DNA traces the ancient roots of American dogs to Asia
A new genetic analysis of hundreds of American dog breeds reveals that the canines’ ancient roots trace back to Asia. On average, less than 30 percent of their DNA comes from Europe,…
Researchers Question the Ability of Lake Vostok's Extreme Environment to Support Complex Life
Is Antarctica’s Lake Vostok a prehistoric aquarium populated by exotic fishes and crustaceans? A study now hints at the possibility. But the idea that the pitch-dark lake might host complex…
Detecting DNA in Space
Christopher Carr, a research scientist in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences is working in collaboration with Gary Ruvkun at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Maria Zuber, the…
First child born using DNA sequencing IVF technique
Last month Connor Levy was the first child to be born in the US using next-generation sequencing (NGS), a technique that uses computer software to scan and count DNA fragments to ensure…
Genetic Engineers Work to Protect Wheat Crops from Deadly Pest
Currently, roughly 20 percent of humanity’s caloric intake comes from wheat. Agricultural strains, specialized for bread or pasta production, have been bred for high productivity and resistance to many agricultural…
Researchers push back the age of recoverable DNA, a major boon for the study of evolutionary history
Researchers have reconstructed an ancient genome that is 10 times as old as any retrieved so far, and they now say that DNA should be recoverable from animals that lived…