Tag: dna

Wolves, but no dogs, in Scandinavian wolf population’s heritage

There is no evidence that Scandinavia’s wolf population has been influenced by dog-wolf hybrids, new research shows.

Dead man’s genome reconstructed using DNA from living relatives

Extensive detective work pays off.

Patients in Pakistan donate DNA to European research but are unaware of the goals

Donors think their samples are used to treat their sick children.

“Yeti” samples are actually from bears

DNA analyses of nine “Yeti” samples of bone, hair, and faeces, originate from bears. But is it conclusive proof that the Yeti does not exist?

Can microRNA in food harm us? No, say scientists

Scientists express doubt over previous study that reported how genetic material from food can enter the blood stream and affect our health.

Global genetic diversity mapped by new study

New method couples genes and geography to produce the first global map of genetic diversity.

Scientists trace unknown ocean life from a can of water

Scientists have discovered a new method to map animal life in the deep ocean, using only DNA samples contained in a can of water.

Scientists want to collect your DNA when you die

It will take 10 years to gather genetic information on half a million dead people. But is it ethical? And how will they do it?

Do you have composer genes?

Musical creativity is at least partly inheritable according to a new study.

New evidence that environmental change can outpace genetic adaptation

DNA analyses of a now extinct population of butterflies shows they could not adapt fast enough to habitat loss during the 20th century.

Two Danish discoveries among 2015's best archaeology

The history of the famous Egtved girl and a DNA study of African slaves are among this year’s greatest discoveries listed in the magazine Archaeology.

Wild horses lost their camouflage because of humans

Scientists find the genetic mechanism that determines the colour patterns of wild horses.

Facial mites reveal where you come from

Facial mites have always been with us. A new study uses them to find out who we are, and where we come from.

Scientists build most advanced DNA computer to date

New DNA-computer performs simple multiplications by fusing DNA strands together.

How our cells repair their damaged DNA

Researchers find important mechanism that allows cells to repair damaged DNA. Could answer questions about cancer development.

Crohn's, eczema, and psoriasis have the same genetic cause

Diseases like Crohn's, psoriasis, and eczema are all caused by defects in the same genes, reveals new study.

How poor sleep affects your body

Cells can age prematurely if we don’t get enough quality sleep.

The Black Death has been hiding among us for thousands of years

Fossil DNA reveals that the plague is much older than previously suspected. The discovery could shed new light on the evolution of a deadly disease.

Scientists discover gene to prevent blindness in diabetics

Diabetics who carry a specific genetic variant may be protected from a severe eye disease, which can lead to blindness if untreated.

Meet the nano-sized rabbit made of DNA

Scientists have developed a new automated method to fold DNA strands into complex 3D structures. The new results will help pave the way for DNA nanotechnology in medicine over the next 10 years.

Scientists find missing link of microorganisms

The tree of life has to be rewritten after a new type of microorganism was found recently in the depths of the ocean.

Tomorrow's technology will lead to sweeping changes in society – it must, for all our sakes

OPINION: The shift to tomorrow's society will not take place over hundreds of years, but within a generation, argue two researchers.

DNA sequencing reveals how tuberculosis epidemic spread

Scientists describe how a deadly tuberculosis strain came to ravage the entire world.

Our bodies are riddled with useless genes

New study finds abundance of "junk" genes in the human genome.

Scientists are mapping the entire Danish genome

A world first, scientists have mapped 30 individual genomes completely from scratch.

New method reveals if you have too many genes

Scientists have developed an entirely new method of discovering dangerous changes in our genome.

DNA study: Vikings were plagued by intestinal parasites

A study of the remains of a 1,000 year old latrine reveals an unpleasant fact about the Vikings.

Scientists stretch DNA with lasers

New experiment could lead to better DNA sequencing and understanding of fluid physics

Scandinavians are the earliest Europeans

Scientists have sequenced a 37,000-year-old genome. The results show that present-day Scandinavians are the closest living relatives to the first people in Europe.

Children of older mothers face greater risk of hereditary disease

Children of older mothers face greater risk of developing diabetes, dementia and heart disease. New research has revealed that this is due to mutations in the mother's ova.

Breakthrough: why MMR vaccine can give children febrile seizures

The highly debated MMR vaccine which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, can give children febrile seizures. Danish scientists have now discovered why this happens to some children.

Oldest human genome reveals a story of sex and migration

The world's oldest known human genome has been mapped and provides key dates and insight into human history.

Mutations in noncoding DNA also cause cancer

New discovery could lead to novel field of study within cancer research.

DNA copies reveal how healthy you are

The number of DNA copies left in our bodies reveal how our mental and physical heath will decline, study shows.

DNA study uncovers ancient ancestor of Europeans

A groundbreaking study of fossil genomes reveals that modern Europeans were shaped in a melting pot of immigrants.

How the wild rabbit was domesticated

Wild rabbits and domestic rabbits have more or less the same genes. According to a new study, when tame rabbits escape, natural selection ensures their survival in the wild.

Gigantic DNA-study reveals the rise and downfall of prehistoric Eskimos

In the largest study of ancient DNA from the Arctic, Danish scientists have mapped the story of the prehistoric people who lived in one of the harshest areas of the world.

Making fat people slim with modified DNA

Genetically designed cells, which release hormones telling the humane body that it is full, could be a solution to worldwide obesity.

Risk of autism mainly from common gene variants

Most of the genetic risk of autism comes from variations in common genes, rather than rare mutations.

Extreme DNA analysis aids cancer treatment

‘Extreme’ high-resolution DNA analysis reveals the risk of cancer relapse - making treatment more effective.

New study completes mapping of our gut bacteria

Discovery could give a better understanding of a variety of diseases and conditions and lead to the development of new antibiotics.

Chromosome Y loss explains men’s shorter longevity

Older men’s loss of the Y chromosomes can raise the risk of cancer, diabetes and premature death.

Cancer cells on a mission to the ISS

As part of an international project, a Danish professor will soon be sending a batch of thyroid cancer cells out into space. The aim is to figure out why the absence of gravity inhibits the growth of thyroid cancer cells, and to examine the cells’ ability to produce and secrete proteins that can open up new possibilities for cancer treatment.

Computer model to detect prevalent diseases

New research aims to make it possible to assess people’s genetic risk for a variety of widespread diseases using a computer model.

Humans alone killed off the giant moa bird

New research reveals that the moa population were fit and healthy before humans started hunting the bird. In spite of this, it took less than 200 years before the gigantic bird had died out.

Mutant gene protects against type 2 diabetes

Scientists have identified genetic mutations that lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 65 percent. Pharmaceutical companies are already looking for ways to develop a drug based on the new discovery.

Junk RNA key to maintaining muscle quality?

miRNA, which was once regarded as useless DNA, turns out to be crucial for muscle cell development. Scientists unveil altered expression levels of muscle-specific miRNAs and speculate that this alteration could be one of the underlying mechanisms behind age-related loss of muscle function, revealing possible new perspectives for treatment.

Stressed foetal cells harbour hope for cancer treatment

The body’s cells have a mechanism that helps them attain perfect cell division. Cancer cells also use these mechanisms, but scientists are now trying to prevent them from doing so.

Four new type 2 diabetes risk variants identified

Scientists have discovered four previously unreported genetic variants affecting the risk of type 2 diabetes. One of them lowers the risk of developing the disease.

Wolves became domesticated dogs much earlier than thought

Finnish researchers have discovered that wolves were domesticated by European hunter-gatherers between 19,000 and 32,000 years ago. The analysis cannot, however, be used to determine the origin of the dog, argues Danish DNA scientist.

Microscopic arms race rages on the seabed

The ocean floor contains viruses and bacteria locked in a constant struggle for survival. This has a great effect on the carbon cycle in the ocean and thus also affects how much CO2 is released into the atmosphere.

Genes reveal Palaeolithic genders

It can be hard to determine whether ancient human bones stem from a male or a female. Swedish scientists have come up with a gene technology that can help.

Adrenal tumours linked to high blood pressure

High blood pressure can be caused by adrenal tumors triggering hormone overload.

Anxiety could link to a protein

A special protein might explain why some people develop anxiety disorders and others don’t. Swedish scientists have used modified mice to carry a human gene controlling this protein to test its effect

Childhood obesity gene identified

Defects on a special ’satiety gene’ may constitute a rare but important cause of early childhood obesity.

’Allergy genes’ identified

Scientists have identified the ten main genes responsible for inherited allergies. The discovery may also reveal the cause of the rising incidence of type 1 diabetes.

Why leprosy is still going strong

Scientists have mapped the genome of the bacterium that causes leprosy. The findings reveal why the disease still manages to infect more than 200,000 people every year.

Breakthrough in our understanding of bacteria

Scientists have developed a method that will revolutionise genome sequencing of bacteria. The method paves the way for an entirely new understanding of bacteria, say the researchers behind the new method.

Scientists planning global network of diseases

Biologists across the world are discussing the possibility of establishing a global database of bacteria, viruses and other biological data.

How bacteria adapt to human hosts

Researchers have mapped how bacteria go from living in topsoil to living in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.

Seven new genetic causes of obesity identified

A comprehensive research project has discovered seven new flaws in the human genome that may cause obesity.

Overlooked life on seabed gorges on fish faeces

Bacteria are not the only organisms that feed on dead plankton and fish faeces. The so-called ‘archaea’ also play an important – and hitherto overlooked – role in carbon cycling in the seabed.

Special genes suspected to cause lethal overdose in drug addicts

Forensic scientists investigate genes from dead and living drug addicts on suspicion of link between overdose risk and minor variations in the genes.

MRSA: scientists on trail of antibiotic resistance

Whole genome sequencing allows researchers to monitor how resistant bacteria travel from humans to humans, animals to humans and from humans to animals.

Ancient horse DNA can help us understand evolution

Researchers are using ancient horse DNA to study how humans and the environment affect an animal species, genetically and in terms of appearance.

DNA test rewrites history of Greenland cod

The fish in Greenland’s great cod boom in the 1960s did not come from Iceland, as previously thought. They were ‘made in Greenland’

Gene defect causes type 1 diabetes

A defect in a certain gene can cause diabetes. This discovery could lead to new and improved treatment for type 1 diabetes patients.

New method for analysing DNA

A new technique enables scientists to study genetic differences in cancer cells from the same tumour.

Genes are regulated by microRNA sponges

The discovery of an underlying level of gene regulation in the body’s cells presents new opportunities for treating serious diseases.

DNA drilled up from the bottom of Greenland’s ice sheet

DNA residues drilled up from Greenland’s ice sheet base reveal a green, lush landscape before the great island became covered by ice. New methods in DNA research make it possible to show a Greenland that’s different to the one we know today.

DNA glues oil droplets together

A new method of connecting certain oil molecules could pave the way for intelligent drugs that only target diseased cells.

Create a cheap baby in India

New technology is opening up for limitless opportunities to create and have children – across bodies and borders. Consequences include children becoming stateless citizens, and it will be more difficult to identify who the father and mother really are.