DNA Confirms Cause of 1665 London’s Great Plague

DNA Confirms Cause of 1665 London’s Great Plague

September 21, 2016

A year ago, construction workers digging to build a new crossrail site in London uncovered human remains. Since then, about 3,500 skeletons have been found there, making this one of the largest archaeological excavation sites. A BBC News article released on September 8th reported that the cause of the 1665 Great Plague in London had been confirmed using these remains. This was determined by recent tests, which found DNA from the Yersinia pestis bacterium in the teeth of five out of twenty tested skeletons. Scientists will now study the full DNA genome of the bacteria to learn more about the Bubonic Plague of that time period and how it relates to other forms of the plague, both past and present.

Cassie White

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37287715
http://www.crossrail.co.uk/news/articles/dna-of-bacteria-responsible-for-london-great-plague-of-1665-identified-for-first-time

Ice Bucket Challenge Helped Pay for ALS Gene Discoveries

The Ice Bucket Challenge, is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice and water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, known mostly in the US as Lou Gehrig's Disease) and encourage donations to research. Thanks to donations from the wildly popular Ice Bucket challenge, new clues involving genetics have been revealed through two new studies. In one study, the researchers looked at the genes of 1,000 people who had ALS and compared their genes to 7,300 people without the disorder. About 3% of the people with ALS carried a faulty version of a gene called NEK1, making this gene the most common genes to contribute to the disease. Another study found that a gene called C21orf2 was associated with a 65% increased risk of disease.This gene is located on chromosome 21 and may function in the internal skeleton and movement of cells. Overall, the Ice Bucket Challenge helped to find that one or two faulty genes could have an enormous impact on a person’s risk of developing ALS. Doctors Found this insight crucial to finding types of treatment strategies that might be effective.

http://www.livescience.com/55571-als-genetic-risk.html

By Laura Geggel

Newest Superbug Found in Connecticut Toddler

Newest Superbug Found in Connecticut Toddler
September 12, 2016

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 2-year-old girl in Connecticut was found to have a strain of E. Coli bacteria that is resistant to the antibiotic colistin. Colistin is used to treat patients who have infections that don't respond to other forms of antibiotics. The gene responsible for the antibiotic-resistance gene is mcr-1, and this is the fourth reported case of mcr-1 in the United States. Thankfully, the girl's bacterial strain was not resistant to other forms of antibiotics, and the girl recovered fully. This gene is carried by a plasmid, which is a mobile piece of DNA that can transfer easily to other bacteria. If this bacteria transfers to different bacteria that is already resistant to all other antibacteria, an invincible superbug would be created.

Katie Zetkulic

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/09/09/newest-superbug-found-in-a-connecticut-toddler/

Giraffe Genetic Secret: DNA Evidence Exposes Four Species

Saturday, September 10, 2016


Giraffe Genetic Secret: DNA Evidence Exposes Four Species

A BBC News article released on September 10 proposes that there may be four species of our favorite gangly, savanna mammal instead of the previously assumed one. Nuclear DNA evidence suggests that these four species have been separated for 1-2 millions of years, a clear sign of separate species evolution. Research has shown that the genetic differences between them are as significant as those between a polar bear and a brown bear. Though these species physically appear very similar, the differences likely involve evolutionary adaptions to specific environments and behavior. Understanding of these species' differences will help conserve all four species.

Thea Anderson

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37311716

Did Lucy die falling out of a tree?

A recent paper in Nature suggesting that Lucy died falling from a tree has gotten a lot of press coverage. The authors (Kappelman et al.) examined CT scans showing fractures similar to those observed in modern humans who fall from a great height. Other paleoanthropologist are skeptical, pointing out that such fractures are seem among ~80 of fossils.
Check out the amusing video HERE.