Pope Francis has made his strongest statement yet on the accelerating climate crisis, pinning blame on big industries and world leaders as well as “irresponsible” Western lifestyles, in a blistering statement on Wednesday.

“Our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point,” the pontiff wrote in a 7,000 word encyclical called Laudate Deum (“Praise God”).

“Some effects of the climate crisis are already irreversible, at least for several hundred years, such as the increase in the global temperature of the oceans, their acidification and the decrease of oxygen,” he wrote.

The pope leveled heavy criticism at climate change deniers and delayers.

“Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident. No one can ignore the fact that in recent years we have witnessed extreme weather phenomena, frequent periods of unusual heat, drought and other cries of protest,” he wrote.

Climate change will likely only get worse and ignoring it will heighten “the probability of extreme phenomena that are increasingly frequent and intense,” he wrote. 

The pope paid particular attention to the disproportionate responsibility of rich countries for climate change.

“If we consider that emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China, and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries, we can state that a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact,” he wrote. 

He also leveled blame at leaders and businesses which he said prioritize short-term profits and gains over climate action. “Regrettably, the climate crisis is not exactly a matter that interests the great economic powers, whose concern is with the greatest profit possible at minimal cost and in the shortest amount of time.”

He even directed criticism at his own church, referring to “certain dismissive and scarcely reasonable opinions that I encounter, even within the Catholic Church.” 

The pope’s statement is a follow-up to his 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si (“Praised Be To You”), which was the first ever ponitifcal writing completely dedicated to ecological issues, which have been a cornerstone of his papacy.

It comes ahead of the UN COP28 climate conference, which starts at the end of November in Dubai, where countries will undergo “global stocktake” to assess how quickly they are progressing towards climate goals.

An annular solar eclipse will make its appearance in the skies over North, Central and South America on October 14, creating a singular spectacle for those in its path — and a rare opportunity for scientists.

The dazzling celestial event will allow millions of people to witness “the awe and the wonder of seeing a beautiful ring of fire eclipse,” said Peg Luce, acting director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA headquarters.

The “ring of fire” nickname comes from the appearance of annular solar eclipses, which are like total solar eclipses, except the moon is at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth, so they can’t completely block the sun. Instead, the sun’s fiery light surrounds the moon’s shadow, creating the so-called ring of fire.

The annular solar eclipse will begin in the United States at 9:13 a.m. PT (12:13 p.m. ET) and pass from the Oregon coast to Texas’ Gulf Coast, appearing in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. The lunar shadow will also be visible in parts of California, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona. The eclipse will end in the US at 12:03 p.m. CT (1:03 p.m. ET).

After leaving the US, the eclipse will cross Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Panama and Colombia before ending off South America’s Atlantic coast at Natal, Brazil.

Weather permitting, a cresecent-shaped partial solar eclipse, where only part of the sun is covered by the moon, will be visible October 14 in all 49 continental US states, including Alaska, according to NASA. Use the agency’s interactive eclipse map to check when the eclipse will pass over your area.

Unable to see the eclipse? NASA will share a live stream beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on eclipse day, sharing views from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kirbyville, Texas, and White Sands, New Mexico, according to Kelly Korreck, eclipse program manager at NASA.

“The next annular eclipse seen in this part of the country is actually going to be in 2046,” Korreck said. “It’s going to be a long stretch before we will see this phenomenon again, so we’re really encouraging folks to go out there and observe safely.”

What to see

Those in the path of the annular eclipse will experience several phases of the event. First, as the moon begins to pass in front of the sun, it will create a crescent-shaped partial eclipse.

An hour and 20 minutes after the partial eclipse begins, the moon will move directly in front of the sun, creating the ring of fire (also called annularity). Depending on your location along the path, this phase will last between one and five minutes.

During annularity, the sky will grow darker, though not as dark as during a total solar eclipse when all of the sun’s light is blocked. Animals may behave like they do at dusk, and the air may feel cooler, according to NASA.

The moon will continue its trek across the sun for another hour and 20 minutes, creating another partial eclipse, before the moon moves out of sight.

Safe viewing

It’s never safe to look directly at the sun without using specialized protection, and there is no phase of an annular eclipse that is safe to view with the naked eye because the sun’s light is never completely blocked.

To view the annular eclipse, wear certified eclipse glasses or use a handheld solar viewer. Separately, you can observe the sun with a telescope, binoculars or camera that has a special solar filter on the front, which acts the same way eclipse glasses would.

“You need certified ISO 12312-2 compliant solar eclipse glasses. There are plenty of safe sellers online,” said Alex Lockwood, strategic content and integration lead for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters. “We cannot stress enough how important it is to obtain a pair of safe certified solar eclipse glasses in order to witness this annular event.”

Sunglasses won’t work in place of eclipse glasses or solar viewers, which are thousands of times darker and held to an international standard. Don’t use torn, scratched or damaged eclipse glasses or solar viewers.

Don’t look at the sun through any optical device — cameras lens, telescope, binoculars — while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer, according to NASA. Solar rays can still burn through the filter on the glasses or viewer, given how concentrated they can be through an optical device, and can cause severe eye damage.

Eclipses can also be viewed indirectly using a pinhole projector, like a hole punched through an index card. These function by standing with your back to the sun and holding up the card. The pinhole projects an image of the sun on the ground or other surfaces. But never face the sun and look directly at it through the pinhole.

If you’re sitting outside for a while awaiting the eclipse, don’t forget to apply sunscreen and wear a hat to protect your skin.

The next eclipse

A total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Mexico, Canada and more than 10 US states on April 8, 2024.

The eclipse will first appear over the South Pacific Ocean and begin its journey across North America. Mexico’s Pacific coast is the first point of totality on the path, expected at 11:07 a.m. PT.

The pathway will continue across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Then, it will cross over Canada in southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, ending on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland at 5:16 p.m. (3:46 p.m. ET).

What we can learn from eclipses

Eclipses afford scientists the opportunity to study the sun and how it interacts with Earth in unique ways. NASA will launch three sounding rockets during the annular eclipse to monitor how the drop in sunlight impacts Earth’s upper atmosphere, called the ionosphere.

About 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) above Earth’s surface, the ionosphere is where air becomes electric. The sun’s ultraviolet rays separate electrons from atoms, creating an atmospheric layer full of charged particles. But at night, the atoms recombine to become neutral.

The eclipse causes a more drastic change as the temperature and density of the ionosphere drop and rise again over a shorter time scale.

“If you think of the ionosphere as a pond with some gentle ripples on it, the eclipse is like a motorboat that suddenly rips through the water,” said Aroh Barjatya, designer of the sounding rocket mission and a professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, in a statement. “It creates a wake immediately underneath and behind it, and then the water level momentarily goes up as it rushes back in.”

Atmospheric changes were detected in 2017 during a total solar eclipse across the US.

“All satellite communications go through the ionosphere before they reach Earth,” Barjatya said. “As we become more dependent on space-based assets, we need to understand and model all perturbations in the ionosphere.”

The rockets will launch before, during and after the peak of the eclipse, flying just outside of the path of annularity, to measure the changes that occur in the ionosphere between 45 and 200 miles (72 and 322 kilometers) above the ground.

Amateur radio operators will try an experiment during both the annular and total solar eclipses to see how these phenomena change the way radio waves travel. Operators in different locations will record the strength of their signals and how far they travel. Scientists are interested in tracking this distance because the sun directly influences the ionosphere, which allows radio communications to travel farther. But when the moon blocks the sun, that can change.

The sun is currently approaching solar maximum in mid-to-late 2024, and scientists are eager to capture this peak of activity through a variety of observations, like studying the sun’s corona, or hot outer atmosphere, that can only occur during eclipses.

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck south of Naples, Italy, on Tuesday, just days after the volcanic region saw its strongest earthquake in 40 years, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).

Italy’s fire brigade said there was slight damage to buildings in the latest earthquake, but no people were injured. The 4.2 magnitude quake on September 27 rattled the region and was felt as far away as Rome.

Campi Flegrei, also known as the Phlegraean fields, is a volcanic area that encompasses multiple ancient volcanoes that date back 39,000 years.

Seismic activity in the area, which stretches 200 kilometers (125 miles) under the Bay of Naples and the islands of Ischia and Capri, has intensified this year, with the region experiencing many small quakes before the most recent two. Campi Flegrei experiences a seismic phenomenon known as bradyseism, defined by cycles of uplift and gradual lowering of the ground.

The last major eruption of Campi Flegrei was in 1538, which created a new mountain in the bay. So far in 2023, Campi Flegrei has logged 2,868 earthquakes — 1,118 in August alone.

Carlo Doglioni, head of the INVG, gave testimony on the potential outcomes in front of the Italian government’s Environmental Commission’s lower chamber on September 28.

“There are two possible scenarios relating to the evolution of the situation in the Campi Flegrei: the best is that the ongoing bradyseism crisis ends as happened in 1983-84, the worst is an eruption similar to that of 1538,” he said.

“It is an evolution that we do not know and that we are monitoring.”

During the episode of bradyseism from 1983 to 1984, the ground rose 3.5 meters (11.5 feet).

The INGV has requested that the municipality of Naples carry out evacuations of some residents closest to the volcanic area to check the places most vulnerable to underlying structural damage from the rising soil. Most of the structures in question have been built in the past 20 years.

Italy’s civil protection agency estimates that at least 800,000 people live in a designated “yellow zone” and 500,000 in the “red zone,” the highest-risk area in the vicinity of the seismic region.

The last time an evacuation plan was tested was in 2019. However, local residents have demanded an updated plan that outlines what should happen in case of an eruption.

Police in Thailand arrested a 14-year-old boy after a shooting at a luxury shopping mall in the capital Bangkok on Tuesday left at least two people dead and five others injured, causing terrified shoppers to flee the scene.

Local authorities held the suspect with a weapon, and are assessing the exact number of casualties, Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau said. The suspect, who is reported to have mental health issues, was taken to a nearby hospital after being interrogated by police, Thai Police General Torsak Sukvimol told reporters.

One of the deceased victims is a Chinese citizen and the other a Myanmar national, Sukvimol said. Thai citizens and foreigners were among the injured, according to the director of Bangkok Emergency Center, Dr. Yutthana Setthanan.

Bangkok Emergency Center revised an earlier death toll, which stated that three people were killed in the shooting. The director of Bangkok Emergency Center, Dr. Yutthana Setthanan, told reporters he was initially told the death toll was three but later clarified that only one person was killed. The death toll later rose to two, according to Sukvimol.

Several people described chaotic scenes of employees and shoppers trying to escape the mall as the attack took place on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Shir Yahav, 26, said the shooting happened “in just a few minutes,” the agency reported.

“We saw all the people run, run, run, we didn’t understand what was happening,” Yahav said. “We went with them and then we heard several shots, like six or seven shots. We blocked the door of the store.”

Susinee, 35, said she and about half a dozen other workers “just ran out” of a Japanese ramen restaurant, Reuters reported.

‘Personal issues’

The suspect “surrendered himself” after the shooting and still had ammunition when he was apprehended, according to Sukvimol.

“Any of his personal issues, we can’t talk about that much since he’s still a youth,” the police chief said of the suspect, adding that officers have spoken to his parents.

“He has mental issues, and he is receiving treatment at Rajvithee Hospital,” he added.

The police general did not specify where the juvenile obtained the weapon.

Sukvimol commended mall security for effectively dealing with an active shooter. “When the shooting happened, there were a lot of people at the mall, it was rush hour and raining outside.”

Gun ownership in the Southeast Asian country is high compared with other countries in the region.

More than 10.3 million civilians held firearms in Thailand, or around 15 guns for every 100 people, 2017 data from the Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey (SAS) said. About 6.2 million of those guns are legally registered, according to SAS.

Thailand tallies the second-highest gun homicides after the Philippines in Southeast Asia, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s 2019 Global Burden of Disease database.

But mass shootings in the country are rare. In October 2022, at least 36 people were killed in a gun and knife attack at a child care center in northeastern Thailand.

The massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province was believed to be the country’s deadliest incident of its kind.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed his “deepest condolences” to the relatives of those died in the shooting.

“I would like to offer my support to the families of the deceased and all those who were injured as well,” the prime minister wrote on X, previously known as Twitter.

At least 21 people were killed, including two children, when a passenger bus plunged from a bridge in Mestre, Italy, near Venice on Tuesday, in what has been described as an “apocalyptic scene.”

The bus was traveling from Venice to nearby Marghera and was “full of people returning home from work,” Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro told state media RAI.

“It completely went off the road, it flew off the bridge. It was a bus; it was a highway. We are in mourning,” he added. Brugnaro described the scene as “apocalyptic” in a post on Facebook.

The accident occurred on the overpass of a road that leads from Mestre to Marghera and the A4 motorway, Italian media skytg24 reported.

For reasons that have yet to be determined, the bus broke through a wall of the overpass, falling between a warehouse and the tracks of the Mestre station below, according to skytg24.

“Following the impact, the vehicle caught fire,” the fire brigade wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Morris Ceron, general director of the municipality of Venice, told the Italian public broadcaster RAI that the vehicle was headed towards a campsite.

“The identification of the bodies is underway,” Ceron told RAI.

Among the injured are Ukrainian, French, Croatian and German nationals, Venice prefect Michele Di Bari told RAI.

‘Tragedy of enormous proportions’

As authorities try and determine the cause of the deadly accident, RAI reported that the 40-year-old bus driver, identified as Alberto Rizzotto, was among the dead. The traffic counselor, Renato Boraso, told RAI that Rizzotto was an expert and had up to 7 years experience as a bus driver.

Luca Zaia, president of Italy’s Veneto region, called the bus crash in northern Italy, “a tragedy of enormous proportions.”

He said the accident involved some minors and “the victims and injured are of various nationalities, not just Italians.”

More than 20 ambulances “were used and the Treviso air ambulance was also called to the scene,” he said, adding that the injured were taken to hospitals in “Mestre, Mirano, Padua and Treviso.”

Images from the scene showed rescue workers by an overturned and crumpled bus below a bridge.

Rescue operations began at 7:45 p.m. local time (1:45 p.m. ET) and ended around 9:30 p.m local, according to officials.

The country’s president and prime minister expressed their condolences in the aftermath of the accident as did other world leaders.

“I express my personal and the Government’s deepest condolences for the serious accident that occurred in Mestre. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their family and friends,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X.

French President Emmanuel Macron said “thoughts this evening are with the Italian people, with the families and loved ones of the victims of the terrible tragedy in Venice” in a post on X.

“I am deeply saddened by the terrible accident of a bus in Mestre this evening. I offer my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims at this sad time. I’m close to you,” President of the European Council, Charles Michel, wrote on X.

Rescue teams in Zimbabwe are continuing the search for survivors, three days after a disused gold mine in the country’s Chegutu district collapsed, killing at least 10 illegal miners.

Around 42 artisanal miners were believed to be working underground at the Bay Horse Mine in Chegutu when it caved in on them on Friday, provincial official Marian Chombo told local media Sunday.

Twenty-one of them have been rescued while another 10 are believed to be trapped in the rubble, according to local reports.

Ten deaths have been confirmed so far, the reports further said. Some of the deceased were found pinned beneath rocks, state media reported.

Earlier on Saturday, Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga said up to 13 people may have died from the accident.

Chiwenga added that the government would support funeral costs for the deceased.

The mine, which is located in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West province, sits 62 miles west of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. The miners had gone into the mine – said to be about 150 meters deep, “using undesignated entry points,” Chombo added.

Chombo asked mining companies in the province to assist in rescue operations.

“The mines have expertise and other machines and equipment that could be helpful,” she told reporters.

Artisanal mining is common in Zimbabwe, which is rich in vast deposits of gold and diamonds. Accidents at illegal mining sites are also common in the southern African country.

In 2019, the bodies of about two dozen illegal gold miners were pulled out from a flooded mine in a rural settlement in the Mashonaland West province.

More than 60 elementary school students were hospitalized in Jamaica on Monday after unknowingly eating candy laced with cannabis, according to officials.

The candy caused the children “to vomit and hallucinate,” she posted Monday on X, formerly Twitter, adding that some kids were put on an intravenous drip.

“Over 60 primary school students had to be taken to hospital. Parents please beware!!” Williams wrote. “One little boy said he only had ONE sweetie. That’s how potent this product is.”

The minister also said on X that she visited the hospital where the children were being treated, and that “doctors & nurses are doing all they can to ensure the students recover.”

Williams posted a photo of the candy, which came in a rainbow colored package.

The packaging stated the product contains Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as delta-8 THC, a psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis sativa plant, “of which marijuana and hemp are two varieties,” according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.

It has “psychoactive and intoxicating effects,” according to the US agency.

The minister also included a photo of the candy package showing a government warning on the back stating, “keep out of reach of children” and “not intended for use by anyone under 21 years of age.”

The packaging stated the product was not approved by the FDA.

Jamaica decriminalized cannabis for people over 18 in 2015, with possession of 2 ounces (56 grams) or less downgraded to a petty offense.

A critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros calf has been born in a national park in Indonesia, the third successful pairing between a local female rhino named Ratu and Andalas, a former resident of Ohio’s Cincinnati Zoo.

The unnamed female was born on Saturday at the Way Kambas National Park on southern Sumatra island, Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry said on X, formerly Twitter.

Environment and forestry minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said it was “happy news not just for Indonesia but the rest of the world.”

Sumatran rhinos were once found in great numbers across Southeast Asia but fewer than 80 remain in fragmented areas across Indonesia, according to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF).

The calf’s birth represents hope for a species threatened with extinction due to illegal poaching and habitat loss.

Photos shared by the forestry ministry showed the newborn calf, weighing about 27 kilograms (60 pounds), covered in black hair and looking bright-eyed next to her mother.

In one picture, Ratu was seen giving her baby a gentle nudge.

Within 45 minutes of her natural birth, the calf was able to stand and began feeding from her mother within four hours, the ministry said.

Hope for the species

Sumatran rhinos are the world’s smallest rhinos, standing at roughly 4 to 5 feet tall (about 1.5 meters), with an average body length of around 8.2 feet (2.5 meters).

They are more closely related to extinct woolly rhinos than other rhino species and are covered in long hair.

Sumatran rhinos typically live in dense tropical forest, both lowland and highland, on Sumatra and are generally solitary in nature, according to IRF. Females give birth to one calf every three to four years and gestation periods can last between 15 to 16 months.

Habitat loss has driven them to occupy smaller areas of the Indonesian jungle and conservationists are concerned about the survival of the species.

“As this reclusive species seems to disappear further into dense jungles, direct sightings have become rare and indirect signs like footprints are getting harder to find,” the IRF said.

“The beacon of hope for the species is the breeding program at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary… that has produced three calves and continues its breeding efforts to create an insurance population of rhinos.”

The species was declared locally extinct in neighboring Malaysia in 2019.

A 25-year-old female named Iman died of cancer on November 24, 2019 at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary. Her death came months after Tam – the last surviving male rhino – succumbed to organ failure, officials said.

Concerns over Kenya’s human rights record have cast a shadow over a UN decision that gave Kenya the go ahead to lead an armed multinational force to Haiti amid brutal gang violence in the Caribbean country.

For a year, the multinational force, comprising 1000 Kenya police personnel is expected to combat criminal gangs responsible for a wave of killings, kidnappings and rape in Haiti.

But human rights groups argue that Kenya’s history of human rights abuses must be evaluated.

On Tuesday, Amnesty International Kenya urged UN member states, human rights organizations and citizens to thoroughly examine the “human rights and humanitarian implications” of deploying an armed multinational force to Haiti.

Kenya’s police have often been criticized for its violent approach towards containing demonstrations in the country. Dozens of civilians have been killed during anti-government protests in the East African country this year.

The Kenya National Civil Society Center opposed the deployment of the country’s police personnel to Haiti, accusing it of “extrajudicial killings.”

Some in Kenya are also skeptical as to the real motive behind the mission.

“Many people believe the president of Kenya is out to please the international community. He’s out to be a darling of the west. He has been on a charm offensive to please the outside world, to appear to be an African statesman,” Manyora argued.

‘A collective moral duty’

However, Kenyan President William Ruto called the outcome of Monday’s vote “overdue” and “a critical instrument” that will “provide a different footprint in the history of international interventions in Haiti.”

In a media statement on Tuesday, Ruto said he was “delighted” that the UNSC had directly answered his call, citing his recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly regarding the need for a framework of a multinational support force in Haiti.

Ruto said the decision “marks an important moment in the history of global multilateralism,” and argued that it “enables the nations of the world to discharge a collective moral duty of securing justice and security for all peoples of all nations.”

“For us in Kenya, this mission is of special significance and critical urgency. We experienced the harrowing brunt of colonialism, as well as the long, difficult and frustrating struggle… In our struggle, we always had friends … true, loyal and determined friends. The people of Haiti, our dear friends, today stand in need. It is our fundamental moral obligation to be their friend indeed, by standing with them,” Ruto said.

Police in eastern Pakistan have smashed an illegal organ harvesting ring, arresting eight people for surgically removing kidneys from hundreds of patients for wealthy people needing a transplant, authorities said Monday.

The alleged gang leader, identified as “Dr Fawad,” is accused of conducting 328 operations on people to remove their kidney and selling them to clients for up to 10 million Pakistani rupees ($34,000) each, said Mohsin Naqvi, the chief minister of Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Fawad was allegedly assisted in the operations by an unnamed car mechanic who administered the anesthesia, Naqvi said.

The chief minister said the gang lured patients from hospitals and performed the operations privately in the region of Taxila, the city of Lahore and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

“They were able to do this in Kashmir because there is no law regarding kidney transplant, so it was easier for them to carry out the operations there,” Naqvi said.

Three deaths have so far been confirmed, according to the chief minister, but authorities were still confirming the data.

“There must be more operations that must have been carried out, the number is the only ones we’ve confirmed,” he added.

Fawad had previously been arrested five times but was released on each occasion and was able to resume his operations, Naqvi said.

Some of the patients whose organs were harvested did not know their kidney was removed, he added.

Police spent almost two months investigating the case after a man came forward saying he was convinced by one of the alleged gang members to get medical treatment done privately.

Later, when he went to another doctor for further treatment, he was told he didn’t have a kidney, according to the chief minister.

Naqvi said he is working with the Inspector General of Police of Punjab to strengthen the country’s cyber laws so adverts for such illegal kidney transplants are banned online.

“Our entire focus is to track other gangs who are operating like this,” he said.

Pakistan made the commercial trade of human organs illegal in 2007 and a strengthened law in 2010 made the harvesting and trafficking of organs punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a 1 million rupee ($3,400) fine.

Before the legislation, the country was a center for the organ trade for foreigners and wealthy Pakistanis in search of a transplant, and the buying and selling of kidneys was a regular practice, with some impoverished Pakistanis selling their kidneys in order to survive.

But the practice has continued and local media have reported that illegal kidney transplants have made a comeback in recent years.