Ancient DNA – Page 2 – PossibleThreat Articles

Dust in ice cores leads to new knowledge on the advancement of the ice before the ice age

October 4, 2019 0 Comments Ancient DNA, Archaeology, Climate, Early Climate, Evolution, Global Warming, Ice Ages, Snow and Avalanches

Working with the ice core ReCap, drilled close to the coast in East Greenland, researchers wondered why the dust particles from the interglacial period — the warmer period of time between the ice ages — were several times bigger than the dust particles from the ice age. The research led to the invention of a method able to map the advancement of the glaciers in cold periods and the melting in warmer periods.

News Science

New species of crocodile discovered in museum collections

September 25, 2019 0 Comments Ancient DNA, animals, Anthropology, Charles Darwin, Evolution, Extinction, Nature, New Species

By looking at 90-year-old crocodile skulls in museum collections and double-checking with live specimens at a zoological park in Florida, researchers have just discovered a new species of ten-foot-long croc. The new species, Crocodylus halli, is from the southern part of New Guinea, and until now, scientists had thought it was the same species that lived on the northern part of the island.

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Mummy study: Heart disease was bigger issue for human ancestors than initially thought

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Ancient DNA, Archaeology, Cholesterol, Cultures, Fossils, Heart Disease, Medical Devices, Stroke Prevention

A new imaging study of the mummified arteries of people who lived thousands of years ago revealed that their arteries were more clogged than originally thought, according to a proof-of-concept study.

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Croc-like carnivores terrorized Triassic dinosaurs in southern Africa 210 million years ago

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Ancient DNA, Dinosaurs, Environmental Policy, Evolution, Fossils, Geography, Geology, Ice Ages

Giant, predatory croc-like animals that lived during the Triassic period in southern Africa preyed on early dinosaurs and mammal relatives 210 million years ago. These predators, known as 'rauisuchians' preyed on early herbivore dinosaurs and their mammal relatives living at the time.

News Science

Capturing extreme close-ups of cellular gene expression

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Ancient DNA, Biochemistry Research, Biotechnology, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Charles Darwin, Evolution, Genetics, Origin of Life

Scientists studying genetic transcription are gaining new insights into a process that is fundamental to all life. Transcription is the first step in gene expression, the process taking place within all living cells by which the DNA sequence of a gene is copied into RNA, which in turn (most generally speaking) serves as the template for assembling protein molecules, the basic building blocks of life.

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Long lost human relative unveiled

September 19, 2019 0 Comments Ancient DNA, Anthropology, Cultures, Early Humans, Evolution, Fossils, Human Evolution, Origin of Life

Many people are familiar with the existence of Neanderthals, the humanoid species that was a precursor to modern humans, but far less is known Denisovans, a similar group that were contemporaries to the Neanderthals and who died out approximately 50,000 years ago. Researchers have now made a reconstruction of a Denisovan girl based on patterns of methylation (chemical changes) in their ancient DNA.

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Researchers mix RNA and DNA to study how life's process began billions of years ago

September 17, 2019 0 Comments Ancient DNA, Biochemistry Research, Biology, Biotechnology, Charles Darwin, Evolution, Genetics, Origin of Life

RNA World is a fascinating theory but it may not hold true. The problem is that the ingredients, such as enzymes, to make RNA World work just didn't exist on early Earth.