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This DNA Kit Will Help You Discover Your Ancestry And Design A Personalized Health Plan - Black Enterprise

NAGS HEAD, N.C. -- Three decades after infant remains were found in a North Carolina beach town, police say they have arrested and charged a couple based on new DNA evidence.

Scott Gordon Poole, 54, and his wife Robin Lynn Byrum, 51, were arrested last week and charged with concealing the birth of a child, a Class I felony, the Nags Head Police Department said in a news release.

The case dates back to April 4, 1991, when police officers found the infant remains in the trash at a location in Nags Head. At the time, authorities were not able to identify the baby's gender because decomposition had already begun, police said.

Investigators connected the couple to the infant after they sent one of its rib bones to a Texas lab for forensic analysis in 2019 and human DNA was recovered, officials said. That evidence was then used to create genealogical profile, leading investigators to Poole and Byrum.

"The tragedy of this child's death and the manner in which his body was disposed of is compounded by the fact that, until now, no one has been found responsible for this incredibly heartbreaking act," Nags Head Police Chief Phil Webster said.

The couple is being held at the Dare County Detention Center in Manteo, police said. Their bond was set at $250,000 each.

The-CNN-Wire & 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

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Cold case solved: DNA evidence leads to arrests of Scott Gordon Poole, wife 30 years after infant body found in Nags Head - WTVD-TV

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Just as the Navajo researcher Rene Begay started to fall in love with the field of genetics, she learned that the Navajo Nation had banned all genetic testing on tribal land. Now she is struggling to figure out what the future of genetics might look like, and whether the Navajo and other Indigenous communities should be a part of it.

Further reading: Race, Genetics, and Scientific Freedom, Return the National Parks to the Tribes, The Search for Americas Atlantis, Elizabeth Warrens DNA Is Not Her Identity

A transcript of this episode will soon be made available. Please check back.

Be part of The Experiment. Use the hashtag #TheExperimentPodcast, or write to us at theexperiment@theatlantic.com.

This episode was produced by Peter Bresnan and Julia Longoria, with help from Tracie Hunte and Alina Kulman. Editing by Jenny Lawton and Emily Botein. Fact-check by Michelle Ciarrocca. Sound design by David Herman, with additional engineering by Joe Plourde. Transcription by Caleb Codding. Special thanks to Pauly Denetclaw.

Music by Keyboard (Ojima, Staying In, and Being There), Naran Ratan (Jam for Bwengo), Parish Council (Its Purple, Not Blue, Durdle Door, and Scented Letters), R McCarthy (Contemplation at Lon Lon), and Column ( Scan), provided by Tasty Morsels. Additional audio from the National Institutes of Healths All of Us Research Program.

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What Does It Mean to Give Away Our DNA? - The Atlantic

Joel Gottfrieds relatives never know what to get him for his birthday.

That changed a few years ago, when Gottfried began researching his family tree. He started with his fathers parents Jews who fled hardship and persecution in Europe and managed to document, in minute detail, their arrival at Ellis Island. He loved it.

So when Gottfrieds 69th birthday rolled around in March 2018, his sister Debbie Heller at last had the perfect gift for her big brother. She ordered both of them an at-home genetic test, 23AndMe, so they could explore their genetic history together. It would be fun.

When they viewed the results six weeks later, their jaws dropped:

What they had believed all their lives that they shared the same biological parents was not true. The results instead showed that they were only half-siblings. While they shared the same mother, they had different fathers.

So whos your daddy? Gottfried asked his sister, stunned.

To which she instantly replied: Whos your daddy?

The two people who perhaps couldve provided answers for them their parents, George and Tina Gottfried had died years before. Other older relatives who mightve had information were long gone, too.

I was shocked to such a degree that it didnt seem real, said Gottfried, who lives in Wyndmoor. Im a data guy. And here I am looking at data that is very clear no ambiguity. We were not [full] brother and sister.

At first, both Gottfried and Heller presumed the other sibling was born of the mystery father. But soon, Gottfried admits, he began to believe that the mystery father was probably his.

For one thing, in the siblings entire extended family, no one is close to six feet tall. Yet Gottfried is 6-foot-2 (his dad nicknamed him Stretch).

And growing up, Gottfried was an academic whiz kid who excelled at science and math and for whom school came easily. No one else in his family, he said, had his degree of academic prowess or technical bent (hes an MIT- and Penn-educated software developer).

So he began doggedly pursuing a scientific trail of DNA connections, which he has now chronicled in a self-published book called Whos My Daddy? (available on Kindle and in print-on-demand through Amazon).

Spoiler alert: Gottfried is indeed the offspring of the mystery father. But what makes Whos My Daddy? a more compelling read beyond the now-ubiquitous tales of DNA family reveals is the question it raises regarding long-ago infertility treatments and the age-old yearning of young couples to become parents.

Gottfried and Heller began the inquiry into their half-sibling status by asking a first cousin, Roy the son of their fathers brother to undergo a genetic test, which he agreed to do. The results showed that Roy was related to Heller but not Gottfried. Which confirmed for Gottfried that his biological father was not the big-hearted, hard-working, and boisterous Bronx salesman who had loved and raised him.

Eager for more data to analyze, Gottfried submitted his DNA to three more testing companies. Subsequent results genetically linked him to others, to differing degrees, some of whom Gottfried tracked down. Some of them were helpful; others were not. Gottfried just kept plugging.

Along the way, he got wind of an intriguing episode of This American Life on PBS, which told the story of a Jewish man, also raised by parents from the lower middle class Bronx, who learned late in life that his father wasnt his biological father.

Listening to it, my jaw just about hit the floor, said Gottfried, who was struck by the storys similarity to his own.

The man had used DNA testing to uncover his genetic history. While his biological dad turned out to be his uncle, he mentioned that hed once had suspicions about his mothers obstetrician/gynecologist a big-deal specialist whom his Bronx mom traveled all the way into Manhattan to see.

Then I realized: Wait a minute. Thats the same story as my mom, said Gottfried, who knew that his mother, after marrying his father, had for five years been unable to conceive. She finally conceived Gottfried after consulting a Park Avenue doctor (whose name Gottfried eventually learned).

And suddenly, Gottfried had not just a growing pile of data to analyze, but a hunch to explore: Did the doctor somehow figure into Gottfrieds origins?

Piece by piece, he said, he discovered what seemed like a possible link between people who seemed to be related to him and people who were somewhere in the branches of the doctors family tree.

Finally, two people provided the breaks his investigation needed.

The first was a man named David Levine, whom tests indicated was Gottfrieds second cousin. When they connected, Levine had interesting information: The doctor whod treated Gottfrieds mother was Levines fathers first cousin.

The second was a woman from California named Maimoona Ahmed who agreed to take a DNA test to help Gottfried uncover his own identity. She turned out to be Gottfrieds biological first cousin. Her father and the doctor had been brothers.

And at long last, Gottfried said, he knew who had fathered him.

Exactly how that came to be, Gottfried does not know. He cannot imagine, he says that, it was infidelity on his mothers part. The doctor had been an early fertility practitioner, and his mother turned to him after five years of being unable to conceive.

Once he made his discovery, Gottfried sought to learn what he could about the doctor, a respected physician with a prestigious clientele whom Ahmed, his niece, remembers with great affection and esteem.

The whole family always put him on a pedestal. We adored him, said Ahmed, 77, of the doctor, who died in 2001. He was so handsome, so charming.

The doctors family came to the United States from Russia; Gottfrieds fathers family emigrated from Hungary. The doctor had been part of a field unit of physicians sent to help prisoners being liberated from Nazi concentration camps after World War II. Gottfried has a copy of a very moving letter that the doctor wrote home about what he saw.

Gottfried said he was able to identify and then contact the doctors now-adult children; he says they did not respond to his request to connect. But Gottfried has gotten to know four of his newly discovered second cousins and two first cousins, especially Ahmed, with whom he spent a day while in California a couple years ago.

It was like a whole lifetime to catch up on, he said.

Ahmed, meanwhile, was glad to help her newfound cousin.

Im not the sleuth he is, she said, but I love to put people together. I love family stories. My kids know all know about Joel. Were all excited.

Gottfrieds journey has only tightened his bond with his sister, Debbie Heller, who stayed by his side through every twist of his investigation.

Weve always been close, but this drew us even closer, he said. She was so supportive in helping me through this.

And in his heart, George Gottfried the dad who raised him to respect the working man, who passed on his zany sense of humor, who made him feel protected and loved is still very much his father.

His sperm was not used to create me, but he was my father in every sense of the word, Gottfried said.

Hes glad for the revelations of the past few years, he said. Theyve made him more introspective, more appreciative of his unique life.

Because you know what? As bizarre as this was, I do cherish who I am, and Im happy with who I am, he said. I have my mother. I have my father who raised me. I have the father whose sperm started me off. It all came together, and I am happy with who I am. And I wanted to tell the story.

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A home DNA test revealed that the man who raised him wasnt his biological father. What he learned next shocked him and made him grateful. - The...

If youve ever wanted to know more about your history and where you came from but dont know where exactly to start, an ancestry test kit is a good place to begin. But theres a lot more you can learn about yourself than just your ancestries.

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Reach your health goals and discover your ancestry with this DNA test kit - WJXT News4JAX

BioTech Breakthroughs Annual Awards Program Recognizes Innovation in the Global Life Sciences and Biotechnology Industry

NEW YORK, October 28, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lucid Diagnostics Inc. (Nasdaq: LUCD) ("Lucid") a commercial-stage, cancer prevention medical diagnostics company, and subsidiary of PAVmed Inc. (Nasdaq: PAVM, PAVMZ) ("PAVmed"), today announced its EsoGuard Esophageal DNA Test has been selected as winner of the "Diagnostics Innovation of the Year" award in the inaugural awards program conducted by BioTech Breakthrough, a leading independent market intelligence organization that evaluates and recognizes standout life sciences and biotechnology companies, products and services around the globe.

"We are honored to have Lucids EsoGuard recognized as BioTech Breakthroughs inaugural Diagnostics Innovation of the Year," said Lishan Aklog M.D., Lucids Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "This award adds to a growing list of accolades and recognition for Lucids products, including a prestigious 2020 Edison Best New Product Award, a National Cancer Institute highlight as one of the years significant advances in cancer prevention in its 2020 report to Congress, and FDA Breakthrough Device Designation indicating the potential to offer more effective diagnosis or treatment of life-threatening diseases."

"We believe EsoGuard, the first and only commercially available diagnostic test capable of serving as a widespread screening tool to prevent esophageal cancer deaths through early detection of precancer, could have as great an impact as widespread screening has had in preventing breast, colon, and cervical cancer deaths," Dr. Aklog added.

The mission of the annual BioTech Breakthrough Awards program is to conduct the industrys most comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the top technology companies, solutions, and products in the life sciences and biotechnology industry today. This years program attracted more than 1,200 nominations from over 12 different countries throughout the world.

Story continues

"Lucid Diagnostics is empowering clinicians to save lives by accurately detecting esophageal precancer in an office setting at a stage when it can be effectively managed or treated to prevent progression to highly lethal esophageal cancer," said Bryan Vaughn, Managing Director of BioTech Breakthrough Awards. "Congratulations on being our choice for the Diagnostics Innovation of the Year award."

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also known as chronic heartburn, is ubiquitous and can lead to a highly lethal form of esophageal cancer (EAC). Over 80% of EAC patients die within five years of diagnosis, making it the second most lethal cancer in the U.S. The U.S. incidence of EAC has increased 500% over the past four decades, while the incidences of other common cancers have declined or remained flat. In nearly all cases, EAC silently progresses until it manifests itself with new symptoms of advanced disease.

All EAC is believed to arise from esophageal precancer which occurs in up to 5% to 15% of at-risk GERD patients. Early esophageal precancer can be monitored until it progresses to late esophageal precancer which can be cured with endoscopic esophageal ablation, reliably halting progression to cancer. Screening is already recommended by clinical practice guidelines in many millions of GERD patients with multiple risk factors, including age over 50 years, male gender, White race, obesity, smoking history, and a family history of esophageal precancer or cancer. Unfortunately, less than 10% of those recommended for screening undergo traditional invasive endoscopic screening. The profound tragedy of an EAC diagnosis is that likely death could have been prevented if the at-risk GERD patient had been screened and then undergone surveillance and curative treatment. The only missing element for a viable esophageal cancer prevention program has been the lack of a widespread screening tool that can detect esophageal precancer. Lucid believes EsoGuard is that missing element.

EsoGuard is a bisulfite-converted next-generation sequencing (NGS) DNA assay performed on surface esophageal cells collected with EsoCheck. It quantifies methylation at 31 sites on two genes, Vimentin (VIM) and Cyclin A1 (CCNA1). The assay was evaluated in a 408-patient multicenter case-control study published in Science Translational Medicine and showed greater than 90% sensitivity and specificity at detecting esophageal precancer and cancer. EsoGuard is commercially available in the U.S. as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) performed at a CLIA/CAP-certified laboratory. At-risk GERD patients can undergo the EsoCheck procedure for EsoGuard testing at gastroenterology physician offices or at a growing network of Lucid Test Centers.

About Lucid Diagnostics

Lucid Diagnostics Inc. (Nasdaq: LUCD) is a commercial-stage, cancer prevention medical diagnostics company, and subsidiary of PAVmed Inc. (Nasdaq: PAVM). Lucid is focused on the millions of patients with gastroesophageal disease (GERD), also known as chronic heartburn, who are at risk of developing esophageal precancer and cancer. Lucids EsoGuard Esophageal DNA Test, performed on samples collected in a brief noninvasive office procedure with its EsoCheck Esophageal Cell Collection Device, is the first and only commercially available diagnostic test capable of serving as a widespread screening tool to prevent cancer and cancer deaths through early detection of esophageal precancer in at-risk GERD patients. EsoGuard is commercialized in the U.S. as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT). EsoCheck is commercialized in the U.S. as a 510(k)-cleared esophageal cell collection device. EsoGuard, used with EsoCheck, was granted FDA Breakthrough Device designation and is the subject of two large, actively enrolling, international multicenter clinical trials to support FDA PMA approval. Lucid is building a network of Lucid Test Centers where at-risk GERD patients can undergo the EsoCheck procedure for EsoGuard testing.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are any statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements, which are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Lucids management, are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that may cause such differences include, among other things, volatility in the price of Lucids common stock; general economic and market conditions; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the cost and time required advance Lucids products to regulatory submission; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from Lucids clinical and preclinical studies; whether and when Lucids products are cleared by regulatory authorities; market acceptance of Lucids products once cleared and commercialized; Lucids ability to raise additional funding as needed; and other competitive developments. In addition, Lucid has been monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and the pandemics impact on Lucids businesses. Lucid expects the significance of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the extent of its effect on its financial and operational results, to be dictated by, among other things, the success of efforts to contain the pandemic and the impact of such efforts on Lucids businesses. All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond Lucids control. In addition, new risks and uncertainties may arise from time to time and are difficult to predict. For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect Lucids future operations, see Lucids registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lucid disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in its expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211028005523/en/

Contacts

Investors Lisa DeScenzaLaVoieHealthScience(617) 351-0243ldescenza@lavoiehealthscience.com

Media Kristi BrunoLaVoieHealthScience(617) 865-3940PAVmed@lavoiehealthscience.com

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Lucid Diagnostics EsoGuard Esophageal DNA Test Wins "Diagnostics Innovation of the Year" Award - Yahoo Finance

Well turns out, their father is my father," Nancy Crane said. He knew that he had me, but I didnt know I had him.

HOUSTON It's an extraordinary story of a family reunion like no other. Six Houston siblings got the surprise of a lifetime when they got their DNA results back.

It started with a 23andMe DNA kit that me and my husband decided to order and do," Andrea Carnero said.

When Carnero got the results, she noticed she had a cousin she had never met.

Putting the pieces together

Carnero's aunt, Monica Limon, had a piece of paper from 23 years ago.

I was writing down everything that he was telling me about this woman," Limon said.

They were notes from her father about a woman with which he had an affair while stationed in the Army. He knew that woman had a daughter that he never met.

But for 30 years I was never able to find anything," Limon said.

Finally meeting

On Wednesday, Nancy Crane met her five sisters for the first time in person.

Well turns out, their father is my father," Nancy Crane said. He knew that he had me, but I didnt know I had him.

Crane grew up with her own mother and father, and only four months ago, she found out the truth.

Theyve taken me in like I was there my whole life. Its just unbelievable," Crane said.

More siblings

The story doesnt stop here. Theres one more piece to complete this puzzle, and this shocked these siblings most of all.

I swear I just lost it. I was, like, 'what?' Virginia Castillo said.

Their father had a second affair, and in that, Joseph was born.

They said, 'hey, not only do we have a sister, we have a brother,'" Castillo said.

Nancy and Joseph have lived 30 minutes apart in New Jersey not knowing each other their entire lives.

I couldve walked this earth and never knew about them and my loss," Crane said.

They'll all meet Joseph soon, but before Crane leaves town, there was one final introduction that needed to be made. She needed to meet the father she never met.

Hes not here to greet her. And thats what he wanted on his last days of life. He would say 'find her find her, I dont want to leave without finding her,'" Castillo said. I think that she will know my dad through us.

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'Turns out, their father is my father' | DNA results lead Houston family to long-lost siblings - KHOU.com

Showcasing his versatility in the electronic dance scene once again, Dutch prodigy Nicky Romero returns to his Generation 303 roots with the release of his latest single titled Acid Is My DNA. A hard-hitting bomb to say the least, this latest track is the epitome of an artist that not only has mastered his craft to perfection, but has also ensured that with each release fans alike will be begging for more!

The combination of driving basslines and intense buildups help elevate this masterpiece of track to a different dimension, whilst the laser samples and deep rhythmic drops that feature throughout, have led to the production of a high-energy and dance-worthy sound. With Romeros love for acid-influenced music starting way back in 2012, this multi-faceted artist has continued growing his sound with every chance, further showcasing the musical prowess of one of the dance industrys heavyweights.

Following the releases of Love Me Better and Okay featuring Marf & Wulf, Romero has been blessing fans with one stellar production after the other. Taking full advantage of the off time provided due to the global pandemic, the Dutch icon has been hard at work in order to provide fans with an array of new music. Unleashing a handful of IDs during a pulsating EDC performance last weekend, the Protocol Recordings boss has once again proven his legendary status within our community.

Out now via Nicky Romeros own imprint, Acid Is My DNA further showcases Romeros ability of successfully experimenting with different sounds, and in turn allows fans alike to blessed with one fire track after the other. A certified hit to say the least, you can check out this masterpiece of track below, and dont forget to let us know what you think in the comments section. Enjoy!

Image Credit: Kevin Anthony Canales

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Nicky Romero returns to hard-hitting roots with 'Acid Is My DNA': Listen - We Rave You

The DNA analysis of enigmatic mummies discovered in a Chinese desert has revealed their unexpected origins.

The study, published in the journal Nature, said the mummies were 4000 years old and the remains belonged to a local group called Ancient North Eurasians that descended from an ancient Ice Age Asian population.

Currently, Indigenous people in Siberia and the Americas have the highest known proportions of this group.

Also read |Egyptian mummies to pass through Cairo in ancient rulers' parade

Traces of this hunter-gatherer population survive only fractionally in the genomes of today's populations.

According to Christina Warinner, an associate professor of anthropology at Harvard University, ''The mummies have long fascinated scientists and the public alike since their original discovery.''

''Beyond being extraordinarily preserved, they were found in a highly unusual context, and they exhibit diverse and far-flung cultural elements,'' she added.

Also read |'Eternal love locked in an embrace': 1,500-year-old remains of a Chinese couple discovered

The 13 mummies, found in Xinjiang's Tarim and Dzungarian Basin, were discovered in the 1990s.

''We found strong evidence that they actually represent a highly genetically isolated local population,'' said Wariner.

''In contrast to their genetic isolation, however, they seem to have openly embraced new ideas and technologies from their herder and farmer neighbors, while also developing unique cultural elements shared by no other groups,'' she said.

Previous genetic samples discovered belonged to the Bronze Age as this was a region of incredible crossroads.

''There was vibrant mixing of North, South, East, and West going back as far back as 5,000 years," said Michael Frachetti, a professor of anthropology at Washington University in Saint Louis.''

The 1987 discovery of another mummy, the third century Lord of Sipan, is considered by experts one of the most significant archeological discoveries in the last few decades, as the main tomb was found intact and untouched by thieves.

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Archeologists make shocking revelations after DNA analysis of mummies in China - WION

WeatherThe deadly ocean storm, later immortalized in the acclaimed book and film, claimed the crew of the Andrea Gail out of Gloucester on Halloween in 1991.A satellite image of the no-name storm that would become known as "The Perfect Storm" captured on Oct. 30, 1991. National Weather Service, NOAA

Mary Anne Shatfords brother and mother appear in her dreams most frequently at this time of year. Bobby, lost at sea 30 years ago this week during the Perfect Storm aboard the Gloucester swordfishing boat Andrea Gail, and Ethel, who died nine years and two days later of cancer and a broken heart, infiltrate Shatfords subconscious around Halloween.

This is the time of year it could happen, she said, surveying Harbor Cove from a second-floor waterfront bar on Gloucesters Rogers Street. The only thing about not seeing Bobby dead is you can talk yourself into the idea that he might be OK. Ive had dreams where hes living on an island someplace. He looks the same as the day he left.

The multi-system storm that killed Shatford, his five crewmates, and seven others from Newfoundland to Puerto Rico ranks as one of the most severe Atlantic Basin ocean storms in recorded history. Sustained winds of 60 miles an hour blanketed the Atlantic south of Nova Scotia for almost 24 hours. Peak wave height, the average of the highest third of waves, held at 60 feet for more than a day across hundreds of square miles. The five-day weather event peaked over the Massachusetts coastline on Oct. 30 and 31.

Two months earlier, Hurricane Bob blew up here a Category 2, recalls Bruce Tobey, Gloucesters mayor at the time. What we saw that October met and surpassed it. I mean, it was a frightening demonstration of the oceans power. The enormity of the Perfect Storm is drilled into my DNA. It haunts you. It haunts me still.

When Tobey toured the destruction across his city, a journey he made with then-Lt. Gov. Paul Cellucci, the men needed to ride in a National Guard half-track vehicle. They were looking at the aftermath of a once-in-a-century event. That is no longer the case.

In the 1980s, the National Climatic Data Center cataloged 12 weather and climate-related disasters across the U.S. in which overall damage costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. Since the Perfect Storm, the National Centers for Environmental Information have tracked 270 such events, including a record 22 in 2020 (18 so far this year).

In August, a report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted that extreme sea-level events which previously occurred once in 100 years, like the Perfect Storm, could happen every year by the end of this century.

Whether it is the number of hurricanes, the number of major hurricanes, average intensities of hurricanes, rates of rapid-intensification, how often rapid intensification occurs, all these things are going up in the Atlantic Basin, said Tom Knutson, a senior scientist and climate modeler for the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Given the accelerating effects of climate on extreme weather activity, flooding, and ecosystem alteration, the convergence of three weather systems over New England in the fall of 91 is now a notable inflection point. Although scientific consensus remains elusive with regard to causation and long-term variability of Atlantic Ocean storms, the worlds foremost experts agree that all climate events are now occurring in the context of a changing climate.

In the scientific community, the bar is really high for us to say any single aspect of the world is definitively changing and why, said Andrew Pershing, Ph.D., director of climate science for Climate Central and formerly the chief scientific officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). I think we need to flip that perspective around and say: The world is changing and the bar should be really high for us to say that something is going to stay the same.

There is broad agreement on four real-time trends. Atlantic hurricane intensity has increased since 1990. Storm-related precipitation is up. Water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine off the coast of Massachusetts are warming faster than 99% of the worlds oceans. Sea-level rise is projected to surge approximately nine inches by 2050, and accelerate thereafter.

Most coastal municipalities in Massachusetts are highly vulnerable, but the home of Americas oldest fishing port is particularly susceptible. Gloucester features a large number of historic structures, older housing and infrastructure, low-lying road systems, a significant percentage of underrepresented communities, and a wastewater treatment plant that sits below sea level on marshland while also serving Essex and Rockport.

Our sea walls are being breached monthly on the astronomical high tide, said Mike Hale, director of Gloucesters Department of Public Works. Todays low water line is at our old high tide line. What happens in a storm surge? We need to be as proactive as possible as soon as possible to mitigate that.

Hurricane season in 2020 was the most active in history with a record 30 named storms, including 14 hurricanes, seven of which were Category 3 or above. Two such storms, a Category 4 and Category 5, formed last November, and a record 11 of the 30 made landfall in the U.S. Late fall carries the risk of hybrid storms, like the Perfect Storm and Superstorm Sandy, which occur when a hurricane or a tropical cyclone below hurricane strength collides with a Noreaster. The Perfect Storm also featured a Canadian cold front.

Hybrid systems can intensify rapidly. An October 2019 bomb cyclone that hit Maine was on weather maps for just 48 hours. To make matters worse, atmospheric conditions like blocking patterns in the North Atlantic the meteorological equivalent of a traffic jam are expected to become more frequent, according to David Reidmiller, Climate Center director at GMRI.

These are high-pressure systems that can exist off Southern Greenland and cause storms to stay in place longer, he said. That allows them to strengthen as they stall over water. Our warmer waters and warmer atmosphere mean more water vapor in the air, which can feed those storms. This potentially elevates their intensity in terms of rainfall, duration and wind velocity, and even the (square-mile) expanse of a storm.

Since 2016, rain-induced flooding has overtaken storm surge as the leading cause of hurricane-related fatalities.

Since 1984, Gregg Souza has owned the Crows Nest bar, where Bobby Shatford spent the last night of his life on dry land in the upstairs accommodations. The place was the social hub of Gloucesters fishing fleet back then. Today, it draws as many tourists as regulars. Mary Anne Shatford, now Souzas wife, estimates that an out-of-towner bellies up to ask about the storm, Ethel, or the crew of the Andrea Gail on nine days out of 10 (the Nest is open 365).

Souza vividly recalls hiking a back route with Mary Anne as the storm ramped up so the couple could overlook the citys deserted Atlantic Road, which runs parallel to the open ocean. He thinks it was Oct. 29. Waves cresting at 25 feet pounded the headlands. Street asphalt was jettisoned and replaced by boulders from rock outcroppings. Two days later, the scene was unrecognizable. A concrete seawall abutting the road had vanished and an Atlantic Road fire hydrant, left sitting atop 25 feet of naked standpipe, resembled a miniature lighthouse.

As we watched the water roll over the road, I remember Mary Anne asked me, Do you think Bobby and theguys are OK? said Souza. I said, Oh yeah. Theyre 500 miles east of here, at least. Its probably sunny and nice where they are. Turns out I was probably right about the weather out there, except that they were already dead. Theyd seen the worst of the storm that we were about to.

The commonly held theory about the fate of the Andrea Gail is that the 72-foot, steel-hulled vessel encountered a nonnegotiable wave a queer sea in fisherman parlance with an angled face of 70 to 100 feet. Meteorologists call them rogues.

Its pretty likely they were facing maximum highest seas of 80 to 90 feet on the northeast side of the storm, said Joe Delicarpini, a meteorologist and science operations officer at the National Weather Service Boston/Norton. A buoy off Sable Island 100 miles offshore and about 200 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia registered a 100-foot wave on the 29th.

Last known radio contact with captain Billy Tyne, just after 6 p.m. on the 28th, indicated he was trying to run with the sea and away from Gloucester about 180 miles northeast of Sable Island as the storm was hammering those same latitudes south of Nova Scotia. Linda Greenlaw, captain of a sister boat, the Hannah Boden, spoke to Tyne at 5 p.m., almost certainly between six and 10 hours before his boat and crew went to the bottom.

What I know is that Billy Tyne was doing everything within his power to keep the boat and his crew safe, said Greenlaw, now an author and lobster boat captain in Maine, who rode out the storm north of the Flemish Cap around 600 miles east of Tynes position. He was a very capable guy. Whatever happened occurred very quickly, because there was no mayday call, no life raft deployed. Im sure he was doing everything right, but you can do everything right at sea and still have things go wrong.

The three likeliest possibilities in the forensics of the sinking suggest that the Andrea Gail was either pitch-poled bow over stern running into the storm, rolled by a massive boarding wave in a beam sea or, riding in a following sea, got slammed into the trough of a wave and plowed under. By the morning of the 29th, NOAA reported 63-foot waves off Cape Cod and three dozen boats aground or sunk on Nauset Beach, 600 nautical miles west of Tynes last known position.

The crew, the storm, and the sinking are recounted in the 1997 non-fiction book The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger, a story that was adapted for a movie by the same name in 2000.

Though bluewater vessels may contend more frequently with the blitzkrieg pace of hybrid storms today, it is less likely well see an Andrea Gail situation again given technological advances and the fact quotas, gear regulations, and time-limited fishing seasons mean fewer vessels and less exposure.

The threat of extreme-storm impacts on people and property now seems more concentrated on coastal and inland areas. Large tidal swings, base sea-level rise, intense and enduring precipitation, and hybrid storm intensity are life- and livelihood-threatening realities for Gloucester and communities across New England.

A large-scale event is still a matter of timing, but its also just a matter of time.

The optimistic side of the message is important, said Ellen Mecray, regional climate services director at NOAA Massachusetts. States in this region have been more proactive than most in the U.S.

Humans always have two options in the face of daunting obstacles, Mecray said. One path leads to depression and inaction, and the other is something were really good at as New Englanders. We pick ourselves up and move forward with action. I think most residents now see that what weve been saying would happen is happening, and its time to act.

The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends on Nov. 30.

Note: Also consulted in the reporting of this story were Kerry Emanuel, a meteorologist and climate scientist at MIT; Walt Golet, a highly migratory fish species specialist and assistant professor at the University of Maine; and Kathy Mills, who directs the integrated Systems Ecology Lab at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

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