DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

In the past few months alone, researchers have linked Neanderthal DNA to a serious hand disease, the shape of people's noses and various other human traits. Research shows some African populations have almost no Neanderthal DNA, while those from European or Asian backgrounds have 1% to 2%. For example, Neanderthal DNA has been linked to auto-immune diseases like Graves’ disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The list goes on: Research has linked Neanderthal genetic variants to skin and hair color, behavioral traits, skull shape and Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found the skulls of domesticated dogs in Homo sapiens sites much further back in time than anyone had found before.

Persons: We’re, ”, Mary Prendergast, Hugo Zeberg, Svante Paabo, Zeberg, It's, Graves, Homo sapiens, Chris Stringer, “, Rick Potts, Paabo, ” Zeberg, Raghavan, Potts, Denisovans, sapiens, Eleanor Scerri, Prendergast, Janet Young, Pat Shipman, John Hawks Organizations: Rice University, Karolinska, Research, Smithsonian Institution, University of Chicago, Germany’s Max Planck Institute, Geoanthropology, Canadian Museum, University of Wisconsin -, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Sweden, Melanesia, New Guinea, Fiji, Africa, Europe, Asia, London, Eurasia, Germany’s, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Our species, Homo sapiens — with our complex thoughts and deep emotions — were the only true humans to ever walk the Earth. A study last week found early humans were building structures with wood before H. sapiens evolved. This ability to read ancient DNA revolutionized the field, and it is constantly improving. He specializes in creating lifelike models of ancient humans for museums, including the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History, in hopes of helping public perception catch up to the science. They haven't been able to gather much ancient DNA from Africa, where H. sapiens first evolved, because it has been degraded by heat and moisture.

Persons: ”, Chris Stringer, ” Stringer, sapiens, Rick Potts, naledi, heidelbergensis, John Shea, “, Svante Paabo, Paabo, Bence Viola, Potts, Shea, ’ ” Shea, let’s, Janet Young, Young, John Gurche, Gurche, ” Gurche, “ They’re, they’re, it’s, haven't, we’ll, Mary Prendergast Organizations: Stony Brook University, University of Toronto, Canadian Museum, Smithsonian, American Museum of, Rice University, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Africa, Europe, Indonesia, Asia, Swedish, East, Southeast Asia

☆ They Came, They Shaped, They Shredded
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Molly Young | More About Molly Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The coffee table book is the rare genre defined not only by content but by destination. Sure, not all of these oversized tomes wind up marooned beside a scented candle in someone’s living room — some make it all the way to hotel lobbies and the waiting rooms of cosmetic dentistry practices. I’ve seen volumes on Panama hats, rattan and a mall in Dubai — worthy topics of study, surely, but perhaps not majestic enough to merit the heft of the format. Jimmy Metyko’s SHAPING SURF HISTORY (Rizzoli, $55) is, though sneakily. But what a scene to witness.

Persons: Jimmy Metyko’s Locations: Panama, Dubai, California

☆ In a first, RNA is recovered from extinct Tasmanian tiger
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But this study marked the first time that RNA - much less stable than DNA - has been recovered from an extinct species. While not the focus of this research, the ability to extract, sequence and analyze old RNA could boost efforts by other scientists toward recreating extinct species. The Tasmanian tiger resembled a wolf, aside from the tiger-like stripes on its back. The last-known Tasmanian tiger succumbed in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936. Private "de-extinction" initiatives have been launched aimed at resurrecting certain extinct species such as the Tasmanian tiger, dodo or woolly mammoth.

Persons: Emilio Marmol Sanchez, Handout, bioinformatician Emilio Mármol Sánchez, Marc Friedländer, Love, Mármol, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Swedish Museum of, REUTERS Acquire, Tasmanian, Palaeogenetics, Genome Research, Stockholm University, SciLifeLab, Thomson Locations: Stockholm, SciLifeLab, Sweden, Australia, Tasmania, Tasmanian, Washington

☆ Scientists recover RNA from an extinct species for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Geneticists have for the first time isolated and decoded RNA molecules from a creature that died out long ago. “This will add significant depth to our understanding of the biology of extinct animals and help us to build much better extinct genomes,” he added. Mármol Sánchez said this study is a proof of concept, and his colleagues now hopes to recover RNA from animals that died out much longer ago, such as the woolly mammoth. Recipe bookThe research team was able to sequence RNA of the skin and skeletal muscle tissues from the specimen and identify thylacine-specific genes. Understanding RNA allows scientists to put together a more complete picture of an animal’s biology, Mármol Sánchez said.

Persons: ”, Emilio Mármol Sánchez, Benjamin, Mármol Sánchez, Andrew Pask, “, Pask, that’s Organizations: CNN, Swedish Museum of, Stockholm —, Genome Research, Palaeogenetics, Beaumaris, University of Melbourne Locations: Stockholm, SciLifeLab, Sweden, Tasmania, Hobart , Tasmania, Australia

☆ Britain may designate genomics sector as critical infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons in London, Britain, July 12, 2023. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Britain is exploring designating its genomics sector as critical national infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday, amid pressure from lawmakers concerned at China's activity in the field. Asked by one of those lawmakers if Britain would designate the genomics sector as critical national infrastructure, Dowden said it was a legitimate point which he was considering. "It's not currently designated as such, but in my role in the cabinet office, I keep the register of critical national infrastructure under review, and it's something which I am exploring," he told lawmakers. Critical national infrastructure (CNI) is infrastructure that, if compromised, could have a major detrimental impact on essential services or a significant impact on national security.

Persons: Oliver Dowden, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Dowden, It's, Alistair Smout, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, National Security and Investment, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Who Is Trusted to Have a Child?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Daniel Lam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

At home I ate a snack and watched Netflix on my computer until my husband arrived. Then I walked up to him for a hug, fell into his arms, and cried. Part of me hadn’t left the nursery, and it broke me, to be close and yet so far from parenthood. At 33, I have learned to let that go, the faceless woman I’ve carried around in my mind for so long. We talk about children sporadically, during commercial breaks of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” or between bites of food while we’re eating dinner.

Persons: hadn’t, — we’re Organizations: Netflix

☆ Ivy League linguistics expert shares the No. 1 common phrase to never use: It really means 'Your problems don't matter to me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

If you're speaking with John McWhorter, never use this common phrase: "It is what it is." "The first time someone said that to me was when something unpleasant had happened to me, and he didn't care. "And I parsed it and I thought, 'What a gorgeously chilly way of saying: Your problems don't matter to me.'" But it can come across as so passive that using it can erode other people's trust in you, as McWhorter noted. It's not entirely bad news for McWhorter's least-favorite phrase: Using it can be a sign of emotional resilience, because it shows your ability to accept your circumstances, psychologist Cortney Warren told Make It last month.

Persons: John McWhorter, Bill Gates, McWhorter, You've, they're, Yasmene Mumby, Cortney Warren, Warren, it's, Kathy, Ross Petras, Warren Buffett Organizations: Columbia University, Genome, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Trust, CNBC

☆ Homo floresiensis: The curious case of the hobbit and what its remarkable discovery taught us
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The Liang Bua cave excavation site, where the fossils of Homo floresiensis were discovered on the island of Flores in Indonesia. A 3D cast of the skeleton of Homo Floresiensis on display at Stony Brook University, part of the State University of New York system. The Liang Bua team named the species Homo floresiensis after the island where the fossils were discovered. Sutikna said that a thick layer of volcanic ash was found just on top of the layer where Homo floresiensis was first found. And above the volcanic ash layer, we did not find any fossils of Homo floresiensis or other ancient animals,” he said.

Persons: Thomas Sutikna, trowel, Liang Bua, Sutikna, ”, floresiensis, Achmad Ibrahim, Saptomo, Tim Wiencis, Mike Morwood, Liang, hobbitus —, floresianus —, Paige Madison, Bert Roberts, Robert Pearce, Bua, Homo erectus, erectus, chimplike wristbones, Lucy, australopithecines, Chris Stringer, “ I’m, ” Stringer, “, luzonensis, Matt Tocheri, Flores, Mata Menge, Flores hobbits, Tocheri, ’ There’s, Stringer, it’s, ” Tocheri, ” Madison, we’re Organizations: CNN, Indonesia’s, Archaeometric Research, Research and Innovation Agency, Stony Brook University, State University of New, University of Wollongong, Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, AP, Lakehead University, Smithsonian Institution Locations: Indonesian, Liang, Flores, Indonesia, Jakarta, Stony, State University of New York, Australian, Australia, Africa, Java, Asia, London, South Africa, Philippines, Yogyakarta, Canada, Thunder Bay , Ontario, It’s, Madison, Sulawesi

☆ PrEPVacc: HIV vaccine trial that could be ‘the last roll of the dice’ this decade is underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Tom Page | Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

CNN —A novel trial that has been described as “the last roll of the dice” for a generation of HIV vaccines has entered its latter stages. Nearly 40 years since HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, and 36 years since the first HIV vaccine trial, the medical community still does not have a working vaccine. But that is not necessarily why they were chosen to participate, said Eugene Ruzagira, PrEPVacc trial director. Evaluating the combination of a trial HIV vaccine and PrEP is a first, say organizers. “I did my very first HIV vaccine trial in 1991,” recalled Weber.

Persons: PrEPVacc, ”, Jonathan Weber, Frank, Helena Herholdt, Eugene Ruzagira, Ruzagira, “, Weber, ” Ruzagira, “ We’ve, Mark Runnacles, Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur, Galileo, Win McNamee, Humphry Davy, JEAN, SEBASTIEN EVRARD, Haydn West, Joe Raedle, ANNE, CHRISTINE POUJOULAT, Alexander Fleming, Fleming, wasn't, Louise Joy Brown, Sandy Huffaker, Daniel Acker, James Watson, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Watson, Crick, Raphael GAILLARDE, Sean Gallup, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Thomas Edison's, INDRANIL MUKHERJEE, Descovy, Luwano Geofrey, Dr, Luke Dray, Geofrey, Nishanta Singh, Sharon Lewin, Lewin, “ it’s, it’s, ” Lewin, ” Geofrey Organizations: CNN, Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre, PrEPVacc, Medical Research, Uganda Virus Research Institute, European Union, Smithsonian National Museum of, Cleveland Clinic, Volvo, Bayer, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Getty, Keystone, — Farmers, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Bloomberg, PANTHAKY, PrEP, US Centers for Disease Control, Independent, The University of Melbourne, International AIDS Society, Muhimbili University of Health, Allied Sciences, Dar Locations: Entebbe, Uganda, Thailand, London, Mbeya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ugandan, Durban, Masaka, Salam, African, Africa, China, FPG, AFP, United States, America, U.S, Peoria , Illinois, Europe, “, Dar es Salaam, Rwanda

☆ Scientists fully sequence human Y chromosome for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

However, over half of the sequences within the Y chromosome, the smallest and most complicated of the 46 human chromosomes, remained unknown. Now, the same group of researchers has filled in the missing information, publishing a complete Y chromosome sequence Wednesday in the journal Nature. “This new analysis will allow us to better understand the regions of the Y chromosome that have regulatory functions and may encode mRNA and proteins.”Many people begin to lose their Y chromosome in some of their cells as they age, particularly those cells that undergo rapid turnover, such as blood cells. Having a complete Y chromosome genetic reference may help scientists and doctors further explore this potential link. “However, it has been questioned whether loss of the Y chromosome is a biomarker of biological aging or whether loss of the Y chromosome has a direct effect on the health of men,” he said.

Persons: ”, Monika Cechova, Cechova, Kenneth Walsh, ” Walsh, Walsh, it’s, ” Cechova, Charles Lee Organizations: CNN —, University of California, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Human Genome Research, T2T Consortium, Jackson Laboratory, Genomic Medicine Locations: Santa Cruz

☆ Scientists have completely sequenced the human Y chromosome for the first time, with huge implications for heath and evolution research
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Researchers published two new papers on the human Y chromosome. That's because the Y chromosome is "the most complex, most repetitive chromosome," said Monika Cechova, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz. AdvertisementAdvertisementKaren Miga was one of the researchers involved in fully sequencing the human Y chromosome. The worldwide Y chromosomeFor the single-sequence paper, researchers sequenced the Y chromosome of a single individual of European descent, known as the HG002 genome. Because of all the gaps in the Y chromosome genome reference, researchers haven't fully understood how the chromosome contributes to overall health.

Persons: Karen Miga, Monika Cechova, Carolyn Lagattuta, Pascal Gagneux, wasn't, Gagneaux, Evan Eichler, Cechova, Miga, Gagneux, haven't Organizations: Service, Telomere, University of California, UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego, Center for Academic Research, Human Genome Research Institute, Jackson Laboratory, Genomic Medicine Locations: Wall, Silicon, Nature, Santa Cruz, Anthropogeny

☆ Scientists solve the genetic puzzle of sex-related Y chromosome
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Males possess one Y and one X chromosome while females have two X chromosomes, with some exceptions. But until now, the Y chromosome part of the human genome had contained big gaps. In addition to identifying some additional Y chromosome genes, the researchers found that some DNA from the chromosome had been mistaken in previous studies as bacterial in nature. The first complete human genome - albeit with the Y chromosome partial - was published last year. Fully sequencing the Y chromosome adds to this.

Persons: Karen Miga, Carolyn Lagattuta, Arang Rhie, Monika Cechova, Cechova, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: University of California, UC Santa Cruz, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, U.S ., Genome Research, of California, UCSC, Thomson Locations: Santa Cruz , California, U.S, Handout, Santa Cruz

☆ What science got wrong about Ötzi the murdered iceman
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Ötzi the Iceman, whose frozen remains were found in a gully high in the Tyrolean Alps by hikers in 1991, is perhaps the world’s most closely studied corpse. Each year, thousands visit his mummy contained in a special cold cell at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy. South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Dario FrassonThe genome also appeared to rule out a previously proposed genetic affinity between Ötzi and present-day Sardinians. An expert humidifies Ötzi's mummy at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology . South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Marion LafoglerIt’s not the first time a chapter in Ötzi’s fascinating story has gotten a rewrite, Pilø said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Albert Zink, Zink, “, Marco Samadelli, Gregor Staschitz Zink’s, Johannes Krause, Max Planck, ” Krause, Ötzi, it’s, Lars Holger Pilø, ” Pilø, Pilø, ” Zink, Dario Frasson, Turkey —, Marion Lafogler It’s Organizations: CNN, South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Institute for Mummy Studies, Eurac Research, Genomics, Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Max, Max Planck Institute Locations: Tyrolean, Bolzano, Italy, “, Farmers, Tyrol, archaeogenetics, Leipzig, Germany, Europe, Norway, Italian, Turkey, Ötzi, South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology .

☆ China’s sitting on a goldmine of genetic data – and it doesn’t want to share
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The national survey and restrictions on foreign access are part of new regulations on China’s genetic resources, which came into effect in July. The national genetic surveyBiobanking in China – meaning the collection of biological samples – is still “very fragmented,” and in an “embryonic stage,” said Zhang. But these concerns aren’t new – and the national genetic survey seems to be geared more toward scientific research than other purposes, several experts agreed. But China has another motive, too: establishing what some experts call “genomic sovereignty,” meaning full control of the genetic material within their country. While many other countries also have laws regulating the use and transfer of their population’s genetic material, few are as strict as China’s.

Persons: Guang Niu, ”, Joy Y, Zhang, you’re, Wei Liang, ICHPL, Anna Puglisi, Puglisi, States –, Katherine Wang, ” –, Wang, “, Sun, Xi Jinping, Jiankui, Anthony Wallace, ” Zhang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Central South University, Centre for Global Science, biosciences, Shanxi Province Reproductive Science, Communist Party, Georgetown’s Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Gray, Group, CNN, Ministry of Science, Technology, National Health Service, National Institutes of Health, NIH Locations: Hong Kong, China, Changsha, Shanxi Province, Taiyuan, States, “, Wuhan, Xinijang, Xinjiang, Beijing, AFP, Harvard

☆ The climate crisis may cause this tiny, ancient species to go extinct
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And despite the fact that this ancient plant is one of the fastest-evolving species of moss known to science, it may not survive the climate crisis. The researchers embarked on multiple expeditions in the Himalayas to study Takakia moss. As the local temperature average increased each year, the population of Takakia moss decreased by 1.6% annually, the study authors noted. Takakia may die because of climate change, but the other mosses will survive, even if we humans cannot. Takakia may die because of climate change, but the other mosses will survive, even if we humans cannot.

Persons: ”, Ralf Reski, Ruoyang Hu, “, Takakia, ” Reski, Yikun, ” Hu, don’t Organizations: CNN, University of Freiburg, Capital Normal University, “ Locations: Tibetan, Japan, United States, Germany, Takakia, China, Tibet

☆ Scientists induce virgin birth in fruit flies in monumental first
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —In a historic first, scientists have used gene editing to induce virgin birth in fruit flies, a major step in unlocking the mysteries of the intriguing phenomenon known as parthenogenesis. The researchers used fruit flies because they’re considered “model organisms,” meaning the flies are among a list of organisms that scientists have long studied in depth to gain a better fundamental understanding of biology. Fruit flies’ short life spans of about 80 days have made it easy to observe changes throughout generations relatively quickly. And prior research into fruit flies is so extensive it’s possible to order genetic mutations for some flies online. “There’s just so many tools,” Sperling said, “and the tools are easily, cheaply available to all researchers” when it comes to fruit flies.

Persons: Alexis Sperling, Sperling, ” Sperling, “, we’d, they’re, “ There’s, ”, aren’t, Dr, Warren Booth, Booth, ” Booth, parthenogenesis Organizations: CNN, UK’s University of Cambridge, Pesticides, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, State University Locations: United Kingdom

☆ Scientists say they have induced 'virgin births' in fruit flies for the first time by switching on the right genes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A group of researchers was able to successfully engineer "virgin birth" in fruit flies. "I couldn't believe it," Sperling told the Washington Post. A backup for isolated femalesThe experiment was conducted on fruit flies because they are model organisms, or simple non-human species that are usually studied to better understand biology. "Fruit flies are incredibly special because they are basically the first model organism and have been studied for over 100 years," Sperling told the Post. Virgin births could help certain species and act as a "backup" for isolated females, according to The Guardian.

Persons: Alexis Sperling, Sperling, Hannah Maude, Nature Organizations: Service, Privacy, University of Cambridge, Washington Post, Imperial College London, Times, Guardian Locations: Wall, Silicon, parthenogenesis

☆ A 46,000-year-old worm found in Siberian permafrost was brought back to life, and started having babies
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Scientists revived a 46,000-year-old worm that was living in Siberian permafrost. When they brought it back to life, the worm started having babies. When they revived it, the worm started having babies via a process called parthenogenesis, which doesn't require a mate. According to a press release, the worm spent thousands of years in a type of dormancy called cryptobiosis. This new species, however, called Panagrolaimus kolymaensis, was dormant for tens of thousands of years longer.

Persons: Plectus, Holly Bik, William Crow, Crow Organizations: Service, Privacy, Scientists, Washington Post, University of Hawaiʻi, PLOS Genetics, University of Florida Locations: Wall, Silicon, Mānoa, tundras

☆ The Ongoing Mystery of Covid’s Origin
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( David Quammen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

But as the researchers describe it, these apparent contradictions were simply a reflection of their fast-evolving views. It showed that such an RBD had evolved in the wild and might well have gotten into SARS-CoV-2 by recombination, the natural gene-swapping process. The genome was 96.2 percent identical to the SARS-CoV-2 genome as sampled from people during the early days of the pandemic. RaTG13 has attained renown, not just because it constituted strong evidence of SARS-CoV-2’s ancestry in bat viruses but also because the Mojiang mine figures in some of the more lurid scenarios for a lab-leak origin. The inference is that Shi’s team, a year after the mine workers died, may have taken the virus back to Wuhan.

Persons: Andersen, ”, Slack, Matt Wong, ” Andersen, Zhengli Shi, Shi, RaTG13 Organizations: Twitter, Nature, Wuhan Institute of Virology Locations: Houston, Yunnan Province, Wuhan, Tongguan, Mojiang, Yunnan

CNN —Fragments of a skull believed to have been that of composer Ludwig van Beethoven have been donated to a university in Austria after spending decades in the United States. Seligmann, who died in 1892, had been a physician, medical historian and anthropologist in Vienna. The skull pieces, now referred to as the Seligmann fragments, came into his possession in 1863 during a reburial of Beethoven’s bones for study purposes. Rischgitz/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesIn 1802, 25 years before his death, Beethoven wrote a letter to his brothers, asking that his doctor, Johann Adam Schmidt, determine and share the nature of his “illness” after his death. Christian Reiter, a Vienna-based forensic pathologist, has previously examined the skull fragments and deemed them to be credible.

Persons: Ludwig van Beethoven, Paul Kaufmann, ”, Franz Romeo Seligmann, Seligmann, Beethoven, Johann Adam Schmidt, Kaufmann, “, ’, Max Planck, Markus Müller, Christian Reiter, piecing Organizations: CNN, Medical University of Vienna, Seligmann, Max, Max Planck Institute, Beethoven Locations: Austria, United States, American, Vienna, Carmichael , California, France, Vienna’s, Germany, Leipzig

☆ Using AI to monitor orphaned elephants in Botswana could usher in the return of the woolly mammoth
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The startup has entered a collaboration with Elephant Havens, a wildlife foundation based in the Okavango Delta that cares for orphaned elephants. The findings, the organizations hope, could provide a blueprint for releasing the elephants into the wild and mammoth hybrids to the tundra. A new system for elephant monitoringHuman-wildlife conflict is the leading cause of elephant orphans in Botswana, says Elephant Havens founder Debra Stevens. After five years in the enclosure, Elephant Havens will reintroduce these bonded herds into the wild, and monitor their progress for a decade. Biotech company Colossal wants to create a hybrid combining mammoth DNA with that of Asian elephants.

Persons: “, –, Elephant, We’ll, ”, Matt James, Debra Stevens, “ That’s, Stevens, revel, Havens, Steve Metzler, Dr, Wendy Kiso, James, Debra, ” James, Ben Lamm, ” Lamm, Lamm Organizations: CNN, Colossal Biosciences, Biotech company Colossal, Colossal Locations: Botswana, Africa, rewilding, America

☆ Missing genes in ‘mind-controlling’ worms pose an evolutionary puzzle
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

However, when the scientists compared their horsehair worm genomes with genomic information from other animals, something was missing, Cunha told CNN. Two live tangled freshwater horsehair worms, scientifically called Gordionus violaceus, were found in Germany. Mysteries remain about the worms’ movementsAs useful as cilia are, horsehair worms seem to be doing just fine without them, the scientists reported. To date, scientists have identified several hundred species of freshwater horsehair worms and five species of marine horsehair worms. Marine horsehair worms spend their entire lives in water, but freshwater species are only aquatic as adults.

Persons: —, australiensis, munidae, Tauana Cunha, Cunha, “, ”, “ It’s, Gonzalo Giribet, nematomorphs, Keiichi Kakui, Kakui, ” Kakui, Martin Sørensen, Ophiocordyceps, Bruno de Medeiros, California’s Organizations: CNN, Chicago’s Field, Harvard University, Hokkaido University, HBO, Field, Monument Locations: Germany, Japan, nematomorphs, California’s Muir

☆ Pfizer makes equity investment in Caribou Biosciences
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 6 (Reuters) - Pfizer (PFE.N) has invested $25 million to buy a minority stake in Caribou Biosciences (CRBU.O), making it the latest small biotechnology firm to attract the pharmaceutical giant's interest. The news lifted shares of Caribou more than 61% in early trade. Pfizer purchased nearly 4.7 million Caribou shares at $5.33 per share, Caribou said on Thursday, representing a premium of about 30% over Caribou's previous close price. This represents 7.64% of outstanding shares in Caribou, according to Reuters' calculation based on Refinitiv IBES data. It also made a $25 million equity investment in Akero Therapeutics (AKRO.O) last year.

Persons: Caribou, NASH, Jennifer Doudna, Raghav Mahobe, Leroy Leo, Maju Samuel Organizations: Pfizer, Caribou Biosciences, Biohaven Pharmaceutical, Akero Therapeutics, Thomson Locations: Caribou, California, Bengaluru

☆ Controversial Chinese scientist He Jiankui proposes new gene editing research
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Authorities in China took multiple steps to tighten rules and ethical standards affecting human gene editing in the wake of the revelations about his previous research. But the scientist’s release of a new proposal involving gene editing of embryos has scientists and medical ethics experts concerned – and confused. Genetic manipulation of human embryos – both viable and nonviable ones – is typically tightly controlled globally and some countries ban all such research, experts say. But there is robust global debate around allowing genome editing of human embryos to treat serious genetic conditions or expanding research. Chinese law does not allow gene-edited human embryos used in research to be implanted into humans, or developed for more than 14 days.

Persons: ”, It’s, Peter Dröge, “, “ I’m, ” Joy Zhang, bioethicists, There’s, He’s, He’s “, Françoise Baylis, ” Baylis Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Authorities, Nanyang Technological University, Centre for Global Science, University of Kent, CNN, bioethicists, Twitter, China’s Ministry of Science, Technology, National Health Commission, Southern University of Science, China’s biosciences, Dalhousie University Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Singapore, Britain, USA, Europe, Shenzhen

Search resuls for: "Genome"

25 mentions found