Category Archives: DNA

March 15, 2013

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

A new report in PLoS Genetics attempts to clarify conflicting studies on a population of Alaskan brown bears that are genetically similar to polar bears, yet look and act like typical brown bears.

This population of brown bears stood out as being really weird genetically, and theres been a long controversy about their relationship to polar bears, said co-author Beth Shapiro, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). We can now explain it, and instead of the convoluted history some have proposed, its a very simple story.

Shapiro and her team believe that as the last Ice Age ended and the glaciers receded, a group of polar bears was stranded on Alaskas Admiralty, Baranof, and Chicagof Islands, collectively known as the ABC Islands. Eventually, male brown bears would swim across to the islands from the mainland and mate with female polar bears living there, transforming the entire ABC Islands population into brown bears.

Previous studies on both of these bear species, which have been known to mate and known to produce fertile hybrids, suggested that all polar bears had descended from the ABC brown bears essentially telling Shapiros story in reverse. However, the findings from UC Santa Cruz biologists show that the genetic exchange occurred only in isolated populations and did not affect the larger polar bear population.

Shapiro said previous research had focused primarily on the bears mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited directly from the mothers DNA.

The key to solving this mystery was to analyze DNA from the ABC Islands bears nuclear genomes, and in particular their X-chromosomes, Shapiro said in a statement. Focusing on the X gave us a surprising result.

In the latest study, the team, which included scientists from California, Canada and Russia, analyzed DNA from seven polar bears, an ABC Islands brown bear, a mainland brown bear, and a black bear. The researchers also considered data from recently published bear studies by other researchers.

The team found that polar bears are genetically homogeneous, with no evidence of brown bear ancestry, yet the ABC Islands brown bear DNA contained clear evidence of polar bear ancestry. According to Shapiro, evidence from the bears X chromosome indicated that ABC brown bears have more DNA in common with polar bear females than they do with polar bear males.

See more here:
DNA Study Reveals Secrets Of Gentically Similar Polar And Brown Bears

Pork DNA has been found in Halal chicken sausages that have been served in at least one primary school, Westminster Council has said.

Other tests revealed that lean minced beef supplied to the council showed evidence of lamb and pork DNA.

The council said it immediately ensured both items were removed from all school menus and had instructed its contractor to temporarily cease supplying meat until the issue was resolved. In the meantime, the council said it had asked its contractor to no longer use its Halal meat supplier.

The problem came to light after the authority decided to carry out its own proactive tests on food contamination in the wake of the horse meat scandal.

The council said officers took seven samples in total from three schools in the week beginning February 25, adding that the tests "were carried out on our own initiative and not carried out as the result of any specific concerns about school food standards".

The testing, which involved analysis for the presence of DNA from beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, goat and horse, all proved negative for horse DNA. However, a preliminary report received on Friday suggested pig DNA could be present in the Halal chicken sausages range. The result was found in one sample taken at a Westminster primary school.

A further round of tests have confirmed the preliminary findings.

The Halal sausages were a menu choice in 15 primary schools, two nurseries, one special school and one pupil referral unit, all of which took Halal-only meat. The lean minced beef was used in 18 schools. The authority said it had launched its own investigation to establish how the contamination arose.

Westminster City Council's tri-borough director of children's services Andrew Christie said: "We are very concerned by the discovery that a contractor has fallen short of the high standards we demand. We also understand and regret the upset that may have been caused to parents and children alike. We are contacting schools, parents and faith group leaders and are offering to meet them to discuss their concerns."

Westminster City Council later named the school involved as St Mary's Bryanston Square, a Church of England school in west London.

Continue reading here:
Pork DNA found in Halal sausages

Pork DNA has been found in Halal chicken sausages served in at least one primary school.

Westminster Council named it as St Mary's Bryanston Square, a Church of England school in west London.

Tests by the authority also revealed lean minced beef supplied to the council showed evidence of lamb and pork DNA.

The council said it immediately ensured both items were removed from all school menus.

It also said it had instructed its contractor Chartwells to temporarily cease supplying meat until the issue was resolved. The council added it had asked the firm to stop using its Halal meat supplier.

Halal foods are foods that Muslims are allowed to eat under Islamic dietary guidelines. Pork is among the foods that cannot be consumed.

The pork DNA in the Halal chicken sausages was discovered after the council decided to carry out its own proactive tests on food contamination in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.

The authority said officers took seven samples from three schools in the week beginning February 25, adding the tests "were carried out on our own initiative and not carried out as the result of any specific concerns about school food standards".

The testing, which involved analysis for the presence of DNA from beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, goat and horse, all proved negative for horse DNA.

The Halal sausages were a menu choice in 15 primary schools, two nurseries, one special school and one pupil referral unit, all of which took Halal-only meat. The lean minced beef was used in 18 schools.

More:
Pork DNA In Halal Chicken Sausages At School

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Terahertz (THz) radiation, a slice of the electromagnetic spectrum that occupies the middle ground between microwaves and infrared light, is rapidly finding important uses in medical diagnostics, security, and scientific research. As scientists and engineers find evermore practical uses for this form of radiation, questions persist about its potential human health risks.

New research performed on lab-grown human skin suggests that short but powerful bursts of THz radiation may both cause DNA damage and increase the production of proteins that help the body fight cancer. The findings, which are the result of a collaboration between physicists at the University of Alberta and molecular biologists at the University of Lethbridge in Canada, are published today in the Optical Societys (OSA) open-access journal Biomedical Optics Express.

While these investigations of the biological effects of intense THz pulses are only just beginning, said Lyubov Titova, with the University of Alberta and a member of the research team, the fact that intense THz pulses can induce DNA damage but also DNA repair mechanisms in human skin tissue suggests that intense THz pulses need to be evaluated for possible therapeutic applications.

THz photons, like their longer wavelength cousins in the microwave range, are not energetic enough to break the chemical bonds that bind DNA together in the nucleus of cells. These waves, however, have just the right frequency to energize water molecules, causing them to vibrate and produce heat, which is why microwave ovens are so efficient at cooking food. For this reason, it was believed that heat-related injuries were the principal risks posed by THz radiation exposure.

Recent theoretical studies, however, suggest that intense THz pulses of picosecond (one trillionth of a second) duration may directly affect DNA by amplifying natural vibrations (the so-called breathing mode) of the hydrogen bonds that bind together the two strands of DNA. As a result, bubbles or openings in DNA strands can form. According to the researchers, this raised the question: Can intense THz pulses destabilize DNA structure enough to cause DNA strand breaks?

As shown in earlier animal cell culture studies, THz exposure may indeed affect biological function under specific conditions such as high power and extended exposure. There is, however, a vast gulf between animal research and conclusions that can be drawn about human health.

In a first of its kind study, the Canadian researchers exposed laboratory-grown human skin tissue to intense pulses of THz electromagnetic radiation and have detected the telltale signs of DNA damage through a chemical marker known as phosphorylated H2AX. At the same time, they observed THz-pulse induced increases in the levels of multiple tumor suppressor and cell-cycle regulatory proteins that facilitate DNA repair. This may suggest that DNA damage in human skin arising from intense picosecond THz pulse exposure could be quickly and efficiently repaired, therefore minimizing the risk of carcinogenesis.

The researchers used a skin tissue model made of normal, human-derived epidermal and dermal cells. This tissue is able to undergo mitosis (cell division) and is metabolically active, thus providing an appropriate platform for assessing the effects of exposure to high intensity THz pulses on human skin. For their study, Titova and her colleagues exposed the skin tissue to picosecond bursts of THz radiation at levels far above what would typically be used in current real-world applications. They then studied the sample for the presence of phosphorylated H2AX, which flags the DNA double strand break site and attracts cellular DNA repair machinery to it.

The increase in the amount of phosphorylated H2AX in tissues exposed to intense THz pulses compared to unexposed controls indicated that DNA double strand breaks were indeed induced by intense THz pulses, observed Titova. Once DNA breaks occur, they can eventually lead to tumors if unrepaired. This process, she continued, is very slow and cells have evolved many effective mechanisms to recognize damage, pause cell cycle to allow time for damage to be repaired, and in case repair is unsuccessful to prevent damage accumulation by inducing apoptosis, or programmed cell death of the affected cell.

Read more:
Intense Terahertz Pulses Cause DNA Damage But Also Induce DNA Repair

Dogs may be man's best friend, but their poop can be a pedestrian's worst enemy.

That's why The Fairmont Museum District apartment complex in Houston is taking an innovative step to confront a centuries-old problem.

The 236-unit residence at 4310 Dunlavy St. has contracted with PooPrints, a Tennessee company that offers canine DNA testing as a way to track down the person whose dog left a tell-tale turd.

"I think it's a great idea," said Fairmont leasing manager Molly Kalish. "The main reason we decided to try this new program was because we had a specific issue on one of our floors with accidents."

The building has a large number of dog owners, partly because of its pet-friendly policy and its location adjacent to a city dog park, Kalish said.

So far, Fairmont management has brought up DNA registration with only a small number of dog owners who live on the floor where the accidents occurred. Others will be asked to sign up as part of the building's pet policy when they renew their leases, Kalish said.

To register a participating tenant's dog, apartment staffers use a kit provided by PooPrints to collect DNA through a cheek swab.

The pet's DNA sample is then sent to PooPrints' laboratory in Tennessee, known as BioPet Vet Lab, said PooPrints spokesman Eric Mayer.

When someone's dog leaves an offending sample of waste on an apartment property, it will be tested for a potential match among the apartment's registered dogs.

In the event of a match, the owner will be given a warning on the first offense but will be fined $500 for a second offense at The Fairmont.

See the original post here:
Poop police now have DNA test to find owners

14 March 2013 Last updated at 17:50 ET

Pork DNA has been found in halal chicken sausages served in a primary school in Westminster, central London, the local authority said.

The sausages were from St Mary's Bryanston Square, a Church of England school, Westminster Council confirmed.

Tests on a sample from Burdett Coutts School revealed the presence of lamb and pork DNA in lean minced beef.

The items have been removed from all school meals and the contractor was asked not to use its meat supplier.

Council officers took seven samples in total from three schools in the last week of February to carry out tests on meat products served in schools following the horsemeat scandal.

Under Islamic law, Muslims are strictly forbidden to eat pork.

Halal sausages are served in 15 primary schools, two nurseries, one special school and one pupil referral unit, which take only halal meat.

More than 4,400 pupils choose sausages as a meal option, the council said.

The council said it decided to carry out tests for the presence of DNA from beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, goat and horse after the horsemeat scandal.

Link:
Pork DNA found in halal school meat

Dogs may be man's best friend, but their poop can be a pedestrian's worst enemy.

That's why The Fairmont Museum District apartment complex in Houston is taking an innovative step to confront a centuries-old problem.

The 236-unit residence at 4310 Dunlavy St. has contracted with PooPrints, a Tennessee company that offers canine DNA testing as a way to track down the person whose dog left a tell-tale turd.

"I think it's a great idea," said Fairmont leasing manager Molly Kalish. "The main reason we decided to try this new program was because we had a specific issue on one of our floors with accidents."

The building has a large number of dog owners, partly because of its pet-friendly policy and its location adjacent to a city dog park, Kalish said.

So far, Fairmont management has brought up DNA registration with only a small number of dog owners who live on the floor where the accidents occurred. Others will be asked to sign up as part of the building's pet policy when they renew their leases, Kalish said.

To register a participating tenant's dog, apartment staffers use a kit provided by PooPrints to collect DNA through a cheek swab.

The pet's DNA sample is then sent to PooPrints' laboratory in Tennessee, known as BioPet Vet Lab, said PooPrints spokesman Eric Mayer.

When someone's dog leaves an offending sample of waste on an apartment property, it will be tested for a potential match among the apartment's registered dogs.

In the event of a match, the owner will be given a warning on the first offense but will be fined $500 for a second offense at The Fairmont.

Visit link:
DNA test can reveal which dog owners don't pick up poop

HTC Droid DNA - After The Buzz, Episode 14
Most new-device launches go the same way: usually the press gets review units before they #39;re widely available, and we get to use them for a few days -or a we...

By: pocketnowvideo

Go here to see the original:
HTC Droid DNA - After The Buzz, Episode 14 - Video

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: MARCH 9TH ( VIDEO FLYER) GOODZ vs X-FACTOR DNA vs K-SHINE
UNFINISHED BUSINESS MARCH 9TH VIDEO FLYER GOODZ vs XFACTOR DNA vs KSHINE. Uploaded by theurltv on Mar 08 2013. Saturday March 9th SMACK URL is back withUnfinished Business live at SOB #39;S 204 VARICK STREET NY NY 10014 Doors at 1PM $30 21 Over ID IS A MUST GOODZ vs XFACTOR DNA vs KSHINE TONE MONTANA vs LOTTAZAY wwwurltvtv wwwsmackhd Follow usURLTV. the Urltv.

By: theUrltv

More:
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: MARCH 9TH ( VIDEO FLYER) GOODZ vs X-FACTOR

The Alien Agenda (Part 3) "DNA Manipulation" RFID 666
Looking into the world of transhumanism and how it is slowly being infiltrated into the minds of the masses. Films such as the Terminator and the Matrix have...

By: scrawny2brawny

See original here:
The Alien Agenda (Part 3) "DNA Manipulation" RFID 666 - Video