Friday’s Elk, October 30, 2015

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings–

On Saturday, I gave a plenary talk at the annual meeting of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. I described the fast rise of CRISPR and encouraged the audience to consider the ethical questions that may arise if we gain the ability to fix diseases or even enhance traits in embryos. Laura Hercher, a genetic counselor at Sarah Lawrence College, also gave a talk in the session. She focused on mitochondrial replacement therapy, which is sometimes wrongly described as producing “three-parent babies.” Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, October 30, 2015” →

Scientists Urge National Initiative on Microbiomes

Posted on by admin

The New York Times, October 28, 2015

Link

Scores of leading scientists on Wednesday urged the creation of a major initiative to better understand the microbial communities critical to both human health and every ecosystem.

In two papers published simultaneously in the journals Science and Nature, the scientists called for a government-led effort akin to the Brain Initiative, a monumental multiyear project intended to develop new technologies to understand the human brain.

“This is the beginning of the shot to the moon,” said Jeffery F. Miller, the director of the California NanoSystems Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a co-author of the Science paper. “There is so much to learn, and so many benefits of learning it.”

Continue reading “Scientists Urge National Initiative on Microbiomes” →

DNA of Ancient Children Offers Clues on How People Settled the Americas

Posted on by admin

The New York Times, October 26, 2015

Link

Researchers have long wondered how people settled the Americas, particularly the path they took to the new territory and the timing of their expansion. Until recently, archaeologists studying these questions were limited mostly to digging up skeletons and artifacts.

But now scientists have begun extracting DNA from human bones, and the findings are providing new glimpses at the history of the first Americans. On Monday, researchers at the University of Alaska and elsewhere published an important addition to the growing genetic archive.

Continue reading “DNA of Ancient Children Offers Clues on How People Settled the Americas” →

Friday’s Elk, October 23, 2015

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Greetings–

There are few things more interesting than ancient human DNA and diseases (if you ask me). So the opportunity to write about both of them in one article was the highlight of my week.

Scientists who have been gathering DNA from Bronze Age skeletons wondered if they might have unknowingly scooped up some DNA from interesting pathogens. Turns out, they did. From 5,000-year-old skeletons, they extracted the DNA of Yersinia pestis, the cause of the plague. The discovery pushes back the plague 3,000 years, and allows us to see the stepwise evolution of the pathogen into its full-blown, flea-carried form. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, October 23, 2015” →

In Ancient DNA, Evidence of Plague Much Earlier Than Previously Known

Posted on by admin

The New York Times, October 22, 2015

Link

Bacteria can change history.

In the 14th century, a microbe called Yersinia pestis caused an epidemic of plague known as the Black Death that killed off a third or more of the population of Europe. The long-term shortage of workers that followed helped bring about the end of feudalism.

Historians and microbiologists alike have searched for decades for the origins of plague. Until now, the first clear evidence of Yersinia pestis infection was the Plague of Justinian in the 6th century, which severely weakened the Byzantine Empire.

Continue reading “In Ancient DNA, Evidence of Plague Much Earlier Than Previously Known” →