An invisibility cloak has been created for the military, the average home has about 100 different species of insects, cities are seeing shrinking revenue sources, the Justice Department to mandate DNA collection of migrants.

These, and more, are the newsworthy stories from this past week.

Science and Environment

• A Canadian firm has developed an invisibility cloak designed for the military which renders anything behind it invisible.
  
  The material bends light around a target rendering it invisible across spectrums, including infrared and thermal radiation.
  
  From ZME Science
  

• AI enables mind-controlled handwriting by interpreting the thoughts of paralyzed patients who imagine using a pen to form letters or words.
  
  From ZME Science

• According to a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, particle matter pollution has increased in 2017 and 2018. The findings may signal a trend reversal after decades of generally positive environmental accomplishments.
  
  From ZME Science
  

• Researchers concluded that the fossil fuel industry has known about human-caused climate change for decades.
  
  Companies used different tactics such as championing conspiracy theories, promoting fake experts and cherry-picking scientific evidence.
  
  From ZME Science
  

Health and Society

• The average home harbors about 100 different species of spiders, flies, beetles, ants and other bugs.
  
  Very few are pests—they typically do no harm—and most are largely unnoticed, quietly populating an ecosystem that scientists suspect strengthens our immune systems and improves our resistance to allergens.
  
  From The Wall Street Journal
  

• Both human and mouse fetuses have their own microbiome, which is transmitted from the mother. Findings provide new avenues for interventions during pregnancy to stimulate the fetal microbiome when the mother shows risk of premature birth.
  
  From Neuroscience News
  

• Researchers from the University of Western Australia found conclusive evidence that congenital blindness is protective against schizophrenia.
  
  The unusual discovery offered new insights into the inner workings of schizophrenia, a condition which still has many unknowns, despite decades of research.
  
  From ZME Science
  

• Researchers have uncovered a worrisome trend in which harmful bacteria known to cause dangerous stomach diseases are becoming increasingly resistant to even some of the most powerful antibiotics at our disposal. According to a new study, resistance to commonly-used antibiotics has doubled in the past 20 years.
  
  From ZME Science
  

• An analysis of new census data shows the number of children in the United States without any kind of insurance rose by more than 400,000 between 2016 and 2018 after decades of progress.
  
  From The New York Times
  

• A court in Bangladesh sentenced 16 people to death for the murder of a student set on fire after accusing her teacher of sexual harassment.
  
  From BBC News
  

Business and Economics

• Wing — owned by Google parent Alphabet — started using drones Friday to deliver Walgreens and FedEx orders near Virginia Tech.
  
  And yesterday, UPS announced that it will expand drone deliveries (in small metal boxes) near the University of Utah to include CVS.
  
  From Axios
  

• According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, Amazon.com today offers a steady stream of clothing from dozens of Bangladeshi factories that most leading retailers have said are too dangerous to allow into their supply chains.
  
  From The Wall Street Journal
  

• Almost two in three finance officers in large cities are predicting a recession as soon as 2020, according to a new report from the National League of Cities, as weakening major economic indicators and shrinking revenue sources put pressure on municipal budgets.
  
  From Axios
  

• As part of a trend of increased corporate activism, JPMorgan Chase today will announce a new public policy agenda that includes an expanded effort to help people with criminal backgrounds re-enter the workforce.
  
  The effort will include affordable housing and access to capital.
  
  From Axios
  

• Half the world’s banks are too weak to survive a downturn. A majority of banks globally may not be economically viable because their returns on equity aren’t keeping pace with costs.
  
  From Bloomberg
  

• Anyone who bought residential property in the last 40 years, even at the height of a bubble, has been able to count on rising home values. But those days may be over: Real estate prices have far outpaced incomes and lost their correlation to them.
  
  Even with ultra-low mortgage rates, prices are not falling enough to bring in new customers.
  
  From Axios
  

Government and Politics

• The Justice Department will publish an amended regulation that would mandate DNA collection for almost all migrants who cross between official entry points and are held even temporarily, according to the official.
  
  From AP
  

• The count of children separated at the border by U.S. immigration authorities since July 2017 is now 5,460.
  
  From AP
  

• Islamic State has posted propaganda videos on the teen-friendly platform TikTok, adorning them with pink hearts.
  
  From The Wall Street Journal
  

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