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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...

A British man who served 38 years in prison for murder had his conviction overturned on Tuesday after forensic evidence from the crime scene was tested and found not to match his DNA. Mr. Sullivan was imprisoned after the killing in August 1986 of Diane Sindall, 21, who suffered a frenzied sexual attack in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, as she made her way home from a pub where she also worked. After DNA evidence was presented in the case, the Court of Appeal overturned Mr. Sullivan’s conviction. ...Ms. Sindall, who was a florist and was engaged to be married, was attacked...

By Clive Cookson, Science Editor Published: August 31 2005 18:46 | Last updated: August 31 2005 18:46 The first detailed genetic comparison between humans and chimpanzees shows that 96 per cent of the DNA sequence is identical in the two species. But there are significant differences, particularly in genes relating to sexual reproduction, brain development, immunity and the sense of smell. An international scientific consortium publishes the genome of the chimpanzee, the animal most closely related to homo sapiens on Thursday in the journal Nature. It is the fourth mammal to have its full genome sequenced, after the mouse, rat...

[Abstract] The maritime Phoenician civilization from the Levant transformed the entire Mediterranean during the first millennium bce. However, the extent of human movement between the Levantine Phoenician homeland and Phoenician–Punic settlements in the central and western Mediterranean has been unclear in the absence of comprehensive ancient DNA studies. Here, we generated genome-wide data for 210 individuals, including 196 from 14 sites traditionally identified as Phoenician and Punic in the Levant, North Africa, Iberia, Sicily, Sardinia and Ibiza, and an early Iron Age individual from Algeria. Levantine Phoenicians made little genetic contribution to Punic settlements in the central and western Mediterranean...

Researchers merged genetic data from 9,239 bird species (from nearly 300 studies) plus 1,000 curated entries to build a complete, shareable evolutionary tree. Published in PNAS and integrated into the Open Tree of Life platform, this dynamic database can be continuously updated as new research emerges and serves as a blueprint for mapping other groups of organisms. Credit: SciTechDaily.com ***************************************************************************** A research team has created a comprehensive evolutionary tree of all bird species, integrating data from hundreds of studies into the Open Tree of Life, a project that continuously updates with new genomic insights. Professor Emily Jane McTavish and her...

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...

A Wisconsin woman who disappeared more than 60 years ago has been found alive by authorities. Audrey Backeberg left her Reedsburg home in July 1962 when she was 20 years old, a press release from the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said. During a review of cold cases earlier this year, a detective reassessed the initial evidence and re-interviewed several witnesses, Sheriff Chip Meister said in the release. Law enforcement departments across the country have been reviewing cold cases with the aid of new DNA technology, including the self-submit websites such as Ancestry.com. As such sites have expanded, so have the...

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...

A team of scientists will 'combine creative innovation, genomic engineering and advanced tissue engineering to start producing sustainable luxury materials from prehistoric species'. It builds on previous research which involved extracting a fragment of collagen from a T.Rex fossil, found in 1988 in Montana. It was one of the most complete specimens at the time of its discovery, and even contained preserved blood proteins. Now, experts will use this fragment to artificially recreate what a full-length T.Rex collagen sequence would have looked like. Once they have made sure it looks genetically similar to that of the T.Rex ancestors, they will...

Ancient trade-off may explain why humans get HIV 19:00 21 June 2007 NewScientist.com news service Roxanne Khamsi A protein that protected our human ancestors against a virus that ravaged other primates may now be responsible for our susceptibility to HIV, a new study suggests. The discovery could help scientists predict which viruses found in other species are most likely to cross over and lethally infect humans. The idea that early humans had an immune system that differed from other primates first came about after biologists sequenced the chimp genome. The chimp sequence contains 130 copies of a virus called Pan...

Have you ever wondered why you don't have thick hair covering your whole body like a dog, cat or gorilla does? Humans aren't the only mammals with sparse hair. Elephants, rhinos and naked mole rats also have very little hair. It's true for some marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, too. Scientists think the earliest mammals, which lived at the time of the dinosaurs, were quite hairy. But over hundreds of millions of years, a small handful of mammals, including humans, evolved to have less hair. What's the advantage of not growing your own fur coat? I'm a biologist...

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...