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☆ Billion-dollar startup plans to bring the dodo back from the dead, and claims it can also revive the woolly mammoth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Colossal Biosciences, a biotech company, says it will aim to revive the dodo using gene editing. This is the latest attempt to revive extinct animals in the face of the biodiversity crisis. The bird is the latest in the collection of long-gone animals scientists at the company want to revive. The startup has previously said it plan to recreate the Tasmanian wolf and the woolly mammoth. A stuffed dodo bird at the Natural History Museum on February 5, 2013, in London, England.

Autism rates tripled among children in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area from 2000 to 2016, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Pediatrics. Although there is no medical test for autism, the CDC has established a network of 17 sites across the country that estimate autism rates based on a combination of formal medical diagnoses and records from schools and health care providers. Nationally, the rise in autism rates has been similar to the trend in New York and New Jersey, according to a 2021 CDC report. But there’s probably more to the story: Genetic factors, and perhaps some environmental ones, too, might also be contributing to the trend. Beyond the improvements in diagnostics, genetic factors could be driving up autism cases on their own, experts said.

☆ Here's where to look for the next developments in the fight against Alzheimer's disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 5.8 million Americans were living with the disease in 2020 . BIIB 6M mountain Biogen's stock is trading well above its lows Leqembi treats Alzheimer's disease by targeting amyloid-beta plaques in the brain. Attention shifts to Eli Lilly Shares of other Alzheimer's drug developers have often mirrored Biogen's moves. Small drug developers Smaller Alzheimer's drug developers have also been boosted by research developments. Still in an early stage of its research, Prothena has traded as a proxy for developments in Alzheimer's treatment.

The approach used to identify Kohberger is just one of several recent developments in DNA analysis that have transformed the way law enforcement investigates crimes. In a justice system rife with flawed science, DNA evidence is rightly viewed as the gold standard for forensics: After DNA evidence was first introduced in the criminal justice system in the late 1980s, scientists spent years developing and evaluating protocols for comparing individual DNA samples, which have been repeatedly found to produce consistent, reliable results. DNA analysis was a revolution in forensics, but like every form of scientific evidence it has the potential for error. Recent technological advancements allowing scientists to analyze increasingly small or contaminated DNA samples further complicate the process. DNA samples are also sometimes mishandled or tampered with, compromising results.

☆ Ehlers-Danlos syndrome affects millions. Why isn't the medical profession paying more attention?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Sarah Lazarus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

“Have you heard of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome?” the podiatrist asked me. There are 13 types of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), according to research and advocacy organization The Ehlers-Danlos Society. Drag queen Yvie Oddly, who has hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, crab walks down the pink carpet at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2019. Bluestein says that for many years it was thought that one in 5,000 people had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. But despite her career choice, Bluestein only received her hEDS diagnosis when she was 47 – more than 30 years later.

They have found that in Puerto Rico, people have a higher propensity for Alzheimer's and part of the reason could be a genetic variant they have uncovered. While, in the U.S., 10.7% of the population age 65 and older has Alzheimer's, in Puerto Rico the number is 12.5%. In the U.S., it's the fifth-leading cause of death in those over 65 but in Puerto Rico, it ranks fourth in the same age group. It was more than three decades ago when Alzheimer’s genetic research pioneer Margaret Pericak-Vance was at Duke University that she began trying to involve more diverse populations in research. A variant only found among Hispanic CaribbeansDr. Katrina Celis, Director of Research Support Larry Adams, and Dr. Parker Bussies prepare to see Alzheimer’s patients and their families in Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico Alzheimers Disease Initiative, known as PRADI.

Though a tiny fraction of the nation's plantings, the previously unreported total represents the company's biggest ever release of hybrid wheat. NEARLY 100 YEARSFarmers have used hybrid seeds since the 1930s to grow corn, followed by other crops ranging from peanuts to tomatoes. Producing hybrid wheat seeds is still more complicated and expensive than conventional wheat. Hybrid wheat can produce more uniform results across fields than conventional wheat, and may deliver better yields on poor soil, Hankey said. Syngenta projected in 2015 that its annual sales of hybrid wheat seeds could potentially reach $3 billion by 2032.

☆ 5 ways reading 'Atomic Habits' changed how I live and work for the better
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

She read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear to improve her productivity and address distractions. Here are five ways that my life changed for the better after I tried Clear's principles:1. I beat distractions in my spaceAccording to "Atomic Habits," the first law of behavior change is to "make it obvious." After reading "Atomic Habits," I set an alarm for 20 minutes so I'd get it done under pressure and separated everything into three piles: essentials, nice-to-have, and extras. One of my goals last year was to get really good at recording Instagram Reels and posting every day, and "Atomic Habits" gave me a tangible strategy that helped me achieve this.

☆ Fact Check-PCR test for COVID-19 uses gene cloning but cannot be used to clone humans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits for COVID-19 use what’s known as gene cloning – not reproductive cloning – to detect the presence or absence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but social media posts claim that humans are being cloned using COVID-19 PCR tests. The claim appears to originate from an Aug. 18 segment of the Stew Peters Show titled, “Patent PCR Test Linked To Human Cloning Video Shows Animal Experiments, Cross Species Genetics” (here). The 2015 paper by Hoseini and Sauer explains methods for gene cloning with PCR and used a gene encoding a red fluorescent protein as its example. PCR tests for COVID-19 cannot be used for human cloning. Molecular cloning, or gene cloning, that is described in a 2015 paper about using PCR to copy individual genes is an entirely different process.

☆ Here's the No. 1 thing that sets 'SuperAgers' apart from people with 'weak memory skills,' says brain expert
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Marc Milstein | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Conversely, it's possible for your brain to be older than your chronological age, which is what we want to avoid. So what sets SuperAgers apart from people who have weak memory skills? SuperAgers learn something new every dayThink of the brain like a bank account. We make "deposits" — or new connections between our brain cells — by learning. One study found that adults with more years of education had more active frontal lobes when they took memory tests.

☆ Levi's got its start making clothes for cowboys — now it's a Gen Z status symbol. Here's how the 169-year-old retailer became the world's most iconic denim company.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Jeans as we know them today were born decades later when Strauss teamed up with a tailor to create riveted pants. The Levi Strauss factory in San Francisco in 1882. He purchased fabric from Strauss and made button-fly pants, which were such a hit among customers, he decided to patent them. Modern-day jeans were born, though at the time, they were called "waist overalls" or simply "overalls." The name comes from the French word "Gênes," meaning Genoa, an Italian port city where sailors often dressed in denim, Vice reports.

☆ 5 daily practices could up your chances of living to 90—check out this life expectancy calculator to see more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Increasing your chances of living to 90 could boil down to your behaviors, not just genetics, research shows. "If you're getting to 95, you're usually doing that because of really good health behaviors," says Perls, as well as benefiting from good luck and good genes. On average, followers of the religion tended to live to between age 86 and 90, regardless of race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. 'The older you get, the healthier you've been'While researching, Perls noticed that several people had reservations about living a long life, which prevented them from seeing the value of maintaining healthy behaviors. "Some people think that the older you get, the sicker you get and that they wouldn't want to live to that age.

☆ Billionaires like Elon Musk want to save civilization by having tons of genetically superior kids. Inside the movement to take 'control of human evolution.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +40 min

"We are the Underground Railroad of 'Gattaca' babies and people who want to do genetic stuff with their kids," Malcolm told me. Ellison, meanwhile, who has two children in their 30s, has reportedly resumed having kids — with his 31-year-old girlfriend. "The person of this subculture really sees the pathway to immortality as being through having children," Simone said. The person of this subculture really sees the pathway to immortality as being through having children. Before she met Malcolm, Simone was convinced she wanted to live her life single and child-free.

☆ This gene-editing company that went public last month could rally 20%, Jefferies says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Prime Medicine shares could pop the company works toward a gene therapy that could address nine out of every 10 genetic mutations, Jefferies said Monday. The company went public Oct. 20 through an initial public offering. "PRME believes that key advantages of Prime Editing technology lie in its versatility, precision, effectiveness and breadth." Yang said Prime Medicine has a unique focus on search-and-replace genome editing, which can theoretically use one-time therapies to address 90% of the approximately 75,000 known genetic mutations. Search-and-replace can do more gene conversions without off-target editing or breaking double-strands of DNA, which allows it to have broader impact, Yang said.

☆ A brain expert shares his 7 'hard rules' for boosting memory and fighting off dementia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Marc Milstein | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As a neuroscience researcher, here are seven hard rules I live by to keep my brain sharp and fight off dementia. Keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels in checkYour heart beats roughly 115,000 times a day, and with every beat, it sends about 20% of the oxygen in your body to your brain. High blood pressure can weaken your heart muscle, and is one of the leading causes of strokes. Ideally, your blood pressure should be no higher than 120/80. To lessen isolation and loneliness, you can also boost brain chemicals like serotonin and endorphins by performing small acts of kindness: Wish others well or check in with somebody.

☆ A woman with a rare set of genetic mutations got cancer 5 times by the time she was 36
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A woman had cancer 5 times before she turned 36, the first time when she was two. It shows the importance of genetic testing in families where cancer is common, a study author said. In total the woman, who wasn't named, developed 12 different tumors, five of which were cancerous and seven of which were benign. The woman had her first cancer at age two, a tumor in which was treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. MedicalRF.com/Getty ImagesThat means that a lot of cells in this patient's body didn't always have the right number of chromosomes, causing havoc.

☆ In a novel experiment, brain-like human tissue implanted in rat brains influenced the rodents' behavior
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Their results, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, showed that the brain-like human tissue integrated with the rat tissue, then continued to mature. The researchers injected the human tissue into the rats’ somatosensory cortexes — regions that receive and process sensory information like touch or pain. The researchers also used a puff of air to prod the rats’ whiskers, then observed how the human neurons responded. "We found that human neurons respond very quickly after we stimulated the whiskers. "Human neurons become part of the rat circuitry," Pașca said, adding that the neurons were "sparkling with electrical activity" under a microscope.

☆ Why a top Roche scientist is leaving after 25 years to join a rising biotech startup using fungi to make new drugs
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Andrew Dunn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After 25 years at the pharma giant Roche, the drug hunter Martin Stahl is leaving to join a biotech. CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — A longtime drug-hunting veteran is leaving one of the largest drugmakers to lead the science division at the biotech startup LifeMine Therapeutics, Insider has learned. FogPharmaThe big draw for Stahl was LifeMine's approach to discovering drugs. With its genetic-database approach, LifeMine hopes to greatly speed up how long it takes to develop fungi-derived drugs. Stahl said LifeMine's approach leaned on nature, rather than medicinal chemists, to design the drugs.

☆ I was fired from Google. Here's what I should've done sooner, even though it turned out to be good for my career and mental health.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Grigory Yakushev | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Grigory Yakushev was fired from Google six years ago after a steep drop in productivity. I was fired from Google in April 2015, after nearly five years of working in the office in Zurich, Switzerland. I figured that if Google wasn't happy with my performance, it could feel free to fire me, but I wasn't going to jump myself. After a week on the PIP, it was quite obvious to me that I wasn't going to be successful. It's been nine years since I was fired from Google, and I can say it was definitely a fortunate event in my life.

☆ How the mind of an 80-year-old president is biologically different from a 45-year-old president's
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

It was 1988, and he'd approached President Ronald Reagan in the Cabinet room at the White House. People scoffed at the glowing hourlong media conference that President Donald Trump's White House doctor gave about his health. Reagan publicly announced he had Alzheimer's disease five years after he left the White House. Francis Shen, who teaches psychiatry at Harvard Medical School's Center for Bioethics, would like to see information about political leaders' cognitive health made public. Cognitive health should be no different, he said, because it also might affect the way presidents and members of Congress make important decisions.

☆ The forest growing in the world’s hottest sea
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-04 | by ( Barry Neild | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Jubail Mangrove Park is a green expanse of gray mangrove trees on the northeastern edge of Abu Dhabi’s Al Jubail island, where shallow tidal waterways spill out into the clear blue Arabian Sea. It’s a tranquil world away from the shimmering skyscrapers and heat-hazed hustle of downtown Abu Dhabi, albeit just a short drive away. Dreamlike destinationThe Jubail Mangrove Park is an unexpected green escape from the deserts of Abu Dhabi. And observing those genes in action in Abu Dhabi could be a good sign. “It is the only place in Abu Dhabi where you can see so much green.”

☆ Нашествие насекомых на пляжах Румынии. Объяснение эксперта
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-27 | by ( ) nokta.md time to read: 1 min

Румынские пляжи «штурмуют» насекомые, туристы заметили большое количество божьих коровок. Адриан Билбэ, директор Музея естественных наук комплекса Констанца, объяснил, причины этого явления, сообщает g4media.ro. «Было еще холодно, и это остановило их от стадии взросления. Когда началась жара, все проснулись, их стало много, они внезапно распространились повсюду. Теперь они хотят есть, размножаться и откладывать яйца», — добавил он.

Persons: Адриан Билбэ Organizations: Музей естественных наук Locations: Констанца

Warren Buffett is a skilled investor who is studied, analyzed, and imitated by many. But the "secret" to Buffett's immense wealth is simply how long he's been investing, writes Morgan Housel in his new book "The Psychology of Money." "Effectively all of Warren Buffett's financial success can be tied to the financial base he built in his pubescent years and the longevity he maintained in his geriatric years," Housel writes in his book. And if you invest money at the level of someone like Buffett, the results become "ridiculous, impractical numbers," Housel writes. High returns are nice, of course, but they're difficult to come by and not the only way to build wealth, Housel writes.

☆ A rare black coyote in Georgia couldn't stop making friends with dogs
▼ + stars: | 2020-02-21 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An especially rare, and friendly, black coyote had been mingling among dogs and humans in Georgia for months. Researchers at the Atlanta Coyote Project had set out on a quest to find and trap him. The center told Prior about Atlanta Coyote Project's efforts to catch the friendly coyote, CNN reported. Christopher Mowry, co-founder of the Atlanta Coyote Project, told Insider that the grand Pyrenees wasn't the only friend that the coyote had made in Atlanta. Atlanta Coyote Project.

Persons: Carmine, —, Ruth Bader, Ruth Bader's, Vanessa Prior, Atlanta Coyote, Christopher Mowry, Mowry, it's Organizations: Atlanta Coyote, Service, CNN, Facebook, Atlanta, Coyote Locations: Georgia, Atlanta

☆ The man who unlocked the world's secret to living to age 100 says you can skip the gym
▼ + stars: | 2019-12-05 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

People residing in these Blue Zones are outliving us because they have figured out what others have not, according to Buettner. In 2009, he piloted his first "Blue Zones Project" in Albert Lea, Minnesota. The goal was to reverse-engineer it into a Midwestern Blue Zone. Playa Santa Teresa, on the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica, is in one of Buettner's Blue Zones. AdvertisementAdvertisementUpdate: A previous version of this story mentioned Belgian professor Michel Poulain as the inventor of the phrase "Blue Zone."

Persons: Dan Buettner, Michel Poulain, Gianni, Buettner, Toru Yamanaka, Loma, Albert Lea, Albert, Al Brooks, MinnPost, Gerhard, Enrico Spanu, dietitians, demographer Gianni Organizations: Service, Gianni Pes, Geographic, Getty, Albert Lea City, Fort Worth, demographer Gianni Pes Locations: Wall, Silicon, Kohama, Okinawa, Sardinia, Italy, Japan, Costa Rica, Ikaria, Greece, Loma Linda, California, Minnesota, Albert Lea , Minnesota, Albert Lea, Santa Teresa, Fort Worth , Texas, Fort, Belgian

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