Category Archives: DNA

A man is expected to be charged after police used DNA to make a breakthrough in the investigation of a series of rapes committed in Sydney more than 15 years ago.

Strike Force McCoy was established in March 2004 to investigate 13 separate sexual assaults between August 2003 and November 2004 across Sydney's inner west.

The incidents were linked by location and modus operandi, with four linked by a common DNA profile located at the crime scenes.

Despite exhaustive investigations at the time, including help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the exploration of more than 3000 people of interest, no one was charged over the attacks.

In February last year, detectives from the State Crime Command's Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad started reinvestigating the case.

Earlier this year, experts from NSW Health Pathology's Forensic and Analytical Science Service advised they had established a familial DNA link in the case.

Further inquiries were conducted with help from the Forensic Evidence and Technical Services Command's DNA Management Unit, which identified a DNA match.

Detectives arrested a 51-year-old man at Panania, in Sydney's south at dawn on Monday.

He has been taken to Bankstown Police Station, where he is expected to be charged with multiple offences.

Australian Associated Press

Read more from the original source:
DNA led to arrest of man for Sydney rapes - Northern Beaches Review

Former Speaker Francis ole Kaparo. [File]

Former National Assembly Speaker Francis ole Kaparo has accused his wife of attempting to disinherit him by demanding DNA tests on their four children.

Kaparo is embroiled in a bitter divorce with Mary Mpereina, his wife of 40 years. Mary's case seeking divorce revolves around claims of adultery, having accused Kaparo of cohabiting with another woman in Kiambu.

In his response to Mary's application for the paternity tests, Kaparo says: "None of the children is a minor. They are all grown-ups and responsible for themselves and cannot be forced to take a DNA test that does not seek to achieve anything in their best interest."

The children the couple is referring to are Benard Kaparo who was aged 37 years old at the time the petition was filed in 2013, Stella Kaparo (35), Saidima Kaparo (32) and Susan Kaparo (30).

He further says the paternity test as demanded by his estranged wife is likely to cause undue discord in the family.

"The truth of the allegations by the petitioner can be ascertained without the use of a DNA test which is likely to result in unintended consequences in the family," Kaparo stated in a sworn affidavit.

He claimed his estranged wife, who is a former teacher and businesswoman, is more interested in the matrimonial property than the divorce.

"The petitioner seems to be more concerned about succession than the children who she wants to drag into the matrimonial dispute," Kaparo responds.

He said attempts by family members to resolve the disputes since 1984 have been in vain.The case has been before former Kiambu Chief Magistrate Patricia Gichohi.

In her plaint, Mary cited desertion, cruelty, and adultery as grounds for divorce, saying that"I have been severely affected by the respondent's inhumane treatment, dishonesty, immoral character and eventual desertion of the matrimonial home."

She said she tried to save their marriage until Kaparo recently moved out of the house.Mary told Kiambu Chief Magistrate Emily Ominde that one of the reasons she moved to court was to protect her rights to the vast matrimonial property they jointly acquired.

"I have never consented to the respondent marrying another woman, and would never agree to share a husband," she said, adding that their problems started in 2017.

Here is the original post:
Kaparo fights wife's bid for DNA test on their four children - The Standard

St. Louis Medical Examiner's Office has an unprecedented amount of unidentified remains waiting to be reunited with families

ST. LOUIS Joseph Parkers family wondered for four years where the father of five had gone.

Several of his eight siblings described him as always ready to help them if they needed it, especially when his brothers needed an extra hand for their demolition company.

They said he had a golden voice, and loved to record R&B songs with his cousins. They said they tried to be there for him, too, as he struggled with addiction.

He didnt have a place of his own, and stayed mostly with his mother or his aunt, sometimes squatting in vacant buildings.

Occasionally, a week might pass before a member of his family would hear from himbut the spring of 2017 was different, said his sister, Lashawn Jones.

Joseph never just disappeared, she said. He always needed us for whatever it was. For him to go missing for weeks or months, we were like, OK, something is not right.

Thats why in April of 2017, after two months went by with no word from Joseph, his family filed a missing persons report and formed a search party to look for him in vacant buildings around the St. Louis Place neighborhood where his mother lived.

We searched every building but that one, his brother Don Parker recalled, standing outside an abandoned light bulb factory near 18th and Madison streets.

Inside that building, a man found human remains in 2019.

Now, two years after that, the St. Louis Medical Examiners Office has identified the remains as the body of Joseph Parker and reunited him with his family.

Its an outcome the Parker family fearedbut one that has given them the answers they needed to move forward.

And its an outcome the St. Louis Medical Examiners Office is still hoping to bring to seven more unidentified soulsthe highest number of unidentified remains the staff there can ever recall having at one time, according to Tara Rick, director of operations for the morgue.

We like to hope that everyone has someone and we just have to find them, she said. This case, in particular, was one that was close to us that never left our mind.

Rick credits the success in the Parker case to his familys own actions, technology and dogged determination by the citys forensic staff.

A missing persons report

Joseph Parkers mother was too distraught to do an interview with 5 On Your Side, so her sister, Gloria Baker, spoke for her.

To Baker, Joseph Parker was Pee Wee.

When he was born, he was so little that my mom made his bed out of a dresser drawer and so I said, This is my Pee-Wee, Baker recalled. So thatd been his name from 1980 all the way until the end.

To his brother, Don Parker, he was Joey Joe.

I called him and I said, Hey Joey Joe, I got some work for you, and he said, All right, come pick me up Don Don, Don Parker said. So I picked him up and we did the job and he got paid, of course, and I dropped him off.

That was the last time I saw him. Then, March of 2017 went by. So did April.

Joseph Parkers mother reported her son missing at the St. Louis Police Department. Along with the report, she gave the police a sample of her DNA.

From there, police sent her sample to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification. There, DNA profiles from relatives of people declared missing are entered into a database to be checked should a sample of a missing relatives DNA be recovered and analyzed.

Filing that report and submitting a DNA sample is the single most important step any family concerned about a missing loved one can take, Rick said.

They may give certain identifiers like a clothing description, a physical description, but very rarely is it information that we need, like DNA, dental records or radiological records that would show if you had broken bones, fractures or treatment records at local facilities that could be used for comparison, Rick said.

In addition to filing the report, the Parker family formed search parties.

We went in buildings, vacant buildings and they were lifting up things and yelling out, Hey, Joseph, you in there? or Joseph, somebody, anybody,'" his sister, Lashawn Jones said. "Of course, we've seen a lot of things we probably shouldn't see and we didn't want to see, but we did have search parties for him and we put in a lot of footwork and we walked to these places.

As the months turned into years, the family feared the worst especially his mother, according to her sister.

I watched my sister go through day by day, week by week of not knowing where her child is, where he was at, Baker said. And it was just really rough.

We kept the faith, but it was still a struggle because we didn't know where he was and what happened, and we didn't have that closure.

Body found

Just before 2 p.m. on August 18, 2019, a homeless man walked into the Central Patrol station and asked to speak to a supervisor.

A police sergeant greeted him, and the man told the sergeant he had been living in a vacant factory for several months, primarily on the first floor of the three-story building in the 1800 block of 19th Street.

The man told police he accidentally stepped on a piece of plywood that covered a hole in the floor of the first floor and fell to his knees. The plywood started to give way and he fell to his hands and knees. He looked through a small uncovered section and saw a human body floating in water below.

The man told police he was wearing a headlamp at the time, and that was the only reason he was able to see the body.

He told police he didnt know what to do, so he stayed with a friend for a few days, who told him to notify the police.

The hole in the floor was a cisternusually built to catch and store stormwater. It measured about 29 inches around, and was 20 feet deep with about 10 feet of water in it when police discovered the body, according to the police report.

The man told police he didnt hear or see anything during the time he was living in the warehouse that would have made him think someone could be in the cistern, and he didnt recognize the clothing on the body.

He told police he believed the hole had been covered the entire time he lived there.

When police arrived, they got into the vacant structure through an insecure doorway along the north wall. Broken light bulbs and intact light bulbs littered the floor along with old machinery and other debris, according to the police report.

The first floor was primarily open space with support beams. A piece of plywood almost completely covered the opening to the cistern, according to the report.

The body was clad in a pair of black pants, white tennis shoes, and a black Dickies button-down shirt, according to the report.

The Medical Examiners Office did not find any evidence of a shooting or any other type of trauma to the body. Decomposition was advanced.

Fingerprintsthe first step in getting a person identifiedwere not an option.

An anthropological exam concluded the victim was likely a white man between the ages of 34 and 48 years old and between 5-feet-6-inches and 6-feet-3-inches tall.

At the time, none of the missing persons reports matched that description.

In the months that followed, two different mothers called the morgue with descriptions of their missing sons. Both sent dental records for comparison. Both came back negative.

DNA match

The case went cold until October, about two years after Rick first sent samples of the remains to the University of North Texas for analysis.

This year, analysts developed a DNA profile from the remains and ran it in the database of family members who submitted samples for comparison.

The profile from the remains hit on Joseph Parkers mother.

From there, Rick looked up Joseph Parkers missing persons report, and ultimately made the match. DNA was the key, she said.

I don't feel that we would have had this type of resolution, even though it took a long time, without the family providing those samples, Rick said. It was very emotional.

I know that this family had waited a long time for some answers.

Don Parker told himself he was not going to cry during an interview with 5 On Your Side about his brothers case. But talking about how grateful he is to have an answer, and yet, how it also dashed the hope he had about his brothers whereabouts gets to him.

I was thinking he was probably out of town somewhere, Don Parker said.

His sister echoed his heartbreak.

Just to have the hope for the four and a half years, I mean, we were really holding on, Jones said.

Theyre not sure whether to believe their brother died after accidentally falling into the cistern inside the dark abandoned structure, or whether foul play was involved.

His cause and manner of death are undetermined due to decomposition. The Parker family members now have the most important answer.

Now we know, Don Parker said. We can stop searching and we can stop thinking. We know they found him, and he can rest peacefully now.

Originally posted here:
'Joseph never just disappeared': St. Louis family reacts to identification of loved one's remains after 4 years - KSDK.com

I found my dad and a roommate: Larecia Buford, 36, security officer

I used to go by Larecia Whitehead, I changed my second name to Buford my real fathers name when a DNA test led us to each other after decades apart. For most of my childhood, Mum told me another guy was my father, a man I never knew and who left us when I could barely walk or talk. I was never convinced. Then, at 15, a girl in school recognised my then surname and introduced me to the man my mother always said was my dad. We looked nothing alike. He didnt think I was his daughter either. Fastforward to me being 31, and I needed certainty. Once again I tracked down the man my mum said was my dad and asked him to do a DNA test. The results came back: there was a 0% chance we were related. Id been right all along.

A year later I turned to online DNA tests, unsurprisingly not matching with the Whitehead family. There were random third and fourth cousins, but I was at a loss. Thankfully, a friend connected me with a search angel volunteers who help people like me find their lost relatives. It wasnt an easy task turns out my dad was one of 12 siblings. But 21 days later, my search angel had found my father.

I showed him a picture of my mum and he recognised her instantly. The DNA tests matched. Its strange; to this day my mum is adamant theyve never met. Dad says they were only together three times. I reckon Mum is just in denial. Now she accepts him; we do things as a family. Still, she has no memory of him at all.

And heres the craziest bit: there had always been question marks over whether my dad had been a father. Not to me, but to a boy. Hed raised a son, when in fact he was the child of another man. Dad needed me as much as I needed him. Being his only child, meanwhile, worked out perfectly for me; after 35 years apart, selfishly, I didnt want to share him.

We live together now. Hes more than just a father, hes a best friend. In a matter of months he went from total stranger to being one of the most important people in my life; the same for my children.

Im going to write a book, not just to tell this story but to try to reach teenagers who also have missing parents. If Id found him sooner, I could have had so many more years of loving and being loved by my father. I want to encourage others to not waste any time.

My mum had me when she was 17, super young. I lived with her for a few years as a baby, but I ended up being raised by my grandma. I never knew who my father was, and my mum didnt either; lets say back then she was living young, wild and free in Las Vegas. Its a city where plenty of men come and go. Right after I was born, we took a bunch of paternity tests. None of the potential candidates that Mum identified matched my genetics. Well into high school, I just accepted it would never be figured out.

And then in 2016, out of the blue, my grandma bought us both DNA tests online. Our intention was to learn about my ethnic makeup, that was all. Mum had mentioned previously shed been dating among others a Puerto Rican guy at the time of my conception. I have a different complexion to the rest of our family. I didnt intend to find my father, but my roots. Opening the results was one the most shocking moments of my life apparently Im exactly half Afghan. Lower down the page was a long list of cousins: once you spit in the tube and send it in, you receive a list of relatives who have also signed up. Some of them from names alone I just knew would have to be related to my dad. For the first time, my father felt real.

I called Mum and suddenly a memory of a man was triggered. Maybe there was this one Middle Eastern guy, she said, but theyd only met once. Shed never considered him a possibility.

I messaged one of these newfound cousins and explained my situation. All I knew is that this man would have been in town nine months before I was born. Our exchanges were sporadic. Finally, last November, they sent me a list of names. I asked my mum: he could, she recalled, be an Alex? The final name on the list. Alex lived in Afghanistan with his wife and kids, but his mother my prospective grandmother lived a short drive from me. Our DNA matched. A few weeks ago, I had my first video call with my dad.

He wasnt a visitor, but local. Lots of his family are still here in Vegas; with open arms theyve welcomed me. I still face an identity crisis, only a different type. Does this new information change me? I want to embrace my heritage, but I wasnt raised with it; would that make me an impostor? With their support, Im soaking up Afghan culture. At parties, they all speak Farsi I want to learn the familial language. I know next to nothing about their customs, food or reference points. Im excited to embrace it all, and to one day meet my father. Because being Afghan, it turns out, is a huge part of who I am.

I was always interested in genealogy and when I did a DNA test in 2012 I didnt think much of it. I knew, or so I thought, all about my family history I was doing it for fun. My parents were Irish American Catholics; all my ancestors were originally from the British Isles. Instead, the results showed I was only half Irish, Scottish or English. The rest of me was European Jewish. Of course, one can be Jewish and British, but DNA testing identifies people of Jewish heritage as a distinct group. It made no sense. At first I thought it was a mistake; maybe one side of our family had hidden their background.

My sister and I went into detective mode and asked two cousins to take DNA tests: one on Mums side, and one on my fathers. That way, I hoped, wed decipher where the Jewish genes were from and work from there. The results took an age, but finally came back: both were Irish; none of our cousins shared our Jewish heritage. Even stranger was the fact that while my sister and I matched as relatives with my mothers side of the family, genetically speaking my cousin on Dads side was a total stranger. My fathers sister was not his sister. Somehow, my father had Jewish genes, but his parents my grandparents had not. It was a mystery.

Dad was the son of Irish immigrants. We had his birth certificate, showing hed been born on 23 September 1913. We knew he was raised in a New York orphanage. At this point, we questioned whether something had gone wrong in the system and two children in the home had been confused for each other. But the sole picture I had of my father as a young child matched the man I knew.

Within two weeks of receiving our cousins DNA results, we settled on a new theory: that our father was switched with an Irish baby while the two were newborns in the hospital. It was the only scenario that made sense. It was the only way Dad could somehow have not been related to his own parents. We then spent two and a half years searching for a close Jewish relative who had taken a DNA test to confirm what we thought.

I periodically checked my Irish cousins DNA results online to see if he had acquired any unexpected relatives. Amazingly, he was contacted by a new cousin, a generation below me, whod expected to be genetically Jewish, but discovered she was Irish instead. And yes, this womans grandfather was also born on 23 September 1913. The babies had been sent home with the wrong parents: an Irish boy had been sent home with a Jewish family. My Jewish father Jim Collins had been raised Irish instead.

We tracked down the other family the news to them was also shocking. As soon as we looked at pictures of Jim it all clicked into place. The strangest part is all the coincidences we later discovered: how my dad, Jim, was a gambler just like his biological father; how he loved gefilte fish and didnt eat pork, despite never knowing he was Jewish. Whoever his parents were, my dad was still my dad.

When I was two years old, one of my two younger brothers passed away. I grew older and started my own family, and I too lost a child of my own.

Two and half months ago, I saw a message when I logged into Facebook from a stranger: Im pretty sure we are brother and sister, it said. Id done a DNA test a few years earlier, but got nothing. Suddenly, here was this sister out the blue. Shed been searching for us for 35 years.

Weve basically been neighbours our whole lives shes only 10 miles down the road; Ive known her husband for 25 years, and we have an unbelievable number of mutual friends.

My parents are both dead; after my first younger brother died, my father struggled with alcoholism. He was running around doing whatever, clearly getting someone pregnant in between the births of me and my living brother. As far as I know, he never knew, and neither did we. I ordered a special test which can identify siblings, and drove to her house.

As soon as she answered the door taking a further test seemed pointless. The woman standing in front of me was the spitting image of my dad. When the results came back, lo and behold, shed been right.

The next day, our families met. We all went for dinner, then returned to my place. It was only when I sat down in my house that I realised: my sister was six years younger than me; my father had died exactly six years ago to the day.

Today shes a huge part of my life. We talk every day, shes a missing piece of my lifes puzzle.

Im so happy about it all: after losing a kid, family becomes even more precious. And here I am, with a new sister, niece and nephew. Theyre a blessing and who knows how many more of us there are still to find?

Mum was only 18 when she got pregnant. The father? They werent together and lets just say he wasnt around. Her family were devout Catholics. Back then, lots of young, single expectant mothers were sent to these awful institutions, where theyd give birth and have their babies given away. Six weeks before I was born, Mum was sent to Brettargh Holt in Kendal a convent staffed by Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary. After giving birth, Mum upped and left with me in tow. She never spoke to her parents again. Life was tough, and she did it all on her own. Unsurprisingly, she wasnt keen on talking about everything that had happened. Growing up, I had no idea who my father was.

During the summer, my skin naturally tanned quicker than most of the other kids, which saw me get bullied. When I was six or seven, Mum sat me down and explained why. My dad, she told me, was Italian. That was the only piece of information she ever wanted to share. And so there was always a sense of guilt attached to me trying to find him. On and off since my 20s, I tried to track him down. Many years later, my estranged maternal grandma sent me a letter. His name was Antonio, she told us; this is the street where he was lodging at the time. I knocked on every single door and found his old landlady. She remembered the young Italian lads name.

I found him on Facebook, and sent him a message. Right away, he knew who I was. Soon he had a DNA kit in his hands. He was on a Zanzibar beach when in his 80s Dad discovered he was a father, grandfather and great-grandfather for the very first time.

Today we have a great relationship; he calls me his little miracle. Weve still not talked much about all that happened between Mum and him; why for so long he wasnt a present parent. Hes an elderly man now. One day, maybe I will. Mum died in 2003. Im not sure how shed have felt about me and him connecting. At times I feel guilty, but hes a wonderful man, a special addition to my life. We may have missed out on memories, but theres still time for us to make plenty more.

My sister and I are close. We were both adopted by my parents, but the two of us are not biologically related. When my mum gave birth to our younger brother a few years after we arrived, it was a real surprise for all. Mum and Dad were always open about our adoption; theyd read us a book called The Chosen Baby. Ive also always had admiration for the woman who gave me up. It must have been so hard to do.

Ive always been super-curious about my genetics. Ive been married five years, but dont have children. That means Ive never met anyone my age, older or younger who shares my DNA. Still, I was cautious about digging around; not wanting to upset my parents; aware that appearing in other peoples lives can, of course, cause upset and drama. So little was known about my biological parents the name my birth mother gave on the adoption papers was a decoy that I decided I simply needed to know more.

It was Christmas 2018 when I finally took a DNA test. I got the results on St Patricks day. I remember because it said I have some Irish blood. Through the site, I connected with a half-uncle my first ever blood relation. He knew a little about my mother, Barbara: a bit of a troublemaker, in and out of prison. When she was pregnant with me, she stole her brothers car and drove across the country to secretly give birth. Shed been married at that point; I was the child of her extramarital affair. And, he informed me I had a half-sister an actor in Hollywood. I reached out to her; DNA tests confirmed we shared a birth mother.

I was overwhelmed. As a child, Id watched her play the sassy middle sister on television in a popular television sitcom I loved. To find out we were related was heartwarming. Id spent a lifetime thinking Id never know any blood relatives, when shed been there all along.

She and I still havent talked talked; were yet to meet in person. She was kind when we wrote to each other, but overwhelmed and unsure how to feel. I understand; we all feel different emotions about the past and where were from.

And Im so lucky to have an amazing family who I love more than anything in the world. In time, I hope she and I will connect properly. For now, Im just comforted by knowing she was, and is, part of my world.

Continue reading here:
I took a DNA test and found a new family: the drama and joy of meeting long-lost relatives - The Guardian

Thiruvananthapuram: Based on a court order to conduct a DNA test in the controversial adoption case, experts from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology here collected samples from Anupama S Chandran, her partner Ajith Kumar, and the baby. The test results arrived positive on Tuesday.

The case pertains to the alleged handing over of the baby to foster parents without the knowledge of his biological mother.

The test was conducted after separating the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), a molecule composed of two polynucleotide chains, from the cells in the collected samples.

Method of testing

A buccal or cheek swab is taken for the DNA test. Accordingly, buccal (cheek) cells found on the inside of a person's cheek are collected. These swabs have wooden or plastic stick handles with a cotton on synthetic tip.

Genes, DNA, chromosomes

Genes determine the colour of hair, eyes, skin and even individual traits. These genes are found in each cell, where DNA is arranged in chromosomes. Each DNA has two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix, or chromosome, carrying genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms.

Each chromosome has two strands of DNA in a double helix. The chromosome, depending on whether it is 'X' or 'Y' , determines the gender* of living organisms. DNA is made up of four basic building blocks called nucleotides, which form the double helix.

The coding area of the gene codes proteins for the DNA. Though the primary function of the DNA is to encode a functional protein, a major portion of the genome is made of non-coding DNA or 'junk DNA.' The non-coding region will have short-tandem repeats of microsatellites, repetitive DNA sequences usually several base pairs in length. Each microsatellite may have two to seven nucleotides, the genetic markers to follow the inheritance of genes in families. These are used for testing DNA.

Genetic changes in short-tandem repeats will not affect the body. Hence, it undergoes massive changes that remain across generations, and it differs from person to person.

The DNA test comprises four major parts:

1. DNA is separated from samples collected.

2. Thousands of copies of short-tandem repeats are made using PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) technology. PCR is a widely used technology to rapidly make millions of copies of a specific DNA sample.

3. DNA fragments are separated from the copies using gel electrophoresis technique.

4. The size and distance between these DNA fragments, or bands, are given specific numbers and compared.

If half of the bands of the child's DNA matches with that of his mother and the remaining with those from the father, it could be ascertained that the child is the biological offspring of the couple.

*[Two X chromosomes (XX) make a girl, whereas an 'X' and 'a Y' (XY) make a boy].

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Adoption row | All you need to know about DNA test - Onmanorama

Long ago, during a hot, sweaty, daylong recording session that now feels like a fever dream, Cliffs made its new album, DNA. Plenty of memories linger from that day in June 2018 at Jeremy Eberts home studio (aka Jerbil House), but none more than the oppressive heat that defined the sessions as singer/guitarist Aaron Cottrell, singer/bassist Adam Hardy and then-drummer Jason Winner tracked eight songs with engineer/producer Alex Douglas.

With no fans or air conditioning, Winners bare foot kept slipping off the bass drum during recording. Later, the drummers sweat soaked through his jeans and infiltrated the cracks of his phone, frying it. At one point, Cottrell and Hardy said they had to take Douglas to Grandview Caf for a food and water break to keep him from passing out. We looked like we had just played a basketball game, Hardy said.

In the end, after adding some overdubs and a couple of lo-fi acoustic tracks, Cliffs walked away with DNA, which the scuzz-pop band will celebrate with a release show at Ace of Cups on Saturday, Nov. 27, with new drummer Chris Mengerink and local openers Tetnis and Mukiss. (As is the band's Cliffsgiving custom, entry to the show will be discounted with acanned good.) In addition to cassette copies of DNA, the band will also have a new B-sides and rarities tape for sale.

We have all these recordings from right before [2015 album] Self Portrait, where it's just Adam and I in our old living room on Fourth Street, and I'm playing an acoustic and Adam is playing a cardboard box for the drums with various other percussion, bells and whistles, quite literally, Cottrell said in a recent video call with Hardy, who also lamented the gone-but-not-forgotten Val Keyboard, i.e. an old keyboard with a playing card of Val Kilmer as Batman glued to the top. There are all these recordings that we used to do that are very much rooted in acoustic and weird, lo-fi recording with avant-garde noises and stuff. That sort of vibe has always been a part of Cliffs.

Thatvibe carries through to DNA, which features two acoustic tracks with copious tape hiss and found sounds: Hardys IDK and Cottrell's instrumental pastiche, Inland.

I would be working at the Idea Foundry just staring at my computer all day, Cottrell said of the genesis of Inland. I found this guitar thing that I had done a while ago and just started finding different samples that I had recorded on my phone from when I went to Europe and other times of my life and started stringing them together while I was at work.

IDK, on the other hand, resulted from late-night inspiration. I was going through some weird shit at 3 a.m., and something struck me, Hardy said. I was like, you know what? I'm going to try to record a song on my phone that sounds like it's not on a phone, but sounds more like it's early Elephant Six or early Elliott Smith those old lo-fi recordings where nowadays you can do that on a phone because your phone is more powerful than any of the recording equipment they had back in the early 90s.

The rest of DNA features the loud guitars, big drums, shout-along choruses and rumpled pop melodies for which Cliffs is known. Some of the songs, such as leadoff track Block out the Sun/City Life and Radio, are several years old, which prompted the bandmates to reflect on previous eras of their lives.

I see a person whose life was kind of chaotic. Their mind was a lot more chaotic and directionless. What I think of now when I hear Block Out the Sun is, like, you're blocking out something that could be potentially useful to yourself in order to stay in a more stagnant position, Cottrell said. Maybe I didn't even see that when I wrote it.

Radio dates back to Hardys college days, when he wrote the song after a frustrating philosophy class. There was this person in class I just didn't like, so I kind of wrote it in spite of that person, pretty much calling them nothing, Hardy said, quoting the first line of the song: So being something is nothing/Or it's just how you perceive it/Because if something was nothing/Well that'll make something out of you.

It's a nice little pat on the back, but at the same timea jab with a knife, Hardy said, noting how the song has slowed and become more pensive and Tweedy-esque over the years. "The pace that we play it now and the way that we do it, it's a lot more Wilco-ian. Papa Jeff would be proud about this version.

Cliffsloquialisms like "Papa Jeff," "Cliffsgiving," "Val Keyboard" and other amalgams all fit nicely into Cliffs weirdos making art aesthetic, which has grown even more varied on DNA (including a 90s-throwback hidden track that incorporates both Satan and Lou Barlow). This record is a lot more eclectic than past things, Hardy said.

I think there are elements of both Adam and I that are undeniable in this recording, but then there are also very Cliffs moments that are the two of us ... working in cohesion and figuring it out together, Cottrell said. Calling it DNA just made sense. The double helix.

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Cliffs figures it out together on new album 'DNA' - Columbus Alive

The Duchess of Sussex in 2019.Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

A British journalist said she didn't realize she was being racist by calling Meghan Markle "exotic."

Rachel Johnson reflected on her 2016 article about the duchess in a new BBC documentary.

She said she would be "canceled" if she used the same language today.

Rachel Johnson, a British journalist who called Meghan Markle's DNA "exotic" five years ago, said she wouldn't use the same language today because she would be "canceled."

Johnson is a columnist, author, and sister to Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Writing in her column for the Mail on Sunday in 2016, titled "Sorry Harry, but your beautiful bolter has failed my Mum Test," Johnson described Markle as genetically "blessed." She wrote that the then-actress' "rich and exotic DNA" would thicken the royal family's "watery, thin blue blood."

"Miss Markle's mother is a dreadlocked African-American lady from the wrong side of the tracks who lives in LA, and even the sourest spinster has to admit that the 35-year-old actress is extremely easy on the eye," she wrote.

Speaking in the BBC documentary "The Princes and the Press," which aired in the UK on Monday, Johnson said she didn't realize that the language she used was racist at the time.

"I contrasted the ethnic heritage of Meghan Markle with the ethnic heritage of Prince Harry," Johnson said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot in 2018.WPA Pool/Getty Images

"Of course, that was a few years ago, we wouldn't go anywhere near that now because we would be canceled for making anything about somebody's ethnic background the color of their skin, it would be completely off-limits."

She added that she wouldn't use the words "exotic DNA" if she were to write the same article today.

"Because now I know, and now I've been educated and I've educated myself that 'exotic' is a euphemism for Black, which you don't dare say," she said.

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"I agree it was a misfire, because either way you read it, it sounds eugenicist or racist. So let's just forget it," she added.

Racism in the British press is something the duchess has dealt with ever since the news broke that she was dating Prince Harry in 2016, Insider previously reported.

Harry was the first and only member of the British royal family to publicly acknowledge the racism Markle faced when he released an official statement on the subject in November 2016.

"His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment," a representative for Harry said at the time. "Some of this has been very public the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."

Representatives for the Duchess of Sussex and Rachel Johnson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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A British journalist who wrote that Meghan Markle had 'exotic DNA' in 2016 says she would be 'canceled' if she wrote the same article today - Yahoo...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Nov. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vipergen, a leading provider of small-molecule drug discovery services based on DNA-encoded library (DEL) technologies, announced today the signing of a multi-target drug discovery agreement with Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGS). Under the terms of the agreement, Vipergen will apply its high-fidelity DEL technology platforms to identify novel small-molecule compounds that bind to selected Aligos protein targets. Aligos will select hits for development into novel therapeutics for viral and liver diseases. Aligos will retain exclusive rights to globally commercialize any products resulting from the collaboration. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Aligos' highly experienced team in its mission to develop best-in-class therapies that improve treatment outcomes in chronic hepatitis B, NASH, and coronavirus," said Nils Hansen, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Vipergen. "We look forward to applying our suite of DEL technologies to discover novel leads that help expand Aligos' portfolio of differentiated drug candidates that target these significant unmet medical needs."

About Vipergen ApSVipergen is a world-leading provider of small-molecule drug discovery services based on DNA-encoded library (DEL) technologies and is the first and only company capable of screening DELs inside a living cell. Vipergen provides its proprietary suite of leading-edge DEL technologies through funded discovery partnerships with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including top pharmaceutical companies in the U.S., EU, and Japan. For more details about Vipergen and the YoctoReactor (yR), Binder Trap Enrichment (BTE), and Cellular Binder Trap Enrichment (cBTE) drug discovery technology platforms, please visit http://www.vipergen.com.

Contact:Mary MoynihanM2Friend Biocommunications+1 (802) 951-9600[emailprotected]

SOURCE Vipergen

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Vipergen Establishes Research Partnership with Aligos Therapeutics Focused on DNA Encoded Library (DEL)-Based Drug Discovery for Viral Infections and...

It might not be exactly like the last meeting between these rivals, a 52-7 Georgia victory over Georgia Tech in 2019 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. But everything about this week shapes up to be something in that zip code.

As the story of the season shifts to Atlanta for another game in a week, Georgia enters this week looking for some motivation as a 35-point betting favorite in a game many believe will be akin to a FCS nooner.

What separates the Georgia team apart from other contenders, and especially past Georgia teams, is it has a kind of internal motivation that is difficult to tabulate, but Kirby Smart knows its in the locker room. Call it championship DNA.

Thats why he will likely face the same kinds of questions he did last week on Monday, and give the same kind of answers. Hes not worried because Smart is confident in Georgias leadership, and those players will pick out something to shoot for, a target so to speak. Last week, it was to honor the seniors as Senior Day ceremonies have become complicated in the past 2 seasons. Smarts message of working in preparation during the week continues to resonate with his players.

Last week against Charleston Southern, the message was simple: Build a big enough lead so that the walk-ons, who had never seen the field, could get a chance to go live in Sanford Stadium.

That message now moves to Tech, which Smart is 4-1 against in his tenure. He admitted Saturday that strong leadership takes a lot of pressure off him to repeat the message and the motivation. Strong teams have leaders who speak up and others who listen.

The motivation this week will be the opportunity for a large chunk of the Georgia roster to play closer to home in the recruiting hotbed of metro Atlanta, and against some high school teammates with high school coaches, family and friends watching.

Leadership is something that acts like a long-term investment, perhaps a retirement account, on the season, as a successful program makes contributions to it in the offseason thanks to the culture and foundation of the program. How much quality time the coaching staff spends with each player to explain whats important, how to manage distractions, how to rally together, and most importantly for Georgia in this case, how to constantly improve despite outclassing most of its opponents. The dividends and disbursements are handed out in the postseason.

That brings us to Georgia Tech, which this week enters a daunting task trying to end an awful streak of bad defense.

The Yellow Jackets are 1-6 over this stretch with their only win against Duke on Oct. 9. The Blue Devils are winless in ACC play.

Georgia Tech is 9-24 during Geoff Collins tenure and hes never won more than 3 games in a season, a far cry from his Temple days when he was 15-10 in 2 seasons.

Smart also invoked the writing a book analogy and creating a chapter for each leg of the season. His underrated motivation tactic is creating a carrot each week for the players to shoot for, no matter the opponent. Last week it was play for the anonymous walk-on, this week itll be to boost the rivalry, and play for the guys who grew up in the shadow of Atlanta. It will help the morale on the team, and offer some camaraderie.

Smart admitted that a common trait he preaches about this team is evident in the DNA of other championship teams: leadership and composure.

What I love about this team is that, since the start, they have responded to every challenge. Theres never been, Man, I dont know if we really want to practice today coach, Smart said. Thank you for what youve done so far in terms of leading, but now is when it matters the most.

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Georgia football: Dawgs have found the secret sauce in championship DNA - Saturday Down South

Agreement will allow researchers to streamline development of novel mRNA therapeutics and vaccines

San Diego, CA, Nov. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Codex DNA, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNAY), a pioneer in automated benchtop synthetic biology systems, and RNAimmune, a leading biotech company with expertise in messenger RNA (mRNA) design and delivery technologies, today announced the initiation of work under a collaboration to optimize the development and validation of Codex DNAs future mRNA synthesis kits.

Over the past two years, mRNA has emerged as a promising platform for the development of vaccines and therapeutics. However, robust and reliable production of mRNA remains challenging, resulting in significantly increased timelines during the critical phases of discovery and development that call for rapid iterations of construct designs for optimization. Codex DNA addresses these challenges by empowering researchers with an automated solution for their mRNA synthesis needs. Automated synthesis of mRNA from a digital sequence input reduces the build process by weeks and shrinks the iterative cycle time.

RNAimmune has expertise in mRNA technology and has proprietary design, delivery, and self-amplifying platforms focused on infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, rare disorders, and immuno-oncology. As part of this collaboration, RNAimmune scientists will use their proprietary technology to rapidly evaluate and validate Codex DNAs emerging solutions for automated synthesis and delivery of mRNA molecules with increasing complexity and functionality.

Our partnership with Codex DNA can enhance their highly automated solutions for mRNA production, said Dong Shen, MD, PhD, Founder, and President of RNAimmune. Together, we can incorporate our proprietary carrier molecules into Codex DNAs mRNA synthesis kits to improve automated production toward truly transfection-ready mRNA with enhanced uptake and expression.

With our agreement with RNAimmune, our customers may be able to develop life-saving mRNA-based treatments and vaccines much faster and more easily than before, said Todd R. Nelson, PhD, CEO of Codex DNA. We look forward to working with the RNAimmune team to validate our highly functional mRNA synthesis kits and potentially integrate RNAimmunes proprietary mRNA delivery solutions into our automated workflows.

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About RNAimmune, Inc.

RNAimmune is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines. The Company leverages mRNA as a data carrier to instruct the human body to produce its own proteins capable of fighting a wide range of diseases. RNAimmune is a spin-off venture from Sirnaomics, Inc. and has received a global exclusive right to the proprietary Polypeptide Lipid Nanoparticle (PLNP) technology for mRNA delivery from Sirnaomics. The Company has also developed a proprietary A.I. algorithm (ALEPVA) for antigen prediction and vaccine design. By integrating multiple established platform technologies, RNAimmune is aiming to develop a comprehensive mRNA drug discovery and development platform, from which the Company will enrich its therapeutic and vaccine product pipeline addressing tremendous unmet needs in treatments of viral infections, cancer, and rare diseases. To learn more about RNAimmune, please visit the company website: http://www.rnaimmune.com.

About Codex DNA

Codex DNA is empowering scientists with the ability to create novel, synthetic biology-enabled solutions for many of humanitys greatest challenges. As inventors of the industry-standard Gibson Assembly method and the first commercial automated benchtop DNA and mRNA synthesis system, Codex DNA is enabling rapid, accurate, and reproducible writing of DNA and mRNA for numerous downstream markets. The companys award-winning BioXp system consolidates, automates, and optimizes the entire synthesis, cloning, and amplification workflow. As a result, it delivers a virtually error-free synthesis of DNA/RNA at scale within days and hours instead of weeks or months. Scientists around the world are using the technology in their own laboratories to accelerate the design-build-test paradigm for a novel, high-value products for precision medicine, biologics drug discovery, vaccine and therapeutic development, genome editing, and cell and gene therapy. Codex DNA is a public company based in San Diego. For more information, visit codexdna.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such forward-looking statements are based on Codex DNAs beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to it on the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause Codex DNAs actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements include but are not limited to statements regarding Codex DNAs ability to successfully integrate the RNAimmunes capabilities with mRNA design and delivery into its products. These and other risks are described more fully in Codex DNAs filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other documents that Codex DNA subsequently files with the SEC from time to time. Except to the extent required by law, Codex DNA undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

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Codex DNA and RNAimmune Announce Collaboration to Optimize Development of Future mRNA Synthesis and Delivery Kits - Yahoo Finance