DNA

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Cheating, Corruption Rampant in Ant Society

Secret elite exploits workers with its DNA

(Newser) - A power-mad elite is secretly rigging the system so their offspring rise to power, LiveScience reports. That’s the situation a team of researchers has discovered in ant society—not exactly the epitome of community collaboration once thought. Until now, it appeared that any properly-fed larvae could hatch into a...

'Hobbits' Were Just Short on Food: Scientists

Others say Indonesian remains were dwarfish new species

(Newser) - In a new volley in the back and forth over whether "hobbit" fossils found on an Indonesian island were a separate species, a research team says the remains are those of modern humans suffering from malnutrition-induced dwarfism. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can result in humans growing less than 3...

Millionaire Pays Firm to Map His Genetic Code

Personal genome readouts now on shopping list for super-rich

(Newser) - A Switzerland-based millionaire is paying to have his personal genetic code mapped out, the New York Times reports. He is only the second person to ever have done so, but genetics companies say interest is high despite the $350,000 price tag for decoding all 6 billion units in an...

Many Duck DNA Tests Over Fears of Bias

Bosses and insurers will dis them over disorders, some say

(Newser) - Some Americans are ducking genetic tests for fear that bosses and insurers may single out those with disorders, the New York Times reports. Others, tested privately, hide problems from doctors to dodge financial pain—leading, in some cases, to health problems that could have been avoided. But insurance reps and...

Police Seek Broader DNA Database
Police Seek Broader DNA Database
Feb 23, 2008 3:02 PM CST

Police Seek Broader DNA Database

US wants to follow UK's lead and track down suspects' relatives

(Newser) - US law enforcement currently catalogs 5.6 million DNA profiles, about 2% of Americans, but hopes to expand that and the scope of their searches, the Wall Street Journal reports. A bigger database would allow "familial searches"—looking for near matches of a suspect's brother or sister, for...

Africans Have Most Diverse DNA
Africans Have Most Diverse DNA
Feb 21, 2008 1:47 PM CST

Africans Have Most Diverse DNA

Testing confirms man evolved on continent before migrating

(Newser) - A pair of wide-ranging genetic studies, published yesterday in the journal Nature, back up the idea that humanity first evolved in Africa before migrating elsewhere, Reuters reports. DNA testing of African Americans and European Americans found that people with African roots had much more genetic diversity. Other tests discovered that...

Sequencer Can Map Genome in 4 Minutes

Warp-speed, dirt-cheap system has potential to transform health care

(Newser) - Blinding-fast new machines will be able to sequence a human genome in 4 minutes for just $1,000, potentially revolutionizing medical research. "It will change health care forever if it works," the CEO of the manufacturer tells Reuters. By comparison, the federally funded Human Genome Project, which wrapped...

New DNA Found on Slain British Student's Bra

Latest traces don't match suspects' in Italy murder case

(Newser) - Mystery DNA found on the bra of Meredith Kercher could point to more players in the November murder of the British student in Italy, the Telegraph reports, though police maintain the traces indicate only that others handled it. "All we know for certain is that it does not match...

FBI Revolutionizes DNA Tech
FBI Revolutionizes DNA Tech
Jan 28, 2008 6:01 PM CST

FBI Revolutionizes DNA Tech

The FBI has a host of new toys to make analysis easier

(Newser) - New DNA analysis techniques are allowing the FBI to solve more cases faster using samples no bigger than a pinprick. Equally important, jury members steeped in police-procedural TV shows see the genetic evidence they've come to expect. NPR visits the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., where banks of robots process...

Scientists Move Closer to Synthetic Life

In a first, researchers create entire genome of a bacterium

(Newser) - Scientists have assembled the entire genome of a bacterium from basic chemicals, an important step toward creating a fully artificial organism, Reuters reports. "This entire process started with four bottles of chemicals," says Craig Venter, founder of the institute that did the work. Scientists had previously manufactured the...

Project Launched to Map Genes of 1,000 People

Controversial international genome project

(Newser) - An international project to sequence the genomes of at least 1,000 people has begun at three research institutes in England, China and the US. The information gathered in the "1,000 Genomes Project " will be used to create a reference map of genetic variations. "This is...

DNA Test to Predict Cancer Risk
DNA Test to Predict Cancer Risk
Jan 17, 2008 12:23 PM CST

DNA Test to Predict Cancer Risk

$300 test: a blessing or a curse?

(Newser) - A DNA test that can help predict a man's risk of developing prostate cancer is expected to be available later this year for as little as $300. It's the first glimpse of what's likely to be a revolution in medical testing to provide patients a window into their possible future....

Gene Tweaking Dramatically Extends Life

Altered yeast microbes live 10 times longer than control group

(Newser) - In a breakthrough that may have implications for humans, researchers have made the lifespan of yeast 10 times longer, doubling the previous record for life expansion, LiveScience reports. Genetic alteration and a low-calorie diet prolonged the microbe's existence from the typical 1 week to 10 weeks. The scientists involved have...

Want to Meet the Smell of Your Dreams?

New dating agency plans to use genetics to find right chemistry

(Newser) - The nose knows. A new dating agency aims to use research into body odor to match up singles who just sniff right to each other, the Economist reports. The founder of ScientificMatch.com is drawing on a ten-year-old study that found a genetic reason for why women found the smell...

Study Finds Mutated Genes Raise Autism Risk

Could be 'tip of the iceberg' of gene flaws linked to disorder

(Newser) - Researchers studying the DNA of autistic children have discovered a pair of genetic mutations that raise the risk of developing autism as high as a hundredfold, USA Today reports. The defects in chromosome 16 occur in just 1% of autistic kids, but that figure represents some 10,000 children. A...

DNA Tests Show Rebels Don't Have Colombian Boy

Alleged hostage is actually in foster care

(Newser) - DNA tests all but confirmed today that a 3-year-old boy Colombian rebels had pledged to include in a hostage-release deal has actually been in foster care since 2005. The group FARC negotiated the release of Emmanuel Rojas—born to a female hostage and her rebel captor—with Hugo Chavez; the...

Innocent Con Freed After 27 Years
Innocent Con Freed After
27 Years
Jan 4, 2008 3:00 AM CST

Innocent Con Freed After 27 Years

DNA testing confirmed he wasn't guilty of rape

(Newser) - A man who spent 27 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit was released yesterday after DNA evidence proved he hadn't assaulted his accuser. Charles Chatman, now 47, had maintained his innocence throughout his time in jail, refusing to give an account of the crime to the parole...

New Tech Identifies Rare DNA Disorders

Services link families whose kids were once labeled autistic

(Newser) - New procedures that scan all 46 human chromosomes are helping doctors classify disorders once lumped together as "developmentally delayed" or "autistic"—and helping parents connect to families whose children also have uncommon conditions. The New York Times looks at the lives of parents isolated by their experience...

Synthetic DNA Comes to Life
Synthetic DNA Comes to Life
Dec 17, 2007 9:56 AM CST

Synthetic DNA Comes to Life

As breakthrough nears, questions multiply like cells

(Newser) - Scientists are on the verge of creating new life forms from synthetic DNA and already sparking ethical questions, the Washington Post reports. Researchers can make entire chromosomes from sugars, phosphates, and nitrogen-based compounds, then insert the DNA into a host cell. The new codes can transform bacteria or yeast into...

Scientist Blasted for Racism Has Black Genes

Watson said blacks less intelligent than whites

(Newser) - Nobel laureate James Watson, famous for co-discovering DNA and infamous for his theory that black Africans are less intelligent than whites, turns out to have a genetic profile with 16 times as many black genes as the average white European, the Independent reports. Watson's genes are said to be comparable...

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