Genetic Archaeology News - February 2007 Archives
The first direct evidence that early Europeans were unable to digest milk has been found by scientists at UCL (University College London) and Mainz University.
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The brains of alcohol-dependent individuals are affected not only by their own heavy drinking, but also by genetic or environmental factors associated with their parents’ drinking, according to a new study by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Researchers found reduced brain growth among alcohol-dependent individuals with a family history of alcoholism or heavy drinking compared to those with no such family history. Their report has been published online in Biological Psychiatry.
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Scientists from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana have found that people employed in chimpanzee-focused research and tourism in a park in western Uganda are exchanging gastrointestinal bacteria – specifically Escherichia coli – with local chimpanzee populations. And some of the E. coli strains migrating to chimps are resistant to antibiotics used by humans in Uganda.
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Was it a foreign sickness that devastated the Aztecs or something a little closer to home?
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New research shows that Helicobacter pylori has been with humans for thousands of years, and have followed us out of Africa.
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 | Scientific studies of why foods such as Brussels sprouts and stout beer are horribly bitter-tasting to some people but palatable to others are shedding light on a number of questions, from the mechanisms of natural selection to understanding how our genes affect our dietary habits. ...> Full Article |
Darwin’s theory of natural selection is considered by most scientists to be correct, the mechanism that allows it to occur has been hard to nail down though. Many scientists have claimed that it is the accumulation of minor genetic mutations over time. As new traits are developed they will be passed on only if the trait gives the bearer some advantage. The inverse of this is also true, in that if an organism inherits a trait like a disease, then they may not be around long enough to pass on the trait.
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This unassuming gene, may be the strongest genetic evidence that Darwin's natural selection has occurred (and still does occur) in humans.
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In October 2004, Australian and Indonesian researchers discovered bones of the miniature humans in a cave on Flores, an island east of Bali between Asia and Australia. The original skeleton, a female, stood at just 3 feet 4 inches tall, weighed about 55 pounds, and was around 30 years old at the time of her death 18,000 years ago.
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Scientists discover 'catastrophic event' behind the halt of star birth in early galaxy formation
Fish can recognize a face based on UV pattern alone
'Anaconda' meets 'Jurassic Park': Study shows ancient snakes ate dinosaur babies
Scientists locate apparent hydrothermal vents off Antarctica
Artificial bee silk a big step closer to reality
Predicting the fate of stem cells
Artificial foot recycles energy for easier walking
New fiber nanogenerators could lead to electric clothing
What drives our genes? Researchers map the first complete human epigenome
Juggling enhances connections in the brain
Tracking down the human 'odorprint'
Fill 'er up - with algae
Scientists discover quantum fingerprints of chaos
Researchers help identify cows that gain more while eating less
Fungi can change quickly, pass along infectious ability
Dogs likely originated in the Middle East, new genetic data indicate
Molecular study could push back angiosperm origins
Phylogenetic analysis of Mexican cave scorpions suggests adaptation to caves is reversable
Scientific breakthrough in genetic studies of animal domestication
Scientists discover 600 million-year-old origins of vision
Unselfish molecules may have helped give birth to the genetic material of life
Exploring Echinacea's enigmatic origins
Lizard moms choose the right genes for the right gender offspring
Modern man found to be generally monogamous, moderately polygamous