Bats could hold the key to unlocking new ways to combat cancer, a new study suggests. A paper published by Oxford University Press, looks at the rapid evolution of bats for their abilities to both host and survive infections such as Covid-19 as well as cancer. The animals are known to have a strong immune system which helps fight off many viruses and diseases. These mammals are also thought to have played a role in the emergence of Covid-19 and scientists say such characteristics are interesting to investigate due to the implications it might have on human health. According to the research, understanding the mechanisms of the bat’s immune system that allows these animals to fight off viral infections – may pave the way to understanding how to prevent disease outbreaks from animals to people. To conduct the study, researchers sequenced the genomes of two bat species - the Jamaican fruit bat and the Mesoamerican mustached bat. The team used advanced technology from Oxford Nanopore Technologies and bat samples collected by the American Museum of Natural History in Belize. They then compared the bat genomes to those of other mammals. The results revealed that bats possessed genetic adaptations in proteins which are related to DNA repair and cancer suppression. It was found that bats had adaptations in six DNA repair-related proteins and 46 cancer-related proteins. The study also found that bats had more than double the number of altered cancer-related genes compared to other mammals, which provided further evidence that they have the ability to suppress cancer. “By generating these new bat genomes and comparing them to other mammals we continue to find extraordinary new adaptations in antiviral and anticancer genes,” said the paper’s lead author, Armin Scheben. “These investigations are the first step towards translating research on the unique biology of bats into insights relevant to understanding and treating ageing and diseases, such as cancer, in humans.” The results open up new paths for understanding and studying the links between cancer and immunity, which offers hope that these insights from bats might possibly lead to new treatments for human illnesses. According to the United States Department of the Interior, there are over 1,400 species of bats worldwide and are mostly found in extreme deserts and polar regions. In the US and Canada, there are about 45 species of bats. Read More British bats ‘can help identify coronaviruses with potential to infect humans’ Coronavirus origins still a mystery 3 years into pandemic Groundbreaking migraine treatment offers ‘new hope’ for patients World Sepsis Day: What is the condition and its symptoms? Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor says he’s ‘asymptomatic’ after end-of-life diagnosis

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The potential absence of Bukayo Saka and the availability of Manchester City’s treble-winners from the start of the game could determine Gareth Southgate’s selection as England face North Macedonia on Monday night. Another intriguing wrinkle comes in whether he opts to play Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield one more after his stand-out showing in the win over Malta - while several Manchester United players will hope to start, with the game on home soil at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford will be one, but he’s vying against Jack Grealish and James Maddison, with the latter starting the victory on Friday. A fourth straight win in Euro 2024 qualifying is the expectation here for the Three Lions, with the finals in Germany then very close given the top two will automatically progress. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game. When is the match? England play North Macedonia on Monday 19 June with kick-off set for 7:45pm BST. Where can I watch? All England senior men’s games are now shown live on Channel 4. Viewers can stream the match via the Channel 4 website and app. You can also follow the live blog right here on the Independent, starting from around 6pm BST. What is the England team news? Bukayo Saka was subbed off against Malta with a knock so might not feature, while Eberechi Eze will hope for a second cap after making his debut off the bench. Gareth Southgate’s big decisions will be over how many Man City stars to bring into the lineup, with John Stones most likely but Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips all hoping to feature too. Phil Foden is the fifth member and he might replace Saka from the start, having done so in the last match. Trent Alexander-Arnold continuing in midfield against an opponent which represents a slight step-up is also another possibility. Predicted lineups ENG - Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Alexander-Arnold, Rice, Henderson, Foden, Kane, Rashford MKD - Dimitrievski, Ristovski, Zajkov, Velkovski, Ashkovski, Ademi, Bardhi, Alioski, Elmas, Nestorovski, Trajkovski Odds England 1/10 Draw 12/1 North Macedonia 28/1 Prediction England to take another step towards the finals in Germany next summer with a straight-forward victory by at least a couple of goals. England 3-0 North Macedonia. Read More How to watch England vs North Macedonia online and on TV tonight Marcus Rashford’s complicated England relationship could be at turning point England stars must ignore transfer talk, says Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate sees a tougher test for his team at Old Trafford England take the show on the road as Eze pushes for a start – talking points Gareth Southgate wants England to retain winning mentality on road to Euro 2024

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Manchester City duly booked their spot in the Champions League knockout stage after cruising to a 3-0 win over Young Boys at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland’s 23rd-minute penalty sent them on their way and superb strikes from Phil Foden and Haaland again sealed victory over the Swiss side, who had Sandro Lauper sent off early in the second half. Also in Group G, goals from Xavi Simons and Lois Openda proved enough to give RB Leipzig a 2-1 win at Red Star Belgrade, as Leipzig joined City in sealing a last-16 spot with two games to spare. Atletico Madrid served up another Champions League nightmare for Celtic with both Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata bagging braces in a 6-0 win at the Metropolitano. Celtic were left incensed by the sending off of Daizen Maeda after just 23 minutes following a VAR review of his challenge on Mario Hermoso. Atletico’s win moved them top of Group E after previous leaders Feyenoord fell 1-0 at Lazio, for whom Ciro Immobile scored the only goal of the game in first-half stoppage time. The result of the night came as Shakhtar Donetsk delayed Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stages after claiming a shock 1-0 win in their Group H clash in Hamburg. Danylo Sikan headed the only goal in the 40th minute from a cross by Giorgi Gocholeishvili, while Shakhtar had a second effort from 18-year-old Newerton ruled out for offside. The defeat ended Barcelona’s 100 per cent start to the group and enabled Porto to pull level on nine points at the top after they beat 10-man Royal Antwerp 2-0. Evanilson’s early penalty and a late strike from Pepe sealed victory for the hosts and left the Belgians, who had Jurgen Ekkelencamp sent off in the 52nd minute, still hunting their first points. Goals from Niclas Fullkrug and Julian Brandt proved enough for Borussia Dortmund to sink Newcastle 2-0 in Germany and move to the top of Group F as Paris Saint-Germain dropped down after a 2-1 defeat at AC Milan, despite former Inter defender Milan Skriniar firing them in front after just nine minutes. Rafael Leao equalised for Milan within three minutes and Olivier Giroud hit what turned out to be the winner five minutes into the second half. Read More John Stones injury leaves Manchester City ‘in trouble’, says Pep Guardiola Newcastle discover brutal truth - it’s so much harder in the Champions League Stones injury dampens Manchester City joy at Champions League progress Erling Haaland back with a bang as Man City cruise into Champions League knockouts Celtic suffer Champions League embarrassment as Atletico Madrid show gulf in quality Eddie Howe knows Newcastle need two wins to keep Champions League hopes alive

MusicLM, an experimental tool from Google that turns written prompts into music, is now accepting