Tag Archives: DNA

The moment a creature dies, its DNA begins to break down. Half of it degrades every 521 years on average. By about 6.8 million years, even under ideal preservation conditions in cold, stable environments, every meaningful trace is gone. That’s a huge challenge when trying to understand our evolutionary history more deeply: Two-legged primates emerged 7 million years ago in …

DNA From Three People Creates Healthy Babies Free of Genetic Disease  SciTechDaily When science plays parent  wng.org Ethics in science and the slippery IVF slope  Washington Times What should Christians think about three parent babies?  Premier Christianity Magazine Changing the law to allow ‘three-parent babies’  The Naked Scientists Source link

The genes of great white sharks defy scientific explanation. An animal’s genome can be deeply revealing, but ever since researchers started decoding great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) DNA more than 20 years ago, their discoveries have raised more questions than answers. In 2024, a study confirmed that, contrary to common thought, this fierce ocean predator does not belong to a …

Facebook Tweet Email Link The human genome is made up of 23 pairs of chromosomes, the biological blueprints that make humans … well, human. But it turns out that some of our DNA — about 8% — are the remnants of ancient viruses that embedded themselves into our genetic code over the course of human evolution. These ancient viruses lie …

A genetic study conducted by the University of South Carolina and the National Human Genome Research Institute, published in Science Advances, has uncovered that dogs living within the Chernobyl exclusion zone (CEZ) show distinct genetic changes linked to long-term radiation exposure. Researchers analyzed the DNA of 302 feral dogs from the CEZ and compared it to populations outside the zone, …

DNA that humans acquired from ancient viruses plays a key role in switching parts of our genetic code on and off, a new study has found. Nearly half of the human genome consists of segments called transposable elements (TEs), also known as “jumping genes” because they can hop around the genome. Some of these TEs are remnants of ancient viruses …

After spending months without eating, drinking, or moving, hibernating mammals must rebound from extreme physiological changes. Two new studies suggest that the genetic “superpowers” underlying this incredible resilience may also be present in the human genome. For these studies, published Thursday, July 31, in the journal Science, researchers at the University of Utah honed in on the specific DNA regions …

NASA astronaut Kathleen “Kate” Rubins has retired from the space agency after 16 years, two missions on the International Space Station, four spacewalks and 300 days in space. Her last day at Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston was Monday (July 28). In August 2016, while serving as a flight engineer on the space station’s 48th expedition crew, Rubins made …

NASA astronaut and microbiologist Kate Rubins retired Monday after 16 years with the agency. During her time with NASA, Rubins completed two long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station, logging 300 days in space and conducting four spacewalks. “I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Kate for her dedication to the advancement of human spaceflight,” said Steve Koerner, acting director …

Infographic by Linlin Zhao, University of California Riverside A new chemical probe protects healthy cells from DNA damage, preserving them from one of the 8 hallmarks of aging. The story of this potentially paradigmatic development begins where so much of human health begins: the mitochondria. These organelles are disrespectfully monikered as “the powerhouses” of the cell, but they do so …