Daily Archives: December 14, 2023

When scientists attempt to transfer genetic material into an organism, they often use an electric field, a technique called "electroporation," that makes cell walls more permeable. This sophisticated form of genetic engineering is thought to be something restricted to laboratory equipment, not nature. Yet a recent study published in the journal PeerJ reveals that electric eels which produce an electric organ discharge (EOD) that can reach up to 860 volts may be able to transfer genetic material through their infamous jolts.

Researchers fromNagoya University and Kyoto University in Japan learned this by placing zebrafish larvae in the same tank as electric eels, then dousing the tank inDNA that codes for a green fluorescent protein. Afterward the scientists fed a goldfish to an electric eel, prompting it to emit pulses of up to 185 volts in the tank. (Don't worry, the fish were given anesthesia.) Within a day, some of the zebrafish larvae began to glow, indicating that the electric eel's pulses had indeed caused the fluorescent gene to be transferred into the zebrafish larvae. The fluorescence lingered for three days to a week.

While this study raises tantalizing questions, it leaves many of them unanswered. The implication of this experiment is that electric eels could directly cause gene transfers that increase biodiversity or create new species. Yet as the authors admit in the study, "this investigation represents the initial exploration of the uncharted impact of electric eel EOD, but it does not directly establish its significance within the natural environment." The researchers add that further research will be required, with corresponding author Atsuo Iida from Nagoya University telling New Scientist that he plans follow-up studies on EOD and gene transfer with smaller organisms like plankton and bacteria.

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Electric eel zaps do more than just stun they can alter the DNA of their victims, study suggests - Salon

Tell me why I snook an swab this babydna test results came in.iam not the father smh its a bitter sweat feeling cus I was coming around to it but definitely in my best interest thank you Jesus , he wrote on X Saturday morning. I cant even pretend like im not happy as hell.

Despite previously refuting the possibility of being Chrisean Jr.'s father, Blueface had previously referred to the child in question as his son, per messages he wrote on X following an incident where Rock was seen improperly cradling the childs head at a Walmart store.

On Monday morning, the 26-year-old rapper went live via Instagram after an incident where Rock had reportedly left the child behind with a friend named Marsh so that she could allegedly meet up with another man. When Blue caught wind of the situation, he appeared to have taken the infant from the woman and recounted the story to his followers, according to TMZ.

Rock gave birth to the baby boy on Sept. 3. Blueface shares two other children with rapper Jaidyn Alexis.

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Blueface Says He Took a DNA Test That Proves He's Not the Father of Chrisean Rock's Son: 'Thank You Jesus' - Complex

A comprehensive DNA analysis of the Balkan population from 1 to 1000 CE challenges the assumed Roman influence, revealing no Italian genetic traits. Instead, the study uncovers significant ancestry from Western Anatolia, Europe, and the Pontic-Kazakh Steppe, with a notable Slavic migration shaping modern Balkan genetics. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Despite the Roman Empires extensive military and cultural influence on the nearby Balkan peninsula, a DNA analysis of individuals who lived in the region between 1 and 1000 CE found no genetic evidence of Iron Age Italian ancestry. Instead, a study published December 7 in the journal Cell revealed successive waves of migrations from Western Anatolia, central and northern Europe, and the Pontic-Kazakh Steppe during the Empires reign.

From the 7th century CE onwards (coincident with the fall of the Western Roman Empire), large numbers of people emigrated from Eastern Europe, likely related to the arrival of Slavic-speaking populations, which resulted in present-day Balkan residents having 30%60% Slavic ancestry seen in present-day Balkan peoples.

Skull of an individual of East African ancestral origin found in Viminacium, with the oil lamp featuring an eagle found in his tomb. Credit: Miodrag (Mike) Grbic

We found this genetic signal of Slavic migration all across the Balkans, says senior author and paleogenomicist Carles Lalueza-Fox of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE:CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra) and Museu de Cincies Naturals de Barcelona. This could have important social and political implications given that the Balkans has had a long history of conflict associated with their perceived identities.

Most ancient DNA studies focus on pre-historybefore the written recordbut ancient DNA methods can also provide insight into more recent historical periods, especially when used in combination with historical and archeological information.

Ancient DNA can give a lot of insight into historical periods, especially for regions where historical sources are scarce or when we dont know whether sources are biased or not, says first author and population geneticist Iigo Olalde of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). For example, most historical sources from the Balkans are written from the side of the Romans because the Slavic people didnt write at that time.

This photograph shows the Mausoleum of Viminacium. Credit: Carles Lalueza-Foz

Previous studies have investigated the ancestry of people who lived in Italy and England during and after the fall of the Roman Empire, but little is known about demography and ancestry of the Balkans during this time. This region was one of the distant frontiers of the Roman Empire, which makes it interesting to study because this is clearly a place where you would expect people to come in contact with people from outside the Empire, so you can test things such as globalization, says Olalde.

To explore the population history of the Balkans and examine the influence of the rise and fall of the Roman empire, the researchers extracted DNA from 136 ancient individuals excavated from 20 different sites across the Balkansdefined as the region bounded by the Adriatic, Central Mediterranean, and Aegean Seas and the Middle and Lower Danube and Sava Rivers. These sites included large Roman cities, military fortresses, and small rural towns. The team focused on three periods: during the expansion and height of the Roman Empire (1250 CE), during the late Imperial period (circa 250550 CE), and following the Western Empires collapse (5501000 CE).

To provide cultural and historical context for the genetic data, the team collaborated with local archeologists and historians. For each grave, they documented burial type, as well as any objects buried alongside the individuals, such as coins, jewelry, pottery, tools, and weapons. The researchers also used radiocarbon dating to verify the age of 38 of the ancient individuals, which generated isotopic data that provide a window into those individuals diets.

This photograph shows a Roman aqueduct that supplied water to Viminacium, a large Roman city. Credit: Carles Lalueza-Foz

The researchers were surprised to find no evidence of Italian Iron Age ancestry in the Balkan populations during the height of the Roman Empire. Instead, they showed that there was an influx of people from Western Anatolia, another part of the Roman Empire, during that period. They also found evidence of individual migrations into the Balkans from both within and outside the Roman Empire. Notably, a 16-year-old male who was excavated from a necropolis in a large Roman city was of 100% East African ancestry. The individual was buried with an oil lamp depicting Jupiter-related eagle iconography, but isotopic analysis of his teeth indicated that he had consumed marine protein sources during his childhood and therefore had likely grown up in a distant location.

This was the only full Eastern African individual that we analyzed, and he was also a clear outlier with respect to the diet compared to the rest of the individuals buried in the same necropolis, which tells us that this individual clearly grew up outside the borders of the Roman Empire, says Lalueza-Fox.

During the late Imperial period, between 250 and 550 CE, the researchers detected migrants with mixed ancestry from Northern Europe and the Pontic-Kazakh steppe. We found that those two ancestriescentral/northern European and Sarmatian-Scythian tended to come together, which suggests that these are likely to have been multi-ethnic confederations of moving people, says senior author and population geneticist David Reich of Harvard University.

However, these sources of ancestry disappeared after 700 CE. From 600 CE, shortly after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, there was a major influx of individuals from Eastern Europe. After 700 CE, individuals in the Balkans had very similar ancestral composition to present-day groups in the region, suggesting that these migrations resulted in the last large demographic shift in the area. These migrations coincide with recorded Slavic migrations, but the DNA analysis provides insight into the scale of these migrations that is impossible to glean from historical resources.

There have been debates about how impactful these migrations were and to what extent the spread of Slavic language was largely through cultural influences or movements of people, but our study shows that these migrations had a profound demographic effect, says Reich. More than half of the ancestry of most peoples in the Balkans today comes from the Slavic migrations, with around a third Slavic ancestry even in countries like Greece where no Slavic languages are spoken today.

The team are already planning what they call version two of the study, which will take advantage of improvements in ancient DNA technologies. We are now able to sequence hundreds of individuals from the same site, so we can go to another level of resolution and start to understand more about the social interactions and kinship between the different individuals, says Olalde.

Reference: A genetic history of the Balkans from Roman frontier to Slavic migrations by Iigo Olalde, Pablo Carrin, Ilija Miki, Nadin Rohland, Swapan Mallick, Iosif Lazaridis, Matthew Mah, Miomir Kora, Sneana Golubovi, Sofija Petkovi, Nataa Miladinovi-Radmilovi, Dragana Vulovi, Timka Alihodi, Abigail Ash, Miriam Baeta, Juraj Bartk, eljka Bedi, Maja Bili, Clive Bonsall, Maja Buni, Domagoj Buani, Mario Cari, Lea ataj, Mirna Cvetko, Ivan Drni, Anita Dugonji, Ana uki, Ksenija uki, Zdenk Farka, Pavol Jelnek, Marija Jovanovic, Iva Kai, Hrvoje Kalafati, Marijana Krmpoti, Sinia Krznar, Tino Lelekovi, Marian M. de Pancorbo, Vinka Matijevi, Branka Miloevi Zaki, Anna J. Osterholtz, Julianne M. Paige, Dinko Tresi Pavii, Zrinka Premui, Petra Raji ikanji, Anita Rapan Papea, Lujana Paraman, Mirjana Sanader, Ivana Radovanovi, Mirjana Roksandic, Alena efkov, Sofia Stefanovi, Maria Teschler-Nicola, Domagoj Tonini, Brina Zagorc, Kim Callan, Francesca Candilio, Olivia Cheronet, Daniel Fernandes, Aisling Kearns, Ann Marie Lawson, Kirsten Mandl, Anna Wagner, Fatma Zalzala, Anna Zettl, eljko Tomanovi, Duan Keckarevi, Mario Novak, Kyle Harper, Michael McCormick, Ron Pinhasi, Miodrag Grbi, Carles Lalueza-Fox and David Reich, 7 December 2023, Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.10.018

This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science of Innovation, la Caixa Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia, the National Institutes of Health, the John Templeton Foundation, the Allen Discovery Center, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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In the Shadow of Rome: Ancient DNA Recasts Balkan History - SciTechDaily

Scientists in McMasters Ancient DNA Centre made the discovery while examining data from previous research in what is present-day Yukon. (Photo by Tyler Murchie)

Researchers at McMaster have traced the impacts of ancient ecological transitions right down to the microbial level, finding even bacteria and single-celled organisms changed as the climate around them shifted at the end of the last ice age.

Scientists in McMasters Ancient DNA Centre made the discovery while examining data from previous research that helped construct an advanced picture of environments that existed during thePleistocene-Holocene transition about 11,000 years ago.

When examining soil samples for the ancient DNA of microbial species, the researchers observed that a clear change in the mix of bacteria-like organisms called prokaryotes had occurred more than 13,000 years ago when the Mammoth-Steppe, a monolithic and fertile grassland-tundra ecosystem, collapsed in what is present-day Yukon, Canada.

There was a complete community shift, with many organisms decreasing or increasing in abundance, some disappearing completely and new ones arriving, says Tyler Murchie, lead author of a new paper based on the findings.

Murchie completed the work while a postdoctoral researcher in McMasters Department of Anthropology and isnow a scientist at BCs Hakai Institute, a non-profit research institute specializing in long-term ecological science.

This shows that the Pleistocene-Holocene transition affected everything in the ecosystem, down to microbes in the soil. It wasnt an ecological change that just affected large animals, like woolly mammoths, and grasses and trees, he says.

The studys co-authors include McMaster Ancient DNA Lab director Hendrik Poinar. It was published in the latest issue of the journal Environmental DNA.

Murchie says some types of microbes linked to the droppings of large megafauna such as woolly mammoths vanished during the Holocene transition.

Some microbes essentially disappeared from the region because they were tightly associated with the presence of mammoths, horses and bison, he says. In the data we see that organisms called archaea associated with breaking down megafaunal waste, shifted to other species that are more associated with woody plants and wetter soils.

While the study looks at the transition from a climate epoch that ended many thousands of years ago, researchers hope the findings can also inform how we discuss climate change today.

These environmental transitions have happened throughout time in different ecosystems, and its easy to think of these shifts as having primarily impacted big animals and plants, the things we typically find in fossil records. But by looking at the microbial scale, we can see the massively interconnected and reverberating effects that occur as ecosystems find new balance, says Murchie.

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Even microbes felt the impact of ancient climate transitions, McMaster DNA researchers find - Brighter World

Creating a truly inclusive and diverse place to work in the construction industry requires more than surface-level efforts; it demands the integration of DE&I principles into the very fabric of the company culture.

@Chalermphon - adobe.stock.com

During the past five years, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) programs have become crucial for fostering non-discriminatory corporate cultures that welcome all individuals. While many construction companies have adopted DE&I policies and strategies, true progress comes from integrating these principles into daily operations. Beyond mere statements, DE&I must be ingrained in how businesses function and turning theory into action.

Creating a supportive culture beyond hiring involves implementing other various initiatives. One of the best ways a team can build an inclusive environment is by encouraging DE&I training up and down the organization. This shows that the company, leadership, and managers promote an inclusive and varied workplace. One that not only meets the criteria of the short-term goals of diversity but supports future growth by also focusing on retention and opportunities for career development.

Construction firms also must take proactive steps to create an equitable environment by prioritizing open communication and active employee listening to ensure varied perspectives are valued and heard. By providing platforms for dialogue, such as town halls and anonymous suggestion boxes, individuals feel empowered to express their opinions freely.

Encouraging cross-functional collaboration and team-building activities enables interactions among staff from multifaceted backgrounds, fostering mutual understanding and appreciation. Employee training programs emphasize empathy and cultural competence, promoting an open-minded atmosphere. These practices cultivate an environment where all employees feel respected, supported, and confident in expressing their unique perspectives and contributions.

Creating a fair workplace requires proactive efforts to address equity gaps and support career progression opportunities for underrepresented employees. To achieve this, forward-thinking organizations must adopt equity-conscious framework structures that recognize and address the disparities that people from underrepresented backgrounds face. One crucial step is acknowledging the uneven playing field that many individuals in underrepresented categories start with and actively working to level it.

Construction companies can implement additional support systems to promote equity, such as mentorship programs and targeted training initiatives. Mentorship can provide invaluable guidance and support to employees from underrepresented groups, helping them navigate their career paths and overcome potential obstacles. Targeted training programs can equip employees with the skills and knowledge necessary for career advancement, ensuring they have equal opportunities for growth and development.

Organizations in the building sector can establish clear pathways for career progression and ensure transparency in the promotion process. Providing employees with a clear understanding of the skills and qualifications needed for advancement can help mitigate subjective decision-making and ensure that promotions are based on merit and talent rather than bias.

Creating a truly inclusive and diverse place to work in the construction industry requires more than surface-level efforts; it demands the integration of DE&I principles into the very fabric of the company culture. DE&I panels and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are powerful tools to empower underrepresented employees and provide a platform to influence corporate policies. By including not only members of minority communities but also senior executives in these panels, organizations send a resounding message that diversity is not just a checkbox but rather a fundamental value embraced at the highest echelons of the business.

Recognizing and celebrating individuals who have felt marginalized or invisible is another essential aspect of fostering an empathetic environment. Through events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, educational discussions about neurodiversity, and vibrant heritage month celebrations, organizations demonstrate their commitment to making everyone feel heard and acknowledged within their teams. These small yet impactful initiatives create an atmosphere of acceptance and belonging that resonates throughout the organization.

Companies must be committed to continuous learning and improvement. By challenging biases, providing impartial opportunities for career advancement, and actively listening to differing perspectives, leaders can build an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique talents and ideas.

The rewards of embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion extend beyond fulfilling corporate social responsibility. A truly inclusive culture drives innovation, fosters creativity, and fuels business success. Construction workplaces embracing DE&I not as an isolated initiative but as an integral part of their identity pave the way for a more fair and prosperous future for their employees and their organization.

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How Construction Companies Can Make Diversity Part of Their DNA - For Construction Pros