Understanding the Genetics Revolution

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Aspen Institute, June 25, 2017

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What is CRISPR and why is it important for the average American to know about it?

CRISPR is a technology for rewriting DNA. Scientists discovered a natural version of CRISPR in bacteria, which use it to attack viruses by garbling their genes. They then tinkered with the molecules until they could make changes to the DNA in just about any organism, be it a fly, a tomato, or a human. Genetic engineering is nothing new — scientists started making controlled changes to DNA in the 1970s — but until now, the technology has been crude. CRISPR, on the other hand, is quick, versatile, fairly precise, and cheap.

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Scientists Discover a Key to a Longer Life in Male DNA

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The New York Times, June 16, 2017

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A common genetic mutation is linked to an increase in life span of about 10 years among men, researchers reported on Friday.

The mutation, described in the journal Science Advances, did not seem to have any effect on women. Still, it joins a short list of gene variants shown to influence human longevity.

By studying these genes, scientists may be able to design drugs to mimic their effects and slow aging. But the search for them has been slow and hard.

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Friday’s Elk, June 9, 2017

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

It’s been a big news week–and not just when it comes to politics.

In yesterday’s New York Times, I reported on the discovery of the oldest known fossils of our species. Their discovery represents a huge jump back in time. Before now, the oldest known fossils of Homo sapiens were 195,000 years old. The new ones are over 300,000 years old. Aside from breaking records, the fossils also tell us new things about how our species evolved. A picture of one of the fossils made the front page of the paper, making for quite a contrast with news about Comey’s testimony, terrorism in Tehran, and all the rest of our species’s current concerns. You can read the online ​version of my story here.

Here are a couple other pieces I’ve written since my last email. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, June 9, 2017” →

Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco, Altering History of Our Species

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The New York Times, June 7, 2017

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Fossils discovered in Morocco are the oldest known remains of Homo sapiens, scientists reported on Wednesday, a finding that rewrites the story of mankind’s origins and suggests that our species evolved in multiple locations across the African continent.

“We did not evolve from a single ‘cradle of mankind’ somewhere in East Africa,” said Philipp Gunz, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and a co-author of two new studies on the fossils, published in the journal Nature. “We evolved on the African continent.”

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In ‘Enormous Success,’ Scientists Tie 52 Genes to Human Intelligence

Posted on by Lori Jia

The New York Times, May 22, 2017

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In a significant advance in the study of mental ability, a team of European and American scientists announced on Monday that they had identified 52 genes linked to intelligence in nearly 80,000 people.

These genes do not determine intelligence, however. Their combined influence is minuscule, the researchers said, suggesting that thousands more are likely to be involved and still await discovery. Just as important, intelligence is profoundly shaped by the environment.

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