DNA

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Texas Moving Sect Kids Into Foster Care

Action taken before notifying lawyers; some bused to group homes

(Newser) - Texas authorities began moving children from a polygamist ranch to foster group homes around the state today. More than 100 of the children were bused to facilities, and the remaining 300 or so will likely follow later this week, the Houston Chronicle reports. The move comes on the second day...

Polygamist Sect Launches Online PR Campaign

Features photos of tanks and 'pioneer girls'

(Newser) - Members of the Texas polygamist community whose children were seized because of suspected abuse have taken their battle against authorities to the Internet, reports the Deseret News. The sect has launched two companion websites—one of them featuring photos and videos of crying children being led away, flanked by armed...

DNA Used to Nab Criminal Kin
 DNA Used to Nab Criminal Kin 
Apr 21, 2008 12:51 PM CDT

DNA Used to Nab Criminal Kin

But questions arise over genetic privacy of innocent relatives

(Newser) - Law-enforcement agencies are using DNA of family members—often without their consent—to identify and convict criminals, the Washington Post reports. Privacy advocates object that it turns family members into unwitting informants, and subjects innocent relatives to “lifelong genetic surveillance” because someone in their family committed a crime. But...

Cloning Could Save Rare Rhino
 Cloning Could Save Rare Rhino 
Apr 18, 2008 3:00 AM CDT

Cloning Could Save Rare Rhino

Geneticists make last-gasp effort to pull white rhino back from the brink

(Newser) - Faced with a wild population of northern white rhinos that can be counted on the fingers of one hand, scientists are turning to cloning in a last-ditch effort to save the species, the Independent reports. In a technique that could be used to pull other species back from the brink...

US Plans to Widen DNA Database
US Plans to Widen DNA Database
Apr 16, 2008 9:27 PM CDT

US Plans to Widen DNA Database

Will take samples from illegal immigrants, felony arrestees

(Newser) - The US plans to significantly widen its law-enforcement database by taking DNA samples from illegal immigrants picked up by federal authorities and from all people arrested for federal offenses, the Washington Post reports. The feds currently collect genetic information only from those convicted of federal crimes. The expanded policy follows...

Lousy Figure? Blame Mom and Dad

Another reason to get mad at your parents: body shape is inherited

(Newser) - Still struggling to get that 36-24-36 figure? Science can’t help you, but it can explain why some girls are leaner than others, reports the Telegraph. Researchers have found a link between parental DNA and female muscle mass, which could explain “why many people will never obtain the perfect...

Should Cops Swipe DNA Without a Warrant?

Lawyers say it violates privacy rights; cops say they're catching crooks

(Newser) - Police didn’t need a search warrant to get a DNA sample from now-convicted murderer Altemio Sanchez—they just waited until he left a restaurant and confiscated his glass. That kind of sneaky DNA collection is going on across the country, and defense lawyers don’t like it, the New ...

Your Phone May Soon Know If You're Sick

System developed for sampling molecules from a user's sweat

(Newser) - Your cell phone might soon be able to tell you if you’ve caught the flu. Researchers with Japan’s NTT DoCoMo have developed a workable method of “molecular communications”—a system for the transport of microscopic samples from a user’s sweat into their phone for analysis,...

Determine Your Daddy—at the Drugstore

Do-it-yourself paternity kits now on sale nationwide for $30

(Newser) - The sometimes vexing task of determining a child's father can now be solved by plunking down $29.99 at the local drugstore. A Utah company has expanded sales of its do-it-yourself DNA kit to Rite Aids in 30 states after sales soared in sample markets, MSNBC reports. Identigene of Salt...

Researchers Let the Cats Out of the Bag

Feline genes reveal lessons of past, guidance for future

(Newser) - Cats don't talk, but their genes can tell a good story, and they're revealing plenty about the animal's 10,000-year history. DNA samples from more than 1,100 cats, from fancy show breeds to wild animals from around the world, are confirming earlier discoveries as well as refuting some claims,...

Cheating, Corruption Rampant in Ant Society

Secret elite exploits workers with its DNA

(Newser) - A power-mad elite is secretly rigging the system so their offspring rise to power, LiveScience reports. That’s the situation a team of researchers has discovered in ant society—not exactly the epitome of community collaboration once thought. Until now, it appeared that any properly-fed larvae could hatch into a...

'Hobbits' Were Just Short on Food: Scientists

Others say Indonesian remains were dwarfish new species

(Newser) - In a new volley in the back and forth over whether "hobbit" fossils found on an Indonesian island were a separate species, a research team says the remains are those of modern humans suffering from malnutrition-induced dwarfism. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can result in humans growing less than 3...

Millionaire Pays Firm to Map His Genetic Code

Personal genome readouts now on shopping list for super-rich

(Newser) - A Switzerland-based millionaire is paying to have his personal genetic code mapped out, the New York Times reports. He is only the second person to ever have done so, but genetics companies say interest is high despite the $350,000 price tag for decoding all 6 billion units in an...

Many Duck DNA Tests Over Fears of Bias

Bosses and insurers will dis them over disorders, some say

(Newser) - Some Americans are ducking genetic tests for fear that bosses and insurers may single out those with disorders, the New York Times reports. Others, tested privately, hide problems from doctors to dodge financial pain—leading, in some cases, to health problems that could have been avoided. But insurance reps and...

Police Seek Broader DNA Database
Police Seek Broader DNA Database
Feb 23, 2008 3:02 PM CST

Police Seek Broader DNA Database

US wants to follow UK's lead and track down suspects' relatives

(Newser) - US law enforcement currently catalogs 5.6 million DNA profiles, about 2% of Americans, but hopes to expand that and the scope of their searches, the Wall Street Journal reports. A bigger database would allow "familial searches"—looking for near matches of a suspect's brother or sister, for...

Africans Have Most Diverse DNA
Africans Have Most Diverse DNA
Feb 21, 2008 1:47 PM CST

Africans Have Most Diverse DNA

Testing confirms man evolved on continent before migrating

(Newser) - A pair of wide-ranging genetic studies, published yesterday in the journal Nature, back up the idea that humanity first evolved in Africa before migrating elsewhere, Reuters reports. DNA testing of African Americans and European Americans found that people with African roots had much more genetic diversity. Other tests discovered that...

Sequencer Can Map Genome in 4 Minutes

Warp-speed, dirt-cheap system has potential to transform health care

(Newser) - Blinding-fast new machines will be able to sequence a human genome in 4 minutes for just $1,000, potentially revolutionizing medical research. "It will change health care forever if it works," the CEO of the manufacturer tells Reuters. By comparison, the federally funded Human Genome Project, which wrapped...

New DNA Found on Slain British Student's Bra

Latest traces don't match suspects' in Italy murder case

(Newser) - Mystery DNA found on the bra of Meredith Kercher could point to more players in the November murder of the British student in Italy, the Telegraph reports, though police maintain the traces indicate only that others handled it. "All we know for certain is that it does not match...

FBI Revolutionizes DNA Tech
FBI Revolutionizes DNA Tech
Jan 28, 2008 6:01 PM CST

FBI Revolutionizes DNA Tech

The FBI has a host of new toys to make analysis easier

(Newser) - New DNA analysis techniques are allowing the FBI to solve more cases faster using samples no bigger than a pinprick. Equally important, jury members steeped in police-procedural TV shows see the genetic evidence they've come to expect. NPR visits the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., where banks of robots process...

Scientists Move Closer to Synthetic Life

In a first, researchers create entire genome of a bacterium

(Newser) - Scientists have assembled the entire genome of a bacterium from basic chemicals, an important step toward creating a fully artificial organism, Reuters reports. "This entire process started with four bottles of chemicals," says Craig Venter, founder of the institute that did the work. Scientists had previously manufactured the...

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