Genetic Revolution that allowed for the Development of Backbones
Scientists have uncovered a surprising genetic shift that may explain how animals with backbones—from fish and frogs to humans—became so complex. By comparing sea squirts,…
Biology
Ancient DNA identifies the Fatal Illnesses that caused Napoleon’s downfall
Researchers have uncovered microbial evidence in the remains of Napoleon’s soldiers from the 1812 Russian retreat. Genetic analysis revealed pathogens behind paratyphoid and relapsing fever,…
Dinosaurs may be the key to the Discovery of Cancer
New techniques used to analyse soft tissue in dinosaur fossils may hold the key to new cancer discoveries, according to a new study published in…
A 250-million-year-old Fossil illustrates the Genesis of Mammal Hearing
Sensitive hearing may have evolved in mammal ancestors far earlier than scientists once believed. By modeling how sound moved through the skull of Thrinaxodon, a…
Human remains discovered 5,500 years ago reveal a Long-lost Sickness
A 5,500-year-old skeleton from Colombia has revealed the oldest known genome of the bacterium linked to syphilis and related diseases. The ancient strain doesn’t fit…
Scientists find 40,000-year-old Mammoth RNA that still contains Information
Researchers have sequenced the oldest RNA ever recovered, taken from a woolly mammoth frozen for nearly 40,000 years. The RNA reveals which genes were active…
The First Pandemic in History is finally explained by Ancient DNA
Scientists have finally uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis — the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — in a mass grave in Jerash,…
Researchers discover an unexpected connection between Human Evolution and Lead
Researchers found that ancient hominids—including early humans—were exposed to lead throughout childhood, leaving chemical traces in fossil teeth. Experiments suggest this exposure may have driven…
Super Predators that do not exist now ruled the Ancient Oceans
Long before whales and sharks, enormous marine reptiles dominated the oceans with unmatched power. Scientists have reconstructed a 130-million-year-old marine ecosystem from Colombia and found…
Seawater DNA exposes missing Hammerhead Sharks
A revolutionary eDNA test detects endangered hammerhead sharks using genetic traces left in seawater, eliminating the need to capture or even see them. This powerful…
Scientists discovered Climate Change disguised in historical Military Air samples
Old military air samples turned out to be a treasure trove of biological DNA, allowing scientists to track moss spores over 35 years. The results…
Bacteria found in the Ocean that consume Plastic
Beneath the ocean’s surface, bacteria have evolved specialized enzymes that can digest PET plastic, the material used in bottles and clothes. Researchers at KAUST discovered…
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