Tag: dna

Columbus did NOT bring syphilis-like disease to America – the infection was running rampant 2,000 years ago, myth-busting study finds

Italian explorer Christopher Columbus has historically been charged with bringing syphilis-like diseases to the Americas, but a new study revealed the disease was running rampant thousands of years before.

The first onset of a syphilis epidemic was documented in the late 15th Century in Europe, leading historians to believe it was brought to America when Columbus set foot on the continent.

DNA evidence has now revealed that treponematosis, an age-old syphilis-like disease, existed in Brazil more than 2,000 years before the explorer set sail for the new world.

Left untreated, treponematosis may lead to disfiguring lesions and deformities in the bone, cartilage and skin – all of which can be painful and disabling.

Kerttu Majander, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Basel, said: ‘The fact that the findings represent an endemic type of treponemal diseases, and not sexually transmitted syphilis, leaves the origin of the sexually transmitted syphilis still unsettled.’

The team examined the bones of four people who died in the coastal region of Santa Catarina in Brazil thousands of years ago.

Pathogens found in teh remains that showed signs of a syphilis-like illness that likely resulted in mouth sores and shin pains.

The study, published in Nature, said the bones were excavated at the Jabuticabeira II archeological site and have been studied since 2016.

Researchers screened 37 out of 99 samples of sequencing data and found there were between seven and 133 positive hits for diseases stemming from the Treponema family.

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Genetic Scientists On Track To Create A Genetically Engineered Doomsday

Bayer’s modified soil microbes could trigger a genetically engineered doomsday for agriculture. Is that what Bayer wants? If you don’t like the toxic pollution from industrial agriculture’s synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides, Bayer and its partner, Ginkgo Bioworks, have a solution for you.

They say they’re going to swap out some of the old fossil-fuel-based agrochemicals for genetically engineered microbes. We’re no fan of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, but let’s not jump from the frying pan into the fire! The uncontrolled spread of genetically engineered microbes could contaminate soil on such a vast scale that it could be the end of farming!

You don’t have to take our word for it, just read Ginkgo’s own report to the Securities and Exchange Commission. It’s like a sci-fi writer’s brainstorm of plots for a disaster movie:

“The release of genetically modified organisms or materials, whether inadvertent or purposeful, into uncontrolled environments could have unintended consequences …

The genetically engineered organisms and materials that we develop may have significantly altered characteristics compared to those found in the wild, and the full effects of deployment or release of our genetically engineered organisms and materials into uncontrolled environments may be unknown.

In particular, such deployment or release, including an unauthorized release, could impact the environment or community generally or the health and safety of our employees, our customers’ employees, and the consumers of our customers’ products.

In addition, if a high profile biosecurity breach or unauthorized release of a biological agent occurs within our industry, our customers and potential customers may lose trust in the security of the laboratory environments in which we produce genetically modified organisms and materials, even if we are not directly affected.

Any adverse effect resulting from such a release, by us or others, could have a material adverse effect on the public acceptance of products from engineered cells and our business and financial condition …

We could synthesize DNA sequences or engage in other activity that contravenes biosecurity requirements, or regulatory authorities could promulgate more far-reaching biosecurity requirements that our standard business practices cannot accommodate, which could give rise to substantial legal liability, impede our business, and damage our reputation.

The Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP), involves rules administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that regulate possession, use, and transfer of biological select agents and toxins [a euphemism for bioweapons] that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public, animal, or plant health or to animal or plant products …

[W]e could err in our observance of compliance program requirements in a manner that leaves us in noncompliance with FSAP or other biosecurity rules … Third parties may use our engineered cells materials, and organisms and accompanying production processes in ways that could damage our reputation.

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CRIME SCENE DNA DIDN’T MATCH MARCELLUS WILLIAMS. MISSOURI MAY FAST-TRACK HIS EXECUTION ANYWAY.

FELICIA ANNE GAYLE PICUS was found dead in her home, the victim of a vicious murder that devastated her family and rattled her neighbors in the gated community of University City, Missouri, just outside St. Louis. Police suspected a burglary gone wrong. The scene was replete with forensic evidence: There were bloody footprints and fingerprints, and the murder weapon — a kitchen knife used to stab Picus — was left lodged in her neck.

That detail caught the medical examiner’s attention. Weeks earlier, another woman had been stabbed to death just a couple of miles away, and the weapon was left in the victim’s body. Days after Picus’s murder, the University City police chief told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that investigators had identified a “prime suspect,” someone they said had been spotted in the area “in recent weeks,” whom they believed had killed before.

But whatever became of that lead is unclear. After Picus’s family posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer, a jailhouse informant named Henry Cole came forward with a story about how his former cellmate, Marcellus Williams, had confessed to murdering Picus. Soon, police secured a second informant: Laura Asaro, Williams’s former girlfriend, also told the cops that Williams was responsible for the killing. There were reasons to be wary of their stories. Both informants were facing prison time for unrelated crimes and stood to benefit. Many of the details they offered shifted over the course of questioning, while others did not match the crime. Nonetheless, Williams was charged with Picus’s murder, convicted, and sentenced to death.

Questions about the investigation and Williams’s guilt have only mounted in the years since the August 1998 crime. DNA testing on the murder weapon done years after his conviction revealed a partial male profile that could not have come from Williams. On the eve of Williams’s scheduled execution in 2017, then-Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens intervened. He issued an executive order that triggered a rarely used provision of Missouri law, empaneling a board to review the evidence, including DNA, that jurors never heard about at trial.

While that review was ongoing for most of the last six years, the board never submitted a final report or recommendation to the governor, as the law requires. Instead, last June, Gov. Mike Parson announced that he was rescinding his predecessor’s order, effectively dissolving the panel that had been reinvestigating the case.

The question now is whether Missouri law allows the governor to simply disappear an ongoing investigation. Because the law has so rarely been used, its contours have never been fully litigated, prompting the Midwest Innocence Project, which represents Williams, to file a civil lawsuit seeking to invalidate Parson’s order. The state’s attorney general balked, arguing that Williams was trying to usurp the governor’s independent clemency powers. The AG has asked the Missouri Supreme Court to toss the lawsuit — and clear the way for Williams’s execution.

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When Did Humans Stop Being Naked?

The origins of clothing are shrouded in the challenges of preservation, yet traces of ancient textiles provide glimpses into our sartorial past. In 1913, during an Egyptian excavation, William Matthews Flinders Petrie unearthed the Tarkhan Dress, dating back 5,500 years — the oldest known garment.

Fragments from Turkey’s Çatalhöyük site reveal even older woven textiles, possibly 8,500 years old.

Delving into Dzudzuana Cave in Georgia, archaeologists discovered dyed flax fibers dating back 30,000 years, suggesting a prehistoric textile industry. The quest for evidence extends beyond fabrics to tools. In South Africa’s Sibudu Cave, a delicate needle, estimated at 61,000 years old, signifies early garment production.

However, the emergence of clothing is also deciphered through an unconventional source — lice. By analyzing DNA from head and body lice, scientists approximate clothing usage as early as 170,000 years ago.

While the evidence hints at Homo sapiens donning attire, questions persist about Neanderthals. Stone scrapers hint at their use of animal hides, possibly for draped clothing. The search for the naked truth continues, as researchers explore diverse avenues to unravel the ancient tale of clothing.

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Scientists Just Found Human Evolution’s Missing Link in Europe 

Recent fossil evidence challenges the prevailing narrative of human evolution, shifting the focus from Africa to Europe’s westernmost reaches. Conventional beliefs, rooted in the Out of Africa theory, face scrutiny as scientists suggest our last common ancestor may have resided in Europe over two million years ago. The study challenges established timelines linking Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens to a single ancestor, Homo heidelbergensis. The Pit of Bones in Spain, also known as Atapuerca, houses fossils dating back 800,000 years, adds complexity. Genetic analysis hints at an unknown hominin species, a potential missing link connecting Neanderthals and Denisovans.

This discovery prompts a reevaluation of the human evolutionary tree, emphasizing the enigmatic genetic makeup of these fossils. The implications extend beyond challenging preconceptions; they underscore the intricacy of unraveling our evolutionary history. The fossils, with their mysterious genetic traits, defy easy classification, leaving scientists grappling with questions that may reshape our understanding of the common ancestry shared by Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.

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Native Americans Share Aboriginal Australian Ancestry

Recent DNA studies on the peopling of the Americas challenge established narratives, revealing a complex ancestry for Native Americans. The research identifies a surprising link between Native Americans and the Australo-Melanesian genetic group, encompassing Australians and Melanesians. This revelation challenges conventional theories, as scientists grapple with the timing and routes of migration.

Two conflicting studies, conducted independently, uncovered traces of Australian and Melanesian DNA in Native American populations. While one posits an early migration, the other suggests a more recent genetic contribution.

The debate centers on the origin of this connection, with theories ranging from an ancient migration to a later gene flow during the postulated Beringian crossing. The findings not only challenge previous notions about paleo-American populations but also shed light on the intricate web of human migration.

Indigenous South American communities, notably in the Amazon and Peru, exhibit Australo-Melanesian ancestry, challenging preconceived notions about their genetic makeup. As scientists continue unraveling the genetic tapestry of Native Americans, these discoveries underscore the need for more extensive genomic analysis to fully comprehend the intricate history of the Americas’ original inhabitants.

FDA approves first use of CRISPR gene editing to treat sickle cell disease

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved a new therapy for treating sickle cell disease, with this move also marking the first instance of CRISPR gene editing receiving approval from federal regulators.

The FDA approved two new treatments for sickle cell disease (SCD) on Friday, Casgevy and Lyfgenia.

Casgevy, also known as exa-cel, is developed through a partnership between Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics. The treatment involves taking a sickle cell patient’s own stem cells, editing them to create more fetal hemoglobin and transplanting them back into the individual.

When more fetal hemoglobin is produced, red blood cells don’t become “sickle” shaped, which is what causes the complications and pain associated with SCD. About 100,000 people in the U.S. have SCD, with the disease mostly affecting Black patients.

The FDA has approved the treatment for SCD patients 12 years old and up.

“Sickle cell disease is a rare, debilitating and life-threatening blood disorder with significant unmet need, and we are excited to advance the field especially for individuals whose lives have been severely disrupted by the disease by approving two cell-based gene therapies today,” Nicole Verdun, director of the FDA’s Office of Therapeutic Products, said in a statement.

A bone marrow transplant has long been the only curative treatment for SCD, with an ideal donor usually being a fully related sibling. There is, however, only a 1-in-4 chance that a sibling will be a match and most patients don’t have this option. Casgevy essentially makes a patient their own donor.

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Genetic testing company 23andMe admits hackers accessed data of more than 6.9 MILLION people – after claiming about 14,000 profiles had been breached

Genetic testing firm 23andMe has admitted that hackers accessed sensitive data on 6.9 million people – or 50 percent of its users.

The mammoth breach is the result of digital spies using old passwords to break into files belonging to 0.1 percent of customers – some 14,000 profiles – which are linked to millions more through ancestry tracing. 

On Friday, 23andMe admitted in a Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure that overall, a ‘significant number’ of files ‘containing profile information about other users’ ancestry’ had been stolen. 

The California-based company, which is a market-leader in the $17 billion genetic testing industry, later told TechCrunch that this amounted to around half of its 14 million users. 

It highlights how the explosion in popularity of at-home DNA testing kits which have led to hundreds of Americans uncovering shocking family secrets, could come with unexpected consequences. 

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Mummified ‘aliens’ found in Peru have 30% DNA of an ‘unknown species,’ new analysis claims

The mystery of Mexico‘s ‘aliens‘ is deepening after an analysis claimed the DNA of tiny corpses is not human but of an ‘unknown species.’ 

The nation’s Congress has been a circus for the past two months as controversial UFO enthusiast and journalist Jaime Maussan has held court several times to prove the mummified remains found in Peru are extraterrestrial life.

In his recent attempt, Maussan ushered in a team of researchers who performed a DNA analysis on the figures that showed 30 percent is ‘not from any known species’ and stated that the figures were ‘authentic,’ comprising a single skeleton.

The other 70 percent has not yet been revealed. 

DailyMail.com revealed that a UFO expert who has handled the tiny bodies suggested humans put them together – and the pair could have been made with now-extinct animals 1,000 years ago.

‘This is the first time extraterrestrial life has been presented in this manner, Maussan said to Congress.

‘We have a clear example of non-human specimens unrelated to any known species on our planet. 

‘The public has the right to know about non-human technology and beings. This reality unites humanity rather than dividing us. We are not alone in this vast universe; we should embrace this truth.’ 

Maussan added that the two corpses have sturdy bones, are toothless, and contain implants made of the soft, slivery-white metal cadmium and the bluish-white metal osmium – rare elements on Earth. 

He revealed in September that 30 percent of the DNA was unknown, but it was not until recently that claims of an unknown species surfaced. 

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DNA Contamination In COVID-19 Vaccines May Explain Rise In Cancers, Clots, Autoimmune Diseases: Pathologist

Clinical pathologist Dr. Ryan Cole has said that DNA contamination in some COVID-19 vaccines may be related to an increase in cancers, micro-clotting, and autoimmune diseases.

“My big concern is the fact that billions of people across the earth have received a product that was overtly contaminated with something that should not have been in the product,” Dr. Cole, an anatomic clinical pathologist with postgraduate Ph.D. training in immunology, recently told the “American Thought Leaders” program.

“If I went and bought some meat at the grocery store and they had heavy metal or pesticide toxins, they would pull those from the shelves immediately,” he added.

Recently, researchers found that vaccine vials containing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines had billions of residual DNA fragments, including molecules derived from Simian Virus 40 (SV40) used as “promoters” or “enhancers” that help produce the mRNA molecules that help human cells make proteins that trigger an immune response inside the body.

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