Friday’s Elk, February 5, 2016

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings–

Happy February! I hope that you, unlike me, aren’t greeting the new month with a rather unpleasant, unexpected snowstorm. If you need a little distraction between the roof-raking and snow-shoveling, here are a couple items:
 

An Ancient Genome And A Skipped Bit of Software

Last October, I wrote a column for the New York Times about the first ancient human genome recovered from Africa. Last week, however, I discovered that the scientists had made a small oversight in their analysis that led to a big problem in their conclusions. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, February 5, 2016” →

DNA Study of First Ancient African Genome Flawed, Researchers Report

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The New York Times, February 4, 2016

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When scientists first started to figure out how to extract DNA from ancient skeletons, their success was met with astonishment. One minute, scientists were fishing Richard III’s genes from his royal bones, and the next they were showing off DNA retrieved from 500-year-old Incan mummies.

The idea that DNA could survive for thousands of years — let alone be reassembled into an entire genome — seemed little short of miraculous.

Despite the field’s rapid advances in recent years, though, ancient DNA is still hard to find and hard to make sense of. Potential errors lurk around every corner. Even little oversights can cause big headaches.

Continue reading “DNA Study of First Ancient African Genome Flawed, Researchers Report” →

Tribes’ Win in Fight for La Jolla Bones Clouds Hopes for DNA Studies

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The New York Times, January 29, 2016

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The San Diego Archaeology Center holds a pair of extraordinary skeletons. Dating back about 9,500 years, they are among the oldest human remains ever found in the Americas.

A number of scientists would love to study the bones, using powerful new techniques to extract any surviving DNA.

“These skeletons of such antiquity are so important for helping us understand what happened in the past in North America,” said Brian Kemp, a molecular anthropologist at Washington State University.

Continue reading “Tribes’ Win in Fight for La Jolla Bones Clouds Hopes for DNA Studies” →

Friday’s Elk, January 22, 2016

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings–

In advance of the blizzard coming to my part of the world (and maybe yours), here are a couple stories, a video, and even a podcast for your wintry enjoyment:
 

Obama’s Three Big Science Plays

The cancer “moonshot” that Obama announced at his State of the Union address last week was the last of three high-profile projects in biomedicine he’s personally unveiled over the past three years. At Stat, I get some prominent scientists to gaze into their crystal ball and figure out what kind of legacy Obama is leaving behind with these trio of initiatives. One important lesson: actual moonshots are really expensive.
 

Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, January 22, 2016” →