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Only around 5% of the world’s population have hazel eyes. Yet a 2009 study found that 55.2% of their Spanish cohort had hazel-green eyes. This eye color is also more common in Portugal than the global average. But why is there such a concentration of hazel eyes in the Iberian peninsula compared to most other parts of the world? And is the evolution of hazel eyes connected to the genetic history of Iberia? Now there are a two main types of hazel eyes. Iberian DNA and the Evolution of Hazel Eyes... | 15:00 Celtic History Decoded | 48.5K subscribers |...

It’s game of clones!The dire wolf — a species that disappeared 13,000 years ago and was made famous by the beloved HBO series “Game of Thrones” — is making a comeback, thanks to the first-ever so-called “de-extinction.” Three dire wolf pups — aptly named Romulus, Remus and Khaleesi — were successfully born using DNA from ancient dire wolf fossils and genes from their closest living relative, the gray wolf.The extraordinary results were revealed Monday by Colossal Biosciences, the same Texas-based genetic engineering company that created the adorable colossal woolly mouse. “Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a...

The San Jose Police Department has identified a suspect in a nearly 30-year-old murder case. Investigators announced on Monday that DNA testing led them to identify Victor Lamont Ferguson as the primary suspect in the 1997 murder of Karen Gevorkov, who ws 28 years old at the time. "While justice may be delayed, the victim is never forgotten," Chief of Police Paul Joseph said in a press statement. "This breakthrough, made possible through advances in DNA technology, underscores our unwavering commitment to seeking the truth, no matter how many years pass. Though the suspect is no longer here to face...

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...

For more than a decade, scientists have chased the idea of reviving extinct species, a process sometimes called de-extinction. Now, a company called Colossal Biosciences appears to have done it, or something close, with the dire wolf, a giant, extinct species made famous by the television series “Game of Thrones.” In 2021, a separate team of scientists managed to retrieve DNA from the fossils of dire wolves, which went extinct about 13,000 years ago. With the discovery of additional DNA, the Colossal researchers have now edited 20 genes of gray wolves to imbue the animals with key features of dire...

Researchers analyzed the ancient DNA of two mummies from what is now Libya to learn about people who lived in the "Green Sahara" 7,000 years ago. Naturally mummified human remains found in the Takarkori rock shelter in the Sahara desert point to a previously unknown human population. (Image credit: © Archaeological Mission in the Sahara, Sapienza University of Rome) Two 7,000-year-old mummies belong to a previously unknown human lineage that remained isolated in North Africa for thousands of years, a new study finds. The mummies are the remains of women who once lived in the "Green Sahara," also known as...

An American soldier who was killed during World War II has been accounted for nearly 80 years after his death. Last week, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that it had identified the remains of Glenn H. Hodak, a 23-year-old corporal in the United States Army Air Forces from Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. Hodak was accounted for on September 25, 2024.

If the genes of a tiny, bumless invertebrate are anything to go by, our anuses might be repurposed sperm chutes. A new study suggests instead of releasing waste, the first anal orifice was an exit hatch for male sex cells which was given a new task. Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway investigated the genetics of xenacoelomorphs; distant relatives of flatworms that have a cul-de-sac for a gut. Despite this lack of a dedicated poop-hole, xenacoelomorphs use some of the same genes we use to turn our digestive system into a tube, only to create a genital...

According to a Live Science report, European hunter-gatherers traversed the Mediterranean Sea in primitive boats and visited North Africa much earlier than previously thought. A new study sequenced the DNA from nine individuals who lived in modern-day Algeria and Tunisia between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. The surprising results revealed that some of them may have been descended from Mesolithic Europeans. The genome of one particular man buried at the site of Djebba in Tunisia indicated that at least six percent of his DNA could be traced back to European hunter-gatherers. These results suggest that the individual's local ancestors mixed...

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...

n a quest to understand complex speech, scientists inserted what's been dubbed a human “language gene” into mice. Remarkably, the genetic tweak had a profound impact on the little rodents' ability to squeak, revealing astonishing clues about the evolution of vocal communication. Mouse pups that had the human version of the language gene showed different vocalization patterns from their buddies with the usual version mice have. When calling for their mother, their squeaks were higher pitched and featured a different selection of sounds than usual. “All baby mice make ultrasonic squeaks to their moms, and language researchers categorize the varying...

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....

The world’s most expensive — and unique — dog has sold for a fetching $5.7 million. Being the first of its kind, this is pooch is a cross between an actual wolf and a Caucasian Shepherd — which can sound like a sci-fi movie plot. An Indian dog enthusiast barked up the big bucks for the “wolfdog” named Cadabomb Okami, touted as the rarest dog in the world. This extravagant pup was born in the US and is only eight months old — but already weighs over 165 lbs and is 30 inches tall. Being part Shepherd, at heart Okami...

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’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...

The Huns suddenly appeared in Europe in the 370s, establishing one of the most influential although short-lived empires in Europe. Scholars have long debated whether the Huns were descended from the Xiongnu. In fact, the Xiongnu Empire dissolved around 100... leaving a 300-year gap before the Huns appeared in Europe. Can DNA lineages that bridge these three centuries be found?...researchers analyzed the DNA of 370 individuals that lived in historical periods spanning around 800 years... encompassing sites in the Mongolian steppe, Central Asia, and the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe. In particular, they examined 35 newly sequenced genomes ranging from:...

One of the most interesting things about humanity is how it manages to take something dangerous to it, and make it useful to itself. We took wolves and domesticated them, turning them into dogs, which have done everything from help us hunt, find dangerous items, warn us of impending danger, or even just sit on our laps and lower our blood pressure. Mankind does a lot of things with its miraculous intelligence, but one of the things it's actually best at is taming that which threatens us. And it looks like mankind has now gotten around to taming one of...

It was late in 1972 — a year in which the science of genetic engineering really began to sizzle — that two California researchers announced the unusually tidy transfer of genetic information from one bacterium to another with help from a specialized enzyme. It was a scientifically heralded result, but behind the hoopla was just one small catch. The information transferred enabled a common human disease bacterium, E. coli, to resist not just one antibiotic, but two. “Alarm bells should have rung,” writes Matthew Cobb, in his deeply researched and often deeply troubling history of gene science. And that nothing...

After nearly 80 years, the remains of 2nd Lt. Robert T. McCollum, a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier who went missing in action during World War II, have been identified. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) officially confirmed McCollum’s identification on December 10, 2024, bringing long-awaited closure to his family.McCollum, from Cleveland, Ohio, served in the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force...In 2019, divers from Denmark discovered wreckage of a WWII plane near the last known location of McCollum’s plane, leading to a significant breakthrough. Among the items retrieved was...