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A group of Neanderthals in a cave. Image credit: Tyler B. Tretsven.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Neanderthal Woman from Chagyrskaya Cave

Jun 18, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of researchers has sequenced and analyzed the genome of an 80,000-year-old Neanderthal woman from Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai Mountains,...

Almarri et al present a comprehensive analysis of structural variation in the Human Genome Diversity panel, a high-coverage dataset of 911 samples from 54 diverse worldwide populations, and identify, in total, 126,018 variants, 78% of which were not identified in previous global sequencing projects. Image credit: Almarri et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.024.

Researchers Identify 126,018 Human Genetic Variations

Jun 12, 2020 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the Francis Crick Institute, and EMBL-EBI has created a comprehensive structural variation atlas...

Illustration of one of the early settlers in the Caribbean. Image credit: Tom Björklund.

Humans Colonized Caribbean Islands in Three Waves: Study

Jun 5, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 93 ancient Caribbean islanders and found evidence of at least three separate...

Anava et al used ancient DNA extraction from Dead Sea Scroll fragments made of animal skin to determine fragment origin and show unification of scrolls from distinct geological locations, highlighting the potential for genetics to illuminate the history of archaeological objects. Image credit: Anava et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.046.

Scientists Unravel Genetic Mysteries of Dead Sea Scrolls

Jun 3, 2020 by News Staff

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls had an incomparable impact on the historical understanding of Judaism and Christianity. ‘Piecing together’ scroll...

The occasional use of stone tools as ‘strike-a-lights’ was a technocultural feature shared among Neanderthals in France.

Study: Women with Neanderthal Progesterone Gene Have Higher Fertility

May 29, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A hormone called progesterone is important for preparing the uterine lining for egg implantation and in maintaining the early stages of pregnancy. Almost...

The hormone ghrelin affects alcohol-seeking behavior. Image credit: Michal Jarmoluk.

Researchers Identify 19 New Genetic Variants for Problematic Drinking

May 27, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has identified 29 independent genetic risk variants — 19 of them novel — linked to problematic alcohol...

The jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) in King Canyon Wash, Saguaro National Park West, Arizona, the United States. Image credit: Katja Schulz / CC BY 2.0.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Jojoba Plant

May 26, 2020 by Natali Anderson

An international team of scientists has for the first time mapped the entire genome of the jojoba plant (Simmondsia chinensis). The jojoba (Simmondsia...

Penium margaritaceum. Image credit: Cornell University.

Scientists Sequence Single-Celled Alga Genome

May 24, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has successfully sequenced the genome of Penium margaritaceum, a single-celled alga species that belongs to Zygnematophyceae,...

The Gateway of the Sun, Tiwanaku, Bolivia. Image credit: Mhwater.

Ancient DNA Study Sheds Light on Deep Population History of Andes

May 11, 2020 by News Staff

A large international team of researchers has conducted the first in-depth, wide-scale study of the genomic history of pre-Columbian Andean civilizations...

Liu et al highlight the importance of genome-wide data from dense sampling of ethnolinguistic groups in providing new insights into the genetic diversity and history of an ethnolinguistically-diverse region, such as Vietnam. Image credit: Quang Nguyen.

Vietnam Has Very Rich Genetic Diversity, New Research Shows

May 1, 2020 by News Staff

Vietnam features extensive ethnolinguistic diversity and occupies a key position in Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA). Yet, the genetic diversity of the country...

CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can cause hundreds of unintended mutations. Image credit: Lisichik.

DNA is Just List of Ingredients, Researcher Says

Apr 24, 2020 by News Staff

The common view of heredity is that all information passed down from one generation to the next is stored in DNA. But University of Maryland’s Dr. Antony...

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (greenish brown) heavily infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (pink), isolated from a patient sample. Image credit: NIAID.

Genetic Study Identifies Three Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus

Apr 9, 2020 by News Staff

In a phylogenetic network analysis of the first 160 complete genomes of SARS-CoV-2 to be sequenced from human patients, an international team of scientists...

Homo sapiens Interbred with Various Neanderthal Populations, Study Says

Apr 2, 2020 by News Staff

Modern humans in Eurasia carry genetic material inherited from Altai Neanderthals, according to a study published in the journal Genetics. This is noteworthy...

The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus). Image credit: Andreas Hartl.

Scientists Decode Genome of Sterlet Sturgeon

Mar 31, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from the United States and Europe has produced the first high-quality genomic sequence for the sterlet (Acipenser...

The Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani). Image credit: Yunfang Xiu, Straits (Fuzhou) Giant Panda Research and Exchange Center, China.

DNA Analysis Reveals There Are Two Distinct Species of Red Pandas

Mar 9, 2020 by Sergio Prostak

An analysis of DNA from wild populations of the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) has found that there is not just one species but enough genetic differences...

46,000-Year-Old Horned Lark Found in Siberian Permafrost

Feb 21, 2020 by News Staff

In a new study published today in the journal Communications Biology, an international team of researchers radiocarbon-dated an exceptionally well-preserved...

West Africans Carry DNA from Mysterious Archaic Hominin

Feb 14, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

Four West African populations — Yoruba, Esan, Mende, and Gambian — derive 2 to 19% of their genetic ancestry from a yet-undiscovered species...

Researchers Sequence Genomes of Two Basmati Rice Varieties

Feb 10, 2020 by News Staff

A research team led by New York University scientists has sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two members of the basmati rice group: a variety of basmati...

This is an artist’s rendition of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). Image credit: Flying Puffin / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Scientists ‘Resurrect’ Mutated Genes of Wrangel Island Mammoths

Feb 7, 2020 by News Staff

Woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) were among the most abundant cold adapted species during the Pleistocene. Their once large populations went extinct...