Category Archives: DNA

Vermont State Police investigators used advanced DNA sequencing techniques to identify a sample found as part of their investigation into the 2004 disappearance of a 17-year-old girl in the town of Montgomery, police said Friday.

But investigators say identifying the source of the DNA found near the abandoned car of Brianna Maitland does not mean they have identified a suspect in her disappearance.

"We are continuing our active efforts to investigate every lead associated with this case, and we constantly look for new technological advances to aid in our investigation," lead investigator Detective Sgt. Angela Baker said in a statement. "The use of genetic genealogy to identify the DNA found 18 years ago is just one example of how detectives continue to track down every potential lead in this case."

Brianna was last seen on the evening of March 19, 2004, when she left work at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery. She was headed to a friend's house where she was living, but she never arrived.

The next day, her 1985 Oldsmobile was located backed into an abandoned building about a mile from the restaurant. The now-identified DNA sample was later found near the car.

Police have said there is no evidence Brianna left the area willingly and they believe she was a victim of foul play.

The DNA collected from near Brianna's car was added to the FBI's DNA database and compared to samples from 11 people of interest in the case, but no match was found.

In the fall of 2020, the state police sent samples to Othram, a Texas-based forensic sequencing laboratorythat has set up afundraising pagefor the investigation.

After months of investigation, police were able to "locate, interview, and obtain DNA samples from possible donors."

Those DNA samples were sent to the Vermont Forensic Laboratory, which confirmed that DNA from one of the individuals matched the DNA found on the ground near Brianna's vehicle.

Anyone with tips or other information that might in any way be relevant to the investigation should contact Detective Baker atangela.baker@vermont.gov, or submit ananonymous tip online.

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DNA identified in search for Brianna Maitland, 17-year-old Vermont girl who went missing in 2004 - CBS News

If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. With that in mind, the ROCE of ResMed (NYSE:RMD) looks great, so lets see what the trend can tell us.

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for ResMed, this is the formula:

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

0.24 = US$976m (US$4.7b - US$621m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2021).

Thus, ResMed has an ROCE of 24%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Medical Equipment industry average of 8.2%.

View our latest analysis for ResMed

Above you can see how the current ROCE for ResMed compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

ResMed is displaying some positive trends. The numbers show that in the last five years, the returns generated on capital employed have grown considerably to 24%. The company is effectively making more money per dollar of capital used, and it's worth noting that the amount of capital has increased too, by 56%. This can indicate that there's plenty of opportunities to invest capital internally and at ever higher rates, a combination that's common among multi-baggers.

To sum it up, ResMed has proven it can reinvest in the business and generate higher returns on that capital employed, which is terrific. Since the stock has returned a staggering 285% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. With that being said, we still think the promising fundamentals mean the company deserves some further due diligence.

On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for ResMed that we think you should be aware of.

High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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

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

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We Think ResMed (NYSE:RMD) Might Have The DNA Of A Multi-Bagger - Simply Wall St

A California man has been arrested and charged in the 1994 murder of a mother of three thanks in part to DNA retrieved from bite wounds on the victim, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced Tuesday. Cheri Huss was found stabbed to death and bitten by her killer inside her Desert Hot Springs apartment 28 years ago.

Sharron Eugene Gadlin, 48, was pulled over while he was driving in Gardena and arrested on Friday. He is being held in Riverside's Southwest Detention Center on $1 million bail.

"I hope Cheri and her family will finally get the justice they deserve and have waited so long for," Hestrin said in a statement.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Huss was found stabbed multiple times and was bitten by her killer on April 24, 1994. Homicide investigators determined she fought off her attacker, and blood left at the scene was determined to be male and matched the DNA of the saliva in Huss' bite wounds.

The case was cold for nearly 28 years, until forensic genetic genealogy identified Gadlin as a person of interest last month, district attorney's officials said. Further investigation determined Gadlin lived in Thousand Palms in 1994, about 12 miles from where Huss was found murdered.

Cold case investigators got a warrant to get a saliva sample from Gadlin on Feb. 14. The state Department of Justice lab determined the sample from Gadlin matched the DNA profile of the man who killed and bit Huss, prosecutors said.

Gadlin was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

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California man arrested after DNA from bite wound helps solve 1994 murder of mother of three - CBS News

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, has introduced legislation to prohibit law enforcement agencies from using the DNA of victims collected from rape kits for use to investigate separate crimes.

That is a sensible proposal and should be implemented statewide to make sure it never happens anywhere ever again.

There are so many barriers to survivors coming forward, Wiener tweeted on Monday, announcing his introduction of the proposal through Senate Bill 1228. If survivors believe their DNA may be used against them, its just one more barrier.

The proposal follows a recent incident out of San Francisco in which the police department, using DNA from a 2016 rape kit, linked the DNA of the victim to an unrelated property crime.

USA Todays Tami Abdollah has subsequently reported that the police departments crime lab was not only storing sexual assault victims DNA through the last seven years, the department was also routinely searching suspect DNA for matches against DNA belonging to victims of other crimes, including children, as well as volunteers like consensual sexual partners who provided DNA to help isolate a suspects DNA in a rape case. All matches were reported to police investigators.

Though San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin wisely declined to prosecute the individual whose case brought all of this to light, it is troubling that law enforcement departments could end up in this situation.

Victims of sexual assault should be encouraged and supported in coming forward to undergo sexual assault examinations to identify their perpetrator, Boudin said in a statement. Instead, the practice by a police crime lab that my office exposed treats victims like criminals. It not only violates their privacy, but it dissuades victims from reporting sexual violence which makes us all less safe.

Thats right.

While police investigators may want to have access to as much information as they can potentially get to help them solve crimes, there are rules and processes in place to protect civil liberties and to avoid discouraging victims of crimes from engaging with law enforcement as well.

San Franciscos police chief has vowed to not allow victim DNA to be used to investigate unrelated crimes.

It doesnt matter what case it is, if its a serial killer, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott told USA Today. No victim information will be shared with investigators. Im not a scientist but I know what direction I gave. I know what confirmation I gave to my lab people, the chief of investigation is very clear, that its not to be done.

But according to USA Today, the departments policies are written in a way that could in fact allow the practice to continue, just with less transparency.

Hence, a clearly and directly written state law to prohibit the practive to take this option out of the hands of police departments is in order.

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Prevent the use of victim DNA by the police - Daily Breeze

Two new studies have looked into why some people are more seriously ill from Covid than others

Differences in DNA could explain why some people are more seriously ill from Covid, researchers have found.

A new study, published in the Nature Journal, identified 16 new genetic variants - differences in DNA - associated with severe coronavirus, including some related to blood clotting, immune response and inflammation.

One genetic variant was found to be slower at signalling to the immune system that cells are under attack from the virus.

Having just one of the 16 genes could be the difference between getting a mild cough or being admitted to intensive care, according to researchers.

What did researchers find?

The government-funded study, which is the largest of its kind, saw researchers from the GenOMICC consortium, led by experts at the University of Edinburgh, assess the genes of more than 57,000 people across the UK, including 7,941 Covid patients from 224 intensive care units.

Researchers from the GenOMICC consortium a global collaboration to study genetics in critical illness led by University of Edinburgh in partnership with Genomics England, assessed the genes of more than 57,000 people across the UK.

They sequencing the genomes of 7,491 patients from 224 intensive care units and compared their DNA with 48,400 other people who had not had coronavirus, and 1,630 people who had experienced mild Covid.

Key differences in 16 genes were found among intensive care patients.

The findings included how a single gene variant was enough to increase a patients risk of severe disease.

One gene variant, called interferon alpha-10, was found to be less effective in signalling to the bodys immune system that cells were under attack from a virus and people with this gene were more likely to die from Covid.

Another variant, called Factor 8, is linked to the blood clotting disorder haemophilia and was also found in severely ill patients.

Experts say the findings could help to reveal a persons risk from various diseases, such as Covid, and suggest a specific treatment may help manage disease in the early stages.

Professor Kenneth Baillie, the projects chief investigator and a consultant in critical care medicine at University of Edinburgh, said: These results explain why some people develop life-threatening Covid-19, while others get no symptoms at all.

But more importantly, this gives us a deep understanding of the process of disease and is a big step forward in finding more effective treatments.

It is now true to say that we understand the mechanisms of Covid better than the other syndromes we treat in intensive care in normal times sepsis, flu, and other forms of critical illness.

Covid-19 is showing us the way to tackle those problems in the future.

Researchers say that not everyone will have all of the DNA changes they identified, meaning some people will have a greater or lesser tendency to have severe outcomes.

Professor Sir Mark Caulfield from Queen Mary University of London, formerly chief scientist at Genomics England and co-author on the study, explained: Through our whole genome sequencing research, weve discovered novel gene variants that predispose people to severe illness which now offer a route to new tests and treatments, to help protect the public and the NHS from this virus.

I think what we can say today is that these variants do denote people that are more likely to have a critical illness.

And if we knew about them earlier in the course of their illness, we might be able to consider early intervention with some of the medicines weve been talking about, such as dexamethasone or others to try and prevent an adverse outcome.

Can blood type influence the risk of severe Covid?

Another study, published in The Conversation, suggests that proteins in the blood could be another biological factor that increases the risk of suffering severe disease from Covid.

Some proteins help the body to defend against viruses, while others transport molecules around the body and distribute information.

The study claims that through these functions, blood proteins can impact the severity of coronavirus.

As everyone has different amounts of these proteins in their body, this could explain why some people only develop a runny nose from Covid, while others require intensive care, and in the severest cases, some may die.

Researchers from Kings College London and the Medical University of Vienna assessed more than 3,000 blood proteins using a technique called Mendelian randomisation, which looks at variation in genes and its influence on disease outcomes.

Findings revealed several proteins that potentially increase or decrease the risk of severe Covid.

Increased levels of one protein, called FAAH2, was found to heighten the risk of someone needing hospital treatment for coronavirus, as it causes cells to absorb and inactivate substances called endocannabinoids, which have anti-inflammatory effects.

Having more of these proteins that remove them could be problematic as it potentially lessens the bodys ability to control inflammation caused by Covid.

Another protein identified was the ABO enzyme, which determines your blood group.

The study found that having higher levels of this enzyme appears to increase the risk of hospitalisation from Covid and subsequently needing intensive care.

Previous studies have shown that blood group A is more common in those with severe Covid and this study strengthens the case that the ABO enzyme and blood type influence coronavirus severity.

It was also found that Covid can cause disease in the blood vessels, especially when severe, but proteins that attract white blood cells to the wall of blood vessels can help to protect against this and help fight off infection.

Researchers said: Identifying these risk factors may help scientists develop new treatments, as these proteins could be targeted by new medicines - or existing ones that have been repurposed.

It has also allowed us to draw up a list of proteins that can be prioritised by other researchers, so that in future we can understand even more about what the biological risk factors for Covid are.

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Blood type and DNA difference could increase risk of severe Covid, research finds - NationalWorld

23andMe

Your genetic makeup can determine a lot about you, from physical attributes like your genetic weight and muscle composition, to medical conditions like Type 2 diabetes or celiac disease. A genetic test kit is one of the easiest ways to help you understand your health a little better. 23andMe is one of our absolute favorite DNA tests for 2022, especially if you've never tried one of these test kits before. And right now you can pick it up for just $99 at Amazon, down $50 from its usual price. But hurry: This deal is only available for today until 2:55 a.m. ET (11:55 p.m. PT).

Compared to the very popular Ancestry.com, 23andMe's test kit is primarily geared toward understanding the relationship between your genes and health, rather than tracing your family tree or discovering distant relatives. In addition to general wellness reports, which provide detailed information about your sleep, exercise and diet patterns, 23andMe tests for genetic carriers linked to health conditions like cystic fibrosis and determines your predisposition to developing certain conditions such as Alzheimer's. Using the test couldn't be easier, too.

All you need to do is register your test kit on the website, provide your spit sample in the included test tube, ship it out to the lab, and in roughly three to four weeks you'll be able to access your results online, so there are no appointments or doctor visits necessary.

It's possible that your DNA information could be shared with pharmaceutical companies andlaw enforcement agencies, so be sure to consider your comfort level with that before you do any at-home DNA tests. 23AndMe does have a privacy pagewhere it outlines how your information is stored and protected.

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The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Learn All About Yourself With $50 Off This 23andMe Health Service DNA Kit - CNET

Russia has made serious allegations against the US and western countries. It has said that the US is helping Ukraine's military in this war. In the last 13 days, it has given more than 500 stinger missiles to Ukraine. Germany has given 500 stinger missiles; the Netherlands 200 and the rest of the other NATO countries have given 700 stinger missiles to Ukraine. Germany has also sent 1,000 Anti-Tank missiles to the Ukrainian army. In addition, the US has created an air field on the border of Poland and Ukraine, where Ukraine is being given air support by the US and other western countries.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken himself met the Foreign Minister of Ukraine at the Poland-Ukraine border. The US and NATO countries are doing everything in Ukraine that they once did in Afghanistan. That is, just as these countries destabilized Afghanistan to defeat the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia, today, all these countries are talking about peace and democracy on the international forum. But at the same time, they are sending weapons to Ukraine and fuelling the fire of this war.

In the 1980s when the Soviet Union had control over Afghanistan and even when the Mujahideen organisations were fighting against its army, the US and NATO countries had helped them in the same way. The US had ignited the fire of war at that time to defeat the Soviet Union by giving stinger missiles to the Mujahideen organizations. And then the Taliban's Mujahideen were able to easily shoot down the planes of the Soviet Union with these missiles. And that's what the US is still doing today.

He is giving more and more stinger missiles to Ukraine, so that the Russian air force suffers heavy losses in this war. At the time of the Afghanistan war, the US thought that terrorism was only a problem for Asian countries, but when the 9/11 attacks took place, it removed the Taliban's government in 2001, sent its troops to Afghanistan and pushed the entire country into a 20-year-long war again. If the US manages to do the same in Ukraine, then this war will go on for a long time. And just as there is an Afghanistan in Asia right now, so too will there be an Afghanistan in Europe, which the world will know as Ukraine.

Today, there is an atmosphere of instability and fear in these two countries. The citizens of both countries are forced to become refugees in the world. The only difference is that all are giving shelter to the people of Europe's Afghanistan, that is, Ukraine, but no one has given help to the Afghanistan of Asia. Because in Afghanistan in Asia, people with blue eyes and brown hair do not live. They are not Christians and they don't have fair skin.

In the last 13 days, two million Ukrainians have taken refuge in European countries. In the last one year, hardly 300,000 people in Afghanistan have not been able to find refuge in the world.

The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has been on for 13 days now. And so far, the Russian army has occupied most of eastern Ukraine, south-eastern Ukraine, southern Ukraine and northern Ukraine. And now from all these areas, its forces are moving towards central Ukraine. In addition, Russia claims that its troops are only 16 kilometres away from the Presidential Palace in Kyiv. And the military conflict between Ukraine and Russia continues in the areas of northern Kyiv. In the last 24 hours, the war has taken a serious turn. And maybe now Russia will take a big action on Kyiv. Because most of the buildings in the residential areas like Irpin in Kyiv have now been destroyed and not a single citizen is left here. That is, Kyiv is emptying very fast. And these empty areas are echoing with the noise of war.

The US and the UK have imposed restrictions on Russia's oil and gas imports. But Putin has warned that if this happens, he will stop the supply of crude oil to the international market. And the gas supply to Europe that it needs will also be stopped. If Russia takes such a step, crude oil prices will reach 300 dollars a barrel, which are already on a historical level. Today, due to the war, crude oil prices reached $139 per dollar, the highest since 2008. This will have a direct impact on the pockets of India and the common people of India. Petrol may also cross the Rs 150 per litre mark in the coming months.

The US and NATO are helping Ukraine. But Ukraine's President Zelensky has said that the aid is equivalent to a drop of water in the sea. Zelensky wants NATO to declare Ukraine's war-torn areas a no-fly zone, but NATO has officially refused to do so, and Zelensky is calling it a betrayal of western countries with Ukraine.

The No-Fly Zone defines a particular place where it is ensured that no country's aircraft can fly in that area. In 2011, NATO placed many areas of Libya under the category of no-fly zones, so that Libya's dictator Gaddafi could not use his air force against the rebels. And Zelensky wants the same. In fact, when NATO puts an area in the No-Fly Zone, planes of NATO countries start hovering in that area. And if a military aircraft of another country comes into that area, it is attacked and destroyed. Now if this happens in Ukraine, NATO will directly join this war and Vladimir Putin has already said that in such a situation he will understand that the West has waged a war against Russia. This is why NATO is not declaring a no-fly zone in Ukraine despite pressure from Zelensky.

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DNA Special: Will Ukraine become the Afghanistan of Europe? - DNA India

The Beswick family name was already engrained in the programs history.

After all, coach Jason Beswick has been part of Northern Highlands ice hockey for nearly 2 decades and this year his only son, Brent, joined the fray as a freshman forward.

But even the father-son connection, one that has seen Northern Highlands raise its second ever NJSIAA state championship, runs so much further than that.

They got me there when they asked me about my son in the video over there, Beswick said following the Highlanders championship win. I met my wife through Highlands hockey. I was coaching Highlands, and she was a figure skating coach. Brents my only son, and when he was born, Highlands hockey was life.

We dont actually live in the towns- he chose to go to Highlands. Theres no words to describe it. Hes an incredible kid. When he puts on the Highlands jersey, he plays extra special and I couldnt be more proud of him, as well as all of the boys.

Brents obviously my only son, but I consider all of these guys my kids, for sure.

It was also cinematic to a point that Brent scored the final goal of the game to officially seal the win.

Middletown North had pulled its goalie to gain an extra attacker in an attempt to equalize the game. Brent, after getting the puck in the neutral zone, sent it into the back of the net and got the Northern Highlands celebration started early.

Its really great, the younger Beswick said. Honestly, I grew up watching Highlands every year, hoping to get a state championship. It was great to finally get one especially with him.

Middletown North, all credit to them. Theyre a great team and I think we just knew how theres a lot of firepower and offense. To win this game, we had to play solid defense and we knew we had really good forwards. So we knew when our chances come wed bury them.

While the father and son did embrace on the ice, it was something that the younger Beswick didnt do that may stick most with the duo.

Walking in the bowels of the Prudential Center towards the locker room, Jason was greeted with a classic Gatorade bath by his team in celebration.

Brent wasnt the one holding the jug but he has a feeling he may take the brunt of the responsibility,

Its pretty funny to be honest with you, Brent said. Hell probably blame me, because why not?

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Northern Highlands ice hockey engrained in Beswick family DNA - NJ.com

DNA test kits have become more broadly available and affordable in recent years. What was once an intensive scientific process can now be delivered straight to your door -- for less than $100 in some cases.

Although these tests were first used as paternity tests or to solve crimes, the tests can now help you discover your heritage, any health risks you might have down the line, and even relatives you may not know about.

We've rounded up the best DNA test kit options available, no matter if you're looking to build out your family tree or get a snapshot of your health.

23andMe's test kits can help you discover how the sequences in your DNA might impact the future of your health. The Health and Ancestry kit looks at how your DNA might affect your chances of certain health conditions, including diabetes, atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, migraine, Alzheimer's disease, and more.

The kit can also look at your lifestyle factors to determine the future of your health with things like lactose intolerance, muscle composition, caffeine consumption, and alcohol flush reaction. In addition, the company was the first DNA test kit approved by the Federal Drug Administration as a screener for potential diseases.

Pros:

Cons:

Ancestry.com is known for helping people find out where they came from, but it also offers a complete DNA test kit that can aid in your family's historical research. This DNA test kit includes information about your geographic origins across more than 1,500 regions.

Suppose you're looking into your family's history and hit a roadblock. In that case, your DNA results may give you a clue where else you can look further to find more information, making AncestryDNA an excellent option for those digging deep into their family's history and origin. While the company does offer health testing, it is not as robust as competitors but will do the basic job.

Pros:

Cons:

While AncestryDNA is great if you've already delved into the world of your family research, FamilyTreeDNA is a better place to start if you're just building out your family tree. Some features of this test include providing you with a percentage breakdown of your origin, such as ancient European groups, and the ability to connect with relatives from within the last five generations.

Another great feature about FamilyTreeDNA is that it offers paternal and maternal ancestry kits if you have gaps in either of those areas that you want to finally discover. Aside from family matters, FamilyTreeDNA looks at your health insights like fitness, nutrition, bone and heart health, and sleep routine, giving you access to meal and workout plans based on your DNA.

Pros:

Cons:

Those who are hesitant about purchasing a DNA test kit due to privacy should consider Living DNA. The company has an extensive privacy statement that goes in-depth about what personal information it holds, why it saves it, what it does with it, and how it protects it. Because Living DNA is based in the UK, it is subject to the strict policies and regulations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), making its privacy by far the best on this list.

As far as what Living DNA's test kits will tell you, it gives you 21 subregional DNA breakdowns from over 150 worldwide regions to precisely tell your heritage. The company also offers DNA health insights, such as how your body responds to vitamins, food, and exercise, all based on your genetic makeup.

Pros:

Cons:

The most comprehensive DNA testing kit on this list is the Nebula Genomics Whole Genome Sequencing DNA test. This test kit uses sequencing technology to decode 100% of your DNA, compared to others that interpret only the most essential parts of your DNA, thus providing you with more specified information that only experts or knowledgeable customers might be seeking.

The company says it decodes more than 20,000 genes in the human genome, which can help spot very rare genetic variants that might cause genetic diseases. In addition, Nebula Genomics identifies mutations in your genes and allows you to find out more about your oral microbiome, which is a crucial indicator of disease and maintains the balance of your overall health.

Pros:

Cons:

We looked at the most well-known DNA test kit companies for this list. We read through each company's privacy policies to ensure basic privacy protections of your DNA if you so choose to use one of these brands.

We also considered low- to mid-tier pricing to compare each kit, rather than looking at the most expensive options, since many of these brands offer kits at various price points.

DNA tests are relatively simple and all work the same way. After choosing which brand you want to use, the company mails you a saliva collection kit. You simply spit into a tube and mail it back to their lab. After several weeks, you receive your results and learn about your health or family treein detail.

Most DNA tests (including 23andMe) use genotyping to look at specific locations in your DNA and identify the variations that make you unique. Focusing on any specific variation can lead to clues about your ancestry, health conditions, and other traits.

Other tests, such as AncestryDNA, use autosomal DNA testing, which measures your autosomal chromosomes and matches them across a database of people who share DNA with you to find relatives.

DNA tests can provide you with a variety of information. For example, most kits on the market can break down your lineage and tell you a percentage of your heritage (i.e., 25% German heritage or 40% Irish heritage). In addition, DNA tests can cross-reference your DNA with others in a company's database so you can even find long-lost relatives.

Aside from domestic purposes, DNA tests can give insight into your health and if you are predisposed to certain diseases or conditions. Especially if you are looking to proactively take charge of your health, taking a DNA test kit could be worth it.

Many people might be hesitant to order a DNA test kit because of reports about compromised security and privacy. If you are concerned about your privacy, be sure to read through the DNA test company's privacy policies. In addition, it's important to note that companies do not share your DNA info with third parties (such as public databases or an employer) but may provide information to law enforcement if required by a valid court order or search warrant.

However, according to an investigation from Consumer Reports, these direct-to-consumer DNA testing companies unnecessarily compromise consumers' privacy regarding your non-DNA data like facts about your address, name, email, etc. As a result, CR recommends opting out of DNA research from your testing service or considering deleting your data once you are done using it.

Here are a few other DNA test options to look into:

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Best DNA test 2022: Top kits for ancestry and health - ZDNet

If there were a competition for the most godforsaken, remote place on Earth, Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean northeast of Siberia would be a worthy contender.

The ground is covered by permafrost and cyclones ravage the landscape on a regular basis. Even on the warmest days temperatures only climb as high as 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit), while in the wintertime it plummets to minus 30.

Prof. Love Daln, of the Centre for Palaeogenetics at the Swedish Museum of Natural History and Stockholm University, never thought his academic path would lead him here, of all places. But he kept returning to Wrangel, along with his fellow lab workers. They slept in tents, chased off curious polar bears, and tried to locate a unique find: the remains of the last woolly mammoths to walk the planet.

Throughout history, the location and harsh living conditions on Wrangel have kept humans away, thus creating the conditions that allowed the island to host the last surviving group of mammoths, until 2000 B.C.E. long after the Egyptians began building their pyramids.

It took a long time to collect the samples in conditions of intense cold, with a lot of polar bears around you not easy, the researcher recalls in a Zoom interview with Haaretz.

Daln is among the worlds foremost researchers of ancient DNA, using cutting-edge technology that enables a direct genetic study of evolution on Earth sequencing the genomes of animals and plants that became extinct hundreds of thousands, even millions, of years ago. In December, Nature magazine named him one of its scientists to watch in 2022.

DNA analysis is very important to the understanding of life, says Daln, and ancient DNA allows us to travel back in time. This way, we can learn about evolution at the molecular level in real time. Thats why its so cool. Until recent years, genetic studies always deduced about the past through current DNA, so we could only guess. With ancient DNA, we can really see what happened back then.

Indeed, analysis of ancient DNA heralded a real revolution in the study of the development of life and a series of dizzying discoveries. Thus, for example, we learned that Neanderthals mated with modern humans (Homo sapiens).

All humans currently living outside of Africa carry about 2 percent of Neanderthal DNA in their genetic makeup, and this is something we had no idea about before the study of ancient DNA, Daln says. Before this technology was developed, the argument was that there was no interspecies mating. Those 2 percent, by the way, affect COVID immunity, so its something that impacts us to this day.

Daln adds that ancient DNA studies have discovered that hybridization between species was a very common phenomenon, and not just among hominids. It was revealed, for instance, that modern brown bears carry 3 to 4 percent of the cave bears DNA an extremely large species of bear that lived in Europe and Western Asia, including Israel, but became extinct some 25,000 years ago.

So there was mating there, too, says Daln, and from this we understand that hybridization between species is a natural occurrence, which has happened in the past and may happen in the future.

Today, for example, people are worried that brown bears are reaching further northward due to global warming, and are mating with polar bears, he says. But this is something that has happened again and again over the past 700,000 years, so perhaps we dont need to be so worried about it.

A giant leap backward

The origins of this field of study can be dated back to 2005, when Next Generation Sequencing was developed. This method enables the separation of ancient DNA and contemporary DNA, which would contaminate the ancient findings.

This was a serious scientific breakthrough, Daln says. Until this method was developed, you couldnt ascertain if DNA found in an ancient bone, for example, belonged to the animal itself or to the researcher who found the bone.

If an archaeologist touches an ancient bone, he contaminates it, Daln explains. Its enough to breathe near a bone to contaminate it, because the breath contains many DNA molecules. In a previous study, we showed that this contamination penetrates deep into the bone. We took dog bones, 3,000 to 5,000 years old, sent them for DNA analysis, and found more human DNA than canine even deep in the bone.

The great advantage of Next Generation Sequencing is that it can identify damage to the DNA molecules. This damaged DNA by which we mean old DNA can be separated from the undamaged, or new, DNA. Furthermore, the method allows for the analysis of large quantities of data.

We went from a few hundred bytes of data to billions of bytes that we produce, Daln says. It allows us to reach much stronger conclusions regarding the past.

The research approach pioneered by Daln is called Deep Time Paleogenomics. There have been thousands of studies published about ancient DNA in the past decade, he says, and 99.9 percent of them focus on the past 10,000 years, and on the human genome. There are a few studies on the period from 10,000 to 50,000 years ago, and there are a handful fewer than 10 that go even further back in time.

Daln and his team were the first to successfully study ancient DNA over a million years old. Early last year, they published a pioneering research study that identified a hitherto unknown species: the steppe mammoth. They discovered that this mammoth lived until at least 1.2 million years ago. Our research showed that it is possible to go back at least 1.2 million years that is a huge leap back in time, Daln says.

He relays how, for more than a decade, he held onto the samples in his possession, waiting patiently for the right technology to emerge.

The moment that the information exists, you also need very advanced analysis methods to analyze it, Daln says. We analyzed 10 billion bits of DNA, and 99 percent of them were of bacteria from the soil or from plants, he recalls. In other words, very few came from the mammoths and even these bits were very short.

In order to identify the bits of DNA that belonged to mammoths, the research team needed to develop unique statistical models, which are at the heart of their research. Impressive accomplishment notwithstanding, Daln believes it is possible to go even further back in time. We view it in terms of the degree of preservation of the DNA in mammoths, he says. The analysis would also work if the findings were another half a million years older.

Meanwhile, Daln and his team recently received funding for a large-scale project in which they will seek the DNA of additional species such as moose and lemmings. The remains of some of them are 2.6 million years old, and Im fairly certain we would succeed in extracting DNA from them, he states.

Mosquitoes and bears

Analysis of the distant past would allow us to explore several significant biological issues, including the selection process of animals undergoing evolution. The selection of most of the mammals occurred at least half a million years ago, Daln says. In order to understand this process, you need samples that are at least half a million years old at which point it would be possible to answer basic questions such as, for instance, whether the rate of adaptation in evolution takes place faster when the species has only recently been created. Thats something we dont know. By the way, for the mammoths we investigated, the answer is no, but that is a sampling of a single species. It may be that the rate of adaptation in other species was actually quicker at the start of the species existence.

In order to decipher such riddles, researchers must spend long hours in the laboratory. But there are also intermissions spent in the field such as the trips to Siberia which can last up to six weeks.

It happens with greater frequency than I would like its cold there, Daln smiles. In the summer, the temperature varies between 0 and 5 degrees Celsius. And when the temperature rises just a bit, there are quantities of mosquitoes you wouldnt believe. Its terrible. There are whole swarms all around you, almost making it hard to see. Its a whole cloud around you. Also, youre living with constant noise, 24 hours a day, with that buzzing sound.

Nevertheless, the tough field conditions are critical for carrying out the research: in order to piece together ancient DNA samples, they must be well preserved throughout the entire period of time since they were created. In this case, they must remain frozen for over a million years. Such samples can be found in the Siberian permafrost, in Antarctica, in caves at high altitudes and perhaps also in the depths of the ocean. For the most part, the findings consist of bones and teeth.

Daln relates that many of the mammoth remains in his research are a by-product of the unlawful activity of ivory traders in Siberia. These traders conduct extensive digging in the permafrost in order to locate the valuable tusks, which they then sell in the Chinese market. The length of some of the tunnels dug by the ivory traders run for hundreds of meters and at times the researchers attempt to locate findings in them.

They are interested solely in tusks, not bones, so sometimes we go in after them to see what is left, Daln says. But old tunnels can collapse, and one time that happened to us. Part of the team nearly lost their lives.

Scary as that sounds, it wasnt the researchers most hair-raising experience. The most frightening part is flying in the Russian helicopters theyre very old, Daln admits. Russian engineers are skilled at building aircraft that last for many years and the pilots are very skilled, but nevertheless there are quite a few helicopter crashes. And thats how we get around there.

At times, the researchers also receive samples from collections held in Russian museums. These have already been at room temperature for decades, Daln says. When we dig, we keep the findings frozen in the laboratory.

When they come across any mammoth remains, such as a tooth or a tusk, they take a small bit about the size of a sugar cube as a sample and preserve it in cold storage. They send the rest to museum collections.

However, the ancient DNA research does not focus solely on bones and teeth: scientists are also collecting DNA samples from sediment. In this method, they drill into the stone walls of a cave or into the permafrost, analyzing the DNA found in the sediment. This way, they can acquire data not only on individual specimens, such as in genomic analysis of a bone or tooth, but instead on an entire community.

You take a bit of soil or rock and see what lived there hundreds of thousands of years ago DNA of all the plant life that lived at that time, and of animals that lived there, Daln explains.

Some 20 percent of these sediment samples are composed of organic material originating in animas dead skin, urine and feces. This includes short bits of DNA, which it is possible to piece together. The researchers determine the age of the sample based on bits of plants they find in the sediment, which can be dated. Daln believes that in the near future, it will be possible to use such sediments to discover what happened to entire populations over a million years ago.

The possibilities are mind-boggling. In the past 2.5 million years, Planet Earth has mainly had ice ages of approximately 100,000 years in length, and between them hot periods of about 10,000 years, he explains. Were now in a hot period, and one interesting question is how the ecological systems looked the last time there was a hot period about 120,000 years ago. Thats something that is very interesting to examine. The mammoths became extinct during the current hot period [the Holocene], and other Arctic species are facing a difficult situation. It would be interesting to know what happened last time.

As opposed to the sediment samples, when it comes to gauging the ages of bones and teeth from the past 50,000 years, the researchers use the most common dating system: carbon-14. However, this tool is unsuitable for earlier times. As an alternative, the researchers examine the age of rodents found in the same soil level. Lemmings, for example. The morphology of these animals changes relatively quicker than that of mammoths. Bits of DNA from the rodents skull are examined and their age determined the assumption being that the mammoth found alongside it is of the same vintage.

A third method is paleomagnetic dating, which uses the effect of Earths magnetic field reversal to determine the age of sediments or archaeological findings. The last time the Earths magnetic direction reversed completely was 800,000 years ago, says Daln, and so its possible to know whats earlier than that date. It is impossible to know the exact age, but you can know if something is older than 800,000 years.

DNA, politics and racism

Even though innovative research techniques expand scientific understanding, there are some who have made problematic use of them. For instance, two years ago, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to an ancient DNA study which stated that the Philistines may have been of European descent.

In order to avoid political and racist use of the research tool, scholars from 31 countries recently drafted an ethical code for the use of ancient DNA studies.

It is very important to take into account that findings and most certainly those of studies of ancient human DNA can have political implications, Daln says. When you take samples in countries in which there is, for instance, indigenous populations, it can influence the decisions of politicians.

Therefore, he adds, it is important that the research take place in collaboration with, and with the consent of, native populations.

Another ethical issue Daln raises relates the harm to the findings, some of which are extremely rare, that the research causes. Samples of ancient humans are extremely rare and when you investigate the DNA, you harm the sample, he explains. The question can be asked: Do you want results now, or is it better to preserve the findings for generations to come, which may have access to better technology?

Read more from the original source:
In Russia, an ancient DNA researcher rewrites the past - Haaretz