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+31 +1
The fossil record is full of life
The chances of establishing a real-world Jurassic Park are slim. During the fossilization process, biological tissues degrade over millions of years, with some types of molecules breaking down faster than others. However, traces of biological material have been found inside some fossils
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+2 +1
Using CRISPR to resurrect the woolly mammoth
It really is worse than you think. We've gorged ourselves on fossil fuels, vacuumed up the Earth's forests and spewed toxic gases into the atmosphere for years on end. The planet is getting warmer, we're poisoning insect populations with reckless abandon and pulling fish out of the ocean at an alarming rate. The most recent prognosis for a biodiverse Earth is incredibly grim, with 1 million
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+16 +1
What does it mean to be genetically Jewish?
DNA tests have been used in Israel to verify a person’s Jewishness. This brings a bigger question: what does it mean to be genetically Jewish? And can you prove religious identity scientifically?
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+22 +1
New Research Has Identified the Genes That Might Hold the Key of Human Evolution
Scientists have found that dozens of genes similar across different organism are unique to humans, and this could hold the key to the evolution of species. Researchers from the University of Toronto, Canada, have found out that these genes codes are transcription factors (TFs) and are controlling the gene activity. The study was published in the Nature Genetics Journal.
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+24 +1
Authorities: Don't give DNA to people who come to your house asking for it
Officials in Macomb County want to remind residents that it's not standard practice for doctors to send someone to your house to collect DNA.
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+12 +1
Artificial life form given 'synthetic DNA'
UK scientists have created an artificial version of the stomach bug E. coli that is based on an entirely synthetic form of DNA.
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+9 +1
Ancient ‘chewing gum’ reveals the oldest Scandinavian human DNA
The first humans to settle in Scandinavia over 10,000 years ago left their DNA behind in ancient chewing gums, which are masticated lumps of birch bark pitch. There are only a few human bones of this age in Scandinavia, and most have not preserved enough DNA for genetic studies. In fact, the DNA from these newly examined chewing gums is the oldest human DNA sequenced from this area so far. The DNA derived from three individuals, two females and one male, creates an exciting link between material culture and human genetics. This new research was conducted at Stockholm University and published in Communications Biology.
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+16 +1
Montana man's DNA oldest found on the continent, testing company says
On a blizzarding March day on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Alvin "Willy" Crawford's heart gave out. Among the many things his brother Darrell "Dusty" Crawford wanted to tell him before he died, one thing, in particular, is needling him. At Willy's urging, Crawford had his DNA tested. "He's the one who encouraged me to do this, and he wanted to compare our results," Crawford said. "I just wish I could have shown it to him. It would have blown him away."
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+36 +1
‘Longevity gene’ responsible for more efficient DNA repair
Explorers have dreamt for centuries of a Fountain of Youth, with healing waters that rejuvenate the old and extend life indefinitely. Researchers at the University of Rochester, however, have uncovered more evidence that the key to longevity resides instead in a gene. In a new paper published in the journal Cell, the researchers—including Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov, professors of biology; Dirk Bohmann, professor of biomedical genetics; and their team of students and postdoctoral
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+8 +1
'Spectacular' jawbone discovery sheds light on ancient Denisovans
Scientists extract proteins from a molar to uncover details of mysterious species’ origins
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+2 +1
Scientists simulated every single atom of a single gene
Scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory say they built a simulation that models the behavior of every single atom in a single human gene. That means a billion moving parts all at once — a feat so complex that the scientists say they need to wait for a new generation of supercomputers if they want to model an entire chromosome or, better yet, the human genome.
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+35 +1
23 reasons not to reveal your DNA
DNA testing is a booming global business enabled by the internet. Millions of people have sent samples of their saliva to commercial labs in hopes of learning something new about their personal health or heritage, primarily in the United States and Europe. In some places, commercial tests are banned.
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+14 +1
We'll be eating the first Crispr'd foods within 5 years, according to a geneticist who helped invent the blockbuster gene-editing tool
While ethicists debate the applications of blockbuster gene-editing tool Crispr in human healthcare, an inventor of the tool believes it has a more immediate application: improving our food. "I think in the next five years the most profound thing we'll see in terms of Crispr's effects on people's everyday lives will be in the agricultural sector," Jennifer Doudna, the University of California Berkeley geneticist who unearthed Crispr in early experiments with bacteria in 2012, told Business Insider.
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+7 +1
How CRISPR Gene Editing Trials on Humans Were Finally Approved in the US
For years, we have speculated about the promise that CRISPR — a gene editing tool that can precisely change DNA sequences — holds to treat human disease. This week, our high expectations were put to the test. On Wednesday, reports confirmed that the United States embarked on a new clinical trial using CRISPR to treat human cancer patients — the first of many more to come.
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+21 +1
Genetic Basis of Obesity Carries Weight
There are, undoubtedly, many factors that go into a person’s weight. A new report from the lab of Sekar Kathiresan, M.D., director of the Center for Genomic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, documents a clear biologic basis for the predisposition of obesity. More specifically, that genetics play a role in how heavy a person gets.
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+9 +1
DNA reveals origin of Stonehenge builders
Ancestors of the people who built Stonehenge travelled west across the Mediterranean to get to Britain.
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+34 +1
CRISPR-Cas3 innovation holds promise for disease cures, advancing science
A Cornell researcher, who is a leader in developing a new type of gene editing CRISPR system, and colleagues have used the new method for the first time in human cells – a major advance in the field. The new system, called CRISPR-Cas3, can efficiently erase long stretches of DNA from a targeted site in the human genome, a capability not easily attainable in more traditional CRISPR-Cas9 systems. Though robust applications may be well in the future, the new system has the potential to seek out and erase such ectopic viruses as herpes simplex, Epstein-Barr, and hepatitis B, each of which is a major threat to public health.
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+23 +1
A New Species of Ancient Human Was Uncovered in the DNA of Living Papuans
In 1864, our understanding of what it means to be human changed when Neanderthals were identified as a distinct species of hominin. At the time, it was immensely scandalous to presume Homo sapiens weren’t uniquely human; now it’s obvious that we are one of many. On Thursday, scientists report in Cell that it may be time to add another member to our list of ancient kin.
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+3 +1
Prenatal sequencing for some autism genes may soon be available
Sequencing can identify mutations linked to autism even before a child’s birth – especially in cases where doctors suspect problems, two new studies suggest1,2. In the studies, scientists sequenced fetal DNA only when ultrasounds revealed atypical development of limbs or other organs, and they gave families only the results that seemed to explain those problems.
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+49 +1
FamilyTreeDNA Says It Will Give Your DNA to the FBI
A popular DNA-testing company seems to be targeting true crime fans with a new pitch to let them share their genetic information with law enforcement so cops can catch violent criminals.
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