Category Archives: Transhuman News

IT #39;S IN OUR DNA
The Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final between Derby County and Queens Park Rangers is only a day away. A place for the Premier League is prize on offer for the winners at the end of what...

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IT'S IN OUR DNA - Video

Gilera DNA crazy riding. 🙂

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Gilera DNA crazy riding. 🙂 - Video

dna 146

By: Mind Intruder

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dna 215

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Accumulation of DNA damage can cause aggressive forms of cancer and accelerated aging, so the body's DNA repair mechanisms are normally key to good health. However, in some diseases the DNA repair machinery can become harmful. Scientists led by a group of researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, CA, have discovered some of the key proteins involved in one type of DNA repair gone awry.

The focus of the new study, published in the May 22, 2014 edition of the journal Cell Reports, is a protein called Ring1b. The TSRI researchers found that Ring1b promotes fusion between telomeres -- repetitive sequences of DNA that act as bumpers on the ends of chromosomes and protect important genetic information. The scientists also showed inhibiting this protein can significantly reduce the burden on cells affected by such telomere dysfunction.

"We are very far from therapy, but I think a lot of the factors we've identified could play key roles in processing dysfunctional telomeres, a key event in tumorigenesis [cancer initiation]," said Eros Lazzerini Denchi, assistant professor at TSRI who led the study.

The Trouble with Telomeres

Humans are born with long telomeres, but these become shorter every time a cell in the body divides. With age, telomeres become very short, especially in tissues that have high proliferation rate.

That's when the problems start. When telomeres become too short, they lose their telomere protective cap and become recognized by the DNA repair machinery proteins. This can lead to the fusion of chromosomes "end-to-end" into a string-like formation.

Joined chromosomes represent an abnormal genomic arrangement that is extremely unstable in dividing cells. Upon cell division, joined chromosomes can rupture, creating new break points that can further re-engage aberrant DNA repair. These cycles of fusion and breakage cause a rampant level of mutations that are fertile ground for cancer.

"You basically scramble the genome, and then you have lots of chances to select very nasty mutations," said Lazzerini Denchi.

Setting a DNA Trap

To understand how to prevent these deleterious fusions, Lazzerini Denchi and his colleagues wanted to identify all the repair factors involved.

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Misguided DNA-repair proteins caught in the act

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) Research linking New Zealand's diminutive kiwi with a giant extinct bird from Africa is prompting scientists to rethink how flightless birds evolved.

A report published Friday in the journal Science says DNA testing indicates the chicken-size kiwi's closest relative is the elephant bird from Madagascar, which grew up to 3 meters (10 feet) high and weighed up to 250 kilograms (550 pounds) before becoming extinct about 1,000 years ago.

The authors say the results contradict earlier theories that the kiwi and other flightless birds, including the ostrich and emu, evolved as the world's continents drifted apart about 130 million years ago.

Instead, they say, it's more likely their chicken-size, flight-capable ancestors enjoyed a window of evolutionary ascendancy about 60 million years ago, after dinosaurs died out and before mammals grew big.

Those birds, the authors say, likely flew between the continents, with some staying and becoming the large, flightless species we know today.

Alan Cooper, a professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia and a co-author of the paper, said the DNA results came as a huge surprise given the differences in size and location between the kiwi and elephant bird.

"This has been an evolutionary mystery for 150 years. Most things have been suggested but never this," he said. "The birds are about as different as you can get in terms of geography, morphology and ecology."

Cooper, a New Zealander by birth, is hoping the paper will also bring him a measure of redemption.

That's because two decades ago, Cooper and other scientists discovered genetic links between the kiwi and two Australian flightless birds, the cassowary and the emu. That led to New Zealanders believing their iconic bird might have come from Australia, a traditional rival.

"There was a huge outpouring of angst," Cooper said. "New Zealanders weren't too impressed."

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Kiwi DNA Link Spurs Rethink Of Flightless Birds