Category Archives: Transhuman News

MADRID (AP) -- Two former cyclists on Tuesday turned down requests to have their DNA analyzed to see if any of the blood bags seized by Spanish police as evidence in the Operation Puerto doping trial could be linked to them.

Isidro Nozal, a 35-year-old former rider with the ONCE, Astana and Karpin-Galicia teams, refused to give the court permission to analyze his DNA.

''No, I don't want to,'' he said. ''I don't see why I should have to.''

Joseba Beloki, a 39-year-old former racer with ONCE and Liberty, also declined, saying he would have to think about it.

The riders were among four former Spanish professionals giving evidence under cross-examination on Tuesday.

Only Nozal acknowledged ever having received treatment from Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor at the center of the Puerto case.

Fuentes is the key figure and one of five defendants in the case, which stems from a police raid in 2006 that uncovered blood bags and other doping equipment and implicated many of the world's top cyclists.

No riders are on trial because doping was not illegal in Spain at the time and the court is limited legally to trying Fuentes and his co-defendants, which include his sister Yolanda, of endangering public health.

Beloki said he was willingly collaborating with the case, although he had been subpoenaed to appear as a witness. He has denied any links with Fuentes.

''But if you ask me if I give my permission to have the blood bags analyzed, I would have to think about it,'' he told the court via a video link.

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2 former cyclists deny Puerto court DNA access

DNA from a New Zealand girl bearing a striking resemblance to Madeleine McCann confirms she is not the child who disappeared in 2007, police said.

British authorities asked for the sample after the latest reported sighting of McCann in New Zealand, nearly six years after she went missing while holidaying with her family in Portugal at the age of three.

New Zealand police said they had been contacted twice by people convinced the child was McCann, first in March last year and again on New Year's Eve, when she was spotted in the southern resort town of Queenstown.

They investigated the first sighting and were "absolutely satisfied" it was not the missing girl but obtained a DNA sample after a request from Operation Grange, the British police task force investigating the disappearance.

Police said the New Zealand child's family provided the sample voluntarily and the DNA "does not provide a match for that of the missing girl".

"Given that there is conclusive evidence that their daughter is not Madeleine McCann and has no connection to Madeleine McCann, it is only right that she and her family are entitled to a level of privacy that most of us enjoy," they said.

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DNA shows N.Z. girl not Madeleine McCann: police

Public release date: 13-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Robin Lynne media@sasquatchgenomeproject.org 231-622-5362 DNA Diagnostics

Dallas, Feb. 13--The multidisciplinary team of scientists, who on November 24, 2012 announced the results of their five-year long study of DNA samples from a novel hominin species, commonly known as "Bigfoot" or "Sasquatch," publishes their peer-reviewed findings today in the DeNovo Journal of Science (http://www.denovojournal.com). The study, which sequenced three whole Sasquatch nuclear genomes, shows that the legendary Sasquatch is extant in North America and is a human relative that arose approximately 13,000 years ago and is hypothesized to be a hybrid cross of modern Homo sapiens with a novel primate species. A species name, Homo sapiens cognatus, has been applied for through ZooBank. "Cognatus," from the Latin "con" (with) and "natus" (born), means "blood relative."

The study, "Novel North American Hominins, Next Generation Sequencing of Three Whole Genomes and Associated Studies," was conducted by a team of experts in genetics, forensics, imaging and pathology. The team, led by Dr. Melba S. Ketchum of DNA Diagnostics in Nacogdoches, TX, included Dr. Pat Wojtkiecicz, Director of the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory; Ms. Aliece Watts of Integrated Forensic Laboratories in Euless, TX; Mr. David Spence, Trace Evidence Supervisor at Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences; Dr. Andreas K. Holzenburg, Director of the Microscopy & Imaging Center at Texas A&M University; Dr. Douglas G. Toler of Huguley Pathology Consultants in Fort Worth, TX; Dr. Thomas M. Prychitko of Helix Biological Laboratory in Michigan; Dr. Fan Zhang of the University of North Texas Health Science Center; and Sarah Bollinger, Ray Shoulders, and Ryan Smith of DNA Diagnostics.

In total, 111 specimens of purported Sasquatch hair, blood, skin, and other tissue types were analyzed for the study. Samples were submitted by individuals and groups at 34 different hominin research sites in 14 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Ketchum's team sequenced 20 whole and 10 partial mitochondrial genomes, as well as 3 whole nuclear genomes, from the samples.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) comes from mitochondria, energy-producing organelles in the cellular cytoplasm, and is passed down on the maternal lineage across generations. Nuclear DNA (nuDNA) is the genetic information contained in the cell nucleus and is the equal combination of DNA from the parents of an individual.

Initially a skeptic, Ketchum implemented strict protocols to ensure the scientific integrity of the study. DNA was extracted from samples using forensic procedures followed by screening of the samples to rule out contamination. Subsequently, the Q30 quality scores for all three genomes sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform were well above the average Q30 score of 85, indicating that the DNA used in the next generation sequencing was highly purified and originated from a single source for each of the three genomes sequenced. Prior to DNA testing, forensics experts examined the morphology of submitted hair samples against known human and animal samples.

"We soon discovered that certain hair samples--which we would later identify as purported Sasquatch samples--had unique morphology distinguishing them from typical human and animal samples," says Ketchum. "Those hair samples that could not be identified as known animal or human were subsequently screened using DNA testing, beginning with sequencing of mitochondrial DNA followed by sequencing nuclear DNA to determine where these individuals fit in the 'tree of life.'"

After extensive forensic controls to prevent contamination, mtDNA testing of the Sasquatch samples yielded fully modern human profiles. Sixteen haplotypes indicating 100% homology with modern human mtDNA sequences were observed from 20 completed whole and 10 partial mitochondrial genomes. The human mtDNA results are consistent with previous, unrelated mtDNA tests of purported Sasquatch samples from other laboratories.

Next-generation whole genome sequencing with the HiSeq 2000 platform by Illumina was performed at the University of Texas, Southwestern on one tissue sample, a saliva sample and one blood sample to produce 3 whole genomes. In contrast to the mtDNA which was unambiguously modern human, the Sasquatch nuDNA results were a mosaic of novel primate and human sequence.

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3 'Bigfoot' genomes sequenced in 5-year DNA study

STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwire - Feb 12, 2013) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. ( OTCBB : APDN ), aprovider of DNA-basedsecurity and anti-counterfeiting technology and product authentication solutions, will host a conference call on Friday, February 15, 2013 to discuss its earnings.

Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. management will host a thirty-minute conference call beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern standard time on Friday, February 15, 2013 to discuss the company's performance and outline key ongoing and future business initiatives.A presentation by CEO and President James Hayward will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

All participants must pre-register using the link below. It is suggested that you log into the conference call approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to ensure that all participants are on-line at the start of the call.While callers cannot be heard during the call, questions may be emailed beforehand to investor@adnas.com.

For those of you unable to participate, a transcript of the call will be posted by end of business on February 15, and available under the "Investors" tab of the company's web site.

To Participate: Reserve your spot now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/176683054

To Send Questions Prior to the Call: Please email questions prior to the call to investor@adnas.com.

Due to the large number of expected participants, not all questions may be answered on the call.

Company Background Materials: You may be interested in the company's Investor Information section on the company's web site, including publications, recent press releases, blogs, and other materials.

About APDNAPDN is a provider of botanical-DNA based security and authentication solutions that can help protect products, brands and intellectual property of companies, governments and consumers from theft, counterfeiting, fraud and diversion. SigNature DNA and BioMaterial Genotyping, our principal anti-counterfeiting and product authentication solutions that essentially cannot be copied, provide a forensic chain of evidence and can be used to prosecute perpetrators.

The statements made by APDN may be forward-looking in nature. Forward-looking statements describe APDN's future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN's SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 20, 2012 and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. APDN undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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Applied DNA Sciences to Host Conference Call Friday, February 15, 2013

DNA samples sent to Scotland Yard prove a young New Zealand girl is not the missing Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from a vacation apartment in Portugal in 2007.

Left: Madeleine before her disappearance. Right: A digitally-altered photo showing what Madeleine might look like today. (Metropolitan police)

Published: Feb. 13, 2013 at 9:57 AM

DNA results prove a young New Zealand girl is not Madeleine McCann, the British girl missing since May 2007.

The girl's family voluntarily submitted a DNA sample to police after she was spotted several times in Queenstown, New Zealand, in March and then again New Years Eve by a retailer who became suspicious by the resemblance she bore to McCann.

Police sent the sample to Scotland Yard, which confirmed that the DNA did not match that of the missing girl, New Zealand media reported.

"We have received confirmation from Scotland Yard that a DNA sample provided voluntarily from a girl mistaken as missing British girl Madeleine McCann on New Year's Eve in Queenstown last year does not provide a match for that of the missing girl," said Detective Inspector Steve McGregor of the New Zealand southern police.

"At the time of the sighting police made thorough inquiries and were completely satisfied that the girl was not Madeleine McCann."

The family of the Queenstown girl has requested to remain anonymous.

McCann was just shy of her fourth birthday when she disappeared while on vacation with her parents at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007.

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Girl not Madeleine McCann: DNA test crushes hopes lost girl had been found