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Since the dawn of humanity, we've wondered: "Are we alone?" It's a question tackled by countless movies, television shows, books, video games, and other art forms, with narratives that invite us to question, in many ways, our very understanding of the universe. One of the latest attempts to unravel this mystery is Steven Spielberg 's newest blockbuster, Disclosure Day . Featuring an ensemble cast including Emily Blunt , Josh O'Connor , Colman Domingo, and Colin Firth , Disclosure Day follows Blunt and O'Connor's characters as they attempt to reveal proof of alien life to the world, while evading the forces trying to stop them.

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Two brothers from the wealthy and powerful Medici family died of malaria and were not poisoned as a rumor had suggested, archaeologists have confirmed based on a DNA analysis of the brothers' skeletons. The analysis also revealed a unique, mutated strain of malaria that may hold the key to understanding the evolution of the disease in Europe.

The Medici family rose to power in the 15th century by creating the largest bank in Europe. The family used their extraordinary wealth to fund Renaissance artists and to start a political dynasty that eventually included numerous dukes, four popes and two queens of France.

In the 16th century, Cosimo I took over all of Tuscany as grand duke. But within a span of 25 years, at least five of his family members died from high fevers. This gave rise to a rumor that some of them had been poisoned with arsenic by another family member, although most people believed they died of malaria.

To get to the bottom of the 500-year-old Medici cold case, an international group of researchers tested the bones of two of Cosimo I's sons: Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici and Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici, for the DNA of Plasmodium falciparum , the parasite that causes the deadliest form of malaria and that is transmitted by mosquitoes.

The researchers extracted ancient DNA from the bones of Cardinal Giovanni, who died in 1562 at age 19 in the same month as his mother and younger brother Garzia, and from Grand Duke Francesco I, who died at age 46 in 1587 along with his wife. The team's study was published online June 17 in the journal iScience .

Because of the almost simultaneous deaths of Grand Duke Francesco I and his wife, a rumor circulated that another brother had poisoned them over a long-standing feud. But the Medicis were known to have frequented their family villas in marshy and swampy areas of Tuscany, where malaria was prevalent well into the 20th century.

Researchers found evidence of P. falciparum in the bones of both Medici brothers, confirming reports from court physicians at the time that described the brothers as sick with "tertian fever," a type of high fever that returns every three days and is a hallmark of malaria. The medical reports also revealed the brothers were treated with bloodletting.

The name plate from the tomb of Grand Duke Francesco de' Medici, who died of malaria in 1587. (Image credit: Courtesy the University of Pisa) "Now we can say with scientific certainty that malaria, not poisoning, killed Grand Duke Francesco de Medici," study co-author Valentina Giuffra , a medical historian at the University of Pisa, said in a statement .

But the ancient-DNA study held two additional surprises.

The Grand Duke's bones were positive not only for P. falciparum but also for Plasmodium malariae , a different parasite species that also causes malaria in humans, suggesting that both species contributed to the severe illness that killed him and his wife.

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Cardinal Giovanni, on the other hand, had only P. falciparum , but the specific strain that infected him was previously unknown. The strain is similar to those found in ancient and early modern Europe, but with two mutations the researchers had never seen before, they wrote in the study.

"The study of ancient DNA offers us an opportunity not only to diagnose malaria in the remains of individuals from the past, but it also offers us a window for understanding the evolution of malaria species, Plasmodium falciparum in this case, which can help scientists better understand how the pathogen adapts over time," study first author Alexander Ochoa , an evolutionary biologist at Yale University, said in the statement.

Further analysis of the brothers' bones is needed to determine the evolutionary relationship between the strains of malaria they carried, the researchers wrote in the study.

What do you know about the bones in your body? Test your knowledge with our human skeleton quiz .

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Kia has posted its best-ever June and highest first-half sales.

June sales climbed 10.4%, while year-to-date sales are up 3.4%.

Brand expects continued success thanks to new Seltos and EV3.

Kia America has 70,507 reasons to celebrate as the brand posted their best June on record. On top of that, year-to-date sales totaled 430,727 units, which is an all-time record for first-half sales.

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The automaker received a boost from high gas prices as consumers embraced hybrids. Sales of eco-friendly models soared 187% compared to a year ago and was driven by strong demand for the Sportage Hybrid (up 165%), Sorento Hybrid (up 145%), and Carnival Hybrid (up 54%).

More: 2027 Kia Seltos Has A Higher Price To Match Its More Upscale Design

Jumping into the numbers, the top seller in June was the Sportage. Consumers snapped up 15,995 units for a 26.6% increase compared to last year. The redesigned Telluride wasn’t far behind at 11,432 units, which was a 23.7% jump.

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The K4 finished in third place with 10,553 sales for an 8.7% drop from a year ago. Thankfully, the K5 avoided the same fate as sales climbed 13.6% to 6,378 units.

EVs were a bit of a mixed bag as EV6 sales fell 96 units to land at a mere 584. The EV9 , on the other hand, was up 42.3% to 1,299 units.

Zooming out further, Kia has moved 94,907 Sportages in the first six months of the year. The Telluride and K4 are neck and neck at 73,602 and 73,579, respectively. They’re followed by the Sorento (49,348) and Carnival (40,068).

The minivan is interesting to note as June sales were up 34.4%, while the model climbed 20.9% in the first six months of the year. Those are solid gains and they show there’s still a sizable market for vans.

It’s also worth noting Kia managed to phase out the Soul without experiencing an overall drop in sales. That’s a welcome development as the model found 4,737 buyers in June of 2025 and 26,126 in the first-half of last year.

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Kia America’s vice president of sales, Eric Watson, said “The results illustrate our ability to react to shifting market demands by resetting our showrooms with the right mix of ICE, hybrid and electrified models. As we enter the second half of the year, we expect our momentum to continue, driven by strong anticipation for the all-new Seltos, which will begin full-scale sales nationwide in July, alongside the continued success of the 2027 Telluride, the expansion of our hybrid lineup, and the launch of the all-new EV3 .”

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June 2026 Kia US Sales

Model June 26 June 25 YTD 26 YTD 25

EV9 1,299 913 7,035 4,938

EV6 584 680 4,043 5,875

K4/Forte 10,553 11,564 73,579 75,535

K5 6,378 5,613 38,394 34,565

Soul 3 4,737 3,480 26,126

Niro 2,048 1,966 13,767 11,788

Seltos 6,627 4,259 32,504 24,939

Sportage 15,995 12,630 94,907 87,172

Sorento 8,602 7,050 49,348 50,919

Telluride 11,432 9,239 73,602 61,502

Carnival 6,986 5,198 40,068 33,152

Total 70,507 63,849 430,727 416,511

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