surprise to some just how clear and colourful the images in the 9th century were compared to the muted earth colours of the Middle Ages Ribe VikingeCenter has used the colour palette that the National Museum of Denmark produced in 2017 based on analyses of painted wood dating back to the Viking Age as some of the colours used in the Viking Age are toxic and therefore banned today Ribe VikingeCenter has had similar colours produced according to colour codes from the National Museum of Denmark egg and water have been used to bind the paint colours were used ‘pure’ and not mixed to create new colours the 9th-century church painters used slightly different painting techniques which visual artist Trine Theut has chosen to use in the Ansgar Church green underpainting has been used for shading on faces churches consisted exclusively of wood until around 1000 AD so Nordic church rooms from the 9th century no longer exist you can still find well-preserved richly decorated stone church rooms of that time We know that the church in Ribe was already a main church in the 800s serving the entire southern Danish region and a congregation of up to several thousand people so there is good reason to believe that this “spearhead of the mission to the north” was from the outset a prestigious building designed to impress and convince the splendour-loving Vikings of the power and glory of Christ The Ansgar Church 860 AD is the focal point for Ribe VikingeCenter’s presentation of a transitional period when most people believed in the Nordic gods The people of the church were very aware that the illustration of the Bible’s stories was crucial for the understanding and spread of the Christian message With its very special ambience and many details a visit to the Ansgar Church 860 AD can allow people to experience some of that same atmosphere that met the first Danish churchgoers The Ansgar Church itself was built and consecrated in 2018 and is one It is one of several recreated buildings at the Ribe VikingeCenter The church murals will be officially unveiled on May 20th. To learn more, please visit the Ribe VikingeCenter website. A post shared by Ribe VikingeCenter/Viking Food (@ribe_vikingecenter) Top Image: Photo courtesy Ribe VikingeCenter We've created a Patreon for Medievalists.net as we want to transition to a more community-funded model We aim to be the leading content provider about all things medieval podcast and Youtube page offers news and resources about the Middle Ages We hope that are our audience wants to support us so that we can further develop our podcast and remove the advertising on our platforms This will also allow our fans to get more involved in what content we do produce Member Login You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience The Moon will also influence the week as it transits through the zodiac sign of Scorpio to Aquarius This transition will make your focus more bird's eye-like and long-sighted You may also wish to travel more during this period or immerse yourself in conversations and opportunities that help you grow more worldly Lean into this and steer clear of too much personal drama The world is your oyster if you wish it to be so Best zodiac signs for Cancer to hang out with this week: Aries & Leo Cancer's best day of the week: September 13 this week's horoscope is about exploring beyond your comfort zone You will be intuitively nudged where you need to go The second half of the week will be even more potent for you — any goal you set your mind to will manifest So make sure you aren't focusing on negative thoughts or fears whether eating your favorite cheat-day meal or just soaking in the tub with good music in the background RELATED: Best Zodiac Couples, Ranked From Most To Least Compatible Best zodiac sign for Scorpio to hang out with: Leo Scorpio's best day of the week: September 13 this week's horoscope is bold and ready for you to bring your wishes to life The first half of the week calls on you to be fierce and confident You will surpass your wildest dreams and expectations of yourself this way but it will also offer opportunities for growth and deepening connections in the romance arena or your relationships with your family and dear friends Choose what's important to you and lean into that hard RELATED: The Most (And Least) Ambitious Zodiac Signs, Ranked Best zodiac sign for Aries to hang out with: Pisces Aries's best day of the week: September 12 RELATED: The Most Attractive Zodiac Signs In Astrology, Ranked Best zodiac sign for Taurus to hang out with: Cancer Taurus's best day of the week: September 10 it's time to own your talents and lean into the spirit of confidence The first half of this week calls for you to be proactive and more social This will open new doors and bring fresh opportunities Many of you will expand your social circle and learn about many fascinating things while enjoying new adventures urges you to be more mindful as you engage with people Be more generous and kind wherever you can This will have a strong ripple effect on your life RELATED:  Zodiac Signs Ranked From Nicest To Meanest, According To Astrology Best zodiac sign for Pisces to hang out with: Aquarius Pisces's best day of the week: September 9 Pisces, this week's horoscope is all about healing and uplifting yourself. You are urged to be more introverted than usual and focus on unhealed wounds that may require your attention The task will be difficult and may not be done in one week but it will substantially impact your future especially by removing blocks to your good fortune The second half of the week urges you to flip the script and be more outgoing Everything you learned in the first half will make you more confident and sure of yourself RELATED: The Most Sensitive Zodiac Signs, Ranked In Order Valeria Black is a Tarot Card Reader, astrologer and YouTuber with expertise in charm-casting © 2025 by Tango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved Ribe was the greatest city in what was to become Denmark the Missionary Ansgar build the first Christian Church on Danish Soil Visitors to Ribe VikingeCenter in Denmark can now experience a stunning recreation of a 9th-century church interior meticulously researched and created over a three-year period As explained by Medievalists.net the Ribe VikingeCenter is renowned for its immersive Viking Age experiences and the Ansgar Church is another impressive addition The church was inspired by the first church built in Ribe by Ansgar a missionary who later became Archbishop of Hamburg The subject matter of the murals is equally captivating. The murals draw heavily from the St. John Abbey Church in Switzerland, known for its well-preserved frescoes. To ensure stylistic consistency, all other influences were adapted to match the chosen style and painting techniques. Another surprising aspect of the murals is their color palette. Contrary to popular belief, 9th-century imagery wasn’t limited to muted earth tones. The Ribe VikingeCenter used a bright color scheme based on research done by the National Museum of Denmark in 2017. The pigment itself is a recreation of Viking Age egg tempera made with linseed oil, egg, and water. The Ansgar Church murals offer a unique chance to step back in time and experience a 9th-century church in all its colorful glory. This detailed project by the Ribe VikingeCenter sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of Viking Age art and culture. Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. It’s free! Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you. Please make a tax-deductible donation today! Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more. an Indian-origin student at the University of Pittsburgh has been missing for five days after disappearing during a trip to the Dominican Republic The mystery surrounding her sudden disappearance has intensified following startling claims by the man who was reportedly the last to see her alive a 24-year-old tourist from Iowa and a fellow guest at the Caribbean resort is believed to be the last person who interacted with Sudiksha before she vanished Ribe has provided three inconsistent accounts of the events leading up to her disappearance Ribe told police that after partying all night with friends where he began vomiting due to the rough surf He claimed he returned to the shore and asked Sudiksha if she was okay Ribe said he left the water because he felt sick and had stomach pain noting that he last saw Sudiksha standing in knee-deep surf before he passed out Ribe claimed he saw her walking along the shoreline before falling asleep—and upon waking According to a local media outlet in the Dominican Republic the 20-year-old student was last seen by a friend at the beach around 5:50 a.m CCTV footage showed her partying at the resort’s discotheque around 3:00 a.m. and she was later seen heading toward the beach She remained there until just before 6:00 a.m. Authorities have circulated a missing poster with details of her last known appearance Sudiksha was reportedly last seen wearing a brown bikini yellow and steel bracelets on her right arm a multi-colored beaded bracelet on her left arm The poster reads: “We need your help to get the word out If you are in the area or can help with the search or have any information about her whereabouts the better the chances we can bring her home safely.” The University of Pittsburgh has released an official statement “University officials are in contact with Sudiksha Konanki’s family as well as authorities in Loudoun County and we have offered our full support in their efforts to find her and bring her home safely.” Sudiksha Konanki is expected to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh in 2026 She previously studied at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria her father described her as a driven young woman with dreams of becoming a doctor He shared that Sudiksha had told her friends she was attending a party at the resort on Wednesday she went to the beach with friends and some acquaintances Senate Republicans voted down a Democratic resolution to block Trump’s global tariffs announced in response to a market downturn Democrats are pushing back against Trump’s use of executive power while GOP leaders urged their party not to support the resolution If you want to know anything about the Viking Age Archaeologists from Aarhus University and Southwest Jutland Museums (Denmark) have been excavating the Viking city as part of the Northern Emporium Project in minute detail where we find traces of the first cities of the Nordic region Deep beneath street level are thousands of Viking finds We have also been surprised on several occasions such as when we discovered a piece of a lyre (a harp-like stringed instrument) This discovery alone gives the Viking trading city of Ribe a whole new soundtrack Another extraordinary find is the discovery of runic inscriptions we have been looking for something completely different What makes Ribe special is that this is where a city emerged The people who lived here weren’t primarily farmers for household purposes but were craftsmen We have known about the existence of the early period of Ribe for many years but excavating the deep layers to study this early period is expensive and time-consuming Earlier excavations have therefore focused on smaller areas two years ago the Carlsberg Foundation joined the excavation with the funding that made it possible to start a new and bigger excavation allow us to tease out new information from the site These ‘high-definition’ methods were developed by the Centre of Excellence for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet) funded by the Danish National Research Foundation Read More: Archaeologists: Cities deserve better treatment The early period of Ribe is a riddle: How was the city established in a part of the world where no one had ever lived in a city before That is the question our excavation tried to answer Read More archa​eology articles from the ResearcherZone: High definition archaeology reveals secrets of the earliest cities Ancient Palmyra: A story of urban resilience Once lost archaeology revealed by satellite images and aerial photography Find out more about the ResearcherZone Clues from earlier excavations were difficult to interpret and scientists discussed whether Ribe was simply a seasonal market town for generations before people started to settle there more permanently One of the most important discoveries was that solid houses existed in Ribe only a few years after the earliest activities in the area no later than the 720’s CE.  This suggests a more or less resident population - that is a population of trade and craftsmanship in the area Read More: New light shed on the Viking Age: Scandinavia’s oldest town was built 70 years earlier than thought In the Ancient Middle East and Ancient Mediterranean the cities were placed near each other each with their own temples Each city was at the centre of the surrounding area Yet early period Ribe and the next closest city were hundreds of kilometres apart On the other hand it’s evident that people visited the city from far away Networks of trade and information are crucial to city life throughout history But it is a lot harder to observe networks in archaeological excavations than it is to dig up city walls and monuments In this regard Ribe has an ace up its sleeve: the oldest layers of the city are untouched and this makes it possible to uncover the city’s history decade by decade we can see how the city’s networks developed Read More: Unique Viking runes discovered in Denmark Ribe was an ideal departure point for sailing ships and it’s development depended on them. maritime traffic at the North Sea was in its infancy when the Viking Age is traditionally said to have begun the sailing ship had its breakthrough in the North Commercial cities like Ribe with their extensive networks as the ships were used to trade the cities’ goods with the rest of Scandinavia Ribe helped create the Viking Age as we know it In Ribe we see this change in the remains of workshops These finds are the real scoop of the excavation Time after time we get a close-up look at the earliest city-dwellers in the North and the crafts that made them special Read More: The Viking age began in Denmark The craftsmen of Ribe depended on the city’s network both for access to raw materials and to sell their wares We have found evidence of many trades: ironsmiths who made intricately decorated combs and other tools from antlers used local supplies such as antlers from stags This changes around the beginning of the Viking Age when they start using antlers from reindeer The network of the bead makers changes just as drastically In the oldest layers we find evidence of several smaller workshops The raw material – colored fragments of glass – must have originated far from Ribe and it’s clear that each craftsman brought a slightly different range of colours The bead production continues for a couple of generations with the style of the bead changing according to the fashions of the day the production stops around the emergence of the Viking Age mass produced beads from the Middle East start arriving in bulk The bead makers of Ribe are the first craftsmen in Denmark to be ousted by globalisation Read More: English mass grave contains remains of Viking Great Army Ribe developed an impressive network in the Viking Age Analysis of the glass used by the bead makers shows that the glass originated in Palestine and Egypt it was already several centuries old when it arrived in Ribe and so it must have been taken from old Roman mosaics probably in Roman cities such as Cologne or Trier We also found a roman carnelian gemstone decorated with the picture of Venus which had been forcibly removed from the gold ring it must have decorated.  The raw material of the first goldsmiths in Ribe was very likely comprised of objects like these looted from Roman graves Other findings point in the same direction A fragment of the ornately decorated Roman ceramic must have been picked up at a Roman ruin or grave and brought to Ribe as an amulet or souvenir Even though these things originate far away they may have been brought from relatively nearby Findings show that the first city of the North appeared before trade with the Mediterranean and Middle East was established It was another network that kick started the development of Ribe The results of our excavation will no doubt tell us more about these origins in the coming years Read More: Danish Viking fortresses were designed to fend off other Vikings Wrapping up a big excavation like this is not the end We have come home with bags full of samples and discoveries that we have not yet had time to unpack and study properly Many of the most important results are probably yet to come where we’ll spend hours and hours analysing samples to trace the activity in the city’s earliest houses Terabytes of survey notes need processing and analyzing And the network of the craftsmen needs to be mapped after analysing the materials and isotope studies The Northern Emporium-expedition to Viking age Ribe has gathered materials that will be used by scientists for many decades to come to answer age-old questions and hopefuly some new ones Read More: This tiny ornament may have belonged to Harold Bluetooth’s shaman the project “Northern Emporium” has excavated about 100 square meters of cultural layers in the heart of the oldest Ribe It will set a new standard for archaeological research of cities through the development of field methods that include geochemical element analysis electronic methods for documenting the excavation The project is sponsored by the Carlsberg Foundation It is completed in close collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet) funded by the Danish National Research Foundation and the Museum of Southwest Jutland which is responsible for the archaeology of Ribe The project will be continuing the analysis and publish the thousands of finds and observations in the coming years Søren Michael SindbækNorthern Emporium Project We recommend saving this for the early hours with dark moods and heady atmospheres; this will pick up any waning dance floor and return it to full energy Be sure to check out the rest of the album for more amazing tracks Curation Picks: Atomic Moog - Data 100fTrack Curation Picks: Victor Ruiz - ENERGYTrack Curation Picks: Artefakt - The End of NationsTrack Curation Picks: Eric Cloutier - PBG001Track Curation Picks: Chloe Lula - Pattern RecognitionTrack Curation Picks: Sentient - Void TreaderTrack Curation Picks: Josh Wink - Progression (Ambient Mix)Track Curation Picks: Raven - GNOSIS THEMETrack The 7 Best Techno [Raw/Deep/Hypnotic] Tracks On Beatport You May Have MissedPlaylist The 7 Best Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic)Tracks On Beatport You May Have MissedPlaylist The 7 Best Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic) Tracks On Beatport You May Have MissedPlaylist The Best Techno On Beatport You Might Have MissedArticle The 7 Best Electro Tracks On Beatport You May Have MissedPlaylist The 7 Best Electronica Tracks On Beatport You May Have MissedPlaylist Curation Picks: Jorg Kuning - Teen FrogueTrack Curation Picks: Cybernet - Ocean EchoTrack 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student Sudikhsa Konanki vanished while on a spring break trip to the Riu Republic Resort in Punta Cana she was last seen with friends on the beach at around 4 a.m As search efforts continue in the Dominican Republic the circumstances surrounding Konanki's disappearance remain unclear Local investigators are exploring the possibility that she may have accidentally drowned new testimony from a hotel guest has raised fresh concerns about the events of that night is a 24-year-old man who was reportedly the last person to see her before she went missing was visiting the popular Dominican resort with a group of six female students from the University of Pittsburgh after some time socialising with other guests remained behind at the beach for a swim as the others returned to their rooms It should be noted that according to local news sources, Ribe was the last person to see Konanaki, and since then, he has provided different accounts of what happened According to Dominican news outlet El Nacional Ribe told police that he experienced a rough surf and decided to return to shore this version is present in the complaint made by Konanki's father Ribe told police that he spotted Konanki walking along the shore before he fell asleep the police have not indicated that Ribe is a suspect but they have confirmed that he has been cooperating in the investigation it had now become more difficult for the investigators to pinpoint one scenario on what might have transpired the night when Konanki went missing Although Dominican authorities are suggesting that Konanki may have drowned after jumping into the ocean early that morning who flew to the Dominican Republic with his wife and friends shortly after his daughter was reported missing fears there may be a more sinister explanation While speaking to WTOP-FM she would likely have been strewn to shore so we're asking them to investigate multiple options In the complaint it was mentioned that Konanki's belongings 'This is unusual because she always carried her phone with her,' he said Konanki's father has also urged the authorities to broaden the scope of the investigation I respectfully request that the authorities take immediate steps to investigate not only the possibility of an accidental drowning but also the possibility of a kidnapping or foul play,' he said The disappearance of Sudikhsha Konanki has gained international attention. Authorities from the US have also reached the search area to accelerate the investigation. According to reports, the FBI and Dominican Republic authorities are collaboratively working on this case the Indian Embassy in the Dominican Republic is reported to be in contact with local officials to ensure the case receives the necessary attention RIU Hotels have also expressed their sympathy in a statement and confirmed their cooperation with local authorities As described by her family, Konanki is an ambitious and bright girl who desires to become a doctor someday. While speaking to CNN She wanted to pursue a career in medicine.' The Konanki family moved to the US from India in 2006 who have known her since she was very young Shekar Pendem, a family friend, said They should expand the search area beyond the resort area We're expecting it to go beyond that and any other possible angles because that would be very helpful.' As the search continues for the missing student Sudiksha's family and friends remain hopeful about her safe return Ribe died at his residence at El Castillo in Santa Fe Texas then attended the University of Texas at Austin where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering before joining the US Navy during World War II He worked in signals intelligence in Washington D.C. After the war Fred earned his PhD in physics from the University of Chicago and was offered a job at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory He moved with Mally and his first two sons to Los Alamos in 1951 He monitored the detonation of the first hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll then worked for the rest of his career developing test reactors and related research to harness nuclear fusion to generate electricity He was a visiting fellow at the Max Plank Institute in Munich He often traveled to the USSR as a leader of the two nations’ sharing of fusion energy research In Los Alamos he and Mally had two more sons He was a Group leader and then founding Division Leader for the Controlled Thermonuclear Research Division until 1977 He then moved to the University of Washington as Professor of Nuclear Engineering His research focused on experimental and theoretical plasma physics He served on national energy policy and program review committees and mentored very successful PhD students He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and long-time Co-editor of the journal Physics of Fluids II In 1954 Fred organized a petition drive in Los Alamos in support of Dr J Robert Oppenheimer whose security clearance was revoked after leaving his post as head of the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos Fred’s petition gained the attention of top decision makers in Washington given the caliber of its signatories Fred enjoyed his vacation home in the San Juan Islands and traveled extensively with Mally before retiring to Santa Fe He loved the outdoors and focused a great deal of attention on building and maintaining his Pecos cabin on Grass Mountain near Cowles He took great pleasure in hiking and skiing with his family and dogs and enjoyed fly fishing on many western rivers He loved music and sang in the Los Alamos Choral Society the Santa Fe Symphony Choir and his church choirs Fred met and married Marge Christensen in 2000 and they enjoyed many ski trips and travels abroad He continued to challenge his mind and engaged in learning about the world and keeping up with current events Fred experienced the death of Mally in 1998 and his son Dr He is survived by his second wife Marge Christensen Ribe of Santa Fe Donations in his memory may be made to the National Parks Foundation Services will be held August 10 at 10AM at the United Church of Santa Fe 1804 Arroyo Chamiso Martin Heinrich recently introduced a bill in Congress to re-designate Bandelier National Monument as national park It is hard to see how this bill benefits either the public or Bandelier this may sound like a bill to give Bandelier more protection I believe it will damage Bandelier’s land and cultural features and diminish the authority of Bandelier’s National Park Service managers Heinrich does many good things for our state and the country and he means well with this bill His goal is to increase tourism in northern New Mexico for the sake of business in northern New Mexico National parks draw more visitors than national monuments do He also intends to give tribes more authority over Bandelier’s operations and he wants hunters to be able to hunt elk deer and turkeys in areas currently closed to hunting in upper Bandelier Bandelier has inadequate funding and facilities to serve the more than 209,000 visitors the park gets every year and it doesn’t have restrooms to serve hundreds of busloads of people who arrive every summer especially during Indian Market and Balloon Fiesta The trail that most visitors use hasn’t been resurfaced since 1972 and two restrooms up the canyon were closed by the 2011 floods and won’t open again in the foreseeable future Two toilets per gender serve thousands of people Increasing visitation to Bandelier by renaming it a national park would increase spending in local businesses but visitors to the park would face crowding on the trails and less park staff for education and protection National parks attract about 35% more visitors than national monuments do but at what cost to the parks themselves Anyone who has visited Zion National Park recently knows what the big advertising campaign by the state of Utah has done to that park Zion has become an urban area with people crowded into the canyon and facilities stressed to their limits with inadequate staff to patrol and protect the park and long lines for maxed out shuttles The number of visitors goes way up while the park budget goes down in real terms I fundamentally disagree with the concept of using highly protected public lands to boost tourism and stimulate business Each generation is charged with handing down the national park system to the next “unimpaired.” Yet visitors to Bandelier concentrate in a small area of the 33,000 acre park Delicate cultural resources take a pounding from the crowds Yet Heinrich’s staff lament’s that Bandelier’s visitation is down from its peak of 430,000 in 1996 but even at today’s number the park is stressed to its limit and is grossly understaffed A second goal of the Bandelier National Park bill would be to open part of the park to hunting (Bandelier is currently closed to hunting and trapping) Since hunting isn’t allowed in most national parks 4300 acres of the upper elevations of Bandelier would be re-designated “Bandelier National Preserve” where hunting and trapping could happen The State of New Mexico would manage the wildlife in this area the National Park Service manages the wildlife in Bandelier and all native species are protected Already the entire Jemez Mountain range is open to hunting except Bandelier and some tribal lands Opening this area to hunting will benefit a small number of hunters each year while trappers could come in and kill bobcats and mountain lions and any other animal that got killed in their traps Finally the bill would allow tribes to conduct traditional ceremonies in Bandelier and close parts (or all) of the park for undetermined amounts of time to do so Yet tribes have been conducting traditional ceremonial gatherings in Bandelier for decades with the full assistance of the National Park Service When a particular shrine in the backcountry important to Pueblos was being damaged by tourism the NPS removed it from maps and stopped mentioning it to the public The staff at Bandelier does not need to have Congress tell them to do something they have been doing since the 1930s Overall it is hard to understand how Senator Heinrich’s Bandelier National Park designation bill benefits the American people It will crowd the park and stress out visitors and staff damage facilities and the very features the public comes to see It will remove protections for wildlife in the upper reaches of the park and it will not increase the budget for the National Park Service Visiting Bandelier National Park would be a lessor experience than visiting Bandelier National Monument Let’s leave well enough alone and not pass this bill We can promote tourism in ways that won’t damage a fragile and finite national treasure or disempower the professionals who care for it Instead let’s push for solid budgets for the National Park Service Tom Ribe is Executive Director of Caldera Action a non profit focused on protecting the Jemez Mountains Solar flare throws light on ancient trade between the Islamic Middle East and the Viking Age AARHUS UNIVERSITY—Mobility shaped the human world profoundly long before the modern age But archaeologists often struggle to create a timeline for the speed and impact of this mobility An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Urban Network Evolutions at Aarhus University (UrbNet) has now made a breakthrough by applying new astronomical knowledge about the past activity of the sun to establish an exact time anchor for global links in the year 775 CE In collaboration with the Museum of Southwest Jutland in the Northern Emporium Project the team has conducted a major excavation at Ribe one of Viking-age Scandinavia’s principal trading towns the dig and the subsequent research project were able to establish the exact sequence of the arrival of objects from various corners of the world at the market in Ribe they were able to trace the emergence of the vast network of Viking-age trade connections with regions such as North Atlantic Norway Frankish Western Europe and the Middle East the team has pioneered a new use of radiocarbon dating “The applicability of radiocarbon dating has hitherto been limited due to the broad age ranges of this method it has been discovered that solar particle events cause sharp spikes in atmospheric radiocarbon for a single year They are named after the female Japanese researcher Fusa Miyake When these spikes are identified in detailed records such as tree rings or in an archaeological sequence it reduces the uncertainty margins considerably,” says lead author Bente Philippsen to identify a 775 CE Miyake event in one floor layer in Ribe This enabled the team to anchor the entire sequence of layers and 140 radiocarbon dates around this single year “This result* shows that the expansion of Afro-Eurasian trade networks characterised by the arrival of large numbers of Middle Eastern beads can be dated in Ribe with precision to 790±10 CE – coinciding with the beginning of the Viking Age imports brought by ship from Norway were arriving as early as 750 CE,” says Professor Søren Sindbæk This groundbreaking result challenges one of the most widely accepted explanations for maritime expansions in the Viking Age – that Scandinavian seafaring took off in response to growing trade with the Middle East through Russia Maritime networks and long-distance trade were already established decades before impulses from the Middle East caused a further expansion of these networks annual calibration curve is a global effort to which the researchers from UrbNet and the Aarhus AMS Centre at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Aarhus University have contributed “The construction of a calibration curve is a huge international effort with contributions from many laboratories around the world Fusa Miyake’s discovery in 2012 has revolutionized our work so that we now work with annual time resolution New calibration curves are recurrently released and Aarhus AMS centre has contributed significantly The new high-resolution data from the present study will enter into a future update of the calibration curve and thus contribute to improve the precision of archaeological dates worldwide This will provide better opportunities to understand rapid developments such as trade flows or environmental change in the past,” says Jesper Olsen The global trends revealed by the study are essential for the archaeology of trading towns like Ribe “The new results enable us to date the influx of new artefacts and far-reaching contacts on a much better background This will help us to visualise and describe Viking Age Ribe in a way that will have great value for scientists as well as helping us to present the new insight to the general public,” says Claus Feveile curator of the Museum of Southwest Jutland One of the most spectacular episodes of pre-modern global connectivity happened in the period c when trade with the burgeoning Islamic empire in the Middle East connected virtually all corners of Afro-Eurasia trade beads and other exotic artifacts provides archaeological evidence of the trade links stretching from Southeast Asia and Africa to Siberia and the northernmost corners of Scandinavia these long-distance connections mark the beginning of the maritime adventures that define the Viking Age Researchers have even suggested that it was the arrival of silver and other valuable objects via Eastern Europe which sparked the first Scandinavian Viking expeditions to establish the time of arrival of the Middle Eastern beads and coins in relation to other developments in the Viking world including the famous raids which shook Western Europe from c The Northern Emporium Project excavated parts of the main street and a plot with houses and workshops in the Viking-age emporium Ribe The excavations followed the stratigraphy of floors and waste deposits metriculously in order to trace the changing activities and arrival of trade goods at the site A selection of imported glass beads from the late eighth and early ninth century CE found in the emporium at Ribe local glass bead production was largely replaced by long-distance imports around 790 CE Article Source: AARHUS UNIVERSITY news release *10.1038/s41586-021-04240-5  Subscribe to Popular Archaeology Premium Still the industry's best value at only $9.00 annually Subscribe to Popular Archaeology Premium Still the industry’s best value at only $9.00 annually Leif O. Ribe (pictured) has been appointed General Manager of Warner Music Norway He will take up the role from January 1 and report to Jonas Siljemark Ribe will join the Warner Music team after working in a number of senior marketing and A&R roles at Sony Music Norway At Warner Music Norway Ribe will be taking the helm of a label with an already strong roster of local artists including Emilie Nicolas will continue as Acting Managing Director of Warner Music Norway until Ribe takes up his role “I’m lucky enough to have worked with some of the most talented artists in Norway and I can’t wait to bring that experience to my new role.” Ribe took up a role with booking agency Artistpartner working for leading Norwegian artists including Erik og Kriss working as a Project Manager in the company’s Live Department He then moved to a role as International Product Manager where he created and executed local marketing campaigns for artists including Beyoncé Ribe was then promoted to become Domestic Marketing Director also signing and A&Ring artists including Jesper Jenset Staysman & Lazz and Tungevaag & Raaban helping grow the company’s market share in domestic repertoire and handled A&R and international strategy for Nordic pop phenomenon Marcus & Martinus “Leif’s one of the most talented execs in the Norwegian business and I’m delighted he’s agreed to join us at Team Warner.” Ribe said: “It’ll be a huge privilege to lead the amazing team at Warner Music Norway I’m lucky enough to have worked with some of the most talented artists in Norway and I can’t wait to bring that experience to my new role “And I also want to ensure that Norway is firmly on the map for all the performers on our incredible international roster.” Jonas Siljemark added: “Leif’s one of the most talented execs in the Norwegian business and I’m delighted he’s agreed to join us at Team Warner “He has an incredible track record in finding and nurturing great talent and he’s going to bring that sense of mission to Warner to help us be in pole position to work with the most interest artists out there.”Music Business Worldwide Stay on top of the real stories shaping the music industry: Join over 60,000 industry professionals who rely on MBW's FREE daily newsletter and alert emails for essential insights and breaking news From the beginning of the 8th century up until the end of the 9th century Viking graves in the town of Ribe in Denmark were largely reserved for the most holy of citizens Ribe is considered the first city in Scandinavia and it developed into an important trade city Graves were afforded a special place in the city--and left undisturbed as the town expanded around them But by the end of the 9th century something changed they suddenly started to build on top of these graves In some cases they built almost ostentatiously right on top of a grave which was probably visible and marked,” says archaeologist and excavation leader Søren Sindbæk from the University of Aarhus people thought that Ribe had stopped developing as a city by the 900s but the results of our grave excavations now suggest that this could be completely wrong I think something dramatic happened,” says Sindbæk The excavations suggest that simultaneous with the construction above the graves someone also built a fortress and a 700 metres long and 20 metres wide moat around the city Ribe was a hugely important place during the Viking Age Its unique place with direct access to the sea allowed the town to develop as a centre of trade that attracted tradesmen from near and far archaeologists thought that the town had all but ceased to exist based on the lack of finds from the 10th century But then archaeologists discovered a grave from this period near to the city’s cathedral The new grave suggests plenty of life in the city throughout this time One explanation could be that the town simply expanded so much that marketplace activities shifted to a new area But this doesn’t quite fit with the evidence uncovered so far The explanation most likely lies elsewhere--and could be connected to an abrupt shift in the political power in Denmark “There is a sudden break in the royal ranks around this time so there is some evidence that there was a breakdown in the Danish monarchy We can imagine that the balance of power that protected Ribe until then simply disintegrated Ribe was too important a strategic site to just be forgotten,” he says At the same time as the Danish monarchy’s power was dissolving there were other big changes taking place around the world Changes usually bring new actors and rulers “This was the high point of the Viking raids and we get a more focused military order as a result which were controlled by Scandinavian warrior groups in the British Isles,” he says The written sources of that time are full of examples of armies at war occupations and battles to take control of important cities in England “So why shouldn’t it also happen in Scandinavia?” says Sindbæk Another archaeologist on the excavation site The establishment of the Ribe cathedral at around the same time suggests to him a time of peace rather than a violent military take over The church survived throughout the 10th century and he finds it difficult to imagine that this would have happened if a Viking army had suddenly taken over the city "I cannot deny the evidence behind the construction on top of the burial ground that indicates a dramatic scene for example with new rulers coming into the city But it could also simply be that the burial site was no longer of use or they were just forgotten about," says Søvsø Søren Sindbæk Morten Søvsø Ribe was an important trading town in the Viking Age a trading place was established on the north side of the river Ribe to which traders and craftsmen flocked from far and wide to manufacture and sell goods such as brooches When glass became a scarce commodity in the Early Medieval time coloured glass cubes – so-called tesserae – were torn down from mosaics in abandoned Roman and Byzantine temples transported North and traded at emporia towns such as Ribe where the beadmakers melted them down in large vessels and shaped them into beads archaeologists have assumed that the pearl makers used the opaque white tesserae as raw material for the production of white And it is here that a geochemist and an archaeologist from Aarhus University together with a museum curator from Ribe have made a surprising discovery which they have just published in the scientific journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences: The chemical composition of white Viking beads from one of the earliest workshops showed that the glassmakers had found a more sustainable way to save time and wood for their furnaces: crush gold-gilded and finally wrap the glass around an iron mandrel to form beads and voila - opaque white beads created in a short time using a minimum of resources The valuable ultra-thin sheets of gold stuck to the surface of the gold mosaic stone were of course salvaged by the glassmaker prior to remelting the glass but the new findings show that some gold inevitably had ended up in the melting pot the many air holes (which is why the beads are opaque) as well as the fact that there are no chemical color tracers present the researchers show that it was in fact the gold mosaic stones that was the raw material for the beads Such traces of gold were found not only in the white but also in the blue beads from the same workshop Here the chemistry shows that the glassmaker's recipe consisted of a mixture of the blue and golden mosaic stones Mixing them was necessary because the Roman blue mosaic stones contained high concentrations of chemical substances which made them opaque – and therefore ideal for mosaics transparent glass that we know from Viking Age beads The bead maker in Ribe could instead have chosen to dilute the glass mixture with old shards from funnel beakers Roman glass that had been remelted over and over again "And the glassmakers in Ribe were clearly connoisseurs who preferred the clearest glass they could get their hands on," says Gry Hoffmann Barfod from the Department of Geoscience at Aarhus University it has been a privilege to work with the fantastic material and to discover how relevant the knowledge stored here is for our society today." The interdisciplinary study was a collaboration between Gry Barfod professor of archeology at the Danish National Research Foundation's Center for Urban Network Development (UrbNet) at Aarhus University and museum curator Claus Feveile at the Museum of Southwest Jutland specializing in the Viking Age and Ribe's earliest history “The most outstanding achievements at the Ribe trading site were not just the products but also the circular economy and their awareness to preserve limited resources” states professor Søren Sindbæk.  And museum curator Claus Feveile comments: “These exciting results clearly show the potential of elucidating new facts about the vikings By combining our high-resolution excavations with such chemical analyses I predict many more revelations in the near future.” Søren Sindbæk and Claus Feveile headed the archaeological excavations of the Northern Emporium Project from 2016-2018 where new high-definition approaches for the first time allowed for a resolution down to a few decades within the extremely well-preserved Ribe stratigraphy The finds from the excavations are currently displayed inside reconstructed replicas of the beadmakers’ workshops in the new special exhibition at the Ribe viking museum Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 10.1007/s12520-022-01646-8 Splinters to splendours: from upcycled glass to Viking beads at Ribe are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system Copyright © 2025 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) The Viking Age bead makers were more advanced than previously believed New research shows that craftsmen in Denmark around the year 700 used sophisticated and sustainable methods when they gave old Roman glass mosaics new life as glass beads When glass became a scarce commodity in the Early Medieval period coloured glass cubes – so-called tesserae – were torn down from mosaics in abandoned Roman and Byzantine temples which they have just published in the scientific journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences – opaque white beads created in a short time using a minimum of resources Here the chemistry shows that the glassmaker’s recipe consisted of a mixture of blue and golden mosaic stones Mixing them was necessary because the Roman blue mosaic stones contained high concentrations of chemical substances which made them opaque – and therefore ideal for mosaics “The most outstanding achievements at the Ribe trading site were not just the products but also the circular economy and their awareness to preserve limited resources” states Søren Sindbæk one of the authors of the study and a Professor in the Institute for Culture and Society at Aarhus University “And the glassmakers in Ribe were clearly connoisseurs who preferred the clearest glass they could get their hands on,” says Gry Hoffmann Barfod from the Department of Geoscience at Aarhus University and to discover how relevant the knowledge stored here is for our society today.” professor of archeology at the Danish National Research Foundation’s Center for Urban Network Development (UrbNet) at Aarhus University and museum curator Claus Feveile at the Museum of Southwest Jutland specializing in the Viking Age and Ribe’s earliest history “These exciting results clearly show the potential of elucidating new facts about the Vikings,” Feveile comments “By combining our high-resolution excavations with such chemical analyses I predict many more revelations in the near future.” The article, “Splinters to splendours: from upcycled glass to Viking beads at Ribe, Denmark,” by Gry H. Barfod, Claus Feveile and Søren M. Sindbæk, appears in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. Click here to read it See also: Unexpected delivery: Viking jewellery given to Norwegian museum Top Image: Image courtesy Museum of Southwest Jutland 7 Dec: Laa Ribe from Kamle won the 55+ men’s singles title of the 11th Li-Ning Chief Minister’s Sub-Veteran & Veteran State Badminton Championship defeating Kalom Pait from Upper Subansiri in the final here Taanu Tamin of Upper Subansiri and NL Togu of Keyi Panyor secured the third position Laa Ribe also won the 50+ men’s singles title beating Somar Potom of West Siang in the final Kalom Pait and Taanu Tamin from Upper Subansiri emerged victorious while (Laa) Ribe and NL Togu were the runner-up Arup Buragohain and Dobin Lendo from Keyi Panyor and Leparada shared the third position with Doli Lollen and Kento Ngomdir from West Siang Jarsa Gamlin and Karmo Riram from West Siang clinched the 50+ men’s doubles title defeating the duo of Nich Bapu and Robinson Gogoi of Keyi Panyor Kamnga Ronya and Taanu Tamin from Upper Subansiri shared the third position with Arup Buragohain and NLTogu of Keyi Panyor Monya Riba and Tojo Bam from Leparada beat the pair of Nawang Thutan and Sonam Tsering from Tawang in the final to win the men’s 45+ men’s doubles title Jarsa Gamlin and Karmo Riram of West Siang shared the third position with Apomo Lingi and Saji Baby from Lower Dibang Valley Yane Kamsar of Upper Subansiri won the 40+ women’s singles title beating Boni Yupu from the same district in the final Tarak Kayum and Taw Yania from Kurung Kumey finished third The 35+ mixed doubles title went to Nich Taku and Boni Yupu of Papum Pare and Upper Subansiri Tai Kagung and Irani Sonowal from Keyi Panyor were the runner-up Kenjom Ete and Sushma Linggi from West Siang shared the third position with Dekio Gumja and Yane Kamsar from Upper Subansiri (Dekio) Gumja won the 35+ men’s singles title beating Barailum Chaitom from Anjaw in the final Nich Taku of Papum Pare and Gungte Yangfo of East Kameng secured the third spot Addressing the players at the concluding function here on Friday local MLA Dr Mohesh Chai underscored the significance of nurturing sportsmanship and encouraged the youths to play sports to stay physically fit and healthy “The championship serves not only as a platform for veterans to exhibit their talent but also inspires younger generations to pursue sports with dedication,” Dr Chai said Lohit District Badminton Association (LDBA) secretary Bablalum Chiba and others also addressed the gathering the tournament saw the participation of 303 shuttlers Pema Laden and BP Lahon were the referee and deputy referees The event was organised by the LDBA under the aegis of the Arunachal State Badminton Association Former Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist Fred Ribe witnessed the first detonation of a hydrogen bomb in 1954 in the Bikini Atoll wearing a baseball cap and smoking a pipe in 1954 He and fellow scientists rescued a giant turtle on Nam Island in the Bikini Atoll After returning from World War II in 1946 as a lieutenant-JG in the Navy Fred Ribe took advantage of the GI Bill of Rights and received his master’s degree and doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago He was then offered a job at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory now known as Los Alamos National Laboratory moving to Los Alamos with its pristine white snow was a welcome change for me and my family,” he said Ribe worked at the lab as a nuclear physicist from 1951 to 1977 and then I made my way up to ‘The Hill,’ as it was called in those days.” Norris Bradbury was the director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Ribe worked under the supervision of Jerry Kellogg and Jim Tuck his division was working on controlled hydrogen fusion research for peaceful purposes “It was a great time to be in Los Alamos,” Ribe said “There were a lot of young PhDs in my department All of the wives were having babies while we were working on classified projects Since we couldn’t share that information with our wives They’d go down to Dendahl’s on the Santa Fe Plaza to buy yarn goods we’d go skiing on Pajarito Mountain using old wooden Army skis we’d have dances at the lodge of the Los Alamos Ranch School Several of the scientists were also musicians Although Los Alamos was a closed community back then we had all that we needed to keep us busy and entertained.” Ribe traveled to Nam Island in the Bikini Atoll the group leader for the J-16 weapons test division It was there that the nuclear detonation of the first hydrogen bomb was measured “The hydrogen bomb was a thousand times more powerful than the atom bomb,” Ribe said “We witnessed the explosion from 50 miles away aboard a ship wearing smoked-colored dark glasses At first there was a tremendous light in the sky followed by a fireball that was 15 miles wide Then there was a huge mushroom cloud which reached the stratosphere there were strong winds in the upper atmosphere that day and radioactive material spread throughout the area killing several Japanese fishermen on a ship called the Lucky Dragon.” When Fred Ribe was about to be born in 1924 owned a Lincoln Ford car dealership in Mexico City and the couple wanted their son to have U.S Ribe was the second of three sons born to the couple where Otto Ribe worked as an insurance executive When Ribe retired from the Los Alamos lab in 1977 he worked as a professor of engineering and physics at the University of Washington in Seattle where his four children and four grandchildren would come for visits While on a ski trip in 2000 for seniors in Salt Lake City which provides student scholarships and sponsors an annual lecture by a Nobel Prize winner studying French and singing in the church choir at the United Church of Santa Fe Ribe will be celebrating his 89th birthday Looking back on his career at Los Alamos National Laboratory “I spent most of my time working on taming the hydrogen bomb There’s currently work being done in France on transforming hydrogen fusion into electricity but someday it will become an invaluable source of energy.” Ana Pacheco’s weekly tribute to our community elders appears every Sunday. She can be reached at 474-2800. Her book, Legendary Locals of Santa Fe, is available in bookstores and Amazon.com Metrics details Exosome-like vesicles (ELV) are involved in mediating radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) we used ELV from control cell conditioned medium (CCCM) and from 4 Gy of X-ray irradiated cell conditioned medium (ICCM) which has been used to culture normal human fibroblast cells to examine the possibility of ELV mediating RIBE signals We investigated whether ELV from 4 Gy irradiated mouse serum mediate RIBE signals Induction of DNA damage was observed in cells that were treated with ICCM ELV and ELV from 4 Gy irradiated mouse serum we treated CCCM ELV and ICCM ELV with RNases and proteinases to determine which component of ELV is responsible for RIBE Induction of DNA damage by ICCM ELV was not observed after treatment with DNases DNA damages were not induced in CCCM ELV or ICCM ELV from mitochondria depleted (ρ0) normal human fibroblast cells we found significant increase in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in ICCM ELV and ELV from 4 Gy irradiated mouse serum These data suggest that the secretion of mtDNA through exosomes is involved in mediating RIBE signals we used the normal human fibroblast cells (HDFn) and mouse fibroblast cells (m5S) which were cultured in exosome depleted foetal bovine serum (FBS) medium to decrease the interference of serum ELV We first observed increased DNA damages in HDFn cells treated with ICCM ELV of HDFn m5S cells treated with ELV from irradiated mouse serum showed increased DNA damage DNase treatment in ELV from ICCM reduced the DNA damage suggesting that DNA in ELV mediates RIBE HDFn cells treated with CCCM ELV or ICCM ELV from mitochondria depleted (ρ0) HDFn cells showed no increase in DNA damage We found significant increase in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in ELV in condition medium and mouse serum after irradiation Our results suggest that mtDNA in ELV are involved in mediating RIBE All experiments were conducted according to the guidelines for Animal Experimentation of Hirosaki University and the procedures were approved and monitored by the Animal Research Committee of Hirosaki University (approval number: G15001) Seven-week-old male ICR mice (Charles River Japan Inc.) were purchased and maintained at the Institute for Animal Experiments at Hirosaki University Mice were housed in an autoclaved cage and maintained in rooms under a regular 12-h light Mice were fed a standard laboratory animal diet (MB-1: Funabashi Farm Co. A primary normal human dermal fibroblast (HDFn) cells (ATCC PCS-201-010) were kindly provided by Dr Japan) and an immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblast (m5S) cells (JCRB1322) were kindly provided by Dr The HDFn cells were cultured in Dulbeccos’s modified eagle medium (DMEM; Invitrogen) supplemented with 10% exosome-depleted foetal bovine serum (Exo-FBS The m5S cells were cultured in alpha-MEM supplemented with 10% Exo-FBS (System Biosciences) Cells were maintained at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2 Cell cycle phase was measured by Muse Cell Analyzer using a Muse Cell Cycle Assay Kit (Merck Millipore) following the manufacturer’s instructions Cells or mice (8-week-old) were irradiated with using an X-ray generator (MBR-1520R-3; Hitachi Medical) with 0.5 mm aluminium and 0.3 mm copper filters at a distance of 45 cm between the focus and the target HDFn cells grown in T-25 flasks (1 × 106 cells/flask) were cultured for 72 h in a humidified 5% CO2 incubator at 37 °C and 4 Gy irradiated HDFn cells in T25 flasks (1–2 × 106 cells/flask) were cultured for 24 and 72 h after X-ray exposure in a humidified 5% CO2 incubator at 37 °C medium was collected from control or directly irradiated cells and filtered through a 0.22 µm filter The control cell-conditioned medium (CCCM) or irradiated cell-conditioned medium (ICCM) were used for further experiments The total protein content of ELV was determined using a Qubit 3.0 Fluorometer (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer’s protocol they were labelled with a fluorescent dye PKH-67 using the PKH-67 labeling kit (Sigma-Aldrich) according to manufacturer’s recommendations The suspension was then filtered with a 100 kDa MW cut-off Amicon Ultra Concentrator (Millipore) HDFn or m5s cells were plated in 2-well chamber slides (1 × 105 cells/well) and cultivated for 24 h and medium with PKH67-labelled ELV or negative control (the flow-through) samples was added into each well (final concentration: 2 μg/mL) Cells were cultured for 24 h in a humidified 5% CO2 incubator at 37 °C the slides were washed three times in PBS- and fixed with 4% formaldehyde in PBS- for 15 min at room temperature Fixed cells were washed extensively with PBS Nuclear staining was counterstained with 4′ 6-diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI; Sigma-Aldrich) Images were captured using a fluorescent microscope and CCD camera (Olympus) Cells or extracted ELV were washed once with PBS(−) and boiled for 10 min in 2 × Laemmli sample buffer (100 mM Tris-HCl 0.004% bromophenol blue) to promote complete lysis Lysates were then electrophoresed on a 15% SDS-polyacrylamide gel and transferred onto a PVDF membrane (Bio-Rad) Non-specific sites were blocked with TBS-T (20 mM Tris-HCl 0.05% Tween-20) supplemented with 5% non-fat dry milk membranes were incubated overnight at 4 °C with primary antibodies against anti-CD9 (1:200; ab92726 Membranes were then washed three times with TBS-T for 10 min at room temperature before incubation for 2 h with a horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-linked anti-IgG secondary antibody (1:2000 membranes were developed using the ECL Prime Western Blotting Detection reagent as directed by the manufacturer (GE Healthcare) Chemiluminescence signals were assessed using a Lumicube (Liponics) with densitometric analysis performed using ImageJ software HDFn or m5s cells were plated in 2-well chamber slides (1 × 105 cells/well) and cultured for 24 h Cells were then washed three times in PBS- and cultured for 24 h in a medium containing 0.5 μg/mL ELV of CCCM or 0.5 μg/mL ELV of ICCM Cells grown on a coverslip were washed three times in PBS- and then fixed with 4% formaldehyde in PBS- for 15 min at room temperature and incubated for 2 h at 37 °C with anti-γH2AX (1:100; 05-636 Abcam) antibodies in PBS-T supplemented with 5% non-fat dry milk cells were incubated for 1 h at 37 °C with AlexaFluor488- and AlexaFluor648-conjugated secondary antibodies (1:500; Abcam) HDFn cells were incubated in DMEM containing 10% FBS (Sigma-Aldrich) and 100 g/L ethidium bromide to generate Rho0 cells Cells were cultured in a humidified 5% CO2 incubator at 37 °C and the medium was changed every 2 days Cells were cultured for 30–35 days and the generation of Rho0 cells was confirmed by PCR and RT-PCR using The Human Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Monitoring Primer Set (Cat Takara Bio Inc.) and data analysis was performed according to the manufacturer’s instructions To visualize mitochondrial network in HDFn and Rho0 cells cells were stained with MitoTracker CMXRos (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer’s instructions For quantification of mitochondrial to nuclear DNA content in ELV 50–100 ng of DNA was used and the protocol provided for the Human Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Monitoring Primer Set (Takara Bio Inc.) was followed For amplification of mouse mDNA (mND1 and mND5) and nDNA (mSLCO2B1 and mSEPIN3) validated mouse primer pairs for ND1; qMmuCEP0060079 SEPIN3; qMmuCID0012875 were obtained from PrimePCRTM Assays (Bio-Rad) Real-time quantification to measure gene expression was performed using Power SYBR Green PCR Master Mix (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and compared the expression used human or mouse primers The experiment was performed in quadruplicate Purified ELV derived from control HDFn were transfected with ND1 and SEPIN3 using Exo-Fect Exosome Transfection Kit (System Biosciences) according as per the manufacturer’s instructions purified exosomes derived from control mouse serum were transfected with mND1 and purified using Wizard SV Gel and PCR Clean-Up System (Promega) 50 μl of purified ELV PBS suspension were mixed with 10 μl of Exo-Fect solution and 20 μl of 0.2 μg of each amplified DNA Transfected ELV were added to cells plated in 2-well chamber slides (1 × 105 cells/well) and incubated for 24 h ELV containing amplified DNA were labelled with PKH-67 using the PKH-67 labeling kit according to manufacturer’s recommendations (Sigma-Aldrich) The statistical significance of the difference between groups was assessed using the statistical tests indicated in the figure legends All statistical analyses were performed by using StatMate III software (ATMS) Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 unless otherwise noted Induction of DNA damage by ELV obtained from irradiated mouse serum. (A) A schematic view of the experimental protocol. (B) Detection of CD9 and TGS101 proteins in the ELV in serum from control mouse or 4 Gy exposed mouse by Western blotting. Full-length blots are present in Supplementary Fig. S2 (C) Representative image of PKH67 labeled ELV (green) derived from control mouse serum or 4 Gy irradiated mouse serum up-taken by treated m5S cells (D) Representative images of γH2AX (green) and 53BP1 (red) focus-positive cells treated with un-irradiated mouse ELV or 4 Gy irradiated ELV (E) The frequency of DNA damage foci in un-treated cells (control) cells treated with un-irradiated (0 Gy) mouse ELV or cells treated with irradiated (4 Gy) ELV Values are represented as mean ± standard error (E) with significant differences between indicated groups (*) calculated by Chi-square test (p < 0.01) These results suggest that ELV from 4 Gy irradiated mouse serum induce RIBE (A) A schematic view of the experimental protocol (B) The frequency of DNA damage foci in cells treated with CCCM ELV and ICCM ELV (un-treated) cells treated with RNase exposed CCCM ELV and ICCM ELV (+RNase) cells treated with DNase exposed CCCM ELV and ICCM ELV (+DNase) and cells treated with protease exposed CCCM ELV or ICCM ELV (+protease) Values are represented as mean ± standard error (F) Representative image of PKH67 labeled ELV (green) derived from control ρ0 cells and 4 Gy exposed ρ0 cells (G) The frequency of DNA damage foci in un-treated cells (control) cells treated with ρ0 CCCM ELV and cells treated with ρ0 ICCM ELV Mitochondrial DNA in ELV. (A) PCR amplification of mitochondrial ND1 (upper panel) and nuclear SLCO2B1 (lower panel) in CCCM ELV, ICCM ELV, ρ0 CCCM ELV, and ρ0 ICCM ELV. Full images of gels are present in Supplementary Fig. S3 (B) Quantification of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; ND1 and ND5) and nuclear DNA (nDNA; SLCO2B1 and SERPINA1) by RT-PCR in CCCM ELV Induction of DNA damage by amplified mouse mtDNA in ELV. (A) PCR amplification of mitochondrial mND1 (upper panel) and nuclear mSLCO2B1 (lower panel) in control (0 Gy) mouse serum ELV (n = 3; #1 - #3) and irradiated (4 Gy) mouse serum ELV (n = 3; #1 - #3). Full images of gels are present in Supplementary Fig. S3 (B) Quantification of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; mND1 and mND5) and nuclear DNA (nDNA; mSLCO2B1 and mSERPINA1) by RT-PCR in control (0 Gy) mouse serum ELV and irradiated mouse serum ELV (C) Representative image of PKH67 labeled ELV (green) derived from control mouse serum ELV with amplified mtDNA (+ND1 and +ND5) and amplified nDNA (+SLCO2B1 and + SERPINA1) up-taken by treated m5S cells (D) The frequency of DNA damage foci in un-treated cells (control) and control mouse serum ELV + SERPINA1 treated cells we found that the amount of mtDNA in ELV increased after radiation exposure in normal human fibroblast cells and in mouse serum ELV from mitochondria depleted cells showed no increase in mtDNA after radiation exposure ELV carrying more amount of partial mitochondrial DNA after radiation exposure induced DNA damage in treated cells and amplified partial mtDNA induced DNA damage in treated cells These studies suggest that inflammatory responses are involved in mediating RIBE signals mtDNA damaged by direct radiation or ICCM might be eliminated via mitophagy but it is possible that some portion of damaged mtDNA is extruded via exosomes by activation of the ZBP1 pathway suggesting that innate immune response mediated by TLR9 contributes to the induction of retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIGI) These lines of evidences suggest that ROS or other factors also mediate the RIBE signals present study suggests that RIBE may be partially mediated by mtDNA in ELV Induction of sister chromatid exchanges by extremely low doses of alpha-particles Morgan, W. F. & Sowa, M. B. Non-targeted bystander effects induced by ionizing radiation. Mutat. Res. - Fundam. Mol. Mech. Mutagen. 616, 159–164, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2006.11.009 (2007) Nagasawa, H. & Little, J. B. Unexpected sensitivity to the induction of mutations by very low doses of alpha-particle radiation: evidence for a bystander effect. Radiat. Res. 152, 552–557, https://doi.org/10.2307/3580153 (1999) Zhou, H. et al. Induction of a bystander mutagenic effect of alpha particles in mammalian cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 2099–104, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.030420797 (2000) Lyng, F. M. et al. Apoptosis is initiated in human keratinocytes exposed to signalling factors from microbeam irradiated cells. Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 82, 393–9, https://doi.org/10.1080/09553000600803904 (2006) Gaugler, M.-H. et al. Intestinal epithelial cell dysfunction is mediated by an endothelial-specific radiation-induced bystander effect. Radiat. Res. 167, 185–193, https://doi.org/10.1667/RR0702.1 (2007) Belyakov, O. V. et al. Biological effects in unirradiated human tissue induced by radiation damage up to 1 mm away. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102, 14203–14208, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0505020102 (2005) Inflammatory-type responses after exposure to ionizing radiation in vivo: a mechanism for radiation-induced bystander effects Lorimore, S. A., McIlrath, J. M., Coates, P. J. & Wright, E. G. Chromosomal instability in unirradiated hemopoietic cells resulting from a delayed in vivo bystander effect of?? radiation. Cancer Res. 65, 5668–5673, https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-0834 (2005) Coates, P. J., Rundle, J. K., Lorimore, S. A. & Wright, E. G. Indirect macrophage responses to ionizing radiation: implications for genotype-dependent bystander signaling. Cancer Res. 68, 450–456, https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-3050 (2008) Klammer, H., Mladenov, E., Li, F. & Iliakis, G. Bystander effects as manifestation of intercellular communication of DNA damage and of the cellular oxidative status Cancer Lett, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2013.12.017 (2015) Mothersill, C. & Seymour, C. Radiation-induced non-targeted effects: Some open questions. Radiat. Prot. Dosimetry, https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncv155 (2015) Medium from irradiated human epithelial cells but not human fibroblasts reduces the clonogenic survival of unirradiated cells Mothersill, C. & Seymour, C. Radiation-Induced Bystander Effects: Past History and Future Directions. Radiat. Res, https://doi.org/10.1667/0033-7587(2001)155[0759:ribeph]2.0.co;2 (2006) MotherSill, C. & Seymour, C. Changing paradigms in radiobiology. Mutat. Res. - Rev. Mutat. Res, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrrev.2011.12.007 (2012) Mothersill, C., Rusin, A., Fernandez-Palomo, C. & Seymour, C. History of bystander effects research 1905-present; what is in a name? Int. J. Radiat. Biol, https://doi.org/10.1080/09553002.2017.1398436 (2018) Souto, J. Tumour development in the rat induced by blood of irradiated animals. Nature, https://doi.org/10.1038/1951317a0 (1962) Chromosome aberrations in normal leukocytes induced by the plasma of exposed individuals Hollowell, J. G. & Littlefield, L. G. Chromosome Damage Induced by Plasma of X-Rayed Patients. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med, https://doi.org/10.3181/00379727-129-33295 (1968) Goh, K.-O. & Sumner, H. Breaks in Normal Human Chromosomes: Are They Induced by a Transferable Substance in the Plasma of Persons Exposed to Total-Body Irradiation? Radiat. Res, https://doi.org/10.2307/3572443 (2006) Faguet, G. B., Reichard, G. B. & Welter, G. B. Radiation-induced clastogenic plasma factors. Cancer Genet. Cytogenet, https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-4608(84)90010-4 (1984) Marozik, P., Mothersill, C., Seymour, C. B., Mosse, I. & Melnov, S. Bystander effects induced by serum from survivors of the Chernobyl accident. Exp. Hematol, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exphem.2007.01.029 (2007) Raposo, G. & Stoorvogel, W. Extracellular vesicles: Exosomes, microvesicles, and friends. J. Cell Biol. 200, 373–383, https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201211138 (2013) Olivieri, F. et al. DNA damage response (DDR) and senescence: shuttled inflamma-miRNAs on the stage of inflamm-aging. Oncotarget. 6, 35509–21, https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.5899 (2015) Davis, C. et al. MicroRNA-183-5p Increases with Age in Bone-Derived Extracellular Vesicles, Suppresses Bone Marrow Stromal (Stem) Cell Proliferation, and Induces Stem Cell Senescence. Tissue Eng. Part A. https://doi.org/10.1089/ten.tea.2016.0525 (2017) Takasugi, M. et al. Small extracellular vesicles secreted from senescent cells promote cancer cell proliferation through EphA2, Nat. Commun 8, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15728 (2017) Lehmann, B. D. et al. Senescence-associated exosome release from human prostate cancer cells. Cancer Res. 68, 7864–7871, https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-6538 (2008) Urbanelli, L., Buratta, S., Sagini, K., Tancini, B. & Emiliani, C. Extracellular vesicles as new players in cellular senescence. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 17, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17091408 (2016) Kumar Jella, K. et al. Exosomes Are Involved in Mediating Radiation Induced Bystander Signaling in Human Keratinocyte Cells. Radiat. Res. 181, 138–145, https://doi.org/10.1667/RR13337.1 (2014) Al-Mayah, A. et al. The non-targeted effects of radiation are perpetuated by exosomes. Mutat. Res. - Fundam. Mol. Mech. Mutagen. 772, 38–45, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2014.12.007 (2015) Jelonek, K., Widlak, P. & Pietrowska, M. The Influence of Ionizing Radiation on Exosome Composition, Secretion and Intercellular Communication. Protein Pept. Lett. 23, 656–63, https://doi.org/10.2174/0929866523666160427105138 (2016) Song, M. et al. Bystander autophagy mediated by radiation-induced exosomal MIR-7-5p in non-targeted human bronchial epithelial cells. Sci. Rep. 6, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30165 (2016) Szatmári, T. et al. Extracellular vesicles mediate low dose ionizing radiation-induced immune and inflammatory responses in the blood. Int. J. Radiat. Biol, https://doi.org/10.1080/09553002.2018.1450533 (2018) Cai, S. et al. Exosomal miR-7 mediates bystander autophagy in lung after focal brain irradiation in mice. Int. J. Biol. Sci, https://doi.org/10.7150/ijbs.18890 (2017) Le, M. et al. Exosomes are released by bystander cells exposed to radiation-induced biophoton signals: Reconciling the mechanisms mediating the bystander effect. PLoS One, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173685 (2017) Xu, S. et al. Exosome-mediated microRNA transfer plays a role in radiation-induced bystander effect. RNA Biol, https://doi.org/10.1080/15476286.2015.1100795 (2015) de Araujo Farias, V. et al. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells enhance radiotherapy-induced cell death in tumor and metastatic tumor foci. Mol. Cancer, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-018-0867-0 (2018) Nakai, W. et al. A novel affinity-based method for the isolation of highly purified extracellular vesicles. Sci. Rep, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep33935 (2016) Ariyoshi, K. et al. Induction of genomic instability and activation of autophagy in artificial human aneuploid cells. Mutat. Res. - Fundam. Mol. Mech. Mutagen. 790, 19–30, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2016.06.001 (2016) Ibrahim, A. G. E., Cheng, K. & Marbán, E. Exosomes as critical agents of cardiac regeneration triggered by cell therapy. Stem Cell Reports, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2014.04.006 (2014) Fernando, M. R., Jiang, C., Krzyzanowski, G. D. & Ryan, W. L. New evidence that a large proportion of human blood plasma cell-free DNA is localized in exosomes. PLoS One, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183915 (2017) Escrevente, C., Keller, S., Altevogt, P. & Costa, J. Interaction and uptake of exosomes by ovarian cancer cells. BMC Cancer, https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2407-11-108 (2011) MacPhail, S. H., Banáth, J. P., Yu, Y., Olive, P. L. & Chu, E. Cell Cycle-Dependent Expression of Phosphorylated Histone H2AX: Reduced Expression in Unirradiated but not X-Irradiated G 1 -Phase Cells. Radiat. Res. 149, 256–262, https://doi.org/10.1667/rr3003 (1998) Löbrich, M. et al. γH2AX foci analysis for monitoring DNA double-strand break repair: Strengths, limitations and optimization. Cell Cycle, https://doi.org/10.4161/cc.9.4.10764 (2010) Chen, S. et al. Mitochondria-dependent signalling pathway are involved in the early process of radiation-induced bystander effects. Br. J. Cancer, https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6604358 (2008) Chen, S. et al. Up-regulation of ROS by mitochondria-dependent bystander signaling contributes to genotoxicity of bystander effects. Mutat. Res. - Fundam. Mol. Mech. Mutagen, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2009.04.006 (2009) Al-Mayah, A. H. J., Irons, S. L., Pink, R. C., Carter, D. R. F. M. & Kadhim, A. Possible role of exosomes containing RNA in mediating nontargeted effect of ionizing radiation. Radiat. Res. 177, 539–45, https://doi.org/10.1667/RR2868.1 (2012) Rastogi, S., Coates, P. J., Lorimore, S. A. & Wright, E. G. Bystander-Type Effects Mediated by Long-Lived Inflammatory Signaling in Irradiated Bone Marrow. Radiat. Res, https://doi.org/10.1667/RR2805.1 (2012) Wright, E. G. Manifestations and mechanisms of non-targeted effects of ionizing radiation. Mutat. Res. - Fundam. Mol. Mech. Mutagen, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2010.01.014 (2010) Xiao, L. et al. Irradiated U937 Cells Trigger Inflammatory Bystander Responses in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells through the p38 Pathway. Radiat. Res, https://doi.org/10.1667/RR13736.1 (2014) Borghini, A. et al. Increased circulating cell-free DNA levels and mtDNA fragments in interventional cardiologists occupationally exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation. Environ. Mol. Mutagen, https://doi.org/10.1002/em.21917 (2015) Collins, L. V., Hajizadeh, S., Holme, E., Jonsson, I. & Tarkowski, A. Endogenously oxidized mitochondrial DNA induces in vivo and in vitro inflammatory responses. J. Leukoc. Biol. 75, 995–1000, https://doi.org/10.1189/jlb.0703328 (2004) Zhang, Q. et al. Circulating mitochondrial DAMPs cause inflammatory responses to injury. Nature. 464, 104–107, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08780 (2010) Erratum: Mitochondrial DNA that escapes from autophagy causes inflammation and heart failure (Nature (2012) 485 (251–255) DOI:10.1038/nature10992) Guescini, M., Genedani, S., Stocchi, V. & Agnati, L. F. Astrocytes and Glioblastoma cells release exosomes carrying mtDNA. J. Neural Transm, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-009-0288-8 (2010) Ye, W. et al. Plasma-derived exosomes contribute to inflammation via the TLR9-NF-κB pathway in chronic heart failure patients. Mol. Immunol. 87, 114–121, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molimm.2017.03.011 (2017) Szczesny, B. et al. Mitochondrial DNA damage and subsequent activation of Z-DNA binding protein 1 links oxidative stress to inflammation in epithelial cells. Sci. Rep. 8, 914, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-19216-1 (2018) Kam, W. W. Y. & Banati, R. B. Effects of ionizing radiation on mitochondria. Free Radic. Biol. Med. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2013.07.024 (2013) Peorsistent oxidative stress in chromosomally unstable cells Zhang, B. et al. Cytoplasmic irradiation results in mitochondrial dysfunction and DRP1-dependent mitochondrial fission. Cancer Res, https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-1411 (2013) Yamamori, T. et al. Inhibition of the mitochondrial fission protein dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) impairs mitochondrial fission and mitotic catastrophe after x-irradiation. Mol. Biol. Cell, https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E15-03-0181 (2015) Twig, G. et al. Fission and selective fusion govern mitochondrial segregation and elimination by autophagy. EMBO J, https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.emboj.7601963 (2008) Cardon, L. R., Burge, C., Clayton, D. A. & Karlin, S. Pervasive CpG suppression in animal mitochondrial genomes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91, 3799–803, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.91.9.3799 (1994) Liu, B. et al. CpG methylation patterns of human mitochondrial DNA. Sci. Rep. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep23421 (2016) Ermakov, A. V. et al. An extracellular DNA mediated bystander effect produced from low dose irradiated endothelial cells. Mutat. Res. - Fundam. Mol. Mech. Mutagen, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2011.03.002 (2011) Tartier, L., Gilchrist, S., Burdak-Rothkamm, S., Folkard, M. & Prise, K. M. Cytoplasmic irradiation induces mitochondrial-dependent 53BP1 protein relocalization in irradiated and bystander cells. Cancer Res, https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-0188 (2007) Download references The authors thank the laboratory staff for technical and secretarial assistance Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences Hokkaido Pharmaceutical University School of Pharmacy conceived the study and designed the experiments performed the experiments and analysed the data wrote the manuscript with contributions from all co-authors The authors declare no competing interests Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45669-z Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science “Ukalamukadze, Dave! Where did you run today?” My neighbor shouted from his doorway, holding a steaming cup of chai and motioning to join him on the open veranda in front of his house. “The footpath near the missionary graves,” I shot back. “Past Kaya Ribe and then back the same way.” “You know,” he paused “that was a caravan route from Mombasa long ago related to the international market for ivory and East African’s own demands for foreign commercial goods United Methodist Missionary Society graves at Ribe moving self-powered through the physical environment I was studying I became aware that my daily runs were beginning to influence my research questions and project was therefore essential to the stories I sought to reconstruct I can see how my personal experiences traversing the landscape intersected with the entry points of my research project Dirt road in Shimba Hills/Kwale on the coastal ridge southwest of Mombasa with Indian Ocean inlet in the distance “Yesterday when I was running on the ridge it really dawned on me for the first time how much of the coast you can see: Mombasa, Bamburi Cement, the sisal plantation by Kilifi Like I was right on top of it.” Fieldnotes excerpt The proximity of different hinterland communities to the Indian Ocean and to each other were all brought into full relief on runs and helped me develop a repertoire of interview questions Sometimes I asked about physical features I saw on the run—like how long a certain footpath had been in use or where a nearby creek terminates—and other times I ran to places that came up in interviews As a scholar of the distant past whose primary evidence comes from comparative historical linguistics I was not entirely concerned with the veracity of these stories I used the conversations to build mental maps and to visualize the ways people moved through the landscape Imagining past activities and uses of the spaces I inhabited both as a runner and as a researcher could help inform my reading of various types of historical evidence When interviewing people about the hunting lexicon in their language or the stories they had heard about hunter-foragers who lived long ago I also learned about well-known rock formations down a certain road or in a neighboring location If located within a reasonable running distance the places described to me in interviews became research destinations on their own I set off some mornings on “active fieldwork,” soliciting directions along the way to what were often only vaguely described locations making mental notes about the landscape as I went and archaeological reports all yield important insights into relationships between different sociolinguistic groups in the distant past getting out and physically moving between historical settlements enabled me to more effectively anchor these disparate types of evidence in place and to better conceptualize the interplay between different social actors within the landscape I make no claim that my interactions with the environments of Kenya’s coastal hinterlands as a runner replicate the ways that societies’ whose historical experience I study moved through similar geographies the work of an historian necessarily entails not only interpretation but also a healthy dose of historical imagination We build up the historical context of another time or place by reading texts or other primary sources and creating detailed images of past events and actors Although Kenya’s coastal hinterlands have changed greatly since even the most recent temporal depths of my study (which ends in the mid-1800s) my own contemporary movements (namely running) still offer insight on the region’s historical landscapes I began each morning with a grunting climb up a narrow dirt road leading to the town center I turned left just before Ribe Methodist Church and started to descend toward the low coastal plain along a hundreds-of-years-old path Most houses in Ribe are clustered around the top of the ridge but as you move off the escarpment and toward the coast the slopes are also heavily cultivated and dotted with family-owned farm plots After the descent begins a stretch of gently undulating terrain I ran past the prominent forest grove that encompasses Kaya Ribe and across a small footbridge which crosses a rushing creek running through the kaya forest Shortly after passing the kaya forest the terrain flattens out Running for me was yet another entry point to visualizing and reconstructing the past practices that likely unfolded within the larger environment surrounding places like Ribe as well as other locations in Kenya’s coastal hinterlands David Bresnahan is a PhD candidate in African history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on coastal East Africa’s entanglements with the Indian Ocean world social and economic networks from the first millennium to the 1800s. He also sometimes runs. Contact Tags: My wife and I were Peace Corps volunteers in Nakuru We completed 6 weeks of in-country training at Mombasa when we first arrived and often visited friends at the coast Thanks for bringing back some of the memories You must be logged in to post a comment Edge Effects is a digital magazine about environmental issues produced by graduate students at the Center for Culture, History, and Environment (CHE), a research center within the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Contact Us Edge Effects c/o CHE 550 North Park Street, Room 280 Madison, Wisconsin 53706edgeeffects@nelson.wisc.edu Powered by  - Designed with Hueman Pro Metrics details Radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) is a poorly understood phenomenon wherein non-targeted cells exhibit effects of radiation We have reported that cell-free chromatin (cfCh) particles that are released from dying cells can integrate into genomes of surrounding healthy cells to induce DNA damage and inflammation This raised the possibility that RIBE might be induced by cfCh released from irradiated dying cells When conditioned media from BrdU-labeled irradiated cells were passed through filters of pore size 0.22 µm and incubated with unexposed cells BrdU-labeled cfCh particles could be seen to readily enter their nuclei to activate H2AX A direct relationship was observed with respect to activation of RIBE biomarkers and radiation dose in the range of 0.1–50 Gy We confirmed by FISH and cytogenetic analysis that cfCh had stably integrated into chromosomes of bystander cells and had led to extensive chromosomal instability The above RIBE effects could be abrogated when conditioned media were pre-treated with agents that inactivate cfCh anti-histone antibody complexed nanoparticles (CNPs) DNase I and a novel DNA degrading agent Resveratrol-copper (R-Cu) Lower hemi-body irradiation with γ-rays (0.1–50 Gy) led to activation of H2AX and IL-6 in brain cells in a dose-dependent manner Activation of these RIBE biomarkers could be abrogated by concurrent treatment with CNPs DNase I and R-Cu indicating that activation of RIBE was not due to radiation scatter to the brain RIBE activation was seen even when mini-beam radiation was delivered to the umbilical region of mice wherein radiation scatter to brain was negligible and could be abrogated by cfCh inactivating agents These results indicate that cfCh released from radiation-induced dying cells are activators of RIBE and that it can be prevented by treatment with appropriate cfCh inactivating agents These findings led us to hypothesize that RIBE may be activated by cfCh that are released from dying cells exposed to ionizing radiation by integrating themselves into genomes of neighboring un-irradiated cells and MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer) cells were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) NIH3T3 and Jurkat cells were grown in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM) (Gibco catalog#12800-017) containing 10% bovine calf serum (HyClone whereas MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured in DMEM containing 10% fetal bovine serum (Gibco Cells were maintained in an incubator at 37 °C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 and air Jurkat cells were plated at a density of 6 × 104 cells and after overnight culture (cell count 1 × 105) were dually labeled in their histones (H2B) and DNA Histone H2B labelling was done for 36 h with CellLight® Histone 2B-GFP (Thermo Fisher Scientific C10594) and DNA labeling for 24 h using BrdU (10 μM Sigma Chemicals Dually labeled Jurkat cells were plated at a density of 6 × 104 and after overnight culture (~16 h) when the cell density was ~1 × 105 they were irradiated using a telecobalt machine (Bhabatron-II)© delivering ~2.26 Gy/min to a total dose of 15 Gy Irradiated Jurkat cells were co-cultivated with NIH3T3 cells in a ratio of 1:1 in 35 mm3 Petri dishes for 24 h Cells were thoroughly washed and the adherent bystander NIH3T3 cells were processed for confocal microscopy they were irradiated using a tele Cobalt machine (Bhabatron-II)© delivering ~2.26 Gy/min to a total dose of 10 Gy Cells were returned to the incubator and after 6 h conditioned media from donor cells were collected and passed through syringe filters comprising of pore sizes of 0.22 µm and 0.1 µm (Pall Corporation The filtered conditioned media were applied to un-irradiated NIH3T3 cells plated on cover slips in 35 mm culture dishes (1 × 105 cells) and processed for immunofluorescence to detect presence of fluorescent BrdU particles in the recipients and activation of RIBE in the form of expression of γ-H2AX and IL-6 (see later for immunofluorescence methodology) The same experimental protocol described above was used except that the irradiated cells were not labeled with BrdU and the filtered culture medium was applied to recipient bystander cells for 6 h The various cellular combinations used comprising (1) NIH3T3 (mouse normal donor) and NIH3T3 (mouse normal recipient); (2) MDA-MB-231 (human tumor donor) and NIH3T3 (mouse normal recipient); (3) MDA-MB-231 (human tumor donor) and MDA-MB-231 (human tumor recipient); (4) NIH3T3 (mouse normal donor) and MDA MB-231 (human tumor recipient) and IL-6 were analyzed by immuno-flourescence Cells were plated in six-well plates and exposed to a radiation dose of 10 Gy (Supplementary Fig. 1) The field area was 25 × 25 cm2 covering the entire plate (12.5 × 8.5 cm) The depth of irradiation was kept at 0.5 cm and the exposure was given for 5.89 min to deliver 10 Gy The plate was placed exactly at the center of the field (away from the prenumbra) so as to obtain uniform radiation exposure Estimation of cell death was performed using the acridine orange (AO)/propidium iodide (PI) staining method by fluorescence microscopy AO is a membrane-permeable dye that stains DNA of healthy cells while PI stains DNA of dead or dying cells Following radiation at different doses (0.1 Gy MDA-MB-231 cells were incubated for 6 h and were stained at 1:1 ratio of AO and PI and mounted with VectaShield mounting medium with DAPI (Vector Laboratories Images were acquired immediately and analyzed on Applied Spectral Imaging system A total of 1000 nuclei staining with either dye were counted and proportion of nuclei that stained with PI were scored as dead Catalog # P4170 while AO was a kind gift from Dr MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with Adriamycin (5 µg/ml for 24 h) Cells were trypsinised and extensively washed in PBS and incubated in fresh medium for 12 h The conditioned medium was passed through 0.22 µm filter and applied to NIH3T3 cells for 6 h Activation of H2AX was estimated by immuno-flourescence The final isolate was suspended 500 µl of PBS and 100 µl from the suspension was cytospun on a slide and examined by confocal microscopy cfCh were similarly isolated from irradiated filtered conditioned media that had not been fluorescently dually labeled and were similarly applied on a slide and stained with exosome component marker (Hsp 70) to confirm that cfCh isolates were devoid of exosomes Primary and secondary antibodies used in the immunofluorescence experiments are listed in Supplementary Table 1 Slides were mounted with vectashield mounting medium with DAPI (Vector Laboratories Catalog#H-1200) and analyzed on Applied Spectral Imaging system All experiments were done in duplicate; 200 cells were analyzed for each cellular combination and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) was calculated and comparison between groups was performed using Student’s t-test nuclear fluorescence was used to calculate MFI Metaphase spreads were prepared from bystander NIH3T3 cells (at 10th passage) treated with conditioned medium of irradiated and un-irradiated MDA-MB-231 cells Metaphases were hybridized with Cyanine-3 orange labeled human whole genomic probe (Chrom-Bios GmbH Thirty metaphases were imaged in each case and examined for the presence of human DNA signals using FISHview software 5.0 (Applied Spectral Imaging Metaphase spreads were prepared at 10th passage from recipient NIH3T3 cells that had been treated with conditioned medium from irradiated or un-irradiated MDA-MB-231 cells and stained through conventional Giemsa staining Fifty metaphases were analyzed in each case and distribution and frequency of chromosomal aberrations were analyzed using the Bandview software 5.0 on Spectral Bio-Imaging System (Applied spectral imaging The animals were killed after 48 h and their brains were removed and subsequently processed for cryo-sectioning and immune-florescence staining Studies using cfCh inhibitors were undertaken in animals receiving 10 Gy radiation dose Twenty-five animals were divided into 5 groups of five animals each as follows: (1) control (mice not exposed to radiation); (2) 10 Gy lower HBI alone; (3) 10 Gy lower HBI+CNPs (50 µg anti-H4 conjugated nanoparticles once daily i.p.); (4) 10 Gy lower HBI+DNase I (15 mg/kg twice daily i.p.); (5) 10 Gy lower HBI+R-Cu (R = 1 mg/kg and Cu = 10−4mg/kg twice daily by oral gavage) DNase I and R–Cu were administered 4 h prior to delivery of lower HBI; subsequent doses and frequency of administration of cfCh inhibitors are given in appropriate sections below Thermo-luminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were prepared in-house using 40 mg of freshly annealed TLD-100 (LiF: Mg,Ti) powder (Harshaw Chemical Co Ohio USA) and packed in square polyethylene pouches (1 cm × 1 cm) BALB/c mice were killed under CO2 atmosphere and TLD pouches were surgically placed close to various organs/tissue namely thigh muscle Nylon sutures were used for closure of incisions Mice (n = 2 per dose) were exposed to various radiation doses as described earlier TLDs were collected post irradiation for dosimetry analysis The thermoluminescent output was recorded using commercial TLD-reader (REXON UL-320) and expressed as output per unit weight (nC/mg) The uncertainty factor in TLD-100 powder measurements is ±2% Dosimtery data are given in Supplementary Table 2 mice were killed under anesthesia and brain tissue were collected and cryopreserved The cryosections of brain tissue were analyzed for activation of H2AX and NFkB expression by Immuno-flurescence 25 µg of CNPs in 100 µl of buffer was added to 1.5 ml of culture medium 50 µg of CNPs in 100 µl of buffer was administered i.p once a day for a duration of 48 h when the animals were killed (total number of doses received = 3) The first dose of CNPs was given 4 hr prior to irradiation The R-Cu molar combination used in these experiments was R (1 mM): Cu (0.0001 mM) Catalog#R5010) was dissolved in 5 ml of 30% ethanol (2 mM) (solution A) Catalog#191415) was dissolved in 1 ml distilled water (20 mM) and then serially diluted to 0.0002 µM concentration (solution B) Solutions A and B were mixed (50% v/v) to obtain a mixture containing 1 mM R and 0.0001 mM Cu One hundred microlitres of this mixture was added to 1.5 ml of culture medium We used resveratrol (Trade name—TransMaxTR USA) and copper (Trade name—Chelated Copper both of which are approved for human consumption as dietary supplements The contents of 500 mg capsules of R were dissolved in sterile distilled water (concentration = 0.4 mg/ml) Five milligram tablets of copper were crushed into fine powder and dissolved in distilled water (concentration = 0.04 µg/ml) Both solutions were administered (50 µl each) by oral gavage one followed by the other twice daily for a duration of 48 h when they were killed (total number of doses received = 5) The final concentration of R was 1 mg/kg and Cu was 0.1 µg/kg at a final ratio of 1:10−4 The first dose of R-Cu was given 4 hr prior to irradiation Bovine pancreatic DNase I (0.005 U; Sigma-Aldrich; Catalogue No- DN25-1G) was used per 1.5 ml of culture media in all experiments Bovine pancreatic DNase I (Sigma-Aldrich; Catalogue No- DN25-1G) was injected i.p at 15 mg/kg twice daily for a duration of 48 h when they were killed (total number of doses received = 5) The first dose of DNase I was given 4 hr prior to irradiation Results are expressed in terms of absorbance kinetics at 405 nm The protocol for animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) of the Institute in compliance to ARRIVE guidelines C57Bl6 and BALB/c mice (6–8 weeks old weighing ~20 g) were obtained from and housed in the Institute Animal House Facility Version 5.0) was used to perform statistical analysis Results were compared using Student’s t-test Graphs were presented as mean ± standard error of mean (SEM) Differences between groups were considered significant when P-value was <0.05 (two-tailed) B NIH3T3 cells that had been co-cultivated with irradiated (15 Gy) dually labeled Jurkat cells for 24 h C NIH3T3 cells that had been co-cultivated with un-irradiated dually labeled Jurkat cells for 24 h Images in the upper panel are of un-filtered media which show ‘beads on a string’ structures typical of chromatin These structures are either discrete (left hand image) or are seen in clumps (right hand image) The observed nucleosomes are ~10 nm in size suggest that the mechanical force applied during filtration through small pores 0.1 µm and 0.22 µm in size has broken up the chromatin-like structures and the particles seen were sub-nucleosomal in size (<10 nm) (lower panels) A Incremental increase in cell death in MDA-MB-231 donor cells with increasing dose of radiation B Increasing bystander activation of H2AX in NIH3T3 recipient cells with increasing cell death in donor cells The line curves depict the mean MFI (±S.E.); all experiments were done in duplicates Various donor cells were irradiated (10 Gy) and after 6 h of incubation the culture media were passed through 0.22 µm filters The filtered media were incubated with recipient cells for 6 h and analyzed for activation of RIBE A–D The experiments were done in four different combinations of donor and recipient cell lines as depicted in the figure Conditioned media from irradiated cells markedly activated H2AX Pre-treatment of irradiated filtered conditioned medium with CNPs DNase I and R-Cu completely prevented RIBE The experiments were done in duplicate and the histograms depict mean MFI (±S.E.) The groups were compared using Student’s t-test A Confocal images (zoomed ×60 magnification) of dually labeled cfCh isolates from irradiated conditioned medium of MDA-MB-231 cells (Upper panel) Confocal images of un-labeled cfCh isolates stained with exosome marker Hsp-70 showing absence of exosomes (lower left hand image) MDA-MB-231 cells stained with Hsp-70 are used as a positive control (lower right hand image) B Activation of H2AX in NIH3T3 cells by cfCh isolates from MDA-MB-231 cells that are devoid of exosomes (p = 0.0001) The donor MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were irradiated (10 Gy) and the filtered culture medium applied to NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. FISH was performed using a human whole genomic probe at 10th passage. Cells treated with conditioned medium of un-irradiated cells (left hand image); cells treated with conditioned medium of irradiated cells (right hand image). Quantitation of human signals is given in the lower panel (Mean ± S.E.). Thirty metaphases were analyzed in each case The experiment was done as described under Fig. 3 and karyotype analysis was performed at 10th passage A Wagon wheel depicting chromosomal aberrations in metaphase preparations from cells treated with conditioned medium of un-irradiated cells B Wagon wheel depicting chromosomal aberrations in metaphase preparations from cells treated with conditioned medium of irradiated cells The results depict those derived from analysis of 50 metaphase spreads These findings suggest that cfCh are released mainly from dying cells and not from those with dsDNA breaks without accompanying cell death We demonstrate that bystander effects can also occur when cells are exposed to chemotherapeutic agents by showing that Adriamycin treated cells also release cfCh into the culture medium. When conditioned media of Adriamycin treated cells were filtered and applied to NIH3T3 cells, a strong γH2AX response was observed (Supplementary Fig. 11) A Dose-response effect of out-of-field RIBE following lower HBI in brain cells with respect to γH2AX and NFκB B Graph showing surge of cfCh in circulation at 36 h following lower HBI measured by Cell Death Detection ELISAplus kit wherein results are expressed in terms of absorbance kinetics at 405 nm C Inhibition of out-of-field RIBE with respect to γH2AX All animals except the control group received lower HBI (10 Gy) with and without CNPs D Inhibition of out-of-field RIBE with respect to γH2AX and NFκB All animals except the control group received focused min-beam radiation (20 Gy) with and without CNPs The control and irradiated groups comprising five animals each while those receiving radiation plus CNPs DNase I and R-Cu comprised of three animals each The finding that biomarkers of RIBE could be inhibited by the three cfCh inactivating agents indicated that activation of γH2AX and IL-6 were unlikely to be due to radiation scatter they indicated that agents responsible for out-of-field RIBE in brain cells were cfCh particles released into circulation from dying cells of animals treated with lower HBI Herein we report results of multiple additional experiments and new evidence which strongly implicates cfCh in activation of RIBE Results of new experiments reported herein include; (1) demonstration that and IL-6 in bystander cells; (6) demonstration that the above RIBE parameters can be abrogated by cfCh inactivating agents namely CNPs can induce RIBE; (16) demonstration that RIBE in brain cells induced by both lower HBI and focused mini-beam irradiation can be prevented by cfCh inactivating agents Differences in experimental design and type of radiation used may explain the discrepancy with respect to our findings We demonstrate by FISH that radiation-induced cfCh that are taken up by bystander cells get integrated into their chromosomes (Fig. 6) Metaphase preparations of NIH3T3 cells that had been co-cultured with irradiated Jurkat cells showed multiple fluorescent signals of human DNA in the mouse cell chromosomes The fact that they were detectable even after the bystander cells had gone through 10 passages confirmed that cfCh from irradiated cells had stably integrated into bystander cellular genomes By conventional cytogenetic analysis, we demonstrate that genomic integration of cfCh had induced extensive chromosomal aberrations in successive generations of bystander cells (Fig. 7 and Supplementary Fig. 9) Differences from our results can be attributed to this scatter radiation effect which could have induced an adaptive response thereby influencing/modifying any bystander damage effect The differences may also be attributed to differences in experimental design between the two studies Morgan, W. F. Non-targeted and delayed effects of exposure to ionizing radiation: I. Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects in vitro. Radiat. Res. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canlet.2013.09.009 (2003) Widel, M. Radiation induced bystander effect: from in vitro studies to clinical application. Int. J. Med. Phys. Clin. Eng. Radiat. Oncol. https://doi.org/10.4236/ijmpcero.2016.51001 (2016) Ryan, L. A., Smith, R. W., Seymour, C. B. & Mothersill, C. E. Dilution of irradiated cell conditioned medium and the bystander effect. Radiat. Res. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR1141.1 (2008) Azzam, E. I., De Toledo, S. M. & Little, J. B. Oxidative metabolism, gap junctions and the ionizing radiation-induced bystander effect. Oncogene https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1206961 (2003) Mothersill, C. & Seymour, C. B. Radiation-induced bystander effects–implications for cancer. Nat. Rev. Cancer https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc1277 (2004) Zhang, D. et al. Reactive oxygen species formation and bystander effects in gradient irradiation on human breast cancer cells. Oncotarget https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.9517 (2016) Nitric oxide-mediated signaling in the bystander response of individually targeted glioma cells Lyng, F. M., Maguire, P., McClean, B., Seymour, C. & Mothersill, C. The involvement of calcium and MAP kinase signaling pathways in the production of radiation-induced bystander effects. Radiat. Res. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR3527.1 (2006) Hu, W. et al. MiR-663 inhibits radiation-induced bystander effects by targeting TGFB1 in a feedback mode. RNA Biol. https://doi.org/10.4161/rna.34345 (2014). Shareef, M. M. et al. Role of tumor necrosis factor-α and TRAIL in high-dose radiation-induced bystander signaling in lung adenocarcinoma. Cancer Res. https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-07-0722 (2007) Buonanno, M. et al. Ear model for bystander studies induced by microbeam irradiation. Radiat. Res. https://doi.org/10.1667/RR14057.1 (2015) Ventura, J. et al. Localized synchrotron irradiation of mouse skin induces persistent systemic genotoxic and immune responses. Cancer Res. https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-17-1066 (2017) Shao, C., Folkard, M., Michael, B. D. & Prise, K. M. Targeted cytoplasmic irradiation induces bystander responses. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0404930101 (2004) Dickey, J. S., Zemp, F. J., Martin, O. A. & Kovalchuk, O. The role of miRNA in the direct and indirect effects of ionizing radiation. Radiat. Environ. Biophys. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-011-0386-5 (2011) Xu, S. et al. Exosome-mediated microRNA transfer plays a role in radiation-induced bystander effect. RNA Biol. https://doi.org/10.1080/15476286.2015.1100795 (2015) Radiation-induced bystander signalling in cancer therapy Siva, S. et al. Radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer induces DNA damage response in both irradiated and out-of-field normal tissues. Clin. Cancer Res. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-0138 (2016) Koturbash, I. et al. In vivo bystander effect: cranial X-irradiation leads to elevated DNA damage, altered cellular proliferation and apoptosis, and increased p53 levels in shielded spleen. Int J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.09.039 (2008) Mancuso, M. et al. Oncogenic bystander radiation effects in Patched heterozygous mouse cerebellum. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0804186105 (2008) Geras’kin, S. A., Fesenko, S. V. & Alexakhin, R. M. Effects of non-human species irradiation after the Chernobyl NPP accident. Environ. Int. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2007.12.012 (2008) Dewey, W. C., Ling, C. C. & Meyn, R. E. Radiation-induced apoptosis: relevance to radiotherapy. Int J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. https://doi.org/10.1016/0360-3016(95)00214-8 (1995) Van Nieuwenhuijze, A. E. M., Van Lopik, T., Smeenk, R. J. T. & Aarden, L. A. Time between onset of apoptosis and release of nucleosomes from apoptotic cells: putative implications for systemic lupus erythematosus. Ann. Rheum. Dis. https://doi.org/10.1136/ard.62.1.10 (2003) Mittra, I. et al. Cell-free chromatin from dying cancer cells integrate into genomes of bystander healthy cells to induce DNA damage and inflammation. Cell Death Discov. 3 https://doi.org/10.1038/cddiscovery.2017.15 (2017) Circulating nucleic acids damage DNA of healthy cells by integrating into their genomes Circulating nucleic acids: a new class of physiological mobile genetic elements Mothershill, C. & Seymour, C. Medium from irradiated human epithelial cells but not human fibroblasts reduces the clonogenic survival of unirradiated cells. Int. J. Radiat. Biol. https://doi.org/10.1080/095530097144030 (1997) In Techniques for Electron Microscopy 2nd edn H.) 311–355 (Blackwell Scientific Publications Pullulan-histone antibody nanoconjugates for the removal of chromatin fragments from systemic circulation A paradoxical synergism between Resveratrol and copper (II) with respect to degradation of DNA and RNA Gülçin, I. Antioxidant properties of resveratrol: a structure-activity insight. Innov. Food Sci. Emerg. Technol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2009.07.002 (2010) de la Lastra, C. A. & Villegas, I. Resveratrol as an antioxidant and pro-oxidant agent: mechanisms and clinical implications. Biochem. Soc. Trans., https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0351156 (2007) Fukuhara, K. & Miyata, N. Resveratrol as a new type of DNA-cleaving agent. Bioorg. Med Chem. Lett. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-894X(98)00585-X (1998) Le, M. et al. Exosomes are released by bystander cells exposed to radiation-induced biophoton signals: Reconciling the mechanisms mediating the bystander effect. PLoS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173685 (2017) Coates, P. J., Robinson, J. I., Lorimore, S. A. & Wright, E. G. Ongoing activation of p53 pathway responses is a long-term consequence of radiation exposure in vivo and associates with altered macrophage activities. J. Pathol. https://doi.org/10.1002/path.2321 (2008) Smilenov, L. B., Hall, E. J., Bonner, W. M. & Sedelnikova, O. A. A microbeam study of DNA double-strand breaks in bystander primary human fibroblasts. Radiat. Prot. Dosim. https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncl461 (2006) Mittra, I. et al. Prevention of chemotherapy toxicity by agents that neutralize or degrade cell-free chromatin. Ann. Oncol. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdx318 (2017) Biological effects in unirradiated human tissue induced by radiation damage up to 1 mm away Second malignancies in prostate carcinoma patients after radiotherapy compared with surgery Download references This study was supported by the Department of Atomic Energy through its grant CTCTMC to Tata Memorial Centre awarded to I.M Chandrashekhar M Tambe of Department of Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics Tata Memorial Hospital for help with focused mini-beam radiation experiment and preparing the micro dosimeters and recording the dosimetry measurements respectively Sharda Sawant for her help with EM experiments and to Dr Jayant Sastri Goda for his helpful comments on the manuscript We thank Harshali Tandel and Vishal Jadhav for technical assistance These authors contributed equally: Saurabh Kirolikar Comparative Oncology Program and Small Animal Imaging Facility The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41419-018-1181-x Immigration lawyer Alexandra Ribe started noticing recently that the court dates of many of her clients’ cases were suddenly being moved up — oftentimes without official mailed notice from the courts One such case involved a woman from El Salvador who had come to the United States seeking asylum after refusing to follow the orders of gang members to kill a child an immigration attorney who represents clients in Maryland and Virginia and serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law 1 that the hearing had been rescheduled for next month Her client said it’s too little time for her to save up the money needed to hire an expert to provide testimony at the trial It can take months to collect the evidence for an asylum case — time that Ribe is finding that she suddenly no longer has for dozens of rescheduled trials “We’re just over our head drowning in these cases,” Ribe said The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one. Immigration cases are being abruptly rescheduled across Virginia and Maryland said Ribe and other attorneys interviewed by The Baltimore Banner Some attorneys say the opening of new immigration courts and the hiring of judges — measures taken by the court system to address a massive backlog of cases — is actually adding to the confusion in the short term More than 50,000 cases are in the backlog for Maryland immigration courts, according to federal data published by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) the number of immigration cases has increased dramatically nationwide Maryland’s backlog has grown more than 900% since 2012 COVID-19 exacerbated an already extensive backlog. For months, immigration courts were closed to hearings in the early days of the pandemic, as the amount of time it took to close an immigration case doubled, according to an analysis by TRAC Immigration The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees the nation’s immigration courts, has tried to address the backlog by increasing the capacity of the system. According to the U.S. Department of Justice the courts since 2017 have hired hundreds of additional immigration judges and opened more than 100 new courtrooms across the country the federal government opened two new immigration courts in Sterling and Annandale Baltimore’s immigration court remains open while a second Maryland court began operating in Hyattsville in February According to immigration attorneys in the region it wasn’t uncommon to have some hearings rescheduled in the past the number of cases getting rescheduled in Virginia immigration courts has risen to an unsustainable rate Maryland’s immigration courts are also bumping up hearing dates There was a rush to reschedule hearings in Maryland about a year ago explained Maryland immigration attorney Himedes Chicas is that the newly hired judges need more work to do so they’re fast-tracking some cases Chicas said he’s glad to see the court’s attempts to fix the backlog but the way it’s being handled is disorganized and affecting clients’ cases an immigration courts spokesperson wrote in an email: “The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) constantly monitors its caseload nationwide to meet the needs of all those with business before the agency and opening new immigration courts in high-volume areas is one way to meet our stakeholders’ needs.” “EOIR’s focus is to increase adjudicatory and case processing capacity in a fair and uniform manner to reduce the pending caseload,” the statement said a Virginia immigration attorney and adjunct professor at Georgetown Law said the changes are creating “chaos” in the court system Cases are getting reassigned to new judges who each have different preferences on policy and procedure Attorneys don’t know if they should appear for hearings online or in-person or if they can expect to get extensions on deadlines for filing documents Preparing for a hearing can be time-consuming Attorneys have to request documents from other countries hire experts who can testify about conditions in those faraway places order psychological evaluations for their clients and prepare the individuals they represent — many of whom have been through traumatic experiences — to undergo grueling probes in court where they will be asked to describe in detail sexual assaults The hearing rescheduling issue is affecting all types of immigration cases but the consequences could be especially dire for those seeking asylum “You could be deporting a client to their death if they don’t get the relief they require,” Rahman said The vast majority of people with cases in Maryland and Virginia immigration court are from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, data from TRAC Immigration show. Hundreds of thousands flee those countries for the U.S. each year to escape violence seek economic opportunities and join family members Rahman said she believes abrupt rescheduling of hearings is a national problem The American Immigration Lawyers Association convened a group of attorneys from across the country who had reported similar issues with hearings being rescheduled with little to no notice Baltimore-based immigration attorney Raymond Griffith said judges and court staff should not be blamed for court issues which stem from the number of migrants crossing the border each year and the geopolitical forces that are driving people to leave their home countries “They’re all good people trying to do a job,” Griffith said “But you’re asking them to drink out of a firehose on full blast and you’re wondering why they’re choking.” There’s no near-term or easy solution to the problem “I don’t think it’ll ever be fixed because you will never have enough judges until people stop looking at America as the best country in the world,” Griffith said Griffith said there are certain things that immigration lawyers should be doing to prepare for hearings even if they are bumped up without mailed notice He checks an online portal for attorneys multiple times a day for updates to the hearing calendar Griffith said he doesn’t wait until the last minute to gather documents he includes enough information so that if the case needs to go forward immediately you can’t complain” about being unprepared judges at the Baltimore court are understanding and will often allow hearings to be rescheduled for a later date Many judges also are lenient with their document filing deadlines “Most people can’t say they didn’t have a fair shot,” Griffith said other attorneys said it oftentimes doesn’t make sense to start getting ready for a case that isn’t scheduled to go before a judge until years later because their clients’ cases and conditions in their home countries change over time They also said requests to reschedule hearings for a later date are not guaranteed to be granted by judges who serves as a liaison between the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Washington D.C said attorneys are doing their best to communicate their concerns to the court system’s leadership He also encouraged attorneys to check their online portals daily to monitor for hearing schedule changes Anyone with a case in immigration court without legal representation should check EOIR’s Automated Case Information System or call 1-800-898-7180 at least once a week for updates on their cases alissa.zhu@thebaltimorebanner.com Alissa Zhu alissa.zhu@thebaltimorebanner.com Alissa Zhu reports on the drug overdose crisis in Baltimore as a New York Times Local Investigations fellow working in partnership with The Baltimore Banner she was on the investigations team at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi and covered local government for the News-Leader in her hometown of Springfield Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policies The Baltimore Banner is a trademark registered in the U.S for The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism Statement from Executive Vice President and General Manager Eric DeCosta pic.twitter.com/TNQrqw3me2 Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policies Click here to view our Terms of Sale.\n \n Click here to learn more about supporting local journalism.\n Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or customercare@thebaltimorebanner.com A new study has moved Scandinavian urban history almost 100 years further back in time Until now archaeologists have thought that Ribe was built in the end of the eighth century now a new study suggests the town was built in the early eighth century "Ribe was where the urbanisation of all Scandinavia began If Ribe began to become a town already in the early eighth century this was long before the beginning of the Viking age which sheds new light on our conception of this period," says the study's author Sarah Croix from Aarhus University “In her study Croix has shown that the model we have worked with for the past 30 years is not accurate,” says Professor and head of research Søren Sindbæk from Aarhus University who believes the study will be of huge significance for Viking archaeology The study was recently published in the European Journal of Archaeology The Vikings sailed to the most important trading centres to buy From its beginning is the early 700s it also functioned as a landing place This discussion has been circulating among archaeologists since the 1970s "It was thought that it must have been something seasonal a place only visited as a trading post once a year Envisaging the existence of a town –- that is to say permanent habitation -– from the very start I have found clear evidence of this in regards to Ribe." Croix based her analysis on the following facts: The most important piece of evidence of Croix's analyses is neither the tools nor other odds and ends in the soil The remains of the house are located outside the main excavation area that they have not succeeded in finding a hearth which is otherwise considered crucial for a house to be considered a permanent residence on the basis of available data Croix has been able to conclude: Porfessor Sindbæk is also convinced by Croix’s new evaluation: "Croix has found a house that stood on the site all year round which makes a sound argument against the idea that the place was only a camp or a seasonal site." it takes more than the single house to convince sceptical archaeologists Croix has been on the hunt in the rest of the marketplace for signs of similar structures Here she has looked for ditches and post holes She has found signs that the permanent house was unlikely to have been the only one of its kind Further excavations will be necessary for a final conclusion to be drawn from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo finds Croix’s study highly important He reached the conflicting conclusion in 2007: that Ribe did not become a town until around 780 But the content of the new scientific article is most convincing But final confirmation of whether Ribe was a town already in the early eighth century will require more excavations," says Skre Thought the professional community is calling for more evidence Croix is certain of her results: Ribe became a town in the early 700s – possibly as early as 705 to which the earliest items on the site have been dated "It wasn't initially my ambition to reach this conclusion but when I suddenly found myself sitting there with the results in my hands I saw that they would change our current model,” says Croix Permanency in Early Medieval Emporia: Reassessing Ribe, Journal of European Archeology (2014), DOI: 10.1179/1461957114Y.0000000078