Monthly Archives: September 2022

A body without a head or hands that was found hidden in a suitcase in New York state has finally been identified, 42 years after the victim was killed.

According to a statement from the New York State Police, the murder victim was identified as Anna L. Papalardo-Blake thanks to advances in DNA analysis.

Papalardo-Blake, 44, was found on March 20, 1980 in a travel trunk near a dumpster on the grounds of the Hudson View Apartment Complex in Fishkill, New York. She had last been seen leaving her receptionist job 60 miles away in Manhattan two days previously. For the past 42 years, police have been unable to identify the bodyuntil now.

"Because of recent advances in genetic technology, an identifiable DNA sample was obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Investigative Genealogy Team, in partnership with Othram, a private lab that specializes in cutting edge forensic DNA analysis," the police statement reads.

It remains a mystery who killed Papalardo-Blake and the police asked for anyone with information to get in touch with them.

The human body begins to decompose about four minutes after a person dies, and proceeds to go through several stages of decay, including autolysis, bloat, active decay, and skeletonization.

Autolysis involves the cells starting to die and burst, causing skin slippage. Then, gasses produced from bacterial decomposition within the gut cause bloating, which eventually ruptures the skin. Insects colonize the body, laying eggs inside orifices which hatch into maggots that eat the body. Eventually, there is nothing left but bone.

"The major things that drive [rate of decomposition] are temperature, humidity and insect activity," Patrick S. Randolph-Quinney, an associate professor of forensic science at Northumbria University in the U.K., told Newsweek.

After recognizable features like the face or fingerprints have been decomposed, it can be difficult to identify a body.

Papalardo-Blake was found by police two days after her disappearance, so the condition of the body would have depended heavily on the conditions, and how well-sealed the suitcase was.

"I've seen bodies that are in Samsonite suitcase, the sealable ones, where you can't get oxygen in it and can't get access to insects, and basically it hermetically seals it," Randolph-Quinney said.

"That creates a different pattern of decomposition than you find if a body is allowed to decompose naturally. So you know, a body could be in a Samsonite suitcase, and it will be decomposing, but the fluids will be inside the suitcase, the skin will go through various changes, and start to decompose. Even if it's in a sealed suitcase, it will have a slower rate of decomposition than many other environments. "

"If a body was in something that's a little less hermetically sealed, then generally what you would get is you maybe get some insects in there. You would certainly have an exchange of gas. Even if it's only a few days, then you would potentially have quite advanced decomposition, especially if you get an insect in there."

The lack of head and hands would have made it extremely difficult for forensic scientists at the time to identify the body, as in the 1980s DNA identification was crude and forensics relied mostly on facial, dental and fingerprint records.

"Forty years ago we didn't have forensic DNA analysis," Randolph-Quinney said. "So they might have had blood serology in Europe and some blood group somebody was, but it wasn't till the 1980s that you had that the first use of forensic DNA and it was relatively coarse what we could do in this early, early period."

"These days, if somebody goes missing or something or body turns up and you have a suspected potential missing person, then very often what happens is you'll have the family liaison ... who will take things like the toothbrush, hair brushes, anything that might provide traces of their DNA, they may well take objects from the house that have got fingerprints on, that kind of thing," Randolph-Quinney said.

"We can also do things like familial DNA searching, where you might not be looking for an individual but you might get a hit on say, a sibling, or a parent or grandparent who's in the system. But again, that's a relatively recent phenomenon."

In modern times, DNA identification technology is a lot more sophisticated, so upon obtaining a new DNA sample that they could match to the body, they identified the body as that of Papalardo-Blake.

If a body is left outside, as Papalardo-Blake's was, the DNA will be degrading at the same time, which can interfere with results.

The rate of body and DNA decay is studied by forensic scientists using body farms, or human taphonomic research facilities, which place cadavers in different situations and measure how various processes go about.

"A lot of experimental work that goes on is about differences between bodies that are in the open, bodies in built structures, in collapsed buildings, that are buried, that are in cars, and underwater," Randolph-Quinney said. "They provide a lot of information about the rate and tempo of decomposition: what survives and what doesn't, what biomolecules survive, how DNA degrades, and what you can do with degraded DNA."

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How DNA and Forensic Science Failed to Identify Headless Body for 40 Years - Newsweek

A project to tackle the biodiversity crisis using DNA data, genomic science that will fundamentally change conservation science and policy has been launched by European experts.

The new pan-European Biodiversity Genomic Europe (BGE) consortium was made public day (September 28) is leading the way with this large-scale application of genomic science. Impacts are predicted to be on a scale similar to those of the Human Genome Project in medicine. The 21 million ($20 million)project is co-funded by the European Commission, as well as the UK and Swiss governments.

Those involved in the project say time is running out. They have highlighted that an appalling one in four species on the planet are currently threatened with extinction, putting livelihoods, food supplies, and essential water and nutrient cycles at risk.

The consortium says knowledge is of the essence in the fight to reverse this unprecedented loss of species and degradation of ecosystems but that currently our understanding of how life on Earth functions and responds to environmental pressures is far from complete.

Genomics provides crucial new tools to answer these questions, and the BGE consortium will cause a quantum leap in the use of genomics across the continent.

It says despite centuries of scientific research, an estimated 80% of the worlds species still await scientific discovery and description. Even for described species, telling them apart is often difficult.

Moreover, the consortium says that interactions within and among species, and between species and their environment, create a hugely complex picture from individual to planetary levels. Genomic science is the best hope for success in mapping these interdependencies and predicting how individuals and groups may respond to environmental change.

By bringing together Europes key practitioners in two fundamental DNA-based technologies DNA barcoding and genome sequencing BGE will streamline the rollout of these methods across Europe.

DNA barcodinguses short sequences of DNA to discriminate between species analogous to the way conventional barcodes distinguish products in a supermarket. BGE says that with modern genetic sequencing techniques, DNA barcoding has the potential to dramatically accelerate the inventory of life on Earth, providing a basis for global conservation monitoring.

At the opposite end of the scale, it says,genome sequencingdetermines the order of DNA nucleotides the building blocks of the genetic code throughout the entire genome of any given species. This enables scientists to identify and locate genes and other features of the genome, creating a comparative map of the code that creates each organism. This provides a full picture of how biological systems function and, crucially, how species respond and adapt to environmental change.

Pete Hollingsworth, director of science at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and deputy director of BGE, said:This vital European coalition brings together diverse expertise and infrastructure across two emerging technological streams using the power of DNA and genomic science to help understand and conserve biodiversity, providing the means to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the planet today.

The EUs Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the European Green Deal make clear commitments to address challenges such as pollinator decline, the deterioration of key terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, and the impact of invasive non-native species on biodiversity.

The Horizon Europe-funded BGE Consortium a major investment in European genomic science provides the means to achieve these aims.

BGEs project director,Dimitris Koureas(Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands) saidWe see BGE as a mechanism through which we can go out from the limitations of national investments that we already have in biodiversity genomics and into the European level. We are looking at BGE as a mechanism to build the economies of scope and scale that we need for the future.

BGE will also collaborate with the Earth BioGenome Project and International Barcode of Life.

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Project to tackle biodiversity crisis using power of DNA launched - Labiotech.eu

Consumer genetics and genealogy company Ancestry will soon be able to show its customers which side of the family any DNA matches found through the service come from. The new feature will be launched this week. Its based on SideView technology, which the company announced in April, reports The Verge.

Were really excited to see what users can do with this parental matches feature, says Caitlyn Bruns, a population geneticist at Ancestry. I do think it will really help unlock an understanding of how youre connected with your matches.

The feature will allow users to more easily see where matches fall on their family tree. Previously, people could manually place people on one side of their family as they learned more about their matches. Now it will happen automatically. SideView technology uses Ancestrys vast DNA database to sort out which parts of a persons genome come from each parent. When it first launched, it allowed users to see which parts of their ethnicity came from each parent. Ancestry claims that SideView can be 95% accurate for 90% of customers.

Next, Ancestry plans to expand SideView with a community feature that connects people with groups of other users who may be descended from people who lived in the same area as their ancestors, says Bruns. Itll group those communities by the parental side. Once launched, the new DNA Match feature will be available to users automatically when they log into their account.

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Ancestry customers can find out where their DNA comes from - Mezha.Media

Scientists say they have managed to genetically modify mosquitoes so that they are unable to spread malaria, a disease that kills well over half a million people each year.

The changes cause mosquitoes to live shorter lives, while the parasites inside them, which cause the fatal infection, develop more slowly

This slashes the chances of mosquitoes living long enough to carry fully grown parasites and transmit the disease to the humans they bite.

Malaria is spread by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which grows and reaches maturation inside the female Anopheles mosquito. The average mosquito survives on average seven to 10 days in the wild.

"Most mosquitoes never have the chance to transmit the parasite. It's only 10 per cent of the mosquitoes out there that live long enough to be able to transmit the parasite," said Professor George Christophides, of Imperial College London.

"By prolonging the developmental time that the parasite needs inside the mosquito to become infectious, this 10 per cent becomes now much smaller".

"At the same time, we managed to cut the mosquito's life a bit short. So the two things combined together now can lead to blocking malaria transmission in the field," he added.

However, the fight against malaria is far from over.

In order for the mosquitoes with modified DNA to survive and propagate widely in nature, they need to defy natural selection.

"These modifications make them weaker because they live shorter. So they will be eliminated naturally by natural selection after a few generations... unless you combine it with what we call the 'gene drive,' which will take this modification and spread it quickly through the populations," Christophides said.

Gene drive is a type of genetic engineering which favours specific hereditary characteristics to increase the likelihood that these are quickly spread through the population and passed on to the next generation, according to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The researchers believe that such a "gene drive" will allow all mosquitoes to eventually carry the same modification of their DNA within a few generations.

However, it raises questions about whether massively releasing GM mosquitoes is safe for people, animals, or the environment.

For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.

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Scientists are manipulating the DNA of mosquitoes to fight the spread of malaria - Euronews

As a rapidly advancing climate emergency turns the planet ever hotter, the Dallas-based biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences has a vision: To see the Woolly Mammoth thunder upon the tundra once again. Founders George Church and Ben Lamm have already racked up an impressive list of high-profile funders and investors, including Peter Thiel, Tony Robbins, Paris Hilton, Winklevoss Capital and, according to the public portfolio its venture capital arm released this month, the CIA.

Colossal says it hopes to use advanced genetic sequencing to resurrect two extinct mammals not just the giant, ice age mammoth, but also a mid-sized marsupial known as the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, that died out less than a century ago. On its website, the company vows: Combining the science of genetics with the business of discovery, we endeavor to jumpstart natures ancestral heartbeat.

In-Q-Tel, its new investor, is registered as a nonprofit venture capital firm funded by the CIA. On its surface, the group funds technology startups with the potential to safeguard national security. In addition to its long-standing pursuit of intelligence and weapons technologies, the CIA outfit has lately displayed an increased interest in biotechnology and particularly DNA sequencing.

Why the interest in a company like Colossal, which was founded with a mission to de-extinct the wooly mammoth and other species? reads an In-Q-Tel blog post published on September 22. Strategically, its less about the mammoths and more about the capability.

Biotechnology and the broader bioeconomy are critical for humanity to further develop. It is important for all facets of our government to develop them and have an understanding of what is possible, Colossal co-founder Ben Lammwrote in an email to The Intercept. (A spokesperson for Lamm stressed that while Thiel provided Church with$100,000 in funding to launchthe woolly mammoth project that became Colossal, he is not a stakeholderlike Robbins, Hilton, Winklevoss Capital, and In-Q-Tel.)

Colossal uses CRISPR gene editing, a method of genetic engineering based on a naturally occurring type of DNA sequence. CRISPR sequences present on their own in some bacterial cells and act as an immune defense system, allowing the cellto detect and excise viral material thattries to invade. The eponymous gene editing technique was developed to function the same way, allowing users to snip unwanted genes and program a more ideal version of the genetic code.

CRISPR is the use of genetic scissors, Robert Klitzman, a bioethicist at Columbia University and a prominent voice of caution on genetic engineering, told The Intercept. Youre going into DNA, which is a 3-billion-molecule-long chain, and clipping some of it out and replacing it. You can clip out bad mutations and put in good genes, but these editing scissors can also take out too much.

The embrace of this technology, according to In-Q-Tels blog post, will help allow U.S. government agencies to read, write, and edit genetic material, and, importantly, tosteerglobal biological phenomena that impact nation-to-nation competition whileenabling the United States to help set the ethical, as well as the technological, standards for its use.

In-Q-Tel did not respond to The Intercepts requests for comment.

In recent years, the venture firms portfolio has expanded to include Ginkgo Bioworks, a bioengineering startup focused on manufacturing bacteria for biofuel and other industrial uses; Claremont BioSolutions, a firm that produces DNA sequencing hardware; Biomatrica and T2 Biosystems, two manufacturers for DNA testing components; and Metabiota, an infectious disease mapping and risk analysis database powered by artificial intelligence. As The Intercept reported in 2016, In-Q-Tel also invested in Clearista, a skincare brand that removes a thin outer epidermal layer to reveal a fresher face beneath it and allow DNA collection from the skin cells scraped off.

President Joe Bidens administration signaled its prioritization of related advances earlier this month, when Biden signed an executive order on biotechnology and biomanufacturing. The order includes directives to spur public-private collaboration, bolster biological risk management, expand bioenergy-based products, and engage the international community to enhance biotechnology R&D cooperation in a way that is consistent with United States principles and values.

The governments penchant for controversial biotechnology long predates the Biden administration. In 2001, a New York Times investigation found that American defense agencies under Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton had continued to experiment with biological weapons, despite a 1972 international treaty prohibiting them. In 2011, The Guardian revealed that the CIA under President Barack Obama organized a fake Hepatitis B vaccine drive in Pakistan that sought to locate family members of Osama bin Laden through nonconsensual DNA collection, leading the agency to eventually promise a cessation of falseimmunization campaigns.

CIA Labs, a 2020 initiative overseen by Donald Trumps CIA director, Gina Haspel infamous for running a torture laboratory in Thailand follows a model similar to In-Q-Tels. The program created a research network to incubate top talent and technology for use across U.S. defense agencies, while simultaneously allowing participating CIA officers to personally profit off their research and patents.

In-Q-Tel board members are allowed to sit on the boards of companies in which the firm invests, raising ethics concerns over howthe non-profit selects companies to back with government dollars. A 2016 Wall Street Journal investigation found that almost half of In-Q-Tel board members were connected to the companies where it had invested.

The size of In-Q-Tels stake in Colossal wont be known until the nonprofit releases its financial statements next year, but the investment may provide a boon on reputation alone: In-Q-Tel has claimed that every dollar it invests in a business attracts 15 more from other investors.

Colossals co-founders, Lamm and Church, represent the ventures business and science minds, respectively. Lamm, a self-proclaimed serial technology entrepreneur, founded his first company as a senior in college, then pivoted to mobile apps and artificial intelligence before helping to start Colossal.

Church a Harvard geneticist, genome-based dating app visionary, and former Jeffrey Epstein funding recipient has proposed the revival of extinct species before. Speaking to Der Spiegel in 2013, Church suggested the resurrection of the Neanderthal an idea met with controversy because it would require technology capable of human cloning.

We can clone all kinds of mammals, so its very likely that we could clone a human, Church said. Why shouldnt we be able to do so? When the interviewer reminded him of a ban on human cloning, Church said, And laws can change, by the way.

Even when the methods used for de-extinction are legal, many scientists are skeptical of its promise. In a 2017 paper for Nature Ecology & Evolution, a group of biologists from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand found that [s]pending limited resources on de-extinction could lead to net biodiversity loss.

De-extinction is a fairytale science, Jeremy Austin, a University of Adelaide professor and director of the Australian Center for Ancient DNA,toldthe Sydney Morning Herald over the summer, when Colossal pledged to sink $10 million into the University of Melbourne for its Tasmanian tiger project. Its pretty clear to people like me that thylacine or mammoth de-extinction is more about media attention for the scientists and less about doing serious science.

Critics who say de-extinction of genes to create proxy species is impossible are critics who are simply not fully informed and do not know the science. We have been clear from day one that on the path to de-extinction we will be developing technologies which we hope to be beneficial to both human healthcare as well as conservation, Lamm wrote to The Intercept. We will conitnue [sic] to share these technologies we develop with the world.

It remains to be seen if Colossal, with In-Q-Tels backing, can make good on its promises. And its unclear what, exactly, the intelligence world might gain from the use of CRISPR. But perhaps the CIA shares the companys altruistic, if vague, motives: To advance the economies of biology and healing through genetics. To make humanity more human. And to reawaken the lost wilds of Earth. So we, and our planet, can breathe easier.

Update: September 28, 2022, 1:00 p.m. ETThis story has been updated with a statement from Colossal co-founder Ben Lamm.

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CIA Just Invested In Woolly Mammoth Resurrection Tech - The Intercept

When John Bunker first moved to Palermo 50 years ago, he was struck by the lack of street name signs in town.

None of the roads had (name) signs, because after all, everybody knew what all the roads were, said Bunker, Maines foremost apple historian, who also runs the orchard at Palermos Super Chilly Farm. So I didnt even know what road I lived on.

Compounding the confusion, he recalled, was that segments of the same road sometimes had different names.

Palermos lack of formal street-naming conventions was interesting and a little confusing, but not alien to Bunker. Because before the 20th century, important information about each particular apple variety was often passed along by oral tradition. Unique varieties migrated from region to region along with the people who cherished those particular apples, sometimes getting renamed along the way without any documenting of the change.

Those apples were like folks songs that traveled around and had different lyrics in different states, Bunker said.

Some apple trees planted in Maine since the end of the Civil War and throughout the country are in fact well documented with names and descriptions of their phenotypes, or observable characteristics. But for most of what we now call heirloom apples, descriptions are either nonexistent or rudimentary, Bunker said, for the same reason nobody needed street name signs in Palermo everybody at the time knew what they were.

Today, most people eat just a handful of commercial cultivars. Meanwhile, the huge holes of data in apple horticulture regarding the old varieties have confounded scientists, historians and apple explorers for decades. Now, genetic testing may be able to fill in the blanks. The best news? The data being gathered has the potential to make Maines apple landscape almost unimaginably more diverse and delicious.

Since 2019, Bunker has been working with College of the Atlantic history professor Todd Little-Siebold, Laura Sieger, orchard manager for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and MOFGA intern Lydia Pendergast to collect samples from hundreds of Maines unidentified apple trees. They send the samples clear across the country to their partner in the project, Cameron Peace, a horticulture scientist at the University of Washington who runs tests to reveal the DNA.

Its almost like 23andMe, but for apples, Sieger said, referring to the popular human genetic testing web service, 23andMe.com.

Peace logs test results into the massive apple DNA database he and his University of Washington colleagues are compiling, which now contains more than 3,000 unique, named apple varieties from around the world.

Peaces hypothesis so far supported by evidence since his DNA project began a few years ago is that all apple varieties worldwide are related within a handful of generations. My vision is to put everything into one big, happy family tree, Peace said.

AN APPLE FOR EVERY TOWN

Todays average consumer may be familiar with five or 10 apple varieties, tops. Those popular cultivars, like Honeycrisp, Gala, McIntosh and Golden Delicious, are dominant nationwide. Commodity farming of the 20th century drastically culled Americas available apple varieties, focusing almost entirely on 20 or so apples chosen for hardiness, large size and high yields rather than the actual reasons people buy apples for flavor or how they hold up when cooked or baked.

But in the decades before modern farming practices took hold in the United States, the market for apples was much different.

Bunker said between the end of the Civil War and the turn of the 20th century, Almost every county from here to Georgia had its own special apples that were unique to that area. And certainly every town had its own unique mix of apples people would grow.

I think more and more Americans are seeing that the one-size-fits-all approach is a worn-out model, Bunker continued. I like to think apples in Maine should be like cheeses in France, where you go 10 miles and you get a whole new cheese. In Maine there should be a different cider and apple in every town or county.

The push for greater diversity in the market begins with identifying old apple trees and their heirloom fruit. Since Maines team of hardcore apple advocates started working with Peace three years ago, theyve completed about 350 DNA tests on the states apple trees, Little-Siebold said. Test results sometimes showed duplication among the samples, but were highly illuminating nonetheless.

Little-Siebold said, for example, that they collected test samples from what seemed like three different apples, snipped from trees in Washington, Hancock and Kennebec counties.

The first thing that came back is, theyre all the same, Little-Siebold said. The DNA tests showed the apples in question were actually a single variety called Salome, which originated in central Illinois around 1860.

We would never have been able to figure that out, Little-Siebold said, emphasizing the advantage of the genotype approach over traditional phenotype identifications. Salome, as far as John and I have ever seen, is mentioned once in historical records in Maine. And yet we found three of them. It is so rare, we would never have guessed it as we did the phenotypic comparisons. But the great thing about the DNA tests is that you dont have to guess. You know theyre the same, period.

Little-Siebold considers apples and old apple trees to be one of the last living connections to the thriving farm communities that formed the basis of the early Maine economy. The apples tell a story about who we are and where we came from, he said. All of a sudden, we have a brand new tool that can give us answers.

Bunker said the Maine team also collaborates with apple historians around the country, leading them to discover that a certain apple in Sorrento about 15 miles east of Ellsworth was also discovered in Colorado and Washington state, for instance. You can learn about human migration patterns by following the apples, he said.

MORE DIVERSITY, MORE DELICIOUSNESS

Apple trees planted in Maine toward the end of the 19th century are now pushing 150 years old, about their maximum lifespan, which gives the apple testing project a sense of urgency.

There are friends and colleagues of mine all over the state now searching for the last of these old trees, Bunker said. Were on this almost desperate search to find them before they die. Were losing many of them every year now.

Identifying and preserving old apple varieties can also help apple growers guard against against future calamity, since a limited gene pool makes a crop vulnerable to disease and decimation. Were looking at how we can have a safe and sustainable apple industry in the future by increasing the genetic diversity, Bunker said.

And as more more heirloom apples become available, consumers win big, too.

There are some excellent fresh-eating apples that are almost entirely unknown now. We need to reintroduce those to the public, said Bunker. He cited one of his favorites, Garden Royal, which originated in Sudbury Massachusetts, and was grown all over central and southern Maine years ago.

The Garden Royal is small, it grows poorly in the nursery, it doesnt bear every year. And when you eat them they are like ambrosia, Bunker said.

He also noted his two Trailman apple trees on Super Chilly Farm. Theyre like candy. People eat them and tell me, My goodness, this is the best apple Ive ever eaten. But theyre small, and they dont fit that designer mode that we think the apple industry and the customer demand, Bunker said.

Many heirloom apples that have seemingly disappeared were never meant to be eaten fresh, Bunker explained, but the fruit absolutely shined when baked in pies, cooked into sauce or juiced for cider.

These days, people are doing more cooking for themselves, Bunker said. They want a good pie apple. Honeycrisp is a delicious apple, but theyre terrible for pies. McIntosh is no good in a pie, it turns into soup. But there are great pie apples out there. Most of them are these old heirlooms, because they were selected for that purpose. We need to get those back into the commercial orchards of Maine.

CROWD-SOURCING DATA

Orchards like Super Chilly Farm or Cayford Orchards in Skowhegan sell scores of heirloom varieties, but the states apple market has a long way to go to meet Bunkers hyper-localized vision of diversity and abundance. And the apple researchers have plenty more work ahead, too: Little-Siebold said Maine has historically hosted about 1,000 named apple tree varieties, and Bunker estimated that the apple DNA project in the state is about 20 percent complete.

A website launched earlier this year by Peaces horticulture department at Washington State University Myfruittree.org might lighten their load, by taking a crowd-sourcing approach to apple gene mapping. For $120, the sites researchers will send any apple tree owner who contacts them sampling gear and instructions for mailing the clippings back. Six months later, your apple tree mystery is solved, and the findings bolster the entire database.

Peace said between sample tests generated through the website and others from the dedicated teams of apple explorers around the country, We run about 100 tests every couple of months now, and we keep finding more and more missing ancestors or pedigree filler to put everything together. The data may eventually lead to major findings, like discovering the still-unknown father tree of the Golden Delicious apple, or the grandparents of the iconic Red Delicious.

Its a wonderful revolution in identification and preservation of the historic apples of North America, and to a large degree, around the world, Bunker said. Its a win-win for everybody in the state of Maine that this is all happening now.

One of the things John will say is, Sometimes we have an apple and were looking for a name, and sometimes we have a name and were looking for an apple,' Little-Siebold said. Were tracking down old varieties that nobody has seen in a hundred years. I would say thats going to be decades of work. But weve made real progress so far.

Cardamom-AppleBrown Butter Cake

This cake comes from Food Editor Peggy Grodinskys friend Mitchell Davis who, in turn, got it from Edible New Jersey magazine, which credited it to Matthew Rosenzweig, who owns The Bakers Grove bakery in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. The original uses pears. Grodinsky switched to apples, which are traditional for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which starts this evening at sundown; eaten with honey, apples symbolize wishes for a sweet new year. Davis also made a few adjustments, most notably using rye flour, which Grodinsky followed using Maine Grains rye flour. If you keep kosher, do not serve this cake with a meat meal (but you know that).

Makes 1 (8-inch cake), serves 810

FOR THE TOPPING: cup unsalted butter cup brown sugar teaspoon ground cardamom2 teaspoons amaretto3-4 apples, peeled, halved, cored and sliced (keep the halves together)

FOR THE CAKE:3/4 cup all-purpose flour3/4 cup rye flour1 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoons ground cardamom teaspoon salt cup brown butter, at room temperature cup granulated sugar1 teaspoon almond extract2 large eggs, at room temperature cup whole milk, at room temperature cup sliced almonds, toasted, to garnishConfectioners sugar, for sprinkling

Ahead of time, prepare the brown butter to use in the cake batter: Melt cup of unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Swirl the pan occasionally to make sure the butter is cooking evenly. As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. The color will progress to a toasty brown. Once you smell the nutty aroma and the butter is the color of graham crackers, take off the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Refrigerate until solid but still soft and leave at room temperature when ready to prepare the cake batter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray the sides of a deep-dish 8-inch cake pan and set aside.

To make the topping, combine the butter, brown sugar, cardamom, and amaretto in a saucepan over low heat until the ingredients are melted together. Remove from heat and pour into the prepared cake pan. Arrange the apples over the brown sugar mixture, cut side down. Set aside.

To make the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt; set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the browned butter and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the almond extract and eggs, 1 at a time, beating until completely incorporated. Gradually mix in half of the flour mixture. Stir in the milk followed by the rest of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Scrape the batter on top of the apples in the pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cake to help loosen it from the pan. Invert a serving plate or cake stand over the pan. Wearing oven mitts, grasp both the pan and the plate and turn them over together. Carefully lift off pan.

Sprinkle toasted sliced almonds over cake and dust with confectioners sugar. Serve the cake warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

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DNA testing sheds light on the vast, mysterious world of heirloom apples - Press Herald

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

After a disastrous last week in several courts, Donald Trump got a rare win today at the Second Circuit, where a divided panel held that he was an employee of the federal government for the purposes of the Westfall Act when he said in 2019 that columnist E. Jean Carroll was too ugly for him to have raped decades earlier in a Bergdorf Goodmans dressing room, as she has alleged.

This reverses an earlier ruling by US District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan that presidents are not employees of the federal government under the Westfall and Federal Tort Claims Acts, and thus Trump could not have been acting within the scope of his employment when he said, Ill say it with great respect: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened.

With great respect.

Carroll sued for defamation in New York state court, and then spent months chasing Trump around for months while he ducked her process server in DC and New York. On the eve of being forced to comply with discovery, Attorney General Bill Barr swept in to substitute the United States as defendant under the Westfall Act and the FTCA, which would conveniently make the case disappear, since the federal government has not waived sovereign immunity for the tort of defamation.

This automatically removed the case to federal court while the parties fought about Trumps employment status. In 2021 when that status changed, there was some speculation that Attorney General Merrick Garland might reverse positions. But when Judge Kaplan ruled that Trump, as the unitary executive, had never been a government employee, and that, even if he had been his comments about Carroll were outside the scope of his employment, the Justice Department appealed on both counts. DOJ gonna DOJ, right?

And his morning the Second Circuit handed Trump and his frenemy Merrick Garland at least a partial win.

It follows that the President of the United States fits comfortably within the statutory descriptions plain language, wrote Judges Calabresi and Nardini, appointed by Clinton and Trump, respectively. For, as Trump points out in his brief, the President is a government employee in the most basic sense of the term: He renders service to his employer, the United States government, in exchange for a salary and other job-related benefits.

The majority then punted on the second point, certifying to the DC Court of Appeals the issue of whether Trump was acting within the scope of his employment for the purposes of DC law when he denied assaulting Carroll and implied that she was lying about him for money as part of a plot with evil Democrats. In this, the court reversed Judge Kaplan again, since the trial judge found that local law would not afford Trump employee protections for the disputed comments.

In dissent, Judge Denny Chin, an Obama appointee, disagreed with both parts of the majority holding.

[T]o the extent the FTCA is silent as to whether the President is covered, I would not interpret that silence to cover the President, he wrote, adding later that Carrolls allegations plausibly paint a picture of a man pursuing a personal vendetta against an accuser, not the United States chief 20 constitutional officer engaging in supervisory and policy responsibilities of utmost discretion and sensitivity.'

He further pointed out that, by the majoritys logic, it would be literally impossible for a sitting president to defame anyone, since any address to a third party satisfying the torts publication requirement would amount to conduct that is of the kind he is expected to perform like speaking to a reporter or attending a government meeting, placing him within the scope of his employment.

Presumably, the certification to the DC Court of Appeals will delay resolution of the appeal further, even as proceedings in the district court continue, and as Carroll prepares to file a second lawsuit against Trump under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act passed earlier this year. But if the former president prevails on the issue before the DC Court of Appeals, while he may escape the defamation claim that he has been fighting for years, he probably wont be able to avoid Carrolls new claim based on the underlying sexual assault. [Edited from an earlier version for clarity.]

Carroll v. Trump [Second Circuit Holding]

Elizabeth Dye lives in Baltimore where she writes about law and politics.

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Second Circuit Saves Trump's Bacon And His DNA! In E. Jean Carroll Defamation Case - Above the Law

In a report currently being published by Verified Market Research titled GlobalDNA And RNA Banking Services Market Size, Manufacturers, Supply Chains, Sales Channels and Customers, 2022-2029, analysts presented a detailed overview of the DNA And RNA Banking Services market. The report is a comprehensive study of DNA And RNA Banking Services global markets, taking into account growth factors, recent trends, events, opportunities and the competitive environment. Market analysts and researchers conducted an extensive analysis of the Global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market, using research methodologies such as the analysis of the five strengths of PESTLE and Porter. They provided accurate and reliable market data and useful recommendations to help participants better understand the overall scenario of the current and future market. The report includes an in-depth study of potential segments, including the type of product, Application and end user, as well as their contribution to the overall market size.

Highlight

DNA & RNA Banking Services Market was valued at USD 5.78 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 8.59 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 5.08% from 2021 to 2028.

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Scope of the report

This report aims to provide a comprehensive view of the Global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market, with quantitative and qualitative analysis to help readers develop business/growth strategies, assess the competitive market situation, analyze their current market position and make informed business decisions regarding DNA And RNA Banking Services.

The size, estimates and forecasts of the DNA And RNA Banking Services market are presented in terms of revenue (in millions of US dollars), taking into account 2021 as the base year, with historical and forecast data for the period from 2017 to 2028. This report comprehensively segments the Global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market. Regional market sizes related to products by type, applications and participants are also presented. The impact of COVID-19 and the Russian-Ukrainian war was taken into account when assessing the size of the markets.

For a deeper understanding of the market, the report presents profiles of the competitive environment, the main competitors and their respective positions in the market. The report also examines technological trends and new product developments.

The report will help DNA And RNA Banking Services companies, newcomers and companies associated with the industry chain in this market to provide revenue information for the entire market and sub-segments of various segments by company, product type, application and region.

Key companies and market share

In this section, readers will get acquainted with the main participants of the competition. This report examined key growth strategies such as innovation trends and developments, product range expansion, mergers and acquisitions, collaboration, innovation in new products and geographical expansion undertaken by these participants to maintain their presence. In addition to business strategies, the study includes current events and key financial indicators. Readers will also have access to data on global corporate turnover for the period 2017-2022. This comprehensive report will certainly help clients stay up to date and make effective decisions in their companies.

Some of the main participants reviewed in the research report include:

Market segmentation of DNA And RNA Banking Services market:

DNA And RNA Banking Services market is divided by type and application. For the period 2021-2028, cross-segment growth provides accurate calculations and forecasts of sales by Type and Application in terms of volume and value. This analysis can help you grow your business by targeting qualified niche markets.

DNA & RNA Banking Services Market, By Service

Transportation Service Processing Service Storage Service Quality Control Service Data Storage

DNA & RNA Banking Services Market, By Specimen Type

Blood Saliva Others

DNA & RNA Banking Services Market, By Applications

Therapeutics Drug Discovery & Clinical Research Clinical Diagnostics

DNA & RNA Banking Services Market, By End User

Hospitals & Diagnostic Centers Academic Research Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies

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DNA And RNA Banking Services Market Report Scope

Regional Perspectives

This section of the report provides key information about the various regions and the main players operating in each region. Economic, social, environmental, technological and political factors were taken into account when assessing the growth of the region/country in question. Readers will also learn about the income of each region and country for the period 2017-2028.

The market has been segmented into several major geographic regions, including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, the Middle East and Africa. A detailed analysis of the main countries, such as the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France, China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and India, will be considered in the regional segment. For market estimates, data will be provided for 2021 in connection with the base year, with estimates for 2022 and revenue forecast for 2028.

Middle East and Africa (GCC countries and Egypt)North America (USA, Mexico and Canada)South America (Brazil, etc.)Europe (Turkey, Germany, Russia, Great Britain, Italy, France, etc.)Asia-Pacific region (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia and Australia)

Table of Contents

Report Overview:It includes major players of the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market covered in the research study, research scope, and Market segments by type, market segments by application, years considered for the research study, and objectives of the report.

Global Growth Trends:This section focuses on industry trends where market drivers and top market trends are shed light upon. It also provides growth rates of key producers operating in the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market. Furthermore, it offers production and capacity analysis where marketing pricing trends, capacity, production, and production value of the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market are discussed.

Market Share by Manufacturers:Here, the report provides details about revenue by manufacturers, production and capacity by manufacturers, price by manufacturers, expansion plans, mergers and acquisitions, and products, market entry dates, distribution, and market areas of key manufacturers.

Market Size by Type:This section concentrates on product type segments where production value market share, price, and production market share by product type are discussed.

Market Size by Application:Besides an overview of the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market by application, it gives a study on the consumption in the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market by application.

Production by Region:Here, the production value growth rate, production growth rate, import and export, and key players of each regional market are provided.

Consumption by Region:This section provides information on the consumption in each regional market studied in the report. The consumption is discussed on the basis of country, application, and product type.

Company Profiles:Almost all leading players of the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market are profiled in this section. The analysts have provided information about their recent developments in the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market, products, revenue, production, business, and company.

Market Forecast by Production:The production and production value forecasts included in this section are for the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market as well as for key regional markets.

Market Forecast by Consumption:The consumption and consumption value forecasts included in this section are for the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market as well as for key regional markets.

Value Chain and Sales Analysis:It deeply analyzes customers, distributors, sales channels, and value chain of the global DNA And RNA Banking Services Market.

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DNA And RNA Banking Services Market Size And Forecast To 2022 |EasyDNA, DNA Genotek Inc., 23andMe Goodsell, ProteoGenex, US Biolab Corporation and...

In week 4 the Oregon Ducks showed a side of them that many haven't seen for some time. They had their backs against the wall the entire game against Washington State, but they battled until the final whistle and came out with a hard-fought victory.

On Monday head coach Dan Lanning said he learns something about his team with every game they play.

Surely this win had to have a different feel to it than ones we've seen in recent seasons.

"That game to me was our DNA trait game," he said of the win over the Cougars.

All throughout the week leading up to the game, much had been made of the raucous atmosphere that comes with Martin Stadium. The Ducks didn't let that impact the outcome.

"We had to go out there and play a team in a rough situation where we had to really show some resiliency," Lanning continued. "There was moments of sacrifice and growth, and toughness and all those things really showed up. The things that we talk about--connection. All those things really showed up in that game for us."

READ MORE: Dan Lanning provides latest Oregon injury updates ahead of Stanford

That resiliency manifested itself in part with the Oregon offense, which willed the teamback into the game by putting up 21 points in the final quarter to take a 37-34 lead with just under two minutes left to play. That was before Mase Funa slammed the door shut on the Cougs with a game-winning pick-six.

Lanning admits that it looked bleak towards the end but didn't sense a shred of doubt from his guys.

"I'm sure there was a lot of people who didn't really believe there at the end of the game," he said. "But I don't think there was ever an ounce of doubt on our sideline which I certainly appreciated cause we needed all hands on deck."

One specific play that went under the radar was Bucky Irving's 21-yard reception on fourth-and-two, which Nix threaded into double coverage nearly 20 yards past the sticks.

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At that point, Oregon was down 34-22 with just 5:48 left on the clock and all hope looked lost, but that catch set up Cam McCormick's touchdown.

In previous years we've seen the Ducks battle it out with teams down to the wire, but we've also seen them play down to the level of their opponents. Last season Oregon was looking at a potential playoff run until they met the Utah Utes two times in three weeks, losing by a combined score of 76-17.

To find the most recent comeback you'd have to look back to the 2020 Rose Bowl, where the Ducks faced the Wisconsin Badgers in an exciting matchup that came down to the wire. Justin Herbertdidn't throw for any touchdowns but instead ran for three, scoring the eventual game winner with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter after the defense shut down Jonathan Taylor and the Badger offense.

READ MORE: DJ Johnson to miss first half vs. Stanford

Through four games we can say this about Oregon. This is a new Ducks team with a new demeanor that can win games in different ways. Lanning and his staff have prepared this team to a point where even if they're down big, they can dig deep to gut out tough games.

With Stanford coming to Autzen stadium for a late-night game the Ducks can't take anything for granted and the players and staff know what this game means for their season.

Every game is must win, and it's no different with an athletic and talented Stanford team this week.

READ MORE: Five Stanford players to watch vs. Oregon

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Oregon Showed What Team It's Capable of Being in WSU Win - Sports Illustrated

The biotech industry garnered huge revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic as companies fostered advancements in drug development and introduced vaccines to help the world fight the deadly virus. Moreover, breakthrough developments to prevent the incidence of chronic diseases, rising investments in innovative technologies, and increased aging populations needs are creating lucrative growth opportunities for this sector.

However, this industry has witnessed a slowdown this year due to the broader market correction and the improving pandemic crisis. Some believe it is facing its worst time since its inception. Amidst the rumblings of a global recession, access to capital has become seemingly difficult for the sector. According to Barbara Ryan, founder of Barbara Ryan Advisors, a life sciences capital markets strategic advisory firm, the industry has gone from hero to zero.

Given this scenario, we think it might be best to avoid biotech stocks Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (DNA), GeoVax Labs, Inc. (GOVX), and Aditxt, Inc. (ADTX), considering their bleak fundamentals.

Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (DNA)

DNA develops a platform for cell programming to enable the biological production of products such as novel therapeutics, food ingredients, and chemicals derived from petroleum. The company serves various markets, including specialty chemicals, agriculture, food, consumer products, and pharmaceuticals.

DNAs total operating expenses increased 664.2% year-over-year to $791.53 million in the second quarter ended June 30, 2022. The companys loss from operations widened 979.2% year-over-year to $646.91 million, while its net loss came in at $668.83 million. Also, the loss per share increased 925% year-over-year to $0.41.

The consensus EPS estimate of negative $0.22 for the ongoing fiscal quarter represents a 175% year-over-year decline. The consensus revenue estimate of $57.65 million indicates a decrease of 25.7% year-over-year in the same period.

DNAs forward Price/Sales multiple of 11.28 is 1,035.4% higher than the industry average of 0.99. In terms of its forward EV/Sales, the stock is trading at 8.27x, 548.7% higher than the industry average of 1.27x.

DNAs stock has declined 77.2% in price over the past year to close the last trading session at $2.80.

DNA has an overall F rating, equating to a Strong Sell in our POWR Ratings system. The POWR Ratings are calculated by considering 118 distinct factors, with each factor weighted to an optimal degree.

DNA also has an F grade for Stability and a D for Growth, Value, Quality, and Sentiment. In the F-rated 395-stock Biotech industry, DNA is ranked last. Click here to access DNAs ratings for Momentum.

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (GOVX)

GOVX, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops vaccines and immunotherapies against various infectious diseases like HIV, Zika, malaria, hemorrhagic fever viruses, and cancer.

For the second quarter ended June 30, 2022, GOVX didnt report any revenue, while its operating expenses increased 43.2% from the prior-year period to $2.24 million. The companys net loss increased 70.6% year-over-year to $2.24 million, while its loss per share came in at $0.18 during the quarter.

GOVX is expected to report a loss per share of $0.97 and $0.81 in the ongoing and next fiscal year.

GOVXs trailing-12-months Price/Sales multiple of 33.85 is 709.8% higher than the industry average of 4.18.

The stock has plummeted 73.7% over the past year and 68.2% year-to-date to close the last trading session at $1.15.

GOVXs bleak outlook is reflected in its POWR Ratings. The stock has an overall rating of D, which translates to a Sell in our proprietary rating system. It has an F grade for Momentum and Stability. In the Biotech industry, GOVX is ranked #244.

To see additional POWR Ratings for GOVX for Growth, Value, Sentiment, and Quality, click here.

Aditxt, Inc. (ADTX)

ADTX, a biotech company, develops technologies that focus on improving the immune systems health through immune mapping and reprogramming. The company develops AditxtScore, which allows individuals to understand, manage, and monitor their immune profiles; and Apoptotic DNA Immunotherapy, a nucleic acid-based technology that mimics the way the body naturally induces tolerance to its tissues.

For the fiscal quarter ended June 30, ADTXs total operating expenses increased marginally year-over-year to $5.81 million. Net loss from operations also increased marginally from the prior-year quarter to $5.77 million. The companys net loss and net loss per share came in at $5.85 million and $0.13, respectively.

In terms of its trailing-12-months EV/Sales, ADTX is currently trading at 18.73x, 385% higher than the industry average of 3.86x. Its trailing-12-months Price/Book multiple of 2.16 is 12.5% higher than the industry average of 1.92.

The stock has slumped 97% over the past year and 68.1% over the past month to close the last trading session at $2.66.

Its no surprise that ADTX has an overall D rating, which translates to Sell in our POWR Ratings system. The stock has an F grade for Momentum, Stability, and Quality. It is ranked #336 in the Biotech industry.

Beyond what is stated above, we have also rated ADTX for Growth, Value, and Sentiment. Click here to check ADTXs POWR Ratings.

DNA shares were trading at $2.75 per share on Monday afternoon, down $0.05 (-1.79%). Year-to-date, DNA has declined -66.91%, versus a -22.26% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

Komal's passion for the stock market and financial analysis led her to pursue investment research as a career. Her fundamental approach to analyzing stocks helps investors identify the best investment opportunities. More...

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DNA: 3 Biotech Stocks to Sell Before the End of This Year - StockNews.com