An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Genetic differences between identical twins can begin very early in embryonic development, according to a study that researchers say has implications for examining the effects of nature versus nurture. Identical — or monozygotic — twins come from a single fertilized egg that splits in two. They are important research subjects because they…
Tag: genomes
The World’s First DNA ‘Tricorder’ In Your Pocket
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists developed the world’s first mobile genome sequence analyzer, a new iPhone app called iGenomics. By pairing an iPhone with a handheld DNA sequencer, users can create a mobile genetics laboratory, reminiscent of the “tricorder” featured in Star Trek. Phys.Org reports: The iGenomics app runs entirely on the iOS device, reducing the need for laptops or…
Deep Frozen Arctic Microbes Are Waking Up
An anonymous reader shares an opinion piece from Scientific American: Permafrost covers 24 percent of the Earth’s land surface, and the soil constituents vary with local geology. Arctic lands offer unexplored microbial biodiversity and microbial feedbacks, including the release of carbon to the atmosphere. In some locations, hundreds of millions of years’ worth of carbon is buried. The layers may still…
Biogen Conference Likely Led To 20,000 COVID-19 Cases In Boston Area
schwit1 shares a report from The Boston Globe: A new study estimates the Biogen conference held at Boston’s Marriott Long Wharf hotel in February played a far greater role in spreading the coronavirus than previously thought. The research team analyzed the genetic sequences of the virus that caused COVID-19 in the 772 patients, almost all from Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk…
Scientists Make Precise Gene Edits To Mitochondrial DNA For First Time
A peculiar bacterial enzyme has allowed researchers to achieve what even the popular CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing system couldn’t manage: targeted changes to the genomes of mitochondria, cells’ crucial energy-producing structures. From a report: The technique — which builds on a super-precise version of gene editing called base editing — could allow researchers to develop new ways to study, and perhaps even treat,…
The powerhouses inside cells have been gene-edited for the first time
Making precise changes to the genomes of mitochondria within our cells could lead to treatments for disorders that can result in muscle weakness or even death in early childhood Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2248168-the-powerhouses-inside-cells-have-been-gene-edited-for-the-first-time/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
10 More Virus Researchers Say ‘Virtually No Chance’ Coronavirus Escaped From a Lab
Long-time Slashdot reader Charlotte Web writes: “Virus researchers say there is virtually no chance that the new coronavirus was released as result of a laboratory accident in China or anywhere else,” writes NPR, citing “10 leading scientists who collect samples of viruses from animals in the wild, study virus genomes and understand how lab accidents can happen.” NPR reports: “All of…
DNA analysis reveals just how intertwined ancient human lineages are
Ancient humans in Africa mixed far more than we thought, according to new findings revealed by sequencing the genomes of a diverse group of people from across the world Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2238034-dna-analysis-reveals-just-how-intertwined-ancient-human-lineages-are/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Did early humans in Africa interbreed with a mysterious, extinct species?
New research suggests that early humans in Africa interbred with a ghost population that likely split from the ancestors of humans and Neanderthals between 360,000 and 1.02 million years ago. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/early-humans-africa-interbred-with-extinct-species…
We’ve found more than 2500 new viruses and some are unlike any we know
The genomes of 2514 new viruses have been identified in DNA recovered from human and animal cells, many of them belonging to wholly new families Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2232755-weve-found-more-than-2500-new-viruses-and-some-are-unlike-any-we-know/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…