All articles tagged with #genetic tools
Scientists have developed new genetic techniques to identify Denisovan fossils in the fossil record, successfully matching two ancient skulls from China to the Denisovan profile and suggesting the potential to discover more extinct human relatives through genetic phenotyping.
Scientists have discovered a new gene-editing system called Fanzor, similar to CRISPR, in complex organisms such as fungi, algae, amoebas, and a species of clam. This finding demonstrates that DNA-modifying proteins exist across all kingdoms of life. Fanzor proteins interact with guide RNA to cut DNA, but they are currently less efficient than CRISPR. However, Fanzor has the potential to complement CRISPR in gene therapy due to its compact size and reduced off-target effects. Researchers are now eager to search for similar systems in other organisms.
A team of researchers led by Cornell University has developed computational genetic tools to clarify the genetic traces of interbreeding between humans of non-African ancestry and Neanderthals that occurred about 50,000 years ago. Although some Neanderthal genes are responsible for certain traits in modern humans, modern human genes seem to be winning out over successive generations. The groundbreaking computational models developed could be used to gain evolutionary insights from other large and more diverse databases to better understand archaic humans’ genetic influences on present-day humans.
A new study published in eLife has developed a suite of computational genetic tools to address the genetic effects of interbreeding between humans of non-African ancestry and Neanderthals that took place some 50,000 years ago. The researchers reported that some Neanderthal genes are responsible for certain traits in modern humans, including several with a significant influence on the immune system. However, the study shows that modern human genes are winning out over successive generations. The new computational methods developed by the team could offer a path forward in gleaning evolutionary insights from other large databases to delve deeper into archaic humans' genetic influences on modern humans.