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DNA

Romulus and Remus, pups that the company Colossal Biosciences says are the first dire wolves to roam the planet in several thousand years, are seen at one month old.

Have Dire Wolves, Which Went Extinct More Than 10,000 Years Ago, Really Been Brought Back to Life?

Pioneers in the science of “de-extinction,” an American company has announced the births of three pups whose genes resemble those of a species that hasn’t roamed Earth for millennia

Glenn Hodak, a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Forces, has been accounted for nearly 80 years after he died in a fire at the Tokyo Military Prison in 1945.

Remains of American Soldier Captured by the Japanese During World War II Identified Nearly 80 Years Later

After his plane was shot down, Glenn H. Hodak was sent to a military prison in Tokyo, where he was killed by U.S. firebombing in May 1945

The city of Potosí rests at high altitude in Bolivia.

Can Researchers Find Remedies for the Problems Created by High-Altitude Pregnancies?

In people not adapted to life at altitude, the sparse oxygen can impair fetal growth, causing issues that can last a lifetime

A male central Fijian banded iguana from Ovalau Island, Fiji.

Iguanas Floated a Whopping 5,000 Miles From North America to Fiji on Rafts of Plants in a Record-Setting Trip, Study Suggests

Since most iguana species live in the Americas, biologists have long debated how they could have arrived on the remote Pacific island in the first place

Scientists are investigating how Adélie penguin colonies along the coast of Antarctica’s Ross Sea have adapted over the last 6,000 years.

Scientists Uncover a Frozen History in 6,000 Years’ Worth of Penguin Poop, Revealing Past Ecology on Antarctica

Sediment samples from the Ross Sea coastline are revealing insights into how animals like elephant seals and Adélie penguins adapted to environmental changes long ago

The study included two species of small cats, domesticated cats and leopard cats.

New Research

A New Study Finds That Domestic Cats Traveled the Silk Road to China About 1,400 Years Ago

The animals were likely gifted to some elites, then spread throughout the region

Scientists used fragments of the child's right forearm bone to date the skeletal remains.

Mysterious Skeleton of Child With Human and Neanderthal Traits Has Finally Been Dated by Archaeologists

Discovered in Portugal in 1998, the individual dubbed the “Lapedo Child” has long perplexed scientists, thanks to a curious mix of features

Researchers studied the impact of extreme heat on older adults' "epigenetic clocks," which measure aging-related changes to DNA.

Extreme Heat Could Make Older Adults Age Faster by Altering Their DNA, Study Finds

Researchers compared genetic markers of aging to daily temperature records in areas across the United States and found that elderly people exposed to more hot days showed more rapid biological aging

Transplanting pig organs into people may soon become routine.

The Future of Transplanting Pig Organs in People

After years of research into xenotransplantation, the field is at a turning point—yet risks and ethical issues remain

Greenland sharks can live to be nearly 400 years old.

Greenland Sharks Can Live for 400 Years. Scientists Are Using DNA to Unravel Their Longevity Secrets

These large, mysterious creatures are the longest-living vertebrates on the planet—and their genomes could contain clues to how they prevent cancer and reach such an advanced age

The mice were genetically engineered to have mammoth-like traits, such as thick, fluffy hair.

Biotech Company Creates ‘Woolly Mouse’ as a Step in Its Quest to Resurrect Woolly Mammoths Through Gene Editing

Colossal Biosciences leaders say the fluffy, golden-haired mice help validate their technique to “de-extinct” species, but outside scientists remain skeptical

A Hun-period “Eastern-type” burial unearthed in Budapest, Hungary

New Research

Who Were the Huns Who Invaded Rome? A New Study Has Revealed Surprising Genetic Diversity

Researchers found that the group led by Attila the Hun contained a mixture of diverse ancestries, with at least a few related to elites of the Xiongnu Empire

Cells producing the NOVA1 protein are shown in green in the brain of a mouse. A specific variant of this protein is unique to humans, and researchers suggest it is linked to spoken language development.

Scientists Identify a Gene Linked to Spoken Language, and It Makes Lab Mice Squeak Differently

A new study suggests the unique human version of the NOVA1 protein developed after our ancestors split from Neanderthals on the evolutionary tree, and it might have given us a competitive edge over our relatives

Microbes can grow in clouds and even divide in two.

A Brief and Amazing History of Our Search for Life in the Clouds

By collecting samples after climbing a high peak and firing rockets with special traps into the upper atmosphere, scientists have found microbes living in thin air

Dolly was a female sheep—and the first mammal ever cloned from an adult cell. Her preserved remains are on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

On This Day in History

Why Scientists Kept the Birth of Dolly, the World’s First Cloned Mammal, a Secret for Seven Months

The scientific breakthrough, announced on this day in 1997, proved that geneticists could clone an adult mammal, giving rise to a new era of ethical debate and experimentation

In 2022, researchers used DNA extracted from hairs left on the Somerton Man's death mask to identify him as Carl Webb, an electrical engineer from Melbourne.

The Enduring Mystery of the Somerton Man, One of Australia’s Most Puzzling Cold Cases

The discovery of a body on Somerton Beach in 1948 sparked theories that the dead man, now believed to be Carl Webb, was a Soviet spy, a ballet dancer or a jilted lover

An artistic representation of microorganisms. New research suggests sex may transfer a distinctive microbiome to a person's partner.

Couples Exchange Bacteria During Intercourse, Known as the ‘Sexome.’ It Might Help Track Down Sexual Assault Perpetrators

In a study of 12 heterosexual couples, researchers noted the presence of a partner’s genital bacteria after sex, even when the pair used a condom

Mexican long-nosed bats were detected in Arizona for the first time, using environmental DNA.

Scientists Confirm Endangered Bats Are Migrating in Arizona for the First Time, Using DNA Clues Found in the Environment

Researchers and citizen scientists took samples of environmental DNA from saliva on backyard hummingbird feeders and agave plants to identify Mexican long-nosed bats

Ancient DNA reveals Indo-European speakers came from a region where multiple populations mixed and migrated over time.

Ancient DNA Sheds Light on the Origins of Indo-European Languages

New research suggests that the first Indo-European speakers lived in southern Russia 6,500 years ago, challenging long-standing debates about the language family’s origins

The mammoths were not all related to each other, according to the new analysis.

Mammoth Bones Used to Build Mysterious 25,000-Year-Old Site in Russia Came From Different Herds

DNA and radiocarbon dating analyses of the bones are offering new insights into the ambitious Ice Age site constructed by hunter-gatherers

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