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☆ Pompeii: Ancient DNA rewrites the stories of people buried by volcanic eruption
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Ancient DNA has revealed surprises about the identities of some people who perished in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii after a volcanic eruption, overturning misconceptions about their genetic relationships, ancestry and sex. Ash and volcanic rock called pumice then covered Pompeii and its residents, preserving scenes of the victims of the city’s destruction like an eerie time capsule. While the Greeks, Etruscans and Samnites attempted to conquer it, Pompeii became a Roman colony, the study authors noted. In 2015, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii began efforts to restore 86 of the 104 casts originally made by Fiorelli. Together, park scientists and the study authors are working on a larger project to better understand the genetic diversity present in Pompeii during the Roman Empire.

Persons: Giuseppe Fiorelli, ”, David Reich, restorers, David Caramelli, Massimo Osanna, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Valeria Amoretti, ” Caramelli, Reich, Steven Tuck, Tuck, ” Tuck, Caitie Barrett, Barrett, Homer’s “, Bacchus, Alissa Mittnik, “, ” Barrett, Michael Anderson, Anderson, ” Anderson Organizations: CNN, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, University of Florence, Villa, Miami University in, Cornell University, Max Planck Institute, Evolutionary Anthropology, Harvard, San Francisco State University Locations: Pompeii, Naples, what’s, Italy’s Campania, Roman, Italy, Miami University in Ohio, archaeogenetics, Britain, North Africa, Alexandria, Egypt, Bay

☆ The reality of breast cancer in men
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Why men don’t think about breast cancerWhen people think of breast cancer, most think of “pink” and breast cancer in women. Men make up about 1% of all breast cancer cases, which means 1 in 726 men will be diagnosed in their lifetimes. The diagnosis is rare in men, but that is still a lot of men getting breast cancer. The role of genetics in male breast cancerMutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are more commonly associated with female breast and ovarian cancer, can increase a man’s risk for breast cancer. By raising awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, breaking down stigmas and encouraging men to talk to their doctors, we can help catch cancer early and help men live longer.

Persons: Jamin, don’t, It’s, Olga Shefer, it’s, There’s Organizations: Orlando Health, Florida Urological Society, CNN, Cancer Locations: Florida

Two American scientists were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology on Monday for their groundbreaking work on how genes behave. Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun discovered microRNA, which the Nobel Assembly describes as "a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated." The tiny microRNA molecules play a crucial role in determining how different cells — which have the same chromosomes, essentially their instruction manual — have different characteristics. "The answer lies in gene regulation, which allows each cell to select only the relevant instructions," the Nobel announcement said. But subsequent work, including the discovery of another microRNA in 2000, proved that there are more than a thousand genes for different microRNAs in humans.

Persons: Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun, Ruvkin, Silverman, Worcester , Massachusetts Ruvkun Organizations: Medicine, Nobel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Natural Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Harvard University, Harvard Medical School Locations: Hanover , New Hampshire, Worcester , Massachusetts, Berkeley , California

☆ Nobel Prize in medicine 2024 awarded for work on the discovery of microRNA to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Christian Edwards | Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —This year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their work on the discovery of microRNA, a fundamental principle governing how gene activity is regulated. Their research revealed how genes give rise to different cells within the human body, a process known as gene regulation. The Nobel Prize committee announced the prestigious honor, seen as the pinnacle of scientific achievement, in Sweden on Monday. Ruvkun conducted his research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School. Nobel Committee Secretary General Thomas Perlmann speaks to the media in front of a picture of this year's laureates Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkum during the announcement of the Nobel Prize in medicine winners on Monday.

Persons: Victor Ambros, Gary Ruvkun, Ambros, ’, “, Ruvkun, General Thomas Perlmann, Gary Ruvkum, Jonathan Nackstrand, ”, Olle Kämpe, David Pendlebury, ” Pendlebury, Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman Organizations: CNN, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Getty, Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Locations: Sweden, Massachusetts, AFP, Covid

☆ Research shows the ages our metabolism undergoes massive rapid changes
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News. She Is Coauthor Of | The Concussion Crisis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

For many people, reaching their mid-40s may bring unpleasant signs the body isn’t working as well as it once did. Previous research showed that resting energy use, or metabolic rate, didn’t change from ages 20 to 60. The changes in metabolism affect how the body reacts to alcohol or caffeine, although the health consequences aren’t yet clear. For example, the changes in alcohol metabolism might be because people are drinking more in their mid-40s, Snyder said. “But it will take time to sort out what individual changes mean and how we can tailor medications to those changes.

Persons: ”, Michael Snyder, It’s, Snyder, Josef Coresh, Coresh, Lori Zeltser, ” Zeltser Organizations: Stanford, Center for Genomics, Medicine, Stanford Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Locations: midlife

☆ How did a rose get its prickles? A new study has answers
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Prickles have been around for at least 400 million years, dating back to when ferns and their relatives emerged with some bearing prickles on their stems. Lonely Guy genesBy removing prickles from various species, including roses and eggplants, the authors found that a LOG gene was responsible for the prickles in about 20 types of plants studied. LOG-related genes are found in all plants, even dating back to mosses, which are regarded as the first dry-land plant, Lippman said. “(LOG genes) have been repeatedly co-opted (a biological shift in a trait’s function) in different plant species for the formation of prickles, and also repeatedly lost in lineages where prickles are lost. For agricultural purposes, removing prickles could make harvesting easier and pave the way to get lesser-known produce into grocery stores.

Persons: munch, Zachary Lippman, —, Lippman, Guy, It’s, ” Lippman, “, Tyler Coverdale, ” Coverdale, Coverdale, ”, Vivian Irish Organizations: CNN, Laboratory, University of Utah, Wings, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Notre Dame, Yale Locations: Long, , New York, Yale University’s, Australia

☆ Scientists discovered 50,000-year-old viruses in Neanderthal DNA that could help explain their mysterious extinction
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Researchers studying ancient Neanderthal DNA found traces of three viruses that cause colds, cold sores, genital warts, and cancer. And ancient humans might have been the ones who started spreading these bugs, according to the scientists who recently published their work in the peer-reviewed journal "Viruses." This isn't the first time researchers have found inert (no longer infectious) ancient human viruses. That means tools used to study ancient human DNA might not work for viruses, Sally Wasef, a paleogenetics researcher at Queensland University of Technology, told New Scientist. Massilani also had some concerns with how the researchers were interpreting the ancient DNA.

Persons: —, Marcelo Briones, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology Hendrik Schmidt, papillomavirus, Briones, Sasha Tabachnikova, Epstein, Barr, wasn't, Sally Wasef, Massilani Organizations: Service, Business, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology, Getty, Yale School of Medicine, Yale, Queensland University of Technology, New Locations: Chemnitz, Chagyrskaya Cave, Southern Siberia, Briones, Siberia

☆ Unusual ‘salty licorice’ cats share a newly discovered genetic mutation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Amanda Schupak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“Our research approach is community science,” Lohi, who was corresponding author on the study, told CNN. Researchers dubbed the cats' unusual coat coloring as salmiak, or “salty licorice,” after a popular Finnish candy. Now that salty licorice cats are officially a thing, could they become the next designer breed? “It is possible that breeders will choose to develop a population of salty licorice cats,” Lohi said. “However, the health of the salty licorice cats should be followed in more detail to confirm the absence of any color-related health issues.” Tailored genetic testing could be used to ensure the cats are bred without passing on dangerous genes.

Persons: Hannes Lohi, ” Lohi, Lohi, ”, Greg Barsh, ” Barsh, ” Amanda Schupak Organizations: CNN, University of Helsinki, Genetics, Stanford University Locations: Petäjävesi, Finland, Finnish, New York City

☆ Olive oil may lower risk of dementia-related death
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists. Olive oil can be a healthy, tasty addition to foods such as sandwiches and salads. Replacing 5 grams — around 1.2 teaspoons — of margarine or mayonnaise consumed daily with olive oil was associated with an 8% to 14% lower risk of death from dementia. “It is also possible that olive oil has an indirect effect on brain health by benefiting cardiovascular health,” she added. Besides cooking with olive oil, you can also use it to make salad dressings or vinaigrettes, mayonnaise, pesto or bread dip.

Persons: Anne, Julie Tessier, Harvard University’s T.H, “, Duane Mellor, ” Mellor, Tessier, ”, David Curtis, Mellor, Curtis, Olive, it’s Organizations: CNN, Harvard, JAMA, American Society, Harvard University’s, of Public Health, Nurses, Health, Aston Medical School, Aston University, University College London Locations: Chan, North America, United Kingdom

☆ Scientists identify ‘degrees of Kevin Bacon’ gene
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Even humble fruit flies organize themselves into regularly spaced clusters, researchers have found. Within those social networks, certain individuals will often stand out as “gatekeepers,” playing an important role for cohesion and communication within that group. New research published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications has identified a gene responsible for regulating the structure of social networks in fruit flies. The study opened up new opportunities for exploring the molecular evolution of social networks and collective behavior in other animals. FLPA/ShutterstockThe gene behind fruit fly social networksThe researchers investigated a number of gene candidates in fruit flies, a common lab organism used in the study of genetics.

Persons: ”, Kevin Bacon, Bacon, Joel Levine, Rebecca Rooke, ” Levine, Levine, “, ” Allen J, Moore, wasn’t, ” Moore Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, University of Toronto, University of Georgia’s Locations: Philadelphia, University of Toronto Mississauga

☆ Sex and marriage patterns in an ancient empire revealed by DNA
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

With opulent graves but no written records, the empire and its people have remained largely in the shadows of history until recently. But a landmark April 2022 study involving ancient DNA taken from the graves of the Avar elite shed light on the empire’s far-flung origins. A tiny sample is drilled from a bone at the ancient DNA laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. In the case of men, researchers found two partners in 10 cases, three partners in four cases and four partners in one case. “Polygamy (having multiple marriage partners), serial monogamous marriages and extramarital relations are all possible explanations,” she said.

Persons: ”, Zsófia Rácz, Rácz, aren’t, Guido Alberto Gnecchi, Max Planck, Eötvös Loránd University Múzeum Lara Cassidy, “, polygyny, Ruscone, Cassidy, Bryan Miller, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd, Múzeum, University’s, Archaeological Sciences, Max, Max Planck Institute, Eötvös Loránd University, Trinity College Dublin, Turks, Central, University of Michigan Locations: Central, Eastern Europe, Hungary, Rákóczifalva, Budapest, Leipzig, Germany, Europe, Mongolia, Caucasus, what’s, Constantinople, Byzantine, Eurasia

☆ When I stopped drinking, dating felt totally different. In sobriety, I had to be more vulnerable.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Evan Lambert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

When I went sober six years ago, dating and getting laid was the last thing on my mind. After all, I'd gone sober for a reason: to self-optimize, and I couldn't do that with a man snoring in my ear. It felt like alcohol and I had always been in an open relationship, but now it was time for me to fly solo. Don't obsess over small thingsThat said, I couldn't blame all my past failures on the men I'd dated. Talking to men sober felt like doing it for the first time.

Persons: I'd, I'd pined, —, pesky, I'm, Evan Lambert, he's, Evan Lambert Be Organizations: Service Locations: New York City

☆ Unusual find in Bronze Age teeth shows consequences of a shift in the human diet
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The rare find could help scientists further understand how changes in the human diet have led to the prevalence of cavities today. Uncovered during two excavations from 1993 and 1996, the teeth were among several human teeth and other remains found within a limestone cave in County Limerick in Ireland. One tooth had a surprising abundance of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), an oral bacteria that causes cavities. Researchers also believe the bacteria is not as commonly found within ancient teeth because the human diet included less refined sugar and fewer processed foods than are consumed today, Cassidy said. … ancient teeth can help us understand how the human oral microbiota (range of microorganisms) has evolved over time and the impact of these changes on human health in the past and today,” Humphrey said in an email.

Persons: Lara Cassidy, Cassidy, mutans, —, “, would’ve, Tannerella, mutans “, Louise Humphrey, ” Humphrey Organizations: CNN, Trinity College Dublin Locations: County Limerick, Ireland, France, London

☆ One Twin Was Hurt, the Other Was Not. Their Adult Mental Health Diverged.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Ellen Barry | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Take Dennis and Douglas. In high school, they were so alike that friends told them apart by the cars they drove, they told researchers in a study of twins in Virginia. Most of their childhood experiences were shared — except that Dennis endured an attempted molestation when he was 13. At 18, Douglas married his high school girlfriend. Why do twins, who share so many genetic and environmental inputs, diverge as adults in their experience of mental illness?

Persons: Dennis, Douglas Organizations: University of Iceland, Karolinska Institutet Locations: Virginia, Sweden

☆ The woman behind the next big thing in cancer treatment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Christine Olsson/AFP/Getty ImagesWu’s research focused on small mutations in cancer tumor cells. However, in many cases, cancer vaccines have failed to live up to their promise — largely because the right target hasn’t been found. “This is a fantastic discovery.”By sequencing DNA from healthy and cancer cells, Wu and her team identified a cancer patient’s unique tumor neoantigens. More work is needed before they are a viable treatment options for many cancer patients. To show that these type of cancer vaccines work, much larger randomized control trials are needed.

Persons: Catherine Wu, Boston’s Dana, “, ”, Wu, Lendahl, Dr Patrick Ott, Sam Ogden, Honjo, James Allison, Tasuku Honjo, James P Allison, Christine Olsson, ” Hans, Gustaf Ljunggren, Matt Stone, “ I’m, ” Wu, ” Lendahl, you’ve, It’s, ” Barbara Brigham, BioNTech, ” CNN’s Brenda Goodman Organizations: CNN, Farber Cancer Institute, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Karolinska, Getty, US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, MediaNews, Boston Herald, Merck, Moderna, ”, Covid Locations: Sweden, BioNTech, Rome

☆ 23andMe is low on cash and its stock is worth pennies. The CEO wants another chance
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Just three years ago, DNA testing company 23andMe was the golden child of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. In 2018, 23andMe agreed to a five-year exclusive drug development partnership with GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline). Genetic testing company 23andMe, once valued at $6 billion, is facing the possibility of delisting from NASDAQ. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesSo far, the partnership between GSK and 23andMe has produced more than 50 new drug targets. But drug discovery is a very long process and it can be anywhere from 10 to 15 years on average from target discovery to an FDA-approved drug.

Persons: New York CNN —, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, ” Wojcicki, “, Susan Wojcicki, Sergey Brin, Kyle Grillot, Wojcicki, they’ve, ”, we’re, “ We’ve, Steven Mah, TD Cowen, Mah, they’re, Justin Sullivan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Nasdaq, CNN, Stanford, Palo Alto High School, YouTube, Google, 23andMe Inc, Bloomberg, Time Magazine, P Biotech ETF, GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, NASDAQ, Big Pharma, it’s Locations: New York, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles , California, U.S, London, Sunnyvale , California, United States

☆ Scientists clone second species of monkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Meet Retro, a cloned rhesus monkey born on July 16, 2020. Retro is only the second species of primate that scientists have been able to clone successfully. He was not involved in the latest research but has collaborated with some members of the research team on other primate studies. However, a rhesus monkey was cloned in 1999 using what researchers consider a simpler cloning method. Cloned monkeys can be genetically engineered in complex ways that wild-type monkeys cannot; this has many implications for disease modeling.

Persons: Falong Lu, ”, Lu, haven’t, Dolly, Miguel Esteban, Esteban, ” Lu, Zhong Zhong, Hua Hua, Lluís Montoliu, wasn’t, “ Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, State Key Laboratory, Molecular, Biology, of Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, “, Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine, Covid, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Royal Society for Prevention, National Center for Biotechnology Locations: Shanghai, Beijing, Spain

☆ Starfish bodies are really just heads, new research says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The heads of most animals are easily identifiable, but scientists haven’t been able to say the same for sea stars until now. But new genetic research suggests the opposite — that sea stars are largely heads that lack torsos or tails and likely lost those features evolutionarily over time. There, they go through a process that transforms a bilateral body into a star shape, or pentaradial body. But echinoderms also share a common ancestor with bilateral animals, which adds to the puzzle researchers are trying to solve. Specific molecular markers act like body plan blueprints, directing each cell to the body region where it belongs.

Persons: haven’t, It’s, ”, Laurent Formery, “ It’s, Christopher Lowe, Jeff Thompson, “, ” Lowe, Formery, Chan Zuckerberg, Dr, Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Laurent Formery “, ” Thompson, Daniel Rokhsar Organizations: CNN, Stanford University, University of California, University of Southampton, NASA, National Science Foundation, Leverhulme Trust Locations: Berkeley, San Francisco

☆ AI holds promise for fast-tracking treatment and personalizing medicine — but it may not come to your clinic anytime soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Heather Lindsey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tsai predicts that AI will one day help doctors analyze complicated genetic data — a hallmark of precision medicine. Together, AI imaging and genetic analysis may help doctors rapidly pinpoint a diagnosis and create a highly personalized treatment plan, thus improving a patient's care. AI and the potential for genetic analysisIn addition to medical imaging, AI could one day comb through large amounts of genetic information, a challenging task for researchers. A possible convergence in the clinicWang does not see combining AI imaging and AI genetic analysis at the doctor's office happening within the next couple of years. Chang and his colleagues are investigating how AI analysis of brain scans can predict genetic mutations in brain tumors.

Persons: James C, Tsai, Peter D, Chang, Zhenghe J, Wang Organizations: Healthcare, Morning, Center, Ophthalmic Artificial Intelligence, Human, Icahn School of Medicine, US Food and Drug Administration, Applied, Research, University of California, Case Western Reserve University Locations: Mount, Irvine

☆ Scientists may have untangled a mystery of Neanderthal ancestry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A new analysis of ancient genomes is deepening scientists’ understanding of the Neanderthal DNA carried by human populations in Europe and Asia — genetic traces that may have medical relevance today. The researchers found that, over time, the distribution of Neanderthal DNA didn’t always look as it does now. This resulted in a lower proportion of Neanderthal DNA observed in European genomes during this period. “The thing was that they had less Neanderthal ancestry so they diluted the (Neanderthal ancestry) in European populations,” Currat said. For example, Neanderthal DNA may play a small role in swaying the course of Covid-19 infection, according to a September 2020 study.

Persons: we’ve, ”, Mathias Currat, Currat, Dr, David Reich, ” Currat, Tony Capra, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, University of Geneva, Harvard Medical School, Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California Locations: Europe, Asia, Altai, Central Asia, Eurasia, East Asia, Boston, Anatolia, what’s, Turkey, Western, Northern Europe, Bakar, San Francisco

☆ Doctor: What I didn’t know until I got skin cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Opinion Susannah Hills | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Dr. Susannah Hills John AbbottTo my surprise, I was diagnosed with skin cancer on my scalp. Basal cell cancer. Still, it seemed so strange to me that my skin cancer showed up on my scalp, underneath a covering of hair. An exam should be done every year to monitor unusual skin changes, or if you are at higher risk for developing skin cancer. I learned the hard way that anyone can get skin cancer and it can show up where you least expect.

Persons: Susannah Hills, Susannah Hills John Abbott, hydrocortisone, Don’t, I’m Organizations: Department of otolaryngology, Columbia University Medical Center, CNN, Cancer, American Academy of Dermatology, German Society of Dermatology, Twitter, Facebook, Global Oncology

☆ Is taurine the ‘elixir of life’? Maybe, if you’re a worm, mouse or monkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“This study suggests that taurine could be an elixir of life within us,” Yadav said in an earlier news release on the study, which published Thursday in the journal Science. Considered a non-essential amino acid, taurine exists in the brain, retina and nearly every muscle and organ tissue in the body. Taurine-fed worms lived longer and appeared healthier, but taurine “had no effect on yeast,” Yadav said. More than one solutionThe field of anti-aging is exploding, with taurine just one of many potential pathways to the holy grail of longer life. In the end, science is going to need “100 different kinds of taurine,” Lithgow said.

Persons: CNN —, taurine, Vijay Yadav, ” Yadav, Henning Wackerhage, “, ”, Walter Willett, Harvard T.H, ” Willett, Gordon Lithgow, I’m, it’s, Lithgow, ” Lithgow, “ You’ve, taurine “, Wackerhage, Yadav, Taurine, Pieter Cohen, Cohen, ” Cohen, There’s, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Columbia University, Technical University of Munich, Harvard, of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Buck Institute, Disease, US Food and Drug Administration, Research, Cambridge Health Alliance, taurine Locations: New York City, Germany, Chan, Novato , California, Somerville , Massachusetts

☆ Rosalind Franklin’s Role in DNA Discovery, Once Ignored, Is Told Anew in Song
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Lauren Rosenfield | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

During the summer of 2020, the composer and lyricist Madeline Myers spent hours at the piano in her Manhattan apartment as she struggled to write three songs for her new musical, “Double Helix,” about the British chemist Rosalind Franklin. The challenge wasn’t strictly about marrying words to a score, but conveying the science of a crucial moment in the discovery of DNA’s structure — and making the songs entertaining. Franklin’s experiments, in which she successfully used X-ray crystallography to create images of DNA, became the basis for James Watson and Francis Crick’s groundbreaking 1953 discovery of the double helix structure. The breakthrough underpins our modern understanding of genetics and biology, but for years Franklin received none of the credit. (She died of cancer in 1958 at the age of 37; her male colleagues were later awarded the Nobel Prize.)

☆ Human DNA can now be pulled from thin air and sequenced
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Scientists have been able to collect and analyze detailed genetic data from human DNA from all these places, raising thorny ethical questions about consent, privacy and security when it comes to our biological information. Environmental DNA has been obtained from air, soil, sediment, water, permafrost, snow and ice cores and the techniques are primarily being used to help track and protect endangered animals. However, the ability to capture human DNA from the environment could have a range of unintended consequences — both inadvertent and malicious, they added. They termed this information “human genetic bycatch” and decided to study the phenomenon in greater depth. We cannot avoid shedding DNA in the public space,” Moreau, who was not involved in this study, said via email.

☆ What is autism? An expert explains
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Matt Villano | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

To mark Autism Awareness Month, CNN talked with him about what autism is and what causes it. Geschwind: About a decade ago, the term “autism spectrum disorder” was adopted to encompass everything that we called autism into one rubric. When I started researching autism 25 years ago, the autism rate was 1 in 1,000 or 1 in 2,000. You can calculate a risk score for having autism based on genetics, (but) right now, the risk score for autism is not that predictive because we haven’t done enough research. The problem is that for many autistic individuals, current therapies are not that effective.

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