A “potentially hazardous” asteroid contains all of the “letters” that make up DNA, suggesting that these key ingredients for life may be common in the solar system. Researchers made the discovery after analyzing samples collected from asteroid Ryugu, a 3,000-foot-wide (900 meters) space rock shaped like a spinning top. The scientists detected a complete set … Read more
Scientists say they may have extracted Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA from a Renaissance-era drawing for the very first time. The trace DNA, embedded in a red chalk sketch called the “Holy Child” that some claim was made by da Vinci, shows similarities with genetic material recovered from a letter penned in the 1400s by Frosino … Read more
The U.S. biotech company Atlas Data Storage has launched a synthetic DNA storage system capable of holding 1,000 times more data than traditional magnetic tape. The product, called Atlas Eon 100, claims it will store humanity’s “irreplaceable archives” for thousands of years. These include family photos, scientific data, corporate records, cultural artifacts and the master … Read more
Scientists have been using ancient DNA to investigate questions about extinct animals since 1984, when researchers recovered two pieces of DNA from a museum specimen of a quagga, a zebra-like species that went extinct in the 19th century. Over the past 40 years, advancements in technology have allowed scientists to sequence older and older DNA … Read more
Hibernating mammals rely on particular genes to adjust their metabolisms as they enter that unique, low-energy state — and humans actually carry that same hibernation-related DNA. Now, early research hints that leveraging this particular DNA could help treat medical conditions in people, scientists say. Hibernation offers “a whole bunch of different biometrically important superpowers,” senior … Read more
DNA that humans acquired from ancient viruses plays a key role in switching parts of our genetic code on and off, a new study has found. Nearly half of the human genome consists of segments called transposable elements (TEs), also known as “jumping genes” because they can hop around the genome. Some of these TEs … Read more
Scientists have created a new biocomputing chip that makes calculations using a DNA substrate, including mathematical operations essential to artificial intelligence (AI) training and big data processing. Researchers described the new biocomputing platform Oct. 19, 2023, in the journal PLOS One. DNA is known as the blueprint for life and encodes genetic information, like data … Read more
Several children born with a rare, inherited form of deafness can now hear thanks to two new gene therapies, clinical trial results show. Both therapies target the gene for otoferlin, a protein in the inner ear that lets nerve cells translate vibrations from sound into electrical signals that can be interpreted by the brain. Mutations … Read more
Why do common shrews live for only two years, while bowhead whales survive for two centuries? And could the answer give us hints as to how to extend our own, human life spans? The maximum life span of each species is estimated using the age of its longest-living member, and these vary by orders of … Read more
Telomeres are the “caps” that protect the ends of DNA strands from being destroyed by a cell. They are made up of areas of repeated DNA sequences combined with specific proteins at the ends of chromosomes — the tightly wound structures of DNA and proteins inside cells. Telomeres play a role in how fast cells … Read more
