August 3 2026 News

It’s not quite the majestic “river of God” flowing from the temple promised by Ezekiel, but freshwater pools filled with life are appearing in sinkholes near the Dead Sea, setting prophecy watchers abuzz. Despite the body of water being so salty that it is completely uninhabitable, sinkholes by the northern shores of the Dead Sea are surprisingly full of plants and creatures. The Dead Sea is famous for its high mineral content, which has significant health benefits, and slapping on the mineral-rich mud for a full-body mask is a tourist staple. However, this mix of sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium, and calcium spells death to most other life forms and can even be dangerous to humans if ingested.

In one recent study, researchers used AI to engineer more faithful gene-editing scissors with higher fidelity than previous versions. In another, AI designed the scissors from scratch. Although the synthetic proteins are markedly different than their natural counterparts, they successfully edited genes in cells from multiple species. The studies expand protein design. “The ability to customize the molecular geometry of genome editors will drive progress towards safer and more efficient therapies,” wrote Hoi Yee Chu and Alan Wong at the University of Hong Kong, who were not involved in either study.

An Afghan man arrested for allegedly killing a British woman and then stuffing her body inside a suitcase said he had become angry with her because she was trying to get him to join a ‘strict’ Christian group. The body of Elisabeth Jane Ross, 38, who was also known as Lisa, was discovered inside the suitcase by a homeless man in an abandoned carpark in the Kypseli district of Athens on July 18.

At least 17 people were killed in a suspected suicide bombing outside a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, a rescue group and a regional police official said, as the country battles widening insurgencies. The explosion took place in the Kabal area of Swat, a district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A pro-police rally of local residents was taking place in the same area on Sunday, but it was not immediately clear whether the rally was the intended target. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militant Islamist group in a statement claimed responsibility for the attack. At least 34 people were wounded in the explosion, according to a spokesperson for Rescue 1122.

At least 88 people died during the recent mass influx of migrants into Spain’s Ceuta enclave from Morocco, Spanish officials said on Monday, though Moroccan officials later presented a lower estimate. Most of the estimated 60,000 people who rushed into Spain’s north African territory, most by swimming, have returned to Morocco since the territory’s largest mass migrant crossing.

The final rules for New York’s SAFE for Kids Act require users to verify their age (which means a form of digital ID) before an algorithm can curate their feed or a platform can send notifications after midnight. Attorney General Letitia James released the rules on July 28 alongside Governor Kathy Hochul. They take effect January 25, 2027.

A bipartisan bill just introduced would build an age check into the operating system of every phone and computer sold in America. The Digital Age Assurance Act of 2026, S. 5090, from Senators Andy Kim, Cynthia Lummis, Adam Schiff, and John Barrasso, takes California’s age-signaling law and makes it the national standard. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on July 22, 2026, and would take effect 18 months after enactment.

The U.S. may be enjoying a quiet Atlantic hurricane season thanks to a growing “super” El Niño, but don’t let that fool you. This climatic phenomenon is supercharging storm activity over the Pacific Ocean—so much so that Earth is on track for a record-breaking year of Category 5 hurricanes.

Three wildfires burning in the Spokane area of eastern Washington remained 0% contained on August 2, 2026, after burning a combined 5,381 acres. Around 5,000 homes had been evacuated, and approximately 600 homes, businesses, and other buildings had been destroyed. A statewide wildfire emergency has been issued for Washington.