Category Archives: DNA

FootJoy has launched the latest version of the DNA (DryJoys Next Advancement) franchise, the DNA Helix.Featuring a wider platform and a lightweight construction to create power from the ground up, DNA Helix is available on footjoy.com and wherever FootJoy golf shoes are sold.

DNA Helix was developed based on specific feedback from the worlds best players who value the combination of flexibility and comfort but requested more platform stability, particularly in the heel area of the shoe.

Ive worn every version of DNA and this is by far the best for me, said Scott Stallings. The additional support they built in, especially laterally as I move back and through the ball, is fantastic.

The new NitroThin 3.0 TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) outsole foundation in DNA Helix was developed to deliver the additional stability requested by Tour players. In fact, FootJoy says DNA Helix is 38 percent more stable than its predecessor. This was achieved by increasing the width between the cleat receptacles in the heel by 13 percent for more surface coverage. In addition, a new fit-bed was developed with more lateral stability and the integration of a 3D FoamCollar also helps to lock the players foot in place.

The new outsole also features strategically placed cut-outs in the TPU to expose more of the softer midsole which contributes to this outsole being 23 percent lighter than the previous version as well as being more flexible.

While it was certainly a challenge to improve upon a shoe as successful as DNA, the continued dialog we have with our Tour staff revealed there was an opportunity to improve the overall performance of the category, said Keith Duffy, Senior Product Manager, Footwear. But this isnt just an update for us. DNA Helix is a completely new golf shoe built from the ground up to deliver Tour-level performance and lightweight comfort for all players.

DNA Helix comes with a two-year waterproof warranty. Suggsted retail price is $209.99 (laced) or $239.99 (Boa System).

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FootJoy introduces DNA Helix shoe - Golf Channel

Water treatment is vital to maintain human health but a method widely used in developing countries could be damaging the DNA of those drinking it. Despite poor evidence of their effectiveness as a water disinfectant, colloidal silver and silver nanoparticles are increasingly being promoted for treating potentially contaminated drinking water in low income countries.

Despite poor evidence of their effectiveness as a water disinfectant, colloidal silver and silver nanoparticles are increasingly being promoted for treating potentially contaminated drinking water in low income countries.

A study led by the University of East Anglia has concluded that there is a risk these treatments could in fact cause genotoxicity, which is damage to DNA, and affect reproduction and future generations. Prof Paul Hunter from UEAs Norwich Medical School, said the study brings together existing research to highlight the potential risks. Colloidal silver as a water treatment is sold across Africa and in countries like Haiti, despite the fact it doesnt treat water very effectively. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises against its use as a primary water treatment. If it isnt doing any good, we wanted to investigate if in fact it could be causing harm. The research looked at previous studies where the effects of silver, silver nitrate and silver nanoparticles have been measured in vivo on living animals. They found that, although results varied, more studies than they expected showed some evidence of genotoxicity, reporting effects including chromosomal aberrations, DNA fragmentation and damage to sperm. Prof Hunter said: We already know that there is little evidence that silver in water has any benefit. But this study brings together a body of work which shows it is potentially damaging DNA, and harming reproductive success. Colloidal silver is also widely marketed as an alternative health substance which can treat everything from skin complaints to bacterial and viral infections, cancer and AIDS. Again, little research exists to show any beneficial effects, but there are known side effects. One of the more obvious signs of over-exposure to silver is argyria, where the skin and hair turns a blue-grey colour.

One of the more obvious signs of over-exposure to silver is argyria, where the skin and hair turns a blue-grey colour.

WHO guidelines for drinking water quality dont currently include a value for silver in water, but indicate that a concentration of 0.1 milligrams per litre could be tolerated without risk to health. However, this was determined as a level unlikely to cause argyria, and didnt take into account potential damage to DNA. Prof Hunter said: While none of the previous studies alone are definitive, and we cant use them to determine a safe level of consumption from this review, we consider that the balance of evidence suggests there is the chance of damage to DNA. There is an urgent need for more research on this area to determine if people drinking water treated with silver have evidence of DNA damage.

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Water treatment could be damaging DNA - The Hippocratic Post (blog)

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have just reported a small but significant accomplishment: catching the replication of a single DNA molecule on video for the first time. And the footage has revealed some surprising details about this structure on which all life depends.

DNA is composed of two strands bound together in a helical shape, like a twisting ladder. These strands are made of four basesadenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine, abbreviated as A, G, C and T, respectivelystrung together in various patterns and paired in specific ways across the rungs of the ladders. A always pairs with T, and C always pairs with G. Sugar and phosphate molecules help provide architectural support to the ladder-like structure. Human DNA contains about 3 billion bases. Discrete, repeated sequences of bases form the individual genes that encode the instructions for all our working parts. And every time a cell divides, which happens incredibly often, DNA replicates so that each new cell contains a complete copy of our entire genome, or genetic blueprint.

A digital representation of the human genome. Scientists at UC Davis have discovered that DNA replication is not as smooth as they thought. Mario Tama/Getty Images

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The process of DNA replication isa tremendous source of wonder and focus forresearch. The helix must unwind and have each strand copied smoothly and quickly. An enzyme called helicase triggers the unwinding and another called primase initiates the replication process. Athird, called polymerase, travels the length of a strand, adding the requisite base pairs along the way, leaving behind a new strand. Imagine splitting a ladder down the middle and assembling matching halves so that where there was once one ladder now there are two. That is DNA replication, only in place of saws, nails, wood and glue, there are enzymes and many microscopic and complex processes. Mysteries aboundwhen it comes to thishereditary material.

To better probe those mysteries, geneticist and microbiologist Stephen Kowalcyzkowski and colleagues watched DNA from bacteria replicate. They wanted to see exactly how fast the enzymes worked on each strand.

This first-ever view, shown in the video above, revealed a surprise: replication stopped unpredictably and moved at a varying pace. "The speed can vary about 10-fold," Kowalczykowski said in a statement. The two strands also replicated at different speeds.Sometimes the copying stalled on one strand while proceeding on the other. "We've shown that there is no coordination between the strands," said Kowalczykowski. "They are completely autonomous." The process, the researchers report in their study, published in Cell, is much more random than previously suspected.

The three enzymeshelicase, primase and polymeraseare also not alwys in sync. Even if polymerase stops its replication work, helicase can keep unzipping the helix. That lack of coordination leaves the half-helix of DNA exposed and vulnerable to damage. Such exposure is known to trigger repair mechanisms within the cell. Errors in replicating DNA, while often corrected, can also result ingenetic abnormalities that in turn lead to diseases.

This new look at DNA transforms the scientific understanding about replication. "It's a real paradigm shift," saidKowalcyzkowski, "and undermines a great deal of what's in the textbooks."

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DNA Replication Filmed for First Time Shows How Awkward and Random Genetics Is - Newsweek

Long before cats became the darlings of Facebook and YouTube, they spread through the ancient human world.

A DNA study reached back thousands of years to track that conquest and found evidence of two major dispersals from the Middle East, in which people evidently took cats with them. Genetic signatures the felines had on those journeys are still seen in most modern-day breeds.

Researchers analyzed DNA from 209 ancient cats as old as 9,000 years from Europe, Africa and Asia, including some ancient Egyptian cat mummies.

They are direct witnesses of the situation in the past, said Eva-Maria Geigl of the Jacques Monod Institute in Paris. She and colleagues also looked at 28 modern feral cats from Bulgaria and east Africa.

Its the latest glimpse into the complicated story of domesticated cats. They are descendants of wild ancestors that learned to live with people and became relatively tame though some cat owners would say that nowadays, they dont always seem enthusiastic about our company.

The domestication process may have begun around 10,000 years ago when people settled in the Fertile Crescent, the arch-shaped region that includes the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and land around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. They stored grain, which drew rodents, which in turn attracted wild cats. Animal remains in trash heaps might have attracted them too. Over time, these wild felines adapted to this man-made environment and got used to hanging around people.

Previous study had found a cat buried alongside a human some 9,500 years ago in Cyprus, an island without any native population of felines. That indicates the cat was brought by boat and it had some special relationship to that person, researchers say.

Cats were clearly tame by about 3,500 years ago in Egypt, where paintings often placed them beneath chairs. That shows by that time, the cat makes its way to the household, said Geigl.

But the overall domestication process has been hard for scientists to track, in part because fossils skeletons dont reveal whether a cat was wild or domesticated.

Its easier to distinguish dogs, our first domesticated animal, from their wolf ancestors. Dogs evolved from wolves that had begun to associate with people even before farming began, perhaps drawn by the food the humans left behind.

The new study tracked the spread of specific cat DNA markers over long distances through time, a sign that people had taken cats with them. Results were released Monday by the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

The study strengthens and refines previous work, said Carlos Driscoll of the Wildlife Institute of India. The extensive sampling of cat DNA going back so far in time is unprecedented, he said.

Researchers also looked for a genetic variant that produces the blotchy coat pattern typical of modern-day domestic cats, rather than the tiger-like stripes seen in their wild cousins. It showed up more often in samples from after the year 1300 than earlier ones, which fits with other evidence that the tabby cat markings became common by the 1700s and that people started breeding cats for their appearance in the 1800s.

Thats late in the domestication of cats, in contrast to horses, which were bred for their appearance early on, Geigl said.

Most of the study focused on the ancient dispersals of cats. In the DNA samples analyzed, one genetic signature found first in the Asian portion of Turkey and perhaps once carried by some Fertile Crescent cats showed up more than 6,000 years ago in Bulgaria.

That indicates cats had been taken there by boat with the first farmers colonizing Europe, Geigl said. It also appeared more than 5,000 years ago in Romania, as well as around 3,000 years ago in Greece.

A second genetic signature, first seen in Egypt, had reached Europe between the first and fifth centuries, as shown by a sample from Bulgaria. It was found in a seventh-century sample from a Viking trading port in northern Europe, and an eighth-century sample from Iran.

The dispersal of the cats across the Mediterranean was probably encouraged by their usefulness in controlling rodents and other pests on ships, the researchers said.

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DNA study reveals cats traveled with humans centuries ago - New York Post

A protein made by the fetus may lead to preeclampsia in moms.

People born to mothers who had the prenatal disorder were more likely to have certain DNA variationsnear a gene known to influence blood vessels. The results, published online June 19 in Nature Genetics, point to that gene as a possible preeclampsia culprit, and may help scientists develop ways to stop or prevent the pregnancy complication. Preeclampsia, which is marked by a dangerous spike in blood pressure, affects about 5 percent of pregnancies and is estimated to kill over 70,000 women a year globally.

Scientists have known that preeclampsia can run in families, but the genetics of the fetus hadnt been scrutinized. Over the years, people have looked at mothers genes, says geneticist Linda Morgan of the University of Nottingham in England. This is the first large study to look at babies genes.

Morgan and colleagues compared DNA variations in 2,658 babies, children and adults born to mothers who had preeclampsia with those in more than 300,000 people. (This large group probably included some people born to mothers with the condition, but the vast majority were not.)

A genome-wide association study (GWAS), a technique used to comb through DNA looking for genetic variations that may be linked to a disorder, pinpointed a spot on chromosome 13, near a gene called FLT1. That gene is involved with blood vessel formation, an intricate process for the placenta as it grows into the inside wall of the uterus and merges the babys blood supply to the mothers. The same genetic hot spot turned up in tests of a second group of offspring from mothers who had preeclampsia, Morgan and colleagues report. Another DNA variation near the gene also showed a link to the disorder.

Identifying FLT1 makes a lot of sense, says Ananth Karumanchi, a vascular biologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who was not involved in the study. Earlier experiments by Karumanchi and others suggest that the gene plays a role in preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is kicked off by the placenta, an organ grown mostly from fetal cells that helps provide nutrients to the fetus. And though the details are unclear, some scientists suspect that unhealthy placentas start to pump out too much Flt-1 protein. A version of the protein called sFlt-1 can then slip into a mothers bloodstream, where it may damage blood vessels in a way that leads to high blood pressure.

The GWAS results cant explain the bulk of preeclampsia cases. A fetus carrying a single copy of one of the troublesome variants near FLT1 raised a mothers risk of preeclampsia by about 20 percent, the analysis suggests. Other risk factors are known to be much stronger, Morgan says, including previous high blood pressure, former preeclampsia diagnoses or carrying twins.

Karumanchi says that the genetic results might not be strong enough on their own to make the case that the gene is involved. But other work points to FLT1. We feel its the right target, he says.

In Europe, a preliminary clinical trial is testing a filtration method that removes excess sFlt-1 protein from the blood of women with signs of preeclampsia. So far, about 20 women have undergone the procedure, says nephrologist Ravi Thadhani of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Early results are quite encouraging, he says, and he hopes to expand the study soon.

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A baby's DNA may kick off mom's preeclampsia - Science News Magazine

A lost hat while fleeing police led to a DNA match and an arrest in a burglary attempt at a local storage facility.

Matthew Kelly Carpenter, 34, was allegedly caught in the act by law enforcement at the storage facility on South Cherokee Street in Muskogee in late January, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case Wednesday.

Carpenter fled officers, losing his hat in the progress. DNA from the hat was sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for testing, and it came back as a match to Carpenter, the court documents state.

He has two prior convictions of second-degree burglary, according to supplemental information filed with the charges.

Carpenter was arrested Tuesday and is held without bond on four charges of second-degree burglary and two charges of attempted second-degree burglary, according to court documents.He returns to court June 26.

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Alleged burglar identified through DNA - Muskogee Daily Phoenix

Jun.20.2017 / 5:04 PM ET

For the first time ever, scientists have captured a single DNA molecule replicating on video and its changing the way we think about the entire process. One of the most surprising findings is how much randomness characterizes the process.

Its a different way of thinking about replication that raises new questions, Stephen Kowalczykowski, molecular genetics professor at University of California, Davis, said in a press release. Its a real paradigm shift, and undermines a great deal of whats in the textbooks.

Related: Do We Really Share 99% of Our DNA With Chimps?

The researchers watched replicating DNA from E. coli bacteria. The first step in the process always sees the double helix unzipping into two strands a leading strand and a lagging strand. Each of these become a template for a new strand that is made to match it, leaving two complete DNA molecules when the process has reached the end. The researchers wanted to measure how fast the enzyme machinery moving along the different strands in opposite directions worked.

The polymerase on the leading strand can easily work at a continuous pace, but the polymerase on the lagging strand cannot. Until now, scientists believed that the polymerases on the two strands coordinated their movement somehow to ensure that one didnt get too far ahead of the other. However, this video shows that this isnt the case.

Related: CRISPR Gene Editing May Cause Hundreds of Unintended Mutations in DNA

Instead, the progress of the lagging strand polymerase looks a lot like stop and go traffic, stopping unpredictably and starting up again at random speeds that can vary tenfold. What seemed like coordination is really just the average outcome over time of this random process of variable speeds and starting and stopping.

Weve shown that there is no coordination between the strands. They are completely autonomous, Kowalczykowski said in the press release.

Related: Crispr-Cas9 The Future of Genetic Engineering

The researchers also discovered that the DNA molecule makes use of a kind of dead mans switch that it requires due to this lack of coordination. The switch kicks in to stop the spiral from unzipping too far and lets the polymerase catch up. This is important because it minimizes mutations, but it also prompts the question: how does the dead mans switch know to kick in if the two strands are working independently?

The research, published in "Cell," highlights how the human tendency to impose a vision of order on what is often more chaotic in reality can cause us to arrive at the wrong conclusions. The footage also provides some exciting new avenues for research. And while the blueprint to life on our planet might be less organized than we once thought, theres still enough mystery remaining in the DNA puzzle to make discovering new surprises an almost sure bet.

This article was originally published by Futurism. Read the original article.

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First-of-Its-Kind DNA Video Raises Big Question About Molecule of Heredity - NBCNews.com

The new FootJoy D.N.A. Helix golf shoe.

Courtesy of FootJoy

FootJoy, the dominant market leader in shoes, is cracking the code on stability. The latest version of its D.N.A (DryJoys Next Advancement) franchise, the D.N.A. Helix sports a wider TPU outsole, especially under the heel, to help you take your biggest cuts with confidence.

The company says the shoe is 38-percent more stable than the previous model. "I've worn every version and this is by far the best for me," says PGA Tour player Scott Stallings of the shoe in a release. "The additional support they built in, especially laterally as I move back and through the ball, is fantastic." The updated outsole is also a 23-percent lighter than before. Plus, a softer, more flexible foam insole and cushioned FTF ("fine-tuned foam") midsole enhance comfort while a stretchable tongue and padded collar ramp up the feel quotient. The D.N.A. Helix comes with choice of standard laces, or the Boa lacing system for an extra $30. In stores now; $210.

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FIRST LOOK: FootJoy DNA Helix golf shoes - Golf.com

An examination of published studies shows yoga, meditation, tai chi, and other mind-body interventions offer therapeutic benefits down to a molecular level.

While many attest to the positive effects yoga and meditation have on their overall well-being, is there any hard science to back up these claims?

According to a new study published in Frontiers in Immunology, the answer could be Yes.

Researchers examined 18 studies published over the past 11 years. These studies included information on 800 people.

The researchers concluded that mind-body interventions (MBIs) activities such as yoga, meditation, and tai chi actually affect the bodies genes. The positive benefits of these activities included a reduction of stress and related symptoms at the molecular level.

These activities are leaving what we call a molecular signature in our cells, which reverses the effect that stress or anxiety would have on the body by changing how our genes are expressed, lead author Ivana Buric, a PhD student at Coventry University, said in a press release.

Put simply, MBIs cause the brain to steer our DNA processes along a path that improves our well-being.

Specifically, MBIs are able to influence gene activity related to inflammation.

During an interview with Healthline, Buric said, When we do yoga or meditation, we learn to perceive situations differently and consequently experience less stress, which then prevents the production of inflammatory proteins, he explained.

Rather than simply making one feel calm, or relaxed, there are real changes occurring within the brain and nervous system.

Broadly, when we experience something stressful in our lives, the sympathetic nervous system is engaged, increasing production of chemicals in the body that are commonly associated with feelings of fear, danger, or anxiety commonly called the fight-or-flight response.

Of those chemicals, a molecule called nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) is produced. It's responsible for causing genes to form proteins known as cytokines, which are responsible for cell inflammation.

In people who practice MBIs, the opposite seems to happen. A decrease in both NF-kB and cytokines leads to lower levels of inflammation in the body.

The genes that we inherited can change their activity ... We are now beginning to understand what aspects of our environment affect the activity of which genes, said Buric.

Read more: Living hard on the weekends can wreck your health

The impact of MBIs on inflammation has potentially far-reaching applications.

A range of psychological disorders, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, as well as other medical conditions like asthma and arthritis, are all inflammation-related diseases.

However, Buric cautioned that there is no conclusive evidence that MBIs can treat these illnesses and that research is still lacking. More needs to be done to understand these effects in greater depth, for example, how they compare with other healthy interventions like exercise or nutrition.

While there has been a general sense of how MBIs affect human brains, this new study gives a deeper understanding of their impact on a molecular level. And highlighting a hard science approach might be more appealing to some skeptics.

MBIs occupy an increasingly important part of the health practices for people in the United States. A study in the journal Neurology in 2008 indicated that half of adults in the country use complementary and alternative medicine with mind-body therapy being the most commonly used form.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also published its own survey of American usage of MBIs between 2002 and 2012, utilizing data from nearly 90,000 people. One of their key findings was yoga practice for individuals aged 18-44 nearly doubled, growing from approximately 5-10 percent.

At the same time, the American Psychological Association reported a continuing rise in stress level by generation with millennials and Gen Xers indicating significantly higher levels of stress than their parents.

What is clear from all this data is that, without proper treatment, stress levels particularly for younger and marginalized Americans will continue to rise, possibly leading to deteriorating health.

As these groups seek out new treatments, pressure will mount on the medical community to research the potential benefits of these nontraditional treatments, including MBIs.

This is an important foundation to build on to help future researchers explore the benefits of increasingly popular mind-body activities. said Buric.

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Can Yoga Reprogram Your DNA? - Healthline

by Kristin Bien, WSBT 22 Reporter/Anchor

Prosecutors say a new Indiana law could save Hoosier lives. When a person is arrested and charged with a felony, their DNA will be entered into a national database.

A sample is taken through a Q-tip swab inside the cheek. If a person is found to be innocent, the data is disposed.

St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter says the state has been doing this for years for people convicted of felonies.

"Being able to ID who that person was not just based on a person's memory but also the forensic findings -- that in fact it is one out of a billion people, which means it is that person when there is a match. I think people understand that there is not a confusion there. They are the actual person who has done it," said Cotter.

The idea is to find and keep repeat offenders behind bars.

Critics to this law argue it infringes on civil and privacy rights, but the supreme court found that DNA collection from suspects did not violate their rights.

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Prosecutors say new Indiana DNA law could save lives - WSBT-TV