Monthly Archives: May 2022

Singular Genomics Systems, Inc.

LA JOLLA, Calif., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Singular Genomics Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: OMIC), a company leveraging novel next-generation sequencing (NGS) and multiomics technologies to empower researchers and clinicians, today announced the formation of its scientific advisory board (SAB). The SAB comprises a distinguished group of academic and industry experts who will advise on the companys product and service offerings and research and development pipeline.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our scientific advisory board and are privileged to work with such accomplished leaders in science and medicine, said Eli Glezer, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Singular Genomics and newly appointed Chair of the SAB. This groups expertise in DNA sequencing, human genetics, oncology and immunology will be an invaluable resource as we expand the applications of our G4 sequencing system and develop the PX platform as a powerful tool for spatial biology.

The members of Singulars SAB include:

David L. Barker, Ph.D., Board Member of Singular Genomics, AmideBio, and Aspen Neuroscience, Scientific Advisor to Luna DNA, and Board Member and Chairman at Bionano Genomics. Dr. Barker previously served as Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Illumina, while also sitting on their Scientific Advisory Board. In his academic career, Dr. Barker conducted interdisciplinary research in neurobiology as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Medical School, Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon, and Associate Professor at Oregon State University. Dr. Barker holds a BS with honors in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Brandeis University.

Lawrence Fong, M.D., Efim Guzik Distinguished Professor in Cancer Biology at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Co-Director of the Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy at UCSF; Co-Lead of the Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy Program in the UCSF Cancer Center. Dr. Fong is also a physician-scientist in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at UCSF, where he directs both a translational research program and an NIH-funded research lab. Dr. Fongs research examines the mechanisms that underlie clinical response and resistance to immunotherapies. This work includes tracking antigen-specific T cell responses in treated cancer patients and developing biomarkers that are associated with clinical outcomes. Dr. Fong has received multiple awards including the NIH Outstanding Investigator Award. Dr. Fong received his BA from Columbia and M.D. from Stanford, and completed internal medicine training at the University of Washington, as well as an oncology fellowship and post-doctoral training at Stanford in 2002.

David H. Ledbetter, Ph.D., FACMG, DABMGG, Chief Clinical & Research Officer at Unified Patient Network, Inc. Dr. Ledbetter also served as Executive Vice President and Founding Chief Scientific Officer at Geisinger, where he helped lead their MyCode biobank/genomics project one of the largest in the world. Dr. Ledbetters current research focuses on leveraging longitudinal electronic health information with large-scale DNA sequencing to determine the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of precision medicine approaches in real-world health system settings. Dr. Ledbetter is internationally recognized for his research on the genetic basis of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, having discovered the genetic cause of Prader-Willi syndrome and Miller-Dieker syndrome early in his career. Dr. Ledbetter is a graduate of Tulane University and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Texas-Austin.

Elaine Mardis, Ph.D., Board Member of Singular Genomics; Co-Executive Director of the Institute of Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Childrens Hospital and holds the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Endowed Chair in Genomic Medicine. Dr. Mardis is also Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Mardis serves on the Supervisory Board, Science and Technology Committee, and the Compensation and Human Resources Committee at Qiagen. Dr. Mardis is a pioneering researcher internationally recognized in cancer genomics with a focus on the application of genomic technologies to improve the understanding of human disease and the precision of medical diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Dr. Mardis received her BS in zoology and her Ph.D. in chemistry and biochemistry, both from the University of Oklahoma. She has authored more than 380 articles in peer-reviewed journals, has contributed chapters for several medical textbooks, and is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine.

Daniel Shoemaker, Ph.D., former Chief Scientific Officer of Fate Therapeutics. Dr. Shoemaker has worked in the industry for over 25 years, helping to build several successful organizations ranging from startups to public companies. Most recently at Fate, he led the companys innovation efforts to bring multiple iPSC-derived cell therapies to the clinic. Previously, Dr. Shoemaker served as Chief Scientific Officer of ICx Biosystems, a biotechnology firm that developed advanced detection technologies for use in biodefense, cancer and prenatal diagnostics. He was also a founding scientist at Rosetta Inpharmatics. Dr. Shoemaker received his BS in biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Stanford University.

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About Singular Genomics Systems, Inc. Singular Genomics is a life science technology company that is leveraging novel NGS and multiomics technologies to build products that empower researchers and clinicians. Our mission is to accelerate genomics for the advancement of science and medicine. Our Singular Sequencing Engine is the foundational platform technology that forms the basis of our products as well as our core product tenets: power, speed, flexibility and accuracy. We are currently developing two products that are purpose-built to target applications in which these core product tenets matter most. Our first product, the G4, targets the NGS market. Our second product in development, the PX, combines single-cell analysis, spatial analysis, genomics and proteomics in one integrated instrument to offer a versatile multiomics solution.

Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release, other than historical information, may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Federal securities laws. Any such forward-looking statements are based on our managements current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from our managements current expectations or those implied by the forward-looking statements. These and other risk factors that may affect our future results of operations are identified and described in more detail in our most recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and in other filings that we make with the SEC from time to time, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for period ended March 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on May 10, 2022. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events or our future performance. Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

Investor ContactMatt Clawson949-370-8500ir@singulargenomics.com

Media ContactDan Budwick, 1AB973-271-6085dan@1abmedia.com

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Singular Genomics Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board - Yahoo Finance

A small demographic may have the key to better understanding how humans are at risk for a COVID-19 infection. Scientists are now looking into a group of people who never contracted the novel coronavirus throughout the pandemic despite the emergence of more transmissible variants.

Around one in ten people in England seemingly have some sort of resistance to COVID-19 because they never caught the virus since the pandemic started. Because of this, scientists are eager to know if this group of people could lead them to a potential cure for the disease.

A study launched late last year introduced a global effort to dissect the human genetic basis of resistance to the life-threatening disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. The team behind it proposed a strategy to determine, recruit and genetically analyze the people who showed natural resistance to COVID-19 infection.

The researchers noted that several candidate genes could be involved in providing inborn resistance to COVID-19 in certain individuals. By understanding them, the team could identify mechanisms that possibly restrict viral replication and promote resilience upon infection.

What we are looking for is potentially very rare genetics variants with a very big impact on the individual, lead researcher Andrs Spaan, a clinical microbiologist from the Rockefeller University in New York, told The Washington Post.

The international study already has 700 participants. More than 5,000 people believed to also be immune to the virus are also being screened by the scientists for the research.

There is a theory that some people may have not contracted COVID-19 due to fewer receptors in their noses, throats, and lungs, making it difficult for the coronavirus to bind and cause an infection. This was brought up because there were health workers who did not wear face masks at the peak of the pandemic and still tested negative for COVID every week.

There is also a possibility that the same group of people might have been previously exposed to a similar virus that gave their immune systems a boost and protection against SARS-CoV-2, as per HuffPost.

For the international study, the team is more focused on uncovering if some people were born with a particular immune system armed with the right genetic materials to combat SARS-CoV-2. Finding answers to this could help the medical community better deal with the situation and come up with the right drugs to counter the virus and its newer strains.

More:
COVID Resistance Might Be Tied To Genetics: Experts - Medical Daily

Swedens Olink Holding (Nasdaq: OLK) has announced that Oxford Genomics at the University of Oxford is adopting its technology, becoming the UKs first Olink lab.

It is hoped that the partnership will enable new techniques to unravel mechanisms of disease using the Olink Explore platform.

"We are trying to make the drug development process more precise by understanding the heterogeneity in the patients instead of one drug fits all"According

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Oxford's adoption of Olink tech to 'unravel mechanisms of disease' - The Pharma Letter

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins speaks at the 2019 BioLogos Conference in Baltimore, Maryland on March 27, 2019. | THE CHRISTIAN POST

There is always a dilemma for Christians in best handling and reacting to the positions and counsel of Christian leaders. Often these are people we have grown to trust and respect as followers of Christ.

Their convictions at times are consistent with Christian principles and biblical wisdom. They champion appropriate positions and defend causes from a historically Christian perspective. They gain traction and respect even among cultural, political, and religious opponents because of the internally consistent strength of their arguments and their winsome and gracious demeanor.

And yet, it is impossible for any fallen and sinful person to be right all the time. Similarly, it is quite possible and regularly demonstrated that the unregenerate are not always wrong.

As a case in point, contrast Dr. Francis Collins and President Donald Trump.

Trump, not convincingly a born-again Christian, became president in large measure because he promised to represent conservative Christians and their concerns. His appointing of originalist judges to federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as his attendance at events like the annual March for Life while he was in office (this was unprecedented for a president), were encouragements to many Christians. Yet his demeanor was consistently characterized as non-Christian. Such may well have cost him re-election. Christians and conservative political analysts will debate for decades whether he was a net positive or negative influence on America. Clearly, both cases can be made. Different Christian voices have weighed in on the matter. Many Christians, even conservatives, felt that Trump used them for his personal gain and prestige.

In certain notable ways, a case could be made that the Francis Collins situation at times echoes the debate over Donald Trump among Christians.

Dr. Francis Collins, the famous geneticist, was and is vocally Christian. He has clearly identified as such, and he has taken heat for it. For example, in the summer of 2009, after his nomination as director of NIH by President Barack Obama, outspoken atheist Sam Harris attacked Collins in theNew York Timesas unfit for the job because of his religious convictions.

Collins became known to many Americans during his direction of the Human Genome Project through the 1990s. In February 1998,Scientific Americanprofiled Dr. Collins with the headline Where Science and Religion meet: The U.S. head of the Human Genome Project, Francis S. Collins, stives to keep his Christianity from interfering with his science and politics. That article quoted Dr. Collins saying he is intensely uncomfortable with abortion. He said that he does not advocate changing the law and is very careful to ensure his personal feelings on abortion do not affect his political stance.

The article went on to say: researchers and academics familiar with Collins work agree that he has separated his private religious views from his professional life. He shows no influence of religious beliefs on his work other than a generalized sensitivity to ethics issues in genetics.

In essence, what these people were saying is that Francis Collins is such a good scientist because you can hardly tell he is a Christian from his work.

As a much younger biology professor at the time, I was aghast at this. A Christian has separated his religious views from his professional life. Why is that a good thing?

I emailed Dr. Collins at the time, asking him ifScientific Americanhad it right. Maybe the article misunderstood Collins? My email was never answered. Not that I expected that it would be, given my obscurity and his standing and responsibilities. Still, the article troubled me, as I was always left with the lingering question.

Dr. Collins went on to launch the BioLogos Foundation, a Christian/science interface organization that advocates for the reconciliation of modern science and Christianity. The idea is that nature and Scripture are both from God and ultimately are not in conflict. This reflects Dr. Collins Christian convictions and his love of science, the study of Gods physical world. Give Dr. Collins credit for leveraging his popularity, leadership qualities, and obvious pastoral instincts for the noble cause.

Ultimately, I met Dr. Collins several years ago at a conference and heard him speak. There is no reason he would remember our quick contact in an elevator any more than he would remember my email. However, one cannot help but be impressed by his genuine humility and his concern for the spiritual health of the people around him. He has made it clear that he believes that Jesus Christ is incarnate and divine and that humans are made in the image of God (although he rejects the historic Adam), and that salvation is real.

Yet, inconsistencies remain. Dr. Collins seems to allow his science to inordinately arbitrate over biblical truth, or at least when the two are portrayed as in conflict. As his professional life has unfolded, it has become clear that theScientific Americanarticle had gotten a lot right. It is fair to say that he has remained uncertain about when human life begins. He concedes that the fertilized egg is alive at conception, but believes that maybe it is not quite human. Consequently, in his 2010 book,The Language of Life,he advocated for experimentation using excess human embryos fromin vitro fertilization(IVF) that are stuck in cryo-storage with uncertain futures, so that some good could come from them. He has never publicly disavowed human embryonic research because he sees its potential fruitfulness. In fact, as late as last summer, experiments involving human embryonic cells and mice was supported by NIH funding at the University of Pittsburgh.

There are ongoing ramifications of Dr. Collins acceptance of abortion as the law of the land. TheScientific Americanarticle in 1998 mentioned that Dr. Collins was concerned that embryonic genetic testing might lead to abortions of fetuses that have conditions that are less than disastrous. The article did not suggest what he would consider less than disastrous. For instance, would my great-nephews Downs syndrome condition be considered less than a disaster?

Princeton bioethicist and legal scholar, Dr. Robert George, made a clearer case in his 1998 address to the American Political Science Association Convention, stating, once I was a child, once I was an infant, once I was an embryo, I cannot say I was once an egg or a sperm. However, it is clear that the viable sperm and egg are quite alive. Also, it is good to remember what we say in the Apostles Creed. He was conceived born suffered died and rose again.

What human is not on that trajectory of life and death? The Bible teaches that we all are.

This leaves many conservative Christians convinced that Dr. Collins would rather come down on the side of a quote from his old boss, President Barack Obama. In March 2009, Obama signed an executive order that lifted President George W. Bushs 2001 ban on federal funding of human embryonic research. Today we will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem cell research, stated Obama. We will vigorously support scientists who pursue this research. And we will aim for America to lead the world in the discoveries it one day may yield. Obama continued, Promoting science isnt just about providing resources it is also about protecting free and open inquiry. It is about letting scientists like those here today do their jobs, free from manipulation or coercion, and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.

Obama insisted that Im going to let scientists do science. Im going to remove politics, religion, and ideology from that.

Of course, the reality is that such a thing cannot be done. The presidents own politics and ideology were clearly stated and inserted.

One would hope that Dr. Collins would be more comfortable with the principles articulated in President George W. Bushs 2006 State of the Union Address. A hopeful society has institutions of science and medicine that do not cut ethical corners, and that recognize the matchless value of every life, stated Bush. Tonight, I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research human cloning in all its forms creating or implanting embryos for experiments creating human-animal hybrids and buying, selling, or patenting human embryos. Human life is a gift from our Creatorand that gift should never be discarded, devalued, or put up for sale.

These are all ethical issues that have confronted Dr. Francis Collins as a man of science and of faith. The issues more recently included COVID mask and vaccine mandates. To many in the evangelical community, the pro-life appeals he made for the mandates have rung increasingly hollow, and his seeming inconsistencies have been bothersome.

Os Guinness, in his book,The Magna Carta of Humanity, brings out a principle that every intentional Christian should keep in mind: The notion of arguing on behalf of the true, the right, and the good lies behind the biblical principle of corrigibility. Guinness quotes Jewish Hebrew scholar Jonathan Sacks, We are all open to challenge. No one is above criticism, no one is too junior to administer it, if done with due grace and humility.

This requires knowing scripture and applying its logical conclusions, consistently. Otherwise, our ability to be salt and light is diminished, and we can be played. Francis Collins needs to add salt and light. Many of us have admired him, and we expect more from him in his Christian witness to science.

Dr. Jan Dudt is a professor of biology at Grove City College and fellow for medical ethics with the Institute for Faith & Freedom. He teaches as part of colleges required core course Studies in Science, Faith and Technology wherein students, among other things, study all the major origins theories and are asked to measure them in the light of biblical authority.

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Christian leaders and controversies: The case of Francis Collins - The Christian Post

BETHESDA, Md., May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Coordinating Center for the Regional Genetics Network (NCC) is excited to announce that the third annual Public Health Genetics Week will be held from May 23-27, 2022. The goal of Public Health Genetics Week is to increase awareness and celebrate the field of public health genetics.

Each day of Public Health Genetics Week will have a different theme:

Individuals and organizations are encouraged to participate in the week by using the hashtags #PHGW and #PublicHealthGenetics across their social media platforms.

A number of events will be held throughout the week to celebrate public health genetics for professionals, students, and the general public. They include:

For All Partners in Public Health Genetics

For Professionals

For the General Public

For Students

OnPHGW.org, you can find more information about the daily themes and events that will be held throughout the week. Additionally, there are fun, interactive activities such as our PHGW Book Club (discussed on TikTok), coloring pages, a digital escape room, and puzzles. Social media tools (such as daily social media images, GIFs, social media banners, and more) can also be found on the website,phgw.org/toolkit.

For questions or comments about Public Health Genetics Week, please contactphgw@phgw.org and be sure to follow NCC (@nccrcg) onFacebook,Instagram,LinkedIn,TikTok, andTwitterfor the latest updates on the week.

About the National Coordinating Center for the Regional Genetics Networks (NCC)

Funded since 2004 by the Health Resources and Services Administration/Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), NCC's mission is to improve access to genetic services for underserved populations. In collaboration with the seven Regional Genetics Network (RGNs) and the National Genetics Education and Family Support Center (NGEFSC), achieves this mission by working in the following focus areas: genetics and genomics education; genetics policy education; telemedicine; and data collection and evaluation. Learn more about the efforts of the NCC athttps://nccrcg.org.

NCC Funding Acknowledgement

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Cooperative Agreement #UH9MC30770-01-00 from 6/2020-5/2024 for $800,000 per award year. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

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The Third Annual Public Health Genetics Week is Around the Corner - May 23-27, 2022 - GlobeNewswire

How The Mobile Phone Market Has Evolved Since 1993

The mobile phone landscape looks drastically different today than it did three decades ago.

In 1993, Motorola accounted for more than half of the mobile phone market. But by 2021, its market share had shrunk to just 2.2%. How did this happen, and how has the mobile industry changed over the last 30 years?

This video by James Eagle chronicles the evolution of the mobile phone market, showing the rise and fall of various mobile phone manufacturers. The data spans from December 1992 to December 2021.

Motorola is known for being a pioneer in the mobile phone industry.

In 1983, the American company launched one of the worlds first commercially available mobile phonesthe DynaTAC 8000X. The revolutionary analog phone cost nearly $4,000 and offered users up to 30 minutes of talk time before needing to be recharged.

Motorola went on to launch a few more devices over the next few years, like the MicroTAC 9800X in 1989 and the International 3200 in 1992, and quickly became a dominant player in the nascent industry. In the early days of the market, the companys only serious competitor was Finnish multinational Nokia, which had acquired the early mobile network pioneer Mobira.

But by the mid-1990s, other competitors like Sony and Siemens started to gain some solid footing, which chipped away at Motorolas dominance. In September 1995, the companys market share was down to 32.1%.

By January 1999, Nokia surpassed Motorola as the leading mobile phone manufacturer, accounting for 21.4% of global market share. That put it just slightly ahead of Motorolas 20.8%.

One of the reasons for Nokias surging popularity was the major headway the company was making in the digital phone space. In 1999, the company released the Nokia 7110, the first mobile phone to have a web browser.

But it wasnt just Nokias innovations that were hampering Motorola. In 1999, Motorola fell on hard times after one of its spin-off projects called Iridium SSC filed for bankruptcy. This put a massive financial strain on the company, and it eventually laid off a large chunk of its workforce after the project failed.

From then on, Motorolas market share hovered between 14% and 20%, until Apples iPhone entered the scene in 2007 and turned the mobile phone industry on its head.

Things really started to change with the launch of the iPhone in 2007.

In a keynote presentation at the San Francisco Macworld Expo in 2007, Steve Jobs presented the iPhone as three products wrapped into one device: a touchscreen iPod, a revolutionary cell phone, and an internet communications device.

One year later, Apple launched the App Store, which gave users the ability to download applications and games onto their iPhones. Not only did this greatly enhance the iPhones functionality, but it also allowed consumers to customize their mobile devices like never before.

This was the start of a new era of smartphonesone that Motorola failed to keep up with. Less than two years after the iPhone launched, Apple had captured 17.4% of the mobile phone market. In contrast, Motorolas market share had shrunk down to 4.9%.

By the end of 2021, Apple held about 27.3% of the global mobile market. The iPhone is a key part of the tech giants growth, driving more than 50% of the companys overall revenue.

While a number of factors contributed to Motorolas downfall, many point to one central hurdlethe companys failure to pivot.

The iPhones emergence was the start of a new, software-driven era. Motorola had mastered the hardware-driven era, but failed to keep up when the tides changed. And the animation above highlights other companies that also failed to adapt or keep up, including BlackBerry (formerly RIM), Palm, Sony, and LG.

But Apple is not alone. The popularity of Googles Android mobile operating system has helped competitors like South Koreas Samsung and Chinas Huawei and Xiaomi flourish, with each company establishing strong footholds in the global mobile phone market.

In todays fast-paced world, the ability to pivot is essential if businesses want to remain competitive. Will todays mobile phone giants like Apple and Samsung remain on top? Or will other companies like Huawei catch up in the next few years?

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Synthetic Biology: The $3.6 Trillion Science Changing Life as We Know It - Visual Capitalist

New Delhi: Vineeta Agarwala, the wife of Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, is now making headlines amid Elon Musks $44 billion takeover deal.

Her role as general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) a top US VC firm which has agreed to pay $400 million as part of Musks new $7.1 billion financing commitments is set to create a conflict of interest.

As a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, she leads investments for the firms bio and health fund across therapeutics, life sciences tools/diagnostics, and digital health, with a focus on companies leveraging unique datasets to improve drug development and patient care delivery.

Andreessen Horowitz is also one of the biggest backers of Facebook (now Meta).

Prior to joining a16z, Vineeta held many different roles in the healthcare space.

She was a physician taking care of patients, an operator at health tech startups and as a venture investor on the Google Ventures life sciences team.

She was an early data scientist at Kyruus, a management consultant for biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device clients at McKinsey & Co; and a director of product management at Flatiron Health.

She has collaborated with academic researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the Broad Institute, where she did graduate work in computational biology and human genetics.

Vineeta holds a Bachelor of Science in biophysics from Stanford University, and MD and PhD degrees from Harvard Medical School/MIT.

She continues to see patients at Stanford as an adjunct clinical professor in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health.

Vineeta serves on a number of portfolio company boards, including BigHat Biosciences, GC Therapeutics, Memora Health, Thyme Care, Pearl Health, and Waymark.

Parag studied BTech in Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay and completed his PhD from Stanford University.

They have a son named Ansh and the couple is based in San Francisco, California.

Meanwhile, there are doubts over Parags future once Musk takes over, as the Tesla CEO himself can become a temporary CEO of the platform. According to reports, Musk may have also lined up a new Twitter CEO.

Parag is likely to receive nearly $39 million due to a clause in his contract once he leaves Twitter. His total compensation for 2021 was $30.4 million, largely in stocks.

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Parag Agrawals wife Vineeta linked with Musks Twitter takeover - The Siasat Daily

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. Some looked tired, but there were smiles on the faces of Ukrainian refugees who made their way through the arrivals area of St. Johns International Airport Monday night, May 9.

Smiles have been hard to come by for Ukrainians fleeing their country under the danger of Russian bombs and ground assaults.

Many of their homes and communities have been left in rubble since the war began on Feb. 24.

One hundred and sixty-six Ukrainian refugees arrived on a charter flight from Poland and were welcomed by Premier Andrew Furey, Immigration Minister Gerry Byrne, the Association for New Canadians, the Canadian Red Cross and many others.

A number of residents arrived at the airport to show support, clapping and shouting welcome as the newcomers passed through the crowd.

Sofiia Shapoval was patiently waiting for her mother, Natalia, and little sister, Zoriana, 9, to arrive. When Zoriana saw Sofiia through the crowd she began jumping excitedly and waving her hand.

Sofiia came to Memorial University last September to study human genetics. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, she began trying to get her mother and sister to the province.

I was at the other side of the world and wondered how could I help them, Sofiia said. But now they are here and Im so glad to see them.

I was at the other side of the world and wondered how could I help them. But now they are here and Im so glad to see them. Sofiia Shapoval

Stan, a 28-year-old mining engineer, will go to a mining job in central Newfoundland. He said he was in Europe when the war broke out and was going to return to fight, but his father, an officer in the Ukrainian army, told him not to.

He said, As I am in this war, you go and have your chance for your future, Stan said. I am very thankful for my father, and Im worried about him.

After clearing customs and speaking with the premier and others at the airport's arrival area, the Ukrainians were transported to their awaiting accommodations.

Megan Morris, executive director of the Association for New Canadians, said they will work with the newcomers to help them find housing, place their children in school, teach them English and match them with available jobs.

Its a pretty amazing time and you can tell by all the folks around us that theres so many people contributing to this effort, Morris said. Our organization is a resettlement agency, so this is the stuff we do all the time, and our folks are preparing to do the work they normally do to support this effort.

Rosanna Compagnon showed up at the airport toting a welcome sign and an eagerness to let the Ukrainians know they are cared about.

Ive been thinking of all the terrible things happening in Ukraine, and I thought Id come out and show my love and support for them, and see if theres anything I can do to cheer them up, Compagnon said. I thought even my little bit would help.

Russia launched what it termed a "special military operation" on Feb. 24 at targets across Ukraine not just the disputed eastern regions most suspected Russia would focus on and in the more than two months since have killed many civilians, and levelled communities and homes. Despite strong resistance and resilience by the Ukrainian army, the death, destruction and chaos has been devastating on the Ukrainian people.

As atrocities of war are inflicted on Ukraine by Russia, the people of this province are standing up and standing tall, Furey said in the House of Assembly earlier on Monday. We stand with Ukraine.

The world has been reminded of what is the true face of courage and resolve in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. As his nation fights for freedom, we will do all we can to support and ease the burdens of Ukrainian families.

After the war began, the enormous humanitarian crisis developed quickly as people fled cities and towns pounded by bombs and invading forces. Furey said the province stepped up immediately with a made-in-Newfoundland and Labrador response.

The government announced on March 17 it had expanded its Ukrainian Family Support Desk initiative to Poland to undertake direct outreach to people who had fled Ukraine and who may be looking for information about coming to Newfoundland and Labrador.

To our knowledge, we are the first state actor in North America to organize a humanitarian airlift of Ukrainians to our shores, Furey said. Our understanding and our place on the world stage is reflected in this deliberate act.

All arriving Ukrainians have been granted the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel Visa that legally allows them to live and work in Canada for up to three years.Ukrainians arriving in Newfoundland and Labrador under the emergency travel visa will also receive provincialMedical Care Plan and Prescription Drug Plan coverage.

With Monday evenings arrival of Ukrainian refugees and the hopes that more will arrive in the weeks to come, the provincial government is reminding residents how they can help welcome and support the newcomers.

Residents can help by: identifying job opportunities for Ukrainians and sending those positions to[emailprotected]; sending offers of accommodation and donations of goods and/or services to the Association for New Canadians (ANC) Ukraine support team at[emailprotected]or 709-325-0881; and donating to ANC's new Canadiansemergency fund.

The ANC is also recruiting volunteers to participate as: interpreters (Ukrainian and other languages); family match program participants (volunteers are matched with newcomers to help with English as a second language learning through friendship; activities could include exploring the city, sightseeing, going for walks and sharing meals together); and conversation circle partners (newcomers are given the opportunity to start practising conversational English). Those interested in volunteering are asked to register for orientation by emailing[emailprotected].

The ANC is searching for a donations centre to house physical donations, such as furniture and clothing. Residents are asked to hold onto donations until a space is found.

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When researching archaeological material, each individual detail determines the overall picture. In order to see the whole, it is not only important to determine how the finds are situated in the ground in relation to each other, but also what the purpose and the usage of these ancient objects was, what was the human genetic code and how society functioned. These elements help us better understand the activities people were engaged with, the life they were living, their worldview and their self-perception.

Language plays an important role in shaping our way of thinking. The world around us also affects our language. Language is the basis for understanding each other, connecting people living far apart. The study of languages spoken in the past is based on historical written sources and on oral tradition that has been passed down to us. So we know that the village of Kukruse was originally called Kuckarus.

But what was the language spoken among the Kukruse people? We know Kukruse is geographically located in northeastern Estonia, and in the 12th-13th centuries, around the time Kukruse people lived, who carried a similar material culture and probably spoke a similar northern Estonian language lived further to the west of the village of Kukruse.

To the east of Kukruse village, however, a lot of archeological material typical of Votian culture has been found, which is why it can be assumed that the Votian language was spoken there. More objects similar to the western finds were found in Kukruse cemetery, but also some Votian-like objects. Therefore, it can be assumed that the village was bordering between two language groups.

Apparently, Kukruse people spoke northern Estonian, but their vocabulary may have been intertwined with loan words from the Votian language. Did they distinguish between two different languages? What is certain, however, is that their language was rich - the material finds at the cemetery are abundant, and all these objects of their material culture had to have a word assigned to them!

To make sense of the lives of people who have lived in the past just a few details are not enough; it is also necessary to grasp the entire socio-cultural background and their value-system. Genetic data allows us to determine several early migration patters: For example, the movement of Finno-Ugric people from their origins in the Ural Mountains to the Baltic Sea. We can see from the remains of the man from Kukruse that in his veins flowed both the blood of hunter-gatherers and Baltic Finns.

Stable isotopes analysis of bones and of fat molecules found on cooking pots help to recreate their diets and daily lives. In the case of the lord of Kukruse finding and also other men excavated from the cemetery, what becomes evident that fish was an important part of their diet.

However, the village of Kukruse was not a fishing village. Their life as farmers is also confirmed by the food of Kukruse women that consisted primarily of land products such as milk and porridge. Thus, the role that Kukruse men played in their village took them on frequent expeditions, where the most easily available food was fish.

According to one theory, the men of Kukruse crossed the Gulf on the southern coast of Finland in search of trade partners. This means that they crossed the bay with items of interest to the people of the other side or brought something of their liking back.

The discovered puzzle pieces help to put together a portrait of the young man of Kukruse. Knowing that there were similar finds in cemeteries across Estonia, we can talk about the history of peoples of Estonia based on the example of the Kukruse man.

This is not just the story of the man of Kukruse or the village of Kukruse. The individual knowledge gaps that emerged from archeology, archaeological chemistry, genetics and linguistics help to capture the whole picture of the past more accurately; but honestly, they also raise a number of new questions.

The new questions raised by the research are on the one hand a research pain, but on the other a research pleasure.

If we knew everything about the past, there would be nothing left to discover.

The approximately 800-year-old Kukruse Cemetery was discovered in 2009 in the village of the same name, during the construction of the Tallinn-Narva highway section.

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People living around Gulf of Finland had close links 800 years ago - ERR News