Daily Archives: August 29, 2022

Examples of photographs of virtual doubles (with similar facial features, but without family ties) used in the research published in the journal 'Cell Reports'FRANOIS BRUNELLE

Our faces, at first glance, are what differentiate us from one another. Sometimes, though, people can look virtually identical, even if they dont have any shared blood. Spanish researchers have discovered that these lookalikes actually have more than superficial features in common in fact, they may even have genetic similarities.

What unites lookalikes the most is their DNA sequence, says lead scientist Manel Esteller, who has published his groups findings in the scientific journal Cell Reports. Genomics groups them together.

The study reveals that genetic similarities may not only result in facial resemblances, but also in similar habits or behaviors. The results will likely have long-term implications within the forensic sciences.

The researchers identified pairs of virtual doppelgangers by looking through the works of photographer Franois Brunelle, a Canadian artist who has spent more than 20 years taking images of lookalikes around the world. The researchers subsequently passed them through facial recognition programs so that algorithms could verify the similarities. The 32 pairs that were eventually recruited ended up having confirmed resemblances in three recognition systems, with scores similar to those obtained by identical twins. Biological samples were then taken from the 64 participants, who were then subjected to exhaustive questionnaires about their habits and lifestyles.

In 2005, we discovered that identical twins, called monozygotes, had the same DNA. I then decided to look at people who looked alike, but werent twins. I wanted to know how much [of that resemblance] came from nature or from the environment that surrounded them, explains Esteller.

The researchers looked at the genome, but also at the epigenome, which can attach to DNA and cause functional changes, like a kind of switch that conditioned by environments or habits turns off or turns on the activity of genes. The scientists also analyzed the microbiome of the participants, or the ecosystem of microorganisms that populate a human being.

We found that what binds [each pair of virtual doubles] the most is their DNA sequence, their genomes. By chance, similar genomes end up being produced [in unrelated people]. Thats because there are so many people in the world that DNA is repeated, explains Esteller. They are not identical, but they share similarities, the researcher specifies: Similarities in their genomes explain the similarity of these pairs; however, the different composition of their epigenomes helps to differentiate them.

The research offers clues about the genetic environment associated with facial appearance. For example, genetic variations shared by the doubles were associated with physical characteristics, such as lip or eye color, hip circumference, height, body mass index or hair. But the research suggests that these molecular similarities found influence beyond the construction of the face. The study points out a facial correlation with certain physical attributes, habits and behaviors:

We saw that there is greater genetic determination in whether [the participants] are left-handed or right-handed, or prone to addictions like smoking.

Through the lifestyle questionnaires and biometric parameters, the article points out that, in matters such as height, weight, level of education or smoking habits, those who are superficially similar have more in common than those who do not look alike.

The researchers admit that there are some limitations in their study, such as the small number of participants, the fact that the majority were European, or that the photos were in black-and-white, resulting in a lack of definition of skin tone and features. But Esteller is confident that, despite all of this, the study opens a new door in the scientific community and points to two possible derivatives:

It may have forensic implications, because from an unknown genome, you can start to construct a face. And, on the other hand, by looking at a face, we can also begin to deduce the genome of the person. For example, if they have a certain kind of face, they may be more or less at risk of cardiovascular disease,

ngel Carracedo, a geneticist at the Institute of Forensic Sciences of the University of Santiago de Compostela who did not participate in the study notes that, while the results are interesting, they do not currently have direct application in the forensic field. It is, for now, an exploratory work

but the study broadens perspectives in the forensic field, which uses some biomarkers, he says, such as the biological witnesses in police investigations.

At the moment, the physical characteristics that can be determined with a good level of prediction for forensic purposes are pigmentation (especially eye and skin color), hair type and little else new genes are very important to explore other facial and physical characteristics.

Carracedo who leads a project to design techniques that determine the physical characteristics, biographical origins and ages of people based on their DNA agrees, however, that all of this must continue to be studied, replicated and validated, while meeting the highest forensic standards.

Read more:
Similar faces share similar DNA - EL PAS USA

Scientists around the world are racing to record the genetic blueprints of every known species on the planet. The effort comes as the United Nationswarns that an estimated one million plant and animal species are at risk of becoming extinct within the coming decades.

"This is absolutely urgent," researcher Joanna Harley told CBS News correspondent Roxana Saberi. "It's really important to protect species on this planet. They share with us and they keep us going and the more we erode away at the world, the less there will be."

Around 5,000 scientists across the globe are part of the Earth BioGenome Project. Over the next decade, teams will digitize DNA of the 1.8 million named plant, animal, fungi and single-celled eukaryote species on the planet. By the end of 2022, the scientists plan on sequencing 3,000 genomes.

By DNA sequencing life on Earth, the researchers have goals of benefitting human welfare, protecting biodiversity and better understanding ecosystems.

"Everything's interconnected," Mark Blaxter, who leads a group working under the Earth BioGenome Project, told Saberi. "We need the services that these plants and animals and fungi give us...so by understanding how they do it, we can help humans as well."

So far, researchers in Britain have recorded the genetic blueprints of nearly 400 of the country's 70,000 known species.

The lengthy process begins with researchers like Harley who help search for species. The collected specimens are then sent for sorting before they're shipped off to sequencing labs. The data is then shared online.

"We'll be able to look at a species and work out whether it's endangered or not, and we'll know what to do to keep it going," Blaxter said.

The scientists added that decoding DNA won't save endangered plants and animals alone, but that it can be beneficial as more species are on the track of extinction.

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Tori B. Powell is a breaking news reporter at CBS News. Reach her at tori.powell@viacomcbs.com

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Scientists race to digitize DNA of every known species on the planet - CBS News

Experiments from the UNC School of Medicine lab of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Aziz Sancar, MD, PhD, show how a common molecular tool for DNA labeling also has anticancer properties worthy of further investigation, especially for brain cancers.

CHAPEL HILL, NC Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have made the surprising discovery that a molecule called EdU, which is commonly used in laboratory experiments to label DNA, is in fact recognized by human cells as DNA damage, triggering a runaway process of DNA repair that is eventually fatal to affected cells, including cancer cells.

The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, points to the possibility of using EdU as the basis for a cancer treatment, given its toxicity and its selectivity for cells that divide fast.

The unexpected properties of EdU suggest it would be worthwhile to conduct further studies of its potential, particularly against brain cancers, said study senior author Aziz Sancar, MD, PhD, the Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the UNC School of Medicine and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. We want to stress that this is a basic but important scientific discovery. The scientific community has much work ahead to figure out if EdU could actually become a weapon against cancer.

EdU (5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine) is essentially a popular scientific tool first synthesized in 2008 as an analog, or chemical mimic, of the DNA building block thymidine which represents the letter T in the DNA code of adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T). Scientists add EdU to cells in lab experiments to replace the thymidine in DNA. Unlike other thymidine analogs, it has a convenient chemical handle to which fluorescent probe molecules will bond tightly. It thus can be used relatively easily and efficiently to label and track DNA, for example in studies of the DNA replication process during cell division.

Since 2008, scientists have used EdU as a tool in this way, as published in thousands of studies. Sancar, who won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his seminal work on DNA repair, is one such scientist. When his lab began using EdU, his team unexpectedly observed that EdU-labeled DNA triggered a DNA repair response even when it wasnt exposed to DNA-damaging agents, such as ultraviolet light.

That was quite a shock, Sancar said. So we decided to explore it further.

Following up on the strange observation, the team discovered that EdU, for reasons that are still unclear, alters DNA in a way that provokes a repair response called nucleotide excision repair. This process involves the removal of a short stretch of damaged DNA and re-synthesis of a replacement strand. This is the mechanism that repairs most damage from ultraviolet light, cigarette smoke, and DNA-altering chemo drugs. The researchers mapped EdU-induced excision repair at high resolution and found that it occurs across the genome, and it apparently occurs again and again, since each new repair strand includes EdU and thus provokes the repair response anew.

It had been known that EdU is moderately toxic to cells, though the mechanism of its toxicity had been a mystery. The teams findings strongly suggest that EdU kills cells by inducing a runaway process of futile excision repair, which ultimately leads the cell to terminate itself through a programmed cell-death process called apoptosis.

That discovery was interesting in its own right, Sancar said, because it suggested that researchers using EdU to label DNA need to take into account its triggering of runaway excision repair.

As we speak, hundreds and maybe thousands of researchers use EdU to study DNA replication and cell proliferation in lab experiments without knowing that human cells detect it as DNA damage, Sancar said.

Sancar and colleagues also realized that EdUs properties might make it the basis for an effective brain cancer drug because EdU becomes incorporated into DNA only in cells that are actively dividing, whereas, in the brain, most healthy cells are non-dividing. Thus, in principle, EdU could kill fast-dividing cancerous brain cells while sparing non-dividing, healthy brain cells.

Sancar and his team hope to pursue follow-up collaborations with other researchers to investigate EdUs properties as an anticancer agent.

Prior studies have already found evidence that EdU kills cancer cells, including brain cancer cells, but strangely, no one has ever followed up on those results, Sancar said.

Nucleotide excision repair removes thymidine analog 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine from the mammalian genome was co-authored by Li Wang, Xuemei Cao, Yanyan Yang, Cansu Kose, Hiroaki Kawara, Laura Lindsey-Boltz, Christopher Selby, and Aziz Sancar. Funding was provided by the National Institutes of Health (GM118102, ES02755).

Media contact: Mark Derewicz, UNC School of Medicine, 919-923-0959

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Scientists Discover Surprise Anticancer Properties of Common Lab Molecule | Newsroom - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine

If you're looking for a multi-bagger, there's a few things to keep an eye out for. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. With that in mind, the ROCE of Denbury (NYSE:DEN) looks great, so lets see what the trend can tell us.

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for Denbury, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.24 = US$378m (US$2.1b - US$539m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2022).

So, Denbury has an ROCE of 24%. That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 16% earned by companies in a similar industry.

Check out our latest analysis for Denbury

roce

In the above chart we have measured Denbury's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

Denbury has not disappointed in regards to ROCE growth. We found that the returns on capital employed over the last five years have risen by 450%. That's a very favorable trend because this means that the company is earning more per dollar of capital that's being employed. Interestingly, the business may be becoming more efficient because it's applying 61% less capital than it was five years ago. If this trend continues, the business might be getting more efficient but it's shrinking in terms of total assets.

On a side note, we noticed that the improvement in ROCE appears to be partly fueled by an increase in current liabilities. The current liabilities has increased to 25% of total assets, so the business is now more funded by the likes of its suppliers or short-term creditors. Keep an eye out for future increases because when the ratio of current liabilities to total assets gets particularly high, this can introduce some new risks for the business.

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In the end, Denbury has proven it's capital allocation skills are good with those higher returns from less amount of capital. And investors seem to expect more of this going forward, since the stock has rewarded shareholders with a 29% return over the last year. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.

Like most companies, Denbury does come with some risks, and we've found 1 warning sign that you should be aware of.

If you'd like to see other companies earning high returns, check out our free list of companies earning high returns with solid balance sheets here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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We Think Denbury (NYSE:DEN) Might Have The DNA Of A Multi-Bagger - Yahoo Finance

STUNNED BY veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azads resignation and his attack on Rahul Gandhi, the Congress initially questioned the timing of his decision, and then launched a scathing counter-attack, accusing him of being in cahoots with the BJP. Several Congress leaders, including its two chief ministers, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, attacked Azad.

It is most unfortunate and most regrettable that this has happened when Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the entire Congress party organisation across the country is engaged in confronting, combating and fighting the BJP on public issues of price rise, unemployment and polarisation, Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary in charge of communication, said at a press conference.

The Congress had earlier scheduled a press conference to be addressed by Ajay Maken, to target the AAP government in Delhi on the liquor policy. But it cancelled this, and a short statement was read out by Maken and Ramesh on Azads resignation instead.

The entire Congress party organisation has been involved in preparing for the Mehangai Par Hallo Bol rally in New Delhi on September 4 which would be addressed by Rahul Gandhi. Twenty-two press conferences have been scheduled across the country on August 29. The launch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra will take place on September 7 in Kanyakumari; finalisation of that launch is also underway and 32 press conferences have been scheduled across the country to project the message of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Ramesh said.

So, at a time when every Congressman and every Congresswoman is involved in ensuring that the rally is a success, and wants to be a Bharat yatri and walk along with Rahul Gandhi it is most unfortunate and most regrettable that we have had to read this letter that has been released to the press, Ramesh said.

Launching an all-out attack soon after, Ramesh tweeted: A man who has been treated with the greatest respect by the Congress leadership has betrayed it by his vicious personal attacks which reveal his true character. GNAs DNA has been modi-fied First Modis tears in Parliament, then Padma Vibhushan, then the extension for residence. Yeh sanyog nahi, sahyog hai (Its not a coincidence, its a collaboration).

Ramesh said the contents of Azads resignation letter were not factual and its timing was awful.

The partys media department head, Pawan Khera, linked Azads resignation to the end of his Rajya Sabha tenure. As soon as your Rajya Sabha term got over, you became restless, you cannot stay without a post even for a second. It is a challenging time, everyone is fighting together and the party is being strengthened under Rahul Gandhis leadership, he said, adding that the people who had contributed to weakening the party were now saying that the party has been weakened.

Claiming that every party worker was aware of this betrayal, Khera said his (Azads) remote control is in the hands of Modi. We have seen the love between Narendra Modi and Ghulam Nabi Azad, it was also seen in Parliament. That love has been manifested in this letter, he said.

It is very clear. Perhaps you have joined hands with those people who have scrapped Article 370 in Kashmir. Ho sakta hai kuch aapke unke saat madhur sambandh ho gaye honge (It is possible that you have a warm relationship with them). But I want to tell you one thing. You have written in the letter that it is time to unite the Congress. And in the same letter you are saying there is no need for Bharat jodo. Instead of uniting the Congress, I condemn the step that you have taken to divide the Congress, said senior party leader Digvijaya Singh.

And that at a time when Sonia Gandhi, whose family had given you everything, is abroad for medical treatment. I did not expect this from you. The Congress had given you everything. At such a time of crisis, you should have stood firmly with the Congress, he said.

Gehlot said Rahul would have his own ideas on taking the Congress forward. I am aghast. I am shocked. We have been together for 42 years. The party gave him every opportunity be it Indira Gandhi or Sanjay Gandhi they even went to attend Azads wedding in Srinagar. From there it all started they wanted to promote the young man for the last 42 years, he got all the posts, all the opportunities Union minister, AICC general secretary, chief minister The Congress never hesitated in giving him opportunities, Gehlot said.

Today, his identity in the country is because of the Congress, because of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Sonia Gandhi. I do not think the way he has expressed his sentiment can be called proper Whatever our identity is today is due to the faith the Congress high command had in us. How many people get a chance? No one in the country expected that Azad saab would now write such a letter, he said.

Questioning the timing of the decision, at a time when Sonia is abroad for a medical check-up, Gehlot said: This, I believe, is against human nature, against sensitivity.

Baghel said Azad was constantly trying to harm the party. The party had given him full respect. He was made a cabinet minister and chief minister. His exit will cause no loss to the party, he said.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said Azads remarks against Rahul were not in good taste. He enjoyed everything, power and authority, for a long time and is now finding fault, he said.

Link:
Cong's reply: His DNA is modi-fied, remote in Modi hands - The Indian Express