Free Republic

Scholars have long debated the origins of the House of Piast, Poland's first royal dynasty, who ruled the nation from the tenth through the fourteenth century. Some believe they were Slavic nobles, others Moravian exiles, and still others say they were Viking warriors. The Conversation reports on new DNA analysis that has revealed shocking new information concerning the Piasts' genetic background that might potentially rewrite history. Researchers led by molecular biologist Marek Figlerowicz of Poznań University of Technology extracted DNA from 33 individuals, 30 men and three women, belonging to the Piast dynasty. Most of the deceased, who lived between...

Gene editing holds the potential of suppressing mosquito species that carry deadly diseases — and raises ethical questions. Yet the development of this technology also raises a profound ethical question: When, if ever, is it okay to intentionally drive a species out of existence? Simoni said he hopes Target Malaria can move beyond the lab and deploy some of the genetically modified mosquitoes in their natural habitats within the next five years. The nonprofit research consortium gets its core funding from the Gates Foundation, backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Open Philanthropy, backed by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and...

A new round of DNA testing exonerates a homeless man who has spent nearly four decades in prison for the killing of a Santa Ana nanny, according to defense attorneys who are asking Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer to declare Kenneth Clair innocent of the 1984 slaying. Clair, who spent years on death row before an appellate court overturned his death sentence and he was re-sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. ...

President Bill Clinton criticized President Trump's actions attacking the rule of law, and predicted that the president would pay a price among those who believe his actions are un-American. "We've never seen anything like this before in my lifetime – somebody that says, 'Whatever I want should be the law of the land. It's my way or the highway.' And most Americans don't agree with that," Clinton said in an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning." "But I like to think that he's paid a price for this, you know, name-calling and throwing his weight around … I think it's made...

Nearly half a century after a young California woman was strangled, officials say a thumbprint on a carton of cigarettes has led to an arrest. Willie Eugene Sims was arrested in Jefferson, Ohio, in connection with the death of Jeanette Ralston, according to a Friday statement from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Sims, 69, has been charged with murder and was arraigned on Friday in Ashtabula County Court before being sent to California. (snip) A thumbprint found on Ralston’s cigarette carton in her car was found to match Sims’s last fall after law enforcement had asked to run...

Peter Sullivan, now 68, had his conviction quashed after new DNA evidence emerged. The UK’s Court of Appeal has quashed the murder conviction of a man who has spent almost 38 years in prison after fresh DNA evidence emerged. Peter Sullivan was convicted of the murder of Diane Sindall in 1987 and sentenced to life in prison. He is believed to be the longest-serving living victim of a miscarriage of justice in the UK’s history. Sullivan has maintained his innocence throughout that time, his lawyer, Sarah Myatt said. Sindall, a 21-year-old florist who had been working part-time in a bar...

Campaigners say the true rate of paternity fraud - the intentional misidentification of a child's biological father - remains unknownMen are being left heartbroken after investing time, resources, love and energy into raising children they believed were theirs - only to find out it was all a lie. This breach of trust not only impacts the men who were falsely led to believe they were fathers but also deeply hurts the children involved and others connected to the situation. Paternity fraud refers to the deliberate misidentification of a child's biological father. One of the most shocking aspects of this issue...

Now for the first time in history a man of faith and a man of science are teaming up to search for Jesus' DNA. Using the latest advances in DNA technology Oxford University geneticist George Busby and biblical scholar Pastor Joe Basile are investigating the world's most famous holy relics including the Shroud of Turin, The Sudarium of Oviedo and the newly discovered bones of Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist. Their journey takes them to holy sites around the world from Spain and Italy to Israel and the shores of the Black Sea. By extracting and analyzing samples of each...

Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS)—the same technology which is powering the development of tailor-made medicines, cancer diagnostics, infectious disease tracking, and gene research—could become a prime target for hackers. A study, published in IEEE Access, highlights growing concerns over how this powerful sequencing tool—if left unsecured—could be exploited for data breaches, privacy violations, and even future biothreats. Led by Nasreen Anjum from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Computing, this is the first comprehensive research study of cyber-biosecurity threats across the entire NGS workflow. NGS is a cornerstone of modern biotechnology, enabling rapid and cost-effective DNA and RNA sequencing that supports...

Thanks to some thoughtful collaboration between researchers and traditional Inupiat whalers (who are still allowed to hunt for survival), scientists have used amino acids in the eyes of whales and harpoon fragments lodged in their carcasses to determine the age of these enormous animals—and they found at least three bowhead whales who were living prior to 1850. Granted those are bowheads, not sperm whales like the fictional Moby Dick, (and none of them are albino, I think), but still. Pretty amazing, huh? Bowhead whales reach an average length of 35 to 45 feet, and they are believed to live over...

The last of three friends accused of killing a driver in Colorado by throwing a rock through the windshield of her car was convicted of first-degree murder Friday. The teens were driving around suburban Denver in 2023, throwing rocks at passing cars, when one struck and killed 20-year-old Alexa Bartell in a crime prosecutors classified as murder. ... On April 19, 2023, after seeing Bartell’s car leave the road after being hit, the three friends circled back a few times to look again, according to testimony and investigators. One of them, Kwak, took a photo as a memento, but no...

Indiana University has faced criticism after abruptly firing Professor XiaoFeng Wang on the same day FBI agents executed search warrants at his home. The university also removed the couple’s online profiles, causing concern among academics regarding their due process. Federal authorities have confirmed the investigation is ongoing. Wang has brought approximately $23 million in federal grants to the university. However, Wang was barred from his office and denied access to university resources prior to his dismissal. Veracity IIR president Doug Kouns said, “He’s right there on the cutting edge of this kind of research as far as data privacy, cybersecurity...

Using a novel iterative genome assembly method, the company produced the most complete dire wolf genomes to date. caretaker feeding an infant dire wolf. Colossal Biosciences For decades, dire wolves have captivated the imaginations of gamers, musicians, and fantasy fans. From Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft to Game of Thrones, these prehistoric predators have lived on as cultural icons far more than biological realities –until now. In a stunning scientific breakthrough, Dallas-based Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences has brought the legendary canid back from extinction, making it the world’s first successfully de-extincted animal. Three litters of dire wolves have...

The genome was reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA found in fossils The fossils date back 11,500 and 72,000 years Colossal Biosciences said: "This moment marks not only a milestone for us as a company but also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity. From the beginning, our goal has been clear: To revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species. By achieving this, we continue to push forward our broader mission on—accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state."

Despite multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking clarity on DNA contamination and plasmid DNA in Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, the official full genetic sequence of the plasmid DNA backbone—and the results of safety studies evaluating its risks—remain undisclosed. This new FOIA request, prompted by Dr. Richard Bartlett, aims to address these gaps and demand accountability. There is a proposed FOIA at the bottom of this article. Background: What We Already Know Several FOIA requests have previously sought information regarding DNA contamination in mRNA vaccines. For example: MHRA FOIA Response: The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency...

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday that they have identified the remains found in 1995 as those of a missing teen from New York. On March 22, 1995, partial remains were found in a riverbed off Highway 129 east of Rogge Lane. All investigators could determine from DNA testing was that the remains were from an unknown female. Her identity was a mystery for decades before her case was re-examined in 2019 when her remains were sent for more forensic testing, including carbon dating. The testing determined that she was likely born in the 1960s, with her...

With genetic testing company 23andMe filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and courting bidders, the DNA data of millions of users is up for sale.A Silicon Valley stalwart since 2006, 23andMe has steadily amassed a database of people’s fundamental genetic information under the promise of helping them understand their disposition to diseases and potentially connecting with relatives.But the company’s bankruptcy filing Sunday means information is set to be sold, causing massive worry among privacy experts and advocates.“Folks have absolutely no say in where their data is going to go,” said Tazin Khan, CEO of the nonprofit Cyber Collective, which advocates...

alifornia Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert to customers of 23andMe, a genetic testing and information company. The California-based company has publicly reported that it is in financial distress and stated in securities filings that there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Due to the trove of sensitive consumer data 23andMe has amassed, Attorney General Bonta reminds Californians of their right to direct the deletion of their genetic data under the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) and California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). Californians who want to invoke these rights can do...

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is warning about a risk to their data from a company that recently reported it was in financial distress. According to the Attorney General’s office, 23andMe said in security filings that there is “substantial doubt” about the genetic testing-focused company’s future. Bonta advised California residents of their right under the Genetic Information Privacy Act and California Consumer Protection Act to request their data held by companies be deleted and genetic materials be destroyed. “California has robust privacy laws that allow consumers to take control and request that a company delete their genetic data,” Bonta said....

California’s attorney general has urgently warned customers of 23andMe to purge their genetic data from the company’s databases over uncertainty where it may end up if the firm goes bankrupt. “Given 23andMe’s reported financial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company,” AG Rob Bonta said in a statement Friday. The company had been synonymous with at-home genetic testing for more than a decade, providing more than 15 million customers with a wide range of personal health and ancestry data. Users...