Sudanese Market Attack, Alberta Recommits, and Regrowing a Knee

Good morning, it's Wednesday, Oct. 21. Sudan's army has been accused of a deadly drone strike, heightening risks of civil war spillover. First time reading? Join millions of insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.

Also in today's Digest: Alberta sticks with Canada (Need To Know), unrest in Italy and France (Pol. & World Affairs), scheduling relationship fights (In-Depth), regrowing a knee (Etc.), and much more. 

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 Need To Know 

Sudanese Strikes Spill Over

Drones struck an outdoor market in the disputed region between Sudan and South Sudan Monday, killing at least 153 people, local officials say. See footage of the aftermath (via YouTube, warning—sensitive).

Local officials have blamed the Sudanese army and are raising concerns of spillover from Sudan’s more than three-year-long civil war. Drones reportedly hit a fuel depot in the market that was used by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary in its conflict with the Sudanese army. The market is located in Abyei, an oil-rich region jointly administered by Sudan and South Sudan since 2011 (what is it like there?). 

Sudan's civil war stems from fallout between two generals. The conflict has killed an estimated 150,000 people and displaced more than 13 million others—over one-fifth of the country’s population. See the countries reportedly backing each general here.

… and curious about the world’s most neglected displacement crises? See one organization’s annual ranking (w/map).

Alberta Rejects Separation

Voters in Alberta chose to remain in Canada, declining to begin a process that could have paved the way for the oil-rich province to separate from the country. About 75% opposed beginning the process, while 25% supported it.

The result bolsters Prime Minister Mark Carney's push for national unity amid President Donald Trump's trade war. Alberta, which accounts for nearly all of Canada's oil production and proven reserves, has long clashed with the federal government over energy policies. Carney has sought to ease tensions by fast-tracking a proposed Pacific Link pipeline, which would transport 1 million barrels of oil daily to British Columbia's west coast, expanding exports to Asia and reducing the country’s dependence on the US. It was Canada’s first provincial vote on separation since 1995, when Quebec narrowly chose to stay. Revisit the night Canada nearly split.

Canada ranks fourth globally in both proven oil reserves and oil production, though much of its oil comes from Alberta's oil sands. What are oil sands?

AI Virus vs. Bacterial Infection

An AI-designed virus (free w/email) is being used to treat a human patient with a deadly bacterial infection, according to US-based biotech startup Radical Numerics.

Scientists have used bacteria-killing viruses, called phages, to treat infections for over a century (how phages attack, w/video). But finding suitable phages in nature is difficult and time-consuming. Radical Numerics says its AI model can create custom viruses in a matter of days. In the case announced yesterday, scientists used the model to modify a phage known to infect E. coli so it can latch onto a strain that has become resistant to antibiotics and available phages. The engineered phage successfully killed stubborn E. coli in lab tests, though some scientists are skeptical that the phage will work in humans, while others are concerned about bioengineering viruses as a field. Results are potentially months away. 

Phage therapy could become more important as antibiotics lose effectiveness against bacterial infections. Resistance increased in more than 40% of the bacteria-antibiotic combinations monitored by the World Health Organization from 2018 to 2023.

 In The Know 

Science & Technology

> Doctors develop AI tool that predicts cancer patients' survival odds from a single selfie; those who looked five or more years older than their actual age had a 21% higher risk of death over a four-year follow-up period (More) 

> Scientists revive pig kidneys after up to one year in ultracold storage and successfully transplant them into test pigs, according to new research; breakthrough could enable long-term organ banking and expand transplant access (More) 

> Marsquake—the Martian equivalent of an earthquake—originated beneath the largest canyon system in our solar system in 2021, suggesting ancient faults may still be shaping Mars' landscape (More) | See photo of Mars' Grand Canyon (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow +1.0%, Nasdaq -0.0%) on strong earnings reports for Hasbro, Equifax, and 3M (More) | Brent crude futures decline 0.7% after earlier gains pushed prices over $111 per barrel (More) 

> Pending-home sales drop to lowest level since 2001 due to 7.3% decline in September, per new monthly data; sales fell 11.3% on a year-over-year basis as 30-year mortgage rate climbed to 7.5% this month (More) 

> Braze shares soar 51.7% following Salesforce's announcement that it agreed to acquire the marketing software company in an all-cash deal valued at nearly $5.7B (More) 

Politics & World Affairs

> Italy deploys 500 troops to Milan amid unrest and looting over rising fuel prices, cost of living (More) | See footage, including clashes with police (More via YouTube) | ... and France expands curfew to more cities, parts of Paris and Lyon (More)

> The UK will deploy fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to help protect cities and critical infrastructure from attacks by Houthi rebels (More) | Elon Musk personally ordered last week's Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, new report finds (More)

> President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff flies to Russia after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway in revamped effort to pursue Russia-Ukraine ceasefire (More) 

In-Depth

> Fight-Free Relationships

The Atlantic | Rhaina Cohen. Liz and Tom have been happily married for more than four decades. Their secret? Regularly scheduled meetings to air their grievances. (More) 

> America's Deadly Roads

WSJ | Rebecca Cadenhead and Andrew Mollica. US pedestrian deaths rose 72% from 2009 to 2024, as they fell across most other developed nations. One street in Memphis highlights how US urban planning puts pedestrians at risk. (More, w/map) 

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Historybook: USS Constitution first launched (1797); Inventor Alfred Nobel, founder of Nobel Prizes, born (1833); Actress Carrie Fisher born (1956); Guggenheim Museum opens to the public (1959); Poet and novelist Jack Kerouac dies (1969); Kim Kardashian born (1980).